2.5 V6 TDI A4 Avant Quattro swap project

Way back in August I saw a posting here from Petr at ultim8vwparts.com advertising a full PD motor conversion for a mk4. This immediately sparked my interest.

I had recently put together my TD rabbit truck and was enjoying driving a diesel. I'm also a longtime fan of Audi's... I've had a few ranging from a turbo 4000 quattro to a few coupes to my most recent A4 1.8T gasser sedan

I knew that they sold diesel Audi's in Europe but that sadly we hadn't gotten any of them since the mid-80's or so (the 5000?). I liked the idea of a modern Audi with an efficient, powerful TDI motor AND all-wheel drive. What could be better? Soon afterwards, fuel prices went up after Katrina and that cinched it for me...

I emailed Petr and we started talking about doing a conversion project here in the states. Through internet resources and Petr's contacts, I tried to compile a list of what engines / transmission options came with which models in Europe.

Initially, I thought I'd go for a 1.9 4-cyl TDI to swap into my current A4 (1.8T). I figured it'd be easier and since it's a four cylinder, it'd be similar to the TDI's they sold stateside in the VW's...

Petr (who lived in Canada but now lives in Prague) informed me that the European market gets the new car model years before the US, so that narrowed my search. I wanted a B5 model swap to fit into my car, so that meant I needed something that was made in Europe from 96 until late 2000. In recent years quattro sales have apparently picked up as Petr was having great luck finding B6 A4's (we got those in late 2001/early 2002) way more than the year I was interested in

As the months went on, Petr found a few Passat 4-motion swaps and a bunch of front-wheel drive cars, but no 1.9 A4 quattros. I soon found out that unlike the US market, where most Audi's are sold as upscale / luxury-sport vehicles, a great number of Audi's were sold in Europe in the same range as the VW's in the same range.

Petr explained that many people opted against the quattro system and the luxury / sport models there in favor of smaller engines and lower prices. This made things even tougher. Petr kept searching the junkyards for me for a few months.

Since we weren't having any luck, we opened the search to include the possibility of buying a used / wrecked car (rebuilder) and then parting it out after claiming the swap. We kept at it and one day, this January, Petr emailed me with exciting information...

He'd found a wrecked 1998 A4 Avant quattro with 75k miles...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:audiA4_2_5_4X4_2

It had gotten hit on the passenger side and was currently at a shop waiting to be rebuilt.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:audiA4_2_5

The best part was that it was a B5 chassis (like I wanted) AND it had the somewhat rare combination of the 2.5 liter V6 TDI engine and the 6-speed quattro transmission. That engine produces 150hp (around 220 ft/lbs torque I believe) using a VNT turbo and has twin intercoolers. I was pretty excited, but wasn't sure about how much it would cost.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:engine_bay_2_5

I worked with Petr and we struck a deal. I'd be getting the complete swap kit... everything from instruments to wiring to axles, radiator, etc. Petr made it easy and had the car back in his shop and disassembled before I knew it.

To be continued...

Elliott

Near the end of January, Petr and his crew had completely taken apart the donor car and were getting it ready to ship...

Engine and trans dropped out...





http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:dismantled_1

While all this was going on, a friend happened to show me a nice looking 1998 A4 Avant he had found a few hours from us. I was immediately interested. I've always liked the wagon and this one fit the bill for the project for many reasons...

-It was a V6 car
-It had higher miles (150k) on the 30 valve V6 so the price was right
-It had leather heated seats and the wood interior (unlike my other A4)
-It was originally equipped with the Sport package that included the S model steering wheel and sport suspension.
-Bose concert system and CD-changer.
-The original owner was a racer and had maintained the car very well.

Finally... the Avant was a 1998 model. My A4 was a 99.5 model (newer interior, electronics, etc). For me, the idea of doing a swap of this size is somewhat formidable, so instead of trying to guess whether the older euro electronics from the donor would work in my newer A4, I decided it might be better to get the same year car.

