GTI-TDI Build

[MrBigTruck]

This is my build thread & TDI swap for a MKIV GTI formerly a VR6. The timing chain on the VR6 was broken. We are swapping in a 2.0 liter ALH engine.

As she was the day I got her


Engine Pulled out



Turbo
I'm not sure about the turbo yet. Something 2260 based; maybe a 2265.

The block has been overbored to 2.0 liter using BHW pistons on some H-beam rods. They are the second oversize so it is all the way maxed out size wise on the pistons.
Pistons
Rods

Block on the stand:


The pistons have been ceramic coated by Swain Tech. I also got the main and rod bearing shells coated by Swain Tech.

Pistons:



I have a built head with oversize valves and a high lift cam.
Camshaft
Intake Valve
Exhaust Valve

Underside of the head:


Camshaft view of head:


I have a 12mm IP but I may end up using an 11mm. I've read mixed reviews on the 12mm.

IP


12mm IP Head


I have .360 Gibonta injectors.
Injector Nozzles

I decided not to use the tubular Audi style manifold I got from 3L3M3NT but instead got the V-Band style for the BMW style turbo the same way he did. It looks like it flows a lot better to me so I went that direction. I will either re-sell the manifold or hold onto it for another build since I have one more ALH block.
Exhaust Manifold

Tubular intake manifold
Intake Manifold

Pics of the intake and exhaust manifold:


3" Turbo Inlet Pipe
TIP

 

[MrBigTruck]

Yesterday and the day before we (my son, William and I) spent some time painting the block. We used POR-15 engine enamel which I got here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XKTTFQ8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here are some pics:




We used the paint straight out of the can and brushed it on without thinning it. We both thought the paint was amazing and went on easily in a single coat. We probably only used about 20% of the can so we have more for another engine or I may do my brake calipers with the same paint.

 

[joyjoy22]

Good luck with this build, I am hoping that everything will turn out well. Make sure to keep us posted with the progress and your future plan for this car.

 

[3L3M3NT]

Looks like you're off to a great start. I'm not as familiar with the ALH engine, but if you need any suggestions/help feel free to message me.

Otherwise I'll definitely be following along.

 

[oilhammer]

VR6 chainfail? NO WAY!!!! Ha!

Kudos for resurrecting and repowering that GTI with a proper belt-driven engine. I actually had a coworker that had that exact same car, only we replaced the chains before it chucked them.... then he forgot what the importance of a parking brake is, and the car rolled out of his driveway, down a hill, across the street, and into the neighbor's living room. So I harvested all of its good bits, and its bigger front brakes are still alive and well on one of my Golfs. Sadly, I could not find any buyers for the perfectly good engine/trans and after about a year of sitting in my garage, I scrapped it. Had a new clutch in it, too.

 

[MrBigTruck]

Looks like you're off to a great start. I'm not as familiar with the ALH engine, but if you need any suggestions/help feel free to message me.

Otherwise I'll definitely be following along.

You’ve already helped more than you know because I’ve read through your thread and I’m pretty much copying a lot of what you did, albeit with the different engine. All those sources for weird random bits and pieces are super helpful and a lot of them I didn’t even know that I “needed” until I saw them on your thread. Hopefully anyone reading this thread will offer (helpful) suggestions because I certainly don’t know everything.

 

[MrBigTruck]

VR6 chainfail? NO WAY!!!! Ha!

Kudos for resurrecting and repowering that GTI with a proper belt-driven engine. I actually had a coworker that had that exact same car, only we replaced the chains before it chucked them.... then he forgot what the importance of a parking brake is, and the car rolled out of his driveway, down a hill, across the street, and into the neighbor's living room. So I harvested all of its good bits, and its bigger front brakes are still alive and well on one of my Golfs. Sadly, I could not find any buyers for the perfectly good engine/trans and after about a year of sitting in my garage, I scrapped it. Had a new clutch in it, too.

That's a great story. Probably because it didn't happen to me. I can't believe you couldn't sell that engine. I pulled the engine out of my GTI and thought about trying to sell it for about 5 seconds before my son took it to the scrapper. I think he got $40 or something for it. If you couldn't sell a perfectly good engine I would have had no luck selling a broken engine.

