2007 Turbo Wassermeccanica in the works

I am starting this thread in anticipation of documenting the upcoming build of my 2007 Intermeccanica built 1.8T powered roadster. The car was spec'ed in January and Febuary of 2007 and has now gotten to Henry's work queue.

Specs:

Engine 1.8T stock Golf engine (new) with mild chipping to bring it to 200HP. Intercooled. Aux oil cooler added as well.

Suspension: Front: 911 Rear: 944 / 911
Brakes: 911 4 wheel disks
Wheels: 16x7 rear 16x6 front
Transmission: 915 5 speed

Progress to date:
Transmission purchased and at IM
Engine purchased and in shipment to IM
Engine to Tranny adapter in house
Chassis in process

Next:
Drive train fitment to partial chassis for final engine bracketing and shock tower placement. Hopefully pictures too!

Tomm-

I'm an analog guy, and therefore enamored with air-cooled engines-- but the 1.8T should be a perfect powerplant for 99% of the motoring public: smooth, reliable, and powerful. It'll be a true "jump in, turn on, go" drivetrain that will give you 100K mi of reliable service. The 911/944 running gear is pure genius, and I wish I had done the same thing. Your specs are just impeccable.

7 months is a long wait, but your car will be worth it. Keep us posted.

Tomm, Good speaking with you. Can't wait to see progress. At least your in the same time zone!. I get pics at 3am EST, I can't get to sleep before then! Its sick! Steve is right, car should be awesome.

Tomm, glad your car is in progress. I hope to see you and it at the IM owners meet next summer.

OK, engine arrived at IM this week! Details to follow but I have posted a pic.

Tomm

And so it begins! Tomm, it will be fun to witness your ride take shape. Henry has installed my motor yesterday. Fuel lines. oil cooler today,etc, etc...... Hope to continue our conversation and maybe even see each other soon.

Well Tomm, this combo should keep you with the frontrunners during those "givershit" moments on the IM Tour. Maybe the Volvo can sit in YVR next July while you kids enjoy the new ride. Wouldn't that be too cool.

Rick,

I certainly hope to be driving the IM to the next IM BBQ in July! If only HOWARD would let Henry get finished with that nasty P-car:)

Tomm

Hey Tomm, You callin me OUT! Dude? Might I see you next weekend? My car is coming along, hopefully Henry will fire it up this weekend. Can't wait to HEAR it, let alone fondle it!

Howard,

When your plans are firmed up let me know. You know how to reach me...

Perhaps I can zoom up to Chilliwack (sp?)and meet you at Rick's place if there is opportunity.

Tomm

Henry has made good progress on the car. Attached is a pic of the 1.8t bolted up to the 915 tranny with a KEP adapter plate. Chassis is mostly done and body is complete at fabricator.

Tomm

Well Tomm, it looks like your on your way! My car is still in Vancouver waitingon a truck to send it East. It seems to take forever to get it going, but hopefully you'll have it by the BBQ in July. I'll keep tabs on you, Good Luck, Happy Holidays, Howard

Looks good Tomm. Waiting is really tough, but you can't rush custom work. In the end, it will be worth the wait.

January 2008 update on the 1.8T watermeccanica:

Engine and transmission have been fitted to the chassis and all mods for mounting and torque transfer have been welded in. Suspension parts off to the painters and brake calipers out to be powder coated deep blue to match the Glasurit midnight pearl blue of the body. Wheels chosen and have ended up with 16x8 in rear and 16 x 7 in front which is more rubber than I thought I was going to be able to fit but good for the high torque of the engine. I was pleased that the intake manifold actually ended up fitting once we swapped the VW for the Audi version. With the mounting as it is now set up, the oil sump is no lower than the IM air cooled version sumps. I am now waiting on a response from the engine builder regarding exchanging the VW stock k03 turbo and manifold for the K04 found on the TT roadster. I will be looking at 225HP or so at high RPMs and respectable low end torque (not up to the torque developed by the 3.2 engined P cars, of course).

I will go post a couple of pics in the photos section.

Happy New Year, all!

Tomm

Sounds like your really coming along Tomm. Im looking foward to seeing the pics of the build. All I can tell you is the its worth the wait. Yours will be built like a fine swiss watch, and will run ALL day. Ive had mine for exactly one week today. Ive never driven anything like it before. Your in for a real treat my friend.

here is the engine and tranny in the chassis.

Wheel for the wassermeccanica. Modern porsche wheels but will look cool with the big discs and blue calipers behind them.

For some reason, my pants fall to my knees when I read this tread???

Tomm:

Just out of curiosity, did anyone weigh that engine versus an aircooled before installing it? I'm wondering how close they might (or might not) be.

gn

Gordon,

I really don't think so. I will get the data from Henry and let you know. John's car, the first wassermeccanica, handles really well in my opinion and has about the same weight distribution that my car will have.

Tomm

I like this man's atitude, build it your way!

As if the "Engine Mechanical" forum doesn't get mixed up on occasion now with T1 and TIV!

Hint: A Chevy V8 powered Corvair at a past Knotts show had the license plate, "WATR PMPR".

Where is the radiater located, and where is the radiator air coming from?

Radiator is up front with ducting which gets some fresh air from the front and from under the car. I am actually quite curious to see teh final placement of the radiator and the intercooler myself. The IC is mounted in the engine compartment.

