The Official VR6 Engine Swap (Page 9/73) KaijuSenso JAN 17, 01:31 PM That is very exciting to see it in the car so far. I hope to see a full price layout of this swap to compare to a TDI Mr.PBody JAN 17, 02:21 PM That almost looks too easy, can't wait to see more progress. bmwguru JAN 17, 05:29 PM I'm still far from done. I have to take the drivetrain back out and install the LSD. I'll do a writeup in here with pics. Also, The cradle original engine mount must be removed to clear the oil pan. The engine bay was cleaned and painted and battery tray removed. I have to remove a couple of the small brackets still, but my spot weld drill bit broke today. I hope Snap On has one on the truck tomorrow. Also, I still have to do the wiring for the fly by wire throttle. The way I am setting the engine up looks like the clutch should be able to be done in less than an hour. The engine isn't mounted to the cradle. I retained the factory engine mounts from the Jetta and tomorrow the brackets will be welded in permanently. This will allow the cradle to be taken out without having to mess with the mounts . The VW engine computer will be mounted where the Fiero computer was. A second harness will be made for the OBDII connector as well as the throttle. Custom axles will need to be made. I figure that I am going to spend the extra money now to handle the turbo later on. So, the axles won't be cheap. Dave fieroguru JAN 17, 06:09 PM The small thin sheet metal brackets are easy to remove w/o a spot weld drill, just use some tin snips to cut them in half and grab them with some pilers and bend then around the spot weld and they will come right off. Then just hit what is left with the flapper disk and you are done. Great swap so far! bmwguru JAN 17, 06:23 PM I used the spot weld drill to remove the battery tray. I need it again to remove the upper dog bone mounting bracket. I'm not going to use it and it frees up some room to give a cleaner appearance. I'm so anal about things. The spot weld drill leaves a nice looking finish when the brackets are removed. I don't do anything half assed....not that trimming the brackets and grinding is half assed....I just don't like getting covered in metal filings. I had my share of metal filings when I put in my SBC in my other Fiero. Dave fieroguru JAN 17, 06:29 PM I thought you were talking about the little strap/brackets for all the lines/hoses not the battery tray or dog bone mount - a spot weld drill helps a great deal with those. I too dislike the dogbone bracket and have removed them on both of my 88's with swapped motors. megafreakindeth JAN 17, 08:19 PM can you get a pic of how youre mounting the motor to the subframe? r u using vw mounts or new ones? id do this swap if it was a kit, i dont have the time or the extra car to do this from scratch. deffinatly would use a 24v though, way better engine even though it uses rockers instead of buttons. bmwguru JAN 17, 09:42 PM quote Originally posted by megafreakindeth: can you get a pic of how youre mounting the motor to the subframe? r u using vw mounts or new ones? id do this swap if it was a kit, i dont have the time or the extra car to do this from scratch. deffinatly would use a 24v though, way better engine even though it uses rockers instead of buttons. my next one will be a 24v R32. I figured I'd start easy and work my way up before dropping over $8000 for a used engine and trans. I'm not mounting the engine to the subframe...it is getting mounted to the space frame with a torsion link or dog bone to the subframe. The subframe is solidly mounted so there will be no flex to worry about . I am using modified VW mounts. I am doing the mods myself. I'll take photos of the mounts, but I may not have any progress until mid next week. I just had a Passat towed into my shop for a engine replacement that I need to get done...along with the tons of other work scheduled. Dave bmwguru JAN 17, 09:44 PM Blah.....this is my 1200th post....I just couldn't resist. bmwguru JAN 17, 10:11 PM Here are a few pics from today. I pulled the drivetrain back out to remove the battery tray. Also, the engine compartment was painted at this time. I'll touch it up after I remove the dog bone mount. There is also a pic of the engine temporarily installed for those that missed page two. The engine is back in as of the moment, but I figure it will be in and out about twenty times before it finally rests there. I want to make sure that it is able to be serviced while in the car. I also want it to be able to be modified in the future without having to do any cutting of the trunk or frame. Dave