8v Build~84 Rabbit Wolfsburg Drop top

[Rabbitissimo]

The last parts shipment came in today, just in time for an absence of skilled hands.
The mechanic assisting me isn't available until Tuesday or Wednesday.
This last package had the Windage tray, and other essential seals.
I later discovered the oil dipstick was not going to work on the GTI motor.
The shaft on the block is short and the tube too small in diameter to fit the funnel portion.
The Rabbit Convertible engine has a long flared dipstick tube, it fits perfectly to the funnel.
That is just fine, because I discovered the original GTI one in the trunk recently! It's good!


I guess that is not the last of it. I still need exhaust parts!
I want to buy a 4-5" round stainless muffler, (2.5" in. & ex.) with slanted Ti burnt tip.

Just header, cat, pipe & muffler.
Use 2.25" pipe, weld and/or bend here.
What does a resonator do?
What will happen if I exclude a resonator?

There was recently a slight setback; the Intermediate Shaft bearings I ordered were too small on the inside diameter by about 20 thousandths of an inch, even though the part numbers matched.
Catalog error; A new set had to be ordered; they now fit perfectly.

[Rabbitissimo]

So I was left with the grinder, a variable speed plug, and three carbide bits for aluminum.
My mission? To rough out the inside of the runners with an aggressive tooth.
There were a few annoying bumps inside the runners, they had to be ground down.
The yellow arrows indicate what disrupted flow due to excess aluminum, imperfect bends.
These areas were thicker due to the mounting bolt allowances.
I had to take great care not to remove any more than necessary in these spots.
Removing too much would make the manifold weak and prone to failure.

There was an outline of carbon deposits to follow for the general shape of the porting.
It matched the gasket shape, and will still need some fine tuning to get it as good as possible..

I am an artist and a sculptor, and I made my way through the opening.
Down the Rabbit hole I went, twisting and turning, the sights stranger all the while.
Checking constantly with my touch, I made sure the runners open up as balanced as possible.
A little progress one tube at a time keeps it consistent.
It was a little difficult as each tube bends a different angle, I had to carefully observe and maintain the equal balance of all while trying to remove material in fattest spots.

So due to global warming it is mid October and there is sunshine and grass.
Here in Canada, Igloo season is postponed for now.
It is cold; it won't be long now...

To be completely honest, I was terrified of doing this modification, and it has delayed me.
I just had to educate myself as best I could, and just dive in and get a feel for it.
It did not take long to understand the best angle for the cutter to slice nice.
Firmly locked body held the tool in a grip less prone to chatter. Movements were very deliberate.


Emery cloth or sandpaper will smooth out and further shape the runner walls, but will not polish;
It is coarse enough to leave a good scratch on the walls.
Good thing too, it's getting pretty rough.The bit I used to get way in deep was scary.
It runs at 25,000 rpm and when it starts, it bends out into a cone then runs straight again.
I really had to hold on with a white knuckle grip. What a monster!


The new valve guides have been installed, and are sitting pretty.

[Rabbitissimo]

So back to the old grind... I have got to be the slowest ever at fixing a car.
It is a good thing it is not a race.
So, in order to do a good job on this head, I had to prepare properly.
The last couple of days were spent researching.
I read http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...ng-the-8v-head..... on this forum, and looked at EVERY LINK and got a really good understanding of what exactly is desired in porting and flow, wanting to maintain velocity for the low end.
The cutaways were a big help.
I put some studs into the head to align the gasket.
The gasket now matches the intake manifold perfectly. Now it's the head's turn!
Here is the exhaust gasket being used for scribing.

Now I have coated the surface with dye.
Carefully scribed marks indicate the ideal path.





I know a lot of people like to grind down the valve guides.
I am just not convinced after watching the old guides pressed out.
There was a good taper on the new guides, and I will still clean up the boss area, just a bit.
I am not going extreme on this, just align boring and bump grinding.
I also radiused the sharp edge on the tight inner turn, ever so slightly.
Stone ground for blending shapes, it takes a long time and just smooths.
No flow bench here, just going on touch.
Be the air...
Whooosh
I know it is better than it was.

