2.8 VR6 MK2 Ibiza project

[greenmachine]

Right ladies and gentlemen.

Base car: 1995 Mk2 Seat Ibiza 1.4 CLX-S
Doner car: 1993 VW Vento 2.8 VR6

Decided on what engine im going for and its going to be done by myself, and a mechanicle genious..only thing is, hes a redtop vauxhall head... athough hes very good.. me, im not the best mechanicaly minded.

Anywho, the engine Im getting is from a full car Im going to buy (2.8 VR6 Vento) - totally standard with a recent complete top end rebuild, all timing chains, guide rails and tensioners renewed. All gaskets and seals are new, new water pump.
and has a rolling road printout from Westward Engineering for 180bhp (standard is 174)

it has a new clutch (disc, pressure plate and release bearing) and a secondhand Gearbox recently fitted.

has ABS brakes, Goodridge lines, Castrol SRF fluid, brand new EBC Yellowstuff pads with ATE grooved discs at the front.


What I want to do is transfer engine+neccessaties to the Ibiza, I know the engine mounts are the same, but I'm not sure about loom/linkages, etc.
Obviously the gearbox out the vento has to go in Ibiza aswell as clutch, Ecu etc (but im planning a dasktek UNIchip for it.

Anywho, can anyone offer critical advice for doing the conversion? it will be done as I said by 2 of us, with all right tools, and his mechanical know-how..

OI trust his expertiese he's a good friend and built by himself a 2.0 redtop nova on throtte boddies, etc running 330bhp *around.

He also took took a redtop out of a Cavalier and slapped it into a MK3 astra estate within a days period and running perfect. So we can more than likely do the VR6 I'd say..

All I need to know is advice really, what needs to be changed out the vento into the ibiza, fuel lines? Dash/dials? Looms?

Any help appriciated and I shall keep you all informed with picures of the progress.. along with how many bones are broke in the process.

 

[LNeves]

aren't you worried about undesteer ? That a big lump into a Mk2 beeza, me thinks...

 

[45SET]

i'v heard that the VR6 engine is only 20kg heavier then the 2l 8v....... and the 8v is a very capable car around the twisties...

 

[RobT]

OI trust his expertiese he's a good friend and built by himself a 2.0 redtop nova on throtte boddies, etc running 330bhp *around.

.

Not a chance, more like 200hp unless its got a massive amount of work done to it - touring car grenade engines were 'only' 300/320

Your going to have some fun - it should go fairly well - issues I can see are:

1. Clutch - the ibiza is cable, the vento hydraulic - unless you are going to fit the vento pedal box then you will need a 2.0L 16V ibiza clutch activation mechanism

2. The exhaust is going to have to be custom

3. Gearchange mechanism - your ibiza is 'rod style' vento is with cables. The cable stick and mechanism/cables can be made to fit though

4. ECU - hmm, its not like you can rechip the ibiza ecu for this one....different number of cylinders......so you are going to have to use vento ecu and loom.....could be a can of worms, like most modern cars the ibiza has immobilizers which are activated by a chip in the ignition key....so if you change to the vento stuff, I would get ignition barrel, clocks, ecu, wiring the lot - you could be lucky and this could all fall together but it could be a nightmare - easily the hardest part of the job

Good luck - you will end up with a good sound, good straight line speed but a beast of an understeerer

Rob

 

[RobT]

i'v heard that the VR6 engine is only 20kg heavier then the 2l 8v....... and the 8v is a very capable car around the twisties...

No where near, the vr6 gearbox alone is 15kg heavier than an 8V

 

[matt_s]

I think if the VR6 has coil packs it has the ecu imobiliser but if it's running a dizzy then it won't have the imobiliser.

 

[surcalation]

Good luck

 

[m0rk]

You need subframes too.

So if possible, but the whole front end. it will save you a lot of grief.

 

[greenmachine]

You need subframes too.

So if possible, but the whole front end. it will save you a lot of grief.

Id be buying the 2.8 VR6 as a car whole. (Vento) so whatever needed will be there.

 

[cordobabrendy]

will they fit into the narrower front end of the ibiza though?

