A few months ago I decided that I wanted to build my ultimate gti so I bit the bullet and bought a clean little mk3 that funnily enough I had owned before.
I originally purchased the car in April 2016 for $400 with a blown gearbox.
After rebuilding the box it served as a reliable little run about for myself and a few family members before I decided to sell it.
I bought the car back in August 2018 and it was in a sorry sight.
Once again it served as a run about then I decided to pull it off the road for a rebuild.
I fell in love with the characteristics of the m16a and loved it for just how much abuse it could take.
My daily drive for the past nearly 3 years has been a 2010 swift sport, I loved it so much just the way it was and how well the engine performed that I didn’t change a thing on it for 18 months. Even though it was on the slow side.
So I bought a turbo kit and things got out of hand. The car is still going strong coming on a year now with the turbo and 232,000kms later and I really wanted to put one in a gti for a reliable street/track car.
So the build begins.

May wish to change that N/A all the way in your signature now

Keen to see where this goes

Haha! Well the gti will be staying N/A so I might keep it.


Cheers Tassie! So am I haha.

Some of my progress so far. I’ve rebuilt my swift sport box and installed a Monster sport 1.5 way lsd and replaced all the bearings and seals. Rebuilt the steering rack with new rack ends and freshened it up, also rebuilt the factory master cylinder.

A little bit of an update.
The gti has been sitting at my work for the past two weeks so I’m using every second I can working on it at lunch time and a few hours after work most days.
Have all my rear suspension acid dipped and painted it myself, bought a super pro bush kit and have installed most of the rear suspension.
Painted most of the interior and wheel wells.
Also bought some new rear wheel bearings and hubs, got them from repco for an absolute steal of $25 each, unbelievable.
Just waiting on my rear brake caliper rebuild kits so I can get them installed too.

Also a few pictures of my turbocharged swift sport daily drive.
Fitted with a HKS turbo kit, Garrett turbo, running a Link Monsoon ecu.
Makes 120kwish at the wheels on a hilarious 4.5 psi.
It’s awesome fun and surprisingly quick.
Also has a bunch of Cusco braces, jdm Recaro seats, Suzuki sport short shifter, monster sport carbon wing, Cusco rear sway bar, sunline racing titanium exhaust.

Can you show pics of the titanium exhaust?

Here’s the sunline racing titanium muffler.

I thought you meant the whole exhaust was Ti.

Haha I wish, the muffler was expensive enough.

We have some progress! Been fiddling around with the power steering column and have finally got it in a spot where it seems to work perfectly.
Just need to make some mounts which hopefully I’ll get time to do this week.

Finally got some suspension in it and got it back on its wheels. New swift uprights are in courtesy of dmw Dave.
Now to get her home and start cracking on the wiring.

Top build, just needs the monster sport crate motor and lsd.

Already have the monster sport lsd and 4.4:1 final drive. Monster sport motor would be a little out of my budget haha.

Slight change of plans, pulled the turbo off my swift sport because I think it’ll be much more fun in the gti.
Hopefully get some time this weekend to get the engine in and start making some serious progress.

Got some spare time tonight to start putting some bits and pieces together.
I’ve really wanted to run my little Advan A3a, 14x6 wheels but unfortunately they just will not fit with the wilwood calipers so I’ve sourced some nice lightweight watanabe 15x6.5s which should do the job.
Hoping to get the engine in this weekend so I can start running shifter cables and get a few little bits and pieces mocked up.

Loving your work here man! This thing will be a beast!

Thanks Tassie! Can’t afford to build the M16a how I want at the moment but the turbo m15a should be plenty of fun for now.

Im liking where this is going.... still lurking

I'm following this like a fly to s**t very interested but a lil confused where did the m15a come from lol amazing build none the less I've been in sash's monster 300kw m15a turbo gti ive wanted to build a m16a N/A gti daily for ages how do u gonna far as engine and gearbox mounts loom ecu etc?

Dont be confused, just roll with it.



I am, however, confused by this bit.

