1994 called, they want your mk3 back

[gnmzl]

Damn you are good. Its just a RHD swap, the carpet and firewall are different. Tunnel is just extra padding which I am not sure why it came with 2. I have done a lot of interior swaps on these and dont remember seeing that before.

Ohhh I get it. It looks kind of like a tunnel and since there is already some carpet on the pic, thought that was the tunnel since you need the bracketry to support the 3 piece drive shaft when doing an AWD swap into a non AWD chassis and got all excited.
There is a small secret - before I got into BMWs, my game were Opel (GM), Lada and of course VWs. My Mk3 is the longest owned vehicle by me and still have it. Also, the first RHD car I drove was a Mk3 too, so you sir have my attention for sure
Are you going with the rear wheel centering kit? I've always been on the fence about that, I like both looks and could never decide which is better.

[hinrichs]

I keep thinking about it but not really sure. The kits that are available now are very different than the ones I was looking at years ago and never bought. I feel like my rear airs out before the struts are at 0 psi, but it doesnt seem like anything should be touching. the plates would make it look a lot better aired out thats for sure. I do plan on also getting new wheels, just cant make up my mind on how I want it to look. Hard to find decent setups, miss years ago when I could find almost anything I wanted.

Also thew in my italvolanti wheel. Its a lot like the bbs wheels you see, but doesnt have the weird plastic/wood center. I bought this years ago and someday would love to have it re-wrapped since its not in the best shape and very dry. Also need to make the horn work but I might just not worry about the stock wiring and end up running a foot switch.

italvolanti by minthinrich, on Flickr

[saturnstance]

For some odd reason I feel like a set of te37s would look really good lol Glad to see all this progress though.

[bwwaaaa]

Holy crap this is moving fast. RHD is rad, I've always wanted to do that to a car, but I've never had anything worth doing that with haha. Can't wait to see how it turns out!

Also... x2 on the TE37s, that would be a pretty unique look.

[Fruttolo]

Can't say I approve of the airride but I think finding a set of all rears 9j porsche gullideckels would be perfect for this

[hinrichs]

Can't say I approve of the airride but I think finding a set of all rears 9j porsche gullideckels would be perfect for this

Ive been looking but cant find shit . I know the airride isnt that cool, cuz trust me id rather be stupid low all the time like the good old days. Main reason was so the fiance can drive it any I dont have to worry about her killing the car, and also if you saw a few spots in my driveway, and also just getting into the garage, you would understand.

[saturnstance]

I've got to say, wheel hunting is very laborious anymore.

[hinrichs]

I've got to say, wheel hunting is very laborious anymore.

All the good wheels and decent deals are in the UK from what I can find....but they wont ship to the states....super frustrating.

Planning on starting the RHD swap today, I will take as many pics as I can. If you guys wanna follow along I will post more on my IG story.

[saturnstance]

With all the wheel companies out there no one will facilitate shipping?

[19birel]

Absolutely love this, my mum had a White '97 MK3 Golf GL back in the day. Love what you've done so far, can't wait to see where it goes!

[DawsonLiri]

Dude, you made more progress in 2 days then what I did the whole year!
Anyway I'm not a fan of the airride but I can understand, even so I'm so happy for the texture bumpers and the RHD swap!

[Graphitemk6]

A set of wide RS would set this off. That pattern on the seats is pretty awesome

[hinrichs]

Well I have a lot to update on in a way, but I am not really happy with the progress at all. Seems like every time I make one step forward, I go a few back due to issues with this swap and other parts I buy that dont work properly.

Before christmas I took a half day and was off work till today. In a few hours this was where I was at. Easy to strip everything down to just the firewall.

Ended up pulling the engine first, was easy enough surprisingly. Used my motorcycle jack and it came right out. Need to fix my engine hoist which is why I didnt use that.

59847584875--07791DA5-FA68-4F09-A206-AA54C86B0F7B by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-7300 by minthinrich, on Flickr

Then onto the interior to get down to the firewall.

IMG-7296 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-7297 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-7301 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-7302 by minthinrich, on Flickr

I didnt take many pics of getting the firewall out, but let me tell you it sucks to do. It bolts in....but then there is a very thick layer of urethane to cut through to get it out. Took me a few days working on and off to get it out. I ended up cutting around parts of the LHD firewall to make getting the last parts of the "flange" out. Having another set of hands would have really helped a lot for this becuase I think I could have maybe used a piano wire technique like on a windshield. I ended up using lots of heat and prying.

IMG-7339 by minthinrich, on Flickr

Started to fit the RHD firewall which also took a while. It was slightly bent all over, had holes welded shut which warped it, but I got it to fit the best I could and sealed it back in after some paint.

IMG-7382 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-7385 by minthinrich, on Flickr

Got the pedals mounted along with the brake booster. New clutch it hydro so I had to track down a TDI tranny to swap in.

image-2019-12-31-10_01_25-825 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-7387 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-7420 by minthinrich, on Flickr

[hinrichs]

Ended up going back to the power steering rack, simply since I have no idea which steering joint setup I would need. There is a place that sells a LHD non power setup but will not answer me on a simple question and I am kind of tired of buying parts I can not use. So that rack is for sale for now. Ended up buying a pack of crush washers which will be nice to have in the end.

IMG-0028 by minthinrich, on Flickr

The other night I threw in the dash for some motivation. I had a lot of set backs and other little issues so it made me happy to see it somewhat together. All this to pull it back out again.

59979502529--2C92E3EB-BA4E-455F-AD4F-42388817CBC1 by minthinrich, on Flickr

I have been back and forth on wiring so many times its driving me crazy. I checked again and the rhd harness will not work with my ABA. Sure I could prolly find the correct 8V and have one sent over, but thats just kinda dumb. I thought about a few other swap options but I need the car off the lift asap. Had to cut out one hole in the firewall that my friend shaved to just run the stock harness. I have to extend it to the new driver side which wont be too bad. I have a lead on a newer ABA out of another RHD shell which I might be getting this weekend if the kid can get it pulled. Only real reason I want that is so I can go obd2 and make the bay a little cleaner. If it doesnt happen I will hit the junkyard and just get everything I need to someday convert my car and extend another harness.

IMG-0068 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-0069 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-0060 by minthinrich, on Flickr

Still chipping away at brake lines as well. Ordered new line and got one done that I am very happy with the fit and finish. I made the passenger side last night 2 times, and might re-do it again since I dont like the bends I went with. Didnt take pics of that side.

IMG-0029 by minthinrich, on Flickr
IMG-0030 by minthinrich, on Flickr

[SebastienPeek]

Progress is progress man! Looking good!