In for pic of coilovers and BBSs mounted.
In for pic of coilovers and BBSs mounted.
DILYSI Dave wrote: Lists. Lists help everything. Make a list. Start checking E36 M3 off.
Good call. I'm going to make one tonight I think. If nothing else it's a good "motivational poster" to see E36 M3 get crossed off. I'll stick it on the cabinet in the garage.
Clean car! Looking forward to seeing more.
Had a good day in the garage on Sunday. I had some friends stop over and we replaced the parking brake cables and got the rear beam mounted up again. I'm going to get the rear drums back together and focus on the front end next.
Out with the old and in with the new:
And some shinny new parts to show off. Koni Yellows and Ground Control coil over sleeves with 450 lbs in the rear and 350 lbs in the front. I'm going to be running a 24mm solid 16v Scirocco RSB and no FSB.
Oooohhhhh pretty.
Whoohoo I hope you have a kidney belt for when you drive with those spring rates.
Having had a couple of rabbits, with various suspension setups, I've been up in that area.
I was even in my twenties and had to change to a softer spring which was I think 350 in the rear once I was done with 300 in front. Right on the edge of being just a bit jarring on the street but a blast on the track.
Having done the rear only swaybar also it is great on the track but a little sketchy on the street when it rains.
Just my $.02 worth but guessing you already know about this so carry on with the festivities. I'm liking where this is going.
In reply to brad131a4:
I've got around 450lb on front springs and 350 on rear on my saab and the ride is absolutely way to harsh. I'd hate to imagine how those springs will feel on a light car like the rabbit. But then again I regularly drive through new york city. Some of the crappiest roads I've ever been on.
brad131a4 wrote: Whoohoo I hope you have a kidney belt for when you drive with those spring rates. Having had a couple of rabbits, with various suspension setups, I've been up in that area. I was even in my twenties and had to change to a softer spring which was I think 350 in the rear once I was done with 300 in front. Right on the edge of being just a bit jarring on the street but a blast on the track. Having done the rear only swaybar also it is great on the track but a little sketchy on the street when it rains. Just my $.02 worth but guessing you already know about this so carry on with the festivities. I'm liking where this is going.
Haha yeah I'm expecting to suffer some punishment for it. 
I talked quite a bit on here and vwvortex with some long time MK1 autocross and road racing guys before I decided on this setup with the rear stiffness bias and larger RSB/no FSB setup to try and get some rotation. I figure if it's absolutely insufferable I can always sell the springs and go for a more tolerable setup like 350R/300F. This is my 1st MK1 and the first time I've gone this stiff on a car before so it'll definitely be a new experience!
Suspension mods remind me of the 1980 Rabbit build I did in mid 1990's ... girlfriend at the time named the car the Silver Bullet Boob Buster !!!! After 6 months of this, I retreated to a softer setup ...
LOL Sounds about right! There is no present significant other in my life so I get a pass on that for the time being. I would be driving the new Mazda6 on a date anyway. The only scenario where this haunts me is if I find a woman cool enough to take to car shows or go autocrossing with me.
You'll survive the spring rates although not exactly a cadillac. I'm running 450F and 500R in El Rabbitto...
Ok now einy has the right idea. You need to get a girlfriend with a nice upper body to really utilize that suspension spring rate.
Video would be nice but not necessary just a confirmation that it indeed works.
On the suspension are you running Koni's? If so that may help as you can adjust the firmness on them. I was running bilstein sports at the time and changed them out with some boge progas when you could get them here. Nice combo on the street but a little soft on dampening on the track.
brad131a4 wrote: Ok now einy has the right idea. You need to get a girlfriend with a nice upper body to really utilize that suspension spring rate.
I am both happy and at the same time, sad that they didn't have cell phone cameras back in those days. Check that .... I'll stick with happy !!!
Haha yes I wouldn't be complaining if my car caused that problem!
I am running Koni Sport Adjustables so I could soften them up for regular driving to help a little bit.