I talked to the owner and we hammered out a deal. The Avant was very nice and I immediately felt at home. The 30V V6 is a great motor and at 190 hp, it's no slouch either. The suspension is a bit tired (upgrades later?) but mechanically, the car was in great shape.

Here are some pics of the car. Forgive the frost on the hood that makes the paint look dull and the road-grime from driving it. It's dirty, but you get the idea...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Avant_V6_30V2



Not sure if the fact that the car was originally a V6 car will make the V6 TDI swap any easier, but I'm fairly certain that since the fuel tank from the donor came from an Avant, that part will go a bit more smooth.

Next...around February first, Petr emailed me again with exciting news. We had talked about shipping the conversion and originally I was going to make the trek up to Canada (or Pennsylvania) to receive the shipment and clear customs.

Now... I've never dealt with customs, duties or international shipments, so I was sweating that part. Petr informed me that he had found a way to get the shipment all the way to my home town. Great!

On that subject, I must put in a good word about Petr. He's been VERY patient throughout this process and he's bent over backwards to make this possible. He's able to get VERY attractive shipping rates by sharing container space on overseas transport ships. I think if I tried to arrange shipping on an item this big, it'd end up costing me a fortune.

All said and done, I think his price on this conversion is untouchable by nearly anyone else. If you've got a mechanic brother who lives in Europe, you could try to make something like this happen, but you'd still lack Petr's knowledge of VAG diesel products, his attention to detail, vast rolodex of salvage dealers and shipping contacts.

On another subject, some of you might be asking "Yes, but what about the emissions on the car and the E_P_A?".

Well, I actually called the state of Ohio emissions / E_P_A board about this project and talked to an official. I explained the situation and described the project from the standpoint that the engine was very similar to the TDI's that VW brought into the US and that the platform is the same as the Passat's that came into the country as TDI's.

Now...my county no longer does emission checks, but the official told me that he didn't see any problems with the swap so long as I kept the original emissions equipment on the car as it came from Audi.

The gentleman was pretty easy going about the whole thing...that said, I didn't get that response in writing and if you're contemplating doing a swap like this and have to deal with emissions standards, you should do your homework and call your state office concerning this.

To be continued...

Elliott

Back in '04 SVTWEB converted a a gas V6 Passat Tiptronic with 4motion to a 2.5 V6 TDI with 6-speed 4motion. The devil is in the details. Lots of them. I hope you have information for where everything goes. Don't forget fuel lines, fuel tank, power steering lines, and brackets for more stuff than I can remember. It would have been to your advantage if pictures of the parts had been taken as they were installed in the donor.

Good luck.

Part 3: Who's your broker?

Fast forward a few weeks while the swap was in transit from Hamburg, Germany. I rec'd paperwork from the shipper and got in contact with their American office in Chicago.

The rep immediately asked me what my broker's name was and that contact info. Uhhh..... broker, what? Obviously I would need to clear customs with the shipment, but I was under the assumption that I could do it myself.

The rep cautioned me that since this was a shipment of used auto parts and since I had paid for the parts from a business, that it would be best to let someone else (a broker) clear it for me to avoid problems. Since I didn't want this thing to sit in customs for 60 days because I have no idea what forms to fill out, I got a referral and hired a local broker.

Surprisingly, the process is simple.. you give the broker the documents and pay a fee (around $90) and they do all the work.

Unfortunately for me, the shipment was coming into a terminal that could not load into a pickup truck, so I had to find a local trucking / cartage company with a lift gate to deliver it. More expense there... The broker was kind enough to arrange that.

There were some unforseen "document and terminal charge" fees tacked onto the shipment's arrival, so along with the delivery fees and everything, a bit more expense had added onto the conversion's price. The great part is that Petr had arranged for shipment to Ohio, so I didn't have to drive 6-8 hours to pick it up. This was a bigger deal than I realized.

Shipment day...

I got the arrival notice last Wednesday and eagerly met the truck at the delivery point. I'm going to be using the shop at DTR Performance in Florence, Kentucky for the install. Kevin (the owner) heard of my plans and agreed to help out with the build (besides that point, my garage is busy at the moment). He's got extensive fabrication experience and is no stranger to engine conversions (mostly gasser VW's).

