BARELY LEGAL's Barely Legal Budget Build Thread. *20v Content Inside*

[BARELY LEGAL]

SO, now that I've finally come up with a clever build thread title, I can start documenting what I've been working on for the past few months.

Quick Disclaimer:

I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER. I ALSO TAKE BUILD PHOTOS VERY SPORADICALLY. Prepare for large jumps in time, and general chaos of the photos taken. You've been warned.

My love for VW's is not recent. In fact, this is not my first MK1. I've worked on VW's of all generations for just over 10 years now and have owned more than I can remember. I recently sold my MK3 GTI VR6T in order to finally start this project. It was a tough decision, considering that I LOVED that car and there was nothing like driving a 370WHP monster on a daily basis. Here's a pic of the old bird:



Anyways, with the burden of a gas guzzling, tire shredding beast out of my hair, and out of my carport, it was time to finally start the new project.

Ladies and Gentlemen, my 1981 Jetta Deluxe 1.6l Non-Turbo Diesel COUPE:



Sorry I don't have any better pics of the car at a stock state.

The story behind this car goes as follows. I was NOT in the market for a new car at the time. My good friend (JASENR) informed me of a potential MK1 Jetta for sale that a friend's ex-girlfriend's uncle owned. Several calls later, and we had a date to meet and look at my future car. All I can say is it was love at first sight. Originally a California car, the PO bought it when gas prices started to rise some years ago and drove it for awhile, although I suspect not very long. Very little rust anywhere on the car, and aside from the CALI sun beating down on the paint and interior, this car was near perfect. By far the cleanest unrestored MK1 I had ever seen. The diesel started first try with help of a jump pack even though the car had been sitting for 2+ years at this point. We agreed on a price and I drove it home later that week.

Since I was not in the market for a car at the moment, and I had other projects on the table at the time, this car sat. First winter at my house under the carport, followed by a year at my friends house in a garage. In the almost 2 years I owned this car before I started working on it, I drove it only 3 times. Once home. Once to my buddy's garage. Once more back home. I loved the car as is, but I've owned MK1 diesels before and I knew the lack of power would be an issue in driving this daily. Plus, I already had a plan for this car, even before I owned it.

Here goes nothing.





Sitting high with stock suspension and no engine.



And the powerplant, an AEB from a Passat of mine who's automatic transmission decided it didn't want to work anymore. Also picked up an Audi TT 225 intake manifold. At this point I already had a plan for the charge piping and the TT manifold was necessary.



Quick Shot of the interior minus dash. Blue Errything! Also, notice the amount of foam padding the PO stuffed behind the dash to keep everything from rattling. It didn't work BTW.



Everything interior related was in great shape aside from some sun-beaten plastic bits and the drivers seat having a worn through bolster. The rear view mirror literally crumbled in my hands when I touched it.

Some time later, I started cleaning up the engine bay. Cut the rain tray out. Removed all unnecessary brackets. Cleaned out all the seam sealer. Finally gave it a coat of epoxy primer.





Around the same time, I started rebuilding the engine. My Passat had approximately 167k on the clock when I junked it. It was not on the original turbo either. I figured a top end rebuild would be a good idea. I did all new valve seals which was a PITA. All other gaskets were replaced. Rings, main bearings, etc. stayed stock. Crosshatch marks on the cylinder walls looked good.





MK3 oil filter housing modified to fit the factory turbo feed line.



All timing covers were trimmed to fit the mount. MK3 VR6 waterpump pulley used with the MK3 accessories. Also got a new crank pulley from Bahn Brenner. All mounts came from BFI.



An 02J from an early MK4 all cleaned up and painted.



Not shown was a new single mass 14lb flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate.

Starting to look like a suitable power plant again.



Got these beauties in the mail from NOTHING LEAVES STOCK. Amazing craftsmanship and quality! I would have built them myself, but I couldn't argue with the price. Saves me a lot of time and headache. Great work guys!



Now here comes the fun part, top loading a 20v into a MK1. Actually not that difficult with the rain tray cut out.

Out:

Halfway:

In:


Really looks at home in there.



