Should I? '91 Golf VR6 project

The car is a rust free 1991 Golf GTI. I could pick this up tomorrow. It currently is someone's stalled project and could easily become mine. Here's the text from the For Sale:

1991 VW golf GTI. I bought it from a friend who drove it for about 6 months with an OBD1 AAA 12V vr6 swap. White. 2 door. Mini Cooper phone dial wheels. tires need to be replaced. The old engine bent a valve or something. He bought another one short block, had it built by a shop. Got it back due to having to sell it and I bought the car with a blown one in the car. and a short block.

I swapped the short block in with new crack pipe, new o-rings on coolant lines, BFI stage 1 motor mounts, new intake and exhaust gaskets, 42DD SAI delete plug, 42DD test pipe with a full straight pipe welded by me. Stainless tip. Big bumper from Croatia bought through ECS Tuning. Ripped the interior. It was all old and rotting. Door cards and panels are still good. Ripped the back seat platform. Dry iced all the sound deadning off. Wanted gutted race car look. Also has tube bent roof rack basket that reminds me of air cooled racks. Pretty neat.

It has fresh LiquiMoly oil in it.

Reason for sale: lost motive, time, and do not want to spend more money on it. I had it running after the swap, got the supercharger kit, that wasn't a full kit, gave up, and now wanting to sell the rest.

**SUPERCHARGER KIT IN PICTURE IS NOT INCLUDED**

Things needed:
1, OBD1 ECM. I traded it for a tuned one when I bought a supercharger kit, but sold the kit.
2, Probably need to pull the engine out and bang the frame out some because the crankshaft pulley is ridiculously close.
3, Seats. I sold it to afford engine parts and was going to put some cheap track car seats.
4, coolant.

The weather is warming up now and I'm getting excited about getting to work on my '81 Scirocco as a Challenge car. I could probably morph these two together and be within budget, or build the Golf as my Challenge car and build the Scirocco up with no concerns for the budget. There's always room for one more - if I can nudge a parts car out to the scrap yard.

I need your input to help make a quick decision. Is an OBD1 12V VR6 worth focusing on. I doubt I'd supercharge on a Challenge budget, but maybe cobble a turbo in from a Audi A4. I have already set myself up to put an ABA with a cam and exhaust in the Scirocco and haven't seriously considered a VR6 in there. Blah, blah, blah....

I could ramble for a page or two about it all, but I'd rather read your ramblings. I guess the question is: Should I get the Golf as a Challenge car, or ignore it and just focus on the Scirocco. Either way I love the Scirocco and it will be restored.

The VR6 is sweet, but a bit porky. OBD1 is a plus, and you seem to move on projects. 

I think it is cool, and a VR6 early Scirocco would be way cool.

Were it me, I'd be concerned with target focus. Will you complete this? Is the finished car what you'd want? Is a VR6 really that cool for the frontend weight in the Scirocco? Do you really want a Golf like that? Again, very cool, but my problem is focus. Is yours?

Can you realistically do both?  

VR swap is not an ideal donor for a Scirocco which is mk1 based.  EuroWise does make VR swap kits for mk1's now that take out a lot of the fab work, but I'd still think a Scirocco should have a 4 banger in it.  

I've always liked VR mk2's, so I say if the price is right buy it if it's a deal and put it together as it's own car.  Usually I'm scared of someone else's "built" motor, and I'm confused at the opening paragraph on the sale ad.  Some people incorrectly refer to longblocks as short blocks.  A shortblock wouldn't fix a bent valve.  Regardless, whatever he had it was at one point up and running so hopefully you can assume it's a solid longblock currently.  Love to see it at the challenge.  I hope to have my white mk2 Golf there this year, but with a lowly 16V in it.  

I’ve seen this on my Craigslist. For 800 bucks it’s a steal. You should pick it up so I don’t have too. But hey whatever goats your float. Would definitely be a killer challenge car!

In reply to xflowgolf :

One thing I really like about the Scirocco is that it's so light. The ABA is a great lightweight engine. I'm starting to realize that I don't want the VR6 in the Scirocco.

I'm also wondering about the "bent valve" and "short block", but the ad is poorly worded thru that part. I'll plan to sort that out in person if I take this further.

In reply to wheelsmithy :

As long as I can purposefully ignore and defer my Audi V8 - Boxster swap, I can handle a few other projects on the table. The 2000 Beetle is out of the garage and just getting a few tweaks as I get inspired. I think I can keep focus as long as I assign it a purpose: Challenge Car.

