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

[rapieper@yahoo.com (Ron Pieper)]

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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