1 Topic by Duncan345 (edited by Duncan345 2010-06-27 06:39 PM)

  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Topic: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

After searching Craigslist for several months, I finally found a good candidate. For $250, I got a 1986 VW GTI with some aftermarket goodies. The previous owner claims that it was used for autocross racing and as his daily driver, but he ran out of gas at the track and punctured the radiator in a towing accident. It has been sitting for the past 3 years since. The body is ugly but pretty solid. I was excited to see the strut tower braces and swaybars. Most of of the interior is already gutted. I'm taking a trip to the junkyard next weekend to find a new radiator. I have my fingers crossed that the engine has had a little bit of work done to it... especially since it has 248,000 miles on the clock.

Our team is from Mississippi, so we will hopefully be in the races in Louisiana. Make sure to visit the album to check out all the pictures.

Pictures from the first day:

http://duncan345.imgur.com/red_dragon


Here is the Craigslist ad:

http://i.imgur.com/T0vZA.jpg

  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • Registered: 2009-12-04
  • Posts: 145

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Perfect!  Have fun.  You should be able to sell off some trim parts to offset the purchase parice, and help with safety costs.

Rich DeFrancisco
Chump Change Racing aka "The Bridesmaids"
1986 BMW 535im
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic … 8418604559

3 Reply by Duncan345 (edited by Duncan345 2010-06-27 08:33 PM)

  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Some pictures from the album.

http://i.imgur.com/1delf.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1cDFS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/68s0gl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/QNHVql.jpg

  • Registered: 2009-10-25
  • Posts: 1,993

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

okay you gotta make a video when you blow that hornets nest out of there!!

Richard Doty
1984 Porsche 928 "Estate"
Porsche- "there is A substitute" Racing
Dirt Poorsche Racing #2
  • From: Baltimore, MD
  • Registered: 2010-05-20
  • Posts: 1,745

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

That seat is great

Driver, Pit Monkey, Rod Buster and Engine Fire Starter
Team FinalGear
  • From: Merrick, NY
  • Registered: 2009-05-13
  • Posts: 2,155

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Whats with the bungee cord holding the door shut?

That seat looks like you're gonna get terminal ass disease if you sit in it.

Tom Lomino - Proud to be a 23x Lemons Loser, 3x Class B, and 1x IOE Winner!
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  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

We plan to leave the wasp nest in there until we fire it up for the first time. I'll set up a tripod and video it.

The door flaps around if the bungee cord isn't on there. I haven't taken a close look to see what needs to be fixed there yet.

The seat really sucks. I am 6'3" 210lbs and I feel like I am going to crush my pelvis every time I sit in it.

  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • Registered: 2009-12-04
  • Posts: 145

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Never seen bungee cord harnesses used before!  What's the date code on those bad boys?

Rich DeFrancisco
Chump Change Racing aka "The Bridesmaids"
1986 BMW 535im
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic … 8418604559
  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Modelwerks wrote:

Never seen bungee cord harnesses used before!  What's the date code on those bad boys?

Actually, the bungee cord is just there to hold the door shut. I think you are seeing yellow nylon rope. It is disturbing that the rope is where a harness should be. Hopefully the rope wasn't being used as a harness.

  • FJ40Jim
  • FJ40Jim
  • Lemons Staff Stalker
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  • From: Lancaster OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
  • Posts: 1,657

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Cool, looks like our first LeMon, complete w/ boi racer accessory kit! (springs, strut braces, sparco pedals, shift knob...)

Except not rusted to death.
And mostly intact.
And sorta runs.

Jim C.
If God meant for us to race, we'd all have baggy Nomex skin.
08TMS.09NL.10GM, SP, NL.11SP, NL.12SP, VIR, NL.13GM, NJ.14NJ, VIR, WGI.15AB.16GM.17NCM.18GM.19...
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2010-02-11
  • Posts: 156

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Awesome.  Your fart can already came with angry bees.  Who needs an engine now?

