Message board for Aircooled or Watercooled swaps
A1 Golf(Rabbit)/Jetta | A2 Golf/Jetta | Vanagon | Aircooled Cars

Rabbit (Golf I) / Jetta I-

Donor car: Scirocco II 16V (engine, wiring, everything)

The easiest upgrade is the 16V engine from a Scirocco II (86-89) any other model 16V will have the intake manifold on the wrong side. The Scirocco II is built on the A1 chassis, the Rabbit is a A1. The 16V from a Scirocco II will drop in with ease; hard part, wiring and exhaust. Techtonics has exhaust down pipe for this application, that leaves the wiring.


Vanagon-

Donor car: Rabbit 81-84 (CIS fuel system)

The easiest upgrade is from diesel to gas. If you have a diesel Vanagon, the gas engine will bolt into your van. Use the diesel flywheel, oil pan/pump, coolant hoses, exhaust, etc. The biggest part is the adapting the CIS fuel system and the wiring. I used a Rabbit intake manifold and it fit well. I have seen some with Golf II intake manifolds and this fit poorly. The Audi 4000 intake manifold is even shorter than the Rabbit one; but, I have never seen it used. Vanagons with waterboxers or Type 4 engines can use most of the upgrade info from the aircooled cars listed below.

 Golf II / Jetta II-

Donar car: Corrado

The Corrado, Golf II, and Jetta II all share the A2 chassis. The G60 is straight forward (it is basically the same 1.8liter engine with a supercharger on it; but this 1.8 is strengthened) and even eaiser if you use the intercooler parts from a European Golf G60 (the Golf II in Europe came from VW with a G60), the Corrado intercooler could be made to work with some major plumbing. Click here for VR6 conversion info.

Type I, II, III, IV-

Donar car: almost anything (V8s are too heavy)

The Vanagon 2100cc water boxer 95hp, Mazda RX-7 1300cc rotary* 146hp (182hp turbo), Subaru flat four 1800cc water-cooled 94hp, and VW 2000cc Type IV 67hp will fit into the Beetle's bay and you will still be able to close the deck lid. The engines listed for the Beetle, and several inline 4s and V6s, will fit the other air-cooled VWs (KEP has details on this). Contact Kennedy Engineered Products for futher info at 805-272-1147 in California or visit thier web site at www.kennedyeng.com.

Note: If you use a Porsche 911 fan on the Type IV engine then a small hole will have to be cut under the liscense light for the deck lid to clear the fan. A Type IV engine set up with the Type I fan does not need the deck lid clearenced. A minor point. The kits from BAS (www.ahnendorp.com and www.sharpbuilt.com ) will allow the 911 shrouds to be installed without cutting bodywork at all.

You can see some cars with these conversions on the engine swap picture page.