mini project: 80 "GLI" by 2mAn

74 minute(s) of a 152 minute read

mini project: 80 "GLI"

Compliments of 2mAn @ www.vwvortex.com

6/9/08

Here's Ruby. she wasn't happy with the 1.6, she wanted more...

I'm swapping out the 1.6 in favor of a JH motor that came from an 84 GLI. just got some questions for you guys...

#1 IIRC the cam from the 1.6 is the ghetto g-grind cam? straight swap to the JH motor for more lift right?

#2 I can't remember exactly what I need to do to get the restrictor out of the 1.6s TB. something to do with the vacuum line on the back needs to be pulled out then the restrictor comes out easily??? will that be enough to help out the 1.8?

I just got this motor off of craigslist. I already had a bunch of stuff for it including, a full gasket kit, new head gasket, new head bolts, new timing belt & tensioner, new pass side & tranny mounts. I don't want to change the bearings and rings, but I might have to. the cylinder walls don't look that bad, I just need it done quickly and machine shop time isn't in the budget or the timeframe.

Here's where I left off last night

And here's the whole project thread

http://www.mk1love.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2742

eventually I will need this for some other ideas I have

http://www.kineticmotorsport.c....html

6/12/08

update time:

last night I flipped the block on its head and tried to pull the pan off. with all the bolts taken out the pan won't budge at all. I think the guy used some kind of gasket sealer or something since there's this black goop that seems to have squeezed out. damn thing is practically glued on I tried to slide my gasket scraper in there and it barely went in at all. hammer aint helping either. dammit

6/16/08

so over the weekend I got a good amount done. pulled the pan off, checked out the oil pump, everything looks good so I started putting it back together. hopefully in a day or two it will be ready to drop in, I have wed off this week so hopefully that will be the day the swap happens

7/17/08

update!

motor is now officially out of the car AND the engine bay

Simon approved this message

also ordered some "new" rear badges. do I even need to tell you what badge I ordered?

7/22/08

weak update....

Here's what I did last night

still trying to split the motor and tranny apart, I've tried a few different things, and triple checked that I've taken all the bolts holding them together off...still won't budge..

I also cleaned up the engine bay a little, it's looking a lot better than before. it will look a ton better when the "new" motor is in

also forgot to mention the other stuff I did over the weekend... 

-picked up a BMS header

-installed the TT exhaust

-pressed the new HD motor mount on the front snubber mount

-got a mk2 TB and swapped the linkage. way better than trying to use the 1.6 one 

big thanks to Chris over at fine tuning I owe you some! besides the 1.6 motor refusing to let go of the FF tranny the only hang-ups now are the two broken exhaust studs in the JH head and I need a driver side tranny mount. the mount was held to the tranny with one of the two bolts so its toast ... let's see what I can get done between now and the weekend when ill have a day off to actually spend a day in the garage. stay tuned

8/14/08

trying to keep this from the archives!!! 

people like pics so Here are some pics

and where I'm at right now

damn tranny mount is the biggest thing slowing me down right now besides the two broken exhaust studs

8/15/08

went to the shop before work today since I started late. got the motor mount pressed and dropped off the head for Chris to deal with. I'm picking it up after work and I'm super excited. I'm probably going to be up all night trying to get this done before I leave for Cali for 10 days...

8/16/08

I guess I shouldn't have mentioned that I'm excited because right before I left work I got a call from Chris @ fine tuning telling me that he didn't get a chance to get those studs out but he was going to get it done on Saturday. that great and all but I'm leaving the state till the 24th so this will be on hold till then.

BUT I did do some more work earlier. installed the rest of the motor mounts and tightened everything up, so now it's totally bolted in the car. hooked up the axles and started getting lil things here and there done so that when I get the head back I can finish it off....

8/28/08

is this normal or has this head been gasket matched?

if all goes smooth this thing will be done really soon

installed the manifolds and torqued the head down earlier today. I'm trying to get things wrapped up before the end of the long weekend, but of course I ran into some hiccups....

#1 the coolant flange on the front of the head between cyl #3 & 4 is hitting the vacuum nipple on the distributer.

#2 the rain tray or windage tray is right where the throttle cable is so the throttle won't close all the way 

9/9/08

anyone got pics of a stock g60 setup?

I need to get the vacuum line that comes out in front and goes to the valve cover. the g60 outlet is ~3/4" but the valve cover hose is only ~1/2"

slim line fan setup is done, it ended up looking pretty good, almost exactly as I pictured it in my head (which is rare!)

I also have this weekend off so I will actually have time to work on it. stay tuned...

9/30/08

well the intermediate shaft is frozen!

this is why you don't trust anyone's word, even if they are a dubber and on vortex and yada yada yada....

I'm yanking out the motor and I'm going to put the 1.6 bottom end in and modify the JH head to work with it.

anyone got pics of the JH head modified for a 1.6? I know one oil gallery has to be plugged and the other shrunk...

I also picked up a 76 Rocco so I won't have to rush this thing, but I'm still trying to get it done ASAP. the Rocco needed to be lowered so I jacked the suspension off this one and now it's sitting on the tires. I LOVE HOW IT LOOKS SLAMMED!!

10/2/08

motor is almost out, hoping to get the head to the shop soon. they said it would only take about 4 days turnaround time.

they did mention that I would be losing compression by using the JH head on the 1.6 block. Any thoughts? anyone?

10/3/08

not really sure I want another motor sitting around here, plus the 1.6 bottom end is good still so I might as well use it...

so does anyone have any info about a possible loss in displacement from swapping a 1.6 head in favor of a 1.8 head? Here's a pic I took of the heads... one is from a 1.6 diesel, can you tell which one?

couldn't I just have the machine shop shave the head a tiny bit to make up the loss in compression?

10/5/08

I'm really not sure which route I want to go now ... 

A: Stick the 1.6 bottom end in and convert the JH head to work. 

B: Complete the rebuild on the JH bottom end by rehoning and all new bearings and rings

C: Find a low mileage 2.0 bottom end and slap the JH on that

I'm trying to spend less than 2 bills

10/13/08

yup that rocco is mine, its my daily for now... 

my buddy has always wanted a carbd 16v mk1 rocco and he has the carbd16v setup and ive got the car so i might sell this to him once my jetta is done. id like to keep it but if im selling it to a friend it will stay close ya know?

10/21/08

so my scirocco needs a new tie rod on the driverside so im thinking about stealing the passenger side one from my coupe and buying two new complete tie rod assemblies and having new parts on the coupe. everything else in the engine bay is new, why not these too! 

is this the best price like the website claims?

http://www.bestpricecarparts.c...parts

also i figure i might as well update whats going on with the motor too.... ive decided im going to keep it old school and put the 1.6 back in and buy this BVH that i have been lusting over for a while. im gonna keep this sucker a 1.6 and see what it can do.