  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Well, I worked on the car a little today. I saw a hornet buzzing around the exhaust pipe, even though it is in the garage now. It looks like we imported some stinging insects when we picked up this car. Oh well, it should make the video more entertaining when we crank it for the first time. Hopefully that will be early next week, depending on how this weekend goes. Our team will have a Youtube channel to document our failures. I'll post a link here as soon as we have an update.

  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • Registered: 2009-12-04
  • Posts: 145

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Put a little trans fluid in eack cylinder, it will free up the rings, and make a smokeshow!

Rich DeFrancisco
Chump Change Racing aka "The Bridesmaids"
1986 BMW 535im
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic … 8418604559
  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Papanight wrote:

Boom!!! Team member #2 checking in!!

Is that the name? Team #2?

  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

FJ40Jim wrote:

Cool, looks like our first LeMon, complete w/ boi racer accessory kit! (springs, strut braces, sparco pedals, shift knob...)

Except not rusted to death.
And mostly intact.
And sorta runs.

My God, I just looked at the link in your signature. Your red GTI is in much worse shape than this one. I still think that I could turn around and sell this one on Craigslist for nearly $1000 with a little patience.

  • FJ40Jim
  • FJ40Jim
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  • From: Lancaster OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
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Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Duncan345 wrote:
FJ40Jim wrote:

Cool, looks like our first LeMon, complete w/ boi racer accessory kit! (springs, strut braces, sparco pedals, shift knob...)

Except not rusted to death.
And mostly intact.
And sorta runs.

My God, I just looked at the link in your signature. Your red GTI is in much worse shape than this one. I still think that I could turn around and sell this one on Craigslist for nearly $1000 with a little patience.

The car body & interior was total garbage.  But it had the lowering springs & struts & corrado strut mounts & poly bushings & strut brace and short throw shifter and camshaft and exhaust and....

And bright yellow plug wires FTW.

Jim C.
If God meant for us to race, we'd all have baggy Nomex skin.
08TMS.09NL.10GM, SP, NL.11SP, NL.12SP, VIR, NL.13GM, NJ.14NJ, VIR, WGI.15AB.16GM.17NCM.18GM.19...
  • From: Spring, TX
  • Registered: 2009-10-25
  • Posts: 459

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Cool find, congrats yall will have a lot of fun and have a pretty easy journey!

Mike Peters
Former rotary brat pioneer.
3.17.08 Jalopnik Hoon of the day.  #hasbeen
1984 Dodge Rampage, A few SHO engines, a Mustang 8.8, and a lot of hot glue going on now.

mikespeed95's Website

  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • Registered: 2009-12-04
  • Posts: 145

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Don't go saying what you think it could be worth here - that can get you penalty laps.

Rich DeFrancisco
Chump Change Racing aka "The Bridesmaids"
1986 BMW 535im
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic … 8418604559
  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Small update. Went to the junkyard today and found a radiator. I know it holds fluid because it puked all over me when I removed the hoses. We pulled the spark plugs, put in a charged battery, sprayed some WD-40 in the cylinders and it turned right over. We hooked up one of the plugs and checked the spark. The guy that had it before installed some nice 4-point plugs, and they still work.

After re-installing the plugs, we tried to crank it. No luck. It spins freely and it sounds very different with the plugs in, so that is a good sign. One of the team members theorizes that our fuel pump is bad. It's an in-tank unit, so it may have overheated when the previous owner ran out of fuel while racing. (Remember, the story from the Craigslist ad was that he ran out of fuel while racing, and punctured the radiator trying to tow it off the track.) I can't hear any noise from the fuel pump with the ignition on. We tried the old carb cleaner in the intake trick, but this engine has independent fuel injection lines for each cylinder so that didn't work.

Can any of you MK2 VW guys help me out?