 

[MrBigTruck]

Today I installed the main bearings, crankshaft, and pistons. Here are a couple pics:

A pic of the coated bearings


A couple pics of the pistons on the rods:


Everything installed:

 

[3L3M3NT]

You’ve already helped more than you know because I’ve read through your thread and I’m pretty much copying a lot of what you did, albeit with the different engine. All those sources for weird random bits and pieces are super helpful and a lot of them I didn’t even know that I “needed” until I saw them on your thread. Hopefully anyone reading this thread will offer (helpful) suggestions because I certainly don’t know everything.

I'm glad my build thread is helping you with your build. This way you get to avoid some of the pitfalls I had to deal with along the way and it's nice to know the links I'm putting in my thread have helped out. I noticed you're doing the same thing and who knows, maybe in a few years someone will be able to use the links you provided to aid in their build.

I would highly recommend talking to Adam @ Pioneering Performance about which turbo to go with for your build. He was great to work with when I had to repair my GTB2262VKLR turbo and he's helped me select which turbo to go with for my Jetta TDI that's getting a makeover next spring, since the VNT-17/22 wasn't cutting it anymore. That way it can be a really fun street car and a backup car for the track.

 

[MrBigTruck]

I would highly recommend talking to Adam @ Pioneering Performance about which turbo to go with for your build. He was great to work with when I had to repair my GTB2262VKLR turbo and he's helped me select which turbo to go with for my Jetta TDI that's getting a makeover next spring, since the VNT-17/22 wasn't cutting it anymore. That way it can be a really fun street car and a backup car for the track.

I've looked at his stuff before. I think I will send him a message and see what he recommends. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[MrBigTruck]

Yesterday when I was building my engine, I got out the ARP main bearing studs to install the caps on the crankshaft and even though they're listed to work with my engine they were too short and were basically flush with the caps. Does anyone know the correct ARP part number or know somewhere else I can get studs that work? I ended up temporarily using the old main bolts that I had pulled out when I disassembled the engine but I will obviously have to replace them.

These are the studs I have that are too short:
https://www.idparts.com/tdi-main-cap-stud-kit-204-5402-p-10641.html

They looked like this when they were screwed into the block saddle:

 

[MrBigTruck]

I found this thread on The Samba which talks about the main bearing studs. I'm not sure why a lot of places are selling the ARP stud part number 204-5402. The part number that works is 204-5401 which are 10mm longer.

Thread on The Samba: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8254612
Where I ordered them from: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/arp-202-5401

Pics "borrowed" from The Samba:

 

[3L3M3NT]

I've looked at his stuff before. I think I will send him a message and see what he recommends. Thanks for the heads up!

The fact that Adam only deals with turbos makes him more knowledgeable than most of the other shops out there in my opinion.

Yesterday when I was building my engine, I got out the ARP main bearing studs to install the caps on the crankshaft and even though they're listed to work with my engine they were too short and were basically flush with the caps. Does anyone know the correct ARP part number or know somewhere else I can get studs that work? I ended up temporarily using the old main bolts that I had pulled out when I disassembled the engine but I will obviously have to replace them.

These are the studs I have that are too short:
https://www.idparts.com/tdi-main-cap-stud-kit-204-5402-p-10641.html

They looked like this when they were screwed into the block saddle:

You might wanna send a PM to Indigobluewagon(Peter) and let him know about the problem, since he's the owner of IDParts.

I found this thread on The Samba which talks about the main bearing studs. I'm not sure why a lot of places are selling the ARP stud part number 204-5402. The part number that works is 204-5401 which are 10mm longer.

Thread on The Samba: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8254612
Where I ordered them from: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/arp-202-5401

Pics "borrowed" from The Samba:

It's great to see that a little searching around helped you find a solution to your problem.

I'm sure you'll have a few more of those along the way, since I know I did. My saying was always "Custom cars require custom solutions"

 

[MrBigTruck]

The fact that Adam only deals with turbos makes him more knowledgeable than most of the other shops out there in my opinion.

