# 1999 Golf MK3 ABA to VR6T RWD



## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

Hey guys, starting my project officially this weekend.

I bought a 1999 Golf GL for a cheap price, and in AWESOME condition. The plan was to buy a good foundation project car that would appear totally stock aside from wheels and suspension changes.

I've seen various cars with Rear/Mid engine setups, very cool, and those were used as inspiration, especially BlueVRT. I have yet to see a front engine RWD MK3 Golf with a turbo VR6 setup with a longitudinal transmission setup.

The plans are as follows (keeping it uber simple):

1) strip interior and engine bay
2) Make/Buy an adapter for the Engine & Transmission
3) Mount engine and transmission longitudinally
4) Bore engine to 2.9L turbo it to the sky
5) Design and fabricate custom Linkage suspension
6) Drive it, Race it (circuit race, not drag)

Onto Piktarz! I apologize ahead of time for iPhone pictures. I do not have a fancy camera, and i don't know anyone in the area who does. I just moved from Brampton, Ontario, Canada to Timmins, Ontario, Canada for work. (8 hours away from what used to be home).


















































Now that you have seen the car, here is a little bit of what is going inside of it:

12V GTI VR6 Engine:

















ooo whats this in the driveway? a delivery? for ME?!?!









Inside was this!

Nissan 350Z 6-Speed Transmission:

















Nissan 350Z Rear Differential:









I will update as much as I can, as fast as I can. I can only work on it after work and weekends, so progress will be somewhat slow. My new friend has been kind enough to allow me to use his home garage to work in, big thanks to Dan (my house does not have a garage).

I'm sure I will be needing some expert advice from fellow Vortexer's so please, be kind and helpful, dont fill this thread with crap. If you have a question or an opinion, PM ME, keep the thread clean.


thanks guys! Hopefully its a fully done project for VAGKRAFT 2014 in Brampton/Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.


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## MikkiJayne (Jan 1, 2007)

*FV-QR*

Watching... 

Whats the plan for the rear end then?

Interesting bellhousing on that transmission - looks quite close to the Audi setup already :thumbup:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Some photos of the guts!*

Just got home from work and decided to take off the differential cover plate, as well as the transmission selector shaft cover plate:

Transmission Cover Plate Removed:

ooo clean and shiny 



























Differential Cover Removed:

Looks Brand Spankin' New!










































That's all for tonight! I will be travelling home to pick up my VR6 engine and will hopefully have 90% of the interior out by the end of next week. 

Happy Easter Weekend! :beer:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

MikkiJayne said:


> Watching...
> 
> Whats the plan for the rear end then?
> 
> Interesting bellhousing on that transmission - looks quite close to the Audi setup already :thumbup:


Hey MikkiJayne,

The plan for the rear end, is quite complex. The idea is to remove the spare tire well (obviously), remove the torsion beam suspension and create a mounting place for the differential. once the mounting place for the differential is set, I can start getting to work on the custom linkage suspension. I'm debating on using a mk3 front sub-frame with control arms and spindles like BlueVRT did, but the problem is in the hub. Since the Nissan 350Z half shafts have a different spline count, that simply wont work. I have also debated using the 350Z rear hub assemblies and using the 350Z rear control arm mounting holes in them as my guide lines for suspension pivot points for a multilink suspension. That would allow the use of 350Z rear hub, and bearings, and I could always have the hub re-drilled to 5x100 to match OEM VW bolt patterns. It's confusing, I know.

I'm a Mechanical Engineering Technologist and work with 10 engineers within 20 feet of me, I will certainly be asking for some of their opinions as I come up with ideas. Nothing is concrete yet. I don't mean to throw out the "ooo i work with engineers so i know everything" card. I don't want it to come off that way at all, I just know that these guys know what they're talking about when it comes to stresses and efficiency of design. I have access to a bunch of machine shops around town as well, so I'm sure I'll have some custom one-off pieces to show off later )

This is my First build in a car (aside from custom audio, but who hasn't  ) I've always wanted to build something radical, but I never had the space/time/funds/conditions to do so, and now that I do, I plan to maximize it. Aiming for the 500-600hp area when the turbo setup is complete.


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## xtremevdub (Jun 26, 2004)

opcorn:


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## izcorrado18 (Aug 21, 2005)

opcorn:


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## V-TEC this!!! (May 4, 2003)

suscribed! opcorn:


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## CorrieG60 (Jan 18, 2004)

OOhh boy.. this is going to be a VERY interesting build to watch!!!


