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kaputtwagen 1982 rabbit AAZ swap/build

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jack's lack:
I'm falling deeper into the rabbit hole with this thing; pardon the pun. Many of you have been very helpful even instrumental at this point so I figured I would start a longer build like thread to get into the specifics.

So here is the patient. The 1982 rabbit 4 door listed in my sig


And the AAZ as it arrived


And the other side


Here is the K14 off of the engine. It turns freely and there is almost no play in the shaft, so that is good news


I yanked the alternator and got it tested and sadly it is no good. What's worse is that I, like a fool, installed the TDI clutched pulley on it so now I have to buy a $20 tool to get it off not to mention a new alternator

I drilled a hole in the exhaust manifold where the stud for the downpipe bolt was. I'm having techtonics make me a new 2.5" exhaust so I won't need that mount. Getting the stud out was one of the worst bolts I have faced, only slightly easier than the rear stub axles. PB blast, torch, channelocks repeat ad nauseum. The drilling went super fast though. I went with the aircraft spruce thermocouple that is so highly recommended on this forum. It is 1/8" NPT so the hole I drilled was 21/64"


Then I tapped it with the 1/8" NPT tap. I had never tapped a hole before, and it was more fun than I anticipated. Here it is with the thermocouple installed. I torqued the fitting to 33ft/lbs as it felt good and snug, should I take it further or have I over-stressed it already?


The next thing I got on was installing the gauges. If you want to run it up to the red, you have to know where the red is right? The install plan was to locate the gauges below the heater controls above the ashtray where the pointless little cubby was. I bought a plastic single din 3 gauge pod but it did not fit, so I moved to plan B. I have always thought the wood grain dash was a hallmark of the westy rabbit, but personally I felt the plastic was a little ghetto. I had always had visions of making a proper wood dash for this thing but keeping it westmoreland style. So here is what I did

first I measured the existing dash and drew a CAD file of it (i'll email you the file if you want it) then I grabbed a piece of 1/4" MDF and hit the laser cutter


The finished pieces


After a notable amount of gluing and sanding I got a decent test fit


So I moved on to veneering it. I used two types of wood. The dark is called Zircote, it is a type of rosewood and the figuring is so dark it is nearly black. The light wood is quilted maple I really enjoy the effect.


Here it is 4 coats of polyurethane later and in the car


And a close up of the gauges. I went with Isspro, and I am very pleased with the quality they have the minimal cockpit feel but don't have the VDO cheapness I had hoped to avoid.
I went with boost, and pyrometer (EGT) of course, and I did oil temp for the third one. it is 90+ degrees here for a fair amount of the year and I would rather not BBQ my engine or my turbo. I snagged a air to oil cooler out of a Volvo at the pick'n'pull so I think I am going to run it in addition to the stock oil to water cooler. Is this redundant or a good idea?


I have ditched the EGR and I am going to get to work on the blank offs. Holy isht what a mess it made of the intake. I have cleaned it, but I think I might try to find a PD150 intake anyway
I have pulled the IP and I am going to get the injectors of tomorrow. I have PM'd Giles and hopefully they will be headed his way soon. I am going to pull the head soon and order the ARP studs. I want to have it rebuilt and P&P'd. I think I am going to pay to have this done, as I am not confident enough to do it myself. I have scored a crank and pulleys of of a 1Z TDI and I am going to swap it in to preclude the keyway catastrophe. and I am debating rebuilding the bottom end while I'm at it. At the least I will take some measurements and get some opinions from you guys first.

Im not there yet but I plan on running a FMIC, but I am weary about causing too much lag. what diameter piping do people use on these things? it seems like there is a ideal size that would not cause a restriction, but would not create an excessive volume to fill either. Is this sound logic? has anyone done the math on this?

there will be much more to come,

Thanks again to Jerry (sycronicity) for hooking me up with the lump

jack's lack:
Sorry about the pics before. I had to change photo hosting websites. Seems to be working fine now though

Syncroincity:
Nice project! Did you change the grille on it? We had a '81 when I learned to drive, I seem to remember the facelifted grille on it. You very rarely every see a Rabbit around here any more... and the ones that are left are invariably diesels.
I always wanted to do a 2-door with the Cabriolet body kit on it.

jtanguay:
don't think that getting the 1Z crank & pulley will completely solve the problem... my 1Z crank sprocket was a little bit loose, and it has to fit on tight, so it had to be welded up and filed down a bit.

i really like what you've done with the wood!!  this thing is really going to fly with that torquey 1.9 & K14  ;D

lord_verminaard:
Wow, this is looking good, I'll be watching!  I normally hate wood-grain dashes but that looks really good.

I'd toss the factory oil cooler and just run the Volvo unit.  The factory ones are sometimes called "oil warmers" since they exchange heat from oil to coolant or vice versa.  Not always a good thing.  The Volvo one is thermostatically controlled and will do a much better job.  I actually really need one but of course can't find one anywhere for less than $200.  :P

Brendan

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