Well not done much to the car since edition, been left with a few issues and been too busy and putting plans in place for the daily to have a make over

So with the daily going in for a tweak, need to get an MOT on this ready to roll about on for a couple months.

On of the problems was poor starting and randomly cutting out. I think the wiring loom got damaged for the AFM, old battery and maybe a few poor earths. No problem, got a spare GT loom, so will chuck that in....

Old still there and new laid across

Swapped over, and did a bit soldiering, and went to fire it up.... bollocks, didn't work!!! With MOT two days away and me working, time to switch back to the original wiring loom.... Pants. Will swap out the AFM wires when I have a chance in the next couple of weeks. Chucked a new battery in and the car starts much better, plus renewed a few earths and checked a few wires so hopefully sort out the starting issue.

Next problem was no wipers, a definite MOT failure and was an issue on the trip up to Early edition, when it rained!!!! (luckily I run some decent rain repleant and don't really need them)

Now I thought this was done to a melted fuse box..... which I knew about, so a spare came with the car, just need to swap it over, few cut wires and out it comes

Old on left and new on right...

spot the problem.... this time switched round....

yes causing an issue..... eagle eyed amongst you would have noticed that there are a few different connectors, so switch them around

Boshed it back in, and bit of soldiering, and fired up first time, always a good sign!!! And now the wipers work!!! Happy days :-) So ready for MOT

Now always one to be after a nice set of wheels and tried my RSL's back on a few weeks ago....

Front fitment, not too bad

Rear

Workable, but not low enough, could lower, but might aswell try some other wheels on I had around

Hold on, this is looking better.... so on with another, however no tyre on this, (which I hate, but worth a try)

Right, decision made, these RM's will do as daily wheels (a quick paint and new lips, bolts and caps which I am missing), and I have something nice for shows!!! (no not the RS's either)

So MOT tomorrow, then hopefully driving for a few months, whilst the daily is having a tweak, then hopefully a rebuild over the winter :-)

Still on the lookout for a few parts so if anyone has a set of mk2 saloon seats with the built in headrest then please let me know

Well she past with no advories, well happy with that!!!

Just one comment which wasn't a MOT issue, which is when I put the camber shims in, as they have pushed the backing plate out, it means the bolts aren't quite long enough, so got to pick up some new longer bolts as a safety issue.

Kiz found out my rubbing issue at the rear, inner tyres on coilovers.... Et33 wheels with the spacers doesn't clear the springs!!! Nothing larger spacers or the bbs can't fix, but means a little tickle with the arch roller for clearance

i thought it was mate- only when cornering and the tyre moves over. Glad you know what it is now mate.

defo get long enough bolts in! and as much as they are a nice wheel- 15s do look big on her, and how sweet she looks on those RSs makes me smile- if you are gunna do some work to fit wheels id make sure it was them!

i thought it was mate- only when cornering and the tyre moves over. Glad you know what it is now mate.

defo get long enough bolts in! and as much as they are a nice wheel- 15s do look big on her, and how sweet she looks on those RSs makes me smile- if you are gunna do some work to fit wheels id make sure it was them!

Yes was something simple, could clearly see it on the drivers side with the wheel off

Gonna work out what bolts I need then head down local hardware shop ASAP, luckily they are easy to change

In the flesh the RM's don't look too big, being skinny think they are ok. The RS's would need major arch rolling and then paint, which I wanna save for when the whole car is done, think with the 15's being a higher offset and narrower will fit with little or no work

Will run the rs's after paint, or I might try and get some proper rare wheels for it instead, though I have got some compomotive 3 piece wheels sitting here doing nothing....

RS's are gonna go on the daily for a while once its had its little make over, hopefully it's into the bodyshop next week, then interior, suspension and new engine and jobs a good un :-)

splits sitting there doing nothing??? lol - your crazy.

and just interior, suspension and engine left ....... you make it sound so simple!

i ran 165/50/15s on 6j and they didnt touch at all, so you will get away with it- problem came when the height went up due to the wheels and lowering it caused issues.

give me a shout if you need any help with anything

Yes I have a few sets of wheels, though I am cutting down, think its down to 10/12 set with 4 sets of split rims :-)

Yes just easy stuff, i can work spanners, send seats to trimmers.... paint thats a black art, and finding the right person is the trouble!!!

That's good news then.... Just if I start the paint on the arches might as well go all around the car...

That's a good offer, thanks. Golf coilovers conversion, is it the gti hubs I need? Anything else?

You got an email address you can pm me? Found a pic wanted to send you

pm'd

Well been running her as a daily for a while now and purchased some bits recently to upgrade her

and I had a few parts in storage for her, but best layed plans and all that.

Plans were:

New rear brake shoes and cylinders

Bonrath Poly rear axle bushes (from Phil J)

front Vented discs and calipers

ATE racing blue brake fluid

ungraded rear top mounts (from Phil J)

upgraded gearbox mount (from PPP) and poly mount (from Phil J)

Stage 2 subframe (from PPP)

Custom alloy rad (with intercooler but that's for later) from Phil J

So quite a days work.....

