Let the build begin - Plushed/Bagged VR6

[the swan fiend]

Hope it all goes smoothly for you mate. As I’ve said to others, you’re a braver man than I taking on a job like that!


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[J_Con]

Looking forward to seeing this done Colin. Good luck!

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[C Chis]

Thanks guys, I hope it goes well too


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[C Chis]

So….

Rear subframe incl. Haldex out



Shell ready to head for the crusher modified the bulkhead to allow me to remove the wiring looms without having to remove any plugs.



Time to remove the gearbox and see what the clutch is like…



Clutch plate was okay, pressure plate has seen better days, dual mass flywheel is in good condition!

Gearbox soaking overnight to remove a few years of grime and grease from the leaking drive shaft gaiter before fitting new clutch, pressure plate and thrust bearing.



Book of knowledge came in handy when trying to find the all the gearbox bolts! So much easier than trying to peer at a tiny phone screen and easy to tick off as they’re removed!




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[Trackrat]

Impressive stuff! Are you running the haldex on the caddy too? Hope to see it on the road soon

[Alex mc]

Good luck with the conversion Colin hope all goes well and you don’t have to many headaches and sleepless nights mate. Looking forward to following this. Are you rebuilding the engine before transplant or is a good low mileage unit ?


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[C Chis]

Hi Alex, cheers!

Engine is a low mileage one, 80k and no rattles or issues other than a torn CV boot that I’ve replaced…



And potentially the Dual Mass Flywheel that I thought was okay but probably isn’t… the flywheel has radial movement that doesn’t spring back and also wobbles. Removing it today to check off it off the engine, replacement ordered, just in case!

No, not fitting the rear out of the Audi, bit beyond me to get it all fitted in correctly!

Oh, and the sleepless nights have already started

Unpinning the looms starts today!


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[C Chis]

So, quick update…

Turns out the DMF is on the way out, fair bit of wobble and free rotation, 7 teeth’s worth.

Engine mount poly-bush inserts installed



Made a start on unpicking the Audi loom…



Used a cheap stitch unpicker to remove the loom tape, what a joy to use, loom tape off in seconds without slicing through the wires!




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[Darylg21]

Good idea there.

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[C Chis]

So, replacement flywheel arrived today, now installed and torqued along with the new clutch and pressure plate



Thrust bearing also changed, just in time too, the old one was starting to grind



And the donor wiring loom went from this



To this!



All ready to start fitting to the van after the engine install… eek, starting to feel real now!

Ps.. the VR6 wiring will be incorporated into the caddy wiring once tested and the redundant diesel wiring removed.


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[Sean1066]

Nice progress there buddy.
The hardest thing I found was the wiring everything else I found straight forward and probably easier. It will be epic

[C Chis]

Cheers Sean!

Yeah, sorting out the wiring is by far the most complicated and time consuming bit!

Busy comparing my existing fuse/electronic box with the Audi one to decide which one to go with


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[C Chis]

Today was a good day, a major milestone!

The VR6 engine is now ready to install in my van!

New water pump with metal impeller installed along with a new aux belt

Made a vapour blaster out of a sand blaster cabinet, a high flow pump, a new blaster nozzle and a tube of tiger seal… and of course had to give it a try out!

Drive shaft guard as it was removed from the gearbox



After a few minutes in the vapour blaster…



Kinda makes the rest of the gearbox look very grotty




Ps… the runs in the engine block paint have been sorted.


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[Lister79]

Good work, I can see you getting carried away with your new vapour blaster

I love how this forum drives everyone to be so self critical.


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[C Chis]

very much so! I found myself contemplating splitting the gearbox down to fit it in the cabinet!


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