I know this has been done before, but I'm wondering what the parts list includes? There's a pretty long thread on the vortex for some guy's syncro rabbit race car, but most pics are gone now.
likely donor: Passat syncro. Were these made for the states? I know there are plenty of 4wd Audis around here. Are these drivelines the same/similar?
- 02a transmission & axles x4 (+new DS mount)
- driveshaft (length modification likely)
- rear differential
- diff support beam/mounts
Will these parts bolt in without too much trouble, or are there clearance issues with the driveshaft touching exhaust and other stuff?
first off, theres not a chance any of this stuff is going to bolt to a rabbit/mk1 of any sort. and yea, you could get a Quantum syncro in the USA, quantums and audi 5000's were real similar, used same drive train i think. but any way you try it, there is no way to bolt 4x4 or awd under an MK1 without MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF FABRICATION WORK. crap, i wanted to put quattro in a diesel 5000, and thats was gonna be too hard for the effort, AND 5000's EVEN CAME WITH AWD!!
you could do it, but i think i would use a 1.8t trans, whatever it was that sits the right way for front drive, but it has a drive shaft coming off the back. dont remember what cars they came in, but ive seen the gear box before.
it would take alot of work to make the rear wheels powered on a rabbit.
Here's the project I mentioned:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2717417I'm guessing somebody on here probably knows this car.
Yes - I'm wondering how you go about fitting this stuff under a mk1 without slicing a deeper channel up the center of the car. Or maybe it does fit?
first off, theres not a chance any of this stuff is going to bolt to a rabbit/mk1 of any sort. and yea, you could get a Quantum syncro in the USA, quantums and audi 5000's were real similar, used same drive train i think. but any way you try it, there is no way to bolt 4x4 or awd under an MK1 without MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF FABRICATION WORK. crap, i wanted to put quattro in a diesel 5000, and thats was gonna be too hard for the effort, AND 5000's EVEN CAME WITH AWD!!
you could do it, but i think i would use a 1.8t trans, whatever it was that sits the right way for front drive, but it has a drive shaft coming off the back. dont remember what cars they came in, but ive seen the gear box before.
it would take alot of work to make the rear wheels powered on a rabbit.
a friend of mine swapped the v6 engine out of his '94 a6 wagon with automatic quattro and installed the 5 cyl audi diesel engine. bolted right in with the tranny, and the rear locking diff was the same ratio for both diesel and gas. probably one of the easier swaps. he loves 4 wheel drive, and after driving his car on winter roads, i know why

.
in any event, the massive fabrication work would totally be worth it to get quattro or awd. however paying someone to do it might break the bank...
the golf country might be the best drivetrain swap option available...
first off, theres not a chance any of this stuff is going to bolt to a rabbit/mk1 of any sort. and yea, you could get a Quantum syncro in the USA, quantums and audi 5000's were real similar, used same drive train i think. but any way you try it, there is no way to bolt 4x4 or awd under an MK1 without MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF FABRICATION WORK. crap, i wanted to put quattro in a diesel 5000, and thats was gonna be too hard for the effort, AND 5000's EVEN CAME WITH AWD!!
you could do it, but i think i would use a 1.8t trans, whatever it was that sits the right way for front drive, but it has a drive shaft coming off the back. dont remember what cars they came in, but ive seen the gear box before.
it would take alot of work to make the rear wheels powered on a rabbit.
a friend of mine swapped the v6 engine out of his '94 a6 wagon with automatic quattro and installed the 5 cyl audi diesel engine. bolted right in with the tranny, and the rear locking diff was the same ratio for both diesel and gas. probably one of the easier swaps. he loves 4 wheel drive, and after driving his car on winter roads, i know why
.
in any event, the massive fabrication work would totally be worth it to get quattro or awd. however paying someone to do it might break the bank...
the golf country might be the best drivetrain swap option available...
did i miss something? arent golf countrys just FWD? cause i have never read about a golf country being 4x4 or awd? i thought they were a jacked up 2wd?
http://www.faltdach.net/vwgolfcountry.htm seems close...
this is still a 2wd car.
there cool, i would love to own one, but i really want something diesel powered and 4x4.
The third sentence in that links says that it is 4WD. All the Golf Countrys had a 4WD sycro drivetrain.
ok, so i did miss something, but not like it matters, theres what, maybe 2 or 3 of those in the us? maybe?
I think you can make an MK2 awd quite easily with a syncro or even a quattro from an audi. the issue is that you can't use the same armature i believe for the rear tires. YOu need to make A-arms or something of the sort otherwise the drive stuff sits reallllyyy low to the ground.
this is coming from a very foggy messed up memory of yours truly.

jacked from here:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4712262Looks like the hardest part might be fabricating/modifying the rear setup at each of the wheels?
I would be OK with running really close to the ground for 4wd. You could always fab/screw on some pieces of sheet metal for skid plates...
Of course this is all thinking aloud -- but it's definitely been done.
Suzuki Sidekick.
Yuppers... that's gotta be one of the easiest, quickest, and cheapest ways to get a VW diesel-powered 4WD chassis.
Suzuki Sidekick.
Yuppers... that's gotta be one of the easiest, quickest, and cheapest ways to get a VW diesel-powered 4WD chassis. 
my dad has a cherry tracker, and he knows that if the gasser ever has to be pulled out for anything, a VW wil be going in its place.
the only bad thing about trackers/sidekicks is the transmission being weak. i want my 4x4 to have lots of power/torque. i still wanna be able to go out and do some 4 wheelin. i doubt a suzi tranny will live behind a hot 4 cyl or even a fairly built 5 cyl.
i own a 1st gen 4runner, and i think it would be titties if it had a 5 cyl diesel. it would be one of a kind, ive never seen a 5 cyl vw powered toyota..
I think you can make an MK2 awd quite easily with a syncro or even a quattro from an audi. the issue is that you can't use the same armature i believe for the rear tires. YOu need to make A-arms or something of the sort otherwise the drive stuff sits reallllyyy low to the ground.
this is coming from a very foggy messed up memory of yours truly.
realistically, nearly anything is possible with these little cars. the only question is time/money

that being said, it's a good option to get the locking diffs
Ya, there are some choice parts there, but pricey. I guess you're paying for the convenience of getting stuff that's ready to go in.
Half the fun is ripping pieces from corpses at the yards and scrapping them together