Thursday, December 5, 2013

The Manifold

I love projects like these.

When Derek at Exklusiv Motorsports brought up buying a manifold, I'll admit, it wasn't something I had in mind, especially when I associate manifolds and heads and big front mount intercoolers and big GT28 style turbos pushing 350whp in front wheel drive cars -- I'm not looking to generate that much power, nor do I like the look of a FMIC and it's piping. However, when Derek pointed out a small port ABD manifold on craigslist that promised an additional 12hp -at half the cost of retail- I had trouble saying no (right up until I started reading reviews).

 ABD Intake Manifold

007 Intake Manifold

The problem with manifolds is that while they claim to generate power through airflow (which is true), you need the right amount of air, the right amount of room, and the means to disperse it evenly. Many people have thrown aftermarket manifolds on their cars and noticed no particular gains with the stock turbo (in this instance, the KO3S). Once upgrading the turbo setup the modifiers noticed an increase of induction at an exponential rate, leading anywhere from 7 to 30 to 50hp depending on their compressor and setup. However, while they're "performing" better than stock, it doesn't mean every port is getting the right amount of air.

Here's two very common styles I've found:



Reading these mixed reviews put a bad taste in my mouth for a manifold project. I could see the point in generating better numbers, but not if it meant driving around with one cylinder's air/ fuel mixture enriched while the one on the opposite end is gasping. I needed to find an alternative, and here it is. Enter the Dual Plenum Intake Manifold:

 MR2 Gen 2 DPIM

The benefit of dual plenum lies in its cone shaped component. Air enters through the throttle body, into the cone and is spread out over all four runners.





The end result: controlled air velocity and even dispersal amongst all four runners:


But this didn't solve my problem. DPIM's are mostly custom projects, and none were available for me to buy. So after some brain storming, Derek came up with an AEB intake, which came off a Audi TT 1.8T. In the early 2000's, VW used a 1.8T motor which was also featured in the Audi TT. The exception being that Audi offered a 225 option which included larger ported exhaust and intake manifolds, bigger ports on the head (obviously) and a larger turbo. All these parts can be taken and swapped over to the VW model 1.8T, with modification.

Here's the stock AWP intake (top), and the AEB intake I purchased (bottom):


Apart from the runners being much longer, this size comparison shows a dramatic increase in port size between the two:


Jeff at Exklusiv custom-made manifolds for a living, and explained the process in detail. He would separate the runners from the plenum (already shown below), and the injector boss housings would be ground back to maximize airflow on the port end:


The 60mm 1.8T throttle body will be replaced with a 70mm R32 throttle body. You can read the comprehensive INA review here. Thanks AutoHaas LLC.!


Trumpet inlets on all four runners would be purchased and installed to ensure better air flow as well, via Nubwerks:


There's no room to build upward from the plenum in the engine bay (it could come in contact with the hood). The alternative would be to build the manifold with the dual plenum angled downward.


The only problem now is getting it to marry to the intercooler, and this is where it gets interesting.

-----------------------------

Not very long ago, I purchased a PWRhaus side mount intercooler and silicone kit, like this one:



While I'm still trying to convince every 1.8T owner that upgrading the silicone throttle body hose is paramount for the first string of engine mods, it still doesn't conceal the fact that its shape is arguably an issue for airflow. The pipe wiggles its way around engine components and all those bends do little to help get air from the intercooler to the throttle body, and hence to the intake manifold.

Here's the stock throttle body hose on the 1.8T side mount intercooler, which sits on the passenger side of the car, in front of the wheel (although oddly positioned in the photo).


The hose runs vertically from the intercooler and bends in a semi-"s" shape to couple the throttle body, as seen below:


I still say the $90 solution for better throttle response is best, even with the "s" style shape, but shortening the length of the silicone/ rubber piping even more - now that would be nice.

-------------------------------

Since Jeff will be relocating the inlet plenum and VR6 throttle body to the underside, it should decrease the distance between said inlet and the side mount. How short you ask?

You'll have to come back and find out.

I can leave you with the list of upgrades we're shooting for so far:

1.8T AWP motor (port matched to intake/ exhaust manifold)
1.8T AWP fuel rail
1.8T AEB dual plenum intake manifold
1.8T AEB exhaust manifold
.:R32 70mm throttle body
PWRhaus turbo inlet pipe
PWRhaus side mount intercooler
Snow Performance Stage 2 water methanol injection
Frankenturbo F23T KO4 Hybrid
Frankenturbo high pressure fuel pump
Siemen's 550cc injectors
Eurodyne maestro with 550 file









Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Project Respray

           I should start by saying what a terrible flip-flopper of ideas I am. I could never decide on wheels, I want things to look a utmost certain and specific way, and I know I've frustrated a lot of people in the process. (Oops).