[TheMajic86GTI]

Looks good!!!

[Rabbitissimo]

Thanks Majic!
There is still some detailing to do, not much.
Today I finished blasting the intake manifold, prepping for primer.
I am using a high temp engine enamel, it requires good prep and a specific primer.
I have done the same to all the alternator brackets, and any ferrous accessory on the block.
The manifold was the only aluminum that will be painted.


The valve cover has a nice coating inside still, so I was careful not to disturb it.
Care was taken especially when sandblasting time came, I covered the insides and plugged the ports.


The crankshaft had been tanked in the hot bath, and the galleys thoroughly cleaned.
After pressure washing, it was carefully dried and put on a lathe to ensure balance.
The journals were slightly polished with 800 wet dry paper.


The new connecting rod bolts are in, pistons have been cleaned and polished.
There is still so much to do. The piston rings have to be gapped, installed.
Most of the build is ahead of me.

[Rabbitissimo]

Wonderful life moments have directed my attention away from this project for a little while!
I am back on track, repairing and restoring as I go.
I need a visit to the Care Facility for the Easily Amused.

The pistons and connecting rods are one again; detailed, restored.
Their new JH specific stretch bolts pressed in, they are not reusable.
They have been assembled in the exact sequence they came apart. Assembly lube.
The C clips were tricky; they went shooting off to space more than once.


I tightened up the fuel lines, taped off the shiny serial plates, plugged holes and sealed the boot.
Glass bead and a careful hand cleaned up the fuel distributor from the GTI.
Sealing off every possible entry point had to be done thoroughly, any dust entry will end it.
Came out clean and sealed. I will not reuse these fuel lines, most are too corroded.

I decided to label each of the lines since both cars will be completely apart.
The Bentley isn't clear about where they go and I do not want to be guessing later.
The line marked 1 is coming from the fuel filter. The line marked 2 would likely be the return.


The fuel lines coming off the very top of the distributor go to the injectors indicated.


Gasoline resistant enamel primer seals off the iron fuel distributor from oxygen. No rust!
Since the fuel plunger is protected by the air sensor plate body, it stayed on, I taped around it.


And, of course, the Valve cover.
I figured since I am kinda strange and it is a Volkswagen, it could get a bit weird.


The lightening bolts and vortex swirls should add at least a couple of horsepower!

[Rabbitissimo]

So I have been very patient, and things are coming together.
More hard parts being refreshed, mating surfaces carefully polished flat.
It really is a lot of work, but I continue to imagine the Vrooom of the motor coming to life.
That will be a truly magnificent moment.
Here is a couple of shots of something wonderful, the backcut valve operation.
Never seen a machine that does that before, it is a nice setup. Retro.


Once you get in closer, you can see how it works. The valve is simply held in a chuck of sorts.
The base of the machine moves to a preset spot that can be set to repeat the same exact cut.
Every valve comes out the same.
The yellow arrows are the spin rotation direction, the blue is the surfaces that come together.


The end result is the ridge on the back of the valve is eliminated, allowing air through.
The pink dot represents the back cutting, and the blue the seat area. 2.4mm for the seat.

The sludge around the edges is a cutting compound for the valves to seat.
I just didn't clean it yet.
It gets closer every day.

Update:
Since the valves were sunk further in the seats, the shims needed to be thinner.
To keep the shims in mid range for replacement and maintenance, the ends of the valves had to be ground back very slightly, otherwise the shims would get too thin to obtain later.

Just a little bit...

[vwturbofox]

I guess that is not the last of it. I still need exhaust parts!
I want to buy a 4-5" round stainless muffler, (2.5" in. & ex.) with slanted Ti burnt tip.

