Antera309's VR6 Cabrio

[pete8tch 0]

looks wicked ,better get stuck in then got most of what i need now carpets trim etc to lose the blue the mk4 seats are fitted .got a brand new dash of e bay for £5 so cant get out of doing it now the pics and info are really useful.

[antera309 3]

looks wicked ' date='better get stuck in then got most of what i need now carpets trim etc to lose the blue the mk4 seats are fitted .got a brand new dash of e bay for £5 so cant get out of doing it now the pics and info are really useful.[/quote']

I have a complete set of black trim from a 5-door VR6 (including centre console, sill trims, pillar trims etc). If there's any bits that you're missing, please let me know.

[antera309 3]

More progress has been made on the cabrio project this week.

Managed to find a complete, undamaged VR6 donor car with 70,000 miles for just £800 !

It's being stripped right now ready for the full running gear transplant into the Cabrio next week.

Will post engine installation pics as soon as I get round to taking some!

[antera309 3]

These came today:

Love 'em or hate 'em, the InPro angel eye headlamps give you lots of options. The integrated turn indicators will allow me to completely smooth the front bumper...

[ Edited Sat Mar 05 2005, 12:26AM ]

[binliner 0]

These came today:

Love 'em or hate 'em' date=' the InPro angel eye headlamps give you lots of options. The integrated turn indicators will allow me to completely smooth the front bumper...[/quote']

yep

[DundeeDub 0]

same way i am thinking just now but not going colour coded, seen a few pictures with it done to early cars and still unsure about it, kinda love it one day then the other i don't

[antera309 3]

Thought I'd better put the InPro lights on to make sure they work..

What do you guys reckon?

Although these are LHD lamps, the dipped beam pattern is pretty symmetrical. Should be OK for the MOT if adjusted carefully.

Had a set of the Hella Mk4-style lamps on my old VR, and these gave off less light then the standard lamps.

No such problem with the Inpros - the improvement in lighting power is staggering. Main beam in particular is a HUGE improvement over stock. Mods to the wiring may bring about further improvements. And then there are HID kits....

Please, someone stop me spending all my money!!! &|

[antera309 3]

With the lights and the VAG VR6 front spoiler on the car, just thought I'd run off a quick Photoshop to see how my planned mods are gonna look.

All the bits to make my car look like that are sitting in my Garage!! The only unconfirmed mod in that pic is the Mk5 Golf door mirrors. May go M3-style instead if fitting turns out to be a nightmare on the Mk5s..

Agreed with Vento_VR6 on bumper smoothing/colour coding. It doesn't work on every car, it tends to suit darker colours better IMO.

For cabrio blue (I don't know what the "official" name of the colour is!) I reckon it's spot on.

[ Edited Sat Mar 05 2005, 12:51AM ]

[VR6Rich 3]

How much did the InPro's cost you and where did you get them? Was thinking of changing my lights this year and these might do the trick! 8)

Are the indicators in both of the small lights? Do they have orange reflectors in them? (looks like it in the picture)

[ Edited Sat Mar 05 2005, 10:55AM ]

[stu h 0]

very nice mate -those mk5 mirrors would look smart if you could get them on!

[antera309 3]

How much did the InPro's cost you and where did you get them? Was thinking of changing my lights this year and these might do the trick! 8)

Are the indicators in both of the small lights? Do they have orange reflectors in them? (looks like it in the picture)

Yes' date=' the InPros have two orange indicator lamps in each unit between the dipped and main beam units, just like on the Golf R32. They use normal clear bulbs. The lights come with long wires for the indicators which can be routed down behind the bumper and scotchlocked into the stock Indicator wiring. No more than 30 minutes to fit!

I got mine off ebay shop eurolights4less for £185 delivered. Shipped direct from Germany, so they're LHD units, although the beam pattern looks fine for UK use.

[ Edited Sat Mar 05 2005, 01:00PM ']

[MSV83 0]

hey the Lights look very cool will be getting mine soon...u can get them in the uk from venom at 180+VAT which is not bad...free delivery

[Valver 0]

Nice work, keep it up. Love seeing other project progress pics!

[antera309 3]

Well, the donor car for the VR6 engine was sourced a couple of weeks ago, and the engine swap is finally under way.

Most of the delay (well, all of the delay actually) is due to the fact the donor car was an auto.

Getting a manual box and shifter wasn't the problem - it was all the other bits..

At least I can tell you guys definitively what's required to convert an auto VR6 to manual. Firstly, you need:

- Manual 'box

- Shifter with cables

- Flywheel (with all bolts!)

