Mk1 different/same?

[bfrey003]

Question,

i was in a B&N yesterday and happened to flip through a copy of VW Performance (i think) and it had a lot of different Mk1 cars featured (no cabbys) with different setups and whatnot. My question is: are all Mk1s mechanically about the same? If someone put an engine setup in a Mk1 sirocco (just an example) will it fit in a cabby?

also, as a side question, i saw a lot of Mk1s where there was barely anything in the engine bay whereas mine is full.. how are there so few components? just wondering...

Thanks!

[kamzcab86]

First, "Mk1" is a tired old British moniker and people use it far too often these days. The correct term to use in this case is "A1"; A1 is the official chassis designation given to Rabbits, Cabriolets, first generation Jettas and Golfs, and all Sciroccos (not counting the new one, of course). This means that all of those vehicles listed use the same chassis, which means their engines will interchange from a "will it fit" standpoint.

All A1 chassis cars can use each others' mechanical components (Cabriolets are heavier, so suspension is the exception). For example, if you have a 1976 Rabbit that's been wrecked, you can transfer its engine into your 1982 Jetta.

When discussing engine swaps, however, the fuel system is part of the equation. Your '92 uses Digifant, which is loads different from an '84 Scirocco, which is CIS, and a 1980 Rabbit, which could be diesel or CIS-basic or CIS-lambda or, in some places, carb'd.

also, as a side question, i saw a lot of Mk1s where there was barely anything in the engine bay whereas mine is full.. how are there so few components? just wondering...

Because they did some serious modifying to "clean up" the engine bay. This process is commonly known as shaving the engine bay: Getting rid of some stuff, rerouting other stuff. It's mainly done for show.

[bfrey003]

good to know. Thanks!

[Calimus]

Shaving the engine bay is a lot of work. It looks awesome, but honestly, it can cause a lot of problems when trouble shooting issues down the road. Part of the process is pulling the electrical harness and adding length to it so that they can run it through the frame rails in order to keep it hidden. Should a short ever develop, well, that's gonna be fun tracking down.

I can't say I haven't thought about doing it several times to a few of my VW's, but the work Vs. the PITA trying to troubleshoot electrical issues just isn't worth it to me. Besides, most of the time, I'm the only one that see's under my hood.

As for the mechanical compatibility, Kammy pretty much set ya straight there. One exception is that it wouldn't be all that difficult to take a 16v engine, either 1.8 or 2L and run that on the digi-2 that is in your cabby. That would provide a very nice power bump to the car and honestly, would be the perfect engine upgrade in my book. Sure you can toss a modern 1.8t engine or even a VR6 in there, but it will require a lot of money, body modifications, suspension and wiring. With the 16v, you can use the fuel rail from a earlier jetta/passat that had them and with just a few minor parts changes, can drop it right in. It's about one of the easiest engine swaps you can do and it will give you a good bang for the buck return.