# 2001 BLI wildness



## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

So, this is my sixth or seventh watercooled build. Sort of fell in my lap. A series of unfortunate events left me with a rusted 04.5 gli and a need to sell most of it off to balance the budget. 

Fortunately, I like chassis stuff and the gli has it in spades! I’ve never built a mk4 and wanted to do something different so I drove out to Baltimore yesterday and picked up a 2001 Beetle 1.8t 5spd manual. This will receive most if not all of the goodies from the gli: brakes, wheels, 02M swap, possibly even the interior. 

The Jetta has a nice set of PS9 coilovers on it that I could swap, but I think I may go in a different direction - literally. We may be lifting this thing and throwing a set of 28.5” tires on the gli wheels. We’ll see. 

Definitely needs paint. Right now it looks like a 60 year old woman’s empty nest gift to herself. No offense to 60 year old empty nesters, but not the look I’m going for. I’ve selected either matte desert khaki or olive drab green. 

Stay tuned.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Here’s a breakdown of the 02M on 28.5” tires vs either the tdi or 1.8t 02J on stock (25”) tires. The 1.8t 02M lines up nicely with the stock ratios from the 02J, essentially mirroring that trans with an additional cruising gear that keeps you from turning over 3000 rpm at 70.

A: 02M (1.8t), 28.5” tires
B: 02J (tdi), 25” tires
C: 02J (1.8t), 25” tires

MPH @ 2500 RPM

A1-16...............B1-16.1..........C1-14.2
A2-25.75..........B2-25.7..........C2-24
A3-36.6............B3-40.............C3-36
A4-46.3...................................C4-45.5
A5-57.5............B4-56.............C5-56.6
A6-70.4............B5-72


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Spent today doing repairs on the Jetta donor and the beetle. The beetle had a crap idle when I got out to Baltimore, but wouldn’t stall. Like an ISV/IAC was bad, but of course these do not have an idle valve. Swapping the throttle from the AWP fixed the idle issue on the beetle. Parts donors ftw!

Chased a misfire under load for an hour or so on the gli. Didn’t sort it out. Installed a fuel pump from another gli I picked up for $20, a new fuel filter, swapped MAFs and throttles. No change. New plugs and R8 coils were white which says I’m still probably running lean. I set the plug gaps to around .027” and swapped the FPR off the beetle onto the gli (around and round we go!). Ran out of time though so I’ll drive it tomorrow. I don’t imagine it will make a difference but was worth a shot to rule out my last potential suspects before condemning the tune.

Fun project stuff to come soon, I promise


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Oh yeah! I couldn’t help myself. Still not sure if I’ll lift it but picked up a set of nearly new 225/60R18s off Craigslist for $100. Hence all these references to a 28.5” tire. Just a little bigger! This thing might end up looking donked out, which I might not hate. LOL


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

Are you swapping the motor? I would if you aren't already planning to. The Beetle has an early 150hp 1.8T so the AWP will be a nice upgrade.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Rockerchick said:


> Are you swapping the motor? I would if you aren't already planning to. The Beetle has an early 150hp 1.8T so the AWP will be a nice upgrade.


I considered it, though the AWP I have has been beat on and the AWV is probably in better shape. Once tuned, they both make similar power. It will likely come down to whether I can get the AWP running well without having to have it re-tuned. If I need to send the ecu out anyway, I’ll keep the beetle motor and have that ecu reworked. I don’t mind doing the swap though if it saves a few hundred bucks!

Thanks for stopping by! It’s good to see that there’s interest in this project


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

I’ve been toying with the idea of a 3.6 FSI swap for a while. Into something. Anything. This is a good candidate. I may start piecing that together once this is running and swap that in when the beetle comes due for emissions again in two years. Which is to say, I’m not going to dump a bunch of money into the 1.8t, I just happen to have an 02M swap and a spare 1.8t in my driveway. But I’m getting ahead of myself!!!


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Subbbbeeeddd


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Hahahahahahaha! Got her emissions inspected yesterday. That gives me two years to experiment before I have an excuse to try the 3.6 FSI swap on. (note: I do not advocate removing emissions equipment from vehicles driven on the road. This thing will get a 400 cpi cat and retain the majority of its emissions gear, but projects set lights. It's comforting to know I won't get hung up if I have to drive with a soft code set for some time while I sort it out.) 