10/28/08

im close to splurging and buying a set of tie rod kits and new wheel bearings for both sides just so i dont have to worry about that crap later on. im also looking into getting the tie-rod flip kits.... then someday when i have more money ill get the ball joint extenders too....

this is all dependent on bonelli, if i go, these will be my christmas presents to myself, if not then ill spend that long weekend working on that fun stuff and maybe having a running coupe by christmas...

if i do go then who the hell knows when ill finish this car i am going to be out of debt so that will free up a ton more moola

11/3/08

action machine wants to rebuild the entire head, thats not what i want so im just gonna buy the BVH head from vwpat. i can never make up my mind, if you've read the thread at all you know this so this weeks goal is to get the new wheel bearings pressed in and the tie rod holes on the spindles drilled so i can flip the tie-rod ends...

other than my head issues, there isnt much else for me to do.

wait, yes there is 

11/7/08

just got the tie-rod flip kit from topline, good guys

now i just gotta get the knuckles/ spindles off and get the work done...

im also trying to decide between vmaxxxxxx coils or getting some new bilstein HDs and throwing on a set of 

chopped mk2 springs until i can get the ground control coilover sleeves 

the vmaxx will cost about the same as just the bilsteins alone 

11/19/08

BVH from vwpat is on its way, 3 day air for a cylinder head isnt cheap... 

hopefully i can get the new bearings pressed in before the weekend gets here, im really trying to get the car 

done so i can surprise my parents for turkey day

if all goes according to plan, the car will be running by monday

**fingers crossed**

11/20/08

picked up the BVH head today and dropped off ONE of the two knuckles to have the bearings pressed and the tie-rod hole drilled out... gotta get the other one to them tomorrow so i can have some fun this weekend

11/21/08

picked up the BVH yesterday and turns out its setup for carbs only! 

i was planning on getting rid of the CIS stuff eventually, but uhhh i guess i gotta do it now. i found a weber setup on CL i might pick up but im not sure. 

SO...

to convert from CIS to carbs, i need to ditch the CIS fuel pump and get a low pressure carter fuel pump and a fuel pressure regulator correct? is there anything else i will need?

this could be a pretty fun old skool car. 1.6 w/ a weber carb, BMS header, TT exhaust, etc... i just want to get it on the road ASAP

11/25/08

update:

everything under the hood is all hooked up, but its not starting. good compression, timing is all good, but no spark 

my buddy is gonna hang around for another day to try and figure it out so hopefully while im at work, he is actually working on it to finish it.

also picked up some vmaxx coilovers, they look really nice, really happy i got em. i also found a weber 8v setup with i dcoe 36 or 38s i believe, i should be getting the whole setup for less than 400, we'll see... my buddy thinks that the head can still be used for a injected setup so im not rushing to splurge on a set of carbs if i dont have to... time will tell... pics will come soon and hopefully they will be pics of it on the road!

the ICM might have gotten murdered by me because i had the two wires switched on the coil by accident when we tried to crank it one time... my buddy should be testing that as i type

just got off the phone, looks like it is the ICM. they are going to swap it out and see if that will fix it... i really hope thats it

well that solved one problem, but another random problem surfaced ... she keeps blowing the fuel pump fuses when they are trying to start er. 

this will probably be it for the week as i am leaving for california tonight and i will be there for the whole weekend

i was originally going to spend time trying to get my rabbit back up and running while im down there but this car dried up the funds so the rabbit will have to wait, i might not even be able to buy it back

12/10/08

well ive been doing little things here and there this week to try and get closer to getting this car out of the garage and back out on the road...

so as of right now everything is hooked up andready to go but everytime i try to start the car the fuel pump fuse blows up i have traced the wiring from the pump to the fusebox and everything looks legit, im so confused and ifi cant figure this out by next weekend im just gonna bite the bullet and pay someone else to figure out what the hell is going on .... lame.....

any gas jetta owners in the north seattle/ lynnwood area want to come hang out so i can compare the wiring at the back of my fusebox with yours? anyone?? pleasee!!!

12/12/08

i had yesterday off from work so i spent a bunch of time working on the car...

i put 12v power directly to the pump and it spun right away so i knew the pump was good. i decided i would just bypass the fusebox, so i made my own manual switch with an inline fuse for the fuel pump. fuel pump kicks on when i flip the switch now, but it still aint starting. i have to go back and check the ignition stuff now since im not the one who dealt with it, my friends helped me with that. 

it never ends, one more week til i bring in an expert 

12/22/08

IT RUNS!!!!!! kinda...

i got a bunch of lil things done over the weekend even though it was snowing outside. chris from fine tuning made a rare housecall to help me out and it turns out the distributer timing was off just enough to prevent starting, so he fixed that for me. the lack of the cold start valve (courtesy of the g60 intake manifold) was making it harder to start also but we managed to get it running. now i just have to hook up the exhaust, fix one lil fuel leak and it will be semi-drivable. the cold start valve is still going to be an issue even though i can drive the car, it will just be a PITA when the motor is cold.

i also fixed the random problem i had with the rear suspension only to find that one of the 4 nuts i got from napa wasnt the right pitch so i have to go back there and get another one...

but its close, i might actually get to drive it in my neighborhood before i leave to cali for christmas and the new years. once i get back i gotta finish off the lil things, then i can go get it registered and make it street legal, just in time for me to move out of my house and into my own apartment, im excited. 09 will be good, i just gotta prep the car so she can make it to the coast to coast for h20 caravan. but thats not til later in the year

1/14/09

update !!!

i drove the bitch yesterday!!!! not very far unfortunately... 

went to a muffler shop to have them weld up the exhaust, damn flanges werent lining up properly so i just had them deal with it. after 3 trips to the local napa i finally got the right nuts for the rear suspension so thats done too.

so with all those lil things out of the way i decided to take it out for a test drive and luckily nothing major happened, but theres gotta be some air left in the radiator cuz its getting hot quick... more lil details to iron out, but i made my appointment with the state patrol next week and hopefully everything will be good to go by then

1/17/09

so i lowered it a little more last night so theres no gap between the tire and the fender flares. theres about 3" i can still go down, but i wont really worry aobut it until i get the 165/50s. i also topped off the coolant, just need to mess with it a lil more to get the air outta there, anyone got some tips? im gonna be doing a lil searching, ialready have a pretty good idea of what to do, just wanna hear from others experiences.

im also gonna be moving out of the house ive been at for the last year, so i wont really be able to spend much more time on it til later in the week, but i might have some time this weekend if the move goes good.

so long lynnwood, hello ballard

2/7/09

got an alignment done using the lifetime alignment that i had for my other mk1 jetta now this jetta will also have lifetime alignment 

also passed the state patrols inspection so now im gonna have a title (rebuilt) and already got current tabs and new plates!!! 

im so happy to be driving again

OH and ive also started piecing together parts for a megasquirt 16v, but ill reveal more about my plans later, im not in a rush to do another motor swap 

2/24/09

long overdue pics!

this one is almost the same angle as the very first pic on the thread from last year

this is at my new place, no more garage but its ok. i might find a way to rent out one of the garage spots next to my parking spot

the coolant leak has been addressed also

3/26/09

umm yea, this fell into the archieves so i thought maybe an update...