Just header, cat, pipe & muffler.
Use 2.25" pipe, weld and/or bend here.
What does a resonator do?

dont buy a ricer muffler. a resonator makes the system little less raspy/loud
i would use a header cat no resonator and a good muffler like magnaflow,flowmaster,borla please dont use a ricer muffler sound like crap

[Rabbitissimo]

Big day.
I have cleaned and polished the coolant flanges, they are very corroded.
The insides are fine, but the area where the hoses are clamped on are massively pitted.
The worst flange was the one that had most of the engine grounds hooked to it.
There is a good possibility I will use another flange.

The new piston rings were gapped at .015" (compression) and .018" for the oil scraper.
The compression rings should gap between .012" and .018 inches, (0.30-0.45mm).
The oil scraper rings should gap between .010" and .016 inches, (0.25-0.40mm).
So the oil scraper is .002" oversize on the gap. It is not so terrible.
The maximum wear gap is .039", (1mm). It has a long enough life ahead.
I just happened to have a standard feeler set handy.
I used it instead of digging for a metric set.


The two crankshaft seal mounting plates were almost forgotten, but were discovered again.
These were so oily and mud caked they took a long time to clean.
Lots of preparation allow these parts to live again.
A flat granite top with 600 wet dry and wd40 leaves a dead flat surface to mate to the block.
The block itself had to be taped off for paint. The mounting plates were retaped after glass bead.
The new freeze plugs had been installed previously with aircraft engine sealant.



I left the old seals in the two flanges as a mask. I will pull them out and use new seals.
The paint is cured by double radiant quartz heaters. Too cold otherwise!

There was an amazing surprise when I got back with everything for painting today.
One of the last pieces of the puzzle, and something I have been drooling over for months.


So looking at it it is too short to tune for the 5th cycle, but it is light, and will work great.
I love the spring joint, nice touch. I had casually mentioned to these guys I may need a flange.
It looks like they included an adapter plate I can weld tube to! Nice guys.
I got the high flow cat, too. You can see right through it!
Honeycomb clean yeah yeah yeah... Its not dirty no no no...


I have a really good question; where do I put the lambda O2 sensor?
In the header port closest to the cylinder head, or the pipe merge spot?
Or, does it go in the catalytic converter?
Advice welcome!

[Rabbitissimo]

A resonator makes the system little less raspy/loud. I would use a header cat no resonator and a good muffler like magnaflow, flowmaster, borla please dont use the can muffler,they sound like crap!

It fits the Cabby. (sort of) It is universal.
I agree a Borla would be champ, but I priced it out, it's like 300-400 bucks!
This one is only 35 bucks, and will make me legal.
The silencer is adjustable, I may weld it when it sounds right, that could eliminate any rattle.
It cannot be worse than before, I had rust holes all through the exhaust, THAT was loud!

[vwturbofox]

ok i am just saying they dont look good on vws to me just my opinion.

[chezzestix]

lol your friend is offended by the word ricer? *rolls eyes* I get called a krauter or kraut burner all day long.

Anyhow, no fart can please its a cardinal rule of dubdom. No tip .5" (.25" dual) larger than your pipes. Now mufflers don't sound terrible but they do need further work to sound sexy. However they are a quick way to get quieter. Build your exhaust and don't settle on a fart can. I had a 2.5" resonator welded back into my dual Borla on my MKV for under 300$ at my local muffler shop. Shop around at your local muffler places for a good glasspack and by the time this thing is roadworthy you should be able to afford it.

I've driven my MKV open headers once and had my exaust fall off my catless testpipe once. Both those occasions were LOUD.

[Rabbitissimo]

OK compatibility issue. 2.5" is too big, I understand that.
I just figured once gases left the cat, it didn't matter and bigger was better.
I was hoping for some advice on this. I still haven't ordered the muffler.
I just wasn't sure it was a good idea. Trust your instincts.
This project is approaching a fast track, after the paint fully cures, it will go together quick.
I have to get a few bolts, they sell them nearby.
I really do appreciate the advice, thanks!