 

[R953 VSE]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/alan_gti/VR6_6.jpg

ive seen it done a couple of times, must be a hell of a lot of work

 

[greenmachine]

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a160/alan_gti/VR6_6.jpg

ive seen it done a couple of times, must be a hell of a lot of work

parked at the side of the road... that cant be good Lol...

Looks sexy in there though.. I'm going seeing my mate in half an hour to see what the story is with it and what he thinks...

 

[andyj]

and don't forget about upgrading the rear end...... the 1.4 only came with drums !!

Be interested to see how you get on anyway

Oh yeah, I think the VR6 lump is 25kg heavier than the 2.0 16v rather than the 8v

 

[Fl@pper]

after our last man here - VR6-Ibiza was it ? always said the front was way too heavy but sounded fun

if ya serious then ecu wise id reccomend megasquirt - pi$$ easy to use and setup ONCE ya done ya home work mind

if you have the donor car there complete and running then its a lot easier than doing it with bits - have fun

PS - rip the front panel off and leave it off til last thing - loads of room then

 

[greenmachine]

and don't forget about upgrading the rear end...... the 1.4 only came with drums !!

Be interested to see how you get on anyway

Oh yeah, I think the VR6 lump is 25kg heavier than the 2.0 16v rather than the 8v

Mines a 1.4 so dunno if theres any difference in stronger chassis between the 2.0 16v ibiza and my 1.4 8v CLX-S.

I think the Vento coilovers will go on the front of the biza, else the springs off the VR6s coilovers will go on my H&R adj coilovers to aquire its new heavy frontal end.

The rears I will just put on the disks from the Vento.

Does anyone know if theres cutting involved? dont really wanna be cutting/welding any mounts.

As long as it just bolts into there and start putting everything in it should go down well.

Just have to drive it without an exhaust just the manifold to Trackdayperformance (100miles) to get a custom exhaust made up for it.... that'll be 700 euro! give or take

 

[greenmachine]

after our last man here - VR6-Ibiza was it ? always said the front was way too heavy but sounded fun

if ya serious then ecu wise id reccomend megasquirt - pi$$ easy to use and setup ONCE ya done ya home work mind

if you have the donor car there complete and running then its a lot easier than doing it with bits - have fun

PS - rip the front panel off and leave it off til last thing - loads of room then

1: ECU wise id say I'll keep the standard VR6 one, else a piggyback setup UNIchip.

2: have the donor car ready to buy - should just transfer over (hopefully)

3: rip which front panel off? and is it worth taking out radiator and using the VR6's or will I be limited with the ammount of space I'll have already?

 

[cordobabrendy]

the front panel is the bit the rad is mounted to. you will need to use a bigger rad the 1.4 wont be enough, even the 1.6 has a bigger rad.

 

[greenmachine]

the front panel is the bit the rad is mounted to. you will need to use a bigger rad the 1.4 wont be enough, even the 1.6 has a bigger rad.

I could just drop out the front panel/rad section, mount the VR6 and then once thats done and firing, mount the VR6's rad in place?

Thats guessing the rad housing is the same in the ibiza's bay..... eek

 

[cordobabrendy]

dont let anyone tell you its going to be easy, a lot of the parts youre going to need will be obscure vw bits or custom and will be time consuming.
id say if it was just a vr6 tranny job then the vr6 one could be made to fit , but with the power you are wanting to put into it, the rad might not be enough.
theres a fella on here username vr6 or something like that, he should still have photos of how his standard vr6 engine went in to give you an idea of whats required.

 

[greenmachine]

dont let anyone tell you its going to be easy, a lot of the parts youre going to need will be obscure vw bits or custom and will be time consuming.
id say if it was just a vr6 tranny job then the vr6 one could be made to fit , but with the power you are wanting to put into it, the rad might not be enough.
theres a fella on here username vr6 or something like that, he should still have photos of how his standard vr6 engine went in to give you an idea of whats required.

I sent him a message earlier and he said it's failrly touch and go like, read his posts about it, said it was done in 4 eveneings which to me is mad... but as he started off with the 2.0 GTi engine in his, im guessing he most probably used his standard 2.0 rad...

Anywho, as long as we get the engine in, then everything hopefully will fall into place with a bit of patients and broken bones.