At this point in the build I have a ton left to do:
-Wiring
-Intercooler
-Cooling System
-Fueling
-I'm sure there was more but I can't remember

INTERCOOLER.
I wanted an affordable yet easy solution to this problem. I originally purchased a used Evo intercooler off craigslist for $50 and modified it to fit by cutting a tube out of the top.




Unfortunately don't have a picture of that finished welded shut, but it would have cleared the hood latch. Also, it was way too thick (3.5" at the end tanks) and it was causing interference between the radiator and throttle body.

SO, I tried an alternative solution, a custom intercooler made from a factory intercooler off a MK5.














UNFORTUNATELY I don't have finished pics of this either. It ultimately didn't work out. Since the MK5 intercooler cores are soldered instead of welded, when I started welding the end tanks on, the solder started burning up and causing major leaks. By the end, it was an expensive, time consuming experiment that proved you CAN'T WELD A FACTORY MK5 INTERCOOLER.


Anyways, third time's the charm. I purchased a NEW intercooler from CX Racing. $136 shipped to my door. Core measurements are 22x9x2.5 and It fits with MINIMAL modification behind the factory radiator.



WIRING.
Since the wiring for this swap is very simple requires only a handful of wires to be hooked up from the engine, I chose to use an auxiliary fuse panel to make the connections. I ordered this from Summit Racing for around $70.

Mounted it next to the stock fuse panel. It contains 3 fused 12v+ sources and 4 fused key-on 12v+ sources. Simple.


Here is my mockup starting platform to check all my electrical connection and make sure she turned over. I'll remind you there is no exhaust, charge piping, cooling system, or fuel hooked up at this point.


SUCCESS!
Fired up on the first try with a squirt of starting fluid in the throttle body.

FUELING.
This was a bit tricky since I was converting from diesel. I added an inline Walbro fuel pump off the outlet of the tank and filled her up with 93 octane (after I drained all the diesel of course). I was able to get the car to start and idle, but as it ran, the pump grew louder and louder. Turns out there was a fair amount of rust in the tank that was clogging up the pump. I dropped the tank to investigate and decided a new tank was in order. Rather than replacing the tank with a stock replacement, I went with a fuel cell that I found locally. I picked up a nice used RCI aluminum cell that fit perfectly in the spare tire well with MINIMAL modification.
Beautiful unused spare tire and tools before:

Beautiful RCI polished fuel cell after:


Before anyone asks, the cell holds 10gal just like the factory fuel tank. Also you may have noticed that I moved the battery to the trunk. It was just too much of a hassle driving around with the battery sitting on a stool in front of the car.

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH.
I wanted to keep this feeling factory and I didn't want the clutter of a clutch cable in the engine bay, so I opted to modify the clutch pedal to actuate a hydraulic master cylinder. I didn't go about this in the traditional fashion by mounting a master cylinder on the firewall. Instead, I kept everything hidden under the dash. I essentially used the same motion that the pedal would have "pulled" the clutch cable and used it to "push" the master cylinder. The hardest part was figuring exactly where the clutch master would mount to avoid hitting anything while retaining the correct motion and distance from the pedal.
Mocking up:

Modified to mount only to pedal cluster and not steering column:



Mounted:


Custom stainless clutch line and feed line:

Honda clutch fluid reservoir tied in place:


Clutch action is GREAT! Feels stock, picks up right off the floor. Not harsh. I'm really happy with how this turned out.

COOLING SYSTEM.
Unfortunately I don't have many pictures of this setup but I can tell you what I did. Actually this was one of the more difficult things to overcome. I modified the AEB upper radiator hard pipe to work with and ABA upper radiator hose. This hard pipe also contains the return for the turbo coolant. ABA lower radiator hose and metal pipe to the heater core were also used. Some splices and hose connectors later and my cooling system is complete.

Picture of the slim fan shroud I made to fit in front of the intake manifold:


More pictures and an explanation of my cooling system can be found here:

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...-Cooling-Issue

AFTER ALL THAT WAS SAID AND DONE, it was time to move on to the fun stuff. Suspension, wheels/tires, seats, etc.

