VR6 Cabriolet for the Banger Run 2015

[Harvy 2]

Hi all and welcome to my project thread.

A little background first,

In the early hours of this morning I got back from the 2014 Banger Run (www.bangerrun.com). It's essentially the gumball rally but has to be done in a car that was bought for less than £250. It's all in aid of Help for Heroes and the primary function is raising as much money as possible. The banger my housemate and I chose was a 1.8 golf mk3 convertible. We named him Barry and here he is on the Stelvio pass on Tuesday.

Barry did us proud and covered nearly 2500 miles in 5 days through 7 countries and over at least half a dozen mountain passes. However lack of power was a major issue. Equally inadequate brakes and substandard handling mean that we plan to address all three of these issues before taking part in the Banger Run 2015.

This brings us to the project. The vague plan as it stands was concocted whilst more than slightly inebriated on a campsite in Southern Switzerland.

Engine: Remove the 1.8 8v and replace it with a VR6. No decision has been made as to which variant as I have done very little research as to which one fits best.

Brakes: Replace the standard discs and calipers on the front and fit bigger ones. Again no decision made as to weather we go for some aftermarket ones or if the standard brake setup from a newer/larger vw will fit due to lack of knowledge! Possible look at replacing the rear drum brakes with discs. As you can see in the pictures the passes took their toll on the nearly new brakes on the front. Look at that lip!

Handling: Put some better suspension on the front so it's stiffer and lower. Uprate the bushes and generally do whatever is necessary to improve the handling. As for the rear I have a feeling the current shocks might be shot and/or the rear beam has had it. Changing the rear beam to one from a higher spec model hopefully will incorporate the brakes and suspension upgrade in one.

[Therusterman 59]

Regarding the brakes, if you opt to fit the vr6 engine, done properly will incorporate the 5 stud wheel hubs and either 280mm or 288mm front brakes along with a larger master cylinder. I'd go for a later 'obd 2' engine as they have a better engine management system and tend to make a little bit more power.

 

I'd recommend reading up on vr6 engine conversions and that will give you a good idea what's involved, best of luck! 

[Harvy 2]

Thanks for the advice. Am I right in thinking that an obd2 engine loom will plug and play with my 97 cab chassis loom? Do you have any links to a cab vr6 conversion thread that are fairly detailed? I've had a look through some of the threads on here but I'm still lacking some information.

[Therusterman 59]

Don't quote me on this, but I believe the engine loom will be needed in as far back as the fuse box. You'll also need the clocks and immobiliser/transponder from the ignition switch.

 

Can't think of many threads on here, but take a look on VW Vortex, its an American forum but the mk3 section is very active and i've seen more vr6>cabriolet conversions over there. If I was in your position I'd get myself a donor car (often see a few on eBay) then you'll have everything you need.

[Therusterman 59]

Here you go http://www.vr6oc.com/forum/topic/45252-mk3-vr6-cabriolet/