- Complete clutch assembly (plates, release bearing, guide and release arm)

- Complete pedal box assembly

- Hydraulic clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder

- Hydraulic clutch pipework

- Starter motor

- Radiator top hose (the auto has an additional take-off on this hose for the auto box). I went for a full set of Samcos instead.

And that's not the end of it. The Auto box has it's own ECU, which can be removed, but the wiring for the reversing lights and a starter lock-out connection goes through this ECU, so this wiring has to be modded.

Even with work already under way, I fear that there may be additional things waiting to bite me on the ass. The Auto box ECU controls the idle speed too, so will the engine even start? Or will I have to add a complete engine wiring loom to the list above?

Stay tuned....

[ Edited Fri Mar 11 2005, 07:05PM ]

[VRmonster 1]

just wondering how the engine swap is going. im looking out for a cheap cabrio now cos i fancy taking a different route for my turbo project. just a bit scared about having to swap out the susspension, subframe and brakes etc... you done all that yet?

[antera309 3]

I'm getting someone to do the job for me because I don't have enough space for the Cabrio + the donor car + all the bits "in transit" between the two. However, sourcing all the parts etc was down to me, so I know exactly what's involved.

Fitting a VR6 engine to a Mk3 Cabrio is a lot easier than doing a 1.8T. There's no fabrication, welding or mixing/matching of parts required; everything you need can be taken from a Golf Mk3 (or Vento) VR6 and will bolt straight on. The only thing is, there are a LOT of parts to replace.

Getting a complete VR6 donor car (damaged, rusty, whatever) is the best way to go because you can be 100% sure that you have all the parts needed for the conversion (except maybe "service" parts such as brake pads etc)

Don't pay more than £1,000 for a donor car, and avoid Automatic ones (:-/) as these require a lot of additional parts to convert to manual, upping the cost.

The parts you need to swap in from the VR6 are:

ENGINE/TRANSMISSION

- Engine with all ancilliaries, hoses, flywheel & clutch

- Engine ECU and engine wiring loom

- Gearbox, Gearshift mechanism, Gearlever & shift cables

- Complete pedal box with clutch master cylinder

- Clutch slave cylinder and hoses

- Driveshafts

- Radiator support (front panel)

- Radiator and all coolant hoses

- Exhaust system, Catalyst and downpipe

FRONT SUSPENSION

- Engine subframe with the 2 rear engine mounts

- Front subframe with front engine mount

- Front wishbones

- Front hubs, brake calipers and discs

- Front suspension legs and top bushes

REAR SUSPENSION

- Complete rear suspension beam with stub axles and rear disc brakes

- Rear suspension legs

OTHER

- Fuel pump (VR6 uses a 4-bar pump, other models use a 3-bar pump)

- Fuel filter

All parts from a Golf Mk3 (or Vento) VR6. OBD1/OBD2 doesn't matter as long as ECU, wiring loom and engine are all from the same car. An OBD2 donor car is preferable if you can get one, as these have the larger 288mm front brakes.

The conversion sort of goes like this:

-Remove front panels, radiator and radiator support

-Disconnect exhaust, hoses and wiring from engine

-Disconnect driveshafts from gearbox

-Remove gearlever mechanism and cables

-Remove engine and gearbox as a unit.

-Disconnect front brake hoses and remove suspension struts

-Front subframes unbolt from the body and drop to the floor, complete with steering rack, hubs & driveshafts

-Disconnect rear brake lines and remove rear suspension struts

-Rear suspension beam unbolts from body and drops to the floor, along with rear brakes etc.

-Remove engine wiring loom & ECU

-Remove pedal box

-Remove fuel pump

with refitting being the reverse of the above. This is a VERY simplified explanation but should give you some idea of the work involved. The professionals quote for approx. 20 hours labour for doing this conversion.

The above applies regardless of whether you are converting a a 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0 Cabrio. So when looking for your cabrio, focus more on equipment levels and bodywork quality rather than what engine it's got.

Hope this helps. When I get the car back this weekend I'll take some photos of the conversion which should make everything a lot more apparent...

[ Edited Tue Mar 15 2005, 11:22PM ]

[VRmonster 1]

super, thats a nice little guide. i was planning on doing the conversion myself as ive got to do a little fabbing to get the turbo in there, but it seems like a lot of work to do off axle stands, lol.

i spoke to simon who i believe is doing your conversion. i was basically asking if hed seen any old cabrios lying around on his travels around the auctions etc as im only after a base car, i have a mk3 vr already so can just use all of that, so the cabrio im after only needs to be solid, and have a generally good interior, as i will be doing the bodywork and interior eventually anyway, and the vr setup from my car would be going in to the cabby. so as long as isnt bent im happy, lol.

he happened to mention that he was going to sell his cabrio, so im calling him tomorrow about it. i was hoping to pay less than £2000 for the cabrio, so ive been looking for one in a sorry state, but to no avail. may just have to settle for the pricier option. thanks for the info man. hope it all goes well for you.

