Krazee

Hello All! It has been six years since I was last posting on this board. Long time...I still have my Corrado, though it has been in various states of disrepair and assembly over the course of the last five years. Ironically enough, it has also been in different States, here in the US. With the project finally drawing to a close, I decided to try something new. Instead of your common build thread, with hundreds of posts spread out over such a long period of time, and the inevitable banter that takes place as we all eagerly await the next update, I chose to blog about the direction of my project. I have gone through what modifications I chose anew, and why I elected to remove past mods. I thoroughly explore my entire thought process, as best I can, so we can all see the insight that goes into our projects. Rarely do we as enthusiasts chronicle our trials and tribulations, so I thought it a unique idea. I began a thread at the beginning of this year - here - but it just wouldn't be fair to only let them have all the fun. Feel free to follow along on Vortex or here, as I plan to update this thread just as frequently with the latest blog and progress updates. Enjoy! Corrado RS Blog Corrado RS Facebook page Latest pictures on Flickr ---------- Post added at 11:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 PM ---------- Corrado RS, Introduction The best cars in the world are not your generic grocery getters. They aren't the Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys that run forever with barely an oil change, rarely (if ever) leaving you stranded, and lulling you to sleep on the highway. No, the best cars in the world are the ones that slap cartoonish grins on your face. They are so raw and unapologetic about their purpose that they make you bow before their race-like suspension and impractical interiors. Their sole purpose is to make driving fun... Continue reading here. ---------- Post added at 11:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:33 PM ---------- Corrado RS, Chapter 1 - The Vision Takes Shape Driving like a banshee is great. It's fun, it's exhilarating, it's therapeutic, it gets your senses working overtime. Channel your anger through the steering wheel of your “RS” car, and the combination of burnt fuel, crackling exhaust, and melting rubber combine to calm you better than any scented candle on the market. But it's all for naught if you begin to sweat profusely at the first sign of traffic because you binned A/C in search of a modicum of extra power. It's all for naught if you lose your two front teeth on the first road imperfection, or worse, toast your oil pan because the car's suspension is too low. Was five minutes of motoring bliss worth all those exceptions? NO. Continue reading here ---------- Post added at 11:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:34 PM ---------- Corrado RS, Chapter 2 - The Heart As with any great car, the engine is of the utmost importance. Sure, the suspension can be godlike and the car can handle phenomenally, but at the end of the day a capable chassis needs an equally capable engine. In its heyday, the 12v VR6 engine received multiple awards from the automotive press based on its compact packaging – with its staggered piston placement, the engine allowed for V6 performance within the footprint of a common 4 cylinder. From a VW enthusiast's perspective, before the advent of VW's highly popular and highly tunable 1.8T and 2.0T motors, the VR6 was pure motoring bliss.... Continue reading here ---------- Post added at 11:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:34 PM ---------- Corrado RS, Chapter 3 - Suspension, Part 1 Chassis and suspension tuning are subjectively objective. Every production vehicle is tuned with a goal in mind, be it highway cruising, back-road bombing, or city russian roulette. Some manufacturers try to blur the lines in one direction or another, but the generalization is hard to skirt: Aim for sublime handling on the back roads and the car might bounce around a bit too much on the highway or knock your teeth out in the city. High-end cars have managed to deal with this accepted norm very well – electronically charged dampers have driver-controlled presets to deal with everything from a pot-hole riddled New York City to a glass-smooth Mid-Western highway. But much of that tech is sparse in the aftermarket... Continue reading here ---------- Post added at 11:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:35 PM ---------- Corrado RS, Chapter 3 - Suspension Part 2 The everyday driving aspects for the RS will not change much, though I might not cover as many miles. The major change will be more competitive driving – SCCA autocross, High Performance Driving Events, random track days, and, with some hope, Time Attack. If Sport Compact Car was still in print, I'd throw Corrado RS into the ring for The Ultimate Street Car Challenge. The goal is to drive to the events, swap brake pads, compete, and drive home. There will also be the odd Volkswagen show or automotive gathering thrown in. The first requirement was a weld-in roll-bar. In Stage 2 of the Corrado's progression, I had purchased an Autopower bolt-in street bar but sold it after only test fitting it. Admittedly this was largely for cosmetic reasons; while it would have increased the stiffness of the chassis, I would have had to make some modifications to my rear interior panels that I wasn't ready to make. Secondly, the mounting location for the main hoop of the Autopower bar is not ideal for the Corrado. Since the bar is bolt-in, some concessions are made in its design... Continue reading here Album ---------- Post added at 11:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:35 PM ---------- Corrado RS, Side Bar: An Ode To Quality The hardest part of any project car is parts selection. – Quality parts are hard to come by. When I first started out with my Corrado, back in 2002, I relied heavily on the existing knowledge of Volkswagen veterans, scouring online forums and reading old magazines separating quality from crap. I began to process Physics 101, (despite not passing in three through College) reading The Way Things Work for the first time since I was five, and amassing some 10,000 posts on one of the largest automotive internet forums, learning from other people's mistakes. Along the way I made some misguided purchases as the direction of the project evolved, but I made it a point to focus on quality products. The problem with long running projects, however, is when you see the light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how far away it still might be, your judgement starts to waver. The prospect of finishing your beloved project causes you to become borderline rabid, requiring ridiculous concentration to calm yourself. But in that brief moment, the effort to hasten progress causes you to falter. You chose a product at face value, assuming that the quality is there, lulled into a false sense of security by reputation and internet perception. When you realize your folly, the resulting anger bears no correlation to the size or cost of the part. The frustration building over the duration of the project is unleashed on an inanimate object in a rather unhealthy manner. In my case, seat brackets... Continue reading here More pictures here

