JonL's 8v budget track toy - now going to be a race car! ;-)

[JonLeeper]

No, not really.  What’s the consensus on the best cheep(ish) track day tyre?  For my first day I will probably run the current 14’s and tyres and fit the 15’s when I fit better brakes.  That way I can concentrate on getting the car serviced and ready for a day’s playing rather than worrying about tyres.

[Horney]

The general consensus is that Toyo T1-R's are a pretty good allrounder but need the first few mm scrubbed off or they over heat badly in the dry.

I run a set of Toyo R888 medium compund cut slicks for dry use (about £80 a corner fitted) and I'm hoping to get a set of Uni Royal Rainsport 2's for road and wet trackday use (about £50 a corner fitted).

The Toyo Cut Slicks are road legal but as they relatively soft compound I only ever use them on track to save wear so I use 2 sets of wheels. The wets on all the time and the cut slicks get chucked in the boot for trackday use.

Hope that makes sense.

nick

[JonLeeper]

Well I tried to get the hub nut off and had no luck. I have borrowed a longer breaker bar so, hopefully, will have it off tomorrow.  I did manage to jack the car up to see which boot it was and could not find anything wrong for about 20 mins until I noticed a tiny, <1/4", crack forming in the inner boot.  It is not even all the way through the rubber but that must be what they have picked up!  I will now have to take the entire driveshaft out and will replace both boots whist it is off.  I did manage to take some photos though so here they are:


General shot from the rear

Side profile

Other side

Front

Wheel removed.  Does anyone have any idea of what suspension this is fitted?  The disk is the normal small 256mm and the calliper mounted directly to the hub so that is all standard 8v running gear.  Is the shock and spring the standard too?


Sorry for the dreadful pics, especially the last on camera flash is a horrible thing, but they are straight out of the camera without any post processing.

[Horney]

I see no ones managed to get that exhaust to hang right still, I spent hours on the dman thing and gave up in the end.

As for the suspension I can't help. I fitted a used set up I bought off a fella on Edition 38, I think it was a Gmax kit, it was deffo on drop 60mm springs. It doesn't look that low anymore though so I suspect it's been changed again since I had it.

She looks good mate, I always loved how she looked after a good clean and polish.

Nick

[JonLeeper]

Right another update.  Went round and borrowed a large 30mm socket and bar from a friend.  The only bar he had was an old torque wrench but it as rated to 300nNm and he said it wasn't that accurate any more so I was welcome to use it.  I also borrowed half a scaffold pole just in case!  I tried with just the torque wrench and nothing so added the scaffold pole and managed to bend the torque wrench!  :embarassed: The nut did finally loosen but I now owe him a new torque wrench, which I have just bought at Halfrauds for a princely £60.  Still I needed to get some spline sockets to undo the inner CV joint so the trip wasn't wasted.  They also had the CV boot and some grease so I am all set to actually change the boot.   Came home and set up the halogen spot lamp, doesn't it get dark early at the moment, and with the correct spline socket, 8mm if anyone is interested, it came straight off.  Well the bits are now in the garage waiting for me tomorrow and should, hopefully, be back on the car this weekend.  Then all I need to do is take it back to the MOT center and get my pass certificate.

I also got a call from a scrappy today about some late 16v hubs and callipers.  He wants £40 a side and £12 to post so that's about £100 all in.  I need to ring him back and ask what it would cost for the Passat lower wishbones, hubs, callipers, driveshafts and tie rods as if the difference is not a great deal I may as well do it all in a oner and get the benefit of a wider track and better brakes all at once.  It would also allow me to seam weld the lower wishbones and poly bush them in slow time off the car before simply fitting.  Still that is in the future and I need to get it on the road before I can do anything.

More tomorrow, I hope,

Jon

[JonLeeper]

Didn't manage to get much done today as I had to clear and sort out the garage so that we can see a bit of what's been dumped in there and I can put the chest freezer in tomorrow when I go and get it.  It does mean that I now have a bench back so I can work on bits after I have removed them and be slightly warm and out of the weather.  I did glue the plastic tube back over the impeller on the windscreen washer pump, I will refit in the morning and see if it has worked or if I really do need to buy another one, and picked up my new 15" wheels.  The are 6 spoke excite wheels and look a little shabby but are very light and will fit over the new brakes, when I get them.  One has a tyre on it, Pirelli P6000 or sumsuch in 195/50 R 15 size.  I will trial fit them at some point before buying some tyres. 

More soon, I hope,

Jon

[JonLeeper]

Well I finally got all of the jobs finished, the spline bolts were a nightmare to get off (you really need the correct tool), and went back to the MOT centre this evening to get it retested.  I thought that the CV boot looked in very good shape on the bench and it turns out that the secretary mistyped nearside inner instead of offside outer!  I could have shot someone when the mechanic came back in and said "everything has been done except one thing.  The CV Boot!"  "I can see that you have changed the nearside inner but the offside outer still needs doing."  I was not happy but he didn't put the re-test on the system so I still have a couple of days to change the boot and not pay for a whole new test.  I have loosened the hub nut and taken the wheel off but it has started to rain quite hard and so I have abandoned all work for the evening.  I will buy another boot tomorrow and, hopefully, have it fitted so that I can re-test it on Thurs eve.

[Horney]

Ah mate that really blows! At least they were kind enough to not log the retest and now you know how to do one and have a fresh boot on the other side. Not much consolation, but a little bit nonetheless.

nick

[JonLeeper]

Well it has rained solidly all day and the ground was absolutely sodden, I love not being able to work in the garage!  Still the hub nut came off a little easier this time and the offside outer CV boot has now been changed.  I just need to take the car back to the test station tomorrow after work and it should be road legal!   

Hopefully there will be a very happy bunny on here tomorrow night!

[Horney]

Fingers crossed for you mate.

nick