I met the trucker and we unloaded his truck. There were two pallets, one with the engine/trans and exhaust on it and the other which basically contained the rest of the donor car...




Unfortunately, there was some signifigant damage during transit to the pallet bearing the engine and transmission. It looks as though the pallet was mishandled and possibly knocked over. Not so good.

I spent a few hours unwrapping the pallets and taking stock. Much to my chagrin, there was damage to some engine components including the intake manifold, front engine mount and the ECU. I was pretty upset about the whole thing, but Petr had insurance on the shipment and it appears that they're taking care of it on their end. Petr's already got a line on some replacements I'll need.

The most important thing is that it's all there... Here's the pallet with all the "other" parts from the donor (radiator, axles, wiring, a/c lines, fuel lines, fuel tank, etc).








Here's the engine and trans ... naked without the engine cover. You can see the broken pallet...



From the rear. You can see the single turbo and how the exhaust bolts on...



Other side...




More pics to follow...

More photos...

Fuel tank or modern furniture?


http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:fuel_tank1

Intercoolers...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:intercoolers


Big ole mess of wiring (that's the harness from the entire car, mind you...)

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:wiring_TDI

Instrument cluster...(yes, it's in km and Celcius)

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:cluster

Rear diff and radiator / core support...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:diff_radiator

Pedal assembly (drive by wire...)

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:pedals1


A few shots of what's to come...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:shifter_6spd

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:V6TDI_enginecover



To be continued...

I'll be working this week to make space for the disassembly of the Avant...

Elliott

>>Back in '04 SVTWEB converted a a gas V6 Passat Tiptronic with 4motion to a 2.5 V6 TDI with 6-speed 4motion.

Yep... I've seen that thread. Impressive work and a great car. Seeing his project inspired me somewhat.

>> I hope you have information for where everything goes. Don't forget fuel lines, fuel tank, power steering lines, and brackets for more stuff than I can remember.

Yes, I've got photos from when the donor was taken apart. I've got everything from the dontor car including the fuel lines, a/c components and the like. Obviously, I'll know more when I get into the project though.

Should be fun...

If you ever need the TB changed, I've got the tools. I changed SVTWEB's. How many miles on this engine? Got service history?

You're doing exactly what 99% of the people on this forum dream of. I hope everything goes smoothly for you...

MOGolf...

>>If you ever need the TB changed, I've got the tools. I changed SVTWEB's.

Thanks for the offer. To tell you the truth, I was worried about the timing belt and the availability of things like filters, belts, maintenance items, etc.

I asked Petr to give me the belt numbers and such so I could line up spares, but he did me one better and had his mechanic come by and install a brand new timing belt kit for me on the engine before they pulled it. He sent along the old belts (2) / kit so I'll know which parts to order next time.

Incidentally, does it use the same cam locking tool / crank lock pin as the gasser V6? The PO of the Avant happened to give me the tool he bought for doing his timing belts on the 30V.

>>How many miles on this engine? Got service history?

The engine had 75,000 miles on it and ran fine in the car. They were able to start and run it while it was at the shop waiting for the body to be fixed. As far as service history, I didn't get any records from the previous owner (I'm assuming that was lost), unfortunately.

There should be 4 total belts on the engine. Two serpentine, 1 timing belt and 1 smaller belt from left cam to the injection pump. Let's hope the water pump or thermostat don't go bad. They all have to come off for replacement.

As long as parts can be sourced from Europe, you'll be ok, but you'll have to plan ahead for any breakdowns.

Crank holder pin is the same, but cam holder tool is different.

Congratulations on your project, caddytd. Definately the envy of a few tdi owners, especially me. I can't wait to see your updates! C'mon, how much for that wrecked Avante?

If you are not familiar with these folks they apparently have done lots of engine conversions and may be helpful.