Onto the rear brakes, and.....

Fail, all mk1 - mk3 polo's have the same rear brakes, right??? Nope, before May 78 they had different shoes and as this car is a March production, they aren't the same. So give up on the brakes for another day

Whilst the rear is in the air, be rude not to roll the arches slightly

Minor paint cracking occurred, mainly on the inside, which is now well protected, although a little bit happened on the passenger side. Not too bothered as I think the car is going in for full paint soon, once I can decide on a colour!!!

Then fitted the Poly top mounts, thanks to Phil, as my rear suspension wasn't quite right, old mounts where knackered!!!4

Onto gearbox mount...... Fitted fine with poly mount in about 10mins, thanks to knowing in advance I needed two longer gearbox mounting bolts :-)

then onto subframe, feck what an arse, first thing to do is remove gearbox mount!!! Didn't think that one through!!!

So tried fitting the subframe and unfortunately due to this being a mk1 the towing eye is in the way, and I have lent my angle grinder to a mate FFS but I have two options really, slice a thin bit of metal off the subframe, where it covers the ARB block, or cut the towing eye off. Not sure which to do yet.

Didn't get the chance to fit the alloy rad, but its still on the list!!!

So fit everything back together and run out of day light corse I have taken the gear linkage off and refitted, little help from the mrs in the morning and everything is fine, or so I though!!! Try driving to work on the Monday and I can't find reverse. Cue car stuck on drive fixed in 10 minutes that night, and testing the following day reveals a much nicer car. Rear end feels a little better (not great, but more on that later) and engine movement and gear changes much improved, so can recommend both the top mounts, poly engine mount and the new engine mount, so thanks Phil and PPP

So players is now coming up and she hasn't been cleaned properly since the beginning of April, and she really needs it. Only trouble is its original paint, and I only have a day to work on her, so I am limited to what I can do.

So onto the wash:

Well we all know how to do that, she needed decontamination though:

Next was a two stage polish with scholl S17 and S40, now as time was tight, I only did about the chrome trim, cheating yes, but best look for short on time. Sealed her with AF tough coat x2 and then Bouncers fruit de salard x2

Left looking like

Didn't even have time for dressing the trim or tyres, polishing the bumpers either as for door shuts, under bonnet etc forget about it!!! Did manage a quick hoover and clean up inside.

Left this beading shot though

So pleased with that.

She was cleaned again 1 week later for Players and had windows clean, trim and bumpers polished. Sadly although lots of pics of the show, none of my car!!!

Edited 18 September, 201312 yr by dekerf1996

Onto tonight.... rear end still wasn't feeling right, going to player hitting bumps was causing the drives rear tyre to catch, not good, inspite of raising that rear coilover a couple of cm. After a chat with a couple of people think a shock is blown. So jacked car up in the dark tonight to swap out the shocks.....

So at the start, ride height

Shocks out

Can see an issue her, drives side not fully extended, and the difference in collers, to actually get the car level, so looks dead

No worries, dig about in the loft and out come some billies

They will do!!!

Now what springs for them....

Grabbed some -70mm springs whilst in the loft, on the left, coilover springs on the right. Fitted them and dropped the car, and she sat lower than with the coildovers!!! Oh that ain't gonna work. Back to the loft and dug some more springs out......

Got some -40mm springs there and some eibachs too, grabbed the eibachs and chucked them in.... refitted to finish up like

Sits a little higher on passenger side, but will have to do for now. Plus it will settle a little.

So next do I replace the blown TA tech coilover, get some GAZ rear coilovers or go air?

On other news with the car, also picked up another PY lump, so its getting a new motor again, with some kind of boost, just not Glader, style!!!! Hence the alloy rad, which also comes with a custom intercooler.

what radiator is that exactly mate I've been looking for one like that

Just gonna leave this here for now

Well it's been a long while, and I am still trying to sort my suspension out (lack of funds and time being the main issues) so thought I would get her back on the road, more of needed to really as my charged VR daily needed some love and therefore the driveway space.

As she sat this morning

No struts as they are off being worked on

So a dig round my spare parts bin gives a set of Phil J shocks in some struts, will work nicely with the eibach springs, plus it's a full set so I can remove the rear bilsteins too for some fab work

But on closer inspection top mounts, bushes and bump stops had seen better days, good job I keep spares

So end of day ended up looking like

So just need to chuck a charged battery on her in the morning and she is off for lunch with an MOT tester

Well tried a battery on it this morning, and nothing, tried another battery and even less, then stole a battery from my other working polo and she fired up first time :-)

Then off to the MOT station, which was a challenge due to seriously out tracking, but that's a minor.

She passed without a fuss no advisories even, just a little word to say it needs some tracking. Happy days :-) now just to tax it over the next few days and some tracking on her.

Good to see her back on the road!

Couldn't quite work out what the photo was you posted in December- air ride tank?

Kiz, yep tracking during the week and back into service

It is an air tank, managed to pic up two management kits and tanks somehow, still trying to sort out struts and bags, currently front struts are off at the fabricators then it's just bags and rears too

Love!