Cali the Jetta

So over the weekend, my parents had mentioned that they wanted to get me something to help with the project for my birthday, which isn’t too far off. So I started thinking about what things were still outstanding.

In this post I mentioned a couple things that were still open ended…
front seats
Done, as the recaros have come in, so that is taken care of…
steering wheel
still outstanding… not sure what I am going to do there… I would like a smaller, round steering wheel, horn button in the middle, likely 3 spokes. I have found one on ebay that I like and is ending very soon… we shall see…
brakes
I will be stepping up to 10.3’s from the mk3 jetta/golf. I would like 11.1’s, but it would limit rim choices and would cost more, and I am not sure I need them. I will be swapping to disc brakes in the rear as well. So I will need calipers all around, brake lines, 22mm master, and rotors. I don’t like to mess around with brakes.
exhaust
Taking the one off kieran’s coupe. Not sure what it is, but it doesn’t have a beer can on it, so I can’t complain!
paint
hmmmm…. the issue here is large. I would like to paint the car. Before I paint the car however, I am going to get the body issues fixed up. SO it seems that the next step for this one is to start collecting body parts to make this happen. Like a set of big doors. And fenders. and a hood. So… still up in the air here, I defiantly want to get the car running well first. And even then, we have given serious thought to painting it ourselves. Time will tell on this one…

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Dylan and I were joined by Scott last night and we went over a created a list of necessary parts. Having the new motor, the junkyard ABA, and the 1.8 all present made it easier to make the list. So I began ordering up the parts. Turns out Autohaus AZ was the cheapest on a majority of the parts, and very close on the other ones. So I ordered up a bunch of stuff up. A list is below… I also grabbed an EIP Tuning solid front mount for $50. Still more to get though… Also I got an underdrive crank pulley off ebay…
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I found this very nice compression calculator over at a honda site. The VW scene could use one, and I don’t think it would be that hard to do.

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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.

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Not that I have done anything with it aside from put it on the stand, the new engine is here…

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Places I have bought parts from or may start to buy from…

Imparts… I have happily bought from them and their prices were always good. Free shipping over $100 too…

Arizona Autohaus… I think dylan recommended them…

Parts4vws.com… used them, they were fine…

I need to get moving on some stuff…

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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.

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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.

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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

• Radiator-Dylan suggests the larger diesel unit, which seems like a good idea to me, as I like extra cooling. 675mm core can be had for $75.
• Hoses-I will likely replace all the coolant hoses, as it would be dumb to reuse the ones I have. Lets say $100 to be on the safe side
• Round Mk3 Expansion tank, $12
• Water Pump, complete with housing, $50
• Misc clips, o rings, thermostat, etc, say $40

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

• Rack… Dylan said rebuilt racks can be had for $120, lets say $170
• Power Steering Pump … Not sure if this is a part I can pull in the yard or I need to get new… I am leaning towards yard part… New ones are like $150-$200.
• Lines … new obviously… Say $75-$100.
• Reservoir, new is $20. I will go new just for appearance and the ability to see thru the bottle to check the level
• Tie Rods … new are $20/side… so $40. Done.

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…

• heater core, $35
• hoses to/from core, $10
• dash control unit… Mine is the AC one, I want the NON-AC one… I think it is a junkyard thing there. find a car without AC and take all its dash related stuff. Blendbox, Control Unit, Etc. Should be under $100

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…

• Head bolts, ~$1 each, say I buy… 10, $11 (carry the change)
• Motor Mounts… I am not sure what I am doing there, solid front? Poly rear? haven’t figured that out yet, Say $200 for all of them?
• Oil pan, use the one off the old motor
• Alternator? Find a MK3 one… hopefully cheap at the yard
• Too many other thing I know I will need that I am not sure of yet… so this list will grow

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.

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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

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