ProVolks Official Shop-Car Build Thread. . .

[aircooledtechguy]

Last Friday, I cleaned and treated the new tank with POR-15 tank treatment to seal and treat the rust and any minor pin holes that may have been present after all the welding. It has to cure for a full 4 days afterwards, so on Saturday, I painted it and under coated the bottom, added a new fuel sock screen and a new petcock.

Today was the swap-out day. I had to remove the breather tube and do some minor surgery to it to make it fit the new height so a low point was not created and block proper breathing.

Before:



After:




I added 2 gallons from a can I had, then proceeded 1 mile away to the filling station where I proceeded to top it off with an additional 17.2 gallons. I was expecting somewhere around 17 gallons total, so i was a bit surprised when the total ended up being 19.2!!.

No leaks (whew!) due to the POR-15 sealer I'm sure. As was expected, the car has a heavier feel at the wheel at slow speeds due to the added weight right over the front wheels, but it's not excessive and the added weight where I need it going into a corner will be welcomed. I plan to auto-X this car and hopefully use it on an occasional track day.

Next, I have my recovered Porsche 911 seats that should be coming back from the upholstery shop in about 1.5 weeks. That should give me the added support to really be able to take corners without having to hold myself in the seat with the steering wheel. What a PITA!!

I did get around to putting the car on a vacant truck scale this weekend (before the tank swap). It weighs 2200# total with just over 800 on the front axle and 1400 over the rear axle. I'm going to have to check it again now that I have made this significant change to the bias. Even though the rear is significantly heavier, it doesn't act that way. I think the wider slightly cambered tires and the rear sway bar help a lot with it sticking. But I also suspect that lowering the center of gravity (by lowering the motor and trans in relation to the body to get it all to fit), has really made the biggest difference. This may sound far fetched, but I believe that this thing may be able to keep up with my Porsche 914 on a twisty road; no problem. It feels that firm in the corners. Once I get my new seats installed, I'll really be able to lean on it in the corners without feeling like I'll be flung out of the seat.

[Piledriver]

The 911 seats will probably help in other ways as well.
When I put Corrado seats in my square, it lowered a ~240 lb dead weight lump about 2" vs. stock.

[aircooledtechguy]

Got my Porsche 911 seats back from the upholstery shop this morning. I’m lovin’ how they turned out. We used stock VW black basket weave for the inserts so they look more at home in the VW. Then I chose red welting and stitching to accent the black. The car will be painted hot rod black with red pin stripping so these should accent the final look really well. I do like the clean look of the stock, low-backs, but these are safer and if I kept the low-backs I would never be able to get it the car onto a race track in the future.

I had seat heaters installed so this winter my wife should be comfy and I should hear no complaints.

Before:


After:

[Steve Arndt]

Those seats look great. What was the bill for the new upholstery and seat heaters?

Steve

[aircooledtechguy]

Thanks.

The seat heaters were around $80 for the set. The custom upholstery ran around $800. But that also includes all the materials to do the rear seat as well.

[Steve Arndt]

Holy shizam those better be comfy seats.

[aircooledtechguy]

They are comfy!!

Have you priced what 911 seat covers (like the ones TMI make for VWs) cost?? For stock black cookie-cutter covers that YOU have to install, plan on around $500+ for a pair. With that in mind, I think $900 for the pair, out-the-door, is a pretty good price considering they're exactly like I ordered AND heated.

Like I always say, "You gotta pay to play!!"

[aircooledtechguy]

I finally got the chance to install the new seats. Man are they comfy!! My seating position is a lot better and they are mounted about 1 inch lower than the stock seats. This helps the viewing of my gauges and lowers my center of gravity (which can't be a bad thing since I'm a big guy).

[aircooledtechguy]

I finally got a chance to really put the "Squarsche" through it's paces on a long twisty road yesterday. I connected up with members of the Chuckanut Sports Car Club after work yesterday and we sprinted up to Artist Point and back on Mt Baker, in NW Washington state. This drive was my first real test of the engine, trans, suspension mods, brakes and virtually everything I have been doing to the car thus far. The drive is about 100 miles round trip and begins at about 100' above sea level. During the first 35 miles, it's a fast sprint with un-impeaded speeds averaging between 50mph and 75 mph through some farm lands & forest with beautiful stretches that border the Nooksak River as it gently climbs to about 1500'. The drive then gets progressively twistier as the rate of ascent steepens in the final 12 miles. This is where it becomes really fun. In the final 12 miles you climb to 5100' with the better part of that in the final 6 miles. There are virtually no straight stretches of road with which to allow your mind to wander and take in the beautiful views. In all the years I've been driving this road, I have yet to enjoy the scenery except from the summit

The car handles really well for having a weight bias of 37/63 (37% front - 63% rear). When I see the numbers like that I immediately think, "this should make a nice drift car", but it doesn't handle like I expected. Flat in the corners and the rear-end was firmly stuck to the road in all but the most extreme situations. There are a couple fast left-right-left-right corners that if you carry too much speed in and have to stab the brakes, you can feel the rear-end getting a little light and it whips a bit during the transition, but I experience that too in my Porsche 914 (with a 49/51 weight bias), so it's the nature of the beast. It does push going into a corner hard because there is so little weight in the front. However, I was a little pressed for time getting to the meeting place and totally forgot to fill my extra large 20 gallon tank before the drive. So I not only had about 1/3 of a tank of fuel, but also had all that weight sloshing side to side aggravating the problem. So next time I'll be filling the tank first. I still plan on shedding some weight off the rear and relocating the battery to the front and as much other stuff as I can.

