restored mk1 gets converted to 20v :D

hi everyone,

thought i start documenting my 20vt conversion from the 1.8 gti valver otherwise i will have nothing to look back on (or show ) !

it started off when i bought my 2nd golf from penny(dave) who bought it off o which done all the previous resto - see here for details The Mk1 Golf Owners Club

i've been enjoying driving it since i had it but theres always been an itch inside me to do a 20vt conversion on a mk1. at first i wanted to keep this golf standard with little tweaks here and there, but eventually i came round to the idea of just dropping the turbo lump in there and be done with it all

so after looking around for a suitable engine, i found one on the fleabay for ?850 (AGU with 77k'ish) and picked it up a week later. i dumped this in the boot of the mk1 just to store it temporarily.

a couple of weeks later when the weather was good i went to my garage and started dismantling the engine bay ready so i could get round to lowering the valver out.

the valver came out on sunday just gone and i now have a nice empty engine bay which needs cleaning and hammerite'ing ive also got a spare brand new steering rack so i might do that aswell.

next on my list is to do the cambelt, water pump and fit the 16v tensioner on the 20vt, ordered the bits from gsf so hopefully should be with me this week and ill let you all know how i get on. haynes manual for the 1.8t engine is on its way and with any luck ill get both at the same time

ill be looking to sell the 8v engine as its done around 4-5k since the rebuild so hardly ran in!

pics:

Good start  Will keep a eye on this.

Love the reverse rake in the last pic

Pete

heh, shame it wont be like that for long !

got the cam belt, water pump and 16v tensioner ready to fit, i just gotta find the correct stud so i can install the tensioner onto the block

Wow, great!!!

What are you doing with the old engine? Let me know as I wouldn't mind buying it back if you still have it

Keep up the great work

o

hi o!

long time no see

im afraid i havent done much since i took the engine out car wise, lazyness and cold wether stop me from doing much - and the fact the garage is 2 miles from me doorstep lol

hopefully the new year will kickstart me into at least putting the turbo lump in the bay then i can tow it home at least.

i still got the original engine, i need to take the flywheel/clutch off of it but by all means you can have it for some ??'s would be a nice story to tell people the original engine got sold back to its owner

Hi jdr,

Yep, its too flippin' cold to be working on motors at the moment - I need to go wash a Civic in a sec and its -2 outside

Good to hear the engine ain't gone quite yet - dunno where the heck i'd put it but it'd be nice to have it back - as you said, it's make a good story from my side also!

o

Time for another update!

I have done much with it for the past 3~ months, but now that the weather is turning good that means i can spend me weekends and evenings on the car in good light  - and warmth

so far i have done the following:

put new cam belt on 20v along with new water pump and mk1 engine mount.

took flywheel, clutch, and pressure plate off the 8v ready to be installed on the 20v.

i have also unbolted the steering rack and UJ so that i could move the fuel lines to left hand side.

i spotted abit of rust near the steering rack where the wire attaches to the chasis so before i do anything more i will wirebrush back to bare metal and hammerite it for now.

next to do on my list is:

install clutch parts on the 20v and slip gearbox on.

shoe horn the engine into the bay and then start on the plumbing!

heres a question for you:

the bolts that hold the pressure plate onto the crack - can i re use them or shall i buy some new ones?

cheers.

jdr.

Hi mate just noticed your thread and quite excited about it to be honest.  Was toying with a 1.8t when I'm more compitent with the whole conversion thing (doing my first engine rebuild now).  How's this going?  Is the 1.8t in yet?  Keep the pics coming mate as they really show it coming along.  Cheers  :y:

Hey spudfingers,

This is my first engine conversion! it was abit daunting at first, espically when I took the original out and was left with a feeling of 'oh crap what have i got myself into' lol.

almost got the clutch on now and then will slip the gearbox on, then get the engine into the bay.

its safe to say im taking my time on this one - i normally spend a few hours on a weekend then leave it for a week or two then come back to it etc.

its slow to say the least but im learning things all the time - but deffitnely getting closer to putting it in the bay now

I'm looking forward to the electrics as i'm a computer techie in the day, so megasuirt is right up my street!

cheers.

Looks like its going great JDR!! Keep up the top work and did you ever sell that engine?

o

Another update!

I've given the engine a clean with some degreaser and fitted the gearbox new clutch and pressure place :mrgreen:  , aux belt, alternator + bracket and new tensionner and belt.

all thats left now is to replace some split cv boots or two, and dab abit of green hammerite on a few suspect areas in the engine bay before the lump goes in!

then ill be sourcing a megasquirt ecu, hoses and intercooler bits!

oooh its getting exciting now

pics below:























jdr.

engine in

with the help of a friend we managed to put the engine into the bay.

previously i had been basically trying to prep the engine bay as best i could with the limited tools/expereance i have.

any rust i saw i tried to get rid of, used a wire brush bit on a drill and then painted over with green hammerite. didnt look too bad! (im not expecting the engine bay to be pristine as some of the others have done!)

i'm waiting on some poly mounts to come thru before going much futher but the rough list is this:

connect up drive shafts
bolt on exhaust i got from qpeng
make sure gear selection is working fine
connect up coolant hoses to rad
sort out intercooler and pipe work
sort out fuel hose and filter
install megasquirt ecu!
add water, oil and petrol to the mix and start revving

pics:

just had a read through looks awesome what your doing gonna take a keen interest in this.
been wondering for a while what to do in a year or two when ive got all the bodywork etc sorted on mine then gonna mess with the engine.
keep up the good work fella :y:

Looking good keep up the good work  :y:

Looking good mate, I know what you mean about the daunted bit  

I just got to here with mine  



I think I may be taking the same route as you so will be watching with interest  :clap:

thanks all for the comments!

i cant wait to get everything connected and working, it should be lots of fun

bigw2069 - you look like ya got your hands full there matey! get some black hammerite painted on - no one will ever know

so far i can recommend going the 20vt route as its been pretty simple so far, but time will tell when i get the megasquirt ecu connected how difficult it will be

i'll try and document everything as i go along as it might help you guys in the future when doing the conversion  

cheers,

jdr.

Good progress there jdr.

So, are you driving up to the annual show in it with us this year? :mrgreen: