Golf mk2 GTI 8v to 1.8t AGU, mk4 dash and wiring Updated 13/02/11

Did a little bit more tonight. I got a bit happy with the angle grinder and thought I'd give the bulkhead a trim for the air con pipes to fit through. I was on my own in the garage, so it made it a bit difficult to mark out the right area from inside then go cut from the outside. I worked out that the hole had to be between two rubber bungs so started cutting away...

I originally cut the hole a bit high so had to go a bit lower...


Hole with the air con pipes pushed through.



I'm going to have to do a bit more measuring/drilling for the heater matrix unit fixing screws to go through, but I'll save that for another time.

Al Murray was on TV tonight and he was picking on one of my colleagues so had to watch it....I cleaned the gearbox while it was on. Oven cleaner worked a treat.

 

Hi Peeps,

Quick update...

I've not had as much spare time to work on the car this month so here's what I've done so far...

Started on the dash bar. I had some pics from someone elses thread, which showed me roughly where I had to cut.



Cutting in progress...



I just liked this pic coz there's sparks everywhere lol...


One side done...


My best mate (did all the cutting)


Angle grinding in the dark just for fun


Cutting finished


I gave in to peer pressure on ed38 and decided to paint the whole gearbox. I figured as the rest of the car is red/black and the interior will also be red/black, I may as well do the gearbox black. It turned out quite well...




This colour scheme meant that I could leave the wishbones and steering rack black...quite like the way it all looks now.



I'm going to have to remove this track rod and replace it with the mk2 one. The Mk3 VR6 had a wider track. Seems as though it's just one side that is different length. The passenger side appears to have the same length track rod.

 

yours bar looks so much neater than mine lol

dont think ill use a plasma cutter next time round!

gearbox looks awsome as well tbh

 

lol! Thanks bud. You got yourself some new wheels yet?

 

Looking good mate, this is not good for your paintwork though, ask me how I know this...

 

I take it you enjoyed watching the sparks bounce too?

It's ok...car will be resprayed at some point in the not so distant future...just gotta get it running first.

 

Hi Folks...apologies for the lack of updates. I've been busy with work and other commitments so garage time has been at a minimum.

Anyhoo, here's some more pics...

I put the subframe back in. The old exhaust is still in the pic, but I've put the AGU one in since.


PAS pump being sprayed up...



The dash bar needed fixing in, but as I haven't got access to a welder, I had to make do with builder's band. I used the screw points from the original dash to tighten the builders band. This is a temporary measure until the car is mobile.



It was time for the gearbox to mate with the engine. I've put a brand new VR6 clutch in (didn't get pics though). I had to get the cover plate that goes between the engine and gearbox, as there was a massive gap between gearbox and engine at the back of the flywheel. The cover plate covers this hole so that dirt won't get in.
Pic of flywheel:

Engine/gearbox as one:


Having attached the rear engine mount bracket, I realised that the turbo pipe wouldn't fit in its fixing points.



It will have to be turned 180 degrees as suggested by QPeng. Only problem with this is that I might not be able to use the standard intercooler. I may need to get me a front mounted one MUAHAHAHAHA. Not sure what I'm going to do with the plumbing but I'll worry about that later.


Now to get started on the dash. I took some advice from other threads and did some careful measuring. To start with, I lined up the flat vertical edge of the old dash and the new dash and marked out where it starts bending to take the shape of the windscreen.


I then laid down the old dash on some cardboard and marked out the curve from these points.


I then cut out the curve and stuck the template in line with the black marks I made on the mk4 dash earlier. I followed this line with a marker pen so that it was on the plastic.


Using an angle grinder I cut along the line, being very careful not to cut through the vinyl on the outside of the dash (want this intact so it looks neater when you put the dash in.


I separated the vinyl from the plastic I'd just cut using a knife. Once it is separated the plastic can be discarded, but the vinyl will be folded over when the dash is fitted.


After a bit more trimming, the dash fitted nicely into position.


It's still not perfect...will require more trimming so that it sits at a higher angle.


The only problem I'm having now is the support brackets on the sides. These obviously give the dash it's strength so I'm a bit worried about chopping them. Anyone got any advice on what to do here? I'm worried that it'll be considerably weakened if I cut it off...


The last thing (except the wiring) that is preventing the engine from going in is the steering column UJ to the steering rack. Ideally I could do with a longer UJ. As it happens I have two, so there may be a possibility of using bits from one to extend the other, but I'm not sure if I want to be welding bits together when they are to do with steering.

Anyhoo...There may be a solution...
If the steering column is separated more than it would normally be (by about 5cm) as shown below:


...it would sit perfectly on the steering rack without grinding on the bulkhead...


My solution would be to have a bracket welded to the top part of the column so that it can support the bottom part a bit lower down.


I haven't tried this with the pedal box in the car so it may not be possible at all. The only other (and best) solution would be to get a longer UJ from another car but I've tried the bora and octavia and they're both the same length as the mk4 golf. Looking on ETKA, the Passat one is part of the steering column. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kav

 

Hi Folks, me again!