Borbet's from my old e30 were re wrapped in 165/45r15 Federal Formoza's:



I replaced all of the bushings with polyurethane from Prothane. This included the rear beam, front control arms, steering rack, upper rear strut mounts, etc. Also notched the rear beam to fit the 3" turbo back exhaust I made for the car.



The suspension is a set of low mileage Patec Holeshot series coilovers. I've also upgraded the braking all around. I'm running vented 10.1" discs up front and crossdrilled rear disc brakes with MK4 aluminum calipers.

Moving onto the interior. I made a harness for the power Recaro bases from a MK2 GLI:


Mounted onto those bases are these beauties. Never mounted mounted blue leather Recaro's with adjustable lumbar support and sweet matching armrest. Huge thanks to PA-VDUB for selling these to me!

(stolen pic)

A buddy of mine(Sorry Craig, I forgot your screen name) helped me replace the cracked up windshield with a less cracked up windshield from the junkyard:


Also made a manual boost controller to do some tweaking of the factory boost levels. I think my N75 valve was shot since I was only making 4psi. Now boosting a healthy 7psi. Can't wait to chip this thing and really see how a MK1 20v is supposed to perform.


SO, thats pretty much it. I've been driving it now for a few weeks trying to iron out the details. It drives AMAZINGLY and I can't wait for more power.

Finished as of now:


And one of the exterior:



I AM NOT FINISHED!

List of stuff still to do before it's "done" as if it will ever be completely finished:
-Patch unused holes in the engine bay
-Paint the bay
-Clean up the harness
-Possibly tuck the harness or extend and hide it in the fender?
-Tear the transmission apart and replace the ring and pinion with a 3.38 from a VR6
-TDI 5th gear
-Secure the battery
-False floor in the trunk
-Figure out what 3rd gauge I need for the engine (voltage/boost/????)
-Mount my digital tachometer somewhere hidden (I'm keeping the diesel cluster with analog clock)
-I'm sure I'm missing a ton of small stuff

Anyways, thats all folks. I thank you for sitting through this whole mess. It's you folks who are the inspiration to tackle these projects and I couldn't have done it without the resources available on VWVORTEX.

If anyone is interested in any additional photos of stuff I may not have posted, feel free to ask me and I will do my best to post them up.

Keep tuned in because I will be making periodic updates to this thread as I work on this car.

I look forward to seeing you guys/gals at H20 2012! Hopefully I will be able to make it to the MK1 GTG. I may be tied up and unable to make it, but I will let everyone know.

-Nick

[jettred3]

Very, very impressive....great work son.

[BARELY LEGAL]

Very, very impressive....great work son.

Thanks!

I'm LOVING your Cabby build! Can't wait to see it done!

[smeatonvw]

Hey, I'm doing the exact same swap as we speak. AEB going into a diesel Caddy. I've been keeping an eye out for a 225hp TT manifold and I've noticed they don't seem to pop up very often.

[smeatonvw]

AND!!!!!! I have that same BBQ.

[BARELY LEGAL]

Hey, I'm doing the exact same swap as we speak. AEB going into a diesel Caddy. I've been keeping an eye out for a 225hp TT manifold and I've noticed they don't seem to pop up very often.

I kept close watch on the TT parts forums for some time before I was able to snag a manifold.

I love my BBQ too!

[Mathdiesel]

Also made a manual boost controller to do some tweaking of the factory boost levels. I think my N75 valve was shot since I was only making 4psi. Now boosting a healthy 7psi. Can't wait to chip this thing and really see how a MK1 20v is supposed to perform.

Working OBD port? I'd check for codes, sounds more like limp mode than a faulty N75. On a stock turbo 20v, a MBC is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

[JustMassive]

the bay looks great! need MOAR white though imo.

[panzer 2.3]

Legit

[BARELY LEGAL]

Working OBD port? I'd check for codes, sounds more like limp mode than a faulty N75. On a stock turbo 20v, a MBC is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

I've got a working OBD2 port wired in. I'll have to check the codes here soon because I haven't in awhile. I know it's not in limp mode because I'm not getting an RPM cut. I don't have VagCom though.

the bay looks great! need MOAR white though imo.