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## Rye Toast (Dec 22, 2011)

f**k yeahopcorn:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*More Fun Stuff*

First off, welcome new subscribers! It's definitely going to be a fun build, crazy, but fun. 

Second, I hope everyone's Easter weekend was great, mine was until I had to drive home, 12 hours of driving in basically a complete white out. NOT FUN. However, worth the fight, home safe and sound.

So here's what i brought home this weekend:

MY VR6! (on the crane)









In the trunk?!!???!









This one is for all of you stance freaks, reverse rake to the max!










Hahaha, to think i drove 12 hours like that is completely mental. Tonight after work the idea is to have an engine stand assembled at my buddy Dan's house so that I can get it out of my trunk. After that, its time for a complete interior removal and it will also be time to get my engine/tranny adapter. 

Lets hope the tranny isnt too long. it measures 31" from bellhousing flange to the end of the selector shaft. problem is, i still need to mount the shifter assembly, which looks to be about 5-7 additional inches... scary! I dont want my back seat passengers to have to shift for me hahaha. Fitment is key!


Ill keep ya posted!

Cheers,
Pete.


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## izcorrado18 (Aug 21, 2005)

petergiarrizzo said:


> First off, welcome new subscribers! It's definitely going to be a fun build, crazy, but fun.
> 
> Second, I hope everyone's Easter weekend was great, mine was until I had to drive home, 12 hours of driving in basically a complete white out. NOT FUN. However, worth the fight, home safe and sound.
> 
> ...


opcorn:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*No Progress today *

Hey Guys, 

Sorry to disappoint, no progress to report. I went online to check availability of an engine stand at Tool Town (local tool supply) and the stand i looked at said it was in stock at my store location, however, going there seemed to contradict that theory 

Tonight, looks like I'm off to Canadian Tire to buy one, its about $30 more expensive, but at least they have one. If tonight goes as planned, the engine will be on the stand and then i can finally start the tear down of the car's interior. essentially everything is coming out, and once it is stripped (carpet too) i may temporarily put the drivers seat back in, in case i need to pick something up.

Off hand does anyone know the distance between the firewall and the centre of the shifter in a MK3? i know i will end up finding out shortly after the interior is removed, but honestly, that measurement is the key to whether this transmission will work or not. The tranny from bell housing face to end of selector shaft is 31", but it still needs the shifter lever assembly to be attached, which, as far as i can tell is another 4-5 inches. Being worst case scenario, at 5" the bell housing to shifter is 36", i hope it fits 

Cheers,
Pete.


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Progress after Work*

Hey guys,

So I went and bought a new shiny engine stand (YAY) and assembled it:










So that I could finally take THIS out of the trunk:










A few crappy shots with the upper intake manifold off, Serpentine Belt off, Power steering pump removed, AC compressor removed, Alternator removed, and a few other bits here and there (again I apologize for the ****ty pictures, I was excited and I couldnt hold my hands still):


















And voila, after eating some wheaties and cheerio's with a stiff rum'n'coke to go with it me and my buddy Dan lifted the engine onto the stand 


















That's all folks! I'll be busy taking out the interior and possibly starting to tear apart the motor as the week goes, but until the summer actually starts (still -15 celsius here) then i can really start ripping the car apart.

Cheers,
Pete.


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Some more disassembly*

Hey guys, 
Small updates is only what i can afford to do, maybe this weekend will be a larger one. but during the week with the hassle of living on your own, makes for a challenge when you have a project underway.

Well i got into taking out the whole wire harness and a bunch of other accessories from the SAI to the fuel rail and injectors. I ended up getting as far as taking off the lower intake manifold as well, but i forgot to take a pic :banghead:

well anyways, heres what she looks like under the valve cover:


















Some shots of the engine with parts removed:
























.

This weekend i hope to have the exhaust manifold off, the coolant pipes off and just about everything else off the engine so that i have the head and block together for measurements and fitment. Ill have to spend a few dollars on getting myself a can or two of rust penetrator because this block doesnt look like its been apart in a long time. :thumbdown:


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## dubalik (Sep 5, 2008)

Woop opcorn:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Small-ish update*

Hey guys,

Small update, long day at work, had to go to H&R Block for taxes, yeah, fun stuff, then decided i was hungry, all that crap. 

Anyways, I removed all of the remaining engine accessories including, oil filter housing, oil cooler, exhaust manifold, coolant pipes and remaining sensors on the block, this will be a "fun" re-assembly.

