Looking for advice on an engine conversion..

First of all im not sure which section was best to put it in, so this will do for now.

I'm looking into the possibility of putting a 6 speed 1.6 GTi engine from a Lupo in my 1.4 MK3 Golf.

A few questions for those who may know;

- Is it possible? I know anything technically is, but i mean without a hell of a lot of work

- What parts do i need?

- What parts do i need from a vr6/16v/8v before starting?

- Is it easier for this conversion if i stick a lupo dash in the car and bring over the clocks etc?

- What would I do about the exhaust, just need to fabricate a lupo exhaust to fit the MK3?

Thanks for any advice, I've not been able to find this specific conversion anywhere

im expecting tiz to know this shizzle...

i wish i did haha, i dont really know much about those lumps but i dont see why you would want to put one in dude? a gti lump would be easier and be just as good in your car or even a 16v lump would be better. Im guessing there are reasons you want to put the lupo engine in like the 6 speed box and better fuel economy etc but i dont think it would be worth the money dude im not saying it cant be done as ive never looked into it but for "bang for buck" i dont think it will be worth spending your hard earned on

I would have thought that it would be like all late vw's were the key is coded to the clocks ecu and engine so would need to transplant everything over to get it running and still need to run your standard ecu for lights etc and the lupo stuff for everything else. I would also guess that the fuel tank is going to have to come from a gti if you currently run a carb as going to need the lift pump etc although could run aftermarket. You would be better of and easier to stick in a 2.0 16v or 8v as will be almost direct change over. Big bucks conversion I would guess.

1.6 16v = 125bhp from polo. Donor car will be rare and cost abit.
2.0 8v = 125bhp from other mk3 golfs, passats, ibiza's and cordoba's. Lots of donors around for a couple hundred quid

Looked into 6 speed myself, you'll need custom mounts and custom shafts. Expensive route to go.


Now it comes to that statement again

Why build something you can buy!
You can get 2.0 8v gti's already like Max's car so here's a plan

Look for a 2.0 8v crossflow engine from a beetle. Approx 115bhp but it'll be different from the norm and it'll be ripe for TB's or carbs in the future as they'll sit at the front of the head rather than the back

Sure there were some 6 speed shafts for sale on e38...they wanted £100 each

get an early mk3 16v as then you dont have to worry bout immobilisers

crossflow head from a beetle or mk4 2.0l with carbs itbs etc would be cool though but expensive to run

i bet the lupo idea would be very expensive

Damn

I've always had it in my head that it's do-able.. So to cut a long story short: It is, but it wont be cheap and it won't be pretty along the way.

I was just thinking if i got a rear-ended Lupo write-off I might be able to salvage literally the whole lot and make it work, rather than having to search high and low for all the nitty gritty bits.

I'm a firm believer in why build something you can buy, I can't see the point of putting a different MK3 engine in the car because for the same or less I could just go out and buy it, but because I like the car itself and it's mine I want to do something be it difficult or not..

I'll just have to keep hunting for the answers, might ask some more silly questions soon

VW Mike wrote:

Sure there were some 6 speed shafts for sale on e38...they wanted £100 each

Wont fit the mk3 mate.

Ashley, how bout a 1.8t 20v using a 5 speed box from say an abf engined car
Get a quote from mvd

Agree with the above comments really. it will cost you alot and alot of work for not much gain at the end of it, youd prob get an r32 in there for the same money.

matty_mk1 wrote:

Agree with the above comments really. it will cost you alot and alot of work for not much gain at the end of it, youd prob get an r32 in there for the same money.

v8 would be cheaper

i think if your going to do a engin conversion it need to be someting differant, and not what you can buy, but i think that 1.6 GTi engine from a Lupo wouldnt have a great deal off power for the hevy mk3, i would go for the 1.8t

matty has already said it, get it r32'd, just rob someone or something to pay for it!

cheers for the advice guys..

r32 was my first choice, just dont have an arm and a leg spare

so lee, a 1.8t 20v using a 5 speed box from an ABF.. Sounds good, but what's the economy like? I need a conversion which isn't going to break the bank to run daily to work and back.

I think more research is needed.. I also would rather do it myself, but after seeing the trouble/time someone took putting a 1.8t into a 1.4 on golfgtiforum i guess i better budget for the labour

Should think any engine you put in will be better on mpg than that pants 1.4 lol.

