The Mk1 ABF Project

[cartertronic]

roll bar straps are available from crazy quiffs

Items

Haha! Oh well, at least it's on now anyway

Good to see you're still kicking it Simon!

Any word on the shipping yet?

Still waiting on it getting cleaned up before I can freight it over.

A bit frustrating, but at least it gives me a chance to get some other projects out the way in the mean time!

[mikinoz]

I think I'm going to buy a set, but realistically it has to be a relatively cheap option.

At this stage its either:
-Ashley - If you are looking for an Ashley Volkswagen Golf Mk1 16V Conversion Manifold (AVWM10) click here Ashley - £200 ($365AU) could be sent with car (postage within UK £12.50 / $23AU).
-Exhaust Header for VW Golf I MK1 16V 74 - 84 who do a Mk1 16v header for $230US ($145US + $85US shipping) which is only like $265AU!

Unfortunately, the US mob will have designed theirs for LHD, but does that definitely mean it will foul? Is it possible to modify it to overcome this? If it can be easily overcome then it looks a good option..

In the mean time I've emailed there Belgian parent company Raceland! to see if they do a RHD version.

Hey, so did you find out about the LH/RH issue for the Raceland?

[Preen59]

Pete Jones and I have both got a set of Raceland headers. I'm happy with them, but haven't fitted them yet.. Got them through Grant (roccodingo).

[Valver.]

The Raceland header will fit a RHD car. I used one when putting my old ABF into a friend's Mk1. It's quite hard to get past the uni-joint (you'll also need to heat-shield the rubber cover as a result) and the quality leaves a lot to be desired (none of the bolt holes lined up - had to weld and re-drill them) and the steel is really thin. I also had to extend it around 20mm for the ABF.

Saying all this, it hasn't cracked yet and is cheap, so you can't expect the highest standard

About the only header that is a direct bolt-on with a RHD ABF Mk1 is the Eurosport one... This has drawbacks too, though: it only has a 2" outlet!

[mikinoz]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Stu, are you thinking that if I have a KR, there will be more room as the head is marginally lower than in the ABF? I would not have expected to have had that issue with welding and re-drilling, but as you say it may be a case of getting what you pay for.

Chris, have you matched up you head to the manifold to see how they look?

I have a quote for $400 landed which I think is cheap enough to warrant the issues that may arise, but not as cheap as the $230US ($145US + $85US shipping) mentioned above. Was that simply by emailing Raceland as they asked for $220 for shipping...

Very sorry to thread hijack.

[Valver.]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Stu, are you thinking that if I have a KR, there will be more room as the head is marginally lower than in the ABF? I would not have expected to have had that issue with welding and re-drilling, but as you say it may be a case of getting what you pay for.

Chris, have you matched up you head to the manifold to see how they look?

I think it'd still be pretty close to the plastic sleeve on the steering rack as it bends under the car. The trouble is that all the LHD headers are skewed to the driver's side of the car with the notion that the knuckle is on the left.

You'd definitely at least need some poly engine mounts to limit the engine movement a bit more. Bear in mind that the stock headers flow pretty well and you probably won't gain anything by using a Raceland one instead. If I wanted to save money, I'd get one of the Techtonics downpipes (or similar) and retain the stock manifold. You can also import one of the stock tubular manifolds found on late model LHD ABFs - matching this with a high-flow downpipe is probably better than any aftermarket header in terms of quality and reliability. I have a source for all this stuff if needed.

If you do trial fit the Raceland, make sure that you have all three sections bolted up - once I fitted the top half into the sleeves of the bottom half, this was when it threw out the alignments of the bolt holes.

[mikinoz]

Based on your advice Stu, I will get a dyno plot on Sunday and then we can analyse things better from there!

[cartertronic]

So, the crate is almost ready to go haha!

Seriously, would I lie to you?

The problem with organising your own crate from foreign soil is that it just keeps getting bigger as you add more stuff to the pile!

Anyway, crate is ordered and ready to go... but has just enough room for a set of rims So about to throw down some cash on a new set of 15' Ronal R10's (buying them new for 500GBP = $760AU... how can you go wrong?) so thought I should ask about tyres.. (UK prices, again, put ours to shame)

Ride Height: I'll be lowering it further with some adjustable coils + it already has gti arches.. so rubbing is definitely a concern (although won't be going super low, just enough to eliminate gap).

Current setup rubs occasionally: Autostrada Modenas 16 x 8 (e38 ) + 205/45/16 tyres

Ronal R10 Spec: 15 x 7 (e28 )

I've used a few tyre calculators, and was thinking 195/50/15
WillTheyFit.com with above specs

Reasons:
-50 seems a decent width, so ok ride quality + won't throw speedo too far out
-Not so interested in stretched look (sorry!)
-Not so bad on the wallet
-Seems as though they'll fit

Is this too wide? i.e. 185 better choice for no rub? Any personal experience?

Also, brand advice would be great (general road use, nothing crazy).. thinking about TOYO T1R's, good choice?


PS - Apologies for going MIA for 12months! I've been keeping myself busy with a V.A.G related project that'll be revealed in about a month.. top secret until then though

[Valver.]

195/50s are too big for a Mk1 on 15s. The correct size in terms of rolling diameter is 195/45/15.

Given how easily a 2.0 16v will light up the wheels in a Mk1, you don't want to go to a narrower tyre - 1st gear will be even more of a waste of time!

You can't go too wrong with tyres nowadays, provided you steer clear of Malaysian and Indonesian brands

[roccodingo]

Anyway, crate is ordered and ready to go... but has just enough room for a set of rims So about to throw down some cash on a new set of 15' Ronal R10's (buying them new for 500GBP = $760AU... how can you go wrong?) so thought I should ask about tyres.. (UK prices, again, put ours to shame)

Remember you have Cost of goods + shipping cost + 5% uplift + duty on that total + GST on that total...yeah, sucks....