23/08/2026
Absolutely huge job that i’ve been picking at for the last 6 months, many of you will know about this as it’s been sat in the yard
Brief explanation, very nice Imola S3, 1.8T. Very horrible ming blue S3, Forged 2.8 VR6T converted - Owner wanted the 1.8T gone and the Vr6 swapping into the imola.
What was done:
- Engine and box, fuel pump and intercooler removed from ming blue car, rest was broken for parts
- Engine/box , fuel pump, gear cables , exhaust , intercooler all removed from yellow car
Whilst it was out:
- Complete timing chain kit inc sprockets and every nut and bolt
- Sump replaced, cleaned and resealed
- Twin plate clutch kit fitted
- MQ500 conversion courtesy of Deutsche Automotive, inc mounts and bellhousing adapter
- New AN rocker cover
- Replacement oil drain with custom fitting from Lostinfab (the old pipe was shocking! and no longer fit)
- Water Pump
- Reinstate aircon pump
- Replacement engine mount (pulled threads)
- Machine shop called to remove someone’s previously snapped sump bolt they’d gummed over!🤦🏻♂️
Installation:
- Custom shafts supplied by customer
- Notch chassis leg
- Strip, simplify and rewrap VR lambda loom and swap for the 1.8T one + ECU
- Merge 1.8T cables and MQ Tiguan cables (basically S3 box with tiguan cables/ends + box bracket)
- All fluids replaced. engine/box/tcase etc
- Cupra R power steering line to replace the standard low pressure ones (they no longer fit)
- Tiguan bleed block
- Vibratechnic drivers engine mount
- Big front mount and oil cooler swapped over
- Sytec pump swapped over
- Exhaust swapped over (but needs completely remaking, it’s an abomination🤮)
- Replacement driver hub, shaft was nut fl**ge not bolt 🤦🏻♂️
Of course the battery no longer fits, so courtesy of TT Spares, V6 cable was supplied and fitted to relocate it
Customer also stated the diff was broken 🤣 So replacement rear diff supplied and fitted with fresh fluids, filter and pump as requested
The quality of workmanship on the engine prior to me was frankly awful. JB welded sump, they’d JB welded the fitting for the oil drain into the sump AS WELL! The oil drain on the turbo side was jubileed? And completely loose . Water pump had never been changed and had broken up, snapped sump bolt
The job was no where near done, but the amount of work that went into that car was massive. The coolant pipework needs rejigging as it was designed to use the bottle on the wrong side and obviously the entire boost system is all wrong, but unfortunately i’m not a magician! So off to the fab shop it has gone .
Next steps need to be be an Ignitron ECU, mechanical boost control and a completely different turbo setup. But it is a turbo key VR6T now so hopefully it’s a starting point!
Have a flick through !
Ps, would i do another? not unless ive done it all🤣
