$600 MK1 Diesel. My First ever FWD build.

[Vtec?lol]

Sup fine folks.

So this being the only forum I frequent, figured i'd log my progress here. The goal is to make it reliable, but fun. So that raises the very large question of:

HOW DO I MAKE A FWD HATCH, fun?

Please help me answer that. Please. I'm a fan boy of E30's because no matter what engine you put in them, it powers the rear wheels and it's FUN! I put a V8 and a 6-speed in my last e30 to make it even more fun and boy was it! It was amazing and I'm a big advocate of the v8 sound. So what can I do to keep this car interesting?

That will be logged here. As always, whatever you guys can think of I welcome you to share.

The story.

Old lady had the car since new. It's a 1982 VW Rabbit Diesel 2dr. 4spd manual and 1.6 liters of absolutely no compression. The lady had the head gasket changed and it drove just fine. Then it came a time for her to sell it. The guy that bought it drove it for a week until the head gasket failed. It's a common issue with these cars being that they have 2 different version of various thickness gasket types. More than likely the wrong gasket was used. Or something else. Whatever.

Picked the car up and washed it down. I love it. Currently debating changing the valence and fenders for circled euro head lights. not sure yet.

Le' Pics






Got it home














So more pics to come in the daylight.
Can't wait to start tearing into it. Please toss ideas as far as simple engine swaps. Looking to get it running for cheap.

[TimeMachinE30]

Wentworth Motorsports on Cape Cod did a crazy rear engine mounted VR6. ...but simple...


I dunno but will follow this.

[LJ851]

:up:

[AWDBOB]

Sweet!!

You own a VW now, so I guess you should just wait until someone sends you RaceLands.

But in all seriousness, a good set of coils, stiffer sways, etc these cars actually handle well. A buddy has a very nice '84(?) and it's gutted with nothing but suspension mods. Fun little car.

I think it goes without saying, but half of your fun is going to be making her roll some coal, so add that to the list.

[2mAn]

please keep the Late Westy front end....

and honestly throwing a factory turbo diesel setup and modifying it makes the car quite fun. EVO intercoolers fit nicely in front of the radiator too ;)

I had a 1980 Jetta Coupe with a 1.6 TD pushing 20psi. That thing was FUN! Those little suckers can handle too if you dont slam it. Ive owned a dozen MK1s and modified all of them. PM me if you have questions

[dothadance]

Wentworth Motorsports on Cape Cod did a crazy rear engine mounted VR6. ...but simple...


I dunno but will follow this.

hahaha rear engine was my first idea. put a boattail on that bitch and get 10000000000 mpg. had a mk1 caddy swooped out from under me last week two days before i was going to look at it. </3 heartbroken, but it was probably for the better. def hyper mile it out

[ST1G]

please keep the Late Westy front end....

But if you don't, sell it to me.

Good pick up mate!

[Vtec?lol]

The verdict is in...

I will retain the wild west front end. My goal was to paint it red and convert to rounds. After feeling over it, this car doesn't have a single scratch. Not one dent.
It'll be a shame to ruin and Rob this car of its awesome originality.

Speaking of original. I will keep it a diesel. On the hunt for a 1.9tdi engine and 5spd.
After a tune, I should be able to push 300ftlbs and still get 50mpg.

[rturbo 930]

Needs a turbo. And round headlights. Sorry 2man.

Looks pretty straight and solid man. Kind of jealous. Although my Jetta doesn't have much rust considering it spent ~20 years as a DD in NJ. It could maybe use a little less brown on the inside though, unless that's your taste.

Edit: I don't think I'd completely swap the motor. Just put a turbo on the one you have. Keep it simple. You don't need 300ftlbs to go fast in that car.

[mitchlikesbikes]

don't do typical volkswagen kid shit and you should be fine.

dos:

more power
less weight
suspension mods
sticky tires

don'ts:

wheels that don't fit
racelands
lowering extensively
stretched tires
dapper sticker
illest sticker
making shit rusty on purpose
stupid euro plate
airbags

[CorvallisBMW]

Speaking of original. I will keep it a diesel. On the hunt for a 1.9tdi engine and 5spd.
After a tune, I should be able to push 300ftlbs and still get 50mpg.

Exactly what I was going to propose. Check out the Project Sipster over on MotoIQ: http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticl...t-sipster.aspx

[pandaboo911]

I have brand new fuel injector lines for one of these. Includes injection pump feed line and crush washers. Never installed, you can have em for cheap.

[Holland]

ALH swap, pronto!

[Matt341]

don't do typical volkswagen kid shit and you should be fine.

dos:

more power
less weight
suspension mods
sticky tires

don'ts:

wheels that don't fit
racelands
lowering extensively
stretched tires
dapper sticker
illest sticker
making shit rusty on purpose
stupid euro plate
airbags

This is word for word what I was thinking.

[yodman]

Glad to see the VW's aren't hated here! I have four 'classics' myself.

'82 Caddy Diesel
'90 Jetta Coupe VR6
'72 Super Beetle
'90 Passat Wagon

The westy front end is where it's at. I like it. Nice clean pick-up.

I will suggest a few little things:

-ANY header from a single cam VW 4 cylinder watercooled up to 1999 will work on this car, if and when you go to do exhaust work.

-On that, 2.25" is the max you should go with ANY VW diesel, turbo or not.

-You can also fit the intake manifold and air intake tube with an aftermarket filter from a gas car, just removing any fuel injection stuff and gutting/hogging out the throttle body, then filling all the exterior holes with JB weld.

-For the record, racelands ride like shit. They prematurely blow the shocks and get bouncy, typically within two or three years or 40-50k miles, in my experience. Go with JOM, ST or FK and you'll be fine. If you don't already know, don't drop the control arms below level when the car is on the ground. It will handle like doggy doo-doo.

-Strut bars front and rear make a significant reduction in chassis flex, especially in a car so old.

Just looking out for a fellow V-dubber and euro enthusiast.

2man sounds like he knows his stuff, but don't hesitate to ask me either!

Here's my truck, painted Porsche GT3RS Signal Green:

With the mods mentioned above (exhaust & intake) I made a dyno proven 49.5 HP@4200 RPM and 74 lb-ft@2400 RPM. They make 52@4800 and 71@2300 factory, at the crank. Your engine code is CR. :-)