GTI-TDI Build

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
Wow! Those turned out really nice. (y) :) It'll be interesting to see how that holds up on the exhaust manifold and downpipe.

Are you going to Cerakote the block too?

Now I know where I'm sending my parts in the future to have them coated.;)
 

MrBigTruck

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Location
Kansas, USA
TDI
2000 Beetle, 2000 GTI ALH swap, 2006 Jetta, 2006 Jetta, 2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI
Are you going to Cerakote the block too?
I already painted the block with engine block enamel. If I hadn't painted it I would definitely Cerakote it. Maybe on the next build. 😏

Now I know where I'm sending my parts in the future to have them coated.;)
We (my son, William and I) definitely don't mind coating stuff for you. I'm not sure we're ready for prime-time yet tho. If you're ok with a few small flaws (a dust particle or two, etc.) then hit me up. I have been scrolling through Cerakote's air-dry colors for the last hour trying to decide on a couple more colors. In the meantime, here is a pic of the valve cover and the oil filter housing on the engine. The accessory bracket you see on the left side was one of the pieces I bought from another member on here who had them powdercoated. After doing the Cerakote I have decided that I will be taking that bracket back off and letting William use it on his built Beetle and I have another one I'm going to Cerakote the same color as the oil filter housing.

 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
If I remember correctly you coated the block in POR 15? It'll be interesting to see how the POR 15 holds up in comparison to Cerakote that's on the other parts of the engine.

I don't need a perfect finish by any means on the parts I would want coated. The only thing that I'm considering ordering in the future and your thread made me think of it, that would be a 3" TIP from Profidiesel. I'd of course pay for shipping, supplies, and your time if I go that route.
Makes me wonder what kind of improvement I would see if I had the intake manifold coated too, since it would be a thermal barrier of sorts?
 

MrBigTruck

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Location
Kansas, USA
TDI
2000 Beetle, 2000 GTI ALH swap, 2006 Jetta, 2006 Jetta, 2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI
I don't need a perfect finish by any means on the parts I would want coated. The only thing that I'm considering ordering in the future and your thread made me think of it, that would be a 3" TIP from Profidiesel. I'd of course pay for shipping, supplies, and your time if I go that route.
Makes me wonder what kind of improvement I would see if I had the intake manifold coated too, since it would be a thermal barrier of sorts?
I have a 3" TIP from Profidiesel out there in my garage. It came with my downpipe and intake and exhaust manifolds a month ago or so. Maybe I will try and coat it this weekend and see how well I do. I'll let you know the results.
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
I have a 3" TIP from Profidiesel out there in my garage. It came with my downpipe and intake and exhaust manifolds a month ago or so. Maybe I will try and coat it this weekend and see how well I do. I'll let you know the results.
Nice! You'll have to let me know how it fits as well, since I've heard great things about their products, but nothing first hand.
What color are you gonna coat the TIP?
 

MrBigTruck

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Location
Kansas, USA
TDI
2000 Beetle, 2000 GTI ALH swap, 2006 Jetta, 2006 Jetta, 2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI
Nice! You'll have to let me know how it fits as well, since I've heard great things about their products, but nothing first hand.
What color are you gonna coat the TIP?
I only have 2 air dry colors at this point (and the TIP is too big to fit in my small toaster oven). One is the Glacier Titanium which I applied on all the parts I already posted pics of. The other one is a slate blue metallic. I have been scouring Cerakote's website trying to decide on a few more colors to order but I haven't finalized my order yet. I will probably coat all of my tubular manifolds and the TIP as well as my downpipe with the Glacier Titanium. My friend, who has a Master's degree in ceramics and is a professional artist, has been teasing me about my subdued color choices and thinks I need to get some primary colors. 😄

I haven't gotten around to coating anything today because some stuff came up but as soon as I have some results I'll post the pics.
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
I only have 2 air dry colors at this point (and the TIP is too big to fit in my small toaster oven). One is the Glacier Titanium which I applied on all the parts I already posted pics of. The other one is a slate blue metallic. I have been scouring Cerakote's website trying to decide on a few more colors to order but I haven't finalized my order yet. I will probably coat all of my tubular manifolds and the TIP as well as my downpipe with the Glacier Titanium. My friend, who has a Master's degree in ceramics and is a professional artist, has been teasing me about my subdued color choices and thinks I need to get some primary colors. 😄

I haven't gotten around to coating anything today because some stuff came up but as soon as I have some results I'll post the pics.
I didn't realize that the Cerakote had to be put in an "oven" to cure. I thought it was similar to automotive paint that you could just spray on and let it dry over the course of a day or two.