BLAUfergnügen! Inc.
4921 County Hwy C.R.
Manitowoc, WI 54220 U.S.A.
Phone: 920-758-3232
Fax: 920-758-3234


I long to do what you are doing too, but with the 1.8T to the 110 hp 1.9 TDi swap with a possible M-T-M chip, etc.upgrade.

I would have thought importing the whole [wrecked] car would have been preferred for the location of components, brackets, location of wiring harness entry points etc., and all the necessary “nuts and bolts” etc.

BEST OF LUCK , and keep us posted please !

Karlaudi... Thanks for the referral. I'm familiar with Blau. I've bought parts from them in the past for my older Audi's. Not sure how they are with TDI's though.

I long to do what you are doing too, but with the 1.8T to the 110 hp 1.9 TDi swap

Click to expand...

I think that'd be a great way to go. That's what I originally was looking for, but I just couldn't pass up the chance to do the V6 TDI though.

I would have thought importing the whole [wrecked] car would have been preferred for the location of components, brackets, location of wiring harness entry points etc., and all the necessary “nuts and bolts” etc.

Click to expand...

I agree, but unfortunately, the difference in shipping an entire 3800 lb vehicle and also having to deal with the legality / customs / imporation problems stemming with bringing the whole thing in just don't make it worth it. My father wanted to bring in an old Citroen (2CV) and basically, it's a very long, drawn out process that can get caught up in red tape at any point.

The really unfortunate part about this whole thing is that I'm essentially recreating a car that Audi made in other markets. If it were as simple as buying one equipped with the same engine / trans, etc, then I'd be done.

All said and done, when I'm done, I'll have spent approximately what it costs to buy a V6 TDI B5 Avant over there.

For me, the excitement is having a relatively unique vehicle (at least in the US) that's diesel and all-wheel drive. If I still lived in Europe, I'd already have one...

I can't wait to see your updates! C'mon, how much for that wrecked Avant?

Click to expand...

Beta...

Thanks for the encouraging words. It's the biggest project I've attempted thus far. I don't think it will be_that_bad since unlike other projects I've done, this car was produced by Audi and I'm not making a car with an "un-natural" swap... at least it feels that way. I'm sure I might feel different when I run into problems.

As far as price, I can tell you that the shop in the Czech republic wanted $7500 for the entire wrecked Avant. I couldn't afford to buy the whole car, but Petr and I worked it all out so the package, even with shipping, was reasonable.

I'd encourage anyone who's considering a swap like this to drop Petr an email and ask him what's around. (No business relationship, mind you...just a satisfied customer). From what I hear his business has picked up and he's exporting TD / TDI motors, transmissions, diesel parts and Euro-only stuff all the time now...

Once you get this done, you're gonna have to come to GTGs and show it off

So, this'll be the second B5-platform 2.5 V6 TDI 4Motion 6spd in the US...

CaddyTD,

I thought blau would more useful in the integration of the Engine wiring harness. As for importing the car as a "parts car", I would have thought too, that it would be straight forward, but understand your points and especially the budget savings.

I sold two non-running Audi Super 90’s, a Sedan and a Variant, I had no budget to restore, but wanted to save, to a Super 90 Collector/ Restorer/ Parts Dealer, in 1999. The cost to him, to ship the cars to Germany, with ground transportation from the San Francisco Bay Area to San Diego, then by ship to Hamburg, Germany was apparently easy and not too expensive.

I will watch your conversion and the “costs” with much interest!

Regards

CaddyTD:

Man oh man, you've got a big set. My hats off to you for undertaking this project.

I working on a hair brain idea through Italy. I'm buying a late model A6 Avant and shipping it to near Naples Italy. I am just waiting for a stolen recovered vehicle to pop up.

In Italy I will have the engine ripped out and will sell it to finance the transplant of a 3L V6 TDI. With a bit a tweeking, I think I can get 300hp.

I wanted to go with a 4L TDI in an A8, but this rapidly got out of the budget.

How much do you estimate you project will cost???

Philly - Labor Day Weekend - Be there.