looking forward to seeing completed pictures of this insane car. :multi:

I think Im going to get intouch with MJ....Im looking for red belts in my car...a sort of Porsche kind of theme.

There are places that can make custom belts? With your choice of color?

So I can just run them to the battery? how do I change between up and down?

this might be a silly question...but how do I go about hardwiring them? Also...how can I just power the motor to make sure it is working?

Lee.... How did you go about wiring these in? did you use the factory harness or did you hardwire them?

These are what I got...hope they are the correct ones:

Can one of you esteem gentlemen take a picture of maybe the bottom of your seat brackets, or link a photo if the brackets off the seat? I just picked up a pair, and would like to confirm that I have finally found a proper set. THANKS!!!!

never get tired of seeing pics of this or Lee's car. Two of the best Corrados EVER!!! Amazing work Jay, and props to another daily driven Corrado.

excuse me as I gather up my tongue and put it back in my mouth :shocked!:

your car looks positively menacing here.

what are you doing in here, Jeff AHHH, now I see where all of Dak's old goodies are going. :afro:

3,oooBPS = ~6,oooUSD Thats as about as much I have spent on my 3.0L JE-piston'd 12 between the machine work, head work, and replacing every sensor and electrical item with a brand-new dealer item. Unfortunately, when i was building my motor, no one had done a 24v swap yet...I never though it possible. Awesome work guys, awesome work.

That said....24v boxes carry stronger internals that 02A boxes. Didnt you guys get a FWD 24v? Box can be had from there. one custom mount and custom length axles are needed...otherwise, its a bolt in affair.

stunning as always.

looks like your running 205/50/16 tires...or maybe you took em as they come off a mk4 Wolfsburg? Most people here (USA) tend to go with 205/45/16 that the aforementioned 215/40/16.....i plan on running 215/45/16 this summer.

this is plain nuts.... please go into http://www.vwvortex.com and post this up opn their forums so the naysayers and run with their tails between their legs. There was another guy with a mk3 2.0L GTI attempting much of the same as you. This would be great inspiration. 242bhp = roughly 206whp...and that is insane for all motor, even on a VR6!!!!

what size tires you running again? and how wide are the wheels? lookin' sweet.

Jay: What size tires are you tunning on the Corvette wheels? What front/rear fender modifications did you do to reduce or eliminate rubbing? (if there is any?) Thanks. Love the whip...but unfortunately my mag shop only just got the DECEMBER issue :mad2: so not sure when I can get my grubby hands on January.

your right. i was thinking GBP. Damn, thats an even better buy then.

can you take a picture of the underside, through the bottom of the mount? Just want to see how the mount attaches to the shifter. thanks.

That looks mighty tempting....thats about ~$400USD. great price. Ahhh, that definitely makes sense and could definitely work. Thanks!

I was thinking the same thing. Nicely sorted 5 door...my ideal mk2 5 door would also have a g60, but attached to a 16v

Yes, i got them from http://www.mytyres.co.uk. They also operate in the US under this name http://www.tires-easy.com/ There a Pirelli PZero Nero and they offer a better ride than the 205/40/17 Toyos i had before which really surprised me. I also went for a 215/35/17 up front. German cars usual go for 225's alround but i wanted the stretch on the narrower front rim to match the rear. Only Pirelli and Conti's are available in 215 and 225/35/17 with matching tread patterns. EDIT: Just checked that website, they don't list Pirelli but you could try speak to they directly. I found them to be very helpful. HTH, Thanks. I just gave them a ring and they said they only sell the Conti's, Hankooks, and Falkens...same three listed on the site. Works though. Thanks again.