Cost Of Conversion

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

A while ago there was a discussion as to if a GTI6 conversion could be done for less than £500 (Think it was WP)

 

So, I kept a tally of what the cost of the conversion was to me on my GTi - GTi6 conversion.

 

Just thought it may be of interest to people thinking of completing the task themselves?

 

I did get very lucky with sopme dead stock at work, and I had most of the sundry items in stock at home!

 

 

Ta

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

Oh, I converted the loom and exhaust myself, both are a very easy after a little head scratching.

[allye 530 3 Cars]

cost me a s*ite load more than that!!!

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

Other things to note, I sold my old engine for £100 and I ended up not using the fuel banjo. I opted to re-pipe the car and use a 106 GTi fuel filter.

[chris-gti 14]

My budget is £600 for the conversion, I'm £500 in with a complete, running, taxed and tested, low mileage 306 gti-6 just in need of a clutch.

 

once the conversion is done i can scrap/sell the rest of the car. This way i have brakes, rear beam and everything i need for the conversion without having to source parts from here there and everywhere.

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

Think its pretty easy to do it for much less than £500 tbh. I bought a VTS cheap, kept the engine, loom, box and rack and sold the remainder of the car and actually made a profit. Then its just things like hoses, exhaust, 205parts thermostat adapter, all of which i sourced on the cheap. Then there was just sundry items which i sourced from work.

 

Edit: Not forgetting a new clutch at trade and clutch arm and speedo drive off ebay.

Edited March 23, 2013 by j_turnell

[harryskid 193]

I wish mine was anywhere near that price, cost a bomb but if i knew what i know now!

[Obey_R 23]

Ditto, wish I never saw this thread!

[jamie_1992 66 1 Cars]

Yes it can be done but to what quality?

[harryskid 193]

Yes it can be done but to what quality?

Yes i agree with that statment and mine is well sorted now!

[S@m 156]

My mi16 conversion is costing that much not including the engine - which i already have thankfully! But then i'm going for baker hoses, oil cooler, pts/constella sump baffle and 4-2-1 manifold.

 

Fair play to you for getting it so low, its impressive what can be done if you keep your eyes peeled for deals on parts (here/ebay), get stuck in yourself with regards to wiring/exhaust mods and finally get good discount at the main stealer - that's a must! I am the parts guy but even i can't get two oil filters and a cambelt for 1 pence!

[j_turnell 137 3 Cars]

The quality is down to how good you are with a spanner, you can have a professional looking conversion for very little, just a case of holding out for bargains and not cutting corners. Obviously this is not for everyone, hence why there are companies offering this service, plus you have the benefit of a drive in drive out conversion with no hassle. But personally I find it a lot more satisfying doing the work myself and plus saving a large wedge of cash.

[S@m 156]

The quality is down to how good you are with a spanner, you can have a professional looking conversion for very little, just a case of holding out for bargains and not cutting corners. Obviously this is not for everyone, hence why there are companies offering this service, plus you have the benefit of a drive in drive out conversion with no hassle. But personally I find it a lot more satisfying doing the work myself and plus saving a large wedge of cash.

 

I completely agree, i've learned so much in converting a 205 to 8v turbo/gti6 (and shortly doing my own mi16 aswell) and also in fitting an mi16 into my old 306. Another benefit of doing the conversion yourself is that if something goes wrong and you break down then you stand a chance of understanding what it is and sorting it out. On top of that there is the sense of achievement when you drive a car you built down the road.

Edited March 23, 2013 by Sam306

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

Yes it can be done but to what quality?

I'm not quite sure what bearing the cost of the parts have on quality of conversion?

 

Is there anything I can verify or photograph to improve the quality of the conversion?

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

What did you do with the water pipes?

