Author:    Jan Vandenbrande
Date:        July 21, 1999, Updated Aug 16, 1999

NOTE: This is a work in progress. Please send me feedback with tips, corrections, detailed specifications, whatever you think will help. Use this info at your own risk. There is no garantee that any of this is correct.

Thanks.  Jan Vandenbrande

This page is a compilation of several sources:

• Sport Compact Car, July 1998, Vol 10, No 7, pp -129
• Chilton's Import Car Manual 1990-1994
• Variety of Bentley Manuals.
• "Volkswagen Sport Tuning". Per Schroeder, Robert Bentley Publisher. http://www.rb.com. Cambridge, Mass, 1997.
• volkswagen.org Engine Swap Page. GREAT resource
• New Dimensions
• Internet e-mails

• If you race your car (in club events), then you are subject to their rules and regulations, which are typically a lot more stringent then for street use. Read the club?s rules and regulations carefully.
• Because engines have gotten better with time, using an older donor engine into a newer car is not covered. In addition, legally you can only update an engine if you also transplant all the emissions equipment. For that reason, you can not back date an engine (ie, use an older engine in a newer car). Once you install a newer engine, you may be required to show emission compliance to a referee board like California?s "California's Air Resource Board". If you are "lucky", and the change is more subtle (ie, 1.6l to 2.0l engine, verses a VR6 engine) the periodic smog-inspector may not notice.
• Swapping a gas engine into a diesel is also a popular swap, but may have many legal consequences?
• I tried to resolve contradictory information as much as I could. You'd be surprised how often actual publications disagree, even on basic things like engine sizes. So, beware!
• I did not list specific bore and stroke info. I rather have you look it up accurately.

• Generally, the closer you stay with the original model, the easier (ie, Rabbit GTI engine into a Rabbit).
• CIS to CIS is the easiest, according to VW.org
• Salvage as much from the donor car as possible, especially the FI system and electrical harness (request it to be in tact and not cut off at the fire-wall).
• The small parts are the big cost-killer (and are often hard to find).
• Manuals for both cars are needed.
• If your model car comes with a bigger engine stock (eg, A3 Golfs), it may often may make more sense to put your emotional attachments aside and exchange it for a good used car with the desired engine (eg, A3 VR6 Golf). The sum of all parts costs more than the whole!
• VW switched from mechanical to hydraulic lifters in 1982 (Europe), ~1983/4 in the US. You can retrofit older cars with a hydraulic head after some modifications. Diesels got hydraulic heads later (~1993).
• Keep the transmission of the donor engine to simplify the job. Note that there are differences between 020, 02A trannies, VR6 02A trannies and the axle diameters over the years.
• There are many other ways to get more power out of you car for a lot less money such as a chips, better exhaust systems, big valve head, cam shafts, smaller pulleys, turbo-charging, and so on.See http://www.nwlink.com/~vdb/cars.html under Performance improvements.
• Converting a front wheel drive to a Synchro is a monumental job. The floor pan of the synchros have a larger center tunnel, the rear suspension, gas tank, and exhaust is totally different. It requires that the bottom of the car is cut out and retrofitted with a new tunnel (or simpler, the whole floor). It may be less expensive to import a Euro spec Synchro and bring it to US/Canadian conformity.
• An engine swap starts around 1000$ in labor for simple swaps, and up (way up) for more complicated jobs. The donor engine can run as low as 800US$ for a used 4 cylinder short block, but costs more typically 1500US$ for a complete engine with periphery, while a VR6 with tranny starts at 4000US$.

• The only difference between the 1.8l 8V GTI and Digifant motors are the fuel injection shrouding. GTI engines are generally more expensive.
• [Art Clemens]: The max overbore on a 1.8 is 84.5mm.  This only produces 1938cc.  84mm is better as you stay out of the piston jet bolt holes (barely) and it would produce 1915cc.  So a 1.8 cannot be bored to 2.0.  I have a 1.8 16V at 2095cc (84x94.5)  and I have seen 2 at 2142cc (84.5x95.5)  So a 1.8 can be bored and stroked to 2.1L.
• [Art Clemens]: There is no 1.8 bubble block.  Bubble blocks are only 2.0L blocks. Still the max bore is 84.5 although the 2.0 block takes it better because of slightly increased bore spacing.  Perhaps more is possible.

but I have neither seen nor heard of it
• The more recent 8V 2.0l "tall blocks" can be bored and stroked to 2.2l (using a 99 crank and an 84 bore, 2194cc is possible.) These blocks are called "tall" because they are higher.