I had an ignis sport for a daily drive for a little while but it was pretty rough, so I pulled the engine and gearbox out to go straight into this.
I had mounts made by Southy on here as he has an m18a in his gti which is using dmw mounts.
Then I realised the ignis sport box has a different casing and the mounts wouldn’t work so I purchased a gearbox for a 2009 swift sport that would fit and rebuilt it.
I’ve had an M16a from a wrecked swift sport that I bought with moylee.
I was planning a built, n/a M16a but just don’t have the funds at the moment to build it how I want so decided to chuck the spare ignis sport motor I had laying around and put my turbo kit on it.
I’ll be running a Link Monsoon ecu from my turbo sport as I’ve pulled the turbo kit off of that for this.
Once the engine is in I’ll be getting it wired but I haven’t decided who to use yet.

Also have a few updates. Started putting the interior back together, got the electric steering column mounted and shafts cut and shut.
Fitted some coilovers from my ignis sport that we’re just sitting in the shed. Swapped the strut tops around to the gti mounts and surprisingly they fit perfect.

Update!
Got my new wheels sorted and have plenty of clearance for my wilwood calipers.
New wheels are watanabe 15x6.5+14.5 on the front and 15x6.5+19.5 on the rear.
Got the motor in, currently playing around with getting the oil cooler fitted and some other bits and pieces.
The m series really does look right at home in the engine bay of the gti.
Tried to fit the M16a sport intake manifold but it’s just too chunky so the plastic ignis sport manifold is being used.
I’m really happy with how the wheels look and fit.

It does look quite nice sitting in there, great job.

Progress is a little slow at the moment.
Little update on the gti, I’ve managed to source some swift sedan shifter cables and shifter so that’s what I’ve been doing tonight. I already had a hole cut into the firewall for the cables and tonight consisted of cleaning that up and fitting a bung to waterproof it.
I’ve installed a walbro 255 fuel pump and the tank is ready to go back in.
Also playing around with the oil cooler, has anyone fitted one to the front of the radiator? Is this a good idea? Will it have any negative effects?
Also managed to squeeze the swift sport intake manifold in, it’s very close but I think it’ll work.

Oil cooler will be fine in front of the rad. Just mount and plumb to where it is convenient.

Clutch arrived today! Got a lightweight flywheel and heavy duty clutch from Australian clutch.
Also mounted the oil cooler on the front of the radiator, really happy with how it looks and fits.
Getting really keen to get the gearbox in and get this thing rolling again.
Sent my new rotors off to be re-drilled to 4x114.3 so hopefully should have them back next week too.

If you install the swift sedan shifter and cables, you will have to put the sedan selector onto the sport box which would not shift as sweetly as a sport shifter setup.

Haven’t gotten that far yet but thanks for the heads up Lawry. I wanted to use the swift sport cables but they’re just so long. Once the box is in I can get a better idea of what I’m actually going to do.

Had a few hours to get stuck into this thing today, got a little bit of wiring done and got my brakes on.
Running a Honda 262mm rotor re-drilled to 4x114.3.
Having some dramas at the front of the engine with space, turbo is sitting very close to the radiator so I’ll have to sort something out there.

And another quick photo of other progress.

Looking good!

You need another engine mount from the top to the firewall to help prevent flex and hitting that rad...

Yeah I’m hoping the superpro solid poly bush in the rear keeps it in its place, it’s gonna be close.
Also bought some new wheels in the shape of Star line 14x6.5+25 centre lock wheels.
Had to run a 5mm spacer up front to clear my brakes but they fit!
Super happy with them and gives it a real period correct race look.
Keeping the watanabe wheels for the track, these will be for the street.

Life’s been a little busy at the moment so the gti hasn’t had much attention. I did however buy my new dash in the form of a haltech iq3s street. Now that I have everything I need I can finally get the entire car wired then it’s off to get intercooler piping and an exhaust made.

I approve all around.

And more parts have arrived! Got these made by strider, can’t believe how well they’ve turned out and how neat they look.
Definitely a much cleaner look than leaving everything open.
Now waiting on my carbon fiber front lip and carbon midwing as well as a few other bits and pieces.

Loving the CF! Looks great! I have tossed up the door cards befire but still want the functionality of the stock ones. Great work so far mate.

TWINS!

2 man group buy was a great success

Haha the barely group buy was definitely a success! We’re twins except for what’s under the bonnet haha.
Getting real keen to drive this thing to your place Tom so we can battle it out.
Some more progress pics of mine, got the gearbox in and can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Also got some new seats courtesy of Simon at Autosport.

