Rebuilding a 25 year old 12v VR6 Engine for a Swap!

Here's the breakdown. Keep in mind these prices are from Spring 2021, and have very likely changed but it's still a good rough idea of what each individual item cost as well as overall refresh cost. The only thing left untouched were the crank main bearings and hardware.
-Rock Auto-
$87.69 - Con rod bearings
$28.16 - Head bolts
$40.99 - Head gasket
$10.72 - Oil filter
$3.80 - Throttle body gasket
$5.71 - Intake gasket #1
$5.87 - Intake gasket #2
$16.90 - Oil pan gasket
$4.70 - Front crank seal
$8.92 - Rear crank seal
$6.69 - 12x Valve stem seals
$3.57 - Oil cooler seals
$17.08 - Valve cover gasket
$44.07 - Exhaust manifold gasket pair
$62.50 - 6x Ruthenium HX NGK Spark plugs
$6.55 - Water pump o-ring seal
$25.38 - Front knock sensor
-CTS Turbo-
$173.07 - ARP rod bolts
-Park Auto Motorsport-
$269.69 - Timing chains and guides
$32.99 - SAI Block off plate
-eBay.ca-
$128.32 - Piston rings
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TOTAL: $983.37
Later added, new alternator, starter. Approx. $450 for those items.

[@alexiangelatos2116]

Always love seeing vr6 content and younger guys enthusiastic to learn to work on them.. As someone who has built and overhauled countless amounts of vr6's over 20 plus years i would definitely do a few things differently. I do have to point out that you put the camshaft caps on backwards. Definitely something that should be corrected.

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Thanks for the catch and feedback, wow no idea where I got the idea that the arrows pointed towards the cam gears it's most definitely towards the crank pulley.

[@gavanphotography7814]

Hey Alexi, given you have experience working on VR6s, could you take a listen to the video clips I have posted to my KZbin channel and see if you have any idea what my ticking noise is? Would really appreciate it!

[@weseisenschenkslostmusclec9123]

@@thirdgeargrind8033 Any interest in writing a book on building and modifying the VR6?

[@jaybeemhardscrote7466]

Dude, LOVE the video! Keep it up, thanks for doing right by these old cars! You have a passion for Vdubs as strong as anyone and it shows. Subscribed!

[@friscostreetstories5403]

Its awesome to see young guys picking up a VR, it was the motor I learned on as a teenager. Looks like you chose the right water pump. Your covers came out awesome. Techtonics in with the save!!

[@haydenjones6646]

dude what a sweet video! your content thus far has been impressive; the video quality, information and how you talk through your build/issues reminds me of the Humble Mechanic! Also I have a 78 chocolate brown Rabbit swapped with a VR6. So I’m loving all of this

[@Eurospec73]

Wow great video of the VR6 content for sure. I always like seeing VW enthusiasts rebuilding the very rare VR6 that's slowly dying off. Thank God there's great people out there to keep these engines rebuilt and alive keep up the great work 🏋️‍♀️🏁🏆

[@jimlee7317]

Thanks for inspiring me, got an 01 Wolfsburg 1.8t and tuning it and a little wrenching for fun. Appreciate your sharing!

[@Kid_Ellipsis]

Excellent video and very professional delivery.

[@darkscrap3347]

thank you for uploading its so hard to find videos to help me with my 12v vr6 and a complete noob to the car world.

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Felt the same way when I encountered my first vr6 head gasket being blown having no prior wrenching experience. Now happy to guide others through the process.

[@tukudikapup]

awesome! I'm getting ready to do a vr from a Passat into a GTI. My buddy had the same setup as your Jetta which made me always want to do one. And now I have a chance to. Subscribed.

[@Mario55F]

Im getting ready for build my turbo vr6 24v 👌🏻👌🏻 nice video

[@madsknobelauch1274]

Wau really nice restoration. Love it!

[@jdmking4776]

Great content! Going to be rebuilding a vr6 soon!

[@Davidshomeworkshop]

Great job. Looks awesome. Did you check the final compression?