I know. Needs a lot of cleaning/painting before its ready to show.

[A1steaksauce]

bout damn time you got a build thread going

in for more

[aeffertz]

Very, very impressive....great work son.

Agreed, that was a good read.

I like how easy you make it look, wiring in that motor. I fear hooking up my factory 8V wiring...
Keep up the good work, man!

[syracusegli]

[BARELY LEGAL]

Agreed, that was a good read.

I like how easy you make it look, wiring in that motor. I fear hooking up my factory 8V wiring...
Keep up the good work, man!

You should have seen the wiring coming out of the car from the factory. One wire for starter. One wire for injection pump solenoid. A couple wires for coolant temp and oil pressure. Most of those stayed. The additional wiring was from the engine harness.

I even wired up the old glow plug light to act as my check engine light. I don't know why I did that, considering its always on. LOL.

[BARELY LEGAL]

Here's a couple shots of the interior. Power bases work although I don't move them often. There is only one good spot a 6'4" 270lb dude fits in a Jetta Coupe, all the way down and back.




And here's a quick shot of the failed intercooler attempt I made using a MK5 Core. Everything was going smoothly until the last bit of welding. Now it's a fancy paperweight.

[SpeedieD]

Awesome build! And I just love the plate on the car!

[Minty_Fresh]

dam that MK5 core looks so nice. sucks it does not work. sounds exactly like me. i always get something cheap, waste time making it work. get something else cheap, almost get it to work then something goes horrible wrong :bang head: and end up spending the same about i would have to buy the right think i just should of from the start. lol.

love this build already.

[Rapid Decompression]

Fantastic work man..same inter cooler size I got

[benjaminobscene]

Great work! It reads like you built this over a long weekend lol. Looking forward to seeing it in OC

[BARELY LEGAL]

Awesome build! And I just love the plate on the car!

Thanks! When I rocked the plate on my old VR6T people would always test me, and usually get embarrassed.

dam that MK5 core looks so nice. sucks it does not work. sounds exactly like me. i always get something cheap, waste time making it work. get something else cheap, almost get it to work then something goes horrible wrong :bang head: and end up spending the same about i would have to buy the right think i just should of from the start. lol.

love this build already.

Thanks man! I can't help but trying to make something work that might not. Sometimes it works out in my favor. Usually it doesn't.

Fantastic work man..same inter cooler size I got

Thanks! I love the way the intercooler fits. Almost no modification necessary.

Great work! It reads like you built this over a long weekend lol. Looking forward to seeing it in OC

Thanks man! Believe me, I was trying to get this done as quickly as possible. The original timeline of this build had it getting done just before SOWO, but due to unforeseen complications I couldn't get it finished and driving well enough. I did go to SOWO, but I rode with a buddy.


Thanks Everyone for the Support!!

[Ponefish]

for the Blue Recaro's
for your quality craftsmanship
for the mk3 being the most fun car I have driven.

[BARELY LEGAL]

for the Blue Recaro's
for your quality craftsmanship
for the mk3 being the most fun car I have driven.

Thanks for the kind words!

How are you liking your new new GTI?

[Ponefish]

Eh, it's nice and safe haha. Good for work and looks nice, but I'll be back in a mk3 or mk1 soon enough if I can build up the cash. I'll keep an eye out for you in OCMD come Sept.

[93VR6Passat]

Build looks great!! I'd love to talk to you about your wiring sometime, or if you have some more pictures with that it would be great.

[BARELY LEGAL]

Build looks great!! I'd love to talk to you about your wiring sometime, or if you have some more pictures with that it would be great.

Thank you sir.

Anything specific you want to know? Or are there any photos of any particular wiring you might want me to take? I'm happy to help.

[93VR6Passat]

I really like the idea of the separate fuse block and not having to tie into the mk1 box. I'm building a bt aeb as we speak. So as soon as pistons come in I'll be undertaking the swap and I'm sure I'll have some questions regarding any tips or tricks

[BARELY LEGAL]

I really like the idea of the separate fuse block and not having to tie into the mk1 box. I'm building a bt aeb as we speak. So as soon as pistons come in I'll be undertaking the swap and I'm sure I'll have some questions regarding any tips or tricks

Cool. The reason I chose the separate fuse block was so I could simplify the wiring and also not overload the factory fuse block. MK1 fuse blocks are notorious for failing, and I didn't want to speed up that process.