the pictures should explain whats going on right now

bent!

i think i got lucky here

i definitely was UN-lucky here...

edit: what a great way to start a new page hahah

lets call it, THE END OF THE 1.6

3/29/09

well it looks as though the 1.6 will NOT die haha finally had some sunshine and no work so i installed the "new" control arm. put it all back together and fired it up. didnt sound as bad as i expected, though i still need to take it on a test drive to see how safe it is to drive.hopefully i can get my tires sometime this week.

heres a before and after

l should be getting new ball joints and ball joint extenders soon too so hopefully that will take care of the entire suspension so i can re-direct my focus on getting the 76 rocco back up here along with the entire 16v motor and FF trans that are all down in LA with it....

i might just leave the car in fresno so that my buddy can paint it, i really dont need a 2nd car, but with my luck and mk1s i think two would be a good idea, though im afraid it might be twice the headache.... we'll see... stay tuned

4/5/09

well after taking ot on a quick lil test drive i quickly realized that the oil pan was going to need to be replaced (as if i didnt already know that) luckily it seems as though the oil pump isnt messed up.... either way i got a "new" pan and gasket so that will be going on today since its beautiful outside. i should have the new tires here and installed over the weekend perhaps, maybe early next week. we will see. im going with federal 165/50s... heres a pic of what im installing today

the ball joint extenders i want arent considered safe to drive daily so i think im just gonna bite the bullet and get the SCCH drop pins and ball joint extenders since they are supposed to be safe to drive daily, i sure hope so since they cost about $400 

4/19/09

ok got the new oil pump and oil pan on this weekend, also changed the radiator out for one thats not leaking... fired it up and it started to smoke a lil from the exhaust header area, i also noticed water out the tailpipe.... i think my headgasket blew up during my " road tests".... i think im gonna buy a 1.6 diesel motor and tranny from my buddy and just install it here, id rather have 50mpg than anything else right now. my buddy has everything i need, just have to get the tank cleaned out and do something about the fuel pump, and filler neck and any other lil things.... as much as i want to go 16v, its going to take long and i want to be back on the road ASAP

4/28/09

still waiting for payday to get new tires or someone to buy my RAs. i did get a new set of wheels, rough measurements are 15x8 et35? there is no stampings and i only guess the offset because it looks exactly like the bbs' which are 35. i am waiting on a set of 3 & 5mm spacers also. hopefully that will be enough to clear the coils. heres a cell phone pic of one of the wheels

oh yea i did let the car run for ~15 minutes to see if it was gonna smoke or anything... nothing like last time, but there is some white smoke coming out the exhaust, so i need to hurry up and get my 16v setup ready.

stay tuned! 

5/7/09

well i finally got rid of the BBS wheels, but i couldnt get cash like i wanted. i did get another set of wheels, though. they are the stock 14" imola wheels from a mk3 jetta. they dont look bad, it got the car back on the road, sorta.... the offset is 45 so im waiting for the spacers that i already ordered.then i can drive this car everywhere, sorta 

the 1.6 is still running pretty hot so its gonna be a city car until i figure out what motor is going in. itll either be the 1.6 diesel motor i have been looking at or if i ever get the 16v motor and transmission up here, i can finish building that and throw it in.... though i did get a crazy idea last night. it involves installing that 16v motor into a fox! who knows what i will do.... 

6/9/09

nothing much to update except that the parts are about 100 miles closer! still got about 800 miles to go though 

6/29/09

hey guys sorry havent realyl updated, not much going on... much of the same actually. i have a few more parts for the 16v. my brother sent me an 80lb box and it barely scratched the surface of the parts i have waiting for me. heres some pics

these are the mk3 wheels im running for now

got a bbm fuel rail

and heres the pile of parts, that has a lot to go

7/1/09

BOOO YAH haha first ever pics of my car that were NOT taken by me

7/2/09

theres a couple shows coming up soon so im trying to get these new wheels installed. i should have some tires for them soon. 195/45s

heres a pic of one of the wheels polished up

7/5/09

my brother sent me some more pics of the parts, im flying back to cali next weekend for my birthday and i hope to have the bottom end all put together to make it easier for my brother to ship it to me

heres the bare block all cleaned up

the crank, pistons, rods and new rings ( there should be new bearings the box too)

this is the 1.8 head, also have a 2.0 head that i might sell just to have less stuff to ship

7/9/09

BOOM!

shipping those chrome wheels out today and i should have the speedlines next week, i also ordered the other two toyo t1r's so i will basically have a full set of new toyos on my new wheels, im so excited!

7/10/09

well i was working on the bottom end today. i installed 3 of the 4 pistons with their new rings, but unfortunately sometime during the transport of the parts it seems like the crank fell on one of the boxes with the rings in them, because the oil scraper ring was busted when i took it out of the package. im hoping to get lucky and find someone, somewhere who has just one, but ill most likely be ordering a new set next week. lame...

7/17/09

work area

the inevitable

finished what i could, didnt/ couldnt do everything i wanted because of the broken ring

got my toyos in, just waiting for the wheels, hopefully they will get here before waterwerks...

8/5/09

almost dropped off my watched topics! figured i would update whats going on...

STILL waiting for my wheels. this dude is a damn flake, im totally pissed about it ... still got the toyos waiting for the wheels.the block is finally on its way up here, which is good because i need to have the car ready for brendon. i have almost everything.... but.....

8/7/09

as usual, i take a step forward, then i take two back

good news:motor is here in seattle was supposed to get it today & didnt. also got a tracking number for my wheels so now i know for sure that they are on the way over here. should be getting them next week.

bad news: my switch today busted and while trying to replace it ( on my lunch break) proceeded to burn the wiring stupid move of course, so i wasnt able to pick up the motor and im about to go and try to fix it.

this really got me thinking.... ive wanted this car to be a diesel since before i got it and stuff like this tells me that i should be driving a diesel everyday. im strongly considering getting this 85 golf from my buddies shop and making that a 16v with megasquirt.

i dunno, im confused and frustrated because a small quick fix turned into a freakin headache. oh well, goin to fix it now.... 

ps this is why im always intimidated by electrical ****

8/12/09

also according to the tracking number i got from POTtingHEAD a package weighing 63 pounds just arrived in portland, oregon. its supposed to get here tomorrow, the tires are already at the shop so once they arrive they are getting mounted, though i want to see how much each of those wheels weighs.... the wheels i sent were 23 pounds each! so thats 92 pounds for all 4. these wheels are already 28 pounds lighter and the wheels have two tires on them. according to my receipt from onlinetires.com the two toyos i ordered weigh 27 pounds. ok lets do some math here... 63lbs (4 wheels + 2 tires) -27lbs (weight of the two tires) = 36lbs for 4 wheels and we'll divide that number by 4 and we get 9! do these 14x6 speedlines really weigh 9 pounds each? if thats trueim gonna be so f'ing stoked!