Basic US Diesel Engines

• I am the first to admit that I know little about Diesel (other then that you save a lot on spark plugs :->). My source for this information is largely from vw.org, & Chilton
• I added it here for completeness.
• Can someone help me fill this in?

A1 Cars

(Rabbits/Golf 1, Jetta 1, Sciroccos, Cabby/Pick up Truck, Cabriolet)

Engine swaps that work for A1 cars.

• The engine compartments are smaller than the A2s, making some mods much harder (G60, VR6)
• Electrical wiring is different between German, Mexican and US made A1 cars. Bugworld sells custom made harnesses (for about $250) when you buy an engine from them to make a swap easier. See also note under A2 about Central Electric II.
• Carb or Diesel to gas Fuel injection (eg, CIS) conversions require a different gas tank, and dual fuel lines versus only one fuel line. The sheetmetal around the filler neck of A1 cars is often rusted.

A2
 
 

Covers: Golf 2, Jetta 2, Corrados

• Just about anything will fit into the A2s because they came stock with a large variety of engines (4 cyl 8V engines , 16V & VR6 engines)
• Later model cars (1990+) have Central Electric II systems, which makes the swap even easier.

A3

Covers: Golf III, Jetta III/Vento, Cabrio

• The US A3 cars only came with two engines, 4 cylinder 115 BHp cross flow engine and VR6 172 BHp engines.
• The Corrado VR6 cars had more power due to a more efficient exhaust system

• Audis typically receive the newer technologies before VWs do
• Most Audis and VW/B-platform cars (B1, B2 and B4) have their engines longitudinal, while the engines in most VW/A-platform (and the B3 "Passat") cars are transversal. This means that there are many differences in how things are hooked up, mounted, and naturally, the transmission are entirely different.
• 5 cylinder engines in some Audis and B2 VWs will not fit any of the A-based cars (without MAJOR modifications).
• The intercooled turbo of an S4 will however fit in an EuroVan.

Note that retrofitting a donor engine with auto transmission requires a lot of work: Flywheel, clutch assembly, different starter and a different throttle-body. Generally, the closer you remain to the original chassis type the easier the swap (ie, A1 donor tranny for an A1 recepient).
 

