The Diesel Cabriolet Project

**Brom** · 12-07-2008, 05:34 PM

I have now decided to go ahead with this idea after purchasing the diesel mk1 about 3 months ago in Melbourne and driving it home to Sydney. It's got a recently reconditioned engine however the body, whilst not having terminal rust, does have some surface rust and a bad cost of house paint which i can't really be bothered rectifying.

So, a couple weeks back in Canberra i spotted a later mk1 cabriolet for a bargain due to a fuel supply issue. I thought I may be able to sort it out down there drive it back and then think about the engine swap in a few months. But i'm completely new to injection systems so the swap goes ahead right away down there.

I've spent the day getting everything i think i will need out of the diesel with the engine ready to be dropped in the morning after i get the drive shafts off. Everything else is in a box and so i'll drive down to Canberra during the week to give it a shot. A blindly guided shot - This is my first ever engine swap! Let alone petrol to diesel complications.

The diesel looks so straight forward. Just the stop solenoid which i believe i can power off the coil (but not sure where to connect, before or after coil?) and the glow plug relay which i'm still tracing throughout the car. Apart from this i'm hoping all pressure switches, thermostats, reverse switch, fan and alternator wiring is pretty similar between the two.

To

And

To

All advice, encouragement and critisism welcomed.
And PM if your after any of the cabriolet running gear or the 5 doors parts.

**Jarred** · 12-07-2008, 05:38 PM

Good luck mate!

this should be an interesting project!

Hope it all works out. You're pretty brave doing it i think, especially away from home!

All the best

**GoLfMan** · 12-07-2008, 06:15 PM

yeh looks like a cool project mate!

what are you going to do with the 1.8 petrol engine?

**smithy010** · 12-07-2008, 07:13 PM

Mate, get rid of the coil altogether, and hook the power wire to the coil (which comes from the ingnition switch), to the stop solenoid. Too easy.

Now, i don't have a glowplug relay in mine, but i reckon you could splice that same wire as the control wire for the glowplug relay which you will have pulled from the diesel..

Any problems, gimme a call.

**Golf Loon** · 12-07-2008, 07:13 PM

Thats a good mission mate. I hope you have some facilities down there.
I`d take the diesel tank, and lines as well. Use the cabrio 5 speed box.

Should be a good car when its done. Unique in Oz I reckon.

As GolfMan says dont chuck the petrol engine away, or any cabrio or kjet parts. They are hard to get, sell em on here

They are special edition Rivage Wheels on the Cabrio. Nice

Also sell the roofrack on your white car to a ratrodder on here. Who wants to rat up their golf??

**GoLfMan** · 12-07-2008, 07:20 PM

Also palm off the shell and dont crush it!

too many good shells have been going to metal heaven lately

**roccodingo** · 12-07-2008, 11:26 PM

Change your strut bearings as well, the ones in the pic are shot..

**Preen59** · 12-07-2008, 11:35 PM

Originally Posted by roccodingo

Change your strut bearings as well, the ones in the pic are shot..

Woah! I just went back and looked at that. They're absolutely f*cked!

This will be a good little project dude. Good luck with it.

**aprr32** · 13-07-2008, 03:37 PM

Have done a couple of DSL conversions into cabs for customers and it is pretty easy.I know that cab in Canberra and it is a perfect candidate for a conversion.If you need any help while in Canberra give me a yell.