           It's really one of the shortcomings I find with the MKIV and VW in general. When the 20AE came out, I was half way through highschool, and by the time I graduated, the MKIV had already become iconic in the import culture. Most people attribute that fact to the body lines, the OEM styling, and the fact that it's customizable in 100+ different ways. But for me, I think I was drawn to it because I was/ am so hypercritical. I had to look at the car from every angle and ask: "why is this working", "what's not working here", etc. I found myself surrounded by enthusiasts -- some of those who appreciated the early MKIII.5 and it's early stages, others who modeled their cars after Porsche's, and everyone that only bought OEM grade product. There was really no bad idea when it came to making it one's own.


           When it came to respraying the car, I admit I originally had no intention. A good friend of mine was going to correct the mix-matched Bora R bumper I previously had painted, and they brought up the point that T-Red was such an expensive color, "you might as well choose your own color and repaint the front end for a little more." That's something I wanted to avoid. Later on that night however, I went to the local car and coffee hang out, and found myself parked next to a red Porsche Boxter. It became obvious -- this color fails by comparison.


-I had the boser hood I always wanted, I had the R32 four door skirts, and I had the Bora R bumper and a spare set of marker-deleted fenders. Why couldn't I just find a rear bumper and paint the whole car once over? Yes, that would be nice, but instead I opted to paint each section at a time because, well, I'm on a budget.







           The color of choice became Calypso Coral, a 1965-71 Ford paint, which happens to be one of my all time favorite colors. It also coincides with the "if it ain't broken, don't fix it" ideology, I feel. Classic styling is often taken for granted. But especially now with the redux of modern muscle cars, we can look back at a 1970 Chevelle or Porsche 911 and appreciate their simplicity. Designers were obviously looking for the right shades of paint to reflect body lines, the right wheels and chrome accents to give the car curb appeal (which happens to stand out even a 1/2 century later). I believe if you can find the right template, the same process can be performed. Here's calypso coral on a 1969 Boss Mustang:





          This was an easy choice being that the exclusive VW paint series' for this generation were especially similar. Jazz Blue and Imola Yellow -although different in make-up, have similar qualities to that of the Ford orange. However, I'm beginning to realize I need to set limits on how much the GTI will transcend the Mustang qualities, for sure.









         Here are the fenders (side repeater light removed) and bumper (Bora R Line) with their fresh coat, along with the hood, which as you already know, has been extended and shaped: 





          The last component I needed was a rear bumper. I was hoping to find a votex series rear bumper, but unfortunately, the second I started shopping was the same time they were removed from the market. Something I also realized was that the closer I got to completion, the harder the decisions were to make. The last two pieces were wheels and the rear bumper, and with the shape of the R32, it's difficult to pull off the correct look without a large, monoblock style wheel or a three piece. Conventionality would simply not do in this instance.

          Ironically, however, this appeared in Canibeat a week later:

 
          Minus the extreme fender work, it made me realize I had never seen a fully shaved R32 bumper. It still maintained the right lines on the lower end, and combined with the solid red tail lights and shaved hatch, this would be a perfect example. But it still didn't solve my wheel problem. Here it is:



          So, when I think about wheels, I think of the countless hours I've spent scouring the internet for ideas. I looked at Rotiform BLQ's, Avante Garde Fuch's, solid faced steelies, and I'd find myself looking at Ford Mustangs as often as GTI's.


        Porsche styling also became a factor. Because I was hoping to limit the amount of chrome to the wheels and headlights, I began considering all possible color options between door handles, mirrors, wheel faces and roll cages.



        It finally took a suggestion from Derek to get the ball rolling. In 2004, one of Exklusiv Motorsport's customers picked up half a set of Kerscher KCS's. Derek sourced out the other two and had them ordered from Germany. A year later, they were on this 337 GTI on the cover of Eurotuner:


        When the car was parted out a few year after, the Kerscher's were picked up by a friend named Henry, who occasionally had them on his wagon. The KCS's seemed like a great idea, being that they could work in both yellow gold and black. They also have many of the similar qualities I'm looking for in order to marry the two (or rather now 3) ideas.


      And here they are:


  



          These KCS's are 18x8.5, ET31 and 18x10, ET28 and weigh well within the low 20's.