I got some good advice from GolfIIVR6 regarding the steering column. The good news is that I was able to use the mk4 one I already had and didn't have to keep searching for a longer UJ from another car :-)

It turns out that the pedal box with the hydraulic clutch has holes between the brake and clutch pedals which are for the steering column (shown below)



In my previous post I talked about making a bracket to hold the column about 5cm further down than it would be if it was attached to the dash bar. Well the pedal box is about the same distance so it has saved me the massive task of creating a bracket. For the steering column to fit, you've gotta trim the white plastic bits off either side of the column...it should look like this when done:




I then trial fitted the column...


All was good except the column was pushing on the accellerator pedal's bar, so I had to trim it a little...



With a bit of fiddling, the pedal box and steering column fitted in nicely. The option to adjust the length of the steering wheel will be lost with this method, but I never had it before so I'm not too fussed as long as the car steers safely.



Now onto the gear shifter...

I started off by cutting a couple of brackets the same width as the original mk2 shifter.



I put the two shifters side by side so that the gear sticks are in line. From this I can work out where it will sit inside the car and where I will have to attach the brackets.



I then realised that the rear end of the VR6 shifter has a dip in it and had to make a new rear bracket...





After a long while of trimming and measuring, the shifter was ready to go in...



As I haven't got a welder, I bolted the front bracket on so it kept the shifter from moving back and forth. The rear bracket just holds it up. I tried it from inside the car and there is no movement at all.


Not a huge amount left to do now...need to finish trimming the dash...sort out the turbo plumbing...fit the engine....clutch master cylinder and swap fuel tank/pumps. Oh....and the evil job of fitting the mk4 wiring boohoohoo

 

ahhhh looking good man

nice to see you found out a way to sort the steering column! is that strong enough on its own though? what about the outer section that bolts to the dash bar?

with that acc pedal, will you be using a dbw because that would solve the problem of it fouling the column

tbh that dash looks sweet, think ill have to get you down to help with mine!

 

Yep, it's solid. It's safer having it attached to the pedal box as well as the dash bar...especially as my dash bar isn't welded in at the mo so it moves around. I've got the early AGU engine so it has a cable throttle but the pedal moves freely now without any probs.

The outer section that bolts to the dash bar connects at the bottom, enough for it to turn the column without coming apart or skipping. It does stop the length adjustment from working, but at least the steering is in now. You could always drill a hole a bit higher up on the pedal box so that the columns sit closer together.

I'm gonna give the dash a bit more attention today and hopefully have it fitted properly. I'll keep my stencil of the old dash if you want - might help you when doing yours. Only thing now is cutting the middle of the inside bulkhead for the screen vent but I'll do that once I'm happy with the dash.

Still dreading the wiring

 

Hi Folks,

I didn't realise how long it's been since I posted an update...I'd even uploaded all the pics just forgot to post. :blink:

I've installed the clutch master cylinder. I bought myself a proper drill bit for cutting big holes. Turned out it was exactly the right size for the master cylinder to fit through...




This pic shows where the holes need to be for the air con unit to be attached...


After I trimmed the dash bar some more, the dash was fitting reasonably nicely but it still needs to go back a bit to look neat.



I've also bought mk4 electric heated mirrors but it seems that the door is a slightly different shape. May need to get this sorted when I eventually get the car resprayed. I'm sure the body shop could make it fit.



I also forgot to torque tighten the flywheel bolts so took gearbox off and tightened them up. I was on my own in the garage so I had to improvise a tool to hold the flywheel still while I tightened the bolts


Clutch fitted...


I treated myself to a little extra when I went to the scrappy. The guys sorted me out with this....20 happy days! The connector on it is the same as the connector on my wiring which is a bonus.


I also got cracking with the wiring...


I've got loads more pics but I left the camera in the garage. I'll do loads more to the car over the weekend and I'll give another update when I've put a bit more back together.

 

Your doing a great job mate, keep up the good work. Thats the way I should have gone with mine when I put the mk4 dash in my mk1.

Looking forward to more updates!

 

looks sweet man

how did you mount the abs pump? guessing its from a mk4?

i got the fuel tank sorted finally i ended up getting a mk3 diesel one and a mk4 pump fits in perfectly!

i gave up tring to get the dash to fit completly flush at the A pillars.. lol

 

Looking good.

Keep the updates coming!

 

Thanks guys

Timbutjack, the ABS pump came out of a Bora. I used the bracket that came with it and just screwed it into one of the screws that held the coolant bottle in then drilled a hole on the top lip of the chassis leg. I'll get a picture when I go to the garage tonight.

Does the mk4 pump defo not fit in the Mk2 tank?

The only thing I'm unsure of now is how I'm gonna do the ABS ring/sensors on the back wheels. Anyone seen a thread where someone else has already done it?

