Model: Polo CL coupe

Engine: 1.3 AAV with 8P Gearbox

Suspension: Standard

Brakes: Standard

Wheels and Tyres: Standard CL Steels

Exterior Styling: Some random white speed strip thing

Interior Styling: Standard

ICE and Security: Some very funky looking old fashioned tape deck

Comments: Hoping to restore it to a nice daily runner with maybe a choice mod here and there.

So my addiction to Polos continues with this weapon that I went to see just over a week ago.

One of the most honest little CL Coupes I've seen in a long time. Been in the same family since it was just a couple of years old and was just passed down through their family. The couple that I bought it off gave it to their son to learn to drive in, but apparently the car wasn't cool enough for him to be seen in it once he passed his test. So for the past 3 years it has sat doing nothing in that little wooden garage you see in the photo above. Thankfully doing that kept it rather clean apart from the front drivers wing which seems to have taken the brunt of the weather that could get into the garage.

Anyway finally got it picked up yesterday :)

I got up early this morning to give it a good look over and try and confirm the diagnosis of head gasket failure.

Looking closely at it I'd say it was very well cared for at one point. Loads of original clips and fixings that usually get broken are still there and looks like very little has been tampered with.

I decided to drain the coolant and get the radiator out the way first off.

This is where I began to re-think the head gasket issue. The coolant that came out was still a greeny/blue and not so much as a hint of anything in it. Still smells like coolant too. I wanted to drain the oil to see if there is water in there but didn't have anything to hand to drain it into :(

Anyway I decided to check the cam timing as when I saw it run it didn't want to idle, but there was no smoke out the exhaust....

So I checked the timing and found with the cam lined up correctly...

The bottom mark was WAY off (Warning poor quality iPhone shot here).

The little shiny mark just right of the plastic marker is the timing mark. Much further round than it should be.

Obviously I decided I would try and rectify this and see how it would run then, but then I find more clues....two out of the three water pump bolts are rounded off, one of them so much so I can almost spin a 10mm socket on it by hand. So I haven't decided what my quickest option is to sorting that. There is so little room to work with the engine in the bay I can't do any of my usual tricks to freeing rounded bolts. I'm thinking pulling the lump out will be the quickest option, but time will tell.

So a bit annoyed with that I decided I'm going to fix something today, so I turned my attention to the drivers door card.

As you can probably see from the picture the mirror adjuster has broken off, the door pin is broken and the cover for the wing mirror is missing.

Luckily I have spares on hand to fix all this, so a few minutes later the door card looks like this.

After that I had a look at the drivers side front wing, turns out it is too far gone for me to save, very thin, rusty and holed in places. But luckily I have a spare wing that I can use so I'll buy some paint for that in the week and get that sorted.

So after a couple hours here is how she is sitting in my lockup just now, obviously has to get worse before it gets better...

On the to-do list the next time I'm off work are:

Change fuel tank for less rusty one

New bobbins for fuel pump bracket

Paint 'new' drivers side wing

Decide how to free water pump bolts

Renew TCAs and ARB bushes

General tidy up of everything else

Does look quite honest and tidy apart from what looked to be an attempt of cambelt and waterpump change by a previous owner which must have failed lol

Pain that the engine probably needs pulled out but you should be well up to the task now, you gunna keep it standard?

any scope for getting at the bolts if you undo the engine mount and jack it up , then hammer on some irwin bolt grippers?

I could probably get at the far left one by doing that, but the one under the water pump is also rounded. I'd have to lift the engine up past the chassis leg to get a socket and hammer into it. If I'm lifting it that far then it will pretty much have to be disconnected to the point where I could just pull it straight out.

Does look quite honest and tidy apart from what looked to be an attempt of cambelt and waterpump change by a previous owner which must have failed lol

Pain that the engine probably needs pulled out but you should be well up to the task now, you gunna keep it standard?