Here are some pics where the engine sits tonight, once again, sorry for iPhone pictures, if i had a real camera id be using it and id also be wearing gloves, but since i don't own either one, im bare handed on my iphone :laugh: :thumbup:

Exhaust manifold off:









Rear Pic of engine:









Upper Timing Chain Cover Off:









Upper timing chain cover back on, valve cover back on (to prevent dirt/dust etc) front accessories removed:









Future Mounting Bolts (soon to order transmission adapter so that I can install transmission to the block and prepare to place it in the car):









For a near spotless garage, I've now tainted it with car parts and oil stains, sorry dan!

















There were a lot of parts that came off this engine, didnt realize it until I was about to leave tonight...

For all of you who keep asking the question (maybe i was the only one) the measurement from the left side of the block (crank pully side) to the right side of the block (flywheel side) is 17.25 inches. this DOES NOT include the distance from the block to the crank shaft pulley bolt simply the block itself.

Heres the proof:









Random Engine Shot:









Some dirty bucket and floor, again, sorry Dan:









From here on, there wont be much left for me to do, I dont plan on going any further on the engine because I need it in tact for fitment and positioning of the engine/transmission. What i do need to do is order the adapter for the transmission. I also need spring to arrive. This weekend will be spend fixing and cleaning Dan's Camper. Once that is out of the garage, I will be parking my car in there until she is ready to roll. 

Goodnight Vortex. :beer:


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## xtremevdub (Jun 26, 2004)

How or where are you gonna buy an engine/trans adaptor for your new setup? 

Also, is the Trans a 6 speed? 

And have you looked into maybe putting the rear end suspension parts of an old 240sx since there should be plenty in the local junk yards?


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

xtremevdub said:


> How or where are you gonna buy an engine/trans adaptor for your new setup?
> 
> Also, is the Trans a 6 speed?
> 
> And have you looked into maybe putting the rear end suspension parts of an old 240sx since there should be plenty in the local junk yards?


1. I've talked to an Engineer in Florida who swapped a VR6 into his 350Z, he said he could make me another adapter.

2. Yes, 6 speed.

3. I have looked into a few different setups, I have not confirmed which way I want to go yet because I need to physically see and measure the available space when the rear torsion bar is out, as well as the fuel tank and all of the accessories. That way i know exactly how much space I have and what will fit/work. I have debated on using a C4 corvette complete rear end, however, that would mean custom output shaft from transmission to differential, not to mention the whole brake conversion and all of the other bits. I've also debated on using a golf syncro rear suspension setup since it was independent. I would simply swap the VW rear diff for the 350Z rear diff and cut the rear floor and raise it up to make ample room for it. Again, nothing has been determined quite yet, but if the syncro rear end will work, then i will simply go that route. 

Being in Timmins doesn't leave me with many scrap yards. its a tiny town, probably all of 10 square kilometers, borderline a "native indian reserve". So anything I need such as parts and what not will need to be ordered.


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Small update*

As I said, until we get Dan's camper out, I'm somewhat at a halt for progress. I removed the water pump, and dumped all of the fluids out of the engine. I also cracked loose the head bolts. Yes, I know they are one time use. I wont be starting the engine any time soon, but seeing that the engine had about 160-180,000kms I wanted to make sure that all of the bolts would come out.

Sooooo I went to Canadian Tire and bought a few goodies while I was there:

Engine Degreaser, power drill wire brushes and random sanding belt wheel, and the triple square tools. I don't know about you guys, but that pack of triple squares was cheap, $11.99 and they are tough as nails. 









I also brought over the transmission and differential, the engine and tranny finally meet.
VR6 meet the fairlady tranny... no sick/twisted pun intended hahaha:








They make a cute couple, don't you think?









Cheerssss :beer:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*And off with you're head!*

Hey guys got a bit done last night, took off the lower timing chain cover and managed to get the head off. 

Pics!

Lower Timing Chain Cover off, Head removed:









Inside the cylinders, GROSS:









Nasty Flaking carbon, maybe gasket pieces, thanks for the "clean" engine you advertised :banghead:









Some corrosion and more flaking in cylinder 1:









The underside of the head, looks kinda cooked  :

















Well thankfully, I'll be boring out the cylinders and going 2.9L. once i pull off the oil pan i will be removing the rods/pistons to see if the cylinder walls have any cracks or anything. so far the cylinder walls look great, aside from a bit of glazing, the odd cylinder still has a very minor cross hatching visible  I need to bring the bare block to the local engine rebuilder. I hope they have the proper torque plates or at least something that will work for boring this engine. i'd make a large bet in saying im the only MK3 golf up here, and ill be the only VR6 im sure, forget about the swap and all that stuff, thats a first on a few different levels lol.

cheers,
Pete.


