Finally getting the car back this afternoon all being well after it has had some serious loving.

Head was taken off, pressure/crack tested, stripped down, dipped, completely de-coked (including all the valves), new valve guides, valves reground/lapped and all built up with new stem seals. All was done at an engineering shop that specialises in cylinder heads. Head was then refitted with OE parts. Brand new thermostat housing and thermostat fitted. New waterpump and timing belt checked (as i fitted them). All timed up as per the guide on here (took the guide into the garage who worked on it). The car will get an oil/filter change in 1000 miles to make sure any crap has been flushed away.

Cost about £500 but i couldn't be bothered fooking about with engine conversions and wanted to keep it a nice standard 8V GT that i can rely on. Should be a healthy reliable motor after this.

Future plans are the same:

- fit poly engine mounts.

- fit the arch, sill and side trims.

- refresh the underseal on the car.

- change the mirrors to standard ones.

Just easy cheap stuff. I'll get some pics up when i have the car back and something more interesting to look at.

Sounds lovely, no better feeling than treating the car to good, original parts :)

Good to hear, i like this car!

Should feel nice and fresh, de-restricted

:)

You were saying about a GT arch kit, where'd you source that?

Cheers Chaps :-)

I am happy. The price is quite a lot but people seem to spend their money on coilies and banded steels for cars that look and seem otherwise neglected. I am looking forward to having a GT engine that has had a nice refresh. Bottom end has seen about 85k miles and they are pretty bombproof so i'm not worried about that. The VW specialist who did the work called me up to tell me i can collect today and it is running sweet as a nut. They will take the car back in 1000 miles and double check everything and change the oil and filters.

Regards the arch kit i bought on here not so long back. There was one in the for sale section the other day for £50. Usual issue is finding one close enough to collect as they are a idiot to post with the sill trims being the length of either side of the car and they break quite easily.

lookin good man, gotta love a mk3 gt

Well well how is Hans?

You got it back yeah?

Bottom end will be fine man, I've only had one with a wrecked one and that was because the owner had ran it without any oil for a whole 240 miles.

Love the look and glad to see the stupid wheels and ridiculous slam gone. Think the finishing touch might be the trims for the doors/rear quarter if it was mine.

Hope your well dude. Shame about the big bill, at least its on a fun to own car as oppose to a runabout :)

Well i have the car back and apart from a very minor leak from the new thermostat housing everything is sweet as you want. I just nipped up the 8mm bolts on it a tad and see if that sorts it if not the garage will happily sort it for me. The engine runs quieter and petrol consumption is definitely (although only slightly) improved.

Jay i have the arch, sill and side trims all to go back on. Just going to be giving the car some preventative love with some excellent chip,corrosion, rust prevention products before putting everything back on. Anything that even looks like it might be rust is getting sorted with dinitrol RC900 (frost advised me it is the best thing they have ever had for the job), then bilt hamber dynax UB. The dynax UB will also be used on the underside and arches. I am then going to clean out anycavities and use dynax S-50 which comes in a can with an awesome long flexible nozzle that you feed into hard to reach areas and then spray as you withdraw. Its not a thick crappy product as they can sometimes cause more issues than they solve. The Dynax products are used by MX-5 owners and those cars rot like peaches. Standard mirrors went back on this weekend.

You wouldn't believe how bad this car drove on those wheels. It was unbelievable!

Will update with some pics when i have something to show you :-)

Good stuff! I did everything you've listed (With alternative products) when i fixed my fuel tank. Just in time for winter. Its nice to know your driving a rot free car and nothings getting worse :)

Looking forward to seeing it at the shows if i ever make it.

great stuff, very nice wee GT and the new bits will have made it happy.

Yeah i was meant to do it before the bad weather but to be honest it hasn't been driven that much and not at all on the salty roads so not overly concerned. Just need to get sometime inside in the dry at my dads work to get it all done.

Gear oil getting changed for redline GL4 when i do the engine oil and filter in around 1000 miles. Poly engine mounts and a tidy up and then it's just gerneral maintainance.

Edited 30 January, 201214 yr by demolover

great stuff, very nice wee GT and the new bits will have made it happy.

Cheers mate :-)

My experience with GT thermostat housings is that the pattern items will leak. Best off fitting a genuine VW item new or second hand, it will be fine!

My experience with GT thermostat housings is that the pattern items will leak. Best off fitting a genuine VW item new or second hand, it will be fine!

The housing is a genuine replacement. Turns out the thermostat o ring hadn't seated correctly and so leaked once i had driven the car and it had been hot for a period of time. It was only ever so slight but a leak non the less. They are taking the car back on Monday and replacing the thermostat and seal for nothing. I could have changed/fixed it myself but as i paid them to do it i may as well have them sort it out.

Runs like a dream now all this work has been done. Sounds just like a polo GT engine should. Few more bits and bobs and it will be perfect for me...... then i'll probably sell it

This car was my inspiration for my old mk3, alot of love for this!

Always loved this car, followed it from when you had it and then sold to Tom (deviance) and I so badly wanted to buy it off him when he sold it. Glad to know it's being looked after properly again.

You´ll never get off of your polo. Same procedure at POLOMAGAZIN in germany

Well quick update with some quick snaps for you all.

First off fitted a standard GT grill with black centre badge:

Fitted the seatbelt guides i had missing and also a set of interior door handles from a poverty spec mk3 with no mirror adjuster holes:

Also fitted a black parcel shelf but no pics of that. None needed really.

Got to fit these bits this week (brakes are a little tired and the TCA ball joints have seen better days):

Then i got on with re fitting the GT arch and sill trim. Used rust treatment on anything that looked anything like rust. Used Dynax and dinitrol on everything (even inside the sills) before fitting it back on so everything stays fresh under the trim. Rear arches had to be bonded on due to the arches being rolled in the past:

Going for the better than standard look. Interior pics will follow.

Hope you like :-)

Looks awesome

Cheers Mate :-)

Couple more pics including some of the interior:

Bumped into an old friend who is finishing a degree in photography and he is going to take some snaps with his professional grade equipment including lighting and so on. Be a nice change from the phone cam!

Soo soo jealous of you dude, just so clean and classy! WINNING!

Looking very lush indeed there Barney Happy to see the parts getting put to good use.

Are those snaps taken just outside the industrial estate in bingley?? If so the butchers just up the road opposite the post office has to be visited! The steak pies are awesome...

damn you and your attention to detail motherbitch. glad to see this back in your hands and looking swish!

Looks spot on

Cheers guys.

Saf. I'm all about the detail.

Josh - The parts you supplied were spot on as you can see. Really pleased with them so thanks a million. Darren Todd pies for the win.

Few little jobs to do:

-Fit the TCA's i bought at the weekend with their new VAG pinch bolts (had one drop out before and it is scary as fuck).

-Fit the new pads and discs.

-Fit the poly engine mount to the rear mount.

-Get some 15-20mm stub axle (or bolt to hub) spacers on the rear.

-Change out my gear oil for the Motul gear 300 (just because i want to not because of any issues).

-Change engine oil and filters with it having headgasket done 1000 miles ago.

-Clean and tidy under the hood a little.