Yeah, that's always the problem when you start coating things in your engine bay, interior, wheels, and brakes is what color scheme does one go with.🤷‍♂️ I think I've mostly got it figured out on the exterior and interior of the car, but when it comes to the engine bay stuff I'm not sure which color/colors to go with.
I'll have to go on Cerakote's site and see if I can narrow it down one of these days.

I can't wait to see how your parts turn out.:)(y)
 

MrBigTruck

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Location
Kansas, USA
TDI
2000 Beetle, 2000 GTI ALH swap, 2006 Jetta, 2006 Jetta, 2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI
I didn't realize that the Cerakote had to be put in an "oven" to cure. I thought it was similar to automotive paint that you could just spray on and let it dry over the course of a day or two.

Yeah, that's always the problem when you start coating things in your engine bay, interior, wheels, and brakes is what color scheme does one go with.🤷‍♂️ I think I've mostly got it figured out on the exterior and interior of the car, but when it comes to the engine bay stuff I'm not sure which color/colors to go with.
I'll have to go on Cerakote's site and see if I can narrow it down one of these days.

I can't wait to see how your parts turn out.:)(y)
They have several series of their coatings. The C series are all air cure versions and they are 1 part and come mixed and ready to pour into your paint gun and spray. They have a very high content of the pigment in their coatings so a very light coat will cover completely. It is designed to be put on at .001" thick and have complete coverage and protection with no primer or anything else. The pieces dry to the touch in about an hour, can be handled and installed on your car in 24 hours and are fully cured in 5 days.

They also have several oven cure versions. Some of those are 1 part which are ready to spray right out of the container and some are 2 part with a catalyst and a color which require mixing prior to spraying. Those coatings are sprayed on, then you wait 15 minutes before putting in a 300º oven for one hour. After that hour they are fully cured and ready for anything. I have read that the oven cured versions are slightly more durable long-term and more scratch resistant but that the air cure versions are very good for all but the most extreme applications. I have one color in the 1 part oven cure series that is a flat black that we are applying on some gun parts and it has been just as easy to apply as the air cure versions and it is nice that after curing them in the oven for an hour we can put the gun back together and it's ready to go. However I really like the air cure versions I have because there is really no mystery to them. The main thing is the surface preparation. I have a sandblast cabinet that has 100 grit aluminum oxide in it. We sandblast the part until we have a "tooth" to the metal. Then we thoroughly clean the part with acetone to remove any contaminants at which point the part is ready to spray. The next time I coat something I will take some pics of the whole process and post them here.

In the meantime here are some pics of some different coatings and how they held up in a salt chamber test.







And here is a youtube showing that it took 2034 hours in the salt chamber before the part with Cerakote started to show corrosion.
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
Cerakote isn't as simple as I originally thought it was. I thought it was just as simple as picking your color spraying the part and waiting for it to dry before you use it. From the way you describe it, it's more on par with powder coating or close to applying automotive paint. I guess like anything else, what you put in, is what you're going to get out.

Wow, does the Cerakote hold up to that salt spray test in comparison to all the other finishes! Makes me wonder how it would do if you were to coat some car parts that are on the exterior of the car like control arms, subframe, etc.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the process is for coating parts. :) (y)
 

MrBigTruck

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Location
Kansas, USA
TDI
2000 Beetle, 2000 GTI ALH swap, 2006 Jetta, 2006 Jetta, 2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI
Wow, does the Cerakote hold up to that salt spray test in comparison to all the other finishes! Makes me wonder how it would do if you were to coat some car parts that are on the exterior of the car like control arms, subframe, etc.
I am definitely going to do my brake calipers with Cerakote. I hadn't thought about the control arms but I'll add those to the list as well. I've become somewhat addicted to coating stuff so I may end up in Cerakote rehab before this is all over. Yesterday I coated part of the oil cooler and when I was done I had a little bit of the material left in the spray gun so I found a rusty old pair of Craftsman pliers in my toolbox, sandblasted them and coated them as well. I may not stop until every metal item I own is coated. :ROFLMAO:

 

MrBigTruck

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2009
Location
Kansas, USA
TDI
2000 Beetle, 2000 GTI ALH swap, 2006 Jetta, 2006 Jetta, 2008 Mercedes GL320 CDI
Cerakoted the exhaust manifold

Raw stainless steel prior to any sand blasting:


Sandblasted then dipped in an acetone dip tank, hanging ready to coat:


Cerakoted:
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
That turned out really nice! It's shinier than I thought it would be, but I'm guessing that's based on the type of finish you're after. I can't wait to see how the other parts turn out and then with everything assembled.
 

Jard

Active member
Joined
Aug 31, 2020
Location
Oregon
TDI
99.5 Jetta
Any updates?