In reply to Captain Nemo :

Here it is, posted almost 2 months ago. I was surprised that it was still valid.

https://fayar.craigslist.org/cto/d/fayetteville-1991-vw-golf-gti-vr6-swap/6792620067.html

Anyone want to beat me to it and save me? Do it quick.

For $800 it seems like you can't lose as long as it's not a rust bucket. 

I'm bothered by the fact that half his pics are of the exhaust.  I want to see better pics of the body and exactly what he's ripped out of the interior.

If you have the room I’d say go for it as the sum of the parts far exceeds the price.

It looks like majority of the basic parts needed to make it running/driving are fairly cheap to pick up. 

 I’m not sure how mk2’s hold up in the south but my 87 GTI’s floor pans rusted from the inside out. 

Hopefully some one saves this car from garage limbo. 

This part of the seller’s ad confuses me:

I swapped the short block in with new crack pipe

I may be admitting my ignorance, but I don’t know what this means.

In reply to AAZCD :

If i had 800 to throw around right now it would be gone. Whoever gets it needs to share it with us. I sense potential

In reply to paranoid_android :

VR6 Coolant tube:

Crack Pipe:

Just waiting for a reply from the seller about picking it up tomorrow. $800 as long as there's no surprises. He says there's another buyer planning to come from 5 hours away next week. Are you guys outbidding me now? I'm happy if I get it, happy if I don't.

I'll say that I think your capabilities exceed this car- unless you love '91 gtis, it seems like you'd get a better return (of money or fun) by spending your limited time on more valuable projects or better starting platforms. But if you get it, I'd still love to see it being brought back to life (: 

Having dealt with a '93 VR6 in one of my ex's old cars, I have zero desire to ever work on another one.  Does buying VAG-COM count against the Challenge budget?  As mentioned, it's not a light engine by FWD standards.  I can imagine the weight balance in a MkII would be very front-heavy.

In reply to AAZCD :

The VR6 has one of the best engine sounds that VW ever produced. 

That's a steal. Rust free Mk2s are becoming 4 digit shells these days... at least in the north, from what I've seen.

Arrangements have been made. The $100 bills are ready. 6 pm tonight near the OK, AR border. Pics and words to follow on Wednesday morning.

I looked outside this morning and realized; the no-title '99 Jetta parts car is going to have to be unloaded, stripped and scrapped soon. What I really need is a 6-car shop building.

AAZCD said:

Arrangements have been made. The $100 bills are ready. 6 pm tonight near the OK, AR border.

The plot thickens: Meeting at the border...

AAZCD said:

Arrangements have been made. The $100 bills are ready. 6 pm tonight near the OK, AR border. Pics and words to follow on Wednesday morning.

I looked outside this morning and realized; the no-title '99 Jetta parts car is going to have to be unloaded, stripped and scrapped soon. What I really need is a 6-car shop building.

I need to shop down there for cars. I picked up an early 99' Jetta late last year for a work beater. Mechanically it is great, but it's starting to drop pieces of the floor and rockers on the road. 

AAZCD said:

What I really need is a 6-car shop building.

Doesn't everyone need that?

Not the best handling thing out there, but the VR6 does make great noise.  It should be easy enough to sell once it's done, if you don't love it.

Damn. I'm so glad you are picking this up. I kept seeing it locally and am pretty sure the wife would finally have to put her foot down. I hope it's as good a deal as it sounds. Meeting in Siloam Springs I assume?

In reply to Hoondavan :

Yes, the "Not the best handling thing" is going to be a challenge for The Challenge. I have no dreams of being competitive in the Challenge, but I would like to afford myself the illusion of competing. Is there a trophy for Best Noise?

I shifted a few cars around, pulled out the trailer and washed the fleet. Next, I'll put covers on most of them, so I can ignore them for a week or two while I focus on the newcomer.

captainawesome said:

... Meeting in Siloam Springs I assume?

Straight to his house in Tontitown. I'm saving you from it, so I can see more progress on your Beetle.

AAZCD said:

captainawesome said:

... Meeting in Siloam Springs I assume?

Straight to his house in Tontitown. I'm saving you from it, so I can see more progress on your Beetle.

Soon enough I'll get back on that pig. Still hoping to get it ready for the Kansas one in April if possible.