The motor pulls like a freight train above 3K even in the thinner air. At 4K+ it really gets a pissed off sound that I just love. AFR averaged between 12.7 & 13.5 on the LC-1. The Porsche disks could haul the 2200# car down to sane speeds in a hurry and I never felt the pedal fading. The Porsche 912E trans-axle has PERFECT gearing for this motor and the car. 2nd is low enough that I could still have good power getting out of the tight switchbacks. 3rd is my favorite gear since you can easily rev it to about 65mph before getting close to the red-line. 4th was good for cruising at even speeds through fast sections where I still wanted instant power on tap at higher speeds. There were only a few places that I could even engage 5th on this road since speeds were generally 65mph and under in the upper sections. Once we pass the snow plow barn, the pace really intensifies with speeds between 60-80mph.

Overall, I could not be happier with the results. This car will absolutely SMOKE my Porsche 914 in every aspect except getting into the corners (the under-steer). It pulls harder, brakes faster, lays flatter and sounds meaner (and that really the most important thing, right?? )

For your viewing enjoyment, here's the 1st leg of the drive from the summit down to the ski lodge. The second leg will be up loaded hopefully tomorrow. BTW, I'd like to thank my friend Nord (in the silver G35) for waving me by

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I-2T0ZghD8&feature=plcp

[aircooledtechguy]

Here's the 2nd leg from the ski lodge down about 7 miles or so. . .

http://youtu.be/TwWxfx1n23M

[supaninja]

Nate- That is one badass shop car!

[Piledriver]

Ready to dry sump it yet?

Three words: Electric Power Steering.

[aircooledtechguy]

Nate- That is one badass shop car!

I think I actually enjoy driving this more than my Porsche 914. I love the sleeper aspect of it. In my Porsche, people will often times try and race me thinking that it's fast when really it's not all that fast. But this thing just surprises them.

Ready to dry sump it yet?

Three words: Electric Power Steering.

Nope and nope. I am going to swap out the front end to a Porsche 914 assembly and use the rack & pinion w/ turbo tie rods and Porsche steering column. Then the project will be about complete mechanically. This thing only weighs 2200# and the steering is pretty light as it is. No need for power steering. I was considering doing power brakes by way of a 996 booster and MC I have, but the brakes as they are right now, have a really good, solid feel and modulation is really nice. Like the saying says, "If it ain't broke,. . ."

As for dry sumping,. . . I don't know where i would put a tank anywhere in the rear of the car. Just no room anywhere. I think the only thing i would add if I ever found I needed it would be an Accusump.

[Piledriver]

I've been strongly considering the same swap, as the car is very nice to drive otherwise.
(That's the only reason I haven't done the electric PS setup as well)

I'd like to do it as a "bolt in" with an upper sway-bar//control link combo as part of an upper "A" arm.
I picked up an "ebay special" set of 911 struts from PA that the spindles are fine but the upper tubes have severe pitting.
I figure sticking a ball joint on top of a cut off 911 or 914 spindle would be relatively simple, and attaching a shock someplace should be doable.
Coleman Racing is our friend, and it LOOKS like there is plenty of room in a T3 to pull it off.
(in a 914, not so easy)

I'm just not 100% sure I'll have the rack geometry the same, may have to bend up the arm on the steering knuckle.

One of these days when it cools off I'll break out the sawzall and see what really needs to be done.
(Sawzall for my old 74 with the straight body exterior but bad chassis rust, not the Creamsicle or the T3)

I'm considering a "under trans" header and adding weld in frame horns to "make" some room out back, plenty of room for a custom DS tank if the muffler is elsewhere.(or just a post turbo resonator )

The 2466 is very likely to see duty in the square before the Pile 914 rolls again.

[aircooledtechguy]

I'd like to do it as a "bolt in" with an upper sway-bar//control link combo as part of an upper "A" arm.
I picked up an "ebay special" set of 911 struts from PA that the spindles are fine but the upper tubes have severe pitting.
I figure sticking a ball joint on top of a cut off 911 or 914 spindle would be relatively simple, and attaching a shock someplace should be doable.
Coleman Racing is our friend, and it LOOKS like there is plenty of room in a T3 to pull it off.
(in a 914, not so easy)

You may be interested in how I do the front-end on this car once it's all said and done. I'm not letting the cat out of the bag yet, but I'm hoping it will be pretty sweet. . .

I'm considering a "under trans" header and adding weld in frame horns to "make" some room out back, plenty of room for a custom DS tank if the muffler is elsewhere.(or just a post turbo resonator )

The 2466 is very likely to see duty in the square before the Pile 914 rolls again.

Frame horns, while nice, are totally un-necessary if you have a rear hanger. Personally, I am so glad to be rid of frame horns on this car. With the way the rear suspension is rubber mounted to the car, if you ONLY have frame horns, you have problems with chatter starting out in first gear and there's a TON of movement with the engine/trans. None of that is good!! Once I made some custom drops that through-bolt to the bottom of the cargo floor and have large steel backing plates to distribute the load over a wide area, ALL that movement is gone and the car is really solid. This also trims a good piece of weight off the rear of the car too (and that can't be a bad thing.

If I ever decide to add an aux oil cooler, I'm going to have to run it up to the front of the car, where I actually have room still. Adding the gas heater above the trans in the back (like on the 411/412) ate up all the space in the rear. It's all full of the HE ducts and the heater itself. I don't regret it though; it all fits and works like stock and tis winter I'll be thankful for it.