8/14/09

I GOT MY WHEELS!!!!!!! ...... well two of them so far he sent the wheels out in two boxes, one box that has the wheels with the tires and the other the two wheels without tires... i didnt know this and so that ~64lbs was the two wheels and tires... quick math says the wheels are actually ~18lbs each which sounds right, 9 was insane! 

block is in my apt, ill be picking up the last of the gaskets tomorrow, along with one more cylinders piston rings... this is looking good, like i might be all done before the end of september!

ive had the car for less than 2 years and this will be the third motor that ive put in the car already 

8/15/09

okie dokie, its getting close to crunch time...

picked up a throttle body from a passat with an auto transmission

also got the motor inside and situated on the "work desk"

trying to get rid of a few distractions, help me out here people

the BVH for the 1.6

weber dcoes plus a 16v manifold

ive had this schwinn since 97... i was BSing with a kid who i bought the front wheel off of and apparantly ive owned this bike as long as he has been alive!

and the parts dept behind the bikes

ill be happy when that area is all clean. hopefully this swap will be done before septembers over. i want to drive the car down to bonelli in november so id like some time to work out any issues i may have

8/21/09

ok! so i found this great thread for anyone converting to megasquirt. i just cut n pasted (ok, stole) his stage one list and update his prices to what i spent or what it will cost...

These are the parts i already have (paid for):

1 x 1.8L PL block, rebuilt by me & sorta free 

1 x Scirocco Intake Manifold ($50, Vortex classifieds) 

1 x 16v Throttle Body with TPS ($35, Craigslist) 

1 x Bahn Brenner 16v fuel rail ($75, Craigslist)

4 x 1.8t injectors. ($40, Vortex classifieds)

1 x Scirocco Exhaust Manifold & TT Downpipe ($180, Vortex classifieds) 

1 x Intake Air Temp sensor & Wiring harness done by Brendon (Ralley_Tuned) ($120)

1 x Megasquirt ECU. ($200 special deal @ Waterwerks, thanks Demon Rally!) *

1 x Wiring and Tuning done by Brendon ($XXX, cant reveal this sorry )

These are the parts i still need to get, and need your help/ advice about:

4 x Digifant "Fuel injector Holder" (6.70 ea from GAP, or $8 a piece locally @ Fine Tuning) 

4 x Bosch injector pigtail plugs (also see mouser.com for these: plugs for $1.19, and pins for .24 each

1x Coolant temp sensor ( i know i need to get one from a saturn, but i cant remember which one)

I also havent gotten either of these, but how crucial are they to getting this setup done? i know the FPR is gonna be needed but do i have to jump straight to the badboy right now? no stock parts will suffice?

1 x Aeromotive ( maybe AEM?) Fuel Pressure Regulator $180 

1 x wideband 02 sensor $205 (great deal, click here )

1x dual input knock sensor kit. "KnockSense" ????? i dont think ill need this but ive heard its a good tool to use to maximize efficiency so it will be something ill get once its all running

the rest of this stuff is things that i want to get ahead of time to keep the downtime to a minimum. im not sure which pieces im going to need exactly. is there anything i need to be looking at specifically? it looks like a -6AN hose is the size to run? yea?

Assorted fuel hoses and fittings from Jegs, summit, and 034 

- Jegs Elite Series hose fittings -

1x 90* -6AN hose fitting

5x straight -6AN hose fittings

2x -6AN to ORB fpr fittings 

1x -6 AN ORB plug

6ft Jegs Pro-Flo stainless braided hose 

2x vw hard line(14mm x1.50 inverted flare) to -6AN adapters -

adding that up, ive got ~700 into it so far with most of the big stuff out of the way and that is not including the wiring and tuning which could be done by yourself if your not an electrical idiot like me... my dads a (retired) electrical engineer, he'd be so disappointed in me 

8/29/09

got some news...

got two more tracking numbers from mr potting and each package weighs 17lbs... i think we now know how much each wheel weighs. not bad i guess. its an 8lb drop per corner vs the chrome 15s i traded the douchebag for, so thats nice. plus my out of pocket cost for these speedlines for just over a hundred dollars is nice. 

im tempted to throw the two wheels i have on the front and lower it more, but i think i can just wait a few more days.

i havent done much on the motor, but i think im pretty motivated to get some work done this weekend. 

should be some nice updates coming up soon

9/4/09

happy birthday to me!!!

nearly 2 months after the deal i finally have my speedline wheels, they are lighter than the 14" alloys i took off. ive got about an inch of coil left in the back (though it still needs to go down more in the back ) and ive got maybe an inch and a half in the front. alignments off so i couldnt take it out and get good pics... im still very happy!!!

i have the weekend off so i should hopefully get the bottom end ready

9/7/09

ok another update

-block is getting closer to completion

-aligned the car so it drives fairly straight. im officially "too low" as my exhaust will scrape any speed bump and ive already hit the oil pan on a grove in the road. time to be more careful.

also decided to take some pics since it was "nice" out

i cant wait til i get my new ball joints and ball joint extenders! soon hopefully!

9/13/09

so i thought i would be able to put the oil pan on an torque everything down, but apparantly the oil pan my buddy has had this whole time is the smaller oil pan (4qt IIRC) so once i installed the oil pump, the pan wouldnt fit!! its ok though, because im sure the pan on the 1.6 motor is the larger 5 qt one (someone correct me, if i have the #s wrong on the pans) so what i think ill do sometime this week is an oil pan swap, ill put the smaller pan on the 1.6. hopefully the oil pump on that one wont interfere, otherwiseill be wasting a lot of time...

on a side note i have been starting to do research on my next project and i came across a VERY VERY rare and sought after part. if i end up with it, it might change the whole game plan.... or i might not who knows! 

9/26/09

i think this 1.6 stuff needs to get out of my sight! and if i can trade it for a transmission, i will! spread the word. i hate to see it go, but id really need to finish building this 16v and finishing the project, i wont let the man hold me down

hopefully this mess will continue to weigh down the desk and make me wonder when the desk will fail, but for now, im going to keep building it!

10/6/09

hopefully ..... but then things like this push me back...

10/26/09

goodie goodie! got the carbs out of here and hopefully the BVH gets sold also which means my two main distractions are out of the way and even though i didnt get any money in my pocket from the carbs being sold its nice to see them gone and same with the BVH. especially nice because this next month is going to be crazy. at some point the swap needs to happen. soon if i am serious about DRIVING this car to bonelli in a few weeks.

11/5/09

the motor is in the car!

.

.

.

.

.

.

the trunk 

moved out of my apt so now im cruisin around slammed like a mofo... trying to get the last few pieces to get the MS setup ready, but if this thread is any indication, i cant make up my mind about certain things so i might make a big decision and it will direct certain actions. for fear of changing my mind (which i do a LOT) i wont reveal the plans, lets just keep our fingers crossed that the coupe will make it to bonelli

12/12/09

motor should be out tomorrow, theres no rush. 

im waiting for my close ratio transmission. ill probably redo my rear brakes once the motor is out, ive got all new drums, shoes, rear bearings, ebrake cables, etc.

