# MK1 Rabbit LX caddy Engine/Trans swap ALH/02J



## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

Sooooo Somehow I convinced my wife to let me buy ANOTHER Project........


Here is the deal.. I need a truck. Not a very big truck but one that I can throw an engine into and go. I was doing another one of my random CL searches last week and I ran across an Ad that really caught my eye. Screen shot of the Ad below. After the usual CL shenanigans I was driving home my "new" 1981 VW Caddy! She yanks hard to the right when you accelerate and hard to the left when you let off. She has more play in the steering than I thought possible. But she runs! Supposedly the motor was rebuilt 6000miles ago... But of course no documents to support that. On the drive home the caddy cruised around 55mph and if I ran into any hill, Well forget it. I was doing 45 with my flashers on... That wont work. I have hills where I live.... The biggest one is on my way to work!

So like everyone else I started looking for Horsepower... on the internet. I looked into a TD swap, Nitrous(I'm still considering it...Lowers EGT), Then I came across an interesting thread... this guy put a mid 90s TDI in his MK1. I got to thinkin..... 


Now I have a 2003 Golf TDI. I bought it from a salvage auction. Owner totaled it and the Insurance company sold it for "parts". In 2012 I bought it for $1900. I bought a left rear door off of craigslist($40), The rear suspension from a bug($100), and with a little persuasion from a slide hammer... We get that two-tone beauty down below.... That was a few years ago and she hasn't skipped a beat in 50k miles.

I have upgraded a few parts since then-
G60 SMFlywheel
VR6 Clutch and pressure plate
50% bigger SMIC
All New Poly Bushing 
Coilovers
3" Cat back exhaust (Most wonderful sound in the world)

Flash forward to current day and Helga isn't holding up very well.. She is aging. Her engine is in wonderful condition but the body is falling apart... and fast.

After scratching through a couple of note pads I finally have a game plan.

As the title says I'm going to swap in my ALH and 02J trans into my MK1 Caddy. With a dash of Lowering Springs, Paint, VNT-17, RC3 Tune, and a Rollcage....

Today I ordered the first and main bits for the build - ALH/02J to MK1 Engine/Trans Mounts. Link - http://www.retrofication.co.uk/557and389.html
I shelled out the $300 for the pieces that I needed and now we wait for them to arrive from the UK.

I work two jobs and I would like to stay married so right off the bat I'm telling you this isn't going to be a fast build but I think I've got enough here to hopefully get some people excited. I do have other cars that I am trying to build and sell in these coming months. That will also slow things a bit but in the meantime I will be acquiring parts, researching, and getting advice from all you kind folk.... Of course I'll also keep y'all updated with photos as often as I can!



Helga



So here is the Craigslist Ad - 




Here are a few photos of the Rabbit LX


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*MK1 Wiring Clean Up*

So last night I decided to actually use the truck. I was selling a VW type 1 engine on CL. Well I got stranded for a few minutes... I guess it was to be expected. Here is what happened;

I got home from work at 6, I was supposed to meet the guy around 8:30. So I got to playing with the nightmare of wiring in the truck. I looked under the dash..... Imagine trying to untangle that last roll of christmas lights you havent used in years. :banghead: There were offroad lights, Gauges, Radio... All connected to worst power sources or signal wires. So I started ripping it all out. Then I found a huge draw on the battery.... So I started pulling fuses and relays. A few Relays and a ton of fuses later... My dash lights came on and the starter works now! 

So I drove out to meet this guy...sold the motor. I pull away and everything goes black. The alternator was not charging the battery. So I connected a JumperBox I had in the back and we made it home.

I'll have to look into that this weekend. I want to work out every little issue that I can now... To have a better platform for whenever those engine mounts decide to show up


All the fuses and relays pulled to make this thing run and start on its own.


Here is the Engine Bay of the Rabbit- You can see all the crap wiring around the battery.