[vwturbofox]

i would go 2 1/4 thats what my 8v was till i boosted know i have 3 ich
2 1/2 would be good only if you have plans of turbo later otherwise 2 1/4 is good

[chezzestix]

Match the header collector/outlet of your highflow for pipe size and add .25" for tips if you even really need 'em but honestly KISS. You're right in that after the cat pipe size isn't TERRIBLY important but backpressure and exhaust velocity and blah bleh blah i don't want this to turn into a backpressure is a myth thread... its just easiest to match the outlet of your cat or catless solution.

IMHO:
Have the people doing your exhaust put in a 60-80$ magnaflow muffler somewhere inline to the exhaust (prolly where the old one went). In and out pipes the same size as the rest. If it is too aggressive then later on have them put a 50$ magnaflow resonator somewhere inline again matching pipe sizes. No tips just let the pipe stick out where it always has. Tipless is very MK1 chic right behind downturn if you have the bumper for it.

[Rabbitissimo]

The yellow lighting in here is the quartz heater. It kind of makes it look rusty. Just an illusion.
The real block identifier is just below cylinder 3, at the top right.
This one had been rusted off mostly, but you can kind of make out JH and 449.

For the first time I have been able to see the numbers stamped on the lower block.

The ID numbers for the metal housings of the crankshaft seals may come in handy.


I can't believe it, but I found amazing tensile metric yellow zinc treated bolts right here in town.
I will use those for the throttle body and manifold small parts mounting.
The block color turned out well, now I have to wait 36 hours and the paint will be fully cured.
Then it all goes together.

[Rabbitissimo]

So the paint will be cured by the time I wake up.
I removed the masking to see how it turned out.
I love it! Metallic blue ice. Looks good with the black.
Lots of curves at the edges, I am happy with the way they turned out.

[Rabbitissimo]

So I got back today and the snow had melted a little.
If I didn't know better, I would say the car is excited about the imminent transplant!

[Rabbitissimo]

The crankshaft, main caps and bolts all went through the parts washer after the hot tank.
The idea is no contamination from the old sludge will work its way back into this engine.
There has been a heated debate about bearings, mainly the #3 thrust bearings, on this site.
Tempers flare, opinions differ, and there seems to be a great divide on the matter.
I had ordered KS Kolbenschmidt bearings, (2 piece #3), thrust bearings integrated with the main.
At the time I ordered, I had no idea what to get, and the 6 piece #3 was nowhere to be found.
Even the Bentley depicts a 2 piece #3. There is good reason to go 6 piece, if you can find them.
These bearings do have anti rotation tabs in them, and the machinist helping me assures me if the clearances are checked, and everything is done to specification, it will most likely be fine.
I have seen this guy perform miracles on vehicles, and I trust his knowledge.
I went ahead with what I have, and will accept the outcome of my decision.

Plasti-gauge was used to ensure clearances between the main bearings to crankshaft.
.0012" to .003" was recommended, I ended up with .002", consistent on all journals.
It is unfortunate the photo came out too shiny to see exactly what is going on.

The bolts were carefully torqued down to spec (48ft.lbs) after liberal amounts of assembly lube.


The axial play was carefully checked over, and is right in the middle of the tolerances.
This is the actual reading, from the zero, of the play. Right where it should be.

The crankshaft spins so nicely, it feels really good, turning by hand.
The intermediate shaft is in, feels good and tight but spins nicely.
Next the pistons must be lowered in, and rod bearings checked for clearances.


The crankshaft journal and rod bearings were Plasti-gauged, again .002" at 22ft.lbs.
Consistent on all four, once again.
Once the clearances were all found to be within specification, an extra step was required.
On JH engines, to properly stretch the bolts, an extra 90 degrees is required beyond 22ft.lbs.
So after the torque wrench is tight at 22, a different wrench ensures exactly 1/4 turn more.

Then we end up with a nice rotating assembly.