I talked to him on the phone and we are working on some awesomeness.

You might wanna send a PM to Indigobluewagon(Peter) and let him know about the problem, since he's the owner of IDParts.

I got ahold of them and they are sending me a replacement set and a return label.

It's great to see that a little searching around helped you find a solution to your problem.

I'm sure you'll have a few more of those along the way, since I know I did. My saying was always "Custom cars require custom solutions"

Those problems are frustrating at the time but later when you look back on the build and all the steps along the way, those are the things that are usually the most memorable.

 

[3L3M3NT]

I talked to him on the phone and we are working on some awesomeness.


I got ahold of them and they are sending me a replacement set and a return label.


Those problems are frustrating at the time but later when you look back on the build and all the steps along the way, those are the things that are usually the most memorable.

I'm glad you were able to connect with Adam and discuss what turbo would work best for your build. I wish I would have gone with him when I made the switch from a VK series turbo to a VKLR. Instead I went with AVD and it was ok, but the language barrier made things more difficult with them being in Romania and all.

Inquiring minds would like to know what kind of awesomeness you decided on?

That's awesome news the ID Parts is sending you the correct set and even covering the return shipping on the wrong set. They're an amazing vendor here on TDIClub and I wish I was able to patronize them more often than I do.

That's true that those hiccups tend to stick out more so than when things go smoothly.

 

[MrBigTruck]

I'm glad you were able to connect with Adam and discuss what turbo would work best for your build. I wish I would have gone with him when I made the switch from a VK series turbo to a VKLR. Instead I went with AVD and it was ok, but the language barrier made things more difficult with them being in Romania and all.

Inquiring minds would like to know what kind of awesomeness you decided on?

Well, I went back and forth in my mind between the VK and the VKLR and ultimately I decided I didn't want to plumb in any water connections or mess around with the VKLR adapter plate on the bottom of the turbo so we are going to build a GTB2265VK (I think that's the correct moniker, I'm no turbo expert) in BMW shells. It will have come with a Pioneering Performance AMG GT23 lightweight turbine wheel and a 65/50mm billet compressor wheel. It will have a v-band connection for the downpipe and the exhaust manifold, the same as yours I think. I think it will be a little more laggy than the VKLR version but I do most of my driving on the highway where I'm already over 2000 RPM and I will mostly be using it for highway pulls, not off the line pulls, so I went that direction.

As far as the v-band connection goes, I really like my 2 BRM Jetta's with the v-band downpipe connection as well as my Mercedes GL320 that has a v-band as well. It is one of the weaknesses of the stock turbo on the ALH with the bolt on downpipe and I will be glad that I don't have to mess with those 3 stupid downpipe studs anymore.

Here is the AMG23 turbine wheel:
https://pioneering-performance.com/products/gtb2260vk-upgrade-amg-gt23-lightweight-turbine-wheel

 

[3L3M3NT]

Well, I went back and forth in my mind between the VK and the VKLR and ultimately I decided I didn't want to plumb in any water connections or mess around with the VKLR adapter plate on the bottom of the turbo so we are going to build a GTB2265VK (I think that's the correct moniker, I'm no turbo expert) in BMW shells. It will have come with a Pioneering Performance AMG GT23 lightweight turbine wheel and a 65/50mm billet compressor wheel. It will have a v-band connection for the downpipe and the exhaust manifold, the same as yours I think. I think it will be a little more laggy than the VKLR version but I do most of my driving on the highway where I'm already over 2000 RPM and I will mostly be using it for highway pulls, not off the line pulls, so I went that direction.

As far as the v-band connection goes, I really like my 2 BRM Jetta's with the v-band downpipe connection as well as my Mercedes GL320 that has a v-band as well. It is one of the weaknesses of the stock turbo on the ALH with the bolt on downpipe and I will be glad that I don't have to mess with those 3 stupid downpipe studs anymore.