If mpg is what ya need then you wanna get a pd 130 lump in there. Same again, run it using a o2a box.

i can get a complete mk4 gti donor car, early 99 golf with tax, mot and a private plate for £1000 could break the rest, sell the plate(valued at £700 as it says H1 5) and have a nearly free conversion, its the early cable throttle too.

If you dont want it and anybody else is interested PM me, i will put up a better advert for the lady in the week.

Crazy idea put a vauxhall 2.0 16v in cheap for engine and box shafts can be made and 150bhp out the box and once thats in upgrade to a turbo 210bhp out the box.

CaddyRage wrote:

Should think any engine you put in will be better on mpg than that pants 1.4 lol.

If mpg is what ya need then you wanna get a pd 130 lump in there. Same again, run it using a o2a box.

The economy isn't too bad, just lacking any power. I kind of hate VW for bringing out the cheap-mans 1.4 mk3 as it literally doesn't make sense to have an engine which can barely pull its own weight in a car so damn heavy. What is the pd 130 lump? is that what you did to one of your vans?

Thanks for the offer Tom, i dont have the money right now so going to have to pass it up

Nice Idea Adrian :-P That lupo we got off you has more power than my car

PD130 is the very tunable popular diesel engine, would be awesome with a jabba remap in a mk3 golf, 184bhp and mental torque would pull your head off in a mk3 and still do 50+mpg

Ashley wrote:

What is the pd 130 lump? is that what you did to one of your vans?

TDI with 128bhp and approx 300Nm
I have the same engine in the ibiza with just a panel filter running 138bhp and approx 350Nm . Apparently there's reliability issues with 150 pd's.

I have'nt done the swap into a van yet but will be when i find a donor going cheap. May have to hold off til i have my truck all done now though otherwise i'll have to buy a daily for my daily for my show truck lol

Sounds awesome lads.. Which cars did the PD130 come in?

Also would I need to change fuel pumps, tank, lines etc from petrol to diesel?

How much would I be looking at for all the parts involved, roughly?

pd is in a few cars

mk6 polo, mk4 golf/bora, passat, seat ibiza/leon.

you'd need to swap tank for a gti or vr type. fuel lines will be fine as they are.

Simply buy a rear ended donor car and transfer everthing over. Thing is, you dont come accross like your handy with a few spanners so be realistic.

Can you do it or not
Anything can be done but are you willing to give blood sweat and tears to see it through. Last thing you want is an half finished project that would struggle to see 500 on ebay if you gave up

To be honest I know i come across like i know nothing about cars, and to be honest i dont, but I think if i do enough research and make sure I've got everything covered when it comes to parts and FAQs etc I can see it through.

When i got my front end painted, by no-ones fault it took 2 weeks of getting the bus at 7 every morning, so i think the thought of this is enough to make me really want to make it work.

Also I think I learn the most by seeing other people doing things to the car, like going over Toms to have a thermostat changed made me feel like a bit of a plonker but atleast I know how to do that and other cooling related problems now

I'll look into getting a donor car, wouldnt mind a mk4 dash etc too if im honest

cheers for the info

getting a full car will definately be your best way dude, the PD conversion isnt widely covered so if im honest i think you may struggle, i considered a 2.0 16v tdi from the new leons into a mk2 after i stacked the leon but in the end i decided i honestly didnt have the knowledge or the will power to see it through. it WILL take a lot of time and it WILL take a lot of money. Im a firm believer that you can do anything with a little help from other people and the internet is a very powerful tool. I knew nothing about cars and i havent done any courses or been taught by anybody i learned everything myself by getting stuck in. Sure i made tons of mistakes along the way, wasted a lot of money and broke a lot of things trying to do it myself but its the only way to learn by having a go. Im sure theres plenty of people willing to give you a hand on the weekends etc(me included) if you need any help.

Hmmmm that was quite a bit of rambling and probably means nothing lol

A pd lump would be an awsome conversion, and tbh if i was gunna buy a mk4 golf, I don't know whether i'd go 1.8t or pd130.... It's a hard decision.

The pd150's in the golf have bigger turbos and front mount intercooler as standard. Reliablity issues include camshafts made of chocolate. If you plan to tune it/remap it then you'll proberly be wanting a better clutch as the original can only handle around 310lb.ft. As a guide price jabba sell a sachs uprated clutch kit(for 6 speed) for £660 inc vat so it's not cheap. The link below is a tdi into mk2 conversion just for a bit of reference. I don't know about mk3's, but people say that the tdi costs just as much to put into a mk2 as a 1.8t, but if your doing the work yourself then obviously cost's will be lower.

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=37689.0