I finally pulled the trigger with making project out of the GTI, I ended up getting a phenomenal deal on a totaled Beetle Turbo S.
I decided that I would go with a 1.8t swap over the VR6 because of the money to power gains are much more significant and upgrade-ability is also much easier and cheaper, and I also thought that the overall car would be balanced better in terms of weight, which being a fwd car that is ready front biased, it would be best to reduce that difference as much as possible. I personally don't have that much automotive experience so I will be figuring out most of this as i go along the way... hopefully in a speedy fashion.
I want to apologize ahead of on some of the photos being poor,out of focus, and the lighting conditions in some of them also. My current schedule allows most of my free time later in the day.
Now that all that is said and done, onto the build.
The Beetle (Donor): The Turbo S came with the AWP engine code 1.8t which is arguably one of the 3 best engine codes that was made for the Mk4 GTI/Jetta generation. It also came attached to an 02M transmission, which essentially the same transmission that came in the Mk4 R32. My donor had about 85,000 miles and just had a bunch of service (timing belt, oil, tune up)
- Engine Code: AWPModel Year: 2003
Displacement: 1.8 Liters
Valves: DOHC 20v
Compression Ratio: 9.5:1
Horsepower: 180HP @ 5500RPM
Torque: 174 ft/lbs. @ 1950RPM
ECU: Motronic ME7.5
Turbo: K03s
OE Boost: 11.6 psi
- Transmission Code: 02MGears: 6 Speed Manual
Final Drive (w/DMF): 3.875
Final Drive: 3.100
1st: 3.417
2nd: 2.105
3rd: 1.481
4th: 1.152
5th: 1.167
6th: 0.970
Reverse: 4.107
The GTI (Transplantee): I bought the Mk2 a few years back and had always been planning a swap but until recently I settled with the 1.8t. It has been my daily driver and had the 16v engine and a 5 speed manual. It only had 140,000 miles and was still running strong and i'm sure it had a significant amount of life left in it. (BTW i'm currently using the quad headlight grille with yellow inner lights)
- Engine Code: KR (EA827)Model Year: 1989
Displacement: 1.8 Liters
Valves: DOHC 16v
Compression: 10.0:1
Horsepower: 137HP @ 5800RPM
Torque: 123 ft/lbs. @ 4600RPM
ECU: N/A
Turbo: Naturally Aspirated
OE Boost: N/A
- Transmission Code: 02AGears: 5 Speed Manual
Final Drive: 3.67
1st: 3.45
2nd: 2.12
3rd: 1.44
4th: 1.13
5th: 0.91
Reverse: 3.17
As of currently the whole swap is still a work in progress but I will start posting pictures as progress goes on. I know i'm gonna be jumping steps here but this is where I think the important part begins.
- (2/28/2016)
- Finally pulled out both engines from both car and began measuring motor mounts, steering arm linkage, cross-member, as well as overall clearance for accessories.
- Notes: I will be swapping over the side motor mounts from the 1.8t into the Mk2 chassis, will modify mounts and housings to make them fit. Front mount will have custom bracket to connect to the engine from the front since the 1.8t doesn't use a front mount but the 16v does. Was looking at the Vibra-Technics front competition Mk2 mount that would allow me to fit custom bracket to mount to engine.
- I'm planning on doing a disc and 4 bolt to 5 bolt conversion while i'm at it, so here are some pictures for comparison (the one side by side is not actually my car, just an example of the difference)
Update 10/4/18
I sorta forgot to revisit to update this post, so I'm gonna do it now that I have the time.
After about a month of cable management we got the car running and it was a matter of putting it all back together.
Installed and all aluminum radiator since the original was shot and failing.
Also installed a strut mount.
Also swapped out the original motor mounts for some vibratechnics and custom motor mount brackets.
Installed pull style door handles (probably one of my favorite things)
Met a lot of new people and made some friends on the way. I look for any excuse to travel the area now. She drives like a dream although handling could use some work.
Bought some Braum racing seats, made a rear seat delete, and got a Renown steering wheel. Interior still has a long way to go but its coming long.
Currently I'm getting new coils (no idea how old the ones it had were but they were shot) and bushings. After that is probably a cage. Still deciding.
12 thoughts on “MK2 GTI 1.8T Swap”
Awesome, look forward to seeing more, just bought a mk2 to do this swap. Now gathering all the parts I’ll need!
That’s awesome man, I’ve actually gotten very close to being mechanically finished, still need wires. As soon as I’m fully done I’ll post the rest. The build had a lot more fabricating and troubleshooting than I would’ve expected so if you need any help just send me a message and I’ll try and help with what I know. But I’ll try and make it detailed enough for people to follow and clearly understand.
Hola yo estoy asiendo un proyecto como el tuyo el mismo motor solo que yo lo quite de un gti 20th edition pero es el mismo con la misma transmisión y mi preguntas Asia ati es cómo hiciste que quedaron los axels del 1.8t en el mk2 ? Cambiaste la suspensión ? O como le hiciste eso es lo único que no meda
Did this thing ever make it down the road?
Just updated the post if you would care to check it out. I did manage to get it up and running maybe a month after I posted originally.
Where would I get motor mounts to do this swap I have a swap 1.8t I’m trying to swap into my 88 jetta
How did you get the throttle body to work??
Moved the entire pedal cluster and welded it from the donor to the mk2. Was the easiest way to get it to work.
Did you ever get the MK2 Speedometer to work with the O2M?
Do you have a cpmlete parts list of what was used?
Did you install the 6 speed with the motor?
Yeah, put it all in together.