The Danish mk1

[mads_christ]

Thanks sports racer!

The 20v is not going to happen then. 1.8 8v is what I'll be going for and from what I can tell the ADZ on carbs is the easiest way to go.

The 16v GTI isn't going to fit without modifications, right?

[sports racer]

16v goes straight in.

Here's mine.

[mads_christ]

That's a lovely motor. Wasn't the twin carb setup a pain in the behind?

You don't happen to know anything about 16v and automatics?

[mads_christ]

Stanton: thanks for the tip!

[Stanton]

Say hello to Mary,she lived just down the road and went to school here.

[sports racer]

I can't take credit for the 16v, that's how I bought the car except it has a ruined head and a hole in 1 piston. I'm currently replacing the 1.8 16v with a 2.0 16v.

Twin carbies are easy to sort out with the right equipment and a bit of patience. I like that you don't need any computers or engine management systems to complicate things. If ever it breaks down I know how to find the problem and fix it unlike modern cars where all I can do is shake the wires and check all the connections.

The only thing I know about auto's is they smell when you don't keep the fluid level up.

Cheers

Paul

[mads_christ]

Stanton: I'll say hello next time I run into her or gets invited to tea.

Sports racer: sorry to hear about the 16v! How did it happen? Bad timing or some malfunction?

[Peter Jones]

The thing with the auto is that you need an engine that idles really well and delivers power very smoothly.

You also need something that will operate the gearbox kick down properly.

For these reasons it's really good if you can re-use your existing carby and distributor.

Aftermarket camshafts and carbs my give more power but they're going to impact the way the gearbox works.

The later 1.8v motors like the ADZ are a good choice because they quite powerful and they're even smoother than the original 1600. This is due to the additional 200cc, a high compression ratio and the hydraulic camshaft.

These 1.8 motors bolt straight in and require very few modifications.

The water pump, inlet and outlet manifolds, alternator etc just swap over.

You may be able to use the 1.8 water pump but there were two different offsets on the pulley and you'll need the right one to make the belts line up.

I'd just buy a new 1600 one and fit it to the 1800 when doing the swap.

There is one hole in the back of the head that needs to be blocked off. It's a water galley between cylinders 3 and 4.

One other thing you will need to do is install an electric fuel pump as the the late 1.8s don't have provision for a mechanical fuel pump.

You'll also need to reuse the flexplate off the 1600 to connect to the torque convertor.

It's a good idea to replace the engine mounts while it's all apart too. They're much easier to get at while the motor's out.

The top radiator hose won't reach any more because the water outlet moves further back on the 1800. The new hose you need for the conversion is a MK1 Diesel top radiator hose or one from an 1800 MK1 like the cabrio.

Here's some threads you might like to look at.

In this one I convert a diesel MK1 to an early 1.8.

Meet Ziggy - '79 GLD MK1

Our red golf started off life as a diesel but came to me as a 1600. I converted that to 1.8 ADZ and then more recently to 2.0 ABF. The Red Thread

This white Golf also started life as a diesel but had a 1.8 in it when I bought it. I blew that motor up racing and replaced it with a 2.0 8V Wreck to Race.

I've also got a 20v engine block with a 16v head in my race car. That one had no motor when I got it. Another Wreck, another Race Car.....

You could also just rebuild the 1600. It's quite expensive though. The ADZ will work out cheaper even if you have to put another one in in 3 or 4 years time.

Here's the thread about our Passat that I rebuilt the 1600 for. It was originally a diesel but came with a modified 1600 when we got it. That eventually overheated and we decided to do a nostalgic rebuild of the old high performance 1600 1980 B1 Passat Project

The 1600 turned out pretty nice.

[Peter Jones]

I was just having a search about the webs and found some interesting references to the autos.

Apparently they're actually quite strong and are easily rebuilt.

The MK2 Golf auto box was stronger again.

(The MK3 auto gearbox is junk, full of electronic stuff that breaks and costs lots of money to fix)

Fourtitude.com - how much power can an auto trans in a mk1/mk2 hold?

VWVortex.com - The 010 Lost Knowledge Thread

[mads_christ]

Thank you so much, Peter Jones! I have a lot of reading to do! I've just read trough your Passat resto and have previously read your kamei build cover to cover. Thank you for wanting to share your experiences!

I called a few of the local wreckers today and it seems that the ADZ engine is easy to come by. They're a bit expensive though. A ADZ engine cost about the same as a KR including complete wiring.

I'm a bit surprised that the auto gearbox apparently isn't as weak as I thought... It's also a bit irritating that I should keep my current carb (Pierburg). I would much rather swap it for a simpler weber or dellorto.