Tomm

You may want to get very specific instructions as to how your builder got ALL the air out of the cooling system. Unclear if your high point would be at the radiator or at the engine, either works, you just place an accumulator tank with the rad cap there. Get the purge instructions for when you need to drain and replace the coolant - maybe a good application for some of that "life time coolant" I hear about? Keep us posted on your technical details - this one is diffferent!

hey Tom,

I just got my revised muffler installed on the wassermeccanica last week. I know most people prefer the loud rumble that sets off car alarms on the other side of the street, but I am much happier with the results, it works for me.

I've gotten quite used to the handling of my car. Our back ends ( it's the car's I'm refering to here ) are pretty heavy and I find I bottom out pretty often, at least once or twice a week, and there is a road in my neighbourhood that I just can't drive the car on, but that road is a mess and really needs a paving. On good roads you can really pull out of corners with no fear of loosing traction. Later this year ( after the Holywood writer's strike is over ) I hope to bet the anti-sway bars put in, as well as a few other projects. You'll have to tell me how you car turns out.

Gz

John,

For sure I will let you know, probably even set up a visit to see you. I do plan on being at the 2008 IM BBQ and tour with the WM2 (you have WM1). I was concerned about the oil pan clearance and made sure teh mounting allowed the same ground clearance as the VW powered rigs. If that does not satisfy me, I will go with a reduced depth sump and then decide if I need an auxiliary oil cooler. What muffler did you end up with?

Tomm

All,

Here is the test fit of my 16x8 wheel and tire on an IM in process which has a similar suspension setup to my build. This is a 944 trailing arm and brake assembly.

Fits good.

Tomm

The final build is getting close now. My body and frame are very close to being mated together. I have pics of the painted frame just waiting for the body mods to be done before the mating of the two! I have made major changes to the original build sheet and Henry has been accommodating all the way, what a great guy to deal with!

Tomm

Update on wheel sizes and tire choices:

I incorrectly specified that the wassermeccanica would have 16x7 front wheels. It actually has 16x6 fronts and 16x8 rear.

My chosen tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE 050A Pole Positions. Any feedback from the group on this choice is welcome.

Tomm

Not to side-track anything here, but I wonder what an 18" wheel would look like under a Speedster/Roadster.......maybe with 40-series tires?

Hey Gordon

within about two weeksI will be able to show you a picture of a speedster with 18" rims. I am going to use a 7.5" wide rim (narrowest you can get) with a 225-40/18 tyre. Most likely going to be a Toyo Proxes.

Shoould I have clearance issues then I will have to flare the arches. My measurements seem to indicate that it is "just" going to fit perhaps with a slightly reduced turning circle.

I will even go so far as to have the wheels narrowed on the front. (cut and weld)

There are three downfalls to an 18 inch wheel/tire combo on a light speedster.
1. A 35 or 40 series tire can give the car a very stiff ride. I had 17's on my monster Miata, and moved down to 15's. The handling did not suffer, but the ride improved dramatically.
2. 18" wheels are very heavy when compared to a 15" wheel, and unsprung weight is your enemy. Acceleration and handling will suffer.
3. 18" wheels and tires will be MUCH more expensive than a 15" or 16" wheel/tire combo.
Go for the 18s if your priority is 'bling'.
Go for 15s or 16s if your looking for a combo of good looks and improved performance.

Tomm, you asked about some more tire choices. What are you looking for in a tire?
a. maximum dry handling?
general rule is the better a tire 'sticks' the quicker it wears.
Some great choices: Michelin Pilot Sport PS2, Bridgestone Potenza RE 050 A, Toyo R1R,
Bridgestone RE-01R, Hankook R-S2...to name a few.
b. a good combo of wet/dry handling?
There are a few tires out there that offer a good combination of both.
Bridgestone RE 050, Michelin Pilot EXalto PE2, Continental ContiSportContact 3, and
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s.
c. long life?
See my first comment about handling and wear. The Michelin Pilot Exalto PE2 is a good
choice.
d. quiet ride?
This can be very important in a convertible. There are a few tires on the market that handling very well, but get really noisy as they wear.
The BFGoodrich f-Force T/A DKW2 is an excellent handling tire, but gets very noisy with
age.
e. driving in warm and cold weather?
I have Hankook R-S2s on my monster Miata. They stick like glue, but lose all their grip when the temperature gets close to freezing
Also, what size tires will you be running?

Ron,

I will have 205 55 16 and 225 50 16 on the wheels.

Tomm

Tom, I have the same size Fuchs on my cat with Bridgesone SO2 pole position Potenzas. Wonderful tire, low noise, tremendous grip. I have also had the Dunlop SportMaxx's on other cars Ive owned, also an excellent tire.

In that size combo (both 205/55-16 & 225/50 -16) you have a great selection of high performance tires:
Hankook R-S2
Dunlop Sport Maxx
Bridgestone RE-050 A (my favorite)
Michelin Pilot EXalto PE2
Goodyer F1 GS-D3
In my view, the best all-round performance tire would be the RE-050 A. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm running Hankook R-S2s, but only for summer driving (they don't like the cold). I picked mine up from Discount Tire on their last tire sale, for $75 each (shipped). The R-S2s are the price leader, by a wide margin. They do wear quickly, but their 'stick' through the corners is something that has to be experienced.
Ron

So my choice of the Bridgestone RE 050A is not so bad. Thanks!

Body and Chassis mated today!!! Pics when I get them from Henry.

Tomm

WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO!

car porn tonight!

As promised here are some images of the body mated to the chassis. To protect the innocent, I will not post images of the actual mating process which requires handlers!

Tomm