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Mini-Update*

Last night we riveted a plate of steel onto Dan's camper roof, finally making some good progress on it. soon to be new bench seat foam and then some air mattresses and general clean up. then, onto the destruction of my car!

I did however manage to remove the oil pan, oil feed tube and oil pump. shes oily, but looks really really clean on the underside. tonight/tomorrow night i will be flipping the block on the stand, emptying out the remaining coolant water, and *hopefully* removing rods/pistons/crankshaft.... lets see how it goes..


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Update of engine progress*

Hey guys, I spent a few hours with Dan helping him out after work, and then he gave me a hand bringing my engine outside and flipping it over to drain the left over coolant. not much came out, maybe 1 cup worth of fluid. As i mentioned in the previous post, the oil pan was off. I took an under shot of it before i flipped it

Undershot:









Lower Timing Chain Removed:

















Oil intermediate shaft removed:








What a beaut!









I flipped her over and went to work:

















Pistons and rods:









Bare Crankshaft:










Anyone know of an easy way to take off the crankshaft pulley as the engine sits bare block? I know an impact gun is simply going to make that sucker spin. i never had the ability to lock the crankshaft even when i first got the motor, there was no flywheel and the engine was able to turn over with a large pipe wrench so i dont thinK the internal compression would have made enough resistance. I need to take that pulley off before i can remove the crankshaft... hmm. maybe ill figure something out tonight.

Cheers,
Pete. :beer:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*Minor Update*

Hey Guys, sorry for the extreme delay. I managed to pull the cams off the head, and take the lifters out as well, I'll be in need of a valve compressing tool to remove the valves. Once they are out, I can simply put the head, oil pan and valve cover back on. that way i have a "hollow" long block. I'll need it to test fit with the transmission and engine together as soon as the car gets parked. 

Onto pictures, 

Complete head: 









Cams and Caps Out: 









Intake Side Caps (Long shaft): 









Exhaust Side Caps (Short shaft): 










Ill keep you guys posted as progress is made. I need his camper out of the garage so i can seriously start ripping the old stuff out.


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## BroncoBoy89 (Oct 10, 2007)

This is gonna be so sick...good luck man! I look forward to more progress. :beer:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

BroncoBoy89 said:


> This is gonna be so sick...good luck man! I look forward to more progress. :beer:


 Thanks man, all of the support from the guys so far has been awesome. I know its a slow moving project right now, but as i mentioned earlier, the camper in the garage is killing me. if weather permits, this weekend it will be out, and in goes the little monster. thats when the real project begins, all the interior removed, all of the missing screws, lost coins and random bits are found haha. I hope the viewers havent lost faith, this is going to be something hopefully to remember.


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## CompVR (May 28, 2010)

opcorn: Good luck with this one. I'm just getting my feet wet with an 02A swap onto my ABA. This is in a whole different ballpark but I'm loving the idea of a RWD VR6t Golf.


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

CompVR said:


> opcorn: Good luck with this one. I'm just getting my feet wet with an 02A swap onto my ABA. This is in a whole different ballpark but I'm loving the idea of a RWD VR6t Golf.


 I'm loving the idea too hahaha. once the car is parked I'll have more progress to report either daily or weekly, depends on how tired i am at the end of the night. im assuming it'll be about a week for me to get the entire interior removed. carpets and all. the dash i'll save for last. but all wires are coming out of the doors, the vacuum air lines for the door locks, all of that is coming out. it may go back in just for the simplicity of power locks though...


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## groundupjetta (Feb 1, 2010)

opcorn:


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## AJmustDIE (Dec 22, 2010)

petergiarrizzo said:


> I flipped her over and went to work.


 :laugh:


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## mannythechamp (Oct 21, 2009)

loving this subscribed keep up the good work ! 
opcorn::thumbup:


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## Bx V-dubber (Dec 17, 2010)

WOW is all i can say!
opcorn: sub'd


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## **mk1nutt** (May 11, 2013)

wow this is going to be an amazing build to watch. can't wait until I see some more!!!:thumbup:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

Hey guys, unfortunate news... the build will no longer take place. I am re-assembling the engine and have posted it for sale, as well as the transmission and differential. I had a mortgage pre-approval come in and it looks as though I'm purchasing a house. I think for a 23 year old, a house is a much wiser investment. maybe one day i'll build up the courage and curiosity to do this. As of right now... i dont have the time. and soon to be, no money due to mortgage and extra expenses from a house (as im sure most of you understand)

If this is here in time when finances and time are available, i will continue. but currently i cannont.

my apologies go out to all of those who i let down


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## AJmustDIE (Dec 22, 2010)

Dammnnn, what a let down. Moving forward though. :thumbup:


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## CompVR (May 28, 2010)

I would be stoked if someone bought this whole thing off you and picked up this project where you left off. At least you have your priorities though. Good luck with your investment.