Summit racing is where I bought mine and they sell different sizes to suit what you might be installing. I think these are primarily used to power aftermarket lighting. I ran my coil packs, O2 sensors, fuel pump, fuel injectors, ECU supply, and power seats off this block. Have no issues whatsoever at the moment.

[93VR6Passat]

That's one of the main worries I have with doing the swap is overloading the almost 30 year old wiring. And I would imagine that using a separate block would make the wiring much easier. Especially since the aeb only requires 7ish? wires that need power.

[BARELY LEGAL]

That's one of the main worries I have with doing the swap is overloading the almost 30 year old wiring. And I would imagine that using a separate block would make the wiring much easier. Especially since the aeb only requires 7ish? wires that need power.

You got it. Better safe than sorry.

[d-bot]

Nice work here.

[BARELY LEGAL]

Quick Update.

I've been busy. First off, I finally made a mount for the intake pipe that was just hanging out before. It turned out okay. Fits well, and keeps the intake from clanging around.




Also, I took the trans out to start and rebuild it to my desired specifications. I'm not installing an LSD at the moment, mainly due to funding issues, but I am putting a new ring and pinion in and new TDI fifth gear. The R&P is out of a MK3 VR6 trans and is a 3.38 gear ratio. The TDI fifth gear is .75 ratio.

Just to give you all a reference, with my 02J 2.0 trans and the 165/45r15's, at 3500 RPM I was only at 61 MPH. Killing any type of fuel economy I would have had. Plus it wasn't fun having to start in 2nd all the time, and revving way out on the highway. My new 3.38 R&P and TDI fifth gear will allow me to go 86 MPH at the same 3500 RPM. And if I'm feeling zesty, a whopping 171 MPH at 7000 RPM. Way beyond the capacity of the tires. LOL!

Here's some pics:

Getting the 5th off SUCKS sometimes.

Drilling the ring gear rivets.

FINALLY off.


I'll keep this thread littered with updates and pictures. I've got to get this done before this weekend because there is a great local show on Saturday and Sunday. I suggest anyone remotely close to the Dayton, OH area come to DubDash this year.

http://dubdash.org/

It's a great time.

Thanks for looking!

-Nick

[k2rider5936]

more pics on the tranny build, im looking to do this for my g60 rabbit, it seems like im running out of gears and its horrible on gas....

[BARELY LEGAL]

Ask and you shall receive.

I didn't take any when I was pressing the gears off/on because my hands were covered in gear oil. Here are a couple before and after. Notice the number of teeth on the old ring and pinion. This made for a higher gear ratio, therefore shorter gearing overall. The second pic shows the gears pressed onto the new pinion shaft and new ring gear on the differential.

Before:


After:


I actually got this ring and pinion for free from a local guy who wanted my 4.24 for his VR6 swapped Golf. He wants more ass off the line, I want better cruising on the highway. Works out for both of us. Anyways, the mk3 vr6 transmission will interchange alot of parts with an 02j and in your case an 02a from a g60. Search "gearing speed calculator" on google to find out how a new ring and pinion will affect your setup at any given RPM and tire size.

Thanks for watching!

[BARELY LEGAL]

Quick Update.

My car WILL NOT be making it to DubDash as expected.
I got royally screwed by a French-Canadian in a 5th gear deal and my transmission will not be put back together in time. When I said "I need the 5th gear in my possession by no later than the 13th" and he ships it from Canada on the 14th, I have a feeling it will not get here on time!


Anyways, I'm still on for H2Oi and look forward to meeting some of you MK1 guys/gals.

Here she is looking all sad on jackstands.



-Nick

[A1steaksauce]

this is not acceptable. i'm only coming to dub dash to see this whip.

man up and fab a tow bar and tow it up to the dash. i have faith in the 1.7 in your other ride. should be more than enough hp to tow.