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.Well it looks like it’s time for the G60/16v carb motor to come back *out* of the syncro this weekend so I can make the bracket for real and try and fit a KR.
I think that bracket is actually the only thing I’m really missing. It’s got the clutch and other gubbins already fitted. The syncro WAS actually just about drivable on the carbs so mechanically it does pretty much all work, just the PGKR mix was a no-go.
The downpipe, though not beautiful does actually work and mates to a 16v manifold (tested). The downpipe also has a lambda probe and mixture gauge (tested).
The KR motor going in isn’t cleaned up or anything at this point, if it all works then I’ll make a clean one and swap it in.
I have a full KR loom (thx to fishecuss), Aidan from bahnstorm.net has apparently got an ISV controller waiting for me. There are two used fuel pump assemblies – the assumption being that from the two we can surely build one 
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It’ll get new fuel lines since the old ones have had 20 years with carb fuel pressures, so inflicting 60psi on them now might not be the best plan.
I think the only area whcih currently has vagueness is the alternator/pas pump. I reckon it should be fudgable but I don’t know for sure which alternator mounting I need for the KR so that it works with the pas from the syncro. I’ve got a few different ones and a few KRs lurkign though so I’m sure I’ll find something which fits.
If I can get the mechanical bits all in, it’ll go to Aidan for the wiring and some other minor bits to get it road legal 
Oh and I do need to close up a couple of panels but hey if it runs I’m sure they’ll be stitched shut in no time
The in-panel rustproofing/undersealing I’ve been doing on the exposed bits really looks to be effective and could give the sills an extra 10yrs – makes me want to rip open all the panels and treat them but I’ll be here forever if I start that.
As long as it’s possible to weld it shut without it all catching fire should be no probs hehe…but hey my “mister” & fire extinguisher are always to hand when welding
I’m hoping that with the heat the underseal goo (holts not the rubber stuff) will melt and run into the cracks between the panels and form a seal to protect from the elements and stop moisture collecting and seeping into cracks.
Funny, actually chris asked that too…
it’s not that it didn’t work at all or couldn’t be made to work, but to me it wasn’t looking like something I could reliably drive every day. There were a number of small issues like that the throttle lever on the carbs fouled the coolant flange, the standard flange didn’t fit but my made one leaked. The easyweld one broke too 
It still had a “sawn-off” throttle body too, the breather pipe didn’t match up and the alternator was a little bit more wobbly than I would like it to be given how the syncro was driven in the past.
I also don’t fully understand what’s supposed to happen with the ignition timing, vacuum retard etc – again not insurmountable but it’s another thing I need to get someone in to do for me.
It’s a shame realy cos it sounded *awesome* on the carbs but I have a feeling it’ll sound good on the KR too. The angle on the inlet manifold I made is also too shallow though – it needs a steeper angle to raise the carbs up higher so they clear the cooling flange and that means I need to take a disc-cutter to the manifold again. Even that work I’d class as “experimental” rather than a direct route to “something I can drive everyday”..
all in all it ended up quite a way away from the initial “maintain standard parts as far as possible” plan.
This way it’s a completely bog-standard KR, the only one-off bits are the downpipe and the bolt-hole bracket, both of which I have a degree of control over in terms of how solid I make them and thus how likely they are to fail.
In my world KR is the Thing That Works better than anything else. I’ve found it to be a tough little motor but without the weight of a bigger block. I like the revvyness and it suits my style of driving. I have and I have masses of spares for them as well as spare complete motors. Having them as an interchangable unit of “engine” which also fits in a syncro with no permanent changes needed to anything but the downpipe and bracket makes them really useful proposition for me.
I *really* want to go drifting and am going to get a car to do just that with rather than torturing the syncro with it but I’ve only got two parking spaces so the legendary gti 16v is going to have to go (of course – now that it all works properly lol).
It’s helping motivate me and getting me to prioritise stuff on the syncro because I have to finish that before I can think about selling the 16v since it’s my frame of reference for a working KR install!
This has been progressing nicely this weekend, the PGKR motor is out after only minor shenannigans, I forgot to disconnect the gear selector rod completely and managed to bend it in the process. I’m sure it’ll bend back but still. updated pics here:
The rod-shift box *just* fits onto the KR block. The Cable shift box had no clearance problems but the transfer box from the rod-shfiter closer to the back fo the block and the KR has an extra-bolt-hole which fouls the transfer box if it’s attached to the gearbox during gearbox fitting.