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

I'd be happy to sell it all as a package. the car is in pretty solid shape, hatch, strut towers and rockers are in awesome shape. the externals (doors) have some rust bubbles, as well as the roof. The hatch is literally mint. i bought the car and havent driven it much since owning it.

I would probably let it all go for $3000. (no radio though) it would be complete car, the whole VR6 engine can be put together or left apart, the transmission, rear differential and the shifter linkage. If anyone is brave enough to take this on, i will give you my contact in florida who machines the adapter to mate the VR6 and the 350Z tranny.


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

*House Deal didn't work out*

Hey guys, 

So... the house deal didnt pan out. Had a lot of questions FINALLY answered to find out all of the bad news I didnt want to hear. Anyways, since the time i stopped working on this project i've missed it dearly. In the last 2 months I've gotten over my obsession of volkswagens, however, i havent gotten over the fact that I havent built a car yet. 

I have become saddened to see that "project cars" now consist of swapping wheels, getting a tune, and doing an intake/exhaust upgrade. don't get me wrong, there are still plenty out there who can build a REAL car. 

I have officially re-opened the project file. The progress wont be fast (just as it was, nice and steady hopefully). I do plan on buying a house still, so there will be times when the project gets delayed blah blah. im sure you all understand. 

Project VR6T RWD swap is officially re-instated.


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## MikkiJayne (Jan 1, 2007)

*FV-QR*

:thumbup:


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## 1broknrado (Jul 6, 2005)

woop woop, now get back to work.


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## **mk1nutt** (May 11, 2013)

I'm saddens to see no progress since the last time I was on this thread 

I had hoped that I'd be seeing some cool ish by now. oh well glad to 
hear your back on it!opcorn:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

**mk1nutt** said:


> I'm saddens to see no progress since the last time I was on this thread
> 
> I had hoped that I'd be seeing some cool ish by now. oh well glad to
> hear your back on it!opcorn:


 Yeah I know, you and me both dude. Things have just been crazy hectic lately and I've needed my car for a few trips around town when it came to house shopping. But regardless, things will still be busy, so progress will still be slow.. ish.. once fall hits, i plan to park the car. there's simply too much snow here for the car to get anywhere. 1-2ft per day... car rides 7-8inches off the ground.. snow tires or not, the car is too light to provide traction.


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## Old Windy (Apr 1, 2009)

In for this. Just take your time and hopefully you can take care of both of your major plans in the best way possible. 
I understand how you feel since I was just able to finish most of my project in a span of 3 years.....
but it is finished. While going thru that I changed jobs, moved, bought a place and got married.....:screwy:

But I was able to finish so take it one step at a time, before you know it you will get your rithym back and finish it.

:thumbup:

Now I just need to find a good suspension set up and a body shop to get mine done. I went from an 020 ABA to a full blown Hybrid ABA, 16v with hybrid 02A (Passat and VR6 gears) with an LSD.

Good luck and have fun. It is a learning process but the most important part is that you keep at it at your pace.
:thumbup:


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## Bx V-dubber (Dec 17, 2010)

Glad to see somewhat of an update. We all go through our ups & downs in life. My project has been about 10 years in the making (between buying other cars,house, kids & jobs) Like stated earlier, take your time. Main thing is to plan everything out to your best abilities and go from there. good luck.:beer:


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## petergiarrizzo (May 31, 2010)

thanks for the words of wisdom dude, and its exactly that, we all have our ups and downs and need to spend more time and give more attention to more important areas of our lives. Cars are fun, cars are a hobby, or a passion, or both, but they are money pits. they dont pay bills.. they create bills haha. so unfortunately, the updates will be slow because as i buy this house, i will need to build a garage. once the garage is up, then i can put it to use. i plan to park the car once we have snow fall.. winter tires or not, the car is simply not tall enough to plough over 3ft of snow. and its too risky to get stuck. i walked all winter last year and plan on doing the same this year.


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## jamesw16 (May 10, 2015)

*progress?*

Wow looked to have been a great build. Im sure im not the only one to want to know what happened with your project?


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