new guy looking for some wisdom from the experts

hi guys and gals
ill introduce my self im Richard and im 21 years old

have been into the vag scene since i was about 16 and have had a mkiv since i got my license at 18 but have slowy come over to the classic side lol

my current plan is to start a project specifically a mk1 driver project and to carry out a bare shell restoration and  engine conversion i know its not to everyone's taste but i want to create a car from the bare shell up and id like to make something special

anyway little introduction over
will soon be bombarding you all with questions thanks guys

Welcome along, You cant beat the classics!
My name is also Richard and im 21!

I'm only 23
2nd mk1 and a third getting delivered in feb, that's a project though that one same as you want

Hi Richard and welcome to the forum. You're in the right place for info and tips on your planned restoration.

Good luck  

Hi there.  I'm no 'expert' but know a bit. I'll help out whenever I can.  Good luck with your project!

thanks for the reply guys nice to know its a friendly welcoming comunity and that theres atleast a few people round the same age as me that are looking to do the same thing

so whats your plan for your project brad if you dont mind me asking at the moment im leaning more to the 1.8t engine transplant as im already quite familiar with that engine but while im there going big turbo probably 28rs elimnator get everything done right from the get go rather than want to do it latter down the road lol

Mines going to be a 16v turbo or supercharged if I'm honest. 

I have big plans for it, being a small light mk1 it deserves it there will be a build thread going on. 

Only thing that puts me off 1.8t is the sump, even when not slammed its close to the floor lol. 

Welcome Richard
Youve come to the right place!Chris

sorry about the late reply guys damm work ha
yer i have read that it sits low in the bay just have to be extra carefull with the old speed bumps and pot holes

i shall keep a eye out for the build thread man
im not planing on strarting my project for a while yet just trying to gather as much info before hand been prepared and all lol

Put the time in and read a few build threads to gather good user information 

There's plenty of 20v's out there for help

Don't skimp out though and do things properly, my advice! 

i shall do that man  
as you said trheres quite a few people that have done the conversion so will be able to pick up bits and peices from there build threads and hopefully fingers crossed have enough info to make mine fairly straight forward

and that is the plan do everything right from the off set buy once expencive rather than twice cheap plus its a treat to myself for getting out of the forces so dont want to cheat myself out ha

Ahhh right, a lad local to me from the army I think he is, he's just built a 6n vtec  very impressive build. 

Plenty of help out there lad whack a thread up when you've got the project rolling 

haha same detail bit unusaul a vtec engine : / but everyone to there own i supose its diffrent
ive just been having a look though smudger1980 build looks excellent !

in fact i have my first question actully for everyone from the build threads ive read alot of people use diffrent ecu and fuel managment systems
why do people not just use the donnor cars systems ? how to describe it better why when people do conversions how come they dont take all the systems ie wiring loom ecu engine and shoe horn them into the project car

In my case the donor ECU was a Digifant one being a G60. It is only configurable so far and is effectively hacked to alter the mappings. So if you put larger injectors in, larger turbo/supercharger, alter the cams etc etc then it gets more and more difficult to get it setup just right.
Whereas going for a custom ECU means you have complete control over the ignition and fuel maps to get it just how you want it and tweak it in the future should you desire - but like everything there is a cost involved !!

I run an Emerald ECU on a 16V Lysholm Supercharged engine :-)

cool i understand that the ecu from the original car ie a mk1 cars ecu would be quite restrictive but what i mean is how come more people dont just use the ecu from the donor car in my case a 1.8t in there conversion or is this possible ?

Completely possible and is done quite often.
Most get the immobiliser defeated and then just wire it up

right see i was under the impression that it was required to have stand alone management learning already ha

so say (as a rough guide) if i was to have a mk1(car a) and a mk4 gti(car b) side by side what would be required to get the engine swapped and running from car b into car a

its safe to say that is going to be the biggest mechanical undertaking by far so really any and all help is appreciated

Never done the conversion myself, so don't know all the details.
I am sure on of the 20V guys will be along to chime in.

necrorat said

right see i was under the impression that it was required to have stand alone management learning already ha

so say (as a rough guide) if i was to have a mk1(car a) and a mk4 gti(car b) side by side what would be required to get the engine swapped and running from car b into car a

its safe to say that is going to be the biggest mechanical undertaking by far so really any and all help is appreciated

You will need the correct engine mounts and also to move the o/s engine mount back a bit and re-weld it on. Most just flip it over and re-weld it on further up.

You need a front mount intercooler, bigger rad, fan set-up. assorted silicone and pipe work to adapt, then theres the brakes upgrade to stop you. Most go to 280mm set-up. ARB front and rear if you haven't got them are a good idea.

Fuel pump upgrade and potentially lines as well. It all mounts up mate as I am finding out