Looking for advise on the best engine conversion for my mk1 project - i likey turbo`s so 1.8t or 2.0t ?

Hi Guys  ,

Just managed to get hold of this very original 3 door 1980 1.1 tin top and want to turn it into something i can jump into on a weekend and annoy some very expensive sports car owners lol.
I love the idea of being back behind the wheel of a turbo charged animal trying to chuck me off the road at every chance like the old days with my R5T`S AND RST`S !
I have a mk1 mini project on the go (still) but it should be going off for paint in the next few weeks so would ideally like to sort out a donor car asap for the conversion but not sure what model/year/engine to go for ? I have read many threads on the conversion mainly from golf GTI 1.8T mk4`s 150 bhp AGU engines but they are all older topics and would like to hear more about the TFSI pro`s and con`s before sending myself off down the wrong road ? - seems to be a lot of conflicting information out there !
I obviously need to weigh up the cost implications for all options but would ideally like something that requires less work for a good amount of power and reliability , any help would be awesome guys SORRY FOR CRUD PICTURE BUT ITS ALL I HAVE AVAILABLE AT WORK



 

It's a small block car, stay small block!!!!!!!!!

A 1272 GT engine from a polo will give you around 75 bhp before tuning. Around 110 or so with tuning, exhaust and carbs

A 1400 DOHC 16v is around 100bhp striaght out the box. Tuning with carbs and 'zorst will give around 125bhp. Add a supercharger for stupid gains. Or build a hybrid 1400 top end, 1600 bottom end and lumpy cams etc for around 180bhp.

G40 engine. Around £500 or so for a turbo small block, should be good fro between 130 and 150 depending on tune etc.

Forget big block, stooopid power and massive understeer due to all the weight on the front axle, stick to light weight small blocks  

Or just do what everyone else does    

Yeah, do what every one else does.

My Mk1 mini is staying original with some added performance mods like twin carbs/cam etc…as i didnt want to completely ruin its value so with this one i thought i`d go another way .
I know these T conversions have been done by everyone but not me so its gotta be my turn lol.

I have several golfs of different ages in my watch list going from between £500-£800 but i just need to know which engine is going to be the best for my needs ? Pre 2001 - Post 2001 or BAM etc ???

I will most probably drop it in as close to standard as possible for the time being with any upgrades coming later but need to buy the right car first !

These are only my thoughts,  the 1.8t engine will give all the power you need in a road going mk1 if power is important,  its probably easier/cheaper than the later 2 ltr tfsi,s as its been done so many times.  If considering a bam (or similar) then buy one, although they seem initially expensive,  by the time you have bought the required exhaust manifold,  the k04, and the turbo oil/water lines plus the non bam engine you will probably have spent a similar amount.

Awesome Cheers for the straight forward advise, any idea on the cut off years between the the 1.8t with forged internals and the one without ? Is it the AGU engine i should look out for up to 2001 ?
Which exhaust manifold do i need ?

Cheers

Ive gone for an AGU type as it has cable throttle body, which I want and it looks simpler than other types which have  vvt for instance. Its large port though and I have read small port is best for torque figure.  So its down to what you really want, afraid I have no knowledge on internals,  actually no knowledge on anything really

Do you know what year/model your engine came from ?

I'd hunt for a bam engine or amk code from an Audi TT or cupra R as these used the k04 and will map to 270. 

Agu has the baby k03 turbo, although you can strap a k03s to it and map to around 200. Agu's came from Audi a3's and mk4gti's amongst others. 

But if you want power to upset modern motors… the k04 setup is a no brainer. 

Am i right in saying the BAM engine is also found in the s3  ? Are there any other (cheaper) vehicles fitted with the 225 BAM lump not mentioned here like skoda etc and are there any engine differences if taking from anything other then an a3 or golf ? bigger sumps ?
I can purchase salvage cars directly so just need to narrow down my search options for make model .
Cheers for the help guys !

Here is my agu type engine with the bam or audi tt manifold and k04 bolted on.

So the Bam manifold bolts straight onto the agu head, what are you using for the down pipe ?

Here is a link to one of the possible BAM engine donors i am looking at if i go down that route

https://www.copart.co.uk/lot/34509796

link works  Still not sure BAM or AGU really but If BAM already comes with the better turbo and the higher horses it might be the sensible option to be honest .

Using the very top part from the tt, I will be making my own downpipe with stainless pipe.  Good idea to buy the whole car as there would be lots of parts, not needed  to sell on