I laughed hysterically because on the way home, I really got into it for the first time and it misfired, cut boost, and set the traction control light! At least it did it after I got it inspected! So much winning with these cars lately. SMH. Time to go through some more misfire diag. Pulled pretty good to about 4k then fell on its face, so that much is reassuring - it should be a little beast when it's running well and tuned!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Well, that was easy. The beetle would barely idle when I picked it up. Checked a few things, but it was acting like the IAC/ISV was bad... except this doesn't have one. Swapped the TB off the gli and when I did, I must have neglected to tighten the inlet hose enough. Idle was fixed but the hose popped off the moment it saw boost! Tightened it up, cleared faults and got to beat the pants off the beetle for a few miles. This motor is good to go. Sending the ecu out next week to get tuned.


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Woohoo!!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Bentley porn. Beetle manual came in today!










Not much doing with the project late this week. Exhaust comes in tomorrow. Riding out to pull a k04-001 this weekend. In the meantime, I started lubing all the hardware to remove the downpipe and exhaust manifold.

Probably pull the exhaust this weekend. Turbo is going to be... fun? Is that the word? No, terrible. That’s what I was looking for. Picked a hell of a platform to modify. Turbo looks packed tight under the cowl. Haven’t reviewed the repair procedure yet though. Going through the Bentley for it this evening. Wish me luck :-/


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Exhaust/turbo-ectomy in progress. Turbo wasn’t that bad. Pull the cowl and there’s about as much room as the Jetta, though it’s definitely tighter underneath. Cut the exhaust out while I was under there. Exhaust should arrive today - 2.5” 304 stainless eBay special - and I’m picking up the k04 tomorrow. Next weekend is a busy but I’m hoping I can get parts together, get the ECM back and everything reassembled by mid-April.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Just exhaust pictures. If you’ve ever considered upgrading your exhaust, do it! Look at the downpipe tubing alone! Also, the rearmost muffler alone weighs about as much as the whole aftermarket exhaust (I kid, but that muffler’s legit heavy).


















eBay 304 stainless special is fitting great so far. It’s for a golf/GTI and was $180 shipped. Turbo back, 2.5” with a muffler and resonator. I don’t mean to count my eggs before they hatch though. Still need to install the turbo and test figment of the downpipe. Everything LOOKS like it should work. As in, it follows the contours of the body perfectly well.

The only issue running a golf/GTI exhaust in a beetle is the muffler tip. It terminates a few inches shy of the bumper, pointing straight into the bumper. 45* turn down tip and we should be ready to party! I didn’t want a 90 degree turndown as they tend to be louder in the cabin.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

I said that I wasn't going to do a stereo in this car, but who am I kidding? Nothing "extreme" but should kick butt just the same. In the interest of keeping my cargo space and not adding a bunch of weight, I am not running a big traditional subwoofer. Instead, I will do what I generally always do and employ some creativity in my implementation. The plan is to hide FOUR 5.25" subwoofers throughout the vehicle in ported enclosures: two in the dash and one in each rear side panel. I have modeled these and the four of them (in ported enclosures) do as well or better than a nice 10" in a ported enclosure until about 30Hz. Hell, they modeled neck and neck with an 18" infinite baffle sub implementation down to 35Hz. I'm ok with that 

The dash subs will function as midbass drivers, but receive subwoofer frequencies as well. They will be in stereo wired a' la component set with a pair of source-point/wide-band drivers in pods on the dash. The rears will be in the side panels and receive only "subwoofer frequencies". Otherwise, there will be no rear speakers or door speakers. There will be no tweeters. Pretty much just two drivers and a subwoofer channel (sorta kinda split four ways).









So much room for activities! This beetle is a god send for people into stereo installs man, good lawd!!!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Swapping the Bilstein PS9 coilovers from the GLi today. Control arms come in tomorrow for the beetle so I’ll finish up then. I had planned to run the 18” RC336s from the GLi but I put them on the scale and they’re a solid 10 pounds heavier! Each! No thanks. Beetle wheels are staying on the beetle. GLi brakes just clear. Gunna be a sleeper in those shoes! LOL



















Just clear! Less than 1/4” of breathing room between the beetle 16s and the GLi calipers.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Finished the rear suspension yesterday. Doing the front today. Exhaust tip came in to make the golf/Gti exhaust play nice. Looks great. If it’s not crazy loud, the sleeper status continues! Cant tell there’s an exhaust on it otherwise.









Just the tip:

















Probably rivet some flashing on the under/inside of the bumper as a heat shield.


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Awesome work!! You’re making huge progress 


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

ArclitGold said:


> Awesome work!! You’re making huge progress
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you! I work feverishly when I have a project. And we have our second child being born in a few months so there’s a fire lit under me to get it done enough to drive by then!

