The Diesel Cabriolet Project

[Brom]

I have now decided to go ahead with this idea after purchasing the diesel mk1 about 3 months ago in Melbourne and driving it home to Sydney. It's got a recently reconditioned engine however the body, whilst not having terminal rust, does have some surface rust and a bad cost of house paint which i can't really be bothered rectifying.

So, a couple weeks back in Canberra i spotted a later mk1 cabriolet for a bargain due to a fuel supply issue. I thought I may be able to sort it out down there drive it back and then think about the engine swap in a few months. But i'm completely new to injection systems so the swap goes ahead right away down there.

I've spent the day getting everything i think i will need out of the diesel with the engine ready to be dropped in the morning after i get the drive shafts off. Everything else is in a box and so i'll drive down to Canberra during the week to give it a shot. A blindly guided shot - This is my first ever engine swap! Let alone petrol to diesel complications.

The diesel looks so straight forward. Just the stop solenoid which i believe i can power off the coil (but not sure where to connect, before or after coil?) and the glow plug relay which i'm still tracing throughout the car. Apart from this i'm hoping all pressure switches, thermostats, reverse switch, fan and alternator wiring is pretty similar between the two.


To

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All advice, encouragement and critisism welcomed.
And PM if your after any of the cabriolet running gear or the 5 doors parts.

[Jarred]

Good luck mate!

this should be an interesting project!

Hope it all works out. You're pretty brave doing it i think, especially away from home!

All the best

[GoLfMan]

yeh looks like a cool project mate!

what are you going to do with the 1.8 petrol engine?

[smithy010]

Mate, get rid of the coil altogether, and hook the power wire to the coil (which comes from the ingnition switch), to the stop solenoid. Too easy.

Now, i don't have a glowplug relay in mine, but i reckon you could splice that same wire as the control wire for the glowplug relay which you will have pulled from the diesel..

Any problems, gimme a call.

[Golf Loon]

Thats a good mission mate. I hope you have some facilities down there.
I`d take the diesel tank, and lines as well. Use the cabrio 5 speed box.

Should be a good car when its done. Unique in Oz I reckon.

As GolfMan says dont chuck the petrol engine away, or any cabrio or kjet parts. They are hard to get, sell em on here

They are special edition Rivage Wheels on the Cabrio. Nice

Also sell the roofrack on your white car to a ratrodder on here. Who wants to rat up their golf??

[GoLfMan]

Also palm off the shell and dont crush it!

too many good shells have been going to metal heaven lately

[roccodingo]

bearings..

Change your strut bearings as well, the ones in the pic are shot..

[Preen59]

Change your strut bearings as well, the ones in the pic are shot..

Woah! I just went back and looked at that. They're absolutely f*cked!

This will be a good little project dude. Good luck with it.

[aprr32]

Have done a couple of DSL conversions into cabs for customers and it is pretty easy.I know that cab in Canberra and it is a perfect candidate for a conversion.If you need any help while in Canberra give me a yell.

[Volvo Driver]

Awesome project, envious.... Turbo it while your at it :p

[Brom]

Thanks for the encouragement. Diesels out and sitting in the back of the other car ready to drive down tomorrow. I have access to a garage in canberra and will take my own tools and probably hire a lift rather than mess around with jacks and two engines. I've been reading up on these swaps on the US websites which all say my 5 speed won't really suit the diesel engine so i'll probably keep the 4 speed for the moment being.

I'll list all the parts up here when i get back and know what won't be needed. unless your in Canberra and want me to bring it down. Also roofrack was sold last week and is now on a beetle up the coast.

Change your strut bearings as well, the ones in the pic are shot..

No idea how you picked this up from the photo's. I wouldnt know what to look for so i'll take your word for it.

Hugh

[Mischa]

Thanks for the encouragement. Diesels out and sitting in the back of the other car ready to drive down tomorrow. I have access to a garage in canberra and will take my own tools and probably hire a lift rather than mess around with jacks and two engines. I've been reading up on these swaps on the US websites which all say my 5 speed won't really suit the diesel engine so i'll probably keep the 4 speed for the moment being.

I'll list all the parts up here when i get back and know what won't be needed. unless your in Canberra and want me to bring it down. Also roofrack was sold last week and is now on a beetle up the coast.



No idea how you picked this up from the photo's. I wouldnt know what to look for so i'll take your word for it.

Hugh

hugh mate you've got a pm

[Brom]

The Diesel's in. Mostly plumbed and waiting on electricals. A pretty stress free swap starting this morning in 2 degree weather.

But one big problem! Going to reattach the drive shafts and they won't reach. So i measured each gearbox and surely enough the 4 speed is shorter across the transaxle than the 5 speed leaving about a 10mm gap on either shaft.

I didnt bring the diesel drive shafts with me, would they fix this. My guess is not. I've noticed just now in the manuals the cabrio's front track is 1404mm compared to the diesels 1390mm. Thoug mk1's with fuel injection were 1404. But are they 4 or 5 speed?

So can anybody tell me my options? Shafts from another car, spacers, pulling the spline out of the other end, or drop the box again and throw on the 5 speed? I'm stuck.

[gldgti]

mate, the 5-speed in the diesel will be FINE. i had a 5 speed on my old diesel, and my dad does now aswell. its a perfect swap, dont worry about what those yanks say - they like to cruise at 4000rpm.

use the cab box and you'll be fine.

[Golf Loon]

Yup. I told you to use the 5 speed. Whack it in and it will be great.