I want to build an engine

Thomas. PLease.

Thomas. PLease.

Thomas. PLease.

Soldato
Joined
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London
An itch I've always wanted to scratch. I've worked on cars, swapped engines, done maintenance work, but I've never really fully rebuilt or built up an engine.

I thought there'd easily be a few build your own engine type kits on the internet available but after a google could only find little plastic kits! Does anybody have any ideas on the best way to do this. Buy a car with a borked motor and just get a rebuild kit, or does anybody have any links to any kits?

PS a V8 would be nice :D
 
When people say they built an engine, that's pretty much what they mean usually - rebuilt a borked existing one. Pretty sure there aren't any DIY build your own new engine kits around. Well unless you give a blank cheque to a go faster bits company, but even then you'll usually need something existing to start with. What do you want to achieve - just rebuild an engine to original spec for the learning experience, or build up a monster with tuner parts for an ultimate purpose?
 
I just want to rebuild it for the learning and so I can say I've done it for my own fulfilment really. I think it might be nice to try and eek a little more performance out too, have a go at porting and smoothing the inlet etc. nothing too wild though.
 
What car do you drive now?

Maybe buy a replacement engine for it and strip/rebuild/uprate it then swap it over? Maybe even a bigger capacity engine?
 
Batf1nk said:
What car do you drive now?

Maybe buy a replacement engine for it and strip/rebuild/uprate it then swap it over? Maybe even a bigger capacity engine?
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Just tooling around in a 98 punto at the moment. It doesn't excite me in the least so I sort of resent spending much money on it. I've always hankered after a mk2 golf gti, so was maybe thinking of building up a 16v engine. I would image good parts availability on these?
 
You could buy yourself a knackered mk2 gti and a rough mk3 vr6 - the vr will need the chain guides doing by now which involves a reasonable amount of work, you could strip it and rebuild / replace as required then install in the mk2 - cant remember what exactly you need to swap over seem to remember hubs etc but has been done loads of times so there plenty of info.

The vr6 makes a great noise, would be pretty quick in a light car like the mk2 too
 
I was watching some program on Quest and Beetle engines look like a piece of cake to work on. Not sure if that appeals though.
 
I would've built my old engine if I had time (had to sell the whole project in the end)
But thinking about this very subject the other day, I could probably look a t a good condition camshaft/crank/bearing/piston ring alongside one that needs replacing and really not be able to tell the difference? To do it properly you really need someone to show you every in and out of the job, or just get the whole block worked on and replace everything.

Would be fun though!
Build up a VW 1.6td/GTD for the MK2 Golf simple but fun!
 
rodenal said:
You could buy yourself a knackered mk2 gti and a rough mk3 vr6 - the vr will need the chain guides doing by now which involves a reasonable amount of work, you could strip it and rebuild / replace as required then install in the mk2 - cant remember what exactly you need to swap over seem to remember hubs etc but has been done loads of times so there plenty of info.

The vr6 makes a great noise, would be pretty quick in a light car like the mk2 too
Click to expand...

I like this idea, vr6's don't seem too pricey either.
 
You'd be better buying something a little older, perhaps a beetle as already mentioned. Also worth considering;

Mini
Morris Minor
Series Land Rover or a early 90/110
MG
Early Golf

Rebuilding an engine isn't cheap, the simpler the engine the easier the job will be.

A great deal of the work is cleaning up parts!

I've rebuilt countless Rover V8's over the years among other engines,
 
Id personally stay away from the vr lump in a mk2 makes them too nose heavy. The 2.0 16v ABF engine from the mk3 16v gti is a better choice IMO.
 
Im considering building a high boost low compression forged engine next year for my gti6

Would be fun i think and can be done at a nice pace
 
Loads of great info on club gti about engine building for mk2s

The popular and not pricey thing to do is rebuild a mk3 2.0l block with the head from the mk2 and there's great pictured guides for most steps including porting/polishing
 
As mentioned, find an engine:

A.) You are interested in and therefore will justify spend to yourself.
B.) You can get parts for and they don't cost the earth.
C.) That you can preferably use, or you won't be able to test it!
 
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