Desperately need swap help

DeadBunny · 10-15-2007, 05:14 PM

Heres the deal. I have an 86 mk1 3 rib black top. Its spewing oil and coolant from a variety of ruptured seals. I am more than competent to fix it, however, Im going to collage right now and have a VARY SMALL window to do so. Because of school and work I need to drive the car every day. The only solution is to rebuild the lower end of a 4age red top from my 87 mk1 and pop it into the 86. This will give me the opportunity to rebuild a motor without taking the risk of knocking my daily driver out of commission.

My questions to you all is
(1. is the 87 4age a direct swap into the 86(this including wiring, mounts, coolant hoses etc etc).
(2. What should I watch out for when changing the crank and main bearings of the 87 4age. Im following a HAYNES manual but I know from experience they are prone to containing gross errors and omissions.

Im asking you all this because it is critical that I DO NOT get hung up anywhere on this swap and I want to eliminate any risk of that happening. I don't want to be in the middle of the job on friday and find out Im missing something that will take until monday to get.

...Also if you just want to detail you swap experiences that would be great to. Any and all information that I have to work with will be greatly appreciated.

mr220v · 10-15-2007, 05:34 PM

The 87's engine mount is just a bit wider than the 86's. Aside from this, the wiring harnesses are totally different, but use all the same plugs.

You can just reuse your 86's wiring harness and motormount, and most any other thing that you might be missing.

Unless there is something wrong with the 87's topend, I would just use the entire motor.

10-15-2007, 05:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
DeadBunny No Skills Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 85 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post My Google Map iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Desperately need swap help Heres the deal. I have an 86 mk1 3 rib black top. Its spewing oil and coolant from a variety of ruptured seals. I am more than competent to fix it, however, Im going to collage right now and have a VARY SMALL window to do so. Because of school and work I need to drive the car every day. The only solution is to rebuild the lower end of a 4age red top from my 87 mk1 and pop it into the 86. This will give me the opportunity to rebuild a motor without taking the risk of knocking my daily driver out of commission. My questions to you all is (1. is the 87 4age a direct swap into the 86(this including wiring, mounts, coolant hoses etc etc). (2. What should I watch out for when changing the crank and main bearings of the 87 4age. Im following a HAYNES manual but I know from experience they are prone to containing gross errors and omissions. Im asking you all this because it is critical that I DO NOT get hung up anywhere on this swap and I want to eliminate any risk of that happening. I don't want to be in the middle of the job on friday and find out Im missing something that will take until monday to get. ...Also if you just want to detail you swap experiences that would be great to. Any and all information that I have to work with will be greatly appreciated.

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10-15-2007, 05:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
mr220v Beams Owners Group Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 2,529 Thanks: 13 Thanked 176 Times in 147 Posts iTrader Rating: (11/100% )	The 87's engine mount is just a bit wider than the 86's. Aside from this, the wiring harnesses are totally different, but use all the same plugs. You can just reuse your 86's wiring harness and motormount, and most any other thing that you might be missing. Unless there is something wrong with the 87's topend, I would just use the entire motor.