Front suspension is in! Had to do the job twice essentially, swapping everything between the Jetta and beetle.








Pulling brakes in the rain today. Clean up the calipers and get them ready to refinish Friday. Cure over the weekend and install Monday-Tuesday. Turbo next weekend. Broke the exhaust studs on the one from the junkyard so I have that to deal with in the meantime :-/


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Rain was too heavy and some other toys showed up! Stereo is underway as well! Android tablet (hot spot to my phone), rca to a DSP, to a five channel amplifier, to four 5.25” subwoofers sealed in the dash as midbass drivers, two wideband drivers in pods on the dash, and a 15” subwoofer mounted infinite baffle in the spare tire well.

Enjoy 










Planning the dash “subwoofers”


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

That stereo is a really neat looking kit! Where is it from?


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

ArclitGold said:


> That stereo is a really neat looking kit! Where is it from?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


eBay! It’s a 10.1” tablet running Android 10 that mounts in a single din slot. Gives me a tablet with rca outputs for my DSP/amplifier. I bought a Bluetooth OBD dongle so I can set up a gauge cluster on it too. The beetle has no coolant gauge and a matching gauge, sending unit, adapters, etc. would’ve cost about what this tablet kit did: $135! It could be a massive fail but I’m not asking it to do any more than a standard android tablet would and they are cheap these days.

I’ll let you know how it works out when I get it all wired up.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Found some subwoofers from an old infinite baffle project that never got off the ground. Anyone ever seen a pair of fifteens in a beetle before? Well, you ‘bout to! I get to keep my trunk too  

Secrets of the audio underground will be revealed! (Ok, not really secrets but I’d be shocked if many people had seen, never mind heard such an installation before). Mercifully these - the greatest budget infinite baffle subwoofers ever made - will be hidden from view... ‘Cause they ugly.


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Awesome!! This project is awesome. Waiting with bated breath for this sub install!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

ArclitGold said:


> Awesome!! This project is awesome. Waiting with bated breath for this sub install!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Need to raise the floor 2” but they’ll fit


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Working GLI brake swap and turbo install this week. Stripped the caliper brackets. Let them soak in some “Evaporust” over the weekend. I wish I had before pictures! The brackets were awfully New England rusted before. Much of the finish was gone. They soaked for two days and just pulled out of the solution rust free; no scrubbing and no pitting! Any brake dust had turned into gooey boogers that wiped right off too. A few minutes with a wire brush and they look brand new!

Remarkably, in areas where no rust had gotten underneath, the existing paint remained intact as well. You can see where one bracket had some corrosion above the fluid line, but even that is 10x better. The capillary action and thin layer of solution was enough to knock that rust down to just “discoloration”. Anyway, highly recommend the stuff. Time to strip and sand the caliper bodies!


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Wow. Night and day


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

GLI brake swap is coming along nicely. After what feels like forever, I finally got the calipers prepped “good enough”. Many imperfections showing through but they’ll be tucked so tight in those beetle wheels, they probably won’t show. Again, I wish I had better before pictures. They turned out pretty damn good (no, forgive me, I didn’t tape off the dust boot or piston)


















Tires came in for the beetle wheels. Nice ones too  All season tires because I’ll actually drive the beetle places, but about as nice as you can find in a 16. Also, my neighbors probably hate me.










And lastly, playing with the intake from the Jetta. I don’t think it’s worth doing. Won really add any power, just lots of noise so I’m probably just plumbing a cold air duct to the factory air box with a K&N. Looks pretty though.










K04 turbo install this weekend, if all goes to plan. Picking up some free mk4 Gti seats to play with possibly reusing the bases to allow the GLI seats to fold.

Still waiting to hear back from a tuner about my ecu. APR won’t remove the immobilizer anymore so I went elsewhere. I’d like to have this drivetrain swap-ready if I pull it for the 3.6 in the future.

Get her running and driving, move onto the stereo, then swapping in the 02M from the GLI. All the things.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Just test fitting today. Finish hasn’t cured enough for me to feel comfortable getting brake fluid on the calipers yet. Fit like they were made for the Beetle 16s. Hashtag subtlety.


























The GLi rear rotors make the factory rotors look almost dangerously inadequate by comparison. I mean, the fronts are dope but whoa.