This build is art!
I am getting the modding bug again......... *NO! Just say............ yes, go towards the mods!*
 

Blessed8458

Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2022
Location
Halls, Tennessee
TDI
2006 golf 1.9L
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.
THIS ENTIRE SITE IS AWESOME, I BELEIVE YOULL GET GOOD HELP HERE, IM STARTING ON S GARRETT VNT1749V TURBO UPGRADE AND IM LOOKING TO THIS SITE FOR ALOT OF HELP.
 

Diesel Willy

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2022
Location
Kansas
TDI
ALH
Hey Y’all this is William, I’ve been mentioned in the thread a couple times, I’m MrBigTrucks son. My Dads name was James. James (MrBigTruck) passed away early morning on the 20th of September, I’m gonna be continuing our 4 year GTI-TDI on my own, although there will be lots of tears shed along the way as I remember my Dad. I will continue posting updates on this thread as I make progress.
 

JohnTF

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Location
St. Paul , MN.
TDI
2003 Jetta 1.9 TDI ALH A.T. Wagon
Hay William , I feel for you falling into a project under these conditions .
But what great project .
Did not know of this thread - until whatever random threads system this site has for pushing threads , but glad this one showed up .
Used to do some racing custom building a few decades back .
Will be watching you continue , thanks John
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
Sorry to hear about your dad. 😥
I was wondering if he was making any progress on the build and now I know why there wasn't that much progress.

It's great to hear that you'll be taking over the build and will be seeing it through.
I know your dad asked me a few questions about my build over the years, since I built a car for taking to the track.
Let me know if you ever need any help with your build. 👍😊🏎
 

Diesel Willy

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2022
Location
Kansas
TDI
ALH
This build is beyond bolt on parts at this point, I’m mulling over who to go to for a tune, I can’t imagine a generic tune from Kerma or Malone would ever work. Anybody have any suggestions? :)
 

Nickmix

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2011
Location
Virginia
TDI
2003 Jetta GL TDI
This build is beyond bolt on parts at this point, I’m mulling over who to go to for a tune, I can’t imagine a generic tune from Kerma or Malone would ever work. Anybody have any suggestions? :)
I would actually email both of them and see what they suggest. I am certain they have seen pretty much everything when it comes to modifying these cars. Maybe even add Darkside Developments to the list.
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
@burpod has been doing some tuning too. You may contact him as well.
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
This build is beyond bolt on parts at this point, I’m mulling over who to go to for a tune, I can’t imagine a generic tune from Kerma or Malone would ever work. Anybody have any suggestions? :)
The different tuners you could look into are:
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?...6O8fU&ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0&paipv=0&_rdr

https://chiptuning.ca/
Sold by: https://www.tunemyeuro.com/brands/JR-Auto-Tuning.html?sort=featured&page=1
Their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/jrautoperformanceinc/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078709212954

There are some individuals in a few of the different TDI FB groups that can tune your car if you want me to look into who they are.

Good luck with your decision.
 

Diesel Willy

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2022
Location
Kansas
TDI
ALH
The different tuners you could look into are:
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?...6O8fU&ref=page_internal&mt_nav=0&paipv=0&_rdr

https://chiptuning.ca/
Sold by: https://www.tunemyeuro.com/brands/JR-Auto-Tuning.html?sort=featured&page=1
Their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/jrautoperformanceinc/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078709212954

There are some individuals in a few of the different TDI FB groups that can tune your car if you want me to look into who they are.

Good luck with your decision.
Thank you all for the recommendations, I’m looking at all of them, what I’d love us to find someone in the states who will get it on a Dyno and tune it in person, I live in the Midwest but I’d travel far if need be. I found a Flashzilla v3 in my Dads stuff, I’m finding all sorts of things in the garage that he didn’t tell me about.
 

3L3M3NT

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2008
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
TDI
04 Jetta GLS TDI, 04 RTDI
Thank you all for the recommendations, I’m looking at all of them, what I’d love us to find someone in the states who will get it on a Dyno and tune it in person, I live in the Midwest but I’d travel far if need be. I found a Flashzilla v3 in my Dads stuff, I’m finding all sorts of things in the garage that he didn’t tell me about.
If you already have a Flashzilla v3, then you might want to consider going with a Malone Tune and see if you can find a dealer near you that also has a dyno to Tune the car on. Just be aware that Tuning a TDI on a dyno isn't the be all, end all of Tuning your car.

As long as you have VCDS, you can run logs for the tuner, so they can dial in the tune that way. Plus it can get to be pretty expensive to tune your car on the dyno. Whereas it's "free" to do 3rd or 4th gear pulls in a remote area to get logs of how the car is running. Most tuners are willing to work with you until you're happy with how your car runs.
 
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