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[long] McGarvey and the 2.0L Cabby engine swap...



I just heard from Brian about 30 minutes ago, he's humming along on the PA
Tpke.  Happy as a clam, able to accelerate uphill in 5th gear.  I could see
him smiling through the cell phone <g>.


- Jan Folkson  http://www.janfolkson.com
NYC

'86 16V
'99 Passat GLS 1.8t
'00 Beetle GLX 1.8t

"If you're not passing traffic..you ARE traffic"
> I originally thought I'd be relatively brief and let Brian do the
> details...but it got long.  Swap was an ABA block w/ 8V CIS head into
> Big Mac's freshly painted '81 Cabby...
> 
> It's been a long week.  Brian showed up Sunday at 3:00pm after 70mph
> top speeds NYC -> Cincy, and we got right to work.  Lucky I hadn't
> installed the head on the block I just finished assembling (more
> later).
> 
> Got the poorly running 1.7L out by, oh, 7:00 pm.  Almost on Brian.
> 
> Found out that the valve clearances were waayyy too low (0.003" -
> 0.005") range on the 1.7, probably responsible for 60psi compression
> and general poor performance.  And it appears the cam bearing caps are
> on backwards.  Haven't disassembled the head but the exh valves look
> toast.
> 
> Brian suggested we go ahead and install new valve seals on the head,
> which had just been resurfaced.  To make a long story short, the head
> eventually got a professional rebuild.  Somebody had 'worked' on this
> head before (the seller didn't know this) and ground a groove into one
> intake valve's stem (a 38mm?!?! what? Thought it'd be 40mm!) about
> where the seal would be.  So it would have pumped oil into the engine!
> Know how hard 38mm valves are to find?  The closest new one was in
> Columbus, 100 miles away.  Just so you know, two folks can remove and
> disassemble the head off a scrapped Jetta with basic hand tools and a
> Sawzall in about 25 minutes.
> 
> Head done, on by Wednesday afternoon, ancillaries bolted up,
> compression checked (210-210-210-210), FI checked (uh, early CIS
> requires the starter to be engaged - doh).
> 
> Fired up on first key (a goal of mine on every engine I build!  I'm not
> 100% but I've been pretty successful).  Lifters clattered like hell and
> after 10 minutes wouldn't shut up.  Hmmm....Brian posted about this I
> believe.  Fixed a coolant leak (loose clamp at heater control valve)
> and two beers each and sleeeepp.
> 
> Thursday am, I fire it up about 7:30am, what?  No lifter noise!  The VW
> gods smiled on us!  More fiddling, finishing up, farting with a bent
> crank pulley, etc.  Hood on, alignment done, Brian's wife's new 2.0L
> toy KICKED MY SCIROCCO'S BUTT on the way to the alighnment shop.  I
> says to Brian later "I feel like a big, limp dick" (sorry for the
> crudeness).  I want a 2 liter (sob, whine)!!
> 
> Brian reports that a 190mm flywheel with new PP and disk is not worthy
> of a 2.0L in a Cabby.  It can be made to slip.
> 
> A few more upgrades (euro headlights, for one), a LOT of garage
> cleanup, and Brian heads North about 6:00 Thursday eve.  And comes
> back.  And heads North again, and three hours later, comes back again
> to retrieve forgotten backpack.  He ends up wisely staying the night at
> Daun's and leaves Friday 5:00am.
> 
> Report at 8:00 am Friday, with Brian 1/3 of the way home:  running
> strong, no leaks of oil, coolant, vacuum, or exhaust.  Man am I
> relieved!
> 
> Lessons:
> -2.0L is a good thing.  A very good thing indeed.
> -Allow more time for a hybrid swap than you think.
> -Get in good with the owner of your local import FLAPS!  Mac Matsuzaka
> (owner of Imported Parts Warehouse here in Cincy and a certified VW
> nut) is a Saint.  An Archangel, even.  He let me sift through his stock
> of headgaskets and allowed me to break up head gasket sets to get what
> we needed.  And rape his junked GTI for connectors for free.
> -An ABA heagasket works fine with an ABA block and a CIS head.
> -Get every part you can from the donor car(s), like belts, brackets,
> covers, water necks, hoses, oil pan, valve cover, etc.  Even if wrong
> and old and useless, you can still figure out what you need to replace
> later.  The extra nuts and bolts help too!
> -2.0L is a good thing.
> -Take your time.  Clean, wire brush, and paint all brackets, covers,
> etc.  It makes a much cleaner install for chest-puffing later.
> -Don't cut corners to save time.  It took far more time than I thought,
> but I wasn't going to send Brian home with something I'd be ashamed to
> admit was my work.  (Ron now hopes it doesn't blow up).
> -1.7L starters are barely up to the task turning over a fresh 2.0L.
> -Living near Daun Yeagley is a good thing.  Oh yes.
> -Ben Harder does things right and is as honest as the sunrise.  The
> prepped block was a joy to assemble.
> -Brian McGarvey is excellent to work with.  Never a cross word from him
> or between us, despite several setbacks and his dropping a bolt into
> the oil pan.  After it was installed.
> -I did not paint over that dirt on purpose.  I thought it was rust.
> Honest.  It was late.  Stoddard solvent didn't dissolve it.
> 
> Later listers!  Thanks for reading this far!
> 
> 
> =====
> Cheapass Ron
> "Victor" '87 16V Scirocco
> "Teufelhasen" '93 Cabby <-For sale
> 
> If it ain't foggy, TURN OFF YOUR FOG LIGHTS.
> 
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