  • FJ40Jim
  • FJ40Jim
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  • From: Lancaster OH
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
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Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

You're on the right path w/ the gumout spray in the intake.  If it will at least sputter and fire, then the engine is prolly good enough.  You just need to get the fuel pumps working.  They both run off the same wire going to the rear of the car.  So if the fuse or relay is bad, neither pump will work.  If only the low pressure in tank pump is working, then the engine will not run.  If only the high-pressure pump is working, it may run, but very weakly.

You can check for fuel pressure by cracking open the line from fuel distributor to cold start injector.  If it has plenty of pressure in it after cranking the engine, then there is some fuel pump and check valve goodness.  OTOH, if there is no pressure after cranking the engine, then it's time to investigate the pumps & wiring.

HTH

Jim C.
If God meant for us to race, we'd all have baggy Nomex skin.
08TMS.09NL.10GM, SP, NL.11SP, NL.12SP, VIR, NL.13GM, NJ.14NJ, VIR, WGI.15AB.16GM.17NCM.18GM.19...
  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

FJ40Jim wrote:

You're on the right path w/ the gumout spray in the intake.  If it will at least sputter and fire, then the engine is prolly good enough.  You just need to get the fuel pumps working.  They both run off the same wire going to the rear of the car.  So if the fuse or relay is bad, neither pump will work.  If only the low pressure in tank pump is working, then the engine will not run.  If only the high-pressure pump is working, it may run, but very weakly.

You can check for fuel pressure by cracking open the line from fuel distributor to cold start injector.  If it has plenty of pressure in it after cranking the engine, then there is some fuel pump and check valve goodness.  OTOH, if there is no pressure after cranking the engine, then it's time to investigate the pumps & wiring.

HTH

Sounds like my Sunday afternoon is all planned out. Thanks!

  • From: Choctaw, Oklahoma
  • Registered: 2009-11-12
  • Posts: 2,144

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

The guy that had it before installed some nice 4-point plugs, and they still work.

It doesn't mean they're the right plug for the car. When I was a Nissan technician we regularly saw cars misfiring with Champion or Bosch plugs in them - with a Japanese car you always install NGK or Nippondenso. With a German car you want Bosch. GMs take AC Delco, Fords take Motorcraft, and Mopars take Champion. If you like blowing cash, buy the funky multi-tipped plug of the hour. This is just a rule of thumb, YMMV.

  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • Registered: 2009-12-04
  • Posts: 145

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

NGK or Bosch plugs, no funky Iriduim, Unobtanium, platnum or anything like that.

Rich DeFrancisco
Chump Change Racing aka "The Bridesmaids"
1986 BMW 535im
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic … 8418604559
  • From: Jackson, Mississippi
  • Registered: 2009-05-08
  • Posts: 45

Re: Just brought home my first racer! (with pics)

Just got back from working on the car. We are still in the beginning stages, so nothing too exciting. We pulled the crappy "racing" seat and the stock passenger seat out. I'm going to put the stock seat on the driver's side until we get our Kirkey seat because the old Momo bucket is 14" wide and my ass definitely doesn't fit. The guy had it mounted with ONLY the stock spring-loaded release under the front. The rear mounts were just resting on the floor. Something tells me that would have failed tech inspection.

I found some other interesting stuff. The previous owner had some cheap Aiwa shelf speakers laying in the back. I just assumed that he left them in the hatch while moving them somewhere, but they were actually wired up. It also looks like he had an amp/sub back there at some point. There is 8 ga. wire running all the way from the battery to the hatch... Looks like a rear mount battery conversion is in our future! The rear trim panels actually look pretty nice. I'm going to take some pics and sell them for a little extra wiggle room in our budget.

The rest of the time was spent staring at the engine bay, drinking beer, and occasionally saying "yep" like Hank Hill and his buddies.


Speaker:

http://i.imgur.com/O4WIdl.jpg

Crappy Momo seat:

http://i.imgur.com/68s0gl.jpg

Possible theme:

http://i.imgur.com/RRcgTl.jpg