mk1 golf - vr6. rebuilding engine

[add1989 0]

had the shell a few months now this is how i got it

looked a bit sh**y but the shell was solid, notg a hint of rust, witch was unbeliavble

loads more pics to come

[add1989 0]

got the body work sanded down and rust cut out, ther wasnt realy any rust bigger than a 5p so i simply filled with fibreglass and smoothed over weith filler

[dubbed_up_daz 8]

how are you planning on fitting the engine? Are you going the subframe or custom mounts route?

[legvw 0]

Nice project. Wish i never got rid of my mk1 years ago, and put a vr in it.

Good luck, looks like a good base for a vr lump. ;-)

[add1989 0]

i know what you mean, i dont have an engine in mine and i could never let it go lol. and i think im going to use subframe, and i think that way i will have to use most of the mk3 running gear too

[dubbed_up_daz 8]

From the researched conversions ive followed the subframe route is possibly the most fab. intensive to get looking factory.Ive seen a few with d/s leg notches for clearance that look pretty butchered and possibly the most factory looking were sectioned out,mk3/rado sub-frame mounts grafted into/onto the legs off a mk1 with a front section fabbed up for the factory mount.This will be the route im taking on mine

[add1989 0]

keep me updated how it goes

[dubbed_up_daz 8]

maybe too far north for you but a guy on scottishvag just got an early small block mk1(G40 equipped)and is now fitted with a vr...I had a random run through of the site a few days ago and noticed the build but the conversion was done by a guy in dunfermline up these ways(dougie aka trix aka white mk3 air equipped vrT pvw feature)but the swap got done over a weekend but more importantly there are decent pics(actually the best ive seen for the conv)of the fabbed rearward conv. mounts in the thread.Sorry to have thrown you a bone with no link but svag depresses me but the car is in the members motors or projects section and its an open view so youll get the pics without registeering

[add1989 0]

had a look, couldnt find that paticular project but did find an intersting caddy project. he had a good idea of how to get the engine mount in, in the correct position, he had the mounts on the engine, welded up a frame connecting them together and used it as a template in the engine bay. much simpler than the metod i was going to use. the most info i have found seems to be in this thread on mk1 owners club, unfortunatly he hasnt finished the project. http://www.vwgolfmk1.org.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=26924

[spinksy 0]

mk 1 golfs are sweeet!

[add1989 0]

right, about time for an update, the main part of the puzzle has finaly arrived! after a 500 hundred mile round trip last sunday with the van just a tad heavier on the return leg, i know am the proud owner of a vr lump. i was pretty eager to get going so iv made a little progress already.

[hvr6 88]

lol just a small gap in the thread!! exciting stuff!! Keep us updated!

[add1989 0]

yea i supose there is a bitf a gap, i get confused with how many different threads i have, il try and fill in the blanks abit.

heres a pick of the iterior once i got it cleaned up and sprayed.

a few pics during the strip down before i sprayed, i did away with the centre trim down the side for a smoother finish, witch i was sceptical about but turned out ok.

this was when i got the base coat on, whitch made light of alot of imperfections and opened a nice can of wors to sort out. also not long after this i found out the hard way its very difficult to spray a top coat thats the same coulour as your primer. in a less then perfect light its almost impossible to see how far your overlapping the spray in future ill use contrasting colours.

heres a couple of pics once i got some of the interior dry fitted, iv since sold the seats and door card and gone for some recaro bucket seats. i think in time il probably do away with the dash and replace it with a mk3 dash, just for things to fit easier and tidier like clock ect.

[add1989 0]

heres a couple of pics of the finished top coat wich for my first spay job i was pretty hapy with. while i had it lacked up i took the rear axle out for a light refurb and the fuel tank. i also managed to drop the rear axle on myself while underneath it, supisingly heavy!!

rear axle after refurb, i still havent got round to rear disk conversion

underneath half done

[add1989 0]

and a couple of pics after i got my alloy wheels and coilovers fitted

so heres were im up to now, near enough all the bodywork done. just the task of under the bonnet to deal with!!

[add1989 0]

a couple of pics of the engine and how far iv got with striping it. heres with the induction manifold and most of the hosses and wiring taken off, if taken care to label everthing up including bolts and there locations as i have a memory like a goldfish. so far iv not found anything catastrofic and im confident by the general condition of the engine i wont be in for to many nasty suprises, but any heads up for things to look out for would be apreciated.

at this stage i did find the thermostat housing was brocken, also the solid plastic hose that runs from the thermostat into the block needs replacing.