Fronts:


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Just test fitting. This is the final configuration though. Go big or go home. Both will run in a “restricted-infinite” baffle configuration (probably 1/3 of total sd in vent). Grabbing some more mdf, making baffle cuts and cutting up the spare tire well this weekend. Trunk floor will be elevated 1.5” and everything will be carpeted. Woofers recessed 3/4” with sturdy grills, often concealed/protected under the factory trunk cover. I’ll pull it for shows. Plan is for it to be invisible and grocery friendly with the cover on.


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Looking good


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Operation “GLI seats in a beetle” got some reinforcements yesterday. Picked up a free pair of nasty mk4 Gti seats. The idea is to transfer the GLi foams to the Gti bases so I can fold the seats forward for passengers (kids). The beetle seats would be cool as hell to use for this purpose but the bases appear narrower, and they’re in really nice condition - like, it would truly be a shame to cannibalize them when someone out there would love them.

even though I just plan on using the bases, the Gti foams will probably find their way onto the Jetta frames and back into the Jetta. Besides, I couldn’t let these dope covers go out all nasty like this. They cleaned up well.

Before:









Before/After:

























The lower bolsters were so caked with sheit that they were hard and smooth. Straight nasty. With some loving, they returned to a nice, clean textured fabric.

K04-001 install will commence later this morning if the rain lets up, and I hope to start the subwoofer build in earnest this week - grills, cloth and carpet came in today


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Turbo install started out well and quickly kicked my ass. Need to pull the kombi valve and coolant neck anyway but there’s something hitting on the driver’s side beneath those that I want to put my eyes on. It’s keeping me from rotating the turbo like 1/8” to line it up. Pretty certain it’s the oil feed line which I’m thinking I bent coming out - I should’ve replaced it anyway so I ordered a new one and will tackle deleting the vacuum hose this week. Get back to the turbo next weekend. 

On the bright side, I now get to play with my subwoofer enclosure, guilt free. 

Turbo porn. Picture doesn’t really do justice to how much larger the new unit is.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Betta recognize.









































Building the baffle today but it started raining on me :-/ They fit though!!!


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Wow keep it coming!!


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

What software are you running for the k04?


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

ArclitGold said:


> What software are you running for the k04?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


None yet! Canned tune from a shop in Indiana. APR won’t remove immo anymore and I want to be able to use this swap if I go in on the 3.6 FSI. A few other shops took forever to get back to me, but these guys were very responsive. I’ll let you know if the engine explodes shortly. Need to install tt225 injectors before I run it.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Just speaker business for a while. I need a break from the mechanicals to get my mojo back. Hoping to get the turbo wrapped up this weekend but there’s so much going on in my life outside of this project that I need to make time for.

Laminated the baffle sections into a cohesive 1.5” baffle and reinforced it today. Coated the bottom side with a 2:1 mix of primer and wood glue in an effort to seal the mdf from moisture. It shouldn’t ever see water but will have to contend with dew and such.

Bottom of the baffle as it sits now, drying in the sun.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Building things. You know those really nice tower speakers your friend with the in their living room? Yeah, I’m putting them in my dash. Four 6” midbass drivers and two 4” full-range/wideband drivers in ported enclosures tuned to <50Hz, high pass at 40Hz.


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Holy moly. This keeps getting better


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

Crazy! How are you planning to cover them back up? The two panels that go there won’t work now right? I’ll replace my two tweeters when I redo the interior (already have 4 6.5 JL’s and a sub), but could extend it to a couple 4” like you have depending on the dash cover solution. 

You are truly building a great Beetle!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Thanks! I’ll be using the factory left, right and center dash covers but hacking them to **** and covering them entirely in a few layers of grill cloth. That’s the plan at least. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, homie! I’m optimistic ;-) Mercifully, bass will transmit well trough thicker media so if I can’t get the panels to fit all jacked up like, I’ll cut some groovy saddle blanket sections and elevate them slightly. Should conform to the dash contours still - and may even match the back seat!


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

DSchmale said:


> Thanks! I’ll be using the factory left, right and center dash covers but hacking them to **** and covering them entirely in a few layers of grill cloth. That’s the plan at least. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, homie! I’m optimistic ;-) Mercifully, bass will transmit well trough thicker media so if I can’t get the panels to fit all jacked up like, I’ll cut some groovy saddle blanket sections and elevate them slightly. Should conform to the dash contours still - and may even match the back seat!


That should work, and I thought about the grill cloth. Consider drilling a bunch of holes in a pattern instead of cutting out a huge hole. Should transmit the sound fine and retain some strength in the panels. Love your project. If you were close to SCAL I’d come see it in person!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Lots of heavy life stuff coming at me recently and no real time to invest in the project. Finished the subwoofer assembly though! Waiting on a few pieces for the dash. Finally having tires installed this week. Probably still a few weeks before the brakes and turbo/injectors/vacuum deletes are finished and I can drive it. Still waiting on plates too anyway :-/

As soon as I get a minute to breathe there will be lots of movement on the project. Stay tuned!


