Hello, kinda new to the forum so thought it only right that i show you guys what ive done so far
Well, always been into my VW, and the MK3 is my favourite shape, best combo of old and new looks in my opinion, so went out on the hunt for a perfect base model to start my project, took 9 months but finally found one, a MK3 golf, 2 door 16v GTI with NO SUNROOF! (they always leak and no need for it, i have windows for fresh air!)
I drove almost 5 hours to collect, 6 on the way back (cause i got a bit lost) and within 2 hours of it being home, here is the result!
All out!
While i was searching for the car, i came across an engine that i couldnt say no to! Found someone at a car meet with a mint a3 1.8t (agu engine code) and one night some idiot in a bmw thought he was a drift king and wrote the car off, luckily for me, he wanted to get rid of the engine, so picked up the complete engine with everything, wiring loom, key, dials for £500, which is when i decided to strip it and make sure for my self that it was perfect!
Then the tear down started, i decided to put as little back on the engine as possible, i wasnt going to run anything that didnt make the car run, so aircon was removed, secondary air removed and all that rubbish!
Had a couple of little leaks but nothing major, so then the minor detailing started and putting it back together.
So, back to the car. I checked out the engine bay while the engine was out, no signs of rust, so no need to get that sprayed, just removed everything unnessessary and all wax from chassis legs and polished. Cheap and easy, and came out really nice, if i do say so myself!
Seen as i had a 16v gti to start off with, this made it very easy for gearbox, as i used the original 16v gearbox. I also opted for a G60 flywheels and clutch, as it would be a comfortable drive as i will be using the car as an everyday driver. I didnt get the flywheel skimmed as i wanted quite a heavy flywheel, helps with the torque a bit.
During this stage, had a word with jamie at Jtecautomotive (as they would be the guys to wire up the engine for me, and the desicion for a K04 turbo and matching injectors was made, but this would mean modifying the inlet manifold to accept the 225 injectors to a manifold that would be running throttle cable (i used a vr6 cable)
Out came the angle grinder!
Once finished, i also had a bit of a mess around with the front end to accomodate the FMIC, but i wanted it to sit slightly higher and far back, so that it would be as hidden as possible, going for a sleeper look. Still need to try and find black jubilee clamps or just paint mine black so its a bit more stealthy.
Then the black heat paint came out and fitted everything back just to see how hidden it was, think i done alright.
Now was time for engine installment and boost pipe ordering. As i was going for a k04 turbo, i ordered up a downpipe from qpeng, and to keep everything the same, i kept all piping (exhaust and inlet side) all 2 1/2 inch, will black silicone pipes, for obvious reasons. The only thing i had trouble with was getting a custom made oil return pipe made up, i made sure it was alot thicker that the standard return pipe as i have a friend running a 1.8t k04 and the turbo blew due to oil build up, so dont want that. Here is the engine ready for mounting and fully mounted (dont have any while i was lowering it as it was late when i started to fit and wanted to get it in!)
With the engine in, i started at wiring. The first thing i wanted to do was rip out the sorry excuse for an immobilizer that came fitted to the mk3 golfs from factory, as i wasnt happy with how it worked, and i wouldnt have been happy with just "piggy backing" it with another alarm, so the entire dash came out, and any wire that went that immobilizer unit removed.
The only thing that i needed now was wiring the engine, exhaust system and a set of wheels to finish off the "stealth look" so i started searching, and i came across a set of 16x6 steel wheels, that had the "lips" painted silver with what looked like hammerite, including genuine drip marks and scratches. So after handing over a whole £35 and a new set of tyres waiting, they got mounted and the car took its journey down to Jtec to finish the wiring and exhaust!
While the car was away, a couple of extras came about that i couldnt say no to, these included a vento front end, 2 sets of lights (just incase) and 3 types of vento grill, one was the very early style one that had never been painted or marked and set of porsche teledial wheels, 16x7 at front and 16x8 at rear, picked up those for £75 as the guy didnt know what he was selling. One has a flat spot so this will have to be straightened before i get them acid dipped and powder coated silver with yellow and red crests.
And now we are up to the current date!
Went down to Jtec the other day to see how they were getting on, and they had it running already, all wiring wrapped in furry tape, giving it that OEM look. They also fitted a vr6 air mass meter as this is 3" diameter to match the k04 turbo tip and it worked better with with the AGU ecu. And this is how it looks as it stands, all that is required now is a ECU map and dyno test and insurance!
I also opted for a single exit, slash cut exhaust as i didnt want it to look like a VR from behind, so we had the cat removed and centre silencer removed and only the back box, which suprizingly isnt that loud at all, until u give it a bit!
For mapping, ive opted to take the car to Rtec up in leister, they are one the best used my my mates, and the guys up there are animals with 1.8t engines, proof of it is my friends seat ibiza cupra, that we upgraded his turbo and injector to a K04 with 225bhp injectors and he is now getting a healthy 267bhp at the flywheel on an "economical" map with no spikes (as the k04 are known for this)
New updates coming soon, once i get some cash for a map and insurance!
