1981 Rabbit L 1.6D

[akrallysport]

Waking up from hibernation... time to work on the Bunny. Last Fall I decided to focus on my studies, so the Rabbit fell by the wayside. I did a few odd jobs to get the driveline bolted up so that it can sit on its own wheels for the winter but not much more. Pulled the tarp off the car last week to pull off the Snowflakes in order to start refinishing them only to have 6 inches of snow dumped on it 2 days later.

Regardless, by having to drive the BMW all winter the budget tightened up quite a bit - $100 of gas every 1-2 weeks does that. This forced me to re-think the Rabbit project a bit. The main focus now is to have a good commuter car, so I've dropped the turbo and custom exhaust and install all the original bits. The Scirocco axles were also a waste of money as the outer CVs did not work, so I ended up converting my 020 from the AAZ to a 90mm flange to use the axles that came with the car.

Task list to get it running:
- coolant/heater hoses
- replace some trans mount bolts
- install alternator
- install engine wiring harness
- finalize battery wiring (trunk mounted)
- paint wheels, new tires
- fix MC reservoir leak (either grommet or reservoir)
- front corner lights

[Rising]

Do you still have the measurements for that exhaust set up? Would you mind sharing? I'd like to order some pipe soon

I'm a big fan of being realistic with projects and enjoying my cars instead of just seeking ultimate performance. Lots of things get sacrificed for a few minutes at the track instead of having something all around useful / comfortable / practical. That being said are you sure the turbo plans should be dropped completely? Coming from another guy who dailies an na rabbit I certainly feel like a bit of boost would make the rabbit more practical all around. Efficiency and practicality. My .02! But glad to see this build resumed either way!

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[akrallysport]

As far as an immediate running car, yes, the turbo has been dropped. If I need to travel longer distances, the 'ol 525i is more than capable for the time being until it goes under the knife for some body work and more.

I will continue working on side projects for the eventuality of a turbo install, but I might develop a full drop-in, refreshed engine package. Since I have a lot of AAZ bits floating around, I won't rule out a full AAZ swap if a long block pops up locally.

I'll try to dig up the CAD file... from what I remember, the DP-back system was done using less than 8-ft of straight tube and 2x 180deg J-bends that cut at the appropriate angles jigged up on a bandsaw. I never managed to mock it up so I can give you rough dimensions and angles for a 2.25in diameter setup, but cannot guarantee a perfect fit. For the DP I had planned, an additional 2 J-bends were purchased but never cut.

[theman53]

I have a jig for a mki downpipe I made. It sucks to make as it takes about a weekend to get it all good. I am making them 2.5" and usually around 250.00 plus shipping as I am in no hurry to make any. Plain ol' carbon steel.

[Rising]

I may have to keep you on my list theman if I can't figure out a decent Downpipe myself. Can you do one for a vnt15? Or would that require significant changes. I know it sits lower right?

Thanks for the info ak. Sounds like you have a solid plan. I'm looking to go turbo sooner rather than later though because I'd driving a lot around town lately and i could really use the extra pep!

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[akrallysport]

No sooner have I said that I'm considering an AAZ, I find a short block locally. Oops.

[theman53]

I may have to keep you on my list theman if I can't figure out a decent Downpipe myself. Can you do one for a vnt15? Or would that require significant changes. I know it sits lower right?

Thanks for the info ak. Sounds like you have a solid plan. I'm looking to go turbo sooner rather than later though because I'd driving a lot around town lately and i could really use the extra pep!

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My jig is for the stock KKK and Garrett turbos, so it will not work for a VNT. That said since the VNT is low mounted it will be easy to do on the car. It should be a U bend cut into two 90s and welded together, one down and one back. I have a jig made for the rear engine mount for MKII and MKIII to use with the VNT...I like making those.

[Rising]

No sooner have I said that I'm considering an AAZ, I find a short block locally. Oops.
 
