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Peter Sibley's project track-day car
2.0 litre 8v Scirocco GTII

This story is in Pete's own words and pictures, all we have done is convert it to html from his original word doc.
Pete has checked it for accuracy before it was posted on the Internet.


My Alpine White Scirocco GTII	The 2E block, painted and prepared for fitting

Having left university, travelled a bit and worked for about 6 months I felt it was time for a new challenge in my spare time. I rang up my mate Andy, told him I was going to buy a project car and asked what would be the best choice for around Ł1000. Simple answer; VW Golf, Scirocco or Jetta. Having liked the look of the Scirocco when I was younger, that was the obvious choice! A trawl of the classifieds brought up 5 or 6 Scirocco's in the SW. However, it only took one viewing for me to find the car I now own....back then it was a 1991J Alpine White Mk2 Scirocco GTII 1.8 8v (carb). I bought it from 'MaxRocco', a former member on the forum. That was two years ago; below is a run-down of the transformation of my GTII from standard spec to track-day spec.

I've made the following modifications to the car since purchasing it in May 2005:

2005:

TSR202 270 degree camshaft. Transformed the top-end of the rev range, really helped free up the engine, worth a good 5-10 Bhp on its own over the standard engine.
Mk2 Golf GTi 16v brake setup - second-hand Audi 80 calliper carriers, new callipers, new Brembo Max 256mm vented and grooved discs, new Pagid fast road pads, new 22mm master cylinder, second-hand 9" diaphragm. A great upgrade, well worth doing before going for an increase in power. Great pedal feel, no fade, matches the weight / power of the car perfectly.
Interior strip out - remove rear bench seat, parcel shelf, rear interior cards, boot lining, lower front dash and centre console, carpet, sound proofing. Both for cosmetic and weight saving purposes.
Ashley Competition 2 1/2" ceramic coated mild steel exhaust system (into single 3" tail-pipe) and 4-to-1 exhaust manifold. Helps the engine breathe properly, opening up the full potential of the camshaft and makes a great noise! Combined with the camshaft, gives an extra 15-20 Bhp over the standard engine.
End of 2005 figures: 105 Bhp

A clear engine bay!	The 2E block with gearbox mounted

2006:

Weber 38 DGAS carburettor conversion - Weber 38 DGAS carb from 1970's Ford Capri 3.0 V6 (reconditioned, chokes removed), custom aluminium adaptor plate fabricated for fitment to inlet manifold (port matched, heater fins removed), ITG panel filter. An interesting and unique conversion, making the most of the superior performance and flow characteristics of the Weber 38 over the Weber 32/34 previously fitted to the car. To get the most out of it, careful port matching of the carburettor, adaptor plate and inlet manifold is required to prevent restrictions to fuel and air flow into the cylinder head. The Weber 38 makes a great induction noise and is perfect for tuning. With the camshaft and exhaust system, power was lifted to about 120-125 Bhp.
Front lower strut brace. Stiffens up the notoriously flexible Scirocco chassis. Sharper turn-in, better attitude through corners and increased levels of front-end grip.
Re-conditioned, ported and polished, 40/33mm valve (inlet/exhaust) cylinder head. Required transfer of a variety of internal components from the original cylinder head (valve springs, tappets, valve stem seals etc.). As with the exhaust, helped to flow the engine better, increasing fuel / air intake and lifting power by a further 5-10 Bhp.
End of 2006 figures: 130 Bhp

The 2E block being lowered into my Scirocco - a tight fit!	Cylinder head fitted onto 2E block, showing oil cooler / breather

2007:

2.0 2E engine block conversion - 100k miles VW Passat CL 2.0 8v block (reconditioned, painted), Tdi sump windage plate, 2E alternator, 2E water pump, new belts and pulleys, 2E oil breather system (into 2E rocker cover), Facet electronic fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator (mounted on inside of front wing), in-line fuel filter, new earth and 12v cables, reconditioned starter motor and new Bosch battery, TSR distributor adaptor. The best modification to date, making use a of a block more commonly seen in VW Passats and the Mk3 Golf GTi. It involved a lot of work (see pictures) and a fair bit of ingenuity, with a lot of standard ancillaries replaced in the process to get it all running properly. The electronic fuel pump is a must for this conversion, as the 2E block doesn't have the facility for the mechanical pump used on the original EX engine. The oil cooler and breather system on the 2E block required plumbing into a 2E rocker cover, finally venting to a pipe breather (it would run to the air intake on an injection setup).
Corbeau Forza Sport bucket seats and Willans competition harnesses (waist straps mounted through floor pan using stress plates and eye-bolts, shoulder straps mounted onto rear seatbelt anchor points). Works really well with the stripped out interior and provides great support and a decent level of comfort.

Still to do this year:

Koni dampers and lowering springs
Front braided brake hoses
Roll-cage
Oil temp / pressure gauges

The results of this conversion have been truly impressive. Early 2007 rolling road figures indicate approximately 145 Bhp at the crank (up 55 Bhp from standard), and torque is now 150 lbft. The sprint to 60 mph takes just 6.5 seconds but it's the torque that really impresses, perfect for lapping the track! By way of comparison, it kept up with a friends 250 Bhp Audi S2 Coupe in a straight line (roughly 160 Bhp / tonne)!

All of this work has been undertaken by myself and a number of car enthusiast friends (Andy, Simon and Tim). Paul from Circuit Motors at Castle Combe has carried out all of the rolling road tuning and carburettor setup. Thanks!

I'll be running the car at a number of tracks this year, including the Autometrix VW Audi track-day at Castle Combe on 11th August.

Facet electronic fuel pump and regulator Don't often get to stand in your engine bay!

Thank's Pete for sharing with us how you prepared a Scirocco for track use. Hope to see it out on track at Castle Combe and on stand between outings.
Managers of SciroccoWorld.

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Facet electronic fuel pump and regulator	Don't often get to stand in your engine bay!