queek
Veteran Member
Well here it goes. I posted a hint of this project early in the year and now things are finally starting to happen. I have a 95 Passat GLX that I bought new in Dec ’94 that now has 153k miles on it. It is no longer my daily driver, but it has been such a reliable car that I couldn’t get rid of it and what would I get it, less than a $1,000!
So after being inspired by the likes of lug_nut, GiGGer, Tongboy and Frankencar and since I won’t be able to buy a Passat-TDI-5sp-4motion in the US for the next foreseeable millennia I decided to build the next best thing!
The consensus between TDIClub, Ottawa Vdubbin and VWVortex members is that the syncro rear drive mechanism will bolt up to the underside of a US B4 wagon with only minor mods such as welding on the brackets to support the drive shaft carrier bearings and the fuel tank supports.
So off to Quebec I went in the Volvo to visit Auto Allemagne (autoallemagne.com) in Aylmer across the river from Ottawa. After touring all the cool stuff Rune had in his shop, It took a couple of hours to load all the parts pushing the Volvo springs to their limit.
It was after dark and here I come cruising up to the border crossing with 750 lbs or rusty steel and aluminum junk in the back of a station wagon. The border crossing guard was not at all amused, but my story jived with what I told his Canadian counterpart on the way in that morning so off I went.
That rear drive is heavy! In this pic I am transferring it from one car to the GLX where I stored the stuff for the winter. I only hope that the 2WD beam axle also has some weight so as to keep my net weight gain to a minimum! The maroon car in the background is the TDI donor. While it was still drivable I was using it as a rolling test bed to get the kinks out of the engine.
Here is what makes up the rear drive. The plates on the ground attach the “wish bone” to the same mounting points as the does the 2wd axle. The beam on the ground next to the bucket bolts to the syncro frame rails. These have welded in threaded anchor nuts that I’ll have to add later.
The front and to rear drive shaft sections were rusted beyond repair so I found a rust free set on ebay.de and a seller willing to ship to the US. 20 Euros for the parts and 65 Euros ($120) to ship, but still cheaper than having them cut and re-welded.
So out comes the engine out of the donor
…off with the trans and onto the stand.
I have decided to use the G60 syncro gearing as it is very close to the TDI. 4th gear is a little different but not enough to justify tearing the whole trans apart. With the added weight and friction of the syncro drive train I am leaning towards going with the stock TDI 5th gear as much as I’d like to install a set of .681’s.
I had some screw ups along the way: In removing the TDI I kinked the high pressure power steering hose rigid section while loosening the bolt that connects it to the pump. Are the VR6 and TDI hose/pipes that different? I am hoping that I can reshape the VR to make it work unless someone out there has a usable hose they want to part with?
I want to “clean up” the turbo – when the engine was running the turbo was working fine. Maybe it's just because there is no oil pressure to float the shaft, but the shaft takes some effort to turn. The air side was very clean. The exhaust side has some carbon build-up on it, but I like to replace the oil supply and return lines: the supply is rusty and the oil return hose and its connection to the block from the turbo looks like one of those cannons they raise off the ocean floor. I am not going to touch it until I get parts pricing from VW.
Well that's it for now - Work has been all too consuming so I am at something of a stand-still for a while...I welcome your thoughts and suggestions!
So after being inspired by the likes of lug_nut, GiGGer, Tongboy and Frankencar and since I won’t be able to buy a Passat-TDI-5sp-4motion in the US for the next foreseeable millennia I decided to build the next best thing!
The consensus between TDIClub, Ottawa Vdubbin and VWVortex members is that the syncro rear drive mechanism will bolt up to the underside of a US B4 wagon with only minor mods such as welding on the brackets to support the drive shaft carrier bearings and the fuel tank supports.
So off to Quebec I went in the Volvo to visit Auto Allemagne (autoallemagne.com) in Aylmer across the river from Ottawa. After touring all the cool stuff Rune had in his shop, It took a couple of hours to load all the parts pushing the Volvo springs to their limit.
It was after dark and here I come cruising up to the border crossing with 750 lbs or rusty steel and aluminum junk in the back of a station wagon. The border crossing guard was not at all amused, but my story jived with what I told his Canadian counterpart on the way in that morning so off I went.
That rear drive is heavy! In this pic I am transferring it from one car to the GLX where I stored the stuff for the winter. I only hope that the 2WD beam axle also has some weight so as to keep my net weight gain to a minimum! The maroon car in the background is the TDI donor. While it was still drivable I was using it as a rolling test bed to get the kinks out of the engine.
Here is what makes up the rear drive. The plates on the ground attach the “wish bone” to the same mounting points as the does the 2wd axle. The beam on the ground next to the bucket bolts to the syncro frame rails. These have welded in threaded anchor nuts that I’ll have to add later.
The front and to rear drive shaft sections were rusted beyond repair so I found a rust free set on ebay.de and a seller willing to ship to the US. 20 Euros for the parts and 65 Euros ($120) to ship, but still cheaper than having them cut and re-welded.
So out comes the engine out of the donor
…off with the trans and onto the stand.
I have decided to use the G60 syncro gearing as it is very close to the TDI. 4th gear is a little different but not enough to justify tearing the whole trans apart. With the added weight and friction of the syncro drive train I am leaning towards going with the stock TDI 5th gear as much as I’d like to install a set of .681’s.
I had some screw ups along the way: In removing the TDI I kinked the high pressure power steering hose rigid section while loosening the bolt that connects it to the pump. Are the VR6 and TDI hose/pipes that different? I am hoping that I can reshape the VR to make it work unless someone out there has a usable hose they want to part with?
I want to “clean up” the turbo – when the engine was running the turbo was working fine. Maybe it's just because there is no oil pressure to float the shaft, but the shaft takes some effort to turn. The air side was very clean. The exhaust side has some carbon build-up on it, but I like to replace the oil supply and return lines: the supply is rusty and the oil return hose and its connection to the block from the turbo looks like one of those cannons they raise off the ocean floor. I am not going to touch it until I get parts pricing from VW.
Well that's it for now - Work has been all too consuming so I am at something of a stand-still for a while...I welcome your thoughts and suggestions!
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