This is after i removed the rest of the hosses, thermostat and other auxillary parts like the alternator. another thing that is realy obvious is leaking gaskets, the rocker cover cylinder head and sump gasket all seem to have minor leaks. also once i took the top half of the timing chain cover off i noticed the front chane tensioner/guide (not sure) was brocken into 3 pieces, cant understand how that would even happen as appart from the break it looks like it was in good nick?

now i guess this is were you guys come in as i coud use a bit of help, im trying to pluck up the courage to take off the cylinder head to look a bit deeper. id be lieing if i said i was a compitent mechanic and this entire project is the first iv done. but i have a good idea and im not shy to reading up, taking my time and getting things right. i gues my main worrie is messing up the timing when i take the cylinder head off so my first concern is how to get the engine to top dead center.

[add1989 0]

ok so after getting my head around timing i was hapy out to take off the cylinder head. which came off well. only snag is this

i figure this is were the gasket has failed and water has corroded the head?

and obviosly this corrosion is mirrored on the block

im wondering how bad this is? are there tolerances to how far the head can be skimmed? or is it simply done for?. the head would not be to difficult to replace but replacing the block would be a bit of a pain. any help or advise would be realy helpfull

[RBPE 198]

Hard to tell from pics. If it's deep damage then it' raise compression too much if staying NA. I've rebuilt a lot worse but wouldn't for someone else unless absolutely necessary. A weld-up, fine grind and light skim is your best bet so as not to raise comp too much and a proper weld will be as strong, if not stronger than original material. If you're paying someone then you pay for labour and I have taken weeks repairing engines before but they were mainly my own, if you've got the tools and knowledge then it's not too much of problem. However, there are some people that would not do a correct job and you really need all the tools to check it thoroughly.

With the price of a 12v on the bay it'd be as cheap but there's the chance of buying another duffer, you could negate this a bit by selling some of the undamaged parts or even an engine shop might buy the block/head from you for their own project or to repair in their spare time?

As for fitting it into your bay, here's a little look at the R32 mount mods on my mk1 to give you an idea. It's all very easy if you have the tools and knowledge but if not and you want it done correctly you have to pay for the labour. There's lots of trial fitting and getting it spot on for a proper job so time = money if paying someone.

[add1989 0]

Sweet thanks for the advice, iv got on to a local engineering firm that deal mostly with heads and blocks and they are confident they can rectify this. So im going to way it up against a replacement head and block, like you say with the risk of buying another block n head thats just as bad, pluss all the extra time spent stripping further and rebuilding, it may prove prudent to go with the refub option. they also said they can gasflow the head, but not sure for the extra expense if it is worth it? In for a penny in for a pound i gues.

also the r32 project is right up my street as im planning on doing all the engine bay fabrication myself, keep me posted how its going. thanks again for the advice, much obliged

[RBPE 198]

No probs, i've done tons of engine swaps over the past 24 years, so just give us a shout if your stuck, it's a 900hp 24vt to be correct but may rebuild and sell R32 and use 2.8 to negate costs as it's getting expensive!

Welding that will be no problem but with regards to porting - are they doing it on a bench and matching the flow correctly? By hand or CNC? Porting blind can seriously impede flow at various lifts (usually lower) and it can do more harm than good at times unless you're well versed in the engine. Using a bench as you go along, unless it's a bench flow developed CNC programme for that engine, is a bit of a must! Make sure you ask them this.

[add1989 0]

well cheers for the advice, i dropped my head off today and made out like i knew what i was on about. the guy seemed prety clued up and they are suposed to be the dogs dangly bits as far as cylinder heads go. i didnt understand the majority of what he said but the jist of it was he dosent have the computer guided stuff to suit the head, he will preasure test, (providing its sound) weld and skimm the head, re grind valves in, de-cork and clean up and port and polish to the bare minimum as there is no way of knowing how far he can open it up without breaching a water port.

that aside heres a little progress, i got an engine stand welded up, makes life alot eisier

pluss iv made some progress with cleaning and tidying up the pile of parts. heres the gearbox before

and after

its only primed, and a rough polish, il get a top coat on and that will do, never going to be a show car.

rocker cover primed

and painted, not sure im happy with the colour so it may change, iv since done the timing chain covers the same colour and not over joyed with the matte finnish

got the cylinder head cleaned up a bit before i took it in, just to look at the damage

oh dear

also in need of a new timing chain guides, is there anywere that does a full kit?

and a bit more in the sump

[add1989 0]

also gave into the magpie atrction to shiny things and had a little go myself, by far not the best iv seen but like i say, its no show car and it looks 100% better then before

more (almost) shiney bits

iv got a few other bits done, but thats all iv got pics of for now. i know my works not worldclass and i always admit, im only an ameature, this is my first project. the main thing for me is im realy enjoying doing it

[add1989 0]

Garage shelved a bit, and all my acumulated crap carfully filed away in alfabetical order of course. i could swing a cat in there now

[add1989 0]

A bit more progress to report... got my head back at the weekend and got the full lot rebuilt, took alot longer then i imagined but got there in the end.

made a bit of a dent in my wallet but it looks to be a good job.

[add1989 0]

Also dressed ot up a bit, want to get a bit better idea of what direction to go with colours, red is first choice but thinking about white?