Is my new car competitive?

[Grumpa]

Just throwing this out to all - Shwah, Tristan, Santos - and anyone else who campaigns a Vdub. I have documented on the board the fact that my ITC Bunny met it's demise at IRP this past May and has been replaced with an '84 ITB A1 GTI. My question is how competitive can an A1 be in B? I was able to get my C Bunny within 1.2 seconds of the lap record at Gateway last fall and still had work to do on the car. Now I'm back at square 1 with the new car and class. The learning curve won't be as steep this time around, but I am just wondering aloud as to the reality of this chassis in B. I know I'm outhorsed by the A2 & A3 cars and most other cars, but on a relatively short, handling course is this chassis viable? Thanks for your time, gents.


Edit: What type of stripper (easy, boys), besides a hammer & chisel, is good for removing the undercoating slathered all over the undercarraige?

[Lael Cleland]

I belive A1s are competive.one thing about the counter flow head is its identical ports to the 1.8s, there turned 180, but I dont think it helps. mechanical lifters In my opinion will give you more lift with the same cam profile. the A2-3s do have 10.0:1 comp, and we have 8.5:1, thats the biggest down fall of the itb A1....but the A1 is 200-300lbs lighter? I just built an 84 gti ITB car so I have lots and lots of optamisim......

that is my 2 cents
Lael

[shwah]

I think everyone moved away from them when they were classed so heavy it was hard to build one above minimum weight. Now that they are classed at an appropriate weight, I think they can be competitive. It is a straight trade-off of weight for power. You have the same brakes and basic chassis layout as my car, but have lower compression and a smaller throttle body.

There are a few Sciroccos around here in ITB, and I honestly feel that they can be competitve cars. The Rabbit carries a few less lbs than they do, and should excel at a tight track like Blackhawk, or from the esses to the carosel at Mid-Ohio.

I think it can be a very competitive car, especialy at tracks that play to it's strengths. It is just going to be harder to find parts - a problem that is coming to pass for my A2 as well.

EDIT - don't be so quick to remove that undercoat. Make sure you need to lose the weight first. That is a great place to leave weight should you need it.

[Grumpa]

EDIT - don't be so quick to remove that undercoat. Make sure you need to lose the weight first. That is a great place to leave weight should you need it.

Chris,
My C Rabbit and I weighed in at 2150# and legal is 2000#. The new car needs to lose some weight and I guarantee the driver does too! That's part of the problem when you wife runs a great cafe. I'm concentrating on the undercoat in the front at the present time. BTW, what's the latest on Chris Albin? Is he home yet, and will he make the Runoffs?

[Knestis]

FWIW, I think they can be competitive. We haven't seen a really whole-hog example in a long while - not since "whole-hog" got redefined in the last few years.

K

[Joe Camilleri]

The best thing I found to remove the under coating were twisted wire wheels on my angle grinder. Get a wheel and a cup and try not to let the goo get too hot from the friction.

[shwah]

I have heard that the Snap On Crud Thug is good at removing undercoat.

Lesley has posted an update on Chris' condition in the other thread. He won't be driving, but will be at the runoffs. He won't be racing at the ARRC either, but I hope he is able to come down - his and Chuck's input would go a long way towards getting me up to speed on that track.

[JamesB]

They are competitive with a well built and driving car. But Tristan is moving to an mk3 after experiencing what I warned him about before he started his move from bike to auto racing. A1 bodies are getting very hard to find.

[chewy8000]

James is right. They are still competitive, but getting hard to come by. I finally tasted the hoosier crack on Mondays race and ended up in 1st. To bad I was 3lbs. under, DOH...

I added some Shine racing goodies and it made a huge difference. There is definately no advantage on the straights, but being able to keep momentum in the turns can make up the difference. I'm going to the A3 strictly because it looks like a great platform to run and ease of locating parts. Not sure what to do with the rabbit? It's proved itself with some great finishes this season so I will probably hold on to it.

I'm gonna hit NJMP for the last one, and try and catch the air show...

[Lael Cleland]

Oh Parts for A1s arnt that hard to find, they find me....I have 4 sets of A1 strut tubes, and now no A2s.....(sept 8th by the way).......A1s just seam easier to work on, tranny comes out easy, no differintal pressure regulator,computer,potentomiter, to go bad..

A1s Have more motor mountsso they have to be better.....

[Grumpa]

Thank you, gents, apparently I do have a dog that will hunt - if trained properly.

[odj]

James is right. They are still competitive, but getting hard to come by. I finally tasted the hoosier crack on Mondays race and ended up in 1st. To bad I was 3lbs. under, DOH...

I added some Shine racing goodies and it made a huge difference. There is definately no advantage on the straights, but being able to keep momentum in the turns can make up the difference. I'm going to the A3 strictly because it looks like a great platform to run and ease of locating parts. Not sure what to do with the rabbit? It's proved itself with some great finishes this season so I will probably hold on to it.

I'm gonna hit NJMP for the last one, and try and catch the air show...

So you're done for good with the A1, Tristan?

First dibs on the suspension goodies