The new seals were pressed into the metal housings.
The seals in between the housings and the block were coated in RTV sensor safe silicone.

I had not labeled all of the bolts and nuts, so I was picking through boxes trying to find them.
The convertible engine helped to identify what went where.
Oil pump was checked with feeler gauges in between gears, and was on the light end of wear.
A straight edge was placed across the pump body and only .0015" would barely fit between the oil pump housing and the two gears. The cap the gears rotate on was sluiced down for support.
The windage tray goes on first, then clip the slosh guard to the pickup tube and bolt on pump.

[Rabbitissimo]

So the Rabbit Convertible has come in from the cold for a teardown.
I had to label everything to make sure it would all go back together without problems.
There is a lot of information missing from the Bentley when it comes to JH motors.
There are some differences in the two vehicles. This car is leaking oil bad.
There was some oil in the manifold vacuum lines, some electrical loose, some cracks.
A lot of this would be difficult to find without tearing the car apart. Some were way in back.
I will spare you the bulk of the pictures of the teardown, and just offer a few.
It did not take long to discover the major issue I had with my idle.
Under one of the hoses, I discovered a major vacuum leak. Manifold to idle boost.
When I first found it, it was a tear, but just disturbing it slightly made it break off.


This engine is also in very good shape for its age and condition, preserved beneath the oil.
Not sure, but that cam looks a bit bigger than the one that came out of the GTI.

The cylinder walls once again have no discernible ridges.
Instead of honing I could bore this one out to 83 so I can use JE pistons.
Then again, if it is within tolerance, why not keep using what is already very good?

I have got to say, does it really have to be this complicated?
That is a lot of lines. Electrical, vacuum, cables, fuel, brake lines. A little ridiculous.
Embrace the chaos, love the grease.

[Rabbitissimo]

So it was -6 here today, so it was a great time to powerwash the empty engine bay.
Electrical was taped off in garbage bags, fuel lines safe.
It sure was worth it! No grease cakes to frustrate a person, and now I can recognize shift parts.
If the new flywheel comes tomorrow I may get the short block and tranny in!

Speaking of tranny the Rabbit Convertible had a wrecker transmission, code FN!
That is a normal or "tall" gear transmission.
Spent most of the day repairing the shifter and replacing bushings. I will have no more slop!

The yellow arrows indicate the new bushings installed in this region.
The pink arrow points to the new relay lever, the old one had TONS of play in it.
The blue arrows point to bolts that were so loose, I took them off by hand, no tools.

No wonder the shifting was so sloppy. Every single link was loose.

[Rabbitissimo]

MK1 A1 TRANSMISSION SWAP/REBUILD INFO:

~ Initial versions were 4 speeds, 5 speeds introduced in 1978.
~ Available in "normal" gearing, tall (better gas mileage), economy, close ratio GTI (better acceleration).
~ The close ratio trannies were found in the GTI/GLI models, but also the Wolfsburg models. Be aware of the "Self Machining" problem with these trannies. VW used rivets instead of bolts in the final drive which loosen after a while and cause expensive repairs.
~ Early GTI trannies have lower gearing which increases low end but looses a bit at top speed.
(Note, higher ratio 5th gears are available).
~ A1 cars used 90 mm output CV flanges.
~ Starting 1984 1/2 Sciroccos and 1985 GTIs, all Cabrios and all 16V Sciroccos, 100mm output CV flanges are used.
~ The 100mm CV flanges may interfere (and lock up) with the steering knuckles of older A1 90mm cars. In some cases, the excess material can be ground away. Another solution is to replace the output flanges of the transmission to use the larger diameters. A third option is to use 100 mm inner CV joints and use it with the original 90mm axle. However, heed the following comment from Daley:

* It is often said that all that is necessary to upgrade 100mm CVs to the earlier cars, is to swap the inner CVs to 100mm while using the 90mm axles (with 90mm outers).
THIS IS NOT TRUE!

