Before the install?

[Jonnyktm]

The 6-bolt I have is a stock rebuild I think, so I there some good or important things or mods I should do to the motor before I install it? Trying to make like a little easier....

 

[Lambiablo]

Well I guess this will depend on how many miles are supposedly on the rebuild. If the engine has a mls head gasket, that is a good sign. Beside that, if everything else looks good. A timing belt and water pump job could be a good cheap investment. Is the engine outside of the car?

 

[H4G64T]

Rods, pistons and bearings are generally a good idea to do with the engine out of the car.

 

[Project91Tsi]

Rods, pistons and bearings are generally a good idea to do with the engine out of the car.

+1

By the way, your mods list isn't filled out in your profile, are you replacing a 100% stock motor with 100% stock? If so, it's pretty straight forward. If you're looking to put some mods and/or have some in progress, that would be a little more helpful to know what you are looking for.

 

[Jonnyktm]

I'm looking into buying a 2G that has the engine and everything out of it, and it's already set up for a 6 bolt. The engine is out yes, so I figured it's easier to work on if it's already out. The car will be more for a fun daily driver... Maybe some mods but not too much. What will give me more MPG? And I haven't gotten to see the engine up close yet, I'm kind of getting prospects on how much the whole project will cost. What is this "good sign" head gasket look like? I don't know who rebuilt the engine so what can I look at on it to see if it's going to be a good engine?

And the engine has 0 miles on it.... There isn't even oil in it yet...

 

[Lambiablo]

I agree that if a rebuild is in mind, out of the car (now) is the time to do it.

But if the engine has a multilayer steel head gasket instead of a felpro one, then this is at least a small good sign that it was done right and not cheaply. I have seen some felpro stuff do fine, I tend to avoid it.

If you have the time and means, it may even be beneficial to put the engine on a stand, pull out the bottom end and plastigauge the main bearings to check clearance. This is just another option if you want to check the build quality.

If you know / trust the person or place you are getting the engine, this may not be necessary.

Edit:

Also, if you are wanting to drop this in a 2g, the only thing that will really change with the car is a small part of the harness for the 1g CAS. So you should not stress over finding a 2g shell that is "6 bolt ready".