Hello!

The story behind this car is short and sweet. 6 Keepers last being my older brother who swapped over to a mk2 golf van!

Mileage - 43,000*

Engine - Started out as a 1.0

Wheels - Standard trims

With a towbar!

Was brought into my family end of march via ebay, had an engine swap due to a valve dropping and damaging a piston, still drove pretty well though just popped and farted all the time! Friend down at local MOT station put it through a "mock" MOT day after we got it home. Passed after he ripped down the magic tree. So everything is good there.

During its life its had 3 different engines by the sound of it. Started as a 1.05 then swapped for the mk3 1.3spi, due to valve dropping the spi was changed to a mk3 golf 1.4, the car really doesnt like the power so will be changing it again soon, most likely back to the 1litre. The exhaust is blowing now so need to fork out some more money!

Its got the mk3 polo interior with "gangsta seats" the paint has faded with time and the lacquer has peel'ed so its now brownish (Gambia Red, H2H2). Its going to be painted by a friend before he does his car. I dont mind the look of a car so letting him practice on it. Sounds silly but I've got time.

Things to be done - Different engine, paint work, new fuel pump, A good service. Patch up the rust hole in the boot, then tax and test it.

PHOTOS UP!

Sat in storage while I'm swapping the gearbox! :/

**Update**

Brought a set of "kyalami" (6N2 SE) alloys off a member of clubpolo that have now been fitted.

Looking into doing rear brake conversion

Also having new driveshafts after the AA had pop'd one out and its kill it :/

Edited 24 January, 201214 yr by Toptrumps2

why doenst it like the 1400 power?

Well its to do with the front lifting all the time tbh... and the amount it drinks. :/

oh right...got a 1400 to go in mine when i can be bothered

Its amazing fun with the 1400 in it! I've got mine running standard suspension so everything is a bit and soft and woollen when pushing hard. :) It will help insurance changing it back to something small aswel for me.

The looks it gets when pulling away from traffic lights and the nose is pointing in the air is great!

get some pics up.

pics!

I say keep the 1.4! Sounds relatively meaty, uprate the suspension, not slammed but slightly lower and stiffer.

pics!

I say keep the 1.4! Sounds relatively meaty, uprate the suspension, not slammed but slightly lower and stiffer.

The speed bumps in my work mean that i cant slam the car so going to see what i can get away with :/ The 1.4 will do for now untill i find something later on. Might even try for a 1.2/3cyl :) Just need to open up my wallet for it all. :)

Picked the colour I'm going to paint percy! :) I'm going to keep the yellow strip and plastic strip down the sides as its the only way to see its an azur! So that means very careful removal.

Now the colour.... I have to admitt that i only saw this colour yesterday night at 5:40pm but I've decided its the colour for the car.

Vendetta 483 - Chanel nail polish but the deep purple you get with two coats! And the yellow strip that will most likely be the lupo yellow down the side! :)

Yeah you need to either lower the front,or have something like spacers on the ARB mounts (or wishbone conversion,subframe conversion etc),if you're gonna run good power,because the angle of the ARB when stock makes it act as a transition lever - when the wheel moves forward,it pushes against the ARB,which then pushes the chassis legs upwards.

The more horizontal you position the ARB,the less you get the front jumping up on acceleration.

The 1.4 ABD i ran on bike carbs returned great fuel economy,but i wouldn't run one on a downdraught carb because they're shyte.

Its running the downdraught carb. So i guess ill stick with it if i can sort out the front lifting :) i think i read somewhere about rover tomcats ARB's on the rear so i think after i sort all the stuff out ill be getting my hands one. Spacers sound like the cheapest way to sort it.

Brought some alloys for percy at the weekend off here. Need to be lowered!

Edited 7 September, 201115 yr by Toptrumps2

Looking good and it sounds like you have big plans for this. I shall have to pop by sometime to see this in the flesh :)

I wonder who can spot the deliberate mistake in this picture?

It'll be someone who knows they're early Mk.2's.

I say leave the 1.4 under the bonnet and fit a decent set of dampers and springs, and not ones that will "slam it into the weeds"

Top fill rad and expansion tank.

pretty sure you are wrong sir loafsalot, the washer bottle is mk3 but the rest is early mk2.

Wrong head/engine, washer bottle and airbox/airbox cover.

Edit: Fuuuuu- I deleted a post while Leon was writing his . I thought the early engines had a plastic airbox cover and different cam cover.

Give me the banana!

Top fill rad and expansion tank.

Correct!

Everyone can see it's the wrong engine/washer bottle/expansion tank... Too obvious :p

Well its to do with the front lifting all the time tbh... and the amount it drinks. :/

Wow this is an early one, first ones had the best quality bodyshells.

I had terrible problems with the front jumping up when i had the 1.6 at factory height, reason is the angle of the front ARB (wheels push ARB forward, ARB then pushes chassis legs up). Lowering the springs is one way to sort it, as the more horizontal ARB has less tendancy to act as a lever, pushing the chassis legs forward instead of upwards.

The other way of doing this, without lowering the suspension, is to put spacers between the shell and ARB mounts.

Getting the ARB horizontal does take it's toll on the TCA bushes, though.

What reg is it? I can see three letters at the end of the plate in one pic, which'd make it at least A reg (august '83-July '84) unless it's a personalised reg?

I have a 1.4 conversion in mine and it's pretty good on fuel, although mine's injection. what sort of mpg are you getting?

The reg plate for this one is HBA3**Y

I think it was running around 30mpg, but a good service and what not should change all that :)

Edited 16 January, 201214 yr by Toptrumps2

The one in the pics ends in ALC. Is it a different car then? that's what had me confused!

Still running the pierburg carb? 30mpg is pretty bad, but not the worst I've had from one of them. 25mpg my old ranger used to do, I put fuel injection on that as well -> 45mpg overnight! :)

The one in the pics ends in ALC. Is it a different car then? that's what had me confused!

Still running the pierburg carb? 30mpg is pretty bad, but not the worst I've had from one of them. 25mpg my old ranger used to do, I put fuel injection on that as well -> 45mpg overnight! :)

The plates on the car, in the photos, are from a mini. Place i have it stored had a funeral procession start there and to tidy up the yard and what not number plates were put on all the cars.

Plate is *******

I changed it to SPI now :) but left the top hat on it :)

Edited 23 February, 201313 yr by Toptrumps2

Ah thank you for explaining it was bugging me!

Top hat thing's good enough for SPI :) I suppose if you really wanted to you could upgrade to the golf setup.