My Jetta Gti VRSc - Charging ahead

After handing my dissertation in on Monday I was eventually free to play. I returned the next day armed with many spanners and set about making one good Jetta.

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The grey one is the rot box but before I decided this I had fitted a 9A and cable change gearbox.

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The white one had a seized engine but was sound body wise so time to make good!!!!

Working by myself in a secluded part of the uni car park the grey one soon had its heart removed.

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Split the gearbox off as I intend to go back to a rod change until I can be bothered to fit the hydro pedal box.

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Enter the 'White One', front removed ready for the dreaded manifold/downpipe bolts to be attacked.

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Alas the good lady had my dinner waiting so I had to return home, leaving her looking like this.

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Back today, early doors (10am, well I have been a student for the past 5 years!) and pushed on. Got a phone call to say I got my first job! With renewed vigour the head came off.

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Took a long lunch to go order many bits (£12 for flywheel bolts!!!!!) but by 4 the 'White One' was heartless too.

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I'm hoping for some good power as the bits I stripped off the 'White One' looked really good. Head has been done, new cambelt and tensioner, new gearbox and clutch so just need the bottom end and i'm laughing.

The bay is solid under all the grime, so i'll try reveal a bit of the white before I refit everything.

Hopefully get the bottom end in tomorrow but I have to do it piece by piece without a crane, get the 4-1 manifold on and by Sat/Sun i'll rolling again.

Will post some more tomorrow.

Been busy then

aye good old clean up and it will be all good. nice work

Well done mate, keep up the good work

Quick update. I've done the engine swap, was a bit tricky by myself getting the thing back in but using bricks as a stand and a trolley jack I managed it.

Took the engine apart prior to refitting and the bores looked tip top so I bolted on the Kr head and ATH flywheel, clutch and gearbox. Also added the full magnex system and i'm pleased to say, after a bit of swapping of ht leads and plugs shes running really well. Still flat at the top end so i'll have to find a co meter to set the fuelling as after 5.5 it's not really there. Would like to get her rolling roaded before ed38 but it'll have to be next week now.

I'm reserving judgement on the ATH box with its long ratios until its set up. 1st and 2nd feel fine, 3rd is a bit long but probably be ok after setup. 4th and 5th are way long but suit my cruising style.

Jobs still to do are give the paint a good t-cut, get some tailpipes for the backbox, bit of panel readjusting, fit G60 steels, clean moss from the rubbers, sort the power steering pully, swap back the 50mm inlet.

Then fit wide track, quattro brakes and polybush kit but that can wait, i'm just glad to have her running.

Tomorrow its front wishbone bushes and wheel bearings on the Passat, MOT Thurs, Thurs its strip the old Jetta, Fri back to the white one.

looking good mate, sounds like your timings out with low top end?

need to get my 6a block stripped and sorted myself so i can fit it to mine.

only been in the shed a year lol!

Maybe but i'm pretty sure its ok. I did the cambelt when the engine was out of the car and double checked the marks, set the timing when running with the strobe and it was dead on striaght off.

I haven't yet adjusted the fuelling for a 2.0l block though so it's still running at 1.8l settings. I'm going to have a play tomorrow and see what happens, cheers for the tip though.

lol i was going to go into detail about chking timings and stuff then i thought, what am i doing if hes done all that work i doubt he doesnt know how to set the timming lol

Still managed the schoolboy error of leaving the rad fan disconnected and blowing a coolant hose after a 'quick' run. How foolish

I'll keep an eye out for your motor over the weekend.

Pretty much sorted now. Had a good run out to ed38 without any problems. Resolved many of the little niggly things, just needs a damn good polish now.

How she currently stands.

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Needed - Jetta Gti badge, lowering caps me thinks

looking good, used to have a white 16v myself, always looked really good and you definately dont see many of them around.

mine was debadged at the back which looked pretty good.

thing you would be best off restoring the badge yourself as there obsolete.

Quick update.

Recently swapped the standard, dodgy blue, 16v setup shown below.

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Slotted on some Girling 60's, Audi S2 twinpot calipers, S2 master cylinder and 280mm discs.

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Also fitted my FK Highsports as the Bilstein stuff wasn't giving what I wanted. Vast improvement and I can now set the ride height properly. Excuse the fog.

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Just need to get rid of that awful bonnet and find some Recaros, think i'll stick with the velour trim so a grey leather interior will be up for grabs soon. Maybe some new wheels.