[jamie_1992 66 1 Cars]

i meant you can buy an old car rip the engine out and chuck it in your car, but the cost starts adding up when you start building a "quality" conversion, things like new clutch, belts and water pump there's a few hundred,you can chop up some old hoses and make the cooling system work but i would much prefer a silicone hose kit (much tidier)

then you can start looking in to upgraded parts you may need, like me i needed stiffer engine mounts as was hitting the mc

but in essence yes it can be done cheap

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

As you will see from the above, clutch, belts and the like were all replaced. I never needed silicone hoses on any car I have had so far. I ratched out suitable pipes from various cars for each section. All ends up very neat and out of the way of other components. I did use a copper T piece to join the header to expansion tank however.

 

The master cylinder was adjusted safely out of the way.

 

All engine mounts were new and a lower mount was made out of solid nylon and a stainless insert.

 

Water pump was also changed, as I had one on in a box.

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

i meant you can buy an old car rip the engine out and chuck it in your car, but the cost starts adding up when you start building a "quality" conversion, things like new clutch, belts and water pump there's a few hundred,you can chop up some old hoses and make the cooling system work but i would much prefer a silicone hose kit (much tidier)

then you can start looking in to upgraded parts you may need, like me i needed stiffer engine mounts as was hitting the mc

but in essence yes it can be done cheap

Have you bothered to read his list of parts? New cambelt, clutch, aux belt etc etc.

Silicone hoses and powder coated manifolds do not make a 'quality' conversion! fitting stiffer engine mounts because you haven't bothered to sort your master cylinder/cam cover clearance out is basically a bodge. Oh no hang on, you chopped a chunk out of your cambelt cover and elongated the holes in your engine mounts! Quality!

 

You'd love some of my own conversions! I measure, check and refit second hand clutches, I only replace water pumps if I deem them to be worn, I 'Bodge' parts from other makes of cars to fit and even make parts myself from lumps of scrap metal! The horror........

[jamie_1992 66 1 Cars]

Have you bothered to read his list of parts? New cambelt, clutch, aux belt etc etc.

Silicone hoses and powder coated manifolds do not make a 'quality' conversion! fitting stiffer engine mounts because you haven't bothered to sort your master cylinder/cam cover clearance out is basically a bodge. Oh no hang on, you chopped a chunk out of your cambelt cover and elongated the holes in your engine mounts! Quality!

 

You'd love some of my own conversions! I measure, check and refit second hand clutches, I only replace water pumps if I deem them to be worn, I 'Bodge' parts from other makes of cars to fit and even make parts myself from lumps of scrap metal! The horror........

 

 

thats nice

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

 

 

thats nice

I tell you what isn't nice, basically telling someone they've done a 'cheap' poor quality conversion without actually seeing the car. In all honesty after a quick look through your project thread I find your posts a bit hypocritical and contradictory.

[dcc 855]

ill just add my 2 cents.

 

I bought a £200 xu10j4rs engine. it had been driven without oil in it :| all of 30metres. I bought miles' exhaust and fitted everything into the car. I had also spent 15x that on an engine which sh*t itself after 3 weeks. the £200 engine ended up having bodies fitted, and getting more abuse than you could ever imagine. never had a single problem with it. SO in short, spending ££££'s vrs spending £££'s means f*ck all jamie.

[jamie_1992 66 1 Cars]

ok i take it back!

please dont think i was having a dig at his conversion i have seen pics of it and it is a rather nice job

[omega 82]

i think you all need to take a step back

we all have diffrent budgets and diffrent levels of skill

if you can do a job cheap get the car running and driving thats great.

maybe all the parts arnt new and custom but as you drive and your wallet fills back up you can change things if you want to.

its not all about having a fantastic looking engine bay,

if its working and safe and you getting the fun out of it isnt that more important?

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

Yup.

 

I'm sorry if my thread has caused an argument. It was not the intention.

 

What I intended to do was to see the true cost of a conversion. As you will see, or I hope you will see, I have not scrimped anywhere. The idea was to convert start to finish and quite simply see what it'll cost!

 

I am however yet to drive it!

[ablister 31]

Would be wise to replace the driveshaft oil seals, gearoil, engine oil, coolant, ball joint pinch bolts/nuts, timing belt tensioner/roller, spark plugs, air filter, clutch cable whilst engine is out?