So I wasn’t sure what the compression ratio on the new motor was going to be, but I think I have figured it out to be 10.3:1…. which will be more than adequate for some decent power. For some reason I was worried I was looking at like 8.5:1 or something low.
Those are the calculations from this site. The values were taken from various searches online. 10.3:1 should be perfect for MS and whatnot as well. I should be able to run along that line nicely.
Not that I have done anything with it aside from put it on the stand, the new engine is here…
Dylan and I went out to Al’s last night to pick up the motor. It is nice and clean and assembled and new. I am happy. Oil pan up to the deck is complete aside from accessories. So I need random things like the dipstick, distributor, block off plates, mountings for the hoses, etc. but that is fine.
So it is time to order up some parts and get the ball rolling. I did not grab any pics cause it was late and Mason was eager to get home, but it is on the engine stand. I’ll snag some pics on wednesday.
The cleanup is going well! The subframe, suspension, brake system, etc are all out. The only thing still in the bay are the fuel lines and some wiring, both of which will be staying. It needs a bit more cleanup, which needs to happen soon since the engine was delivered to Al’s today. I am picking it up tomorrow night. Now I need to start ordering up parts, which is going to cost money, but will be nice once they come in.
Also, Dylan got me a duckbill. Sure it has some broken tabs or something, but I bet I can make it work.
Hopefully now things will start moving quicker. I need to get the random motor parts as well as the ECU and wiring harness. Everything is starting to cost money.
I will need parts. That is the problem with projects like this, it is way to easy to get lost in a barrage of $50-$100 parts that you will need. They are everywhere. Here and there, things I need. So I am going to start listing them in the hopes that I can find decent deals on them as well as have them all there such that when the motor comes and I start getting things ready to reinstall, I don’t sit there kicking myself that I missed 1 radiator hose or something like that. I also would like a rough running total going so I can determine what paths to take in terms of junkyard parts vs. new cooler versions of things… So lets begin…
cooling system
That doesn’t include the fans, but I am not sure what I am going to do there. I am pretty sure I can use the output of the MegaSquirt to control the fans, so I will likely end up with 2 electric fans. IIRC, the passat has 2 electric fans that drop in. On the other hand, I would prefer 2 SPAL electric fans in there, but that will likely be more $$, so we shall see…. I need the running total to determine if what path to take on this kinda thing, SPAL vs. Junkyard Passat.
Power Steering
Heat/AC
The car HAD AC, but it was pulled. I don’t want it back. However, I would like to switch to a non-AC setup in the inside. So I have to research that some. If we are pulling the dashboard (we are) I am replacing the heater box ($35) cause why not, it is cheap and a potential leak fixed. so…
Engine
I am sure I will need things, although I am not sure exactly what until the motor gets here. I was going to go head studs, but it is too much cash. Frugal is the game plan here now…
Interior is good for now, I need a rear seat, but whatever.
Got a rear beam for the rear discs.
Could use some strut bars and what not, but I am going to wait and see how the motor fits first.
That is all for now, just some notes to keep things noted…
BTW, All the above adds up to just under $1,000. Told you it would be a barrage.
So I got a little propane torch to get the wax off and MAN was that nice. So much easier than scraping it off that I will never do it that way again.
This was the before, as you may remember:
This is what it looks like today:
You can see progress is happening. We need to drop the front beam to make life easier. But it is coming along really nicely. I am happy.
The rest of the pics are here
So I had Al @ CPT order me up my short block. There was a little confusion on the price in the catalog, but it is looking like $1,400 shipped for the short block, assembled, with a warranty (of some kind). Still a better decision then me doing the work myself. I could have done the work myself and saved about $300, but I am not sure that I am a good candidate for that quite yet. Dylan and I were thinking perhaps we would tear down the motor that was in Cali before as a learned exercise. I would rather screw up that motor than my daily driver motor. And then I can honestly reset the odometer to ‘0′ and smile, knowing it should last a while. So that is ordered and should be here soon.
I also began cleaning the engine bay out and it is actually come along quite nicely. I have found VERY little rust, and the dirt and oil actually appeared to have kept the paint in decent shape. For some reason, VW put wax on the paint in a number of places. This wax, after 20 years, has begun to deteriorate, so I am removing it. It was under the areas that held the airbox and the battery. Since those won’t be there really, (battery in the trunk and the airbox replaced with a cone filter for now and eventually the individual throttle bodies) I don’t feel I need the wax.
So I hope to get a bunch more cleaned next wednesday, and I will hopefully remember to grab some pictures too.
I am excited to get the motor in. That will be a big step.
Wasn’t that hard, but man is it dirty in there. We will be replacing nearly everything you see there, so cleaning it won’t be a big deal per se, it should clean up very nicely. Perhaps a new coat of paint in there. Now I gotta get some money together and order up the block…
So the plan was …
I had a 2.0 ABA block out of a 95 Golf. Engine blocks were on sale at the junkyard in Indiana, and this block was pulled from a red automatic car with unknown mileage. It is dirty but appears to be ok. So I was planning on stripping the block, sending it out to be machined, bores cleaned, etc, likely to the tune of $200-$300. Then I was going to rebuild the short block myself. This would have entailed a rebuild kit, and the cheapest rebuild kit I could find was $550 with pistons. So say with shipping and tax, we are looking at nearly $900 (high end) for the bottom end. And that is just parts, not the installation and build up, that I WOULD have to do myself. While that would be a great learning experience, it would take alot of time, which is something I don’t have a lot of right now.
So I was poking around and found an ill running 96 Jetta 2.0 that was for sale for $400. Sure the car has a pile of problems, but the thought was we could pull the motor/wiring and install it in Cali and it would be in need of some work, but it would be easier, and in the interest of time, quicker.
In all of this thinking, I called up my mechanic, Al at Chicago Performance and Tuning, and asked him his thoughts on the topic. He knows how to rebuild a motor, and he has a rough idea of what I can (and can’t) do mechanically. So we chatted about it and he point out that I can buy a new short block, with new VW parts, professionally assembled, etc. This would cost me $800 roughly, say $900 with shipping. So for roughly the same amount of money, I get a professionally build bottom end with new parts, and I don’t have to measure clearances to stupid numbers with tools I don’t have.
So… I get that block, I pull out the 8v counter flow head I already have on top of that, add megasquirt for the ECU and wiring harness… and boom. Done.
So… block…$900 shipped. Megasquirt with wiring harness shipped…$350 … I am sure that I will need some random parts. I have the oil pan, waterpump, and alternator from the old engine. I may be swapping the distributor with another VW guy for a nice 4 window distributor. I am sure there are other things that I haven’t thought of, but I will. A few gasket kits, etc, I should be ok.
So with that, I would have a virtually new motor. And it would be about $1,500 for a brand new, essentially zero mile engine (the head has some miles on it). And it should be decently fast.
I am excited… now I need to get some money together for it…
Now that the holidays are over… I am hoping to have some time to get the motor done… we shall see.. I need to get on it…
but meanwhile, I found a video, the source of which I need to learn more about… that is my current audible inspiration…
it is 13.4mb, but worth a listen… check it out
Comments(1)