          The tires are no good to me, being that the original setup was a 205/40 for the 8.5 and a monster 255/40 for the rear -- that and the fact that they're more than five years old. If you look closely at the original picture, you'll see how low the front end of the GTI is sitting as a result. I think it'd be best to shoot for something to compliment the two.

          I'll be purchasing Yokohama S Drives, in 215/40 and 235/40. This shows a difference in size that's 200th's of an inch apart -- so the front and rear tire will look almost exactly alike. 




The last component to this process were a set of head lights. I really wanted to go with an OEM HID replica set, but I couldn't justify the price - especially when, in my opinion, they really don't sync up with the OEM styling. Solution:
 
 
Depo/ InPro/ Helix make a "joey-modded" matte black head light unit. I was afraid it was going to be a little on the nose, jumping back and forth between mustang and golf, but I can honestly say I have high hopes for these. 

 
This is also what I'm considering -- for this car, and most commonly for hatchbacks (I've surmised), much of the styling and many of the color combinations carry from head light to wheel and mirror caps, to roll bars and cages and vice versa. On the Golf, it's a little trickier.  

Bright sequential colors of these objects can easily contrast. But if you think in terms of textures, they're much more applicable. Glosses, mattes, satins, brushed and anodized textures/ patterns can be far more subtle and won't take away from the overall dynamic of the car. And as I've said with chrome, you want it in the background - hence, you'll always see it matched with black on this combo.





Monday, June 24, 2013

On Glendale Folk and Future Projects

          "Keep yourself a clear head. Take on as many influences as you possibly can. Don’t be tunnel-visioned about (your media). You can definitely have your favorite. There were times of course where it was the metal only sound in my life and it’s important you feel part of something when you’re that age and dress your music. Don’t ever lose that. You can grow up and mature but you don’t ever have to stop being passionate about your music. You can still be a metal dude and take on John Coltrane and Ice Cube. That’s what I say– keep your listening practices diverse. Probably half of the other music I listen to is in other languages or people that invent their own instruments because that is purity."
 
-Jason Newsted
(Via 98KUPD Interview)

           I've had trouble sleeping at night. I'm starting to realize that I'm running out of all those "big, trigger-pulling, car-related decisions". The body components are awaiting paint, the engine upgrades are in the works -- I'm no longer schlepping around in the middle of the night reading through old PVW and Eurotuner mags, nor am I on the community forums or arguing aesthetic principles with friends. Nope, it's becoming clear: I'm starting to see a new project on the horizon. Ok, I guess I've never been much for sleep in the first place, but until now it seems like the reasons were much more justifiable.
           For the past couple of months, I've been staying with the family in Glendale -back in Glendale, where I grew up- where you're more likely to meet people who like muscle cars as much as JDM; who hate the thought of European imports, and compare everything to 1/4 mile times or land speed records. It's a wonderful place to visit.
           But I admit, I've run into a couple of these people from time to time. The only problem is (as much as the land speed record thing), they're starting to seem less interested in the cars themselves and more about the way the car looks -- more about the culture that surrounds it, rather than the car itself.
           I'm not knocking their choice in style, mind you -- my wheels are just as wide and the tires are just as stretched. But I'm confused, these are people with clean looking dropped cars that always seem to want to trade in for something different. Not only that, but they know very little about the Civic, or Fox body in general. Worse still, they seem disconnected from the vehicles -- it's not a project, it's not something that got them through college, not something they scraped their knuckles on, or could reveal every little imperfection if asked.


          I guess that's what's so confusing: the fact that their cars resemble that of someone who spent the time, who did their homework and produced something remarkable, but their knowledge of wheels and tires and fitment is so limited. Where's the sense of passion? Where are the stories of when you locked your keys in it,  I ask, why even own the car if you're only going to put the façade of the culture before it?

I tell them of RC's Garage, of complete rebuilds. They seem more interested in other things.

Maybe it's simply Phoenix's lack of car culture, or maybe it's the fact that these people are just tempting me to buy into JDM.

-Either way, I don't know nearly as much as the next person. My friends would practically argue over owner's manuals and I could barely pay attention half the time. But I try to never lose that curiosity -- that desire to see something pieced together that simply works - hell, I could spend countless hours droning on and on about how and why I think it works.

We'll see where this takes me.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

DIY: Tail Light Modifying

Today we're going to completely take apart a Hella/ In Pro "all clear" tail light, which is intended for a MK4 Golf/ GTI.


Along the way, I'll show you how to do the following:

-Prep the tail light for paint
-Separate the lens from the tail light housing
-Repair the lens and housing
-Modify the housing for different effects

I'll be using my set of Hella's, which I've already taken apart and modified once over. These typically sell anywhere between $100-$200 (used), $250-$300 (new), and are a great template for color applications.