I have a dashboard again! Big thanks to gtp for supplying a un-cracked dash. Got it put in over the weekend and have changed the entire body loom over to the non gti loom.
Also got one of my seat brackets in, hopefully the passenger seat will get bolted in over the weekend.
Now just waiting on some shafts and a 1600 sedan gearbox mount to get this rolling and sent off to my mates workshop to get the exhaust made and intercooler piping.

She’s finally a roller! And safe to say I’m absolutely over the moon with how it’s looking and how far it’s come.

Looking good. How's the wiring coming along?

It’s getting there, body loom is practically all plugged up. Basically just plugging in everything I need and I’ll strip back what’s not being used. Engine loom hasn’t been started yet as I’m waiting on a mate to come down from Queensland and wire it all up for me. He’s also wiring up the race dash and ecu.
Also had a catch can made up by southy, he’s also welded some fittings onto my rocker cover and is making me some aluminium heel plates. So October is going to be a very busy month haha.
I had a deadline for this set for the 20th of October as I was going to drive it from Adelaide to Sydney for the World time attack challenge but I’ve had some lengthy unexpected delays so it’s just not going to happen. Oh well, next year!

There you go again saying you've got mates.

Nice work on your build so far mate as it looks like a great sleeper and make sure you stiffen the chassis with that extra horsepower.

Will be watching this build with a keen eye.

Plus it's good to see you sticking with Suzuki power under the hood.

Cheers mate! Will be getting a half cage and a few braces to take care of the chassis.
Haha yeah I’m definitely a purist mate, live and breath Suzuki’s so you won’t find anything else under my bonnet.

Life’s been busy but finally some updates.

Firstly, managed to find some bigger whiteline swaybars and got them fitted. No sign of fouling the body of the car like I’ve had previously running the bigger sway bar on the front. Dmw new swift uprights have really improved a heap on the front end.
Also got some Omp front and rear strut braces which are now fitted too.

Waiting on a few goodies from Southy in the shape of a custom catch can setup, some heel plates and a custom gearbox mount.

Got my front camber tops fitted and have got around -2 degrees of camber which has managed to get my wheels inside the guards with plenty of clearance.

Had a carbon fibre monster sport rear wing sitting around and decided to have a go at fitting it onto the gti, just mounted it off of the factory spoiler and I think it looks pretty good.

And a quick picture of my wheel collection that the gti can start wearing once I have some rubber fitted.

Still waiting on a bunch of parts to arrive and will have further updates once they do.

Coming together nicely.

Was the electric steering a must with the m-series conversion?

Wasn’t a must, just a preference to make it a little friendlier and more comfortable for daily driving. It is fully adjustable though so I can turn it on and off.

Update time.
Got some parts delivered by strider, Carbon lip, carbon midwing, Suzuki sport steering wheel and some adjustable toe bars. Got all them fitted up over the last week.
Sequential shifter arrived so I’ve been playing with that over the weekend trying to set it up and get cable adjustments right. Been a pita but finally got it sorted.
Shifter is branded Suzuki works karume, made by Ikeya Formula. It’s made for the 2005-2010 swift sport but seeing as that’s my running gear it suited me perfectly.
Been an expensive month and off to world time attack challenge this week so wont get much time on it over the next few weeks.
Also sourced some manually adjusted mirrors from a barina.

Will need a method to secure braided lines to replace E clips.

Thinking about just welding some E-clips onto the toe bars. The brake lines I have are way too long so I’ll be shortening them anyway. Haven’t got that far yet.

Loving this build man, looking good

Suzitech use 2 straps with a little bolt to join them together. Seems to work ok, nothing ripped off yet after several years.

Thanks answer.

Ahh nice! Thanks for the info, That shouldn’t be too hard to put together at all. I may even have those clamps in the shed.

Which drive shafts did you use out of the m16a box?
Also, you used sport hubs, can you use GTi ones?

You mentioned that the sport intake manifold wouldn't fit, but the ignis sport one clears. Do you know if any other manifold clear or are the choices itbs & ignis sport?

Custom & DMW made engine mounts solve the mounting.

Sport starter, alternator & selector cables
Stand alone ecu

Just building a mental picture of what's required.

