Tinto's Mk2 GTI (R32)

[tinto]

Howdy,
I've been lurking on here since 2007, more recently in the mk2 forum.. here's why -

I'm posting this as a bit of a motivator to get moving with the conversion side of this project.
Having owned a few current VWs (mk5 GT, mk5 GTI Pirelli stg 2+ and now an R36 - stock), I got a bit bored with the bolt-on performance nature of modern vw tuning (still a lot of fun by the way), and didn't have the wallet girth for really modifying those newer cars, so went old school and have bitten off quite a bit with this project.

My aim here is great performance and sound (VR noises are so good) in a comfortable car I like looking at.
I don't care about traffic light GP or drag times - this is a road car and that has guided the majority of my parts decisions to date (except the solid front engine mount from mk2vr6 - can't tell if I'm going to regret that or not).
With a leap from 80hp (I think I'm being generous there) to 240hp (from the factory), it should be a bit of fun!

The story so far
About this time last year I bought an Aussie delivered Mk2 GTI with the intention of cleaning it up as a daily driver.
Shortly after that purchase I came across the good parts from a MK4 R32 (54km) wreck on gumtree, so the engine (along with ECU and Loom), as well as most of the drivetrain came home with me. My R36 has more mileage on it than that, and it still pulls like a freight train.

So I'm combining the good bits of two limited edition cars (150 mk2 GTIs, 200 R32s?), as one is already dead and the other is disgracefully slow for the GTI badge.

Key steps are going to be:

• Accumulate conversion parts (expensive therefore slow work in progress)
• Clean up the body of the mk2 so it isn't embarassing (almost there - see photos below)
• Get the 1.8 8v RV happy and drive it daily - that means a proper service inc timing, AC and a reasonable interior.
• Upgrade the brakes (all the parts are here for this - just need to get it into the workshop as its not something I'm prepared to mess with)
• Get the R32 engine looked over and minimise the loom to work with a haltech.
• If the engine is all good, carry on with the 2wd conversion (kit bought - see below, but new cup and axle mods needed)
• ECU from Haltech (thought about going the OEM route, but there's not enough local support for that)
• Manifold from dubpower - DUBpower
• Car already has an aftermarket exhaust - need to check sizing as I'd like it to be 2.5" at least for the larger engine
• Start riding my bike to work while this thing is mauled and the mk4 R32 gear is levered in.
• ...
• Profit (or the exact opposite, which is far more likely)

Brakes.
I realised if I was going to do this, I'd need to upgrade the brakes.
After some research, I ended up with Porsche boxster Brembos and a kit from epytec to mount it to mk3 hubs (which will have the splines altered to O2M).
These will fit (just) inside the 15x7 Oz Racing Rally wheels I bought and refurbed.
Those are Corrado rotors - I want to keep 4x100 narrow track on this project.





I'll might paint these but it will be the same murky grey that Porsche did... however given they'll be hidden behind those OZ wheels, I can't really see the point.
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there, will anyone but me know about my painted brakes? No.

Below are the brackets from Epytec and their 2wd conversion kit for the gearbox.
Just need to replace the internal seal and get a new cup for the modified axle to mount to.



Mounts & brackets
R32 & O2M Engine and box brackets have been bought from Shawn Dezego on Vwvortex, and some OEM MK3 mounts are here too.

Exterior

I had the OZ Rally wheels painted in Nissan Pewter (S15 Silvia colour) as I didn't fancy the Jerry Seinfeld look for this car.

Since this old girl doesn't lock up properly (but I've got the new handles and locks for the whole car here ready to go - which will bring me down to one key instead of 3!), my R36 lives on the driveway and it gets the garage... it is there sulking in the background of the pic below.

I've bought a few ebay specials (like a new front lip) and the fitment has been really hit and miss, so I'm going to be relying on places like VwHeritage to keep this guy looking fresh. The wheel arches are entirely held on with tek screws (fencing screws?) at the moment and they stand out like dogs balls.Until I get around to replacing them with OEM rivets up front and black bolts at the rear I'm going to go with the mantra "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"... but I might give them a couple of jabs with an Artline.

Fast forward to now and I've been accumulating a lot of parts to clean up the exterior (new handles, skirts, badges etc) and gutted half of the dash to get at the heatercore... I get the impression the whole dash will probably need to come out for that. Which will mean the whole dash will probably end up flocked as it is cracked.

Pics below are from last weekend, after the paint has been sanded within (and sometimes WAY beyond and into primer) mm of its life, and then buffed to a somewhat shiny state. I've made that sound like it was a weekend job - it took me months to stay motivated when it was a flat satin texture. Even now its sorta shiny, there's still plenty of satin spots and the downside of it being shiny is you now REALLY notice how smacked about some of the panels are. Probably to be expected for a 24yo car though - I'm impressed by how some other components have held up so well.








Some new badges have freshened things up a bit further on the weekend:




The size of the new rear badge is quite a bit less than the older one. I suspect thats a mk3 badge as its just stick-on too.
It covered the holes left by the original though - that counts for now! I'll look into getting the original one refurbed.



The front end GTI badge is obscenely big compared to the proportions on current model cars.
Imagine a badge the width of your headlight... not likely



Thanks for reading this far - I'll update when there's something worth showing with pictures.

[AdamD]

Also subscribed. This is looking to be an epic build Tinto - good luck mate!

[browndizzle]

Good on ya buddy, definitely subscribed. Can not wait to this in the making

[sports racer]

Don't be a wuss, AWD for da win !!!

[tinto]

Ha! I know my limits.
I've got most of the mk4 drivetrain (minus rear diff), but if this was a syncro shell I'd be pondering it.
I don't think the front tyres here will have a particularly fun life.

[Water Boy]

Nice project mate!

[dubster99]

This is looking interesting!

[h100vw]

It''s easy to defeat the immobiliser in the std ECU. I could help you with that. Be far cheaper than Haltech. Have a look on here 403 Forbidden

[Matt P]

holy ****, i can't wait to see this in action.

I absolutely adore those wheels. If you ever decide you want something else i've got first dibs

[KKK VR6]

WOW
Finally someone's putting some real potential in a mk2 !
Keep things simple mate and you'll be done quicker than expected
Get your mounts sorted, stick motor/tranny in there, motivation level 100 after that haha

Oh and don't waste your time on overseas exhaust mani's, print out a few pics and show it to a few different exhaust shops, u should get quoted between $800 - $1000.
I'm sure with the exchange rates and shipping, it'll be more expensive ?
Plus this way u know for sure, there won't be any clearance issues, unless it's mk2 r32 specific ?

In for progress pics