# Project: ABA Turbo Build



## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Long story short, I've had my 91 GTI for about 3 or 4 years now. I built the original motor up as a N/A ABA with some perks. Here's the *original build* thread if you wanna check it out. But just to make things easier, here's a list of everything that was done to the car and motor:

Full OBDI 2.0 ABA
Oversized valves
HD valve springs
Autotech 270 cam
TT chip
Intake and exhaust gasket matched ports
New control arms
New tie rod ends and ball joints
Poly bushings everywhere
11" G60 cross drilled and vented Zimmerman disks and new pads
Steel brake lines
New disks, pads, and bearings in the rear
New bearings, hubs, and tie rod ends in the front
USRT shift kit
GLI power Recaros
FK 60/40 Cup Kit (temporary)
Toyo Proxes T1R 195/45/15
4 point cage (installed by PO)
Corbeau 4 point harnesses
6 Puc clutch disk
Battery relocation kit
AC and PS Delete
New water pump
Several new coolant hoses
New cap, rotor, and wires
EIP Solid Front Mount
TT Hard Mounts (trans/rear)
New throttle cable
New clutch cable
Single round badgeless grill
Headlights
TT 2.5 inch exhaust
Lightened flywheel
HD Pressure plate

Pic of how it sat before H2O this past year:



Motor set-up before tear down:



So on to the awesome stuff. It was about a week or so ago that I had pulled the car out of the garage to make some room to work on a friend's car when I noticed an unsteady idle. The car hadn't run in about 2 or 3 weeks so I wasn't entirely surprised. After a minute the idle smoothed out but I decided to look under the hood anyway. To my dismay I found fluid sprayed on the firewall on the timing belt side, a very leaky oil pan gasket, and a horrible brown color in the overflow tank. I popped the tank open and sure enough there was oil mixed in with the coolant. Turned out the seal on the oil cooler took a crap and started letting oil into the coolant system. I drained all the fluids and fortunately for me, the oil came out clean with no signs of coolant or moisture in it. This is what drained out of the cooling system: 



I've been planning on giving the 8V boost for some time now so I figured since I'm gonna have to pull a bunch of stuff apart, it's probably time I go through with my plans. With that being said, I've started taking the motor apart and plan on pulling it out shortly. My goal isn't to have some insane track monster but to have lots of usable horsepower. I've got a buddy who has an ABA turbo in his Rabbit that isn't built anywhere near to where mine will be, but it puts a smile on my face every time I go for a ride in it.

My new plans are as follows:
- Get rid of the coolant overflow tank
- Delete the oil cooler, or replace it with an external cooler
- (Possibly) Doing a wire tuck
- Installing the turbo (of course)
- Cleaning up the engine bay
- Getting rid of the seam sealer, useless brackets, and useless studs

Here's how the engine sits now:





The exhaust manifold wasn't cast all that great, so I gasket matched the ports and smoothed out some of the rough areas:





Shots of the Turbonetics Stage 1 T3 Super 60:





Here's the way the SRI sits at the moment however I will be sending it off to get powder coated soon:



Some Forge goodies:



Bosch Green Tops and United Motorsports low compression software:


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

awesome dude :thumbup:

says obd1 engine but i just want to be sure here...

if somehow it is obd2 head you are going to have a problem with the back-pressure ports in the head. those holes in the gasket next to each exhaust port match up with the holes on an obd2 head. you will end up with a massive leak at each port if the manifold doesnt cover up the holes (which is how its designed from the factory).

I did a head job on a friends 2.0t and i didnt know about this until i had the car back together and turned the key over :banghead:

i'll be paying attention to this. build looks promising. ive had a 2.0t for 4 years now and i love it :thumbup:


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Thanks! It is in fact an OBD1 head. I had that exhaust gasket lying around from when I had an OBDII motor. I merely just used it for marking and measuring the ports. I like to keep my gaskets untouched until install and didn't care if I messed that one up :thumbup:

Crap...I just realized I was about to order another of the same gasket from German Auto Parts. They're not showing any other style for the ABA. Do the exhaust gaskets from a MKII 1.8 8V work on ABA heads?


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

TurboLover3 said:


> Thanks! It is in fact an OBD1 head. I had that exhaust gasket lying around from when I had an OBDII motor. I merely just used it for marking and measuring the ports. I like to keep my gaskets untouched until install and didn't care if I messed that one up :thumbup:
> 
> Crap...I just realized I was about to order another of the same gasket from German Auto Parts. They're not showing any other style for the ABA. Do the exhaust gaskets from a MKII 1.8 8V work on ABA heads?



yes they are exactly the same. in fact that metal gasket is the only one you can buy anymore. thats right from the mouths of the guys at GAP.

