Smokey The TDI
Well-known member
Sooooo Somehow I convinced my wife to let me buy ANOTHER Project........
Here is the deal.. I need a truck. Not a very big truck but one that I can throw an engine into and go. I was doing another one of my random CL searches last week and I ran across an Ad that really caught my eye. Screen shot of the Ad below. After the usual CL shenanigans I was driving home my "new" 1981 VW Caddy! She yanks hard to the right when you accelerate and hard to the left when you let off. She has more play in the steering than I thought possible. But she runs! Supposedly the motor was rebuilt 6000miles ago... But of course no documents to support that. On the drive home the caddy cruised around 55mph and if I ran into any hill, Well forget it. I was doing 45 with my flashers on... That wont work. I have hills where I live.... The biggest one is on my way to work!
So like everyone else I started looking for Horsepower... on the internet. I looked into a TD swap, Nitrous(I'm still considering it...Lowers EGT), Then I came across an interesting thread... this guy put a mid 90s TDI in his MK1. I got to thinkin.....
Now I have a 2003 Golf TDI. I bought it from a salvage auction. Owner totaled it and the Insurance company sold it for "parts". In 2012 I bought it for $1900. I bought a left rear door off of craigslist($40), The rear suspension from a new beetle($100), and with a little persuasion from a slide hammer... We get that two-tone beauty down below.... That was a few years ago and she hasn't skipped a beat in 50k miles.
I have upgraded a few parts since then-
G60 SMFlywheel
VR6 Clutch and pressure plate
50% bigger SMIC
All New Poly Bushing
Coilovers
3" Cat back exhaust (Most wonderful sound in the world)
Flash forward to current day and Helga isn't holding up very well.. She is aging. Her engine is in wonderful condition but the body is falling apart... and fast.
After scratching through a couple of note pads I finally have a game plan.
As the title says I'm going to swap in my ALH and 02J trans into my MK1 Caddy.
Today I ordered the first and main bits for the build - ALH/02J to MK1 Engine/Trans Mounts. Link - http://www.retrofication.co.uk/557and389.html
I shelled out the $300 for the pieces that I needed and now we wait for them to arrive from the UK.
I work two jobs and I would like to stay married so right off the bat I'm telling you this isn't going to be a fast build but I think I've got enough here to hopefully get some people excited. I do have other cars that I am trying to build and sell in these coming months. That will also slow things a bit but in the meantime I will be acquiring parts, researching, and getting advice from all you kind folk.... Of course I'll also keep y'all updated with photos as often as I can!
Helga
So here is the Craigslist Ad -
Here are a few photos of the Rabbit LX
Here is the deal.. I need a truck. Not a very big truck but one that I can throw an engine into and go. I was doing another one of my random CL searches last week and I ran across an Ad that really caught my eye. Screen shot of the Ad below. After the usual CL shenanigans I was driving home my "new" 1981 VW Caddy! She yanks hard to the right when you accelerate and hard to the left when you let off. She has more play in the steering than I thought possible. But she runs! Supposedly the motor was rebuilt 6000miles ago... But of course no documents to support that. On the drive home the caddy cruised around 55mph and if I ran into any hill, Well forget it. I was doing 45 with my flashers on... That wont work. I have hills where I live.... The biggest one is on my way to work!
So like everyone else I started looking for Horsepower... on the internet. I looked into a TD swap, Nitrous(I'm still considering it...Lowers EGT), Then I came across an interesting thread... this guy put a mid 90s TDI in his MK1. I got to thinkin.....
Now I have a 2003 Golf TDI. I bought it from a salvage auction. Owner totaled it and the Insurance company sold it for "parts". In 2012 I bought it for $1900. I bought a left rear door off of craigslist($40), The rear suspension from a new beetle($100), and with a little persuasion from a slide hammer... We get that two-tone beauty down below.... That was a few years ago and she hasn't skipped a beat in 50k miles.
I have upgraded a few parts since then-
G60 SMFlywheel
VR6 Clutch and pressure plate
50% bigger SMIC
All New Poly Bushing
Coilovers
3" Cat back exhaust (Most wonderful sound in the world)
Flash forward to current day and Helga isn't holding up very well.. She is aging. Her engine is in wonderful condition but the body is falling apart... and fast.
After scratching through a couple of note pads I finally have a game plan.
As the title says I'm going to swap in my ALH and 02J trans into my MK1 Caddy.
Today I ordered the first and main bits for the build - ALH/02J to MK1 Engine/Trans Mounts. Link - http://www.retrofication.co.uk/557and389.html
I shelled out the $300 for the pieces that I needed and now we wait for them to arrive from the UK.
I work two jobs and I would like to stay married so right off the bat I'm telling you this isn't going to be a fast build but I think I've got enough here to hopefully get some people excited. I do have other cars that I am trying to build and sell in these coming months. That will also slow things a bit but in the meantime I will be acquiring parts, researching, and getting advice from all you kind folk.... Of course I'll also keep y'all updated with photos as often as I can!
Helga
So here is the Craigslist Ad -
Here are a few photos of the Rabbit LX
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