Photos courtesy of DaveLinger




Let's begin by taking a look at my set:




The first go-around, I decided to make an "all amber" tail light, or what translates into: Left: A/A/A/C -- (amber, amber, amber, clear), Right: A/A/A/A -- (Amber, '' , '', '' with the reverse light clear). Originally, the plan was to offer a truly all-amber tail light, but early on I noticed the definition of the dividing lines, and thought a clear bar was too good to pass up. The result was a wacky concoction, featuring a space for a reverse fog light on the left side.

I'll admit, at first I had no intention of taking them completely apart. But after I started sanding, I noticed they were covered inside and out with exhaust debris. This meant finding a way to break the tail lights down completely - a process I'll explain later.



Let's Begin the Tutorial!

PREPPING THE TAIL LIGHT FOR PAINT

You want to start by wet sanding the lenses of the tail lights. NOT dry sanding, mind you.

Here's the route I took, where by wet sanding in grit stages:

-250
-400
-800
-1,000
-1,500
-2,000 (after paint and clear)

It's important to know that while the tail lights are structurally sound, they can still encounter problems based on their overall shape and design. I've outlined the areas that are most problematic here:



Consider that the biggest issue with these tail lights is that they tend to break at their corner. The edge is so sharp that if dropped, both the housing and the lens can fracture. It's therefore a good idea to lay a towel out at your feet, so as to not potentially waste hours of work.



Positioning your hand at the base of corner helps reinforce its brittle edge while sanding. Also make sure to apply as little pressure as possible in this area.


The second problem areas are the "dividing lines" -- the thin lines outlining the bars. You have to imagine the tail light lens as a stamped set of layers, with the line running all around the inside as the thinnest point between each layer. Some of them are reinforced however, and you can apply a little bit of pressure.

If you apply too much pressure however, the bars themselves can separate. The result is a hairline fracture that allows moisture to become trapped behind the surface of the lens.


The most appropriate way to start is by tackling the edge at the top of the lens -- this is the area which is most reinforced. From there, you can move on to the face of the lens:



Sand each bar a section at a time and remember to avoid crossing the dividing lines.



There will come a point when you'll have to go over each dividing line, and the position of your fingers will help you through this process:


Keep your finger tips on either side of the line, and allow the sandpaper to lightly touch the surface.


One thing you'll notice about most tail lights (especially the aftermarket variety) is they're littered with manufacturer stamps. This is extremely helpful if you're looking to invest a lot of time to sand it proper.




-Tip: Use the manufacturer stamps/ dots as a guide for wet sanding.

Believe it or not, you can sand them out completely. But it takes a LOT of work. The HELLA logo is suprising easy, but along the surface of the tail light you'll notice three recessed dots. The first is mid center on bar 1, the next two are on bar 4 -- one in the center of the reverse light, the other on the opposite side. To ensure the surface is completely smooth and flush, you need to sand them completely out. If you sand them the correct way, you'll have done your job in the very first stage of prepping.

Lastly, it's probably a good idea to hit the underside of the lens, shown here:


It doesn't need to be perfect, but use your best judgement and sand accordingly. It should be scuffed up enough with 250 and 400 for paint.

*However, make sure to avoid sanding the area where the lens and housing are married together as it has the potential to separate. If it does, don't worry. I'll explain more in the next section.

Assuming you've sanded each section appropriately, it would then be time to paint. But you have an option -- you can remove the lens from the housing and paint the lens itself, or tape off the housing and spray the lens in one piece. If you go the first route, here's what you'll need to do:



Separating the Lens From the Housing

Let's look at the photo above one more time:

 

If we take a close enough look, we can see where the lens separates from the housing. If you sand down this section enough, the lens will naturally pull apart from the housing. (See on the far right side?) This is the best place to make your first incision.

Here's another example of where the two separate:
 

Now, with removing lenses from housings, there are two approaches you can take for overall separation:

-Heat the manufacturer sealer/ silicone with a heat gun.
-Place the entire tail light unit in a household oven.
-Separate at room temp.

What ever method you choose, know that the manufacturer's sealer isn't very strong and can pull apart fairly easy. Silicone that has been applied to the lens -on the other hand- cannot -- it needs to be heated for removal.

After you heat the area, use a utility knife and penetrate the gap between the two. Don't be affraid to apply a little force at the base of the housing. Keep in mind, it's really hard to break the lens with the utility knife - even if the end of the blade is pressed up against the inner wall of the lens. Be more concerned with dropping the whole tail light or inflicting damage on yourself.