:thumbup:


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Awesome! Thanks and good looking out :thumbup:


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

ive got a BBM Billet fuel rail from my ABA-T setup. i just mounted some injectors in it, never ran my car on it has all fitting, FPR mounts and i can even work some -6 aeroquip line into the deal. let me know if youve got any interest at all


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

PM Sent :thumbup:


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

should have that bunk stock fuel rail in the trash can by tuesday:thumbup:


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Awesome! Thanks again for the great deal :beer:


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

vortex has done some good :thumbup:












FOR ONCE :laugh:


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

I was about to say "for once" as well :laugh: Even though the FI forum doesn't have a ton of traffic, it's proven to be an awesome place to get help and answers.


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

shipping when i get out of class. its sitting on my floormat right now. so it should be out on the road today as well. i will text you the tracking info as well as forward the email from UPS.


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## Svedka (Jul 4, 2008)

Nice car 

I did a turbo hybrid I would suggest looking into a power intake gasket from new south or evoheatshield I can say they work. I did some ******* research in my thread.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5048934-G60-to-Xflow-turbo-build
http://store.blackforestindustries.com/newsopogapla.html
http://www.evolutiontuning.com/evoheatshield.html

I also did not see mention of a wide-band?

Do you plan on upgrading to turbo software?


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Svedka said:


> Nice car
> 
> I did a turbo hybrid I would suggest looking into a power intake gasket from new south or evoheatshield I can say they work. I did some ******* research in my thread.
> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5048934-G60-to-Xflow-turbo-build
> ...


Thanks for the links! The software I have is turbo software. It's from United Motorsports and written for 42# injectors and 9:1 compression:thumbup:

Please be gentle with this question: Is a wide-band O2 sensor necessary for turbo applications? I feel like I've completely overlooked something.


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## Pats16vGTI (Mar 2, 2004)

a wide band isnt necessary for any application really. But it is so much more precise then a standard a/f ratio gauge, helps make sure you arent getting to lean when you are turning up the boost. 

I am putting together an abaT set up for my 78bunny now, so I will be watching this to see how it turns out for you.


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Good to know :thumbup: Any particular one recommended or are they all pretty much the same? I'm guessing one from Bosch would do the trick?


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## Pats16vGTI (Mar 2, 2004)

innovate lc-1 is a popular choice, and probably the most affordable one that I know of.


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

Lc-1 is great. Its the one i have. Works awesome. And innovate makes an analog gauge for it too wich i love.

On right


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Now that's pretty awesome! Very convenient way to monitor A/F levels. What gauge panel is that? I like how everything is sitting nice and flush :thumbup:


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

Yup and its a wadeband so even though its analog its very precise.

Thats the 42draft designs radio delete guage panel. Unfortunately the mounting ring is a little larger in diameter so it sticks out a little bit.

The other two are vdo gauges. Same as vw stock so they look natural in that spot.


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Yeah the VDO gauges look good sitting in that panel. With most panels I've seen, the outer bezel of the VDO gauges don't sit that flush.


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## Pats16vGTI (Mar 2, 2004)

I do believe if you use any analog gauge auto meter vdo or who ever is making them now adays it will give you a true wide band reading becasue the actual o2 sensor is sending it super accurate information.


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## Svedka (Jul 4, 2008)

TurboLover3 said:


> Thanks for the links! The software I have is turbo software. It's from United Motorsports and written for 42# injectors and 9:1 compression:thumbup:
> 
> Please be gentle with this question: Is a wide-band O2 sensor necessary for turbo applications? I feel like I've completely overlooked something.


A wideband will tell you everything, Lc-1 or AEM are both great I used the digital Lc1 and a forge MBC to tune in my AFR under boost.


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

Hey I've got that 42draft gauge panel too... New never mounted


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Haha maybe I should just consult with you about parts before I go off trying to order them elsewhere!


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Question for you ABA guys...I'm deleting the overflow bottle and just bought the upper radiator house set-up to do that. What should I do with the nipple coming off the side of the head that the thinner coolant line used to hook up to that would feed back into the main hose and overflow tank?


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

I think you can block it.


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

I figured I could cap it but I wasn't sure if it would cause any kind of pressure build up and pop off with the motor running.