Here is the engine bay of the golf






Sidenote- 

I lifted the shifter boot because it was rattling really bad... This guy.... It was inch deep in coins.


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Pressed In Rubber And Axles*

The mounts that I ordered from http://www.retrofication.co.uk/557and389.html Did not have the rubber bushings included.

I ordered these off ebay-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/151318458364

http://www.ebay.com/itm/351321155499





I think I need Scirocco 16V axles for the 02J to mount up to the MK1 spindles right? Is there any specific year that I need purchase? Any Different C- clips? Castle nuts? Two lefts, Two rights or do the prospective sides match?

I've been searching but i'm not getting as much detail as I would like....


Thank you!!!


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Total Cost So Far....*

So all this came about because I almost paid $4500 for a toyota pickup.... So thats the goal. Under $5000 for everything... Including paint! (Bodyshop in mexico is giving me the buddy price) 

Cost As Of 3/12/15:

$1500 - For the Caddy.... The AD says 3000. Thats because the owner upped the price after I said I will be there tomorrow with 1500 -_- 

$293.75 - Engine Mounts W\O Rubber Inserts

$19.94 - Pressed In Rubber Inserts

$00000- 2003 TDI GOLF - the golf has paid itself off over the past three years...my night job reimbursed my mileage and I averaged 120 miles a day. So the golf made me an extra couple hundred dollars a month. Plus the money from all the un-needed parts.
________
-$1813.69



-$15 Change Found
-$900 Hopefully from the sale of the running 1.6 Diesel Engine and 5-speed trans
-$800 MK4 - Seats(100), Airbags(100), BodyPanels(250), Coilovers(150), Rims Tires(125), Glass(75)..I also have a full body kit for the Golf.... But Its not on the car so I wont include it.
-$350 Scrap empty MK4 shell

Subtract that hypothetical amount and that puts us at
________
+$252.69



Looking good so far!


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Now we hold... Til Body & Paint*

This is how I get myself in trouble... I was searching for MK1 Rabbit parts on Craigslist and I came across an AD for a complete 1.6TD the had the #1 piston locked up.

My dear wife asked why I was buying another motor... and if it was completely necessary.....YES!

I picked it up right away. This is where it get interesting.... He asked what I was buying the motor for... I explained to him that I'm doing an ALH swap and that I dont want to drive the truck to Mexico for the paint & body with a 4000 dollar swapped engine and trans. He asked if it was black...has a stack....racing buckets...I was thrown off for a second. I started to think maybe this guy tried to buy the truck too. Nope. Turns out he used to own the truck! The guy I bought it from, bought it from him. CRAZY SMALL VW WORLD....

So it has the manifolds, Injection pump, Turbo, Oilpan W/drain bung & Downpipe. I also got the alternator that went out on me last week. I've got the stock side mount intercooler from the golf so I'll throw that on too.

I wasn't going to put money into this engine.... But it was too cheap to pass up. Aaaand now that its an "ECO 1.6TD" it might be worth swapping into my 1971 vw bus... Maybe???

I bought a gasket set and I'm going to swap on the turbo parts this week.


Links from this weeks purchases-


Gasket Set
http://www.ebay.com/itm/351330444842?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Pryometer
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261689408975?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Oil Temp, Oil Pressure, Voltage Gauges
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-52mm-Elec...es&hash=item2edb5cacca&vxp=mtr#ht_1690wt_1362

The ALH/02J engine mounts are still stuck in germany....

I got the rubber inserts.


Turbo Motor


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Weekend Progress*

Replaced the Alternator. No more issues there. 

I bought a Dash cover -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/190217325558?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Then we went for a bike ride at Balboa park.


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Turbo News!!*

The turbo that came on the blown 1.6TD motor needs a rebuild. I was looking for rebuild kits and none of them looked right. I just assumed the turbo was a K24. Well it isnt. The second that I found out that it was a T3 I jumped out of bed and went running to my garage! That was 10pm...Scared the crap out of my wife.... lol


Here is where my parts hoarding comes in handy!!! I bought a brand new Garrett GT3 off of CL almost 4 years ago. Its a ball bearing turbo. The Compressor housing has a .42AR. I had it on a Type 1 1600 Vw Bus motor for a week.... Never even turned it on. I went with the stock engine after all and left the turbo on a shelf.