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Sorry life is rough lately! Hope to see you back soon!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

ArclitGold said:


> Sorry life is rough lately! Hope to see you back soon!


Thank you. This project is kinda keeping me sane. I can mess with it for a bit and clear my head; just don’t have good chunks of time to make considerable progress.

Got a few hour free and finished the ports for the dash midbass enclosure. Routed the top side 3/4” and built a stepped inlet inside as there’s no room for a proper flare there.

Don’t sleep on the beetles, stereo people! Awesome path length balance on the dash and plenty of room in the rain tray there to flex your imagination!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Spent today in the mechanicals. Finished installing the K04-001. I had removed the old turbo like six weeks ago and have just been too busy to put the time I needed into installing and reassembling everything. Have to revamp the vacuum system, install larger injectors and finish the GLI brake swap this week. Once it’s running, my wife will be a lot cooler with me playing with the stereo 

Progress though!


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Wahoo! Keep it going


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

0400 intake manifold swap. Going to run the AWP intake manifold on the beetle. I hadn’t read anything about the AWP peripherals adding power but the manifold plenum is clearly larger on the AWP (look at the right side at cyl #4) and has fewer vacuum ports up top, so it should look cleaner as well.


















Vacuum Carnage!!!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Made the ebay 3” MK4 golf/Gti turbo-back exhaust work. The downpipe clears the steering rack perfectly. The rear section clears the body but is super tight to the beam. Unfortunately, the mid pipe didn’t line up well with the rear/resonator. I’m installing a cat soon and will weld it all in line but, for now, I cut some of the mid pipe and put a long flex section in place.




























3” all the way back. 304 stainless (had it in a box outside in the rain for two months and not a speck of rust) with a muffler and resonator for $180! Upgrading the clamps and adding the flex section brought the full exhaust total up to $250.


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

3” is plenty for the K04. You may want to ceramic coat or heat wrap the exhaust manifold and turbo while you are there. It has helped drop temps in my engine bay a good amount. 

I’m interested in how the new intake manifold works out too. 

Can’t wait to see you complete this build in the future. Super nice upgrade path you are taking. 


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Thank you! Yes indeed, I actually would’ve preferred a 2.5” exhaust. Probably a bit quieter and easier to clear the rear beam. Turbo and manifold are already in place and I’m not looking forward to pulling them again any time soon but that’s a good idea should they ever have to come out again!

In that vein, I’m actually piecing together my own water/meth injection system now too. Pump, solenoid, lines, fittings, relay, Hobbs switch, etc are all in-hand or on order. Just need to figure out what flow rate to run. The plan is to divide my overall output in half and spray half ahead of the intercooler (still inside the intake tract) to improve its efficiency, and the other half into the manifold per “usual”. The K04 has been done a million times but I’m detonation averse! Hahaha!


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

Never took the injection step, thought about it. If I was to do anything similar, it would be to spray the intercooler itself with a water alcohol mix. I have the larger forge smic which was plenty and am running very smoothly with the K04. 

Keep it up, the car is going to be fantastic 


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Nearly there accumulating water/meth injection supplies. 100psi pump, nozzles, solenoid, relays and pressure switches, fittings and junctions, -6AN hose, crimp clamps, etc. I’ll put together a parts list if anyone wants to duplicate it. Wasn’t cheap though. I mean, it’s better than some of the gonzo expensive kits available but it snowballed close to $400.

That having been said, I’ll soon have better cooling than an aftermarket FMIC while retaining the factory plumbing and appearance, WITH considerable additional octane to boot. I’m only a solenoid away from building a two stage, which I’ll probably do. 

Stay tuned!


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Are you upgrading your intercooler with a FMIC or want to stick to the side, under fender stock location? If you wanted to stick with the stock setup; Tyrol Sport, made one for the New Beetle and while not cheap, some said it was a improvement over stock. 





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TyrolSport New Beetle SMIC - Comparison of new beetle intercooler vs. our UG SMIC


TyrolSport UG Side Mount Intercooler is the new standard in upgraded Side Mount Intercoolers for the 1.8T/TDI VW New Beetle. Look at our photos comparing the SMIC & TyrolSport New Beetle UG SMIC



www.tyrolsport.com





There are Golf and Jetta SMIC upgrades, are sold cheaper from lesser suppliers but they are slightly different. I guess, if you have some fabrication skills; you might be able to modify the mounts and make it work?