Okay so driveshafts, drivers side is a gti shaft with the inner cv joint changed over to a swift sport one.
Passenger side shaft I’ve been told the 1.6 sedan shaft will work so that’s what I’ll be doing there.

Did manage to fit the swift sport manifold, once the mounts were in and the engine leaned forward it fit quite easily.

Mounts can be purchased by Southy one here. He’s made a complete mount kit which he will have for sale very soon.

The rest is sport starter, alternator, sport shifter cables with the sequential shifter.

Running a stand alone Link Monsoon g4+ ecu.

And just a few pics for updates.

I love this build! Good job.

yes does look the goods , any updates

Been a while, probably overdue for an update.
Got a new intake manifold to sort out the m16a sport throttle body facing up which was causing issues with intercooler pipe clearance.
Found a place called RZcrew who make manifolds to suit the swift sport and it has a conventional throttle body layout.
Sorted most of the intercooler piping which surprisingly most of it fit from the swift sport turbo kit I have.
Done a few small jobs here and there like securing brake lines, some fuel lines and a new fuel rail.

Really just waiting on some funds to finish up the exhaust and finishing up the wiring and getting a tune done.

Keen to see this thing go!

You need to stop buying rims to finish this thing off.

Also im not sure whats off on the pic of the engine but something seems like its on the piss? Carbon cam cover or the intake falls to the passenger side? Maybe it was the angle of the photo?

Looks neat either way!

Haha yeah impulse wheel purchases has stopped for now, actually trying to sell some!

Just looks a bit on the piss, carbon cover is just sitting there and the intake manifold angles down, it’s definitely straight.

Just had a good read through your build thread , what can i say? LOVE it! is it tuned and on the road yet?

Not running yet, just waiting on some funds now the finish it off. Roll cage is going in in a about 4 weeks so that’s next on the list.

Did you get more than one saucer wheel?

Yeah got a complete set with all the attachments

I have a set on one of my cars and even though they are retro they look great.

Nice build! Interested to see how it all goes.
I noticed you started with koni yellows and moved to Teins at the back. Much difference?

They’re just in there so it’s mobile, both the koni and tein are pretty well shagged so I’ll be getting some new suspension soon.
Only real update so far is I actually have a bonnet now, progress has been a bit slow with all this covid s**t going on.
Hoping to get back into it in the next few weeks.

Interested to see what you’re looking at suspension wise. I have to replace mine and was looking at the BC coil overs however, I have heard the spring rates are too soft in particular the rears.

Probably going to go with striders tein coilovers, I bought a set many years ago and they were great.

So, some big things have happened.
Firstly, bit the bullet and purchased some bc coilovers and got them fitted. Genuinely happy with the quality of them and have kept the standard spring rates they’ve supplied which are 4kg fronts and 5kg rears.
Hoping that’ll keep it a lot more street friendly.

Was having some dramas with my turbo setup as the turbo was facing an inconvenient way and I just couldn’t fit an intake past the radiator.
After some discussion I sent my turbo to Southy to make a new manifold to spin the turbo 180, complete exhaust system and an intake.
Ben has started the manifold and I’m absolutely stoked with how it looks.

Ordered a new ecu in the form of a Haltech Elite 1500 and I’m just waiting on that to be delivered so I can get stuck into it.

Few pics of the manifold in progress and how she sits with the new coilovers.

Oh man you Have done an awesome job. Interested in seeing your thoughts on the bc’s.

Bit of an update.
Has been a bit slow in the shed lately as life has been a bit busy. Southy finished up my entire exhaust system and got that fitted. Absolutely stoked with the result, everything fits perfect and looks even better.
Just about finished the fuel system, just waiting on some injectors to suit e85.
Had a group buy for some rear camber tops that have left me a bit stuck on jack stands in the shed but hopefully they’ll get here soon so I can get her on her feet again.

3 inch exhaust got mighty tight back here but Ben managed to squeeze it in. Can’t wait until this thing makes some noise.
Tip came up absolutely mint as well.

Hi Mate,

Nice Car!

I have a Suzuki Sport steering wheel and horn button just like yours. Has yours been signed by someone (?) Just curious.


Cheers,

Drew

Cheers Drew! Yeah got it signed by Keiichi Tsuchiya at wtac a few years ago.