Man oh man, you've got a big set. My hats off to you for undertaking this project.

Click to expand...

Well, Kaspar...don't go toasting me just yet. I've still got a lot of work to do. It's a pretty involved project. I've done similar swaps, but nothing on this scale.

To make matters worse, certain components were damaged during transport (pics to follow) and now I've got to have Petr RELOCATE those and get them over to me. Last I heard, he'd have to buy a whole other engine to get the major components I need. I think they must not like to part out engines over there...or it might be a better deal for him.

I working on a hair brain idea through Italy. I'm buying a late model A6 Avant and shipping it to near Naples Italy. I am just waiting for a stolen recovered vehicle to pop up.

Click to expand...

All I can say is...be patient. I worked with Petr for almost five months before finding this swap. You might have more luck since you're trying to locate a newer car. As I said earlier, the B5 quattros with the options I wanted were pretty few and far between over there.

I wanted to go with a 4L TDI in an A8, but this rapidly got out of the budget.

Click to expand...

Now THAT'S what I call ambition. How sweet would a V8 TDI be? Stump-puller extraordinaire.

How much do you estimate you project will cost???

Click to expand...

That's the golden question isn't it? I'm not sure. I would say that by the time this is all done, I'll have close to $12,000 into it. That includes the vehicle cost (for the black wagon that's getting the swap) and the entire conversion including shipping, etc.

Now... I've also planned to do a custom exhaust (dual perhaps?), possibly upgrade the intercooler design and chip / nozzle the thing as well. That could add another $1500 on there.

I don't consider that hugely expensive since that's approximately what the V6 TDI cars are going for in Europe right now...at least in France and England where I looked.

>>Philly - Labor Day Weekend - Be there.

Click to expand...

Heh-heh... if at all possible and the thing is done, I'd love to come.

Elliott

Just a quick update for today...

As I indicated earlier, the shipment was damaged during transit and yesterday the insurance adjuster came to lok at the damage. He immediately wanted to know about the engine and where it came from. It's somewhat strange to explain to someone like that why I'd buy a diesel engine from Europe that was never produced over here, etc...

He kind of looked at me like I had two heads. No huge deal.

Anyway, Petr's already lining up replacement parts and with any luck, the insurance will pay for the damaged components.

I've got a list of the damage, but here's some example pics:

Flattened ECU: (I'm assuming they hit the pallet with something). The circuit board inside the case is also broken.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:ecu_damage2


Hole in the intake:

Looks like the blow to the top of the engine ripped a mounting point off the intake, making a hole in the casting. I later found out it bent/crushed an injector line. The intake is designed in three pieces, so I'll only have to replace the passenger side part. Some sensors above the intake also got crunched.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:intake_damage2


This weekend, if all goes well, I'll be pulling the Avant into the DTR shop to get started on pulling the engine and transmission.

I've already managed to find a buyer for the 30V engine which is great news... that brings down the overall cost of the project down.

Man, the shipper shure wasnt carefull! Hope you get it sorted out with insurance

-Jason

I'm not flaming anyone here... so lets get that out first. I own a trucking company and routinely see broken freight caused by using a lightweight pallet. Six little 3/8 or 7/16 inch thick pieces of pine wood arent strong enough to support that massive amount of weight. Think about riding in the back of a 53 foot trailer with spring suspension going over a massive pothole at 65 mph. The downward G force must be phenominal on the pallets. If anybody is thinking of shipping something like this, just spend a few extra bucks and get a custom built pallet made of oak or at least with a floor platform of a solid sheet of 5/8 inch or better plywood. There are companies that will come to your place and build a pallet for the application. Whats a few extra bucks up front considering the time and frustration factor of receiving damaged freight caused by a pallet collapsing ?

I wish I had pretty pictures like CaddyTd's when I did my glx to tdi conversion, but it was so easy there was really nothing to photograph.

What a project

What a leap of faith you took here . I don't recall seeing a $$ total for the project on the thread . From my own experience I'm guessing around $6k at least for your complete project . Am I close ??