 

I apologise, I've been crap with the updates again.

Here's the pics I've got upto a couple of weks ago...will take more tomorrow of the current state of the project.

I threaded the engine bay wiring through to see if the connectors would fit through the existing hole in the bulkhead. This was only supposed to be to test it, but once I realised it went through nicely...and the rubber bung fitted, I thought best to leave it there. You can see in the pic below how nicely it fits into the hole that is already there.

Having invested in a pipe flaring kit, I thought I'd give the golf some new brake pipes. Cheaper than having them made up at the shop. I had the ABS pump bracket powder coated red like all the other components.



A close-up of the ABS bracket fixing at the bottom.



I painted the hideous looking brake servo...did this one by hand because the diaphragm would have melted if it was powder coated. I also put on a new 22mm master cylinder which I painted black. The brake fluid resevoir is from a 16v corrado...it has a little outlet for the clutch master cylinder pipe.



The wiring is made so that it reaches the ECU in the middle of the scuttle, rather than on the driver side. I had to bend the brackets of the mk4 ECU so that the wiper mechanism didn't cut into it as it turned. Strangely, the wiper motor is exactly the same on my mk2 GTI as it is on the mk4....even the wiring connector.



It was about time I upgraded the brakes. I got some G60 280mm brakes off ebay, but had to put new hubs in as I was going to have ABS, so needed the hubs with the rings. I got new wheel bearings at the same time. I bought a press off ebay to do it with, but didn't take step by step pics...



With mk4 ABS sensor...









After a lot of faffing in the engine bay, the engine was ready to go in...





Looks like I'm defo going to need an FMIC or at least some new pipes for the intercooler.




More to come...

 

[quote name='Vick N' post='1319189' date='May 25 2008, 03:49 PM']Very nice, makes me want to re shell my mk4 into my mk2 :unsure: B)[/quote]

HEhehehe! Do it h34r:

Thanks for the comments guys...here's some more pics for ya...

I put the front crossmember and bumper back on so that I can rest the engine on the front mount. It's starting to look like it's nearly finished :blink:



I love how snugly everything fits....gotta love VW!



There's a part of the wiring loom on the mk4 golf that enters the car via a flap in the scuttle. It looks like the mk2s had this hole, but it was covered up by VW. Instead of trying to cut the hole out again and fiddle with the flap, I just drilled a hole big enough to fit the connectors through and used a rubber bung that was on the original wiring loom to stop any water getting in....







I then used some roof and gutter sealant around the outside of the bung just in case any water got through....don't want any leaks now do we.



The next job was to fit the mk4 radiators...to see if they will go in without any trouble



but....



Plan 2 is to use the original radiator and reroute the coolant hoses from the engine. Only problem is that the fan control switch has different wiring on the old radiator and I'm trying my best not to have to chop the new loom up. But...in true VW fashion, they swapped over without any trouble :-)



Only problem now is that the coolant radiator is not as wide as the air con condenser. I may have to make separate brackets for the condenser to hang from.





Fortunately, the condenser fits fine when removed from the mk4 rad



Some brackets will straighten it up


Another little change...I put the cap from a mk4 brake fluid resevoir onto the corrado one...fits nicely and means I don't have to chop the loom to change connectors :-)



Next job is to get the mk2 fuel tank out. As I'm fitting everything Mk4, I'll need to have the mk4 pump in there and the neck on the mk2 fuel tank is too narrow for the mk4 pump/sender unit. I've got a tank from a mk3 GTI, which is the same shape as the mk2 tank, but with a wider neck which can accommodate the mk4 pump....Gotta love VW :-)

Another little revelation (as can be seen in this pic) is the cause of the petrol smell inside my golf when I drove it...seems like something's leaking up here...just as well I'm changing it over.


And now for the interactive part of the thread....I need your help to identify some of the connectors in the engine bay...

These two connectors are on the wiring that runs from the ECU down the passenger side of the car. One has 4 female pins and the other has 5. You can see me holding the connector for the ECU in the pic as well...



Next up is this little gem...it's got a heat resistant pouch around it so I assume it goes round the back of the engine, near the turbo. Nothing in the wiring loom connects to this, so I'm assuming there's something behind the engine that it's supposed to plug into?



Lastly we have this little beauty. It runs down the driver side of the engine bay. Looks really strange...no idea what it could be.



Here's the closeup of the writing on the side of it - I couldn't find the number on ETKA, but that could be coz I'm a tard.



The last mystery is finding out where the wiring is for the MAP sensor. I've got 2 mk4 1.8t looms and neither of them has a connector for the MAP sensor the intercooler...any ideas where it comes from/goes to?

Thanks,
Kav

 

The strange looking two prong thing comes up as a 'water level switch' for the windscreen washer unit, for when the level is low and it sends its signal to the dashboard warning display.

Top build thread by the way.

 

Really nice man! Keep up the good work!

 

Awesome thread!! Well done. nice to see some 'home built' projects!!