conversion
Engine codes and conversion options
I’ll refer to each engine by it’s first 2 letters of the engine number.
Stock Engines for Mk1
some of these may appear in an early Mk2:
I think there’s some 1.1 and 1.3l engines that were also fitted, but if you’ve got one, keep it cos it’s a bit of a European novelty 
JB – 1.5L 8v Carb Approx 70BHP
Found in mk1′s and mk2′s til ’82
Simple upgrade to 1.8 EX Carb engine
FR – 1.6L 8v Carb Approx 85BHP
Found on GLS Model
Simple upgrade to 1.8 EX Carb engine
EG 1.6i, 8v Approx 110BHP, All Mk1 injection models and Mk2 until 1983
This engine can compete happily with the 1.8 injection engines thus a KR would be a starting point for an upgrade as the fueling system is similar.
Stock Engines for Mk2
EW – 1.6l 8v carb approx 75BHp
Easy upgrade is to an EX as very little needs to be changed.
EX – 1.8l 8v carb approx 90BHp
Easy upgrade would be a KR on side-draught carbs. Fuel injection requires new pump and fuel lines.
DX – 1.8l 8v K-jet injection approx 110BHp
Easy upgrade would be a KR running K-jet injection.
KR – 1.8l 16v K-jet Injection approx 135BHp – Import (LHD) only
› Continue reading
Auto to Manual Conversion
This one comes up more than you think on the Scirocco Register forums, so, having done the conversion, here is what you need to know. Some parts are vital and some are recommended. I recommend using a complete donor car for this conversion.
Vital
Manual Gearbox & Clutch
Gear stick & selector shafts, rods and brackets
Manual Steering Column/pedal bracket. Pre-1984 cars can also benefit from a post-1984 pedal mounted brake switch on the later brackets.
Manual Steering Rack (has brackets for the manual gear rods that the original auto Rack does not have)
Throttle cable
Clutch cable
Recommended
Manual car engine wiring loom. The starter motor on a manual car is on the front of the gearbox, on the auto it is on the back. It is possible to elongate the starter motor wiring but again for originality you may wish to use the factory loom which is the correct length.
Method
This is a recommended method, which I found to be the easiest way. › Continue reading
Brake upgrades
Get in the engine bay and you can dial out some of the play in the pedal linkage by cracking the locknuts on the pushrod and adjusting that (ISTR the offside has reverse thread so just spin the rod to add/remove tension).
All of this will cost you little £s and can seriously transform the feel and performance of the braking setup before you really get serious with changing stuff.
The 256mm conversion gives you the 16v setup (for the Scirocco and Golf) up front and does this using either Audi or Vauxhall parts. The key is finding the correct caliper carriers as they need to be sized to take the Girling 54 caliper (common as muck) yet fit onto the mk1 bearing housing. Some Audis had similar bolt spacing on their front bearing housings:
Audi 80 quattro (83 to 85)
Audi 90 5-cylinder (85 to 87)
Audi Coupe 5-cylinder (85 to 88)
And of course the (genuine) 16v GTX rocco
Then all you need is the calipers discs and pads. › Continue reading