I fitted the main box, then just slackened off the bolts so there was some play and that was enough to fit the transfer box. It’s all pretty tight down there but it looks like the bracket should still fit.
I took a bunch of photos of the exhaust downpipe in place as it sat nicely before. the motor haivng run left nice black rings on the downpipe so it looks pretty clear where needs smoothing off
Actually looking back on past work, even though the downpipe merges the two pipes way too early (normal 16v secondaries only merge at the front silencer) it’s a lovely join…dunno if it really came out in the pics but I thought if I were exhaust gas I’d be pretty pleased at flying through there.
aaaaanyway… the new motor is now sitting on the wheeled dolly I made a while back so I can attach the last few bits.
It looks like I have not one but *two* 16v+pas alternator brackets, and on another spare motor I also found all the pulleys, belts and crap I need to make it work in situ, and a spare pas pump – result!
This motor is going to be mucky but it looks like it’ll have everything attached in the right places so fingers crossed
Hmm I’m sure I did an update since the last one shown here but there’s nothgin listed so I guess not…oh well..
Currently we’re in construction of the cross-beam whcih will allow the fitting of a KR motor straight into a syncro by making up for the missing bolt-hole.
The pics are all commented so I won’t repeat here but basically today I got to the stage of tack-welding it all together, hopefully tomorrow I’ll be able to stick it together properly and add some additional bracing for good measure.
And what we’ve ended up with is something roughly like this:
All done on the bracket front – and I’m pretty pleased with how solid it is.
Now just carrying on with prepping the motor and car for fitment. I think the engine bay is going to get a quick de-rust and some black gunk just to give it a bit of protection from the elements while I figure out the plan paint-wise.
Relatively soon it’ll be even more of a patchwork vehicle than currently – since it’s getting the red doors from Katy’s old 1.3 along with the leather door cards I got from chris a while ago.
Pics updated, front chassis rails taken back to bare metal and primered, bit of welding, bit of this and that, masses of progress
haven’t got much by way of pics but have done loads the last couple of weekends. the front end up to the a-pillar is now 100% solid and newly rust-proofed and zinc-primered. Once i’ve got the subframe bolts from vw I can close it all up and rubber-coat it but I’m doing other stuff till then.
Subframe has been cleaned up, de-rusted, kurusted and undersealed with hammerite’s paint-on black gunk which has weathered very well elsewhere. One more coat of that later this week should see it right for another 20 years.
Nuts and bolts were ordered from vw and I also got a classic quote in answer to one of my questions about one or other type of subframe bolt.. “nobody’s been here long enough to have any experience”… funny or scary – not sure which. This is AutoHaus Northampton for reference – AVOID! However Anglian Fasteners were very helpful and seem to have any kind of nut i’ll need even if VW don’t have a clue themselves.
I’m thinking to replace the captive nut thing in the subframe mount with two squares out of 4mm steel welded together which won’t be able to rotate in the mount, then weld a nut on the top… we shall see.
I’ve also replaced 3 of the doors with the ones from our old red 1.3 whcih were in much better shape than the syncro items. The car’s a great patchwork of red oxide primer, grey primer, red doors, black wings and a tiny bit of the original jade green here and there… most amusing but it’s actually now nearly all solid metal 
I’ll need to de-rust a coupel of bits and re-treat the underside of the passenger cell too at some point but it’s not crucial to getting it roadworthy so will come back to that once the motor’s in.
Hopefully later this week Aidan will be over to start wiring in the KR loom. Also hopefully VW will have differentiated arse and elbow and come up with my bolts so I can close up the subframe mount and get it all rubber-coated and weatherproofed.
Will try and grab some more pics once it’s stopped raining…
ooh – also got some nice compomotive 16s for it from Aidan… they need respraying but will look very nice when done….mmmm
quote:
Originally posted by ld50I also got a classic quote in answer to one of my questions about one or other type of subframe bolt.. “nobody’s been here long enough to have any experience”… funny or scary – not sure which. This is AutoHaus Northampton for reference – AVOID! However Anglian Fasteners were very helpful and seem to have any kind of nut i’ll need even if VW don’t have a clue themselves.
Most of the Mechs at my local VW dealers had not even been born when our cars were made! []
indeed! I guess they don’t test them on etka when they get hired. They shoul dhave some of the cashiers from Aldi – they used to know all the prices off by heart – would be magic in a parts warehouse..