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

billymade said:


> Are you upgrading your intercooler with a FMIC or want to stick to the side, under fender stock location? If you wanted to stick with the stock setup; Tyrol Sport, made one for the New Beetle and while not cheap, some said it was a improvement over stock.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have the Forge SMIC in mine, and it fits well. Needed to open up the wheel well lining, but worth it considering how much more volume it is and cooling capability it provides. 


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

So, what sort of differences; from intake temp lowering and power or heat soak reduction, did you experience? If you have any photos; about the install and mods, required to make it work, would be great.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

prettygood said:


> I have the Forge SMIC in mine, and it fits well. Needed to open up the wheel well lining, but worth it considering how much more volume it is and cooling capability it provides.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I too would be interested to hear about this. Mainly, we’re you able to adapt the Jetta/golf smic to a beetle? From looking at pictures, it’s not the mounts but the inlet/outlet angles that differ between them.

For anyone who’s interested, the core on the beetle intercooler is 3/4” to 1” thicker than the AWP SMIC in my Jetta. Stock to stock. All other dimensions are the same.


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

DSchmale said:


> I too would be interested to hear about this. Mainly, we’re you able to adapt the Jetta/golf smic to a beetle? From looking at pictures, it’s not the mounts but the inlet/outlet angles that differ between them.
> 
> For anyone who’s interested, the core on the beetle intercooler is 3/4” to 1” thicker than the AWP SMIC in my Jetta. Stock to stock. All other dimensions are the same.


My bad, wrong maker. Tyrol sport is where I sourced it:





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TyrolSport


European automotive performance, maintenance, and repair in New York City. Tyrolsport sells and installs Audi, BMW, Porsche, Mini and VW performance products from all top name brand manufacturers.



www.tyrolsport.com





Forge did make one at one point, but it is no longer on the site. The Tyrolsport didn’t have any issues with inlet/outlet angles, and it was huge compared to the stock unit in my 2000 1.8T.










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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

So, any improvement; that were verifiable and experienced, in day to day driving?


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

billymade said:


> So, any improvement; that were verifiable and experienced, in day to day driving?


It was installed at the same time as my K04 and other upgrades. Impossible to tell what the smic would have contributed alone. What I can say is that the boost peaks at 20psi and holds between 15-17 psi, and pulls very smoothly over and over again. 

Keeping the stock location helps with the CA smog check. A fmic would give me all sorts of extra questions with the Audi TT intake manifold and plumbing changes. 


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

I live in th desert southwest and heat soak, affecting turbo based engine performance is definitely a issue for me at the hottest times of the summer; I would hope that a performance SMIC would alleviate this problem or possibly help?


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

I’m running the factory SMIC. Should do just fine with the H2O/meth injection. 

Just waiting on one solenoid for the second stage and I’m done accumulating.









And test fitting the pump. It’s quite large and the under hood space in a beetle… is not. The plan is to build a pair of brackets - one for the pump and the other for solenoids - and place them where the horns are presently.


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

Side Mount Alu Intercooler +FAN For GOLF MK4 GTI AUDI A3 1.8T 1.9TDI 98-05 ASZ | eBay


Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Side Mount Alu Intercooler +FAN For GOLF MK4 GTI AUDI A3 1.8T 1.9TDI 98-05 ASZ at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



www.ebay.com





I ran across this the other day; when i was researching the new beetle Tyrol Sport SMIC, I wonder if, the small electric cooling fan, makes any difference?


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Finished the front brake swap yesterday! Big sexy red devils off the GLI are now in place. Planned on starting the rears today but…










So yeah, that sucked. Replaced the control arms and ended up having to extract the sway bar end link mounting bolt :-/ It didn’t get cross threaded, though it looks like it. The threads in the control arm seem to be tapered so it only allows so much of the bolt to go in before it seized and snapped. Wouldn’t accommodate the factory hardware! Oh well. I’ll finish the rears some time this week.

Decided to clear my head after that ordeal and do something fun! Building the housing for the injection pump and solenoids! Yay!










The beetle is getting everything and the kitchen sink! Before you scoff/laugh, where you finding your free 16 gauge stainless? Huh!? Hahaha.

Made a few cuts to fold it into something like a half cube to protect everything from moisture under the bumper/wheel well lining. Fold er up and tack it together this weekend. No one will see it and welding metal this thin is a PITA with flux-core (out of gas), so lots of tacks will have to suffice.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Testing testing 1, 2.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Finished the rear brakes last night. Bleed em this afternoon and the chassis is done for a while! GLI brakes FTW!