The transmission in the Rabbit Convertible is code FN.
FN code transmission: 8/81 - 7/83 Uses white speedometer gear
020 Not close ratio. Gear 1 (3.46) 2 (1.94) 3 (1.29) 4 (0.91) 5 (0.71) Final Drive: 3.89
Mph 5th gear @ 6500 rpm:159 ~Hub diameter:90mm ~Clutch diameter:190 or 200mm

The transmission from the GTI is code FK.
FK code transmission: ?
020 Close ratio. Gear 1 (3.45) 2 (2.12) 3 (1.44) 4 (1.13) 5 (0.91) Final Drive: 3.89
Mph 5th gear @ 6500 rpm:124 ~Hub diameter:90mm ~Clutch diameter:200mm

http://www.mk1vw.info/
http://www.cabby-info.com/
http://www.brokevw.com/

I cannot remember what size clutch I bought. I will measure it soon.

[Rabbitissimo]

So the head still needs a bit of tweaking before it can be called complete.
the bowl area needs to be cleaned up, it will be done soon enough.
I consider myself very fortunate to have someone as skilled as this machinist assisting me.
It is very unlikely I would have attempted this major project without his help.
The head work from here on is all his efforts, and I am impressed.
There was an amazing surprise today, something I was hoping would happen.
This GTI head has been blessed with a 5 angle valve job.
The valve seats have been de-shrouded, and the valves sit so perfectly in them.

The surface of the head that meets the block is very true, but it may still be skimmed.
The flywheel and clutch are tomorrow, and the short block and transaxle will go in as well.

[Rabbitissimo]

The housing is all together with the new water pump, and 82 degree Wahler thermostat.
The one that came out of the car was 80 degree, but some are 87.
There is a burp hole with a floating plug already in this one, no need to drill one.



The transmission had been cleaned up, (thanks!) and bushings installed.

The rusty green end cap had to be pulled off to access some parts to be replaced.
Throwout (release) bearing (yellow arrow), push rod go in at this end.
The selector lever seal (blue arrow) was also new.
I took the time to sandblast the selector lever while I had it all apart.
The push rod seal is in the bell housing side towards the clutch, that was replaced.

Here the yellow areas are new bushings, and the blue arrow is the new shift link.

[Glegor]

K.I.S.S.

The main killer of projects is someone who thinks too much while trying to re-invent the wheel. Attempting to convert a TPS into two separate throttle switches is a pointless endeavor, considering you can get the TB you need from about 10 million Rabbits/Golfs/Jettas/Cabbies/Foxes/Audis/etc.

The diagram above is for CIS-basic, no ECU.

see part #18 (control unit)


great build thread BTW!

[Rabbitissimo]

Thanks Glegor!
So I had originally posted the wrong diagram, (cis basic) and after B4S had pointed it out, I changed the diagram to the one that would be used in this project.
I wish B4S would have edited the comment, to avoid confusion. I will note that on the diagram.

[Rabbitissimo]

No more worn out motor mounts! Say goodbye to the ugly...

So the motor mounts have been installed in the motor mount brackets.
The transmission side mount may be the early rabbit one.
Its bolt hole sits the same as the OEM mount, and fits the bracket of the car frame tightly.
It was press fit into the motor mount bracket, same size.
The difference is the two little rubber tabs that suggest it is the early mount.
This mount off the convertible is intact, I could use it if this one is wrong.

The engine side mount was perfect, went in perfectly and the red bushing fits tight.
Even with a press, it is not so easy, the pressing rings had to be a slightly smaller diameter.
Metal had to be stacked up in order to make it happen. It has to line up perfectly.
Not easy under pressure.

[Rabbitissimo]

Grounds were often green with corrosion, broken, and the rings greasy.
Also, there were many electrical plugs broken and jiggling around in the car.
I took the time to rewire any broken or corroded contacts, there are lots.
The major ones that power the cold start, WUR, aux air, frequency, and thermo time; replaced.

