My MK3 Cabrio VR6 build thread

[..Derek..]

Id rather have an OBD2 VR with 280K for half the price then an OBD1 VR that's high compression that you cant force feed but that's just me. It's only about $400 in parts to rebuild a VR and a couple hundred bucks in clean up at a machine shop.

[GTi2OV]

What's wrong with the white Cabrio? is it a complete nice car?

[..Derek..]

What's wrong with the white Cabrio? is it a complete nice car?

It's 4 lug
It's OBD1
It's got some Forged 11:1 comp pistons.

I'm sure I could go on if I got a good look at the car... Many a fool has attempted to get big numbers out of an NA VR and it's simply a waste of effort and money when turbo kits are so cheap and pretty bullet proof.

[VR6 NRG]

nothing is wrong with the white cabrio. It is a better parts/donor car for what i have planned for MY project.

and who said i am trying to get big numbers out of this car at all? i'm putting an engine in a car, i'm not building a top fuel dragster capable of a million HP. other than what is there, i am not even adding any performance stuff to the car.
it's a donor, and the parts of this car will put me ahead of where i would have been with the other car.

i don't know if i will eventually turbo the car or not. the goal now is to have the car complete by Wuste which is looking realistic.

[..Derek..]

I realize this is YOUR project Brian.. but for a guy who is making things like shaved/smooth bay a priority, I cant for the life of me understand why you would go with an OBD 1 swap.. it has extra sh/t like ISV, EGR, ect ect.. and in the much bigger picture - (beyond some scenster show in vegas) you are setting yourself up for more work in the future if you ever want to take the car beyond hardparker status. Plus suspension is a massive improvement over 4 lug. OBD2 yields itself much better to power adders.. Do whatever makes you happy - im just trying to offer of words of wisdom from years of experience.

[.T.o.n.y.]

Ok i like both you guys so i'll just say this, Derek is 100% right regarding OBD2 and the 5-lug plus suspension, Brian this is your project and im sure regardless your decisions the car will still be very sweet. So i'll bump this and request more update pics

[jazzcat2001]

so are you going to convert to 5 lug(the legit way or adapters) or going with 4x100 wheels on it?

[VR6 NRG]

it will be converted to 5 lug the legit way. not adapters.

[GTi2OV]

So you are going to part out a perfectly good running nice Cabrio to put the guts in another Cabrio. I am confused. Why ruin a good car, just for parts?

[jazzcat2001]

it will be converted to 5 lug the legit way. not adapters.

so why'd you sell the yellow one again?

[VR6 NRG]

after speaking with 2.quick over a few texts last night and this morning.. I have decided to keep the yellow GTI as the donor and use that instead of this other cabrio.
everyone brought out good points, and the OBD1 and destroying a fine cabrio for someone else to use were the two main ones.

so i will continue with my original plan and use the GTI as the donor.

[.T.o.n.y.]

[GTi2OV]

[VR6 NRG]

today was a busy day. went to the body shop to drop off my door and other misc. parts, then took a hood he was working on back to the guy i bought it from because it was too bent out of shape, then to meet Henry (who helped out with the towing) to pay him for a few things, then to my work to get the seats out of the GTI, then to my friends house that was storing the GTI and Cabrio interior, back to work to put the beige cabrio seats into the GTI just so it could be driven, then took the GTI front seats and cabrio rear seats and dropped them off at the upholstery shop so they could get me an estimate and get the work started.

i really feel like this is in full swing, i can tell because the $$$ are flowing hahaha.

[..Derek..]

Ok i like both you guys so i'll just say this, Derek is 100% right regarding OBD2 and the 5-lug plus suspension, Brian this is your project and im sure regardless your decisions the car will still be very sweet. So i'll bump this and request more update pics

Good thing Brian listens you Tony

[.T.o.n.y.]

Good thing Brian listens you Tony

Im nice

[..Derek..]

Pfffffff ... whatever.. - I'm the nicest guy ever.. I jsut look like an ******* online.

[VR6 NRG]

uhh hmmmm i listened to both of you and your wealth of knowledges

[.T.o.n.y.]

Pfffffff ... whatever.. - I'm the nicest guy ever.. I jsut look like an ******* online.

just messing with you man.

uhh hmmmm i listened to both of you and your wealth of knowledges

[de4life]

Pfffffff ... whatever.. - I'm the nicest guy ever.. I jsut look like an ******* online.

Subscribed!
Feels like the old days!

Seriously nice build

[VR6 NRG]

I ordered some Optikworks textured side skirts today. they are cheap and since i am leaving the bottom pieces black these should do the trick. I'm interested to see what type of quality they are and fitment.

I also received a set of smooth and intact side moldings i bought from Ober_fl in the classified section. all of mine were either damaged or missing so i needed these.

