My Golf Rally Car Build

Stage III - Assembly/Rally Upgrades
 

PICTURE GALLERY   

      With much anticipation the assembly can
finally being. The first item I tackled was
modifying the stock steering column to add a
quickener. This will reduce the steering rack
from 3.3+ turns lock to lock to just over 1.5.
I chose a Howe 2:1 unit I purchased from
Stock Car Products. After looking over the stock
VW configuration the best place to place the
quickener was about 12 inches below the lock
cylinder where the slip joint is created for the
collapsible column. After cutting out several
inches from the steering shaft, the couplers
were welded to the shaft. Steel pins were also
inserted through the shaft to add additional strength to prevent twisting. The hardest part was devising a mounting bracket to hold the quickener to both ends of the column outer tube. Some scrap stainless was used to bolt both the top and bottom tubes and the quickener together. Since steering is VERY important when traveling at excessive speeds, everything is overbuilt here.

      After the brackets were welded up and painted, the quickener was given a quick test. With the 2:1 reduction it has reduce the steering from ~3.3 turns lock to lock to around ~1.7. During the test, deflection was seen in the
flat plate that connects the upper and lower tubes.
I increased the thickness of the base plate to a
1/4" to eliminate any movement in the unit.

      While I was working on the steering column I took the opportunity to strengthen the spot welds on the dash and pedal assembly.

      Next, the doors were skinned and I installed the driver's dead pedal. I decided to use a scrap piece of a truck bed liner to make a floor mat
and to create an even floor for my feet to rest on.

       Finally, the time came to install the seat mounts and seats.

       I decided to try out one of the new K-Sport hydraulic handbrakes. Overall it looks to be well crafted and the integrated lock mechanism is a nice feature to allow me to still regain some type of emergency brake functionality since the OEM emergency brake cables are removed. To provide rear brake proportioning, I went with a Russel valve and welded mounts to the side of the K-sport handbrake to allow for a compact mounting arrangement.  With the addition of the Momo steering wheel, it is finally starting to look like a proper race car on the inside.

       Next up was to run some of the rear brake lines and install Burmeister Strut Mounts/Camber Plates that I purchased from Davenport Racing . Since Dave Clark Motorsports plated the top of the strut towers, longer bolts were required.

      A new shifter mounting system was created to allow for moving the shifter box assembly inside the car. This allowed for the shifter to sit higher and closer to the steering wheel for easy reach. Also a air vent was added to the roof. This part is a standard semi truck sleeper vent purchased for cheap ($25).

      The fuel cell was the next project to tackle was the installation of the fuel cell. With the installation of the new rear suspension the stock gas tank would not fit (and for safety reasons its a good thing) so a fuel cell was installed in the rear trunk floor. The cell was recessed as far as possible to still provide a usable trunk. The fuel cell will be covered with an aluminum top to create a spill/fire proof separation from the passenger compartment. Once the fuel cell was welded in, the final paint job was applied and wiring began.