Here is the AMG23 turbine wheel:
https://pioneering-performance.com/products/gtb2260vk-upgrade-amg-gt23-lightweight-turbine-wheel

IMO it wasn't that bad to plum for the extra lines and I think it was worth it for the faster spool, since I did notice a difference when I went from the VK turbo to the VKLR turbo. If you did an EGR delete it'll definitely help, since you can use it go get your water supply for the turbo. With the kit that Adam offers it makes it even easier yet, since that kit wasn't available when I went to the VKLR turbo. I posted in my build thread everything I used along the way and I'm sure some of the parts could be swapped out for your needs.
I was so excited when I realized that the plug in the block could be removed and there was a kit out there would plug into the block that then turned the oil return port into a -6AN fitting. Otherwise if you get the INA baffled oil pan you could run the return line down to the oil pan, which has a -10AN fitting.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MAMBA-Banj...GT3788R-GTX4294R-GT4202R-GT4508R/263428650568
I'm having Adam send me the kit with all -6AN fittings, except for the coolant return fitting that'll stay at -4AN.
Incase you didn't see my setup, here are some pictures.

Either way I definitely think you'll be ecstatic with that turbo and I think it was a smart decision to go with the BMW turbine housing that'll utilize V-bands instead of studs like you mentioned.

You saved yourself a lot of time, money, and energy by going straight away with the GT23 turbine wheel. I had to learn the hard way and go from a GTB2260VK to a GTB2262VKLR, and then finally did the smart thing and sent Adam an email about rebuilding my turbo, which lead me to a GTB2362VKLR in the end. I almost went to a 65mm compressor wheel, but wanted to keep the spool as low as I could for coming out of those corners on the track.

Which compressor wheel did you go with? 6+6, 11 blade, Gen 2?

 

[MrBigTruck]

Which compressor wheel did you go with? 6+6, 11 blade, Gen 2?

Yeah its a 65mm 6+6 blade.

Warning: You must be at least 18 years of age to view the following picture!

 

[MrBigTruck]

Here are a couple pics of the turbo building process:

Machining the housing:


Under Construction:

 

[Mozambiquer]

Some cool stuff going on here. I wanna keep up on it!

 

[MrBigTruck]

Here are a few pics of the completed turbo.





3 inch inlet!

 

[3L3M3NT]

Here are a few pics of the completed turbo.





3 inch inlet!

That looks awesome! I think that should do the trick.

 

[MrBigTruck]

Shiny metal objects:

 

[3L3M3NT]

Looks really nice.

Are those parts all made by Profidiesel?

Are you gonna ceramic coat the exhaust manifold?

 

[MrBigTruck]

Are those parts all made by Profidiesel?

Yes that stuff is all made by Profi Diesel out of Bulgaria.

https://www.facebook.com/profidiesel.net




He does a pretty good job on his stuff. He makes it to order so you'll have to be a little patient when you order from him. I message him directly through FaceBook Messenger to make sure I'm getting exactly what I want. I am planning to get that intake manifold powder coated to match the smoke chrome color of those other engine parts I have on the engine. Another TDI club member was selling off some of his project parts and I got a bunch of powder coated pieces from him. I'm going to match his color and powder coat a few more pieces.

Are you gonna ceramic coat the exhaust manifold?

I am planning on getting that manifold ceramic coated. My son and I are trying to learn how to do Cerakote so I may actually try and do it myself. We bought a bunch of supplies and equipment to be able to do it but I've never done it so I don't know how it will turn out yet. We have some other non-car related stuff we want to coat too so we will probably figure it out one way or another.

Cerakote website
https://www.cerakote.com/

Somewhere out there in FedEx land between the UK and Kansas is my turbo and I'm hoping it shows up today.

 

[3L3M3NT]

Yes that stuff is all made by Profi Diesel out of Bulgaria.

https://www.facebook.com/profidiesel.net




He does a pretty good job on his stuff. He makes it to order so you'll have to be a little patient when you order from him. I message him directly through FaceBook Messenger to make sure I'm getting exactly what I want. I am planning to get that intake manifold powder coated to match the smoke chrome color of those other engine parts I have on the engine. Another TDI club member was selling off some of his project parts and I got a bunch of powder coated pieces from him. I'm going to match his color and powder coat a few more pieces.