12/13/09

ok ok ya big babies, heres some pics...

the garage

me, working

the rear brakes

today

now that the motor is "out" im going to redirect my attention to fixing the rear brakes so i can drop the back down on the ground. then its just a matter of the transmission getting here and getting an exhaust. then im done. if i have a good month at work this motor might get a nice boost 

stay tuned...

12/20/09

worked on the rear brakes for a lil bit today

painted the drums with a high temp paint

motor & header are completely out of the engine bay so I took another "chillin in the bay" pic cuz im a dork, no scion t-shirt this time

not sure whats going on with the transmission, but ive got the xmas weekend off so ill probably get a bunch done then...

stay tuned

1/2/10

ok i was sick for a lil while so i didnt do any work, but i got my parts in and so i got back to work on the rear drums.

all i need to do is press the bearings in the drums and reinstall them im all done. i should be getting a bunch done this weekend

1/7/10

motor and tranny are bolted up together and under the hood. 

im making a trip to tacoma screw tomorrow to pick up a few lil things here and there that i need.also picking up my pass side control arm since that one never got new poly mounts to match the driver side. i should have the motor and everything bolted up in the next few days then its just a matter of tying up loose ends. the exhaust will probably be a PITA since i dont have money to buy a 2.25" setup yet and ill just haveto make the 2" work til then

i just noticed that of all the new parts i got for my drums they didnt give me new thrust washers and guess where the old ones are? thats the only thing left for the rear drums, we pressed the bearings in tonight and installed those so im basically done with the brakes, but ill be bleeding the whole system with new brake fluid. 

1/8/10

getting there... 

the list keeps getting shorter, than longer 

so far this is the list:

-install motor mounts

-install axles

-install exhaust manifold studs, & hook up the exhaust system

-swap out the stock cam for the neuspeed one

-install TT cam gear

-torque down cylinder head & camshaft caps

-install water pump pulley and crank pulley

-install alternator

-install & tension timing & V belt

-install CIS distributor box, intake manifold, throttle body, etc

-time it

-fire it!

im sure theres more, but that should keep me busy for a few days

oh yea also have to:

-bleed the brakes

-hook up the e-brake

-adjust shift linkage to make sure it goes in all 5 gears

but thats all ( i think) 

1/15/10

UPDATED LIST!

so far this is the list:

-install exhaust manifold studs, & hook up the exhaust system

-install pulleys

-install alternator

-install & tension timing & V belt

-install intake manifold, throttle body, etc

-time it

-fire it!

still need to:

-bleed the brakes

-hook up the e-brake

-adjust shift linkage to make sure it goes in all 5 gears

good ol presidents day means no work so im working my ass off (not really) to get it done

1/17/10

its amazing what i can accomplish when im not out drinking on a sat night

hooked up the whole exhaust side of things tonight, though ill still need to get the downpipe welded up to my current (2") exhaust. i should be able to get a 2.25" exhaust in the next few weeks, but ill worry about that after its on the road.

still got the pulleys & belts to deal with, finalizing the brakes, and figuring out little random items (5th injector, brake booster vacuum line, throttle cable bracket, wiring up a coolant temp sensor, and more!) but i still have sunday AND monday

1/21/10

the lil things are giving me a major headache.

pulley on the waterpump wont line up with the alt & crank pulleys 

5th injector line from the CIS-e box wont fit in the CIS basic box, and i dont even have the 5th injector yet. 

still need plug wires and i found out that they are way more expensive than i expected 

the control arm bolts are refusing to go in

still need the brake booster vacuum line

no way to properly hook up the throttle cable with the mk2 TB, i need the 16v one

still need to bleed the brakes

still need 2 thrust washers for the rear drums

i know theres more but thats enough complaining for now

the GOOD news is that a friend should be able to supply me with most of the parts i need, minus the plug wires, but he is not responding to my messages

and so another day passes

1/21/10

i have used as much stuff from the 8v setup to keep it close to OEM, but i still have no way to hook up the coolant temp sensor that was on the coolant flange that comes out the front of the head. i swapped the side coolant flange that has two connections, so we'll see if that does anything...

as far as the throttle body goes, im taking that one off and installing the proper 16v TB so it should have the throttle cable attachment on it, no jerry rigged setup if i can help it.

on that note, i got tired of waiting for evan since he hasnt repsonded to any of my messages, so i found a buddy locally that i should be able to get almost everything.

the only parts i might still need is the brake booster vacuum line and the damn thrust washers for the rear drums. i need to find a mk1 that i can snag them off of. then its just a few lil issues to deal with 

1/27/10

finally bled the brakes tonight, pedal is nice and solid! driverside rear drum rotates freely, the pass side is a totally different story 

-the spark plug wires and throttle body should arrive this week

-going to buy new thrust washers tomorrow

-probably ordering a 2.25" TT exhaust friday

-then the fun part, i gotta find a ride to go pick up the last misc engine parts and hopefully a transmission too

1/31/10

no real update except money spent. 

had my dad go buy the thrust washers since bugformance is a local shop in my hometown and they only charge $1 a piece vs $6 the dealership wanted to charge for washers! thanks AJ (mad_rabbit)

still waiting on the spark plug wires, should be here already. fedex left me a note that they had something for me, so im sure that is them

i also ordered a velocity ported TB, knock sensor, hopefully what will be the last of the wiring and lil misc stuff...also ordered a 2.25" TT exhaust with a magnaflow muffler 

so when will it be done?...maybe next weekend? who the hell knows now 

2/7/10

finally got back to work on it today. i got a velocity ported TB, this piece is sweet, pics soon. also started laying out the wiring for the knock sensor and all the other crap i got. also spent $50 and a solid 8+ hours going to puyallup to pick up a few small parts. i also got to check out the other 80 coupe im thinking about buying. should have more time to work on it tomorrow

pic update soon

2/8/10

i had a dream i was driving the car and the exhaust note made me smile. its time to make that dream a reality. this has already taken long enough. i think the 8 hours of bus/ amtrak/ cab rides did it for me. that was just to get a brake booster hose, the breather hose and a block off plate for the fifth injector. i decided im not going to use one.

rolling shots soon! 

but for now, lets add some pics.

backside shot of the velocity throttle body

and the only wiring i added to make the 16v work on CIS basic

2/13/10

they didnt start workign on the car until yesterday afternoon so it will be monday the earliest they will be done. im going to try to head over there later today to deal with some of the smaller stuff so they can focus on the other crap

2/16/10

im supposed to be picking her up tomorrow. the biggest PITA has been a timing cover. i didnt really care if i had one or not, but chris convinced me to get one. first it was a used one, which now is a brand new one i just want the car back.

2/17/10

my list has grown

had to get a new donwpipe cuz the one was bent? not sure how the F that happened cuz it was fine when it left my house, but whatever oh well...

also getting the 4K installed at the same time in addition to some other parts as well.

my bill just tripled!

