Alrite now.... **** the haters. I didn't ask for your opinion on what you would do with your Volkswagen, nor did I ask for you to rain on mine. I like Hondas. I also like Volkswagens. And Toyotas, and Fords; cars in general. I'm a car guy, plain and simple. I'm not a "newb" asking if it's possible, will it be faster than my friends CRX, or am I saying that they they are better engines/cars. Please understand, I'm not looking for an easy way out. Honestly, putting a different manufacturers engine into the car seems a little bit harder to me, and honestly a lot more fun. Please, don't turn this into a pissing competition!
TDiPusher19t; cool car, mate. Thanks for the support.
hyperformancevw; you say you won't get into a pissing match, then do. You do have a point about breaking axles, though.
Svedka; open up your mind some. You'll be surprised what you may discover. Also, E85 is a dream, and a stupid one at that.
Fireblade RX7; thanks for the pics and the links. You're spot on in the arguement of having a car do what you want it to.
Now that the pissing match has been smoothed over, does anyone have anything to contribute?
The electronics should be relatively easy, getting an engine harness, OBD1 preferably, shock tower harness,and all the way to the ECU plugs. I have tons of wiring diagrams from my previous swaps, so this should be a breeze, all I have to do is introduce the proper signals, stuff like power, ground, ignition, starter. The more difficult part would be wanting to try and keep the original VW cluster.
Mounts should be easy enough, some sheet metal, a welder, and an engine to mock into place. Get the engine where I need to clear the hood, have the axles in the proper location, and hopefully have enough ground clearance, and then modify a set of stock mounts to start.
Axles, Fireblade RX7 said the exact idea I had to make the axles. I think the hardest part for me would to have a proper sized axle that won't bind through suspension travel.
Shift linkage, also should be relatively easy. Cut and weld a Honda linkage, and it attatches to the frame through 2 bolts.
Clutch linkage could be a little tricky. Either I am going to have to find a way to convert to a hydraulic clutch, or get an older Honda cable clutch trans, and find a way to make it work.
Now with that said, the largest thing for me is that I can make something that I can find parts for, can slowly upgrade as money is available, and has potential for later upgrades. Say for instance start with a modest B20. Get that fitted in, working, running, and then we can look for the next upgrade. I can't go to the junkyard and find parts for my car, and I don't like buying anything other than local. When was the last time you guys found a 16v in the junkyard?