The turbo that came off the TD... The compressor housing has a .42 AR!! its like it was meant to be!!!!

The exhaust housing off the t3 bolted right on to my new GT3! same compressor AR.... just swapped the exhaust housing... now I'm running a ball bearing turbo.... almost shameful hahahaha

I didn't take anyphotos of the finished turbo...Ill post those up in a day or two.

Here are some photos before the exhaust housing swaps to check out the differences.


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Weekend Progress*

The engine mounts arrived from Germany. Getting closer to the swap!


I kinda went crazy with the parts ordering....Again 

New Lower control arms, tie rods and bushings
75 Rabbit Fenders
Round light core support
Grille
New headlights

Talk about making more work for myself.


Look at the difference a 40 dollar dash cover and cheap floor mats make!


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*More Parts!!*

I've got most of the body parts in. 
Have the money for the work in my pocket.
Parts loaded up.

Bodyshop is taking it in on Friday 

Im going with a Porsche color L274 Olive Green-


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Bbs ra*

I have a problem... 

Craigslist.

Yesterday after work I drove 3 hours to get these wheels.... They are pretty clean and have the centercaps. 

Oh I have an instagram page that I keep updated as well - @MyFixerUppers


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Down Time....What to do???*

So I took the truck in on Friday. It was a little more than I thought it would be...But still 10 times cheaper than any shop here in the states.
$1700 for all the body work including the front-end conversion, Paint and Interior work. 

ITS GUNNA BE SWEEEEET!!

So I had some free time this weekend. Decided to give some love to my rusty bus; 

-Changed out the Gen for a new alternator. 
-Switched out the single carb for a Weber Progressive 32/36. 
-New Fuel lines and filter.
-New External Oil cooler and filter.

This is next on the list for Mexico! After playing with the engine I started considering the idea of putting the 1.6TD in there


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Long Awaited Update*

I was getting a little antsy because I haven't been able to make it down and check up on the truck.... 

To make matters worse a family friend went by the shop and said he hated the color..... ooooooh gosh!

I didn't end up using the Porsche color. The shop wasn't able to recreate it... So in the end I chose Toyota Army Green.

He texted me a photo of the truck!

I love it!! I think it looks awesome!


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Its baaaack!!!*

I'll do a write-up about the trip down there...But this deserves its own post.

Ended up costing me more than the initial estimate...But it was worth it!

$1700 - Body and Paint
$280 - Interior


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## Anyclamp (May 26, 2012)

looks sweet. good work.


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Tear Down Day 1*

I didn't a whole lot done last week.... Babysteps

Got the wheels off,
Marked and pulled out all the engine bay wires, 
Removed the Radiator, 
Overflow Bottle, 
Windshield washer bottle, 
Diesel filter, 
Clutch cable, 
Throttle cable.

Next time I work on it I'll pull the axles and start lifting that motor and trans out.


I only get about an hour to work on it every couple days which is a bummer... Hopefully soon I'll get a solid day to work on it.


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Mexico Write Up*

On the day we took it down to the shop... A mutual friend met us after we crossed the border. He jumped in the passenger seat and navigated us to the new shop location since they had moved recently.

Once we get to the shop, the owner took a good look at the truck and shook his head. Mind you this shop usually only works on vehicles older than 50 years.  He gave me a parts list that he would need in two weeks and took a deposit to start the work.

I dropped off all the needed parts the following week.

Flash forward 5 weeks... I was starting to get worried. I hadn't heard from the shop and I didnt think it would take this long. So we called mid-week and they said it would be ready by Saturday.

So we made our way down Saturday evening....