*Can you tell what's wrong here? Always make sure one hand is reinforcing that sharp corner, and be extremely careful.



Follow the curvature of the lens until you've made an incision completely around. Then, prepare to pull it apart.


The key to separating the lens from the housing is to pull outwards; i.e. bottom out towards you/ top out towards you. NEVER from the left or right sides.

*Pulling from either side puts pressure where the tail light bends most, causing it to crack. If it cracks, don't worry - we'll talk about that next.


This is the tail light with the lens removed. It's interior has been slightly modified from the first time I took them apart.




Repairing the Lens and Housing

Lets say hypothetically (or in my case, realistically) you've cracked the lens. The good news is, the lens can be resealed, but only up to a certain point.


All you really need is a plastic-friendly resin. In other words, something capable of seaping into the crack, strong enough to bond and transparent enough to cover up the excess damage.






If the housing happens to break, you're going to need a stronger type of resin/ bonding agent. Believe it or not, if the lens is in good shape, most people will throw out the fractured part of the housing and put them on their cars, damaged. Technically, the lens is nearly pressed against the body and bumper of the car, so it's not likely something will get inside the tail light, but I still think it's lazy. Grab an epoxy and mold the housing back together.




Modifying the Interior of the Tail Light

So the hard part is over. Now -if you choose to do so- you can customize the inside of the tail light housing.

The logic here is that whatever color you apply to the interior will affect the exterior color of the lens. A good example is the most modern tail light/ head light design.

I started to notice that they weren't simply filled with red plastics and reflectors, they contained silvers, greys and black colors as well. The result is an amplification of the exterior color. We'll use mine as an example.



Notice closely that the middle of bar four originally had red plastic reflectors. Depending on your state/ country's tail light qualifications, most require a red reflection up to a certain distance. In Arizona, it's expected that an officer see the red in my tail lights from 50 feet.

Bare in mind, however, that the bulb itself is red, the sleeve the bulb fits into is red. This means you can minimalize the color combinations and you won't be breaking any laws either. Hard to believe, but the amber tail lights were actually legal in my state. Although bright orange in color, they didn't take away from the red at its base, which was visible up to the legal distance.




The plastic reflectors are tacked into place on the top and bottom of the interior, making them incredibly frail. A tiny screw driver applied right at the tack molding will dislodge the reflector completely.


 
The interior housing doesn't require much sanding or professional grade work. Simply use alcohol and tissue paper and wipe the area you decide to paint. I've chosen a metalic silver, because I'll be painting the lenses "all-red".





The pictures above are from the first go-around. You can see the effect a mild silver leaves on a clear surface. This time, I'm going to try using a more metallic silver for added effect. Here you can see the early results:




I'll be using House of Kolor's "Kandy Apple Red" on the lenses. In this instance, I think it best to work with contrast. Consider that the result will be a uniform layer of paint on the surface; i.e. no textured look of the dividing lines. I intend on using an entire spray can of HOK with the idea to "hide" all that silver, in mind. The logic here being that the silver is so bright, that I need to enrich the surface with so much paint to compensate. Make sense?



Keep in mind, people "paint dip" lenses -- they completely submerge the lens into a vat of water and paint and they turn out transparent and perfect. You can virtually use an INSANE amount of paint before it loses its transparency, so don't be affraid to bury it!

 
-It's basically the same technique. In fact, at Wustefest 2010 I ran into someone with the same set of Hella's -- except they were remarkably red. He explained how he used this dipping concept to acquire the full effect.



So here's the end result. I admit I jumped a few steps ahead, but I'll be sure to explain all the details. After buying the paint and clear coat, I had a friend professionally shoot them.

Obviously, if you've completed the last step (separating the lenses from the housing/ prepping the lenses for paint), you'll want to tape off the exposed area of housing, shown in black:

 
 
I recommend using SEM's exterior Trim Black. You can apply as many coats as you like and it's virtually problem-free.
 


Simply mask off the surrounding areas -the lens and the back of the tail light- prep with alcohol or metal pad, and paint.

Finally, use a clear silicone adhesive to bond the lens to the housing. I recommend the one featured here:


Make sure to apply it to the sections you cut into to remove the lens:



-The bottom of the housing doesn't matter so much as the top and edges. Trust me, you might think you have enough, but as soon as it rains you'll be seeing spots inside the housing.

-Make sure to be thorough, but don't over do it.

Use a finger nail to clear out the excess silicone, clamp the lens and housing and let it sit overnight.

That's it!