I am planning on getting that manifold ceramic coated. My son and I are trying to learn how to do Cerakote so I may actually try and do it myself. We bought a bunch of supplies and equipment to be able to do it but I've never done it so I don't know how it will turn out yet. We have some other non-car related stuff we want to coat too so we will probably figure it out one way or another.

Cerakote website
https://www.cerakote.com/

Somewhere out there in FedEx land between the UK and Kansas is my turbo and I'm hoping it shows up today.

Those parts kind of looked like Profidiesel's work. From what I can tell his parts have really good fit and finish to them, especially for the price.
I'm considering getting one of his 3" TIP for the RTDI and depending on how it fits and if there's a slight up tick in performance I'll more than likely get one for the other car when it's nearly done.

I know a little bit about Cerakote and it seems to be the new way to coat guns, car parts, knives, motorcycle parts, etc. It looks like they have a really good color selection compared to ceramic coating. I just wonder how it'll up to the extreme temps that the exhaust manifold and turbine housing see? It'll be interesting to see how they hold up for you over time compared to my ceramic coated parts.

 

[MrBigTruck]

I know a little bit about Cerakote and it seems to be the new way to coat guns, car parts, knives, motorcycle parts, etc. It looks like they have a really good color selection compared to ceramic coating. I just wonder how it'll up to the extreme temps that the exhaust manifold and turbine housing see? It'll be interesting to see how they hold up for you over time compared to my ceramic coated parts.

I'm not sure how well it will hold up either. I do know they have several different lines of Cerakote and they range in max temp from 500º to 1800º so I would think that would be adequate for almost anything anyone could throw at it with a TDI. They also sell a piston coat one of which looks suspiciously like Swain Tech's coating. Time will tell but I think the worst that can happen is that it flakes off which ultimately probably wouldn't matter.

Piston Coat Cerakote colors
https://www.cerakote.com/shop/cerakote-coating/V-136/piston-coat-oven-cure

https://www.cerakote.com/shop/cerakote-coating/V-139/titanium-red-piston-coat

 

[3L3M3NT]

I guess it really depends on how much you're going to be pushing your car in the end.

If you're going to be taking it to the track or drag strip you'll definitely find out how well the Cerakote piston coating holds up to the high temps that are inside each cylinder. If you're just doing some high speed pulls on the highway or even doing some runs at the autocross course I really don't think you're gonna have any problems with the Cerakote piston coating holding up.

It'll be interesting to see how the Cerakote does in comparison to the ceramic coating that is done at a shop.

 

[MrBigTruck]

It'll be interesting to see how the Cerakote does in comparison to the ceramic coating that is done at a shop.

There is a strong possibility that I don't know what I'm talking about but I am pretty sure that the shops are using either Cerakote or something similar when they do their ceramic coatings. I don't think it's a special coating they have that is un-obtanium for the rest of us. The difference is that places like Swain Tech know what they're doing and I don't have a clue what I'm doing since I've never done it. It's fun to figure it out though and I have a bunch of stuff I want to coat that I wouldn't do if I wasn't doing it myself. The supplies are on the way so I should have some early results next week.

 

[MrBigTruck]

The results are in on our early attempts at applying Cerakote and the results are...AWESOME!!

We prepped the parts by sandblasting and then cleaning them in acetone and we built a janky little paint booth out of an Amazon box (because we were too impatient to wait for something better) and we are super happy with the results. The Cerakote is easy to apply, the application uses very little product but covers very well, and the Glacier Titanium color we applied looks great and is also rated for up to 1800º so I will be applying it to my exhaust manifold as well as my downpipe. The pieces we did today were done solely for appearance purposes but on the manifold they will be for heat management. This particular Cerakote is their C series which is an air cure version. It comes ready to use; just pour it into the gun and pull the trigger.

Application using our crappy little paint "booth"


Valve cover


The four pieces we did


Looks different depending on lighting


Valve cover and oil filter housing