I had a buddy with me who I walked through doing rear brakes. A few things nearly got stripped but no major harm was caused and he learned a little something about doing some brakes!

I planned to set er down this weekend but it doesn’t NEED to be down until next weekend so I’m going to keep plugging away, get an oil and coolant change going, route my methanol injection lines, etc.

Very excited to break out the welder this afternoon. I’ve never used flux core for such a thin material before so I’m bleeding brakes and practicing some welds on scrap today!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Installed the pedal covers and dead pedal from the GLI last night.










Installed the boost gauge as well this morning. Still need to wire up its back-lighting. Just mounted it straight to the dash. Had to drill one hole in the bulkhead for the vacuum line. I had a bunch of grommets for running stereo wiring. Used an 8ga wiring grommet to protect the line. Worked great!


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## ArclitGold (Apr 21, 2009)

Getting closer and closer!


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## billymade (Jan 29, 2008)

You might try looking for some turbo S aluminum interior parts; to sprinkle in the rest of your car like the steering wheel covers and door unlock levers etc. to match your pedals, foot rest, etc! 


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Did a lift on my buddy’s Tacoma this weekend and had to free up my jackstand/jacks. So! I got to check on the beetle’s ride height and make sure the brakes fit ok. It looks great! About just what I hoped for. A little lower than stock; the brakes are huge but subtle with the stock 16s. I don’t think it will attract much more attention than any other yellow beetle would.


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

Any updates? 


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

2021 was rough y’all. Mom got sick and had to move in with her sister right around my last post. Moving her, parsing stuff, repairing, cleaning, selling her house. Managed the purchase of a new house for her as well, without a realtor. Then fixing up that place. Had a baby. Favors for friends in the meantime. Storm damaged roof at home. Coworker quit increasing my (our) workload - then 2021 deadlines. THEN my grandmother fell and I had to go through the whole home selling process again.

2022 started with a blizzard, then we got Covid. All the things. Fortunately, my other obligations are satisfied and I’m back to the beetle!!!

Stay tuned!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Got a mess of rough GLI seats from my dudes Tlctmotoworksllc in Hagerstown, MD. Hit them up on IG or Facebook, particularly for your mk4 needs!


























Just cleaning and stripping this weekend. The goal is to construct a nice pair of fronts for the beetle and accumulate scrap material for door panel inserts and accents on the interior.

Vacuum, soak in water and vacuum again, soak with cheap foaming carpet cleaner and vacuum, rinse and vacuum again. Start pulling covers!


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

MK4.5 GLI donor went to a better place this weekend. 










AND Tlctmotorworksllc also hooked up the back half and driveline from an Audi TT225! So, the rear subwoofers will be going away - as I have to cut the existing rear floorpan out. But yeah, we’re building an all wheel drive K04 beetle! I’m sure someone has done it before, but I haven’t seen it!










Hell of a weekend in project land, considering I hadn’t done anything in the 7+ months before.


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

So glad you are back to this project! The AWD conversion is a huge deal, if you find that it ends up being a straightforward conversion (especially from the controller requirements if it isn’t 100% mechanical) it could end up on my upgrade path some day. Looking forward to seeing your updates.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

prettygood said:


> So glad you are back to this project! The AWD conversion is a huge deal, if you find that it ends up being a straightforward conversion (especially from the controller requirements if it isn’t 100% mechanical) it could end up on my upgrade path some day. Looking forward to seeing your updates.


I need to do more investigating of the AWD conversion. The shock and spring mounts look to be in different locations on the unibody (TT was IRS and not a beam). So while there’s lots of talk thrown around about drilling and swapping floor pans; there WILL be more structural changes required to accommodate the “swap”. The rear subframe for a TT ties into something rigid and I have to imagine it’s more substantial than a spot-welded floor pan. Have to get under the pan and see what’s what.

The driveline itself is not complicated though, from an installation perspective. Don’t get me wrong. It’s involved. But once the structural changes are in place, it “just bolts in”. Golf and Jetta models need an R32 driveshaft but the beetle is shorter and (I hope) more akin to a TT, so I may be able to reuse the shaft I have from the donor.

All that is to say, you’re largely correct in assuming the greatest technical challenge will be to get the haldex working without an expensive aftermarket controller. I think if I can find a TT225 ECM with an imo delete and its matching abs module and esc sensor, I MIGHT be able to get it to work.