I've done several old world jobs with little if any electronic switches required . I can hardly imagine your job , with the all wheel drive thrown in . The electronics alone involved with the transmission & transfer case control would scare me to death . Not to mention the engine ECU controls . Then throw in the brake upgrade that includes electronics , a real nightmare .

The closest job I ever did was a complete transplant of a 76 Rx5 (Cosmo ) to a 74 Rx4 . 13B Engine & 5 spd Trans , differental , rear disc brakes and complete inside seats & carpet & door pannels . I also did a few European 911 transplants into US spec cars in the late 70s . I did a couple of mid 90s Canadian 1.9 IDI transplants into A2 Jettas & B2 Quantums , no electronics to speak of .

I wish you luck , I have some idea of what you are up against .
David

Think about riding in the back of a 53 foot trailer with spring suspension going over a massive pothole at 65 mph. The downward G force must be phenominal on the pallets

Click to expand...

I can imagine that when this was shipped, it had to be moved around quite a bit in the process. I can definitely understand why the pallet broke. The total weight on the shipment was around 1200 lbs, but I'd imagine that around 600 of it or so was on that one pallet.

If anybody is thinking of shipping something like this, just spend a few extra bucks and get a custom built pallet made of oak or at least with a floor platform of a solid sheet of 5/8 inch or better plywood.

Click to expand...

I'd agree with that... When I spoke to Petr about it, he claimed that the overseas shipper insisted on packing that skid themselves and even tacked on an extra charge to do so. Perhaps they underestimated the load.

Regardless, I think that with this experience all future shipments from him will be crated.

What a leap of faith you took here . I don't recall seeing a $$ total for the project on the thread . From my own experience I'm guessing around $6k at least for your complete project . Am I close ??

Click to expand...

Wow... a lot of people have emailed me about the cost on this whole thing.

I consider pricetags to be a bit personal, but I'll tell you that I paid around 20% below blue book for the high miles Avant (recipient) and another $5200 for the swap conversion. Add to that another 10% for the actual delivery / brokering / duties fees. Remember that this included practically everything from the donor but the shell....

That said, if you're interested in something like this, I'd email Petr and ask him personally about specific swaps. My deal might have been a bit special since my swap came from a rebuildable car and since the shipping was a bit more involved (going all the way to my home town). I do know that the 4-cyl swaps are considerably cheaper... cheaper still if they're only 2wd.

The electronics alone involved with the transmission & transfer case control would scare me to death . Not to mention the engine ECU controls .

Click to expand...

To be quite honest, the engine harness to the ECU is remarkably simple. Not at all like the 30V gas V6 harness. There's really not a whole lot there...

The mound of wiring in the pics is all the stuff from the interior. Not sure what I'll need just yet.

The drivetrain doesn't have complicated electronics either. It's a manual trans, so it has one or two speed sensors (I believe), but that's about it.

Then throw in the brake upgrade that includes electronics , a real nightmare .

Click to expand...

I'm keeping the brakes the same. Since they're the Avant is a V6 car to begin with, I figure the vehicle weights should be approximately the same. Also, I don't think the A4's came with different brakes depending on the engines... I have the Euro_Etka and I can check.

Update: Disassembly process started.

First...here's some pics of the Avant out in the sun. I drove it to DTR Performance later on that day.

I really like the avant shape...especially the rear hatch area. The GF has an 04 Passat wagon and the rear looks quite different in comparison.
http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Avant_glam1


http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Avant_glam_int


Gas 30V V6 motor:
http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Avant_glam_30v



Here we go... We got the Avant into the shop and got it up on jackstands. Looks like a flying All Road.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Flying_avant

The disassembly process isn't really that difficult. We removed all the plastics and the airbox, then the bumper cover. With that exposed, you can see the core support sitting there and you have access to the headlights...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:30V_nocovers

Here's Kevin at DTR...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Avant_front_apart1

We drained the radiator and then pulled the core support. I left the condensor on there for simplicity's sake, then removed the A/C lines as well.