Doooo it

I may have to keep you on my list theman if I can't figure out a decent Downpipe myself. Can you do one for a vnt15? Or would that require significant changes. I know it sits lower right?

Thanks for the info ak. Sounds like you have a solid plan. I'm looking to go turbo sooner rather than later though because I'd driving a lot around town lately and i could really use the extra pep!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

My jig is for the stock KKK and Garrett turbos, so it will not work for a VNT. That said since the VNT is low mounted it will be easy to do on the car. It should be a U bend cut into two 90s and welded together, one down and one back. I have a jig made for the rear engine mount for MKII and MKIII to use with the VNT...I like making those.

That sounds painfully simple. And that clears all the shift linkages and what not if I just go straight down and straight back? I saw some question mark looking pipes around before...

Sounds like 100$ of exhaust pipe and a few hours I could have a full 2.5" system... Woot!

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[akrallysport]

I am now in the process of making/machining all of my timing tools... I just refuse to buy something so simple, especially when I have no income right now (damn winter is killing the ship repair business and my summer job). I will also be building my own pop tester due to my recent discovery in the injection system. It seems like I will be rebuilding my injectors. I pulled them apart today and it was near impossible to separate the nozzle (2 are frozen and the other 2 tough to move). Will try soaking them in diesel tomorrow as I would like to avoid that expense as well.

[akrallysport]

Things always balance out, right? Got a job at a race shop and the fuel tank started to leak on the 'ol Bimmer... $550-650 for a new tank. Getting the Rabbit back on the road has become a bit more urgent.

[icyhotpatch]

I'm enjoying your thread a lot. I'm in the same situation. Subaru lover, bought a Rabbit, Subaru starts breaking.

Most likely wasting time while at work.

[akrallysport]

Well, working on Porsches and some awesome race machinery has tied up a decent amount of my time (in addition to Formula SAE designing after work) but I've been enjoying some of the perks of working in a shop with a super chill boss. I've also been fixing friends' cars after discovering the incompetence of many 'professional' mechanics. Let's just say a female friend got suckered into an alternator job for a hot no-start on her Civic which was unfortunately masked by an extremely cold winter. Hmmmm, maybe the CEL and extremely rich cold starts were clues that were overlooked. I fired up my scanner diagnosed a bad coolant temp sensor even before I got to the codes. Her mech was trying to convince that the alt was overheating again... BS. Sorry, just venting. 

Anyways, I've solved the fuel tank problem on the Bimmer by keeping it under a half tank. As for the Rabbit:
- Snowflakes refinished, cheapie tires for commuting mounted.
- MC resv. grommets resealed
- Cooling hoses plumbed and system filled.
- Injectors/nozzles cleaned and reassembled (no, didn't pop test them... only temp install)

On my list this Sunday:
- Temp weld the original batt tray.
- Engine & interior wiring
- T-belt
- Inj pump priming
- trans bolts
- etc.

[akrallysport]

Sorted out my fueling/priming problems and got the thing running after over a year of being dormant. In fact, took it for a 100m drive down the street and it was noisy and glorious...

Only some minor tasks left:
- Hood mounting (broken mounting bolts need to be drilled out)
- Ground new headlight wiring harness
- Mount new power distribution setup in engine bay (hatch mounted battery)
- Install horn
- Tighten pass control arm mounting bracket (stud spins in chassis, will need to weld or come up with something different)
- Align suspension
- Diagnose oil pressure light (by installing my VDO gauge)

Pics to come...

[akrallysport]

Busy with my final year in engineering (projects, etc.) but finally got the Bunny running well enough for daily driver duties. I still have some issues with the wiring (GPs and dim front indicators) and not too happy with the pulley alignment on the v-belt. The old stock exhaust is leaking, driver's CV joint is torn and I managed to screw up my wheel bearings with what I thought was going to be my axle upgrade (Scirocco CVs) in order to deal with my 100mm drive flanges (AAZ trans).

Regardless, she drives, starts at -12C and even the gas gauge just started moving after 85km.