I am also going to make a big decision this weekend after some more in-depth thought and reading. I was offered a partial sponsorship from a company and it is a great deal, i just have to decide if i want what it is or not.

[.T.o.n.y.]

Ive never had a sponsor but it must be pretty cool, i wish Ebay would sponsor me being i spend so much cash there

[mk2driver]

Ill be interested to see how you get the side skirts to work

[..Derek..]

Ill be interested to see how you get the side skirts to work

It shouldnt be that bad if they didnt depart for the OG Abt design... ABT skirts fit Cabrio with minimal modding. I have real Abt skirts for my Cabrio that I plan on using.

[VR6 NRG]

i've heard that some minor hand trimming may be necessary but not much. plus they are staying textured and won't need paint so that is a plus.

[VR6 NRG]

some minor updates and a few new pics of stuff

The shipment of bumpers, core support, rebar, chin spoiler arrived to the body shop today.



and last week i dropped the seats off at the upholstery place called Unique Upholstery.
This is what it looked like when i dropped it off

It will become a cream colored vinyl with black stitching. I REALLY wanted to do alcantara in the seat centers but the cost added a few hundred bucks to the total and i couldn't do that price.

this is a Bentley Continental seat that was some inspiration for what i wanted.


body work started yesterday, the interior is in motion, and the disassembly of the GTI will start soon.
we hope to start reassembling things in about 5 weeks once the paint and body work is done.

[VR6 NRG]

very very minor updates

i got the black ABT replica textured side skirts from Optikwerks in the mail last week. they look like decent pieces, especially for the price.
I plan to leave all of the bottom of the car black with the skirts, JOM front lip, and rear euro bumper lower part.
I also received side moldings that i bought from Ober_FL on here. $110 all clips in tack and all the pieces were straight with no bends or visible damage. pretty good deal and a good seller.

The Cabrio remains at the body shop, the seats at the upholsterer, and the GTI still is in tact and not disassembled yet. We plan to schedule that soon so we can start seeing what kind of maintenance parts are needed and what type of aftermarket stuff i want to do.

[miatafreak]

You can put skirts on a Cabby?

[jazzcat2001]

how are the side moldings on the gti? i am in need of all of them for mine..ober_fl says he's out of stock on the 2 door molding and not sure when he's getting them back in

[..Derek..]

how are the side moldings on the gti? i am in need of all of them for mine..ober_fl says he's out of stock on the 2 door molding and not sure when he's getting them back in

I do clip ins on all my cars.. you can by them new from VW for about $500

[jazzcat2001]

I do clip ins on all my cars.. you can by them new from VW for about $500

will do that. thanks Derek

[VR6 NRG]

how are the side moldings on the gti? i am in need of all of them for mine..ober_fl says he's out of stock on the 2 door molding and not sure when he's getting them back in

the GTI ones are wrecked. the got the ones from Ober_FL for $110 shipped and they are in great shape. the paint is chipped but they are green and the car won't be so they are being painted anyway.
well worth the $110 vs. new ones. That guy sells legit stuff. I've gotten a few things from him already.

[GTi2OV]

You can put skirts on a Cabby?

Dunno why you would need to. Cabrio rockers look cool as they are. Wonder how the Optiwerks ones will fit, mount them lower to clear the metal?

Only skirts I've really seen are Projektzwo.

[VR6 NRG]

the rocker panels on the cabrio are pretty nasty and one has some good dents in it. so instead of fixing the dents, they'll get repainted and then covered by these side skirts.

OptikWerks says i may need minor trimming for the cabrio but they should fit fine just like a golf/jetta fitment.

[VR6 NRG]

so i made a big decision for the car 2 weeks ago that i've kinda been keeping under wraps... not like it matters to any of you that much but..

I decided to pull the trigger and go with air suspension instead of coil overs. one of the things i had a vision of before i started all of this was to have the car on air. the cost was a lot more than a coil over setup, but i was pretty set.

so i figured i would did what i have in the past and sent an email to AccuAir, thinking their stuff was the best on the market, and asked if they do sponsorships. I sent them a breakdown of what i was doing and the plan to have the car done for Wuste. After exchanging a few emails with Derek they made me an offer and i accepted.

so i will be getting a full AccuAir setup and AirLift struts.
5 gallon tanks
dual compressors
full e-level management system
their awesome eXo mounts
remote key fobs
70amp power wire
and all hardware

it still wasn't cheap, but it was what i wanted and i had to go out of the budget for this. I am really excited about it and can't wait until it's on the car.

the car should be back from the body shop the first or 2nd week of April which will give the two mechanics doing the work about 6 weeks to get everything together and buttoned up.