[ Edited Wed Mar 16 2005, 01:09AM ]

[antera309 3]

Yes, it's Simon who's doing the conversion for me. Sounds like it's keeping him busy!!!

The cabrio I bought cost me £2,300, for an L-plate 1.8 with all the "toys" but no leather. I've never seen an undamaged cabrio selling for less than this on the private market, although if you can get access to a trade auction you should be able to get one cheaper.

Good luck with the turbo install!. Be sure to let us know how you get on with the servo relocation etc.

[ Edited Wed Mar 16 2005, 12:08PM ]

[VRmonster 1]

the turbo is in the 3 door, and running well apart from killing some piston rings and needing a bit of tuning. just gonna be a mess on doing it all again in a new car. the servo went in fine too, but it is only offering boosted pressure to the front brakes, so now to pass the mot im having the rear brake balance unit adjusted to add pressure to the rear. its all ok now though. still brakes well. i just really want it all finished but know if i dont get a cabby and mod the 3 door, ill wish id have gone the cabby route in the summer. im just scared of the amount of work involved, lol.

[ Edited Wed Mar 16 2005, 05:33PM ]

[VRmonster 1]

ok, another nobrainer question here. if the cabrio im installing already has abs, will i need to swap out the abs from my car or can u just change the calipers/discs etc.. on their own. also is the master cylinder the same as the VR6 one with it being the heavier car, or would that need swapping too, will swap anyway as ive just paid £140 for a new one, lol. but just for reference.

and on to the interior, is the carpet a straight swap from a mk3 hatch, or is that different due to the different rear seats?

i have a wad of cash coming in in the next week or so cos im being greedy and working easter week, lol., so hopefully can buy simons shell.

i drove a cabrio today, l plate, was pretty crap condition, but while the sun was out it did feel cool driving it, spurred me on to buy one now. ha ha. im gonna be skint.

[ Edited Thu Mar 24 2005, 10:57PM ]

[antera309 3]

My Cabrio already had ABS too. The original Servo, Master Cylinder and the entire ABS system has been retained. The front & rear brakes (including ABS sensors) mated up and work no problem, as the VR6 donor car was the same year as the cabrio. Later models (OBD2s) have different wheel sensors though, so you'd need to swap the sensors over too if using an OBD2 donor car.

As regards the carpets, yes you can use the normal Mk3 ones. The only one that you will need to trim down is the boot floor carpet.

[antera309 3]

After 3 weeks of trials & tribulations (Auto to Manual conversion stuff mainly) and some bloody hard work by the Strictly Dubs boys, the engine is finally installed!!

OK, enough of the chat, here's the pics!! -

Original 1.8 engine before conversion....

We added this, one 1995 Golf VR6 with knackered Auto 'box:

And we eventually arrive at this!!

Samco hoses were added as Auto rad hoses were unsuitable for the manual:

Yeah, baby!

Soundtrack provided by Milltek TwinJet cat-back system!

And handling thrills provided by Gmax Springs with Koni adjustable dampers, lowering ride height by about 50mm:

Interior had to come apart again to aid access to wiring, a lot of which had to come over from the donor car.

The finishing touches being put to the wiring:

First test run with VR engine...

[ Edited Sat Mar 26 2005, 10:49PM ]

[VRmonster 1]

nice one mate, bet you have been out all the time in it. must be a glorious moment seeing the engine run after swapping it all out and sourcing all of the parts. i know it was the first time the turbo spooled up on mine, lol.

simon was saying hed been for a drive in your car, telling me it has made him rethink selling his, i hope he does as ive bought FK konigsports on the credit card for it already lol. anyway, must talk to him and persuade him he needs the cash... lol.

can i just ask, what wiring did you have to swap out other than the engine harness and ecu? bet you cant wait for another sunny spell eh. hope she runs ok for you nick.

[ Edited Sun Mar 27 2005, 12:17AM ]

[dubloke 4]

looking good nick! always wanted a cabrio vr. how much did they charge you for the complete conversion just outta interest?

[binliner 0]

looking good... I didnt know Paul & Simon were doing it? Id have popped over for a look!