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

I capped off mine in my radiator and am only running a small hose from the head to the overflow. That hose is an overflow of the head. No overflow tank no overflow hose. It may just mean you need to plug it. With adequate pressure in the engine the overflow is not necessary.


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Thanks to boosted b5, I've got myself a pretty snazzy BBM fuel rail, FPR adaptor, and 3bar FPR! Since I'm trying to dress up my motor along the way during the build, I decided to put some elbow grease into my new fuel rail and spruce it up a bit. I'm pretty happy with the results  

Before: 

 

 

After:


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

Looks awesome man 

If you want that 42 draft pod I'll do whatever they retail for shipped. It's new. Just put a gauge in it. Then put it back in the box :thumbup:


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Do you still have the gauge? What kind was it?


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Got some more parts in this week: 

- Rabbit radiator 
- New upper radiator hose for overflow bottle delete 
- Tapped steel oil pan from BFI (very nice piece for such a small price) 
- Oil pan baffle 
- Various gaskets and do-dads 
- New radiator support (My buddy (previous owner) had to hack the original support up to fit his IC plumbing which made it really flimsy and weak) 

 

Also scored an awesome deal on a new compressor at Sears yesterday! It was sitting with a bunch of closeout and clearance merchandise priced at $189 down from $280 I think. It was labeled as "used" because a customer bought it, claimed it didn't do what they needed, and returned it without a box. There isn't a scratch on it and it runs like a charm. Best part is when I went to check out it rang up for $167  It should work a lot better than the small 3 gallon compressor I was using considering it would have to re-fill itself every time I would blast the impact for more than 10 seconds.


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## Flipdriver80 (Jul 17, 2004)

i had to cut mine up a little to fit my IC. 

are you going to put it behind the grill? i put mine behind the grille and all you need to do is move the passenger side of the rad back a little with a custom bracket. fits like a charm. :thumbup:


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

I am planning on putting it behind the grill as well as making custom radiator brackets so I can position it to give the IC plenty of room:thumbup:


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

TurboLover3 said:


> Do you still have the gauge? What kind was it?


 It was just some autometer ones that came in the car. Boost and a couple others, don't remember what else. 

What are you doing about an intercooler ?


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Well I'm probably gonna get flamed for this but I'm getting this intercooler: 

http://www.amazon.com/Mishimoto-MMI...PEQ8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1298792119&sr=8-3 

I know you guys will probably say it's ricer ebay-quality crap but I've got a friend who put one on his ABA turbo set-up and it works great! I got to inspect it before he installed it on his car and the build quality is very high. All the welds were super clean and well done. He installed it behind his grill on his Rabbit and it fits like a glove.


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Small update: 

Got the axles unbolted from the trans, exhaust manifold disconnected from the head, and the rest of the plugs on the harness labeled for removal. Aside from disconnecting the shift linkage from the trans and the two hoses from the heater core, the motor is ready to come out this weekend! I also scored a fantastic deal on a brand new external oil cooler set-up shy of the lines that I'll be picking up this weekend. I originally wasn't going to run an oil cooler since the stock one took a crap on me but since I found a great deal on this one, I couldn't pass it up. I'll post pictures of it and the progress this weekend :beer:


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

i have my intercooler from my aba-t setup. 

actually have 2 of them. 

if you didnt buy that mishi one i can do a good price for ya for it.. return buyers always get good deals


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Well if they're the same dimensions as the Mishimoto and in good shape I'd be interested! I told myself I was going to focus on re-doing the engine bay and cleaning up/extending the wiring harness to save some money for the time being but if the deal is right I'm all about it. Could you send me some pics?


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic, but I got the motor out this weekend!


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## Pats16vGTI (Mar 2, 2004)

That intercooler will probably be fine, I ran a johnyracecar.com one in my old 16vt mk2 for a while it wasn't even bar and plate, and I made good power with it... I was going to run a ebay one on my abaT setup I am putting togerther, but found a good price on a precision 600hp intercooler on hondatech. 

Hondatechs forced induction classifieds are the **** for this kind of stuff, they are practically giving away quality stuff over there.


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## TurboLover3 (Oct 20, 2003)

I just might have to take a look and see if I find anything good. Thanks for the tip :thumbup:


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## boosted b5 (Nov 1, 2004)

Pats16vGTI said:


> Hondatechs forced induction classifieds are the **** for this kind of stuff, they are practically giving away quality stuff over there.


yeah man definently. saw a used 3076R and a PTE 750 core going for 1000 bucks on there


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