'77 MkI Rabbit content inside!

[Skafrog]

Josh, you need your own welder.

[ben312]

what's your definition of a good build? cause if it's anything short of an unlimited budget, full race build this is an absolutely preposterous claim.

No, its quite within reason. A quick trip to the junk yard can make a 200hp 1.7 8v. G60 pistons, rods and order a g60 chip upgrade. Small turbo. Maybe the g60 cam and or head, only cause its made to handel boost. There are a few builds on the tex that do this. And these are "stage one."

Honestly the ABA makes around 110 stock. Pistons, maybe go do the 16v head swap, cam, PnP, good exhaust and a chip. You could easily make the 170 that the vr puts out. Decent build list, but nothing out of reason or budget. And far from what I would call a "race" build.

[8380 Labs]

forced induction yes, NA no.

[ben312]

forced induction yes, NA no.

haha no. The 16v head alone will make the 2.0 "comparable" the the vr6, and its also lighter. Add a cam, a chip, a good set of pistions, and a nice exhaust and you'll be beating vr6s. Next your going to say that its more work needed to make the same power as a stock vr6, and while you are right, your about to over look the huge amount of work just to swap in the vr where as the 2.0 will slide right in and bolt up. Then start looking at a stage one super charger and your seeing around 290+bhp. The turbo kit is looking upwards of 350+bhp. Also cost is what sells me, 2.0 cheaper, all around.

Bahn Brenner is currently developing a kit specifically for use with this 16V head conversion. Based on the proven Garrett GT28RS turbo, this kit will be the most cost effective way to see 350+ bhp over any VW water cooled engine platform or swap.

[ben312]

A decent vr6 will cost you around 800$ for just the engine. A 2.0 sub 100$. Then you need more parts to make the vr6 fit and run. The 2.0 is drop in, plug up and go. For the time and money to get the stock vr6 in the bay, you can have that built 2.0 in.

[freeride53]

It wabbit season.
I love MKI rabbits a whole lot.

updates?

[ikkitousen]

OMG I fuckin hate you guys...
I was going to Donate my Freebie 84 Mk1 GTI (blown head and rust) to charity for the goddamn tax write off but now I got that budget bug bite!!! WTF!

I need another project like I need a fuckin third job!

/me goes to search CL for an 2.0 ABA engine...

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DAMN YOU JANDERSON!!!

[MikeDE]

There's a clean Salmon/Peach MK1 Rabbit @ the Junkyard I always go to....maybe I should inquire about it. Need a garage first though:roll:

[8380 Labs]

haha no. The 16v head alone will make the 2.0 "comparable" the the vr6, and its also lighter. Add a cam, a chip, a good set of pistions, and a nice exhaust and you'll be beating vr6s. Next your going to say that its more work needed to make the same power as a stock vr6, and while you are right, your about to over look the huge amount of work just to swap in the vr where as the 2.0 will slide right in and bolt up. Then start looking at a stage one super charger and your seeing around 290+bhp. The turbo kit is looking upwards of 350+bhp. Also cost is what sells me, 2.0 cheaper, all around.

right.

[ben312]

right.

Doubt me all you want, but you should do ALOT more reading. For the price of the vr block alone you can start building that 2.0. By the time you get the vr in, running, and working, you can have a decently build 2.0. the 2.0 is also lighter, and has cheper parts made for it. At the end of the day the vr6 will make more power, but it will cost ALOT more and be ALOT more work. You can make more power with the vr6, but you can make power cheaper and still pretty easy with the 2.0. Unless your going to do a full r32vr6 build and make over 500hp then its hardly worth all the work and money. I have done some looking into a vr swap, the BEST price i can find is 800$ for a 100k mile block or 1500$ for a mk4 vr6 front clip with again more then 100k on the block. The 2.0 on the other hand can be had for sub 100$, with less miles on it, and it will swap right in unlike the vr. Unless you really want the vr, or really wana make alota power, then the 2.0 is the smarter choice. Its that simple really.