Doing all the bushings while you're in there? It's worth taking a look for some camber plates to run as caster adjusters. Dial in every scrap of caster you can get and it means you can run normal neg camber. You'll get massively improved turn in response due to the dynamic camber that the caster gives. Only penalty is heavy steering feel. As you are already rocking a no power steering car it's a non issue.
In reply to 84FSP:
Yup. New OEM rubber rear trailing arm bushings and Delrin LCA bushings from Lella Autosport. Fresh rubber rear strut mounts and I have a set of Bonrath Front Strut Mounts that are a copy of the early MK1 style which I was told only had about 5,000 miles on them.
Camber plates would be tempting but I don't want to do any cutting on the towers or make it really uncomfortable for street driving.
I think I'm going to run -2 degrees and 1/8 tow out initially.
Sounds awesome sir. I have the lella's bushings on all 4 corners! Looking forward to more here!
84FSP wrote: Sounds awesome sir. I have the lella's bushings on all 4 corners! Looking forward to more here!
Man those things are a pain in the ass to install! 
It's definitely not as easy as forcing a pliant rubber bushing into those frame horn pockets. I wrestled with just the passenger side for an hour and a half last night until I could get it lined up enough to pass the bolt through it.
Very cool build, I've always wanted to build a clean mk1 Rabbit.
Did you buy chance buy this from Jason at Mobile One Inc?
Before attempting the next bushing install, try coating it with a little liquid soap. It will be much easier.
TED_fiestaHP wrote: Before attempting the next bushing install, try coating it with a little liquid soap. It will be much easier.
Good idea, I'll give that a shot on the driver's side.
petegans wrote: Very cool build, I've always wanted to build a clean mk1 Rabbit. Did you buy chance buy this from Jason at Mobile One Inc?
I don't believe he ever owned it and I've known him since around '05. I found it on CL from someone who had discovered the car at an estate sale up near Milwaukee and basically flipped it. I'm told it was sitting since '06 when I bought it in 2013.
Things are coming together. I'll have a better update with pics this evening and through the weekend.
The goal right now is to get the rest of the suspension assembled and buttoned up and have her ready to tow to a shop to get the brake lines replaced on Wednesday next week. 
I can't tell you how excited I am by the thought of this. Very much looking forward to ripping around corners (both left AND RIGHT without stalling!) and rattling my fillings out. 
Ran into some trouble with it this weekend so I'm a little behind. 
Hoping that I can get the rest of it assembled in the next couple days though.
The driver's side control arm kind of said berkeley you to me when I was installing it. Looks as if somebody hit the control arm connecting bolt with an impact to put it on in the past and the end plate of the front bushing pocket had been distorted and cupped inward more or less. Couple that with the already tight fit of the Delrin bushing which was in effect larger then the rubber bushing that it replaced and it was a nightmare to get it installed right and without binding. I emailed back and forth with the Delrin Bushing company for advice on how remedy it and I finally got it to go in smoothly. I reversed the bolt head to the inside of the flange with some hardened washers and tightened a nut to the outside several times to try and flatten out the flange face. I also filed about 1/32" off both side of the bushing.
I'm going to try and finish up installing the front brakes tonight and If I can get a hand from a friend in the next couple days I'll have it ready to be towed over to get the brake lines replaced.
So I powedercoated and rebuilt these:
Girling 54 Front Calipers for 16v Scirocco 10.1" brakes
And I added these:
Koni Sport Struts in modified factory strut housings with Ground Control Coilover Sleeves and 350 lb springs and Bonrath Early Style Strut Mounts.
To get this:
Brembo blank 10.1" rotors and Carbotech XP8 front pads.
I need to finish up putting together the rear drums tonight and then I can put this bish on the ground! First time in 2 years!!!!
The goal is to have the car towed to a local shop on Tuesday to have them replace all of the hard brake lines, install the braided SS brake lines, install a new master cylinder, replace the main fuel hard line, and mount the new gas tank, fuel accumulator, and newish used fuel pump.
After that I need to get it aligned, and hopefully take some shake down runs.
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