Advice on what project to start. Lots of swaps

Simply put, at a bit of a cross roads and wanted to open this conversation up a bit more. Below are 3-4 options that have and I only have time to finish one right now. Which would you choose?

What they will be used for: 1-2 HPDE's a year and a fully season of Autox. Street driving not mandatory but welcomed. All can be made street legal with enough effort.

First:

1990 VW Gti k20 swap. I started this project 5 years ago and then life moved ahead of me. I couldn't afford the time when in college much less the cost and not much has changed to date but I'm willing to make the sacrifice. Estimated "get it running" costs ~5.5k. Should be 2000 lbs and 200hp when complete.

What is done: Cage, chassis, motor mounted, suspension is basically done

What it needs: Wiring, fuel system, brake lines, pedal box fitted, seats and harnesses, LSD in trans, header finished, exhaust system, custom axles, seats, harnesses, some reassembly and dyno time

Second:

Same K20 in my crx. I picked this up from a friend and it had TONs of suspension bits already purchased. But is completely disassembled. Get it running price of ~3k. Should be 1700lbs and 200 hp.

What I have: EF mounts that came with the k20 swap, EF swap axles, K20 and all parts required,

What it needs: Shocks and springs, LSD in trans, Steering rack, swap header, reassembly, dyno time, seats, harnesses and harness bar at minimum.

Third Option A & B:

The merkur's motor just went and this has been the track car for the last 3 years. Suspension is sorted and it handles very well. I was on the stock 2.3 with stock turbo.

What is has: Megasquirt, tons a suspension work and is the only one complete, sorted chassis

What is needs: Working motor, rebuild 8.8 rear end, proper seats, roll bar and harnesses.

Option A: Rebuild motor, 50 trim with a .48 exhaust side, turn the boost up and deal with a turbo at the track again... not fun. Get it running price around ~3k. 2800lbs and 250whp.

Option B: 331 swap, beefier T5, rebuilt rear end, exhaust made, and use the megasquirt I have to run the motor with a new harness. I'm still working the details with a friend but this can be done for not too much more ~5.5k. 2800 lbs and 350whp easily, plus that signature 302 noise.

What would you choose? I guess the last option would be just buy another track car... -Paul

My vote: I hear you about the 302 sound, but the FLM chassis leaves me cold. I would vote for the CRX, because there's just nothing wrong about 200 hp in 1700 lbs.

The CRX makes the most sense in my head. The Golf is the most "want."

CRX or 331 Merkur

In reply to catapultkid:

Question: You mention having to make sacrifices to accomplish any of these. Does that mean you're planning on keeping all-3 for completion at some future date?

Seems like selling the CRX and GTI would allow you to complete the Merkur, and would be the quickest solution. How quickly do you want to be back on track?

I agree with Swank though, the CRX would be my first choice if time/skill/money wasn't a concern.

I'm willing to put in $7k within the next year to get one of these running. That is basically my budget, less money (like the crx) is better. I don't see selling any of these cars because they are worth so little like they are, eventually I'd like to finish them. No one wants a crx shell, blown merkur or a half swapped gti. Luckily I have way too trusting of friends and our (wife and I's) autocross season hasn't been cut short. The merkur is technically her car and she tracks/autocrosses it but the surge from the turbo hasn't been her best friend and the heat and failures at the track haven't been mine.

Something needs to be complete by March of next year in time to test it and bring it too Hyperfest, sounds easy but I work way too much. I've also got a '89 4 speed chevy K2500 that I'll be putting a LQ4 in very soon ahead of these projects as a tow vehicle. That job is 80% paid for I hope so this gives me a few moments to save for the track car.

One note: She is much more comfortable with a longer wheel base car so she wants her merkur running. Plus she has been begging to do a little grassroots drifting. That does weigh into it some but I like getting feedback from the rest of the world. She has autocrossed a bunch of swapped civics and she does ok, but on track she is nervous with a twitchy car at speed.

Keep the GTI and Merkur, I'll come take that CRX off your hands...

Happy Wife, Happy life; Wife's comfort zone and time requirement pretty much leads you to the answer.

What is the wife's favourite one that can be put on the track the quickest?

As to the money, they wont be worth what you put in even IF finished, so cut your loses and be on the lookout for a buyer for the other two. Whatever they bring will help the budget. Failure to move them on will just burn your 7k budget and leave you with a need to spend more money and time to assemble the other two so that you can sell them for less than you have into them. Unless you are like me and prefer to wrench rather than drive, that is not a good thing.

Agree with nohome, the best answer here is none of the above, find a track rat Miata for $1,500 with shocks and stuff already installed and enjoy flogging it with no time crunch to finish and sort a project car.