Challenges abound but then it’s a project car. If it ain’t on jackstands having some grand plan (delusion?) executed on it, it doesn’t hold my interest 

Of course, now I’m looking at rods, a GTRS eliminator and 550cc tune… further down the rabbit hole we go…


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

DSchmale said:


> I need to do more investigating of the AWD conversion. The shock and spring mounts look to be in different locations on the unibody (TT was IRS and not a beam). So while there’s lots of talk thrown around about drilling and swapping floor pans; there WILL be more structural changes required to accommodate the “swap”. The rear subframe for a TT ties into something rigid and I have to imagine it’s more substantial than a spot-welded floor pan. Have to get under the pan and see what’s what.
> 
> The driveline itself is not complicated though, from an installation perspective. Don’t get me wrong. It’s involved. But once the structural changes are in place, it “just bolts in”. Golf and Jetta models need an R32 driveshaft but the beetle is shorter and (I hope) more akin to a TT, so I may be able to reuse the shaft I have from the donor.
> 
> ...


AWD demands 350+hp. You’ve got your work cut out for you


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Paused, again. Picked up a flip car to finance either a Smyth Ute kit or the motor build and GTRS  Yeah, it’s a Honda. It will make me money!

Key wouldn’t come out of the ignition, or go back in, or turn, or start. Fixed that. Paint is mad faded. Cleaned and buffed to see if it would improve. It didn’t. Might use this as a platform to practice a vinyl wrap before I tackle the beetle. Interior was wild gross. Cleaned that. Picked up some MINI wheels with nearly new tires, Honda center cap stickers and appropriate lug nuts for the conversion. Coming along nicely.




























Pulled out the bare rim collection. Several assorted MINI 17s not pictured. So much crap. Probably building clocks from the 14s and 13s.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Ordered some things. Bought a plug to fully engage the haldex clutches when they’re commanded on. Probably run power to the primer pump with the “Run” position, and wire the haldex signal to a Hobbes switch set at an appropriate boost level. Add a permanent “On” switch for snow. Start drilling spot welds once it warms up a bit outside. 









YHW Powertrack Insert for Haldex First Generation - 50/50


Powertrack Insert for Haldex First Generation - 50/50




www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Damn. 2021 was a capital-B and this year has begun much the same. Lots of work around the house. We had our roof and driveway replaced (more room for activities!!!) so I got the beetle running and driving (basically to move it), but have had zero time to work on the good stuff.

Kind of in a perpetual holding pattern with this thing, it seems. I’m hoping to take a break and get er going here this summer. This project is my me-time and I’ve unfortunately had next to none of that for a year now.

Picking up a set of TT front knuckles, control arms and steering rack next week; as well as a spare haldex and rear diff. Full TT beetle, engage!

Anyway, I’ll update as soon as there’s anything worth reporting. Thank you all for your initial interest. It WILL be epic (while looking mundane), I promise.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Life has finally quieted down. Replaced our roof and driveway, then dug 100’ of drainage, graded and built a privacy fence all by hand. That was my spring. 

Had her running shortly and then pulled the intake manifold again to run lines for the water/methanol injection, for which I may relocate the battery to accommodate a larger tank and FMIC piping. The snowball is huge now. Also picked up a TT225 intake manifold for FMIC purpose which should make routing and fitment easier.

SPEAKING OF PARTS!

















Loaded a core AWP and 2.0t FSI motor in the minivan yesterday. Crank from the FSI will serve to stroke the AWP. Machining, pistons and rods and she should have a bulletproof 2.0 AWP next spring! Not going huge on the next turbo upgrade. If we’re going AWD, I WANT that massive 3000~3500 rpm torque spike, even at the expense of some top end. 350hp/tq is plenty but I’d love 400hp/350tq at the crank. Dream a little dream. 

So, I’m now sitting on all sorts of parts. motor goes on a stand today. Get her running again this month. TBC.


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## DSchmale (Jan 29, 2019)

Oh, and plastidip. Six gallons delivered this week for a harlequin tribute. If I like it, I’ll basecoat/clearcoat it once the mechanicals are sorted. 

















Going with a blue-base scheme. Just the oem silver 16” wheels. Rear fenders will take the blue for the rear quarter panels. I’ll tape the rear quarter panels to take the yellow for the rear doors. Otherwise, it will remain true to the original arrangement.


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## crenshaw7 (8 mo ago)

Awesome work!! You’re making huge progress


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## FastAndFurious (Feb 2, 2002)

nice project you got going. I got the r32 floor pan at one point and ditched the idea of going awd. Best of luck


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