stripethree

Some good progress was made on the GTI’s new engine this weekend, but it looks like that November will come with the car still sitting motionless. With help from Jeremy and John quite a few odds, ends, and some large steps were made on the engine. The front and rear crank oil and flange seals were replaced, the electrical harness was swapped, the injectors, fuel rail, and fuel pressure regulator were installed, the new pressure plate, clutch, and flywheel was installed, and the manifolds and turbo were all disassembled and everything tightened. The engine and distributor are also properly timed, and the transmission, with a new throwout bearing and cover, was bolted to the G60 motor.

We found a handful of things that weren’t so hot with the engine in the form of some missing bolts, some broken bolts, and some electrical items that were worn and not usable. Luckily, between the parts off the spare G60 engine, and parts off the 8v engine that came out of the GTI (which is similar to the engine going in, minus the turbo and some other big details) we were able to piece things together. I have a couple thing to get done this week before the motor – I need to obtain a better waste gate and get an oxygen sensor bung welded into the down pipe. Perhaps next weekend the engine will be ready to get bolted back into the GTI.

This will be the last entry for Project Daily Driver GTI. It’s under the knife, and will hopefully emerge a mean green turbocharged machine. It took a while, but I had to figure out something new to call this project, and I think the name’s a good one. It fits my car habit in general, especially given what has progressed with this GTI. Hence forth, it will be known as Project Skewed Priorities.

Why? Well, among my car friends, what I’m doing isn’t all that insane. The folks helping me do this work have done many engine swaps in the past. Non-car friends and family however, wonder why I’d bother to tear apart an 18 year old car just to put an entirely different engine, equally old in the car. Especially when the current engine that is, I mean ‘was’, in it was working pretty well. They probably think I’ve lost my mind (newsflash: ah, it’s been MIA for a while) Madness? No, this, is Volkswagens. Why then, do you ask, did I decide to do this?

Let’s just say that speed was definitely a factor.

I bought this motor back in May, and it sat at my friend’s house while the R32 threw shitfits and prevented the transformation of my little green monster. Last night the engine was finally hoisted onto a truck and moved across town, where it now sits next to a strikingly similar motor that just yesterday was powering a 1991 GTI. As you may have guessed the engine in the GTI was pulled this evening and now sits, waiting to be picked apart and otherwise used for the few things bolted to it that are of real value. Pulling the motor was not as complicated as I would have thought, but, as is always the case, putting something back together always proves more challenging than tearing it down. It also, again, doesn’t hurt to have the help of experienced friends – with the knowledge of Hayes (who sold me the motor) and John, the motor was out in less than 3 hours. Without an engine swapping newbie (me) setting much of the pace and asking questions at every wrench turn, it probably could have been out in about 90 minutes. It is a little sad to see the car sit in the carport with it’s heart ripped out and sitting off to the side.

If it could only know that it’s new heart will be about twice a powerful..