VR6 lump into Mk1 golf

[VWnut]

I agree, the VR6 lump is very heavy and ,unless special attention is paid to the chassis upgrade, will make the car very skittish. For the same money a 1.8t can be fitted which will be a lot more driveable, more tuning potential and a lot lighter. Having said that a VR6 driven mk1 would be awesome. As for the dash, it'll be a lot of work to get the mk3 dash in the mk1. Its a lot of work for an uninspiring dashboard, why not try the audi tt dash's?

[golfvr6]

VR6 in a mk1 should be ok as long as suspension and brake upgrades are also done.
It is common misconception that 1.8T engine is more tunable, it isn't, it can be chipped up to 200bhp quite cheaply, but most vr's with or without small mods will be getting towards that already.
To get big power out of 1.8T you need big bucks, same as for a vr6.
2.5-3k will get 300bhp out of both engines.

[AdamB]

I spoke to several specialist garages when I was considering a VR6 transplant, and everyone of them recomended against doing it for the same reasons mentioned here. Most of them also recommended the 1.8T also.

[Rob mk1]

Speak to AWSOME GTI STORE, they did it a while back, seemed to work ok, but only saw it at the GTI INTERNATIONAL, looked like they had done a lot of mods to the suspension turrets and added a cross beam engine mount like the MK2 has, also they had carbs on it if i remember.

[golfvr6]

It can definately be done no probs, people have put silly engines in lots of different cars.
I wouldn't say a 2.8L in a mk1 is that silly.
As long as the chassis is set up properly.

[tinman]

It can definately be done no probs, people have put silly engines in lots of different cars.
I wouldn't say a 2.8L in a mk1 is that silly.
As long as the chassis is set up properly.

i'm with 6 on this. why should an engine be too heavy? if its heavy, compensate by uprating the suspension, which you'd have to do anyway, along with reworked brakes.

as for which is more tunable - depends on your budget. at the end of the day - you'll get more power out of the vr6 because it has a bigger displacement in the first place.

[stubbsy]

the vr6 engine is a great engine although it is quite heavy. i personally would go for the g60 conversion or the 1.8t. ive also heard of peole doing the g40 conversion.

[Mixologist]

I reckon the vr6 engine has the possibilty to work, but as it's from a younger golf thats larger, it maybe to heavy for standard suspension setup, so you'll also have to budget for getting the front end sorted so that it can cope with the extra stress of a heavy engine.  Then you could think about tuning it

[Madone_si]

This is great advice, thanks alot everyone

I'll have a chat with a few specialist VW companies and see what pain they had. If I do go ahead with this, it will be a complete rebuild of a MK1, upgrading everything.. A very long term project and expensive I think, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end....?!!  

I'll keep all informed of what I find out and when it all kicks off...

Thanks again all.