What to do with the broken MkII

[drumsofmassdestruction]

Hello,

I'm new to all this.  I have recently been offered a 5 door big bumper MkII GTi to play with.  Apparently the cam belt snapped and it's buggered, I haven't had a look myself but I figured it might be a good opportunity to chuck something modern in i.e. a 20V turbo or alternatively a modern TDi engine. 

I need advice on this though to know I won't be biting off way more than I can chew.

Suggestions gratefully received.

[Agreeable Slick]

Have a read and use the search function through this section.

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?board=7.0

Loads about mk2 conversions in there.

[Sam]

Not really worth it on a 5 door... 

[DubFan]

How good is the shell?
If it's solid, no rust or dents, never crashed, then it might be worth the effort.
Nowt wrong with 5 doors.

If you're mechanically minded (which you didn't mention) then a conversion would be a good option. If you're a beginner, then a better bet would be to just replace the engine with another one exactly the same. A Mk2 GTI engine should be cheap enough to buy and at least then it should be straightforward to pull one out and put the new one in without having to worry about wiring, brakes, gearboxes and stuff.

[The Mighty Elvi]

Not really worth it on a 5 door... 

STFU!

[Len]

If its broke dont fix it!

[Gambit]

if its an 8v with a snapped cambelt then just stick a new belt on, its a non-interference engine so you cant do any damage with a snapped belt