Before crimping the new plugs on, put all the shrink tube loose on the wires, then connect.
I used simple butt crimp connectors, soldered the joints, then heated the shrink tube.
The backdrop was for clarity, to remove the engine bay backdrop.

Ignition coil is new and lives in its new home, tucked up at the rear of the engine bay.
The ignition coil strap was caked in rust, so it was shot and painted.
Ground straps are upgraded to 5 gauge, with ends crimped, soldered and shrink tubed.
Big upgrade over the old flat strap.
The yellow arrow points to the new installed throttle cable. Blue points to new engine ground.



Alternator al27x is meant for a newer car, but I thought it would fit.
Its shaft is not as long as the one that was in the car. That means the pulleys will not line up.
The thick spacer and the pulley with pink dots slide over the long shaft to make up the length.
The yellow arrow points out the old spacer, super thick and solid, heavy.


M type alternators (came with the car) have different plugs, and have to be upgraded.
The wiring is a simple fix, just use bigger cable with ring ends.
Luckily there was an old Jetta here with the correct pulley, it has a deep hole where the old shaft would be, and the short shaft of the new 90 amp bolts right on, and ends up lined up.
There are a couple of spacers there for alignment.
The nut bolts on the shaft where the blue line indicates, deep at the bottom of the cup.

[Rabbitissimo]

Fuel distributor has come off the air mass meter, the plunger is in great shape.
Three bolts on the top of the unit held it in place.
The banjo bolts are intact, shiny bright threads, and the tops are nice and colorful.

This roller in the large open hole is what the plunger rides on when the sensor plate rises.
The recess around the hole is for the o-ring to seal between the distributor and air mass meter.

The little blue line represents a pin (hard to see) that rests on the stop arm the spring clip holds.
The spring clip, indicated by the yellow arrow, can be adjusted to keep the sensor plate.
The sensor plate is the large flat circle in the middle of the bowl.
It needs to sit exactly in the center of the bowl, right in the middle of the narrowest spot.
This one has been adjusted perfectly. The pink dot is the counterbalance.
It has a screw on the end to adjust it in or out to balance perfectly under pressure.


Here the blue arrow points to the opening for adjusting the fuel distributor.
This is the usually plugged hole where the tool comes through to make adjustments.
The tool moves the screw in the mechanism the yellow arrow points to.
It will allow the sensor plate to raise higher, or regulate how far it can rise up.
Higher=more fuel allowed through.


Between the black plastic trim and the aluminum body of the air mass sensor is the old gasket.
Here they are apart and cleaned up thoroughly.

Cleaned, all of the little bits of grease and sand no longer make the plate scrape by the bowl.
It was hard to raise even before I blasted it, stuff gets past the filter, or past the gasket.
It is so silky smooth and the action is without resistance now.

[MacGruber]

Did you happen to snap pics of separating the downpipe from the exhaust manifold? Even in official manuals with VW tools, no easy way I know of. I would rather block sand the installed manifold with the head removed then mess with the spring clamps.
I bought a new special steel ring to seal that connection and almost took it apart to fix an exhaust leak, but just in time checked out the motor mounts. A bad mount caused the engine to rotate enough for an exhaust leak at the downpipe. [Gagging icon]

[Rabbitissimo]

Did you happen to snap pics of separating the downpipe from the exhaust manifold? Even in official manuals with VW tools, no easy way I know of.

No pictures on that part, too busy figuring out how to remove those !@#&%$! spring clamps!
It was not too bad, but then again I was not worried about putting the spring clamp back on.
I just used my trusty prybar, it has a wedge flared up turn end, with just the right leverage.
Tried lots of other bars before I tried the Japanese made carpentry tool.
I came across a great tool somewhere the day after they came off.
Ratcheting spreader tool in the vise grip family. Super easy with that tool, especially install!