[@kris-english]

Great video. Thanks 👌

[@Tigerrag89]

Love the collection of Rock Auto magnets lmao. I have those things stuck all over everything too

[@jackcampbell5443]

Good shit bro. Always love to see a fellow vdub guy making an old girl new again

[@Nobody-U-Want-2-Know]

Awesome video. Thanks!

[@thefoosh5562]

Great video and super informative!

[@dubCanuck1]

Those oil pan gaskets..... *shiver"

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Yea it was interesting that the elring oil pan gasket was basically just a laser cut paper one as opposed to the nicer valve cover rubber type oil pan gasket. But hey, it works alright.

[@SlightAddictions]

My kit also has the same uro brand upper guide rail and it had the same problem.

[@sirfartsalot1328]

Sexiest sounding engine aside from a I6. Would love to swap a vr into a mk2 cabby. I wouldn't have been able to not start throwing in new, upgraded bits in case I wanted to boost it down the road.

[@caetanogarage2037]

Trabalho maravilhoso! Sempre é muito prazeroso deixar o motor em dia! As pecas devem ser baratas e acessíveis em seu país. Aqui no Brasil estou cuidando de um projeto meu para ficar assim e esteticamente também. Com as peças em preço não sendo caro, se torna mais prazeroso ter um carro desse porte. E olhe que gosto muito mais de carros italianos! Muito legal o vídeo!

[@greapsoho]

For the first part of the video I thought both were being run as turbo. Also thought it was a 3.2. Haha at the end you ask am I surprised by the results. I am not at all surprised that a turbo car( that physically crams in more stuff to light on fire ) makes more power than an NA 12 v. Never been super in to VW and am just starting to think about some builds now, so I appreciate the comparisons.

[@maveric0738]

Love VR6!!

[@Vdublove]

Love this content keep them coming man hell yeah !!!

[@MrCherryFox]

Good job!

[@BK-rq3fv]

The vr6 master

[@Toasty-Snax]

Hey man I just came across the video. I have a 12v that I want to rebuild and this will be very helpful! If you could estimate how long did the rebuild take?

[@j.m.5995]

Did a compression test on my motor and it has 120 Psi on all 6 holes

[@glennlozuke268]

Great content on the VR6. I currently own a mk 6 golf TDI and will plan to swap out that engine at some point. From what ive seen, the 2.8l, 12 valve has lots of modifying capability. Is this what you would recommend if my goal was 600hp? Any advice for that swap? Thx

[@jonathanhernandez6878]

Hey buddy... What part of Canada are you from? I have a golf vr6 2.8 engine that I want to restore as well . The best video I saw ever.

[@engineerscmvas3203]

Hi would you please able to rebuild my vr6 engine I really love it, how much the pricing would be to do the work.

[@clintathusaz]

Good stuff! Informative AND entertaining! Any idea how long this took you?

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Probably about a full 7 days.

[@-M-511]

Just out of curiosity , is there no need to check the ware of the bores ..i dont mean deep groves but..if the bore's still flat from top too buttom ?

[@enricoantas7732]

Great channel and lovely content. Need some advise from you Sir. What is the best route to go with a vr6 engine 12v in order to gain more off the line power in terms of mods. Would not like to go turbo.

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Most common is 268 cams and tune. Not much you can do beyond that without using NOS or alternative fuel. You can sometimes find S/C kits out there but usually turbo is more cost effective per pony in the end.

[@custeroo4539]

I know it’s probably a lot of work, but could we get link for all the stuff?

[@pernellmitchell8435]

Awesome bro are you selling the rims and tires

[@vr2jetta]

Cool video! I am anxious to rebuild mine, but that will come at a later date as I plan to balance the rotating assembly like I did for my old G60 engine. My 87 golf build on my channel has so much going into it, building an engine is just not in the cards currently. I want to drive it!

[@makapaka5222]

Where do you bought compression ring?

[@kisrucs]

where can i buy that honer thing in europe? and witch size is it?

