mini project: 80 "GLI" by 2mAn

9 minute(s) of a 152 minute read

the lil things are giving me a major headache.

pulley on the waterpump wont line up with the alt & crank pulleys 

5th injector line from the CIS-e box wont fit in the CIS basic box, and i dont even have the 5th injector yet. 

still need plug wires and i found out that they are way more expensive than i expected 

the control arm bolts are refusing to go in

still need the brake booster vacuum line

no way to properly hook up the throttle cable with the mk2 TB, i need the 16v one

still need to bleed the brakes

still need 2 thrust washers for the rear drums

i know theres more but thats enough complaining for now

the GOOD news is that a friend should be able to supply me with most of the parts i need, minus the plug wires, but he is not responding to my messages

and so another day passes

1/21/10

i have used as much stuff from the 8v setup to keep it close to OEM, but i still have no way to hook up the coolant temp sensor that was on the coolant flange that comes out the front of the head. i swapped the side coolant flange that has two connections, so we'll see if that does anything...

as far as the throttle body goes, im taking that one off and installing the proper 16v TB so it should have the throttle cable attachment on it, no jerry rigged setup if i can help it.

on that note, i got tired of waiting for evan since he hasnt repsonded to any of my messages, so i found a buddy locally that i should be able to get almost everything.

the only parts i might still need is the brake booster vacuum line and the damn thrust washers for the rear drums. i need to find a mk1 that i can snag them off of. then its just a few lil issues to deal with 

1/27/10

finally bled the brakes tonight, pedal is nice and solid! driverside rear drum rotates freely, the pass side is a totally different story 

-the spark plug wires and throttle body should arrive this week

-going to buy new thrust washers tomorrow

-probably ordering a 2.25" TT exhaust friday

-then the fun part, i gotta find a ride to go pick up the last misc engine parts and hopefully a transmission too

1/31/10

no real update except money spent. 

had my dad go buy the thrust washers since bugformance is a local shop in my hometown and they only charge $1 a piece vs $6 the dealership wanted to charge for washers! thanks AJ (mad_rabbit)

still waiting on the spark plug wires, should be here already. fedex left me a note that they had something for me, so im sure that is them

i also ordered a velocity ported TB, knock sensor, hopefully what will be the last of the wiring and lil misc stuff...also ordered a 2.25" TT exhaust with a magnaflow muffler 

so when will it be done?...maybe next weekend? who the hell knows now 

2/7/10

finally got back to work on it today. i got a velocity ported TB, this piece is sweet, pics soon. also started laying out the wiring for the knock sensor and all the other crap i got. also spent $50 and a solid 8+ hours going to puyallup to pick up a few small parts. i also got to check out the other 80 coupe im thinking about buying. should have more time to work on it tomorrow

pic update soon

2/8/10

i had a dream i was driving the car and the exhaust note made me smile. its time to make that dream a reality. this has already taken long enough. i think the 8 hours of bus/ amtrak/ cab rides did it for me. that was just to get a brake booster hose, the breather hose and a block off plate for the fifth injector. i decided im not going to use one.

rolling shots soon! 

but for now, lets add some pics.

backside shot of the velocity throttle body

and the only wiring i added to make the 16v work on CIS basic

2/13/10

they didnt start workign on the car until yesterday afternoon so it will be monday the earliest they will be done. im going to try to head over there later today to deal with some of the smaller stuff so they can focus on the other crap

2/16/10

im supposed to be picking her up tomorrow. the biggest PITA has been a timing cover. i didnt really care if i had one or not, but chris convinced me to get one. first it was a used one, which now is a brand new one i just want the car back.

2/17/10

my list has grown

had to get a new donwpipe cuz the one was bent? not sure how the F that happened cuz it was fine when it left my house, but whatever oh well...

also getting the 4K installed at the same time in addition to some other parts as well.

my bill just tripled!

2/18/10

still no car. i told them my car is leaving the shop tomorrow one way or another. hopefully i will be driving it and not towing it back to the garage

just for fun heres the day to day update of what ive heard from the shop since it left my house.

2/9: car leaves on the tow truck

2/10: i stop by the shop to pick up Ute and give them the list

2/11: nothing

2/12: i get a call at 3:30ish saying they were trying to get me a timing belt cover for me from campbell nelson and it wouldnt arrive til monday. also i did one of the rear drums wrong so i would need new brake shoes for one side. i curse drums once again and tell him to get me a new set.

2/15: ~3pm i get a call saying that campbell nelson didnt have a cover so they got one from "across the street" aka bug aid. ~4pm i get another call saying that after they pulled the timing belt cover and installed it on my car they noticed it was worn and they recommended a new one ($65) and i reluctantly agree.

2/16 my clutch wont engage. this was my fault. i pieced together a clutch setup because i already had a flywheel and pressure plate. i bought the clutch disc from them months ago, never got a thrust plate because i thought i had all the pieces i needed. now the transmission has to be dropped. this is where i elect to have them install the close ratio one i was going to have them do in a month or so when i had the cash for it. originally they tell me it will be a 4k, then later i get a call saying it will be a 2h, which im fine with either way...

2/17 they tell me the clutch disc i installed is for a 16v and i need an 8v disc. this drives me crazy because i bought the 16v disc from them months ago when i was buying the parts for the swap!

2/18 i get a call ~2pm saying that the oil filter flange is the "wrong one" (i installed the one from the 1.6 because it didnt interfere with anything) and they told me i needed a different one with two sensor mounts (which i have at home), then they inform me that the coolant pipe is in the way (the reason i never used the other flange)

FUCK ... im so sad, my boss is pissed at me because my performance at work is suffering from my depression and anger. i cant shake it off, its the first thing i tihnk about in the morning and it pisses me off all day, especially when i leave work and head to the bus stop

2/19/10

im only crying now because i DONT have it. they finally got it running, they are just timing it now to get it running perfect. im off work a little early today so im going to go finalize how much $$$$ i will owe them. 

all the bitching will stop once the rolling shots are taken. jonny had to remind me that doing it right now means that i wont have issues down the road and since im planning on driving it across the country its something thats nice to get out of the way now rather than out in the middle of nowhere.

its super nice out today so hopefully rolling shots will happen later on

2/22/10

im not a photographer, but heres a pic i took when i was trying to find a nice backdrop. the car died and a stupid minivan parked behind me

so i got the car back 

BUT

still no exhaust because the downpipe i got used off the vortex was bent ill have to talk to the guy i got it from and see whats the deal with that

oh and bryce, that $65 was only for the lower piece of the timing belt cover, total price of the cover came to $105

AND

the car is leaking tranny fluid from the 2H trans 

im sure they will deal with it when they are installing the exhaust, i already dropped by and on saturday and he redid the seal, but its still leaking. he is blaming it on my reman'd axle 

at this point i dont care, ive got a chitload of money i owe him BUT i have my car. its so awesome to drive though it did die on me twice, which i found the culprit to be the negative battery cable so iwent to scmucks and replaced it with a 2 gauge one and the car fired up right away, though it hesitated because i dont have a 5th injector or cold start valve hooked up. its ok. i love her and its awesome to be back on the road

wow i just wrote an essay.... 22 miles down 978 til burnout pics