2/18/10

still no car. i told them my car is leaving the shop tomorrow one way or another. hopefully i will be driving it and not towing it back to the garage

just for fun heres the day to day update of what ive heard from the shop since it left my house.

2/9: car leaves on the tow truck

2/10: i stop by the shop to pick up Ute and give them the list

2/11: nothing

2/12: i get a call at 3:30ish saying they were trying to get me a timing belt cover for me from campbell nelson and it wouldnt arrive til monday. also i did one of the rear drums wrong so i would need new brake shoes for one side. i curse drums once again and tell him to get me a new set.

2/15: ~3pm i get a call saying that campbell nelson didnt have a cover so they got one from "across the street" aka bug aid. ~4pm i get another call saying that after they pulled the timing belt cover and installed it on my car they noticed it was worn and they recommended a new one ($65) and i reluctantly agree.

2/16 my clutch wont engage. this was my fault. i pieced together a clutch setup because i already had a flywheel and pressure plate. i bought the clutch disc from them months ago, never got a thrust plate because i thought i had all the pieces i needed. now the transmission has to be dropped. this is where i elect to have them install the close ratio one i was going to have them do in a month or so when i had the cash for it. originally they tell me it will be a 4k, then later i get a call saying it will be a 2h, which im fine with either way...

2/17 they tell me the clutch disc i installed is for a 16v and i need an 8v disc. this drives me crazy because i bought the 16v disc from them months ago when i was buying the parts for the swap!

2/18 i get a call ~2pm saying that the oil filter flange is the "wrong one" (i installed the one from the 1.6 because it didnt interfere with anything) and they told me i needed a different one with two sensor mounts (which i have at home), then they inform me that the coolant pipe is in the way (the reason i never used the other flange)

FUCK ... im so sad, my boss is pissed at me because my performance at work is suffering from my depression and anger. i cant shake it off, its the first thing i tihnk about in the morning and it pisses me off all day, especially when i leave work and head to the bus stop

2/19/10

im only crying now because i DONT have it. they finally got it running, they are just timing it now to get it running perfect. im off work a little early today so im going to go finalize how much $$$$ i will owe them. 

all the bitching will stop once the rolling shots are taken. jonny had to remind me that doing it right now means that i wont have issues down the road and since im planning on driving it across the country its something thats nice to get out of the way now rather than out in the middle of nowhere.

its super nice out today so hopefully rolling shots will happen later on

2/22/10

im not a photographer, but heres a pic i took when i was trying to find a nice backdrop. the car died and a stupid minivan parked behind me

so i got the car back 

BUT

still no exhaust because the downpipe i got used off the vortex was bent ill have to talk to the guy i got it from and see whats the deal with that

oh and bryce, that $65 was only for the lower piece of the timing belt cover, total price of the cover came to $105

AND

the car is leaking tranny fluid from the 2H trans 

im sure they will deal with it when they are installing the exhaust, i already dropped by and on saturday and he redid the seal, but its still leaking. he is blaming it on my reman'd axle 

at this point i dont care, ive got a chitload of money i owe him BUT i have my car. its so awesome to drive though it did die on me twice, which i found the culprit to be the negative battery cable so iwent to scmucks and replaced it with a 2 gauge one and the car fired up right away, though it hesitated because i dont have a 5th injector or cold start valve hooked up. its ok. i love her and its awesome to be back on the road

wow i just wrote an essay.... 22 miles down 978 til burnout pics

2/22/10

well apparantly my rear main is also leaking (though i just replaced that along with every other gasket, seal, etc but yea its leaking tranny fluid from the flange.

this was the puddles under my car the first night home

kinda hard to tell but theres two. the smaller one on the left is the rear main , the bigger one was from the trans

2/24/10

you can see the oil stains from the car on the driveway

heres the pic of the starter

and the two grounds, the body and the engine

WTF should i do?

2/27/10

im happy to report no issues since charging the battery!

i did talk to the shop owner last night and he originally told me that TT was out of stock of the downpipes, but after checking with them last night apparantly they were NOT out of stock, so the downpipe should be here tuesday. 

im also happy to report that i got pulled over today for my "defective exhaust" by the local PD, but after making him laugh about how much money ive spent on the car he let me off with a warning saying i had already paid enough 

i have been taking it higher into the rev counter and boy let me tell ya, i am excited to get the exhaust on and really get moving.

just to update with another pic, here how my engine bay looks now.

if someone could show me how to make a gif, i think i have enough pics from the deconstruction of the engine bay and the building of the new motor to make it a nice lil gif showing the process of the last 3 months from a tired 1.6 8v to a happy 1.8 16v

3/14/10

drove to tacoma and back today (~50 miles each way). ben (pocketrocket84gti) is leaving for the navy in may and i had told him that once my car is done i will be making sure his car gets done too so i drove him down to help him install his carbs, header and work on the fuel pump setup. if you guys havent seen his car, its ****ing badass. that being said, this is my cars thread so it made it without any issues, but i really need to fix the problems. the leaky main seal is becoming a big issue. my clutch slipped a little today 

i also ripped the valve cover and intake manifold off and re-torqued the ARP head bolts and maybe half of them needed an 1/8 turn. hopefully that will kill the white smoke ive seen out the exhaust. 

500 miles and counting, still got issues to iron out. 

pics soon

3/21/10

just about 900 miles so far and since the clutch is starting to slip, i think its time for some burnout pics 

edit: wanted to take the car out to take some new pics, but it was ugly and raining so i just clicked a few in the garage. i mentioned the new sticker i had made

3/28/10

well today was another classic day in the life of my project. went over to my buddies shop and used his lift to pull the trans, swap the main seal and put in a new clutch. everything seemed to go fine until i went to start the car and heard a gawd awful sound 

good news: leak is fixed

bad news: have to pull the trans again to see what the F i did wrong, i can only think that the flywheel didnt set properly, i was meticulous about everything so i was both frustrated and annoyed

ill be heading back to the shop tomorrow (weather permitting) and this time i get to pull the trans without the help of airtools and a lift 

3/31/10

laundry list of stuff complete, no more leaks, no horrible sound from the transmission, but car isnt starting! 

i had everything set to TDC before i ripped it all apart, its turning over just fine and it sounds like it wants to start, but isnt. ill try some more tomorrow, im beat. worked on it for about 7 hours straight. old headgasket didnt look bad, but a few of the ARP studs were showing threads at the bottom so i tightened those suckers down... back to work in a few hours, i need some rest

also a big THANK YOU to ben (pocketrocket84gti) for lending a hand to help me get the transmission in

4/6/10

i had tried several times with my roommate to get it timed and to fire up but we arent having any luck.

we have been setting the timing by lining up the bottom end according to the marks on the flywheel, then setting the cam to TDC by lining up the dimple on the pulley to the arrow on the valve cover. it still sounds like it wants to start but isnt. 

this is the pic ive been using for reference, but my flywheel doesnt really have a clear dimple, it has the triangle/ half diamond mark though

4/7/10

pulled #4 cyl spark plug and TDC actually was in the correct spot. went and added 2 more gallons just to make sure it wasnt something that stupid, but it wasnt. still not sure what to do next.

things i noticed/ found:

-spark plug smelled like gasoline so im sure the injectors are spraying, they should the car was running fine before i ripped it apart. shouldve just waited til the car was undriveable 

-found a small vacuum leak and fixed that, was very easy, the brake booster hose was a little loose.

