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My 1985 VW GTI ITB car is now on eBay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=4568661685

This was a project car for European Car magazine( see www.europeancarweb.com and click on...

I have finally convinced my bosses at European Car to put part 4 and part 5 of my "Race Ready Golf" series from the magazine onto the web site. You can see it at
...

Having moved to Minnesota, where the lakes turn hard in the winter, I was hoping I might find an old Volvo 142 to play with in ice time trials. I know, they are rear wheel drive, but that's half the...

That's funny, I frequently find myself gnashing my teeth and pulling out my hair as I write about this season's less than stellar results...

Kevin
85 GTi

Parts 1, 2 and 3 are there now, look under "Project Cars" on the main web page.

Kevin
VW GTi

Parts 1, 2 and 3 should be on the European Car website shortly. The site is:

www.europeancarweb.com

It may take a few days to get the story onto the web. We will also put Part 4 up after it has...

Let me see what my editor at European car can do...

kevin

Part Four is coming, I promise, if I ever get my new motor together and into the car...

Kevin Clemens
1985 VW GTi

Thank you for the kind words. The first part of the series was in the August 2004 issue. The third part should (in theory) be in the Novemeber issue. Unfortunately for me,(but making a good story for...

My dyno testing showed a peak HP at 5250 rpm and a pretty sharp drop off above 5900. As Kirk says, you want to be able to go a bit higher to avoid falling off the torque curve and also sometimes to...

Greg:

I will be at BHF this weekend (saturday only) and would be interested in looking at the car as I am looking for a Rabbit/Golf to use for ice racing this winter.

Kevin in St. Paul, MN

"I just wanted to thank you for a great job getting off track so quickly"

Unfortunately, it's a matter of practice makes perfect.... but thanks for noticing!

Kevin
(now back together and...

Okay, then here is an idea. It may seem a bit idealistic, but I am sure there are many of you who will point that out.

As we all agree that it is a small number of people who are cheating (or...

Good call on the head. You can bet i looked at it VERY carefully, but didn't see any signs on the head or piston that the two ever met. The breakage at the counterweight was actually just around the...

Just for the three people who might be interested: I have the engine out of the car and a new JY (Junkyard for those of us now in the know) back in place.

The original engine seems to have failed...

The Bentley manual says out through the top for an A2. If I pull it out the bottom, do I still need to pull the radiator support and grille and take off the hood?

kevin
VW Gti (A2)

Okay, I have found a nice option on a junkyard motor. I will replace oil pump, water pump, timing belt, head bolts, flywheel bots and clutch bolts and reuse my head. Anything I am forgetting? The...

Oh, I get it!

JY="Junk yard" Very funny. And here I was pouring through all of my VW stuff trying to figure out what a JY block was. Good one on me!

Thanks for the clarification. Anyone care to...

Can someone explain what a JY engine block is? I can't seem to find it among the engine variations listed in Raven's book.

Also, I suppose it would be illegal to use a 16V bottom end (PL block)...

I am fully in favor of oil warning lights. Sometimes though, our best intentions aren't enough. Last weekend, between turn 1 and 2 on the pace lap at IRP, the rod came out through the side of my...

I actually did scrub them a bit harder than usual (parking on a gravel paddock), but the engine has a windage tray and and deep sump, so I would have thought it was safe. It was also about 15-20...

On the pace lap yet! At IRP this weekend for the double regional, leaving turn one heading toward turn two when there was a loud bang and the car filled with smoke. I was turning about 3,000 rpm in...

Kirk:

I have looked at your IT2 site before and found it interesting. Could you update us as to the status of this initiative? How would one go about helping this along? Is this just SCCA, or have...

Seth,

That's kind of the point I was trying to get to. There are a whole bunch of newer cars (from the 90s) out there that aren't VW Golfs and Volvo 142s and Honda Civics that are reaching an age...

Ah yes,thank you joeg, there it is in black and white:
GCR11.2.1Y
"Four wheel (All-Wheel) drive is prohibited except in Showroom Stock and Touring."

Apparently the "...except in Showroom Stock...