Work Done To The Rabbit - 

-Changed the Radiator support

-Replaced the fenders

-Removed all the glass for paint.

-Fabricated one of the broken tailgate latches

-Refinished the wheels and steel bumpers

-All the exterior bodywork then paint... They painted part of the engine bay but I told them I will do the rest when I pull the motor.

-Reupholstered all the interior panels; A pillar/ B Pillar, Roof Liner, Door panels, Back panel behind the seats.

-Sprayed in the rubber bedliner

There were A LOT of little things that they also fixed.

So we go and pick it up on Saturday... All of the shop workers were there! They wanted to take a video of the truck driving off. They were in love with the stack and how much this little truck smokes. So after a TON of photos and videos driving up & down the street we went on our merry way.

That drive back and this last week has amazed me... This must be what it's like to be best friends with a celebrity! I SWEAR EVERYONE WAS POINTING AND SMILING AT THIS TRUCK! I even caught a few people taking photos. If I'm stopped getting diesel people ask "what is it?" 

These are unique little rigs!! Lets save them all!!!


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Tear Down Day 2*

She went down without a fight! Unbolted all the mounts and lowered it to the floor. 

Going to lift the truck over the engine so I can slide it out today. Then check if the frame is straight.


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*Tear Down Day 3*

The 1.6NA engine out and away from the truck. Almost finished removing the Golf engine. Just have the two side mount to loosen and the axles. I had to stop because it started to rain... in San Diego.... AAAAAAND I dont have a 30mm 12point socket to remove the axle nuts.


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## DCb16 (Jul 9, 2005)

I noticed your Encinitas surf shop sticker... I'm SD local. So if you need a hand with the swap or tools or whatever let me know.  Cheers


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## jmaddocks (Jan 31, 2004)

Cool project. Looks great so far. :thumbup:


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## carsluTT (Dec 31, 2004)

nice project, i dig the color.


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

Sad to say that the truck has sat untouched for 4/5 months. I've been way to busy. Got the wife a new car. Got rid if some projects. Turbocharged my dunebuggy. Went on a very needed vacation..... and list goes on.

So truck update-
I sold the stock 1.6NA motor and transmission. 
I got a CE2 fuse box.
Got a race pipe to delete the EGR instead of the block off plate in there now.


Started to prep the motor to be swapped in; took off the old motor mounts. Removed the axles. Removed the EGR cooler. Started to take the timing belt cover off to bolt in the mount and 16v tensioner....then it started to rain :/


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*No Time*

It's hard to believe I've had this thing for over 2 years now. Ol' Smokey has been at a standstill. 
From the golf - 
I pulled the COMPLETE harness. 
Pulled the complete steering column.
Removed the shifter Box W/cables.

MK1 - 
Mounted the throttle pedal.
Currently swapping in the mk4 steering column.

I cut the column mounts from both cars and they seem to line up pretty well. Need to fully weld that in next and finalize the connection to the steering rack.


From that Game Plan/list i've only knocked a few things off-

Strip the Golf
Install Pedals
Modify axles


This is taking to long. I might break down and take it to someone to get it done. Anybody have any recommendations?


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## smokey the tdi (Feb 3, 2013)

*MK4 Steering Column Modification*

The Mk4 golf steering column has almost the same measurements as the MK1. It's an inch shorter from steering wheel to the first U-joint. The U-joints from the MK4 are larger. The splines connecting the column to the rack on the MK1 are smaller.

So the easy way to install it would be cutting the last U-joint from the MK1 and welding it to the MK4 column.

I would do that but the MK1 U-joint had to much slop.

I carefully removed the two halves. The MK1 has factory ground slit/flat edge making the top thinner. I filled it in with a welder and ground it back to give the bigger bearing caps more surface area. Going to a machine shop this week to get the MK1 half drilled out to receive the MK4 caps.

So the last link will be half MK4 half MK1. It'll drop right in & bolt up after that.

MK1 on the left. MK4 on the right.


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