-i need to get some spacers for my wheels, it will look so much sweeter sitting in the garage im thinking ~15mm

-my ipod! thought i had lost it

thats all, im pissed & my confidence is nowhere to be found. just when i think i can do work on my own car, 

i get a split forehead and a car dead in the garage even though everything seems to be legit

4/8/10

... to prove im not completely stubborn...

im starting back from square one, but this time im not using any marks, im going to use facts and my eyeballs

SO:

first im going to set piston #1 to TDC using the "remove the spark plug and set TDC" method for the bottom end

second im going to set the camshafts to TDC by turning the cams until the rotor is right at 10 o clock, ie right where the spark plug wire for cyl #1 is

third will be getting the timing belt back on, making sure its properly tensioned, turn the bottom end (by hand) one full rotation and see if everything is the same place it was 

im also going to pull each fuel injector and pump the plunger until i see fuel coming out of all the injectors

anything else i should do? i know the spark plug wires are firing so i cant think of anything else to do

and ladies and gentlemen.... IT RUNS!

after chatting with mr chromosexual and all the advice you guys gave me, i decided to start over and i figured out the problem

techtonics tuning is to blame!

we had been using the adjustable cam gears timing marks and it was way off. took the hall sender off and with everything lined up to TDC using the marks on the flywheel and the cam sprocket everything looked legit, except the rotor was way off. so i set the bottom end to TDC, set the cams to TDC and the sprocket was way off, but everything else looked legit and surprise surprise i found another little mark that lined up with the arrow on the valve cover. put it all back together and she fired up on the first try

4/17/10

im getting a lot more smoke out the tailpipe that i like. i think that whore of a head needs the valve stem seals changed... more work, but im not too concerned. i have the parts, just need the tools and time

4/22/10

well, tomorrow im going to back to where the car died on me on monday. i thought maybe the fuel filter got clogged so i changed that yesterday and shes just turning over and not firing. thought maybe the fuel pump took a crap, but i hear it turning on when i flip the switch. i talked to ricky and he mentioned something about the fuel return lines getting clogged. i dunno if thats whats wrong with mine, but at this point i wouldnt rule it out..

on a happy note, im getting another 80 coupe that is getting a turbo diesel and will be the daily so i wont have to drive this gas guzzling POS everyday

4/25/10

in other news i got a pic of that bootay for ya paul... whats that in the backround though? hmmm....

heres the other angle

4/26/10

well in a neverending effort to make this car reliable, i just ordered a rebuilt bosch distributor. while i was at it i also ordered a new set of ball joints. i love GAP, they matched mjm's price on the ball joints and they had the better price on the distributor. shipping also cost the same going 3 day priority usps as it was going 5 day ups ground, so ill have my parts before the end of the week....

if only my distributor hadnt gone out i wouldve ordered the ball joint extenders, but now thats going to have to wait til friday the earliest.

5/1/10

funny going back to page one of this thread and seeing how it all started especially since the JH on page 1 is going to get rebuilt for my other coupe and this one is getting another change here soon... 

i did order a FOHA rear spoiler and ive got a lead on a nice black trunk lid, MINT jetta GLi badge, some more taillights, and the FOHA. plan is to spray the trunklid the factory color and replace my current trunklid. if you get a chance to see my car in person before i change the trunklid make sure you autograph it before it comes off. 

heres a lil tease of how bad it is and whats been done to it

rubys big booty is going to look a lot sexier soon

5/9/10

rubys getting her first major test next weekend, so this weekend shes going through some changes, updates with pics once its all done!

5/13/10

almost done!

gonna keep the 16v, but it wont be a daily and i got some plans for it 

6/12/10

i guess its time for an update. ive been driving this car and loving the diesel. still got lil issues to iron out as usual. i also plan on getting an intercooler this weekend if i can find a good deal. i already have an egt gauge and a boost gauge i want to hook up.

6/15/10

so lately ive been working on cleaning up inside the engine bay and inside the car. so far ive got my egt gauge wired up and the boost gauge is next once i get the hose and plumb it in. then its time for some good ol electrical work to get all the gauges lit and functioning as they should. i also ordered a DIN size 3 gauge panel from mjm autohaus to hold the egt, boost and oil temp gauges up high and ill have the voltage and coolant temp gauges hooked up down low in the stock console. gauges galore! 

on another note, im loving the diesel much more than the 16v. the 16v was fun, but i hated it on the highway and i hated having to fill up once a week. ive only added a few gallons of fuel in the few weeks ive had it and i have yet to fill up the tank and go through it all. mostly havent done a fill-up because i can fit the damn diesel nozzles into the fuel filler! still gotta figure out how to get the restricter out.

still trying to find a proper intercooler also... in due time it will all be worked out.

7/6/10

sooooo.... the trials and tribulations of driving a car inches off the ground.... the exhaust recently started dragging after the flange that holds the 2.25" sections broke loose. got the car home after some magic from a coathanger, fixed it and then took her out for a spin. everything was awesome again... til the next day. she didnt start and still hasnt. glow plugs are getting power, plenty of fuel in it and everything, but i think my battery may be dead. so its at home sitting on the charger, at least its an optima that i bought a year ago and it has a 3 year replacement warranty so if its dead ill take it back and exchange it for another

ive been really thinking about getting a tdi as a daily since this thing seems to give me problems every few weeks, but i really dont want to get another car so im just going to tough this out for now.... ill keep you updated on whats going on (for those who care)

7/11/10

just did some tests and found that two of the glow plugs are dead 

also did a compression test and two cylinders showed 320psi, but the other two were in the 240-250psi range

im hoping that with a fresh set of glow plugs the car will start and be driveable during summer so i can rebuild another diesel block and swap that in...

what a nice birthday gift

7/13/10

changed the glow plugs out and she fired right up!

7/19/10

whew, what a wild weekend! some friends from cali were staying with me and we went to waterwerks yesterday and i showed my car because the site showed a mk1 jetta class and knowing there isnt many around here ( 2 showed last year and one was my old TD coupe) i decided to show. then they lumped the jettas in with the rabbits.

whatever 

i did get rolling shots on the way to the show!