[@ChevyReid]

Wat manual transmission is used on vr6 a got a 6 speed from an audi Tt front wheel drive can dat work? Anyone??

[@DEATHWISHVQ]

2.8?? I’m new to vw. If im not mistaken the only 12v vr6 are 2.8 & 2.9L.

[@miguelpelayo5265]

Hello what brand and price for the ultrasonic cleaning machine ?

[@abbsgarage.9676]

You always send that cover with the head

[@bcshay]

How many miles was on the engine before the refresh? How much did you get the engine for?

[@Malawama]

Thinking about picking up a vr6 with bad bearing as a project, thank you for your video now I have an idea what I might be signing up for! Also is there a good forum anyone knows about for these motors/cars.

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

The VR6 owners group on Facebook is a good place!

[@87mustang347]

what cylinder hone did you use?

[@user-ep3pc6hi4v]

Привет. Не подскажешь номер запчасти, планка верхнего натяжителя?

[@armindogomes47]

Brand new should only be 145 to 189 psi Fked is 144 and below on 10:1 compression Copper is the least resistant metal other than silver. That’s why we run Ngk bkres on boosted cars Iridium plugs are the worst

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Recently tested a known good mk3 12v VR6 to 205 psi, so I'm sticking with my 210 new number.

[@jackcampbell5443]

Nice.

[@markholton7273]

Where in canada are you from

[@dundeedye]

where is that?.....it's a mystery..lol

[@raulyrod]

So would you say you’re back at 0 miles after this rebuild? Or is this more of a refresh?

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Definitely a refresh as we could have gone into replacing main bearings and other bearings on the block, but pretty close. A true zero mile would basically require substantially more brand new parts, going as far as to replace the oil pump, oil pump shaft, intermediate bearing, etc.

[@noah5923]

More vr6!

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Oh it's comin. The other featured 24v VRT GTI on the channel went boom so we're taking a deep dive and fixing it. Excited to show some carnage followed by revival.

[@leeverink32]

Wy did u not upgrade to metal crackpipe? the plastic ones can crack that is wy they are nicknamed crackpipe.

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Depends on climate. Here in the north west many cars still have the original plastic going on 15-20 years. If we did the metal crackpipe we'd want to do the thermostat housing too since they are prone to cracking where the o-ring seals, and that would be additional cost that I feel wasn't warranted since this setup should last another 15 years.

[@GCS88]

Great job but alot of things here I wouldn't really follow or recommend.

[@ct1762]

so you honed an already tired bunch of cylinders huh?why not get them done properly with a bore and finish hone? when honing with the ball type, you want to go super slow with the rotation, yet in and out in about 1 second.

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

A bore involves new pistons, and here it was certainly not necessary.

[@donovanhandley7936]

They weren't even that bad and cleaned up quite nice. The only thing he didn't do was use lubrication for the flex hone, but that makes a huge mess. Also, it's crucial to have the flex hone spinning before you enter the cylinder bore.

[@friscostreetstories5403]

Mabey some metal coolant flanges and crack pipe is n your future.

[@jasonkenney5009]

We gonna ignore that he put that seal in dry😬

[@chaskacarter4301]

Hehe my 3.2 vr head gasket is blown :P

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

Aha rip. Make sure your aux water pump works, I have a hunch when they fail head warpage occurs over long term followed by blown gasket.

[@jeancharlesrabaux5658]

Is just beautiful cars is for sale the cars please sir yes ho no sir please sir thancs you sir bye bye boys

[@yayosgarage3257]

Why tf would you leave the loud ass sounds in the video make no sense

[@paintsilj]

When you talked about replacing the bolts when fitting the timing chain kit, is that always necessary? I recently had a timing chain kit fitted but not sure the bolts were replaced at same time.

[@thirdgeargrind8033]

It is not. In my experience it's been totally OK to use them as long as they're torqued correctly.

[@paintsilj]

@thirdgeargrind8033 great thanks. Having my VR6 resprayed and lots of welding and new parts

[@leonardog735]

Thanx for video! Congrats from Brasil! @passatglxvr6