So I'm at an auction in late '03 and this rolls in. Looking weathered but totally original with low mileage and very tidy,it cleaned up well..

I dropped a 1.6 in it,using some Honda Fireblade sportsbike carbs,and had some fun..

..until i melted the big ends. New engine then.. Didn't like the torquey nature of the long-stroke 1.6 anyway,combined with some reliability issues,so i tried a sweeter-revving 1.4 and less was more. More tractable. More reliable. More economy - and yet,realistically,virtually as quick. I fitted Bilstein suspension and vented brakes,and it just got better. But there was bubble/surface rust worming about everywhere,a rear arch trim fell off,and when i went to the bodywork with some tools i found more rot than i bargained for..

With headroom issues from the sliding sunroof the only annoyance,i was reluctant to save it. I thought about other cars but with the 1.4 8v bike-carbed lump,the well-built german lightweight was just too much fun to give up on. So when another one came up with nothing going for it but a solid non-sunroof shell,there was only one course of action to consider!

So it was re-shell time. Bay,interior,wiring loom,brakes,suspension - all that survived were the new fuel tank and headlining. Solid ARB mounts,polybushes,braided hoses,bigger rear drums,i was quite fussy. Transformed the car,it just looked the same..

And on diamond-cut Castilettes..

..back with more power,hoping the issues were sorted..

Now it was truly worthy (despite still feeling too torque-biased for my liking),i thought it was great and felt it an injustice that people looked down at it like they did. Not that I'm one for caring what they think,but i could get a re-spray for peanuts so why not?

So then i could look back at this engine situ. I wanted big power,but not with the torquey 1.6 8-valve. I wanted free-revving,efficient,more progressive power on a zesty but faaast scale - it was 1.6 16v time! Not without some head-scratching,the odd teething issue here and there,but i soon had a high-compression 1.6 16v AFH nailed together with the bike carbs and rioting hard..

So here it is today. Looks neat enough,but giving no indication of its performance.. Its an absolute treat to drive every single day,i never get bored,its great for me. I did absolutely everything myself (except the re-spray) and it was worth every minute.

Edited 12 February, 201214 yr by MikeyMK

i for one am really jealous of all of your engines youve done, some great work with standard parts

I'm thinking of the 1.6 8v with a better cam, manifold on gt mpi, do you think there will be much advantage in doing this over a high spec gt?

I wasn't convinced it was worth investing in the 1.6 8v when the AFH 16v head is so superior and affordable. Good cam profiles,huge ports both sides,its ideal for the 1.6 so why mess about with a vernier pulley (a GT cam wont time-up without one) or a special cam (as dear as an AFH) on an 8v instead? Not for budget reasons - without the re-spray i built the thing for a grand..

I used BCB pistons before for 11.5:1 compression and now use AFH ones for 12.2:1 compression,its all OEM,everything you need is in a scrap yard and there's just no need for me to look back to the little single cam head. I knew from my experience with the Honda/Rover engines that long-stroke engines can rev with the right head and it shows.

But as my edit highlights marginally better now,the sweetest complete 8v engine is the 1391cc unit (ABD code,i got from a mid-90s Golf) i used in both shells.

That was just lovely with the carbs - as long as you're not racing GT-Turbos down the pod.

This is possily one of my faveorite cars on the forum, and without a doubt my fave mk2!!

Top notch stuff!!

Defanately an inspiration for when i eventually get a mk2!

I've been thinking alot lately about going down the 1.6 16v route but i still done know what engine combination is best for it.

could you possibly shead some light on this for me dude?

Nice thread, and about bloody time.

Been on here long enough like yourself but you have neglected pics before now!

so its an AFH head on an AEE bottom end, with the AFH pistons? with these parts how much power are you looking at?

so its an AFH head on an AEE bottom end, with the AFH pistons? with these parts how much power are you looking at?

AFH head on a 1.6 16v bottom end.

i see, what is the difference between the two bottom ends?

Love this car - Iv waited so long to see a build thread

You heading to the RR day? Would love to see it run/find out what its pushing

Nice thread, and about bloody time.

Been on here long enough like yourself but you have neglected pics before now!

Yeah i dunno why,it was never finished before but I'm happy with it now..

so its an AFH head on an AEE bottom end, with the AFH pistons? with these parts how much power are you looking at?

No.

AFH head on a 1.6 16v bottom end.

Sort of,but a hybrid one made using the AFH block.

i see, what is the difference between the two bottom ends?

I explain how i did it in here..

http://www.clubpolo.co.uk/forum/index.php?...mp;hl=waterways

This is possily one of my faveorite cars on the forum, and without a doubt my fave mk2!!

Top notch stuff!!

Defanately an inspiration for when i eventually get a mk2!

Love this car - Iv waited so long to see a build thread

You heading to the RR day? Would love to see it run/find out what its pushing

Cheers guys,yeah I'm hoping to make the RR day. A printout wont show what its like to drive or even break any clubpolo records,but it should benefit from a fettle on the rollers so i need it done.

I originally joined for info/inspiration when it was stock,and got those primarily from 'Gaz' and Steve '86C' but my inspiration has otherwise come from far and wide,and as much from other marques and personal experiences as VW and articles.

It was almost a MK1 Fiesta,and has carried the ethos that car would've had.

i see, what is the difference between the two bottom ends?

200cc's

hes using the 1.4 16v head on a 1.6 16v gti bottom end with the afh pistons.

Lovely Car Mikey, good progress since 2003. Shame about the Red mark2, but did look quite bad!

The hole in the seatbelt mount isn't actually the problem,its the cornflakes all above it - because that was riddled everywhere. Rear chassis legs,tower bases,box sections,it was thorough.

car looks fantastic after the respray and the sleeper look is a formidable choice.

the side indis are a neat little add on =]

Finally... :-D

Really like this... its the blue version of mine... or is mine the green version of yours....?? :)

Finally... :-D

Really like this... its the blue version of mine... or is mine the green version of yours....?? :)

You had your hands in a GT conversion when i was killing big ends and gearboxes,so i'll claim that one

But you valver'd yours before me and put it on the track,so i'll get my coat..

Cheers Saf,they're only reflectors (the ones on the red one were from bike pedals!) but i may use lamps because i think they'll look good if i find some subtle enough.

Nice work mate - get it to the RR day - can't wait to see it.

love this car to bits!! what sort of power do you think the ABD on carbs was pushing?

i see, what is the difference between the two bottom ends?

200cc's

hes using the 1.4 16v head on a 1.6 16v gti bottom end with the afh pistons.

i meant the 1.6 8v and 16v. but thanks

I been waiting for this for a long time to see the legend plus his car

i see, what is the difference between the two bottom ends?

200cc's

hes using the 1.4 16v head on a 1.6 16v gti bottom end with the afh pistons.

i meant the 1.6 8v and 16v. but thanks

The 16v version of the 1.6 uses the shorter height of the 1.4 block instead of the taller 1.6 8v one,so it has shorter con-rods than the 1.6 8v. That's how i was able to use all off-the-shelf parts without modifying any of it,including the AFH head,block,gaskets,cambelt etc etc .

Thanks for the positivity,y'all - despite most of the pics being in the forums over time this topic's become quite humbling.. Gotta admit its nice for me to see it all laid out too,as the pics were all over the place in different folders,computers and memory cards.

my mistake so in theory all you have to do is change the afh crank for an aee crank and gti rods and you would have a 1.6 afh right?

could this be done on the 3f and abd or 1w or is the 1.4s taller blocks

nice work, one of the best mk2's

bout time mikey, been here since 06 waiting for this thread.