All suggestions gratefully received.

Thats some impressive work indeed! Looking good, loving the brake setup.
Did you do all that work by yourself?

Well done buddy keep us updated shes really come together well looking great especially in white rare as hens teeth

looking good how much for the grey leather

riffy99 wrote:Thats some impressive work indeed! Looking good, loving the brake setup.
Did you do all that work by yourself?

Thanks, yes both cars were in a quiet corner of the uni car park so when I finished with my dissertation I just tinkered away by myself. I had to lift the engine in using the trolley jack which was interesting but I find VW's so easy to work on that the biggest problem is always the weather.

The S2 brake setup is really quite impressive, its heavy but very powerful. The S2 master cylinder is 25.4mm compared to 22mm of the standard 16v unit so it makes for a nice firm pedal.

I moving soon and i'll have a good size garage, hopefully coming at Christmas will be a compressor, so time to freshen up the paint work. I'll practise of the Passat first though.

Cheers for all the comments.

Wow, good going. We struggled with two of us and a hoist
Your right about the weather though, and compared to my girlfriends 306 the Jetta's a charm to work on

I like the thought of the S2 setup, but our car is probably lighter and less powerful, it seems fine....at the moment

Keep up the good work

It been a while but I thought i'd put in a quick update. Unfortunately the broadband people have been less than speedy at hookin me up at the new house which is why I haven't been too visible recently.

So as i'm only on dial up you'll have to make do with a description of my latest antics.

On the inside i've fitted Corrado fronts reskined with the original velour and there's a custom boot install on the way, hopefully in time for Ultimate Dubs.

Mechanically, just fitted a wide track conversion, Sach paddle clutch, refurbed 16v box and Porsche 996 GT3 RS front brakes with Cupra R 305mm discs. Braided hoses, mk4 rear calipers painted red to match the fronts, fully polybushed.

To accomodate the new stoppers she now rolls on a set of Strosek deep dish 16" rims and under the bonnet a set of braided fuel lines to complete the asthetics.

Just got to space out the rear track and start polishing. Should be going to Stealth mid Feb for a RR setup.

There's one or two bits of body to do to get it mint, but its a bit cold and damp to spray at the mo, I promise by GTi international it'll be done.

Just need a blown VR6 lump now.

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Quick update as she's eventually in semi daily use. For those who attended UD you'll see the wheels have changed to a simple classic set of Stil Auto Sigmas, because the Stroseks won't clear my latest Porsche calipers.

Team Jetta now has a P&P head, GTi RE2000 Cams (which i'm led to believe are Schrick 276's) with vernier pulley, plus theres a KStar on the way ready for the mapping session at Stealth.

Just have to fit the polybushes to the beam and some solid top mounts to correct the mega camber caused by the widetrack.

Looking forward to getting her down the strip at Inters, she's pulling really hard even before setup so i'm hopeful for a 15s quarter.

HI if u still got the grey jetta iwould like to know if u want to sell the rear bumper and i have a white bonnet if u are interrested?

they look alot like azev A's looks really nice on those rims!!

so whens the VR going in?

Alas I didn't save the rear bumper from the grey Jetta as it was quite badly scuffed. I may be interested in the bonnet though. Where about are you based?

Its my understanding that the Stil Auto SIgma were the original design and Azev copied them. I think they look quite classy and retroish without trying to hard. Not interested in 'Scene Points'. However there is so much room inside I should be able to fit pretty much anything I want brake wise.

I'm fitting the VR6 to a 5door Golf as a bit of a test mule. The 9A in the Jetta should be touching 185/190Bhp but i'm interested in the driving style of the two engines. If I like the VR6 i'll probabley keep my eye out for a 24v fourmotion engine, if not look at a 16v G60. Both will be about £1000, both about 240 Bhp.

what did you do with your old wheels and what was the max size disc i can put on with those 16v brakes you sold me you did tell me but i forgot

might be braking a white jetta now also mate think the drivers door is good not sure, its a 1600 tx but it didnt pass its mot needs about £400 to get it through and its not really worh it

so let me know if you need any bits

My old wheels are sat in the garage, i have advertised but everyone wants them without tyres and i'd rather sell complete.

I'd definately be up for the bonnet and side carpets from the boot if you've still got a set. Also I don't suppose it has a black headliner?

You need 256mm discs for those brakes.