The Avant takes a pentosin leak:

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:weeeee

The plastic core support is one piece and removable (quite easily actually):

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:30V_coresupport

More to follow....

With the core support removed, we could concentrate on getting the axles out and the exhaust disconnected.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Avant_front_apart2

Here I am trying to loosen the three-bolt exhaust manifold flanges from under the car. Not easy, but we found a ratcheting box wrench did the trick.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:eb_EM_bolts


Here's the dual cats and a shot of what the stock 30V exhaust looks like...


To get the front axles out, you've got to first loosen the axle bolts, then pop apart the front suspension. There's a long bolt in the top that secures both top links to the knuckle. This bolt is notorious for being really difficult, but my Avant had been apart recently (wheel bearings) so things went well...

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:Avant_front_susp_apart


Observations:

We did find out that the snubber mount on the 30V is almost identical to the TDI-V6 piece that was broken during transport. The part numbers are the same except for a different letter suffix.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:30V_snubmount_001


Also... it appears that the TDI-V6 and the 30V use the same airbox...or at least the same air filter. The two were interchangeable. That's a little thing, but that means I can order those from the dealer here instead of importing them.

I'm going to compare the radiators, core supports and condensors here in a few days as well to see what carries over between the cars. I'd imagine they're similar.

We only got in a couple of hours on the car this weekend, but I expect the engine to be out in a few days when I get more time. Not much left to do except disconnect the starter, some wiring, the output flange on the trans and drop the subframe down some...

Finally, just received word from Petr that the replacement parts (to take care of the damage) are on their way from Prague and should be here during the week. Progress!

ninedee_golf_tdi said:

at least with a floor platform of a solid sheet of 5/8 inch or better plywood

Click to expand...

Doing this will make all the difference in the world as your load is now distributed on the pallet instead of "pointy". It wasn't the weight that broke the pallet, it was the pointiness of the load. I routinely receive 1000 kg or more on pallets that don't break despite rough handling.

Hope everything works out and you get the replacement parts!!

Just a quick update... We dropped the exhaust and disconnected the shift linkage and the center driveshaft. Not hard to do, but the exhaust was way heavier than I imagined.

http://www.hostdub.com/veeman_album16:30V_exhaust_off

I'd say the thing weighs about 75 lbs as a unit. Wow. We're planning on putting a custom exhaust on the car once the engine is in. I had Kevin at DTR check it out and we're thinking 3" exhaust (stock is near 2.5") with a custom downpipe... I originally wanted to do a dual exhaust, but it appears the fuel tank will be in the way on the pass. side. As an alternative, I think we're going to try for twin 3" turndowns (side-by-side) in the rear.

MTM's got a similar setup offered for this car (along with their 190 hp upgrade kit), but they use 2.75" pipe. Shouldn't be a problem to go 3" expecially since the TDI's (most all turbo engines?) don't really need any back pressure post-turbo.

Right now I'm trying to find out about the stock clutch and whether or not I'll need to upgrade before putting it all in.

The plan is to upgrade the ECU (Rocket chip or Upsolute) and nozzles, then message the intercooler layout. Might ditch the twin side mount IC's ( a la S4) for a FMIC. Not sure yet. Still have to research if there's an upgrade path for the VNT turbo that's on it.

Regardless, I think we'll end up at around 195hp and 300 ft/lbs of torque hopefully. Most chips offer about 185 hp and 275 ft /lbs torque for the 150 hp TDI V6.

Any thoughts on the clutch? Obviously not a whole lot of resources out there on this engine (at least in English, anyway). Does anyone know if SVTWeb had to do anything to his clutch? Is he still around the forum?

SVTWeb got the entire drivetrain (engine, tranny, haldex, rear end) for his project. For the replacement procedure we just dropped out the entire front cradle with gas engine/tip-tranny/haldex/drive shafts and front spindles as a unit, then bolted in the complete TDI engine/6 speed/haldex/driveshafts and front spindles as a unit. Never had the engine and tranny separated.