Then work on the CRX for yourself so the two of you can go head to head.

If I didn't have to physically build the motor and trans the 331 to merkur swap could be as fast, but not as cheap, as the k20 crx. She would autox any of them and love it. It will be 5 years since the vw swap started and it is a huge mental thing for me. That's the biggest reason for not selling/parting it out.

I do love to wrench, I just wish my career would get the hint.

I've done the miata thing and it just isn't me. I prefer that splash of "different" and am willing to pay a little more for it. No offense.

Solution: explorer swap the murker. That gets it back on track pretty closely to how she wants it. Not as much power as the 331, but should still be reliable and easy onmmaintenance.

Dump crx. Reading between the lines, its not something that you have your heart set on.

Finish tow truck build. Get it outta your head.

Then focus on the gti. That one has your soul in it.

Once tbats sorted, should be time to get the merkur up to the next level.

I vote Merkur but with a stockish 5.0, at least to begin with, instead of a 331. Much cheaper to get the sound and the torque that way.

I love the CRX!! But agree with a few others, build the Merkur with a stockish 5.0 or go LQ9 in the Merkur instead! Once the Merkur is done build the CRX.

Let me explain real quick the 331. Long story short a friend of mine father had a blown (supercharged) blown (ran lean) 331 in a cobra. Assuming the price is very good I could easily pick that up much cheaper than a explorer motor with world more potential. After inspection it seems all it needs is a set of NA pistons, hone and NA cam then reassembled. That should put us in the 350wph range easily. With the ~$5.5k or so the cobra trans and my 8.8 would need to be rebuilt either way with both motor options hence why the pricing vs. potential favors the 331.

I think all in all Duster has it about right. The crx is just a toy and I'm not really taking it serious. I just happen to have all the ground control and other suspension parts and K swap goodies lying around. That is the only reason I have considered it.

I vote Merkur with 4cyl crate motor from SVT

Merkur b/c proper wheel drive and uniqueness

Choose the one that will be most exciting/energizing to work on. If you close your eyes and picture driving it and developing it, which one one brings the biggest smile to your face?

Sell off the other projects and associated bits so that they are not in the way. Car projects are challenging to keep moving forward. I have found that having other stuff taking up mental and physical space does not help.

Have you though about a K20 powered Mercur?

Id put a 2.3 back in the merkur and sell the others. The other options won't ever really be street cars or competitive in any kind of motorsports, so other than just to do it they seem kinda pointless.

I may go back to the 2.3t sometime, but right now with the issues and heat build up I've had to play with, I'm ok thinking in a different direction.

Thanks for the input

A running car is much better than a non-running car so tackle the project that's closest to being done - the Merkur. Rebuild the 2.3L engine, but don't turn up the boost, that's only going to cause you more problems unless you spend a lot of money to deal with the underhood heat. Would a different turbo help with the surge problem you're having and possibly have a higher efficiency (lower temps) than the 30 year old stock unit? While you're out having fun with the Merkur, you can send the 331 to the machine shop and have them rebuild it for you and have it ready to swap in if the turbo motor blows again.

After that, tackle the tow vehicle - if you don't have a running racecar a tow vehicle with a bigger engine is useless since you'd have nothing to tow (assuming you only use the truck as a tow vehicle and you're swapping in the LQ4 just for more power and not because the stock engine is blown).

After the Merkur and tow vehicle are running, then tackle the K20 into the CRX, or sell it to finance further upgrades to the Merkur (or buy something nice for your wife to butter her up for when you drag home your next project). Regardless, ditch the VW, if it's sat for 5 years and you haven't touched it you'll never miss it.

Edit to add - that Merkur looks awesome, by the way.

If I was in your situation, I would finish the GTI this year since you're dead set against selling it. There comes a time where projects need to be finished, or get sold to someone that wants to take it on. Then, fix the Mercur next year and sell/trade the CRX.

Honestly, I would assemble and sell the CRX. No need to go crazy on it. Just make it run and drive ok. Then sell it and there is your budget to get the V8 in the Merkur.

Ok, almost a year later.

K20 swapped mk2 gti had its first outing at hyperfest. Crx is still wrapped up under a tarp, built my first motor, another 2.3, for the merkur and swapped in the LQ4 into the chevy. It was a good year!

Here is a video of the Gti in action. Friend of mine driving it in HPDE 3.

Nice! Got a build thread here or on vwvortex for the GTI? I can't say I'm a huge fan of "enemy brand" motor swaps going into other cars, but I can't deny how good of a motor the K20 is. Would be a blast in a GTI too.

I say swap the CRX. Should be a helluva good time.