MK3 AAZ to MK3 Gas Donor

[woodsman]

Hi guys, I've been reading around a bit and entertaining the thought of finding a better shell to put my AAZ into.  I have a 97 Golf AAZ 5 speed that I really like for its commuting characteristics.  The body/interior is in really rough shape and I've seen some Mk3 gas shells in good shape come up for good prices.  I haven't done a swap ever, but I'm fairly mechanically inclined and would probably enjoy [most] of the project.  I can weld, but I'm definitely not the best at it so I'd prefer not to have to do a lot of custom work.  My biggest concern is if it would be a headache to put the manual transmission in an auto donor car?  I have a few concerns that it would be nice to get some insight into before I dive in:

-I'm guessing I'd have to take all, or almost all, of hte wiring from the diesel car and swap it over, except maybe splicing into the basic stuff like lighting etc?
-Do fuel tanks and lines have to be swapped before the pump?
-Another big concern is if I put all this money and work into it, and the motor needs work...I've started looking into rebuilding the motor and pretty simple things sound very hard to find, and if they're out there very expensive (i.e. injector nozzles, injectors, decent oversized pistons, crank bearings etc).  Does anybody know of sources for engine parts for the AAZ?  I really like the motor and would like to get it rebuilt within the next few years...

Any other things to consider or be aware of, it would be very very appreciated to have a heads up 

Thanks a lot!

[vanbcguy]

A 2.0 ABA car would be ideal. The AAZ would drop right in without much work at all. Yes you could convert an automatic car without a HUGE amount of effort but it will add at least an extra day to your build. The 2.0 cars are plentiful and will already have the correct transmission linkages and clutch setup for your car.

You don't HAVE to take all the wiring but it would be a lot cleaner. You can disconnect everything at the fuse box. The AAZ wiring is extremely basic, there isn't much there. I'd keep the AAZ cluster as it as the right tach and things.

Fuel tanks don't HAVE to be swapped. The diesel tank has a wider neck that can take bigger nozzles though so it would be a good idea. Some folks just cut out the restrictor in the neck. The sending unit from the diesel would be good to grab and use.

Most of the AAZ parts are pretty easy to come by. Injectors and pumps are a little tricky but Giles at Performance Diesel knows them and can rebuild those parts. Stuff like gaskets, bearings, cam followers etc are all easy to get.

That said if I ever had to do a major overhaul on an AAZ I'd personally be inclined to put TDI pistons and an AHU/1Z head on the block with a mechanical pump. Better fuel economy and easier starting but still a dead simple engine like the AAZ.

[woodsman]

Thanks a lot for the help!  I'm just across the water from you on the island.  I just asked about the auto donors because there is one for sale right now with a blown transmission.  Haven't gone to look at it yet, but figured if it wasn't too much hassle to transfer the linkage, clutch etc all over it would be very cheap after selling the gas motor.  I just don't really want to have to fabricate parts, if its mostly an unbolt and bolt up affair I would be okay with that.  Pretty sure its a 2.0 but haven't checked into it yet.  I'm not full of spare time right now so this project might have to sit on the back burner for a little bit.

Thats an interesting idea with a TDI head and mechanical pump on.  I'll do a little more reading on that and see how tough that is.  It would probably give it a little more jam too.  Thanks again for the info.  Any other thoughts that come to mind I'd be super keen to hear them.  Basically I'm just going to have a good look for the condition of the car - strut towers, floor pans etc.  The one I've got is in rough shape but its a kick ass commuter car.  Good on fuel and the diesel keeps chugging up hills without too much complaints.  I like the idea keeping this car running strong because its simple enough to work on and I've already invested in a lot of the vehicle specific tools like for injection pump timing and whatnot.  Looking at newer cars just gives me a headache.

[vanbcguy]

I've got a mechanical TDI in what was originally an AAZ car... I started with a complete AHU rather than an AAZ but the AHU and AAZ blocks are the same, just the AHU has a boss machined for a crank position sensor.

[woodsman]

Two bad things.  The shell was not longer available so I'm back to looking.  Even worse is the mTDI conversion seems a lot more difficult and time consuming than I think I can handle in the near future.  I'm going to keep reading and researching and looking for a shell in better shape.  Thanks again for the info.  I'm going to keep pursuing this.  How hard was it for you to modify the pump?  Are you using TDI injectors?

Edit: Disregard; I am now immersed in your build thread...

[vanbcguy]

Hehehe... Yeah the modifications aren't that substantial. Pump bracket is the most difficult one, I paid less than $100 to have it done. Pump itself is simple. I did gov mod mine in the end but I didn't exactly build a stock engine. The 300TDI pump is set up for 120 virtually smoke free hp out of the box, simple adjustments to take it higher than that if desired. Injectors are the same as a regular TDI. I used TDI delivery valves as I had them and figured that would be easier than changing the injector lines. Second hardest part was the accelerator cable bracket but neither that nor the pump bracket require you to know anything about Bosch VE Diesel injection pumps.

[woodsman]

where did you source the pump from?  I originally read your comment in this thread that you used an aaz pump but I see you used a land rover pump.  I'm guessing those are hard to come by and not cheap...  Edit: I just found where you sourced it from.  I'm guessing it was pulled from a motor and not rebuilt though... today i bought a pump from a 1.6l to tear apart and just learn from when I get some spare time...an almost 3 month old baby is hampering spare time haha.  he's worth it though.

[vanbcguy]

No, the pump I bought was a rebuild, completely clean with fresh yellow tamper paint on all the settings and all new seals. Definitely not something just yanked off an engine. It had a warranty and everything. It is not a "New" pump, definitely refurbished though.

The Land Rover pumps aren't any more or less expensive than any other Bosch VE pump.

And yeah I hear ya on the baby. I did most of my build when my kid was 6 mo through just over a year. Figured it would be good to have a project that kept me busy around the house.