020 (?78-?84)	Initial versions were 4 speeds, 5 speeds introduced in 1978. Available in "normal" gearing, tall (better gas mileage), economy, close ratio GTI (better acceleration).  The close ratio trannies were found in the GTI/GLI models, but also the Wolfsburg models. Be aware of the "Self Machining" problem with these trannies. VW used rivets instead of bolts in the final drive which loosen after a while and cause expensive repairs. Early GTI trannies have lower gearing which increases low end but looses a but at top speed (Note, higher ratio 5th gears are available). A1 cars used 90 mm output CV flanges. Starting 1984 1/2 Sciroccos and 1985 GTIs, all Cabrios and all 16V Sciroccos, 100mm output CV flanges are used.  The 100mm CV flanges may interfere (and lock up) with the steering knuckles of older A1 90mm cars. In some cases, the excess material can be ground away. Another solution is to replace the output flanges of the transmission to use the larger diameters. A third option is to use 100 mm inner CV joints and use it with the original 90mm axle. However, heed the following comment from Daley:  It is often said that all that is necessary to upgrade 100mm CVs to the earlier cars, is to swap the inner CVs to 100mm while using the 90mm axles (with 90mm outers) THIS IS NOT TRUE!         When VW went to the larger CV joints, they went with a joint that was not  only larger in diameter, but thicker as well. This required longer splines on the axles. A 100mm joint is too wide to adequately "seat" on the narrower spline area of the 90mm axle. Conversely, a 100mm CV axle (such as the Scirocco 16V axle), has too long of splines, and a 90mm outer CV joint will "slop" around. I have fashioned alloy ring spacers to take out the slop (1/8"), but the preferred method is to change the entire axle and hub (on an A1) to the 100mm Scirocco 16V pieces. The earlier hub carriers can be ground  out for clearance, as you've mentioned.  I recently did  this when I upgraded my tranny output flanges to 100mm on my Caddy's GTI (4k) tranny.  I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble were it not for the fact that I had a problem with the smaller flanges with the VelocityDifferential upgrade...   A popular swap is to upgrade to a 5 speed. It requires another pushrod, 5 speed clutch and pressure plate, tranny mount s and linkages. They will bolt right on. One additional part worth mentioning here is an often neglected piece which  many people omit when doing the 4spd to 5spd conversion on an A1 car: The  stop plate.  This is the metal plate that goes under the shift lever.  It includes the  housing which the "stop finger" rides on when you push the lever down and  over to engage reverse. The 4 spd cars have a wider stop plate than the 5 spd  cars. Changing this piece makes for a better conversion and easier linkage  adjustment. Early models use a 190 mm clutch, while newer models use a 210 mm clutch. It is possible to upgrade but is only needed if you wear out your clutch quickly. The stock clutches are good for up to 170 Hp. Here's an old tip, and I am not sure how this meshes with the rest: A2 trannys will fit in A1 chassis cars, but A1 trannys WON't fit in A2 cars due to some missing mount bracket moulded into the A2 tranny case.
020 (?85-?99?)	Used in most 4 cylinder A-platform based cars except the Corrados. Late model A2s and Digifant cars have a close ratio tranny except for the second gear. 16V, A2 GTIs and GLIs have a larger diameter input shaft, and are generally stronger and a good choice if you bump the power. By 1987 all cars used 100 mm output CV flanges. 16V cars use a stronger pressure plate than the 8V cars. You can use the 16V pressure plate in an 8V car, but you cannot use the 16V clutch disk in an 8V car because the output splines are different. See the following web site for the 020 ratios and the VLs Gear Ratio Calculator.
02A (?89-?99?)	Introduced with the Corrados, now used in all A3 VR6 Cable shifted Hydraulic clutch VR6 bellhousing is different from the G60 bellhousing. This means that VR6 engines HAVE to use the 02A trannies (or whatever supersedes it). To retrofit a non 02A car, requires modification of the clutch pedal to be welded with the hydraulic clutch master cylinder. If you drop a VR6 into an A2 or A3 car, you can retain the car?s original 100mm axles and stock control arms. Alternatively, you can upgrade the car to the Plus-Axle system by using the VR6?s control arms, longer axles, and steering knuckles. The adventage is increased camber. Typically this is a good idea with a VR6 swap.  Here are the ratios. PS: I think this includes the 02B trannies. Type 1st 2nd 3d 4th 5th R&P Notes ATA,AGC  3.778  2.105  1.345 0.971  0.795  3.684 Corrado G60, Passat 16v  AYL,AYK 3.778  2.118 1.429  1.029  0.837 3.684 92 Corrado G60, Passat 16v  CDM 3.300 1.944 1.308  1.034  0.838  3.647   Corrado VR-6 2.8 CHA  3.778 2.118  1.360  0.917  0.717 3.944 VR6 Canada  CNL  3.778 2.118  1.458 1.029 0.837 3.684  VR6  CCM 3.300 1.944 1.308  1.034 0.838  3.389  VR6  CES  3.778 2.118  1.429 1.029 0.837 3.684  Passat CGY  3.778 2.118  1.458  1.029 0.837 3.684  Passat CAW  3.778 2.118  1.458  1.034 0.838 3.647 Corrado
02B2.118	This tranny is used in the 16V Passats, and is similar to the 02A used on the G60s (but seemed less clunky when I tried it).
02C	Synchro Tranny.

• Dan Daley
• bokchoi
• art clemens
• David Marshall
• Dan Daley