[Rabbitissimo]

The chaos is becoming manageable now that many of the parts are built on.
All of the plastic airbox parts got a good soap and water bath, filthy buggers.
The silicone seal for the air mass meter is soft, it will have to be silicone slathered.
If it does not seal properly, the only concern is dirty air bypassing the filter.
That was the cause of the air mass sensor stiffness.

The clutch is going in, many thanks once again for help! 210mm clutch and flywheel, new bolts.
Pistons 1 and 4 are TDC with the flywheel notch 0 at the top, bolted on.
The centering tool for the driven plate is silly; it had a bit of play, it got centered anyway.

A great write up has already been done! Find it here.
http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/t...tch/clutch.htm

Engine and transaxle meet again, and were later bolted up tight.
The back up switch/upshift plug was switched out to the original my wiring harness used.
The pins were different, and I wanted to make sure it would work in my car.

The engine mount and inner belt guard are installed, as well as the alternator mount.

[Rabbitissimo]

When we got to this point, the old starter was cleaned and installed.
A special harness was hooked up to a battery and switch, and the starter engaged.
The idea was to ensure there were no strange noises or behavior by engaging the flywheel.
Pistons were pumping! Everything is going to be good!
Would have been a lot worse to build the entire car and discover a problem then.

The cam has revealed itself, and it is looking good. The two cams were different.
The cam from the GTI won length of lobe, and will be used.
Euro GTI (G grind)? US spec GTI? Scirocco DZX? I do not know for sure.
I sure hope so, anyway. I am happy either way. More power or better emissions, OK by me.

[Rabbitissimo]

So the windshield was pushed out and revealed a big mess, not as bad as I was expecting.
The inset top right is a closeup of the Loonie sized rust spot directly above my leak.

After a while with the wire wheel, the rust spot proved to be pretty aggressive.
It had eaten through the metal, and flaked off to reveal two holes.

They were cleaned up, welded shut, ground out, and treated.


POR (paint over rust) is a treatment suited for exactly this scenario.
They even sell a putty like bondo, but will prevent rust from continuing its journey.
I will sand this channel and treat it with the POR, or alternately JB weld.

After the initial sanding, there were little spots that needed filling.

Next remove the wiper arms and drop the wiper motor inside, remove the seals, sand.
The hood and sides were taped off, and the area was coated in primer.

There were a few small imperfections to fill and re prime. Lots of curing time.
A few coats had to be applied to build a finish. Paint fumes indoors in winter is not fun.

After lots of attention and patience I can install the windshield and get it watertight.
I also bought a new windshield seal to get rid of the "chrome trim".
New glass (mint used, not a scratch on it) $20 from an old junker rotting away.
I had looked at 14 other VW cars for an in tact windshield, all the glass had chips or cracks.

I have been addressing the wiring under the dash and have removed LOTS of stupid stuff.
The previous owners had really gone crazy with little "improvements".
There are led's in the vents, disco neon, led backup lights, etc..
Here is just a sample of some of the stupid ideas people have that should never happen.

I have taken the time to install a 6 ATC fuse block to power some of my fun stuff.
Large wire runs through 2 proper sealed grommets in the metal and firewall, to the battery.
The large yellow wire is the constant 12v feed from the battery.
The green wires spread out from the yellow to power different light switches.
One of the wires supplies constant power to the stereo for clock and music memory settings.

Before installing, I put a rubber gasket in between the fuse block and the metal.
There is a snap on waterproof cover for the fuse block, and will all be shrouded by a coverplate.
Since this fuse block is supplied by a constant power, it could drain the battery if left on.
The deck is designed to require a constant and a switched 12v, no issue there.
It would take a really long time to drain from that.
However, the switches are all lighted, making it harder to forget.
There are even original tabs under the dash to hold the wire out of the way of the pedals.
All crimped, soldered and shrink tubed. Isolated from one another.
The best way to send the big wire through the firewall is properly.
I took this one off the GTI wiring harness, made a small dent, drilled a hole to pilot a hole saw.

[Mr.loops]

Well done!