G60 charger for a Golf, is it worth it?

[jasonoldy69]

I've been looking at reconditioned G60 chargers on eBay.  Is it worth getting one for a mk3 Golf Gti?  Or, will it even fit?    Bit of an amateur to all this so it will be interesting to know what you all think.

[topher]

Doesn't quite work like that fella.. it's not a bolt-on part. If supercharged is your aim you'd be better off sourcing an entire G60 engine/management.

[jasonoldy69]

Haha thought I was getting somewhere then.

Is there no way of upgrading the current engine instead of replacing it.  Something that gives a bit more umph than a new air filter.

[topher]

Lots of things you can do. But you have to have a serious think about what you're trying to achieve and for what budget. It gets to a point where doing lots of engine work will cost as much as an engine swap.. but still not be as powerful. Similarly you can have engine conversions that cost more than it would to sell your car and upgrade to a more powerful one in the first place.
Which engine do you currently have 8v or 16v? And what is your budget?

[danny_p]

if you have a 16v  DO IT.   won't be cheep tho

[jasonoldy69]

It's a 2L 8v.

I'm not too fussed on the budget really.  The Golf is in excellent condition, I've had it for a few years now and spent a fortune keeping it well maintained.  And, I'm not really prepared to get another car, I'm pretty happy with what I have 

Plus, I have a trusty local mechanic that's prepared to do some jobs for me.

I want to focus on the engine though, I'm not completely into alloys and body styling, etc.

Those chargers started at £800 so what would you recommend in that price range?

[topher]

Rip old engine out, replace with VR6 or 16v.

You could spend the same amount on head work, cam, exhaust/manifold and still only gain 20 - 30 bhp from the 8v.

[jasonoldy69]

I was having a word with the old man about that.  He wasn't sure its worth doing because once you put a bigger engine in, you need to replace everything else to cope with it.  Such as the brakes and other parts?

[topher]

If you want to make it faster, you'll be wanting improved handling and stopping power.. doesn't matter if you're doing it with an engine swap, turbo conversion or lightened to high heaven and revving to 9000rpm.

You could pick up a rear ended 16v or vr6 for less than 800 and have everything you need ready to swap over.

[jasonoldy69]

Kool.  what should I be asking for when sourcing a VR6 engine?  Low mileage?