7/30/10

got my hands on a 7A transmission that ill probably throw in soon. this FF has been ok, but even after doing a shifter alignment i still cant seem to get it into 5th and its just been getting worse. this transmission is the original one and the history is questionable at best. i havent had a 5th with this transmission for a long time now, even when it was the 1.6. this 7A will get cleaned up and someday ill put it in, dont really feel like doing another transmission swap just yet.

in the mean time i have been back at work helping get another mk1 back on the road. i pulled the diesel head off of it, cant wait to reinstall it and try to fire up that POS bucket 

while i was there i took a couple cool pics of ruby

8/1/10

just picked up an evo intercooler. this weeks project is going to be getting it mounted. im not in too much of a hurry though as i just need to have a few things to finish before drag racing it at waterlands. if i finish it early enough ill try to get some drag racing done here in monroe. its 1/8 mile, but still

goals are:

-intercooler mounted and plumbed

-all aux gauges working

-install 7A trans (maybe)

not too much to do, but i might add more stuff to the list... til then...

8/6/10

so tomorrow im doing a whole bunch of stuff... selling some parts, but also buying more!

picking up h&r ultra low coilovers to replace the vminus coils. probably wont get any lower, though i will bust out the measuring tape because i feel like the rear is higher than the front

8/9/10

weekend update!

- bought and installed the h&r ultra lows and they are awe-some!

- got a black trunklid from a friend that will get painted and hopefully will look close to the OG paint, not expecting it to match perfectly, but it will look better than the trunklid does now thats for sure. also goign to shave the emblem holes in it too for a cleaner look.

the new coils really uncovered how bad i need the ball joint extenders so they are right up there on top of my list right after the intercooler. and the intercooler should be taken care of this next weekend along with (hopefully) installing the 7A

8/16/10

a few updates from the weekend:

-bought a FK trans to go with the 16v setup that used to be in here. those are going in the shark, which eventually is going to get megasquirt, a 16G turbo and evo intercooler. the guy threw in a k-bar also, but thats going into this car so thats good. 

-my pedal cluster (clutch cable holder to be specific) was pretty much already broken so i was planning on installing a "new" pedal cluster when i swapped the 7A in, but it fully broke yesterday so i spent some time making a skateboard wheel look like a mushroom. i did this on my other TD coupe and it works fine but is by no means a permanent solution, though i think the new owner of my coupe still has it in there. 

-also ordered an ebay 2" piping special with straight, 45*, 90* bends, hoses and clamps too, but it didnt have the 2.25" -> 2" 90* bending reducer hoses that i need from the evo intercooler. only thing i still need to get is a battery relocation kit and once everything arrives ill be good to go. i plan to dyno the car once i have the intercooler installed.

-next up i got a lower seat base so i could swap the driver seat. i got the seat along with the 16v from my buddy, apparantly it was from an old scirocco race car, but the seat bases it has arent for a mk1, looks like they bolted straight to the floor. this will be a lil side project, but should be fun when its done.

other than that im hoping i can finally get the ball joint extenders at the end of the month

8/19/10

intercooler is getting installed. im trying to get it around the battery so i dont have to relocate it, but thats not looking too hopeful...

surprise bonus from work means the ball joint extenders are getting ordered sooner! wooooooo! just need to install the k-bar soon too

8/21/10

finally got a chance to upload some pics and found one of the motor pretty much done...

heres some pics of the before the intercooler install and also some other random stuff...

the seat, original frame rail and the k-bar is in there somewhere

the 7A, still needs a cleaning

and the mock up of the intercooler. will post some final shots soon, maybe with some new low pics for you Johnny

8/22/10

heres a pic of the intercooler basically done. ignore the battery, i just ordered a reocation kit to move it to the trunk. i might straighten out the piping on the driverside once the battery is gone.

also turned the coils all the way down in the back, but it still doesnt seem lower

8/23/10

just ordered my ball joint extenders from PMWltd!!! ive been wanting this for so long and finally had extra money to buy them. ive had a brand new set of ball joints waiting to be installed so those will go on at the same time. probably install the k-bar at that time too if i have a chance. should be a lotta fun when im done! 

8/25/10

car died on me the other day on my way home. i managed to hotwire the injection pump and drive it home yesterday. the ignition switch looks to be the culprit so i installed a new one earlier. i havent had a chance to test it because i also got my battery relocation kit and im moving the battery to the trunk. because ill have more room in the engine bay, im also going to smooth out the airflow from the intercooler to the intake manifold . ill post more pics once its all done. ball joint extenders should be here tomorrow or friday the latest. im hoping to install them, the kbar and the 7A all on saturday. ill start with the transmission then move back to the other stuff cuz those should be easier and i wont need a lift (which im hoping to have access to on saturday)

8/29/10

in other news the car broke down on me again and after a few days of ignoring it and finally dealing with it i found that the wire going from the fusebox to the battery disconnected at a soldered and heat shrunk section, fixed that... 

also moved the battery to the trunk so i straightened out the piping since theres no battery in the way. battery is now in the trunk. heres a new engine bay pic

9/9/10

havent got much to update. i took a roadtrip to california in my new car. on the way i traded my front seats to funneebunnie84 (or something like that) and got a "brushed aluminum" trim for the early dash. its probably not going into this car, but it does mean i need to finish installing the bucket seat so thats what ive been working on. i also got the balljoint extenders and will be installing those soon. i got the weekend off so ill be working on the car again.

heres a pic of the new ride, its not a VW but its still german

10/27/10

figured its a good time to update the thead... car is at home in the driveway while i daily the m5 now. its my winter beater 

the car will be parked so i can finally install (at the very least) the ball joints and ball joint extenders along with some new front brakes im getting. ate slotted rotors and some hawk pads. might install the k-bar, but im probably going to wait and install that with the 7A (which might get installed with a rebuilt motor)..

we'll see what happens in the winter 

the garage is open again since this happened recently

a coupe will be in the garage again... but will it be ruby? ... stay tuned

11/18/10

car is finally back in the garage, had to do some work on the bmw so i left ruby outside til now. its damn cold outside and the car doesnt want to start (broken record right?) soooooooooo i picked up another diesel block today and almost exactly one year from when i started the 16v swap (seems like that was years ago) i will start yanking the motor out and, swapping everything over to the "new" block and hooking it up to the 7A and installing that all. ill finally get around to installing the new ball joints and ball joint extenders

the fun continues... 

for those keeping a tally, this will be the 5th different bottom end in the car

12/19/10

here we go again....

12/30/10

pdate time!

phase one is now official! the interior is getting gutted out. if you go back a few pages you might be able to figure out whats going in.

phase two is still up in the air, either it will get **** or getting a *** **** a *****

2/24/11

ok phase two is coming to a close....

car is gutted, only interior is a brown rocco steering wheel, the original seats, the gauges and the super hard to find jetta floormats...

nothing in the engine bay, coilovers just sold and the speedlines are going on the POS truck to make it look a little better when its all done...

im keeping the trunklid and i put a black one i had laying around. probably going to turn the lid into a bench or something.

there will be one final pic (this weekend hopefully) and then....

on to the next jetta coupe project. 

it will be a sad moment when the coupe is gone, but the good news is that its going to a good guy and it will be back on the road again soon.

2/28/11

unfortunately this will be the last page of the thread. it was the first time id seen ruby at stock ride height and i dont think she really liked being so high off the ground. she was fighting us when we tried to put stock suspension on her