a mountain of a job

I've been mk1 golf mad for as long as I can remember, I've been hording scale reprica's and air fix models from about 10 years old. Now the models are now gathering dust in my loft I think that it is time for the real thing. I am 21 now I have the income, space and the patience to take a project on. the only thing that I am lacking is the knowledge. I am going to pick up my 1st golf next week, a 1981 1600cc golf GTI, with the intention of putting a VR6 engine in it. I know that it is a tall order and want to get every bit of information that I can so that I do not bite off more than I can chew.
If any one knows of anything that I can read up on that would help me familiarise myself with the VR6 engine any help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks alot Adam (East Yorkshire)

good luck, sounds awesome and from experience the guys on here are fantastic and will help no end.

cant wait to see it finished!

i hope so, i need all the help i can get

has anybody on here done a VR6 conversion before?

add1989 said

has anybody on here done a VR6 conversion before?

ya have to weld in a mk2/mk3 golf subframe rest should be easy

how well would that house gear box?

u could save yourself alot of work and keep the 1.6 gti they are getting rare now and are quite quick as standarded.
if you wanted it faster you could spend some cash on the engine.
vr6 would also be abit of an animal tho good luck!

nige

If you've dreamed of owning a Mk1 for such a long time I think you ought to enjoy the Mk1 GTI as it was designed to be. Ok, to have a long term goal but don't rush into changing the original hot hatch in its purist form !

i think the 1600cc would be staying in for a good while anyway, the more i look into vr6 conversions the less confident i am that i am competent enough to take it on, and it would realy spoil what shoult be a belting project if i cocked it up

the 1.6 give u alot of fun remenber its how fast you to a 100mph boring after !

Wel thats my view

a mk1 gti is a light fun car that goes around corners while cocking its leg in the air.  even today its an agile car.  I would look really closely into the pro's and cons of putting a big heavy engine like a vr6 into the front of one.  Vr6's can be great fun, and it's your car and your money, but you may notice that most peoply doing an engine swap will opt for a 16V, a 1.8t or even a G60…  Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

add1989 said

…the more i look into vr6 conversions the less confident i am that i am competent enough to take it on…

Keep researching and hopefully your confidence will have completely diminished!  

It really is a big job, and probably the least suitable engine to stick in a Mk1!
If you are wanting to do an engine conversion for shear power and the need to take on a challenge, your money would be better spent on a 20VT conversion, or even a 16v on twin 45's! More than adequate to make any passenger soil their undergarments in such a light weight car!

i would keep it standard, as prev stated they are getting rare these days.

chris

go 20v instead much easier  :wink:

i think im going to take heed to advice and do away with the VR6 idea, maybe keep it in mind for a few years down the line. had a set back today with the 1.6, the guy selling it was a nutter, the golf was in a REALY bad state had been sat for a long time but he was very stuborn and would not take less than £2000! for it so i had to leave it. however picked up a MK3 GTI 2l 8v on my way home for £200! very tidy only done 86k will be good donar i rekon. will get pics on asap.