[Jand3rson]

Well, I'm sorry to say guys, that the Rabbit project is being aborted. I think I got myself in way over my head with this car. I wasn't looking for a full-resto, and the more stuff I pull apart, the more it looks like that's what it's going to be. I was hoping for a car I could just clean up, throw some decent suspension and wheels on, and drive around/take to shows.

Fixing the floor pans is going to take some pretty major body surgery, as well as the rust around the cowl. Swapping to a manual tranny is going to require a new steering rack, and more surgery to the firewall for the clutch and shift linkages, and I don't even want to get into what an engine will entail. I haven't even gotten into the suspension and brakes yet.

Not to mention I've got my garage totally socked-in with the Rabbit and all of it's parts, making it pretty much unusable for anything else, and my poor E30 is just sitting in my grandmother's garage with no one to keep it company but her Explorer.

So I am saying farewell to the little red '77, but not completely. It's going to another guy in my local euro club, and I will always know that I was the one that rescued it from rotting in a field 3 towns over.

What can I say? I still love MkI's, and will always drool over them. This just wasn't the right one for what I wanted. I just didn't bond with the little red-headed stepchild. The E30 is my firstborn. ;)

[ben312]

Well, I'm sorry to say guys, that the Rabbit project is being aborted. I think I got myself in way over my head with this car. I wasn't looking for a full-resto, and the more stuff I pull apart, the more it looks like that's what it's going to be. I was hoping for a car I could just clean up, throw some decent suspension and wheels on, and drive around/take to shows.

Fixing the floor pans is going to take some pretty major body surgery, as well as the rust around the cowl. Swapping to a manual tranny is going to require a new steering rack, and more surgery to the firewall for the clutch and shift linkages, and I don't even want to get into what an engine will entail. I haven't even gotten into the suspension and brakes yet.

Not to mention I've got my garage totally socked-in with the Rabbit and all of it's parts, making it pretty much unusable for anything else, and my poor E30 is just sitting in my grandmother's garage with no one to keep it company but her Explorer.

So I am saying farewell to the little red '77, but not completely. It's going to another guy in my local euro club, and I will always know that I was the one that rescued it from rotting in a field 3 towns over.

What can I say? I still love MkI's, and will always drool over them. This just wasn't the right one for what I wanted. I just didn't bond with the little red-headed stepchild. The E30 is my firstborn. ;)

time to find a new shell

[mikeedler]

be happy you dumped it. in the end you would have hated yourself for spending all your money on it-- I know i built a few of em back in the days and was never really satisfied with the end product.
why I love BMWs now.

[aproy]

Well, I'm sorry to say guys, that the Rabbit project is being aborted. I think I got myself in way over my head with this car. I wasn't looking for a full-resto, and the more stuff I pull apart, the more it looks like that's what it's going to be. I was hoping for a car I could just clean up, throw some decent suspension and wheels on, and drive around/take to shows.

Fixing the floor pans is going to take some pretty major body surgery, as well as the rust around the cowl. Swapping to a manual tranny is going to require a new steering rack, and more surgery to the firewall for the clutch and shift linkages, and I don't even want to get into what an engine will entail. I haven't even gotten into the suspension and brakes yet.

Not to mention I've got my garage totally socked-in with the Rabbit and all of it's parts, making it pretty much unusable for anything else, and my poor E30 is just sitting in my grandmother's garage with no one to keep it company but her Explorer.

So I am saying farewell to the little red '77, but not completely. It's going to another guy in my local euro club, and I will always know that I was the one that rescued it from rotting in a field 3 towns over.

What can I say? I still love MkI's, and will always drool over them. This just wasn't the right one for what I wanted. I just didn't bond with the little red-headed stepchild. The E30 is my firstborn. ;)

i just read this whole thread, got all excited for it too. now i feel like i just watched a movie with a real hot chick in it, and it ended without seeing her boobs.

[Mstngcobr761]

i just read this whole thread, got all excited for it too. now i feel like i just watched a movie with a real hot chick in it, and it ended without seeing her boobs.

HAHHA so good...and true