I'm going to keep it as standard as I can. It might get lowered and alloys though. I've got a lowering kit sitting and I found on German eBay a suspension bush set (New ARBs with nylon bushes, ARB blocks, nylon rear beam bushes) for just £130. So if I buy that, a 60mm drop won't hurt.

Focusing on fixing it first before any mods though.

If this one gets good you can g40 it and then give me the mk2 bready you have as a Xmas gift [emoji56]

You're not the first person telling me to G40 this.....It isn't going to happen.

Still giving me your mk2 though yeah [emoji106] cool haha

If you want the mk2 you can have it....it isn't free though haha.

Had some time today so decided to tidy up a few things.

Radiator fan cowling was a proper rusty mess once I got it free of the radiator.

Wire wheel came out and soon took care of it though.

Then I gave it a coat of zinc primer

Then nice and black, I was going to do it a funky colour but thought against it in the end.

The bumper bar and radiator support bar had both seen better days.

Luckily though I had spares stashed away which I painted about a year or so ago.

I know they aren't seen but I know they are there so it will make me happy. I do like to see a clean fan cowling though...just need to go through and tidy up the rest of the bay as I go along.

And I thought this was going to be a quick wee 'fix it and run it' project...

And I thought this was going to be a quick wee 'fix it and run it' project...

It will be on the road soon enough

Time for some updates. Over the past few days I'd been pulling the rest of the front end off, suspension, TCAs all that jazz. Found a broken spring, TCA bushes had seen better days but I have replacements for it all. Anyway finally got to a point where the engine could come out.

So just like that....

Look how happy I am that I got it out :)

Set to work and sorted the timing.

It was maybe 2-3 teeth out at the crank. But it turns over fine by hand now. Doesn't lock up at all and it feels like there is decent compression there. So I'm still hoping that was the issue.

Then I went a bit OCD and gave it a quick clean. Not perfect but less black and gunky.

Then as quick as it came out, it went back in again.

I did a bit more cleaning and noticed the thermostat housing had been leaking, looks like the bolts had been tightened up too much and stripped the threads. So I did a bit of modifying to make it work :)

So over the next few days I plan on getting the car built back up at least at the front end anyway. Then I can start work on the rear.

Can't wait to have all this fitted though.

Finally thanks to Ross yesterday for helping me pull the engine out and back in.

Top work Steve, fingers are crossed for you that it runs good and proper when you stick it back in!

Edit. Start it back up

Edited 19 November, 201510 yr by wizardmanjm

Looking good! Did you go for those Spax shockers in the end mate?

The dude with the Spax never got back to me. :(

I've got some JOM shocks sitting about and some lowered springs so I'll stick them on for now.

This is complete fail!

After all your work on the black one, i was expecting v6 twin turbo conversion as a minimum. You cant just pop the engine out and wipe it with a oily rag snd put it back in and maintain anything like your reputation. Tut tut...... ;D

Edited 20 November, 201510 yr by Retrotub

I am sorry

Time for more updates before I get too far. Again sorry for the dodgy pictures, just been using phones and there is very little light in my shed.

Anyway as I said in my last post, all the suspension at the front came off. So I attacked it with a wire wheel, painted everything with POR15 (I love that stuff) and fitted the JOM suspension I had into the from struts. Also the drive shafts got new outer CV boots as the old ones were on the point of splitting.

Getting everything fitted up. (Ignore the black wing, I'll get it painted after the MOT)

Was just away to fit it's new shoes on and found that 3 of the tyres were flat. I don't have a compressor in my shed and no one else was about so a trip into town to get some wind was next.

New shoes!!

YAY!!!

I think it goes rather well the blue car with purple wheels. Tyres are a bit on the large side but I'll get them changed for something else after the MOT.

So with the front end complete (apart from building the engine back up) it is time to start on the rear.

Plan for the rear is the same as the front, pull the suspension off, attack it with a wire wheel then paint it up with POR15 and put it all back on.

Rear flexi hoses and fuel tank need changed as well. as they are very old and crusty. Luckily I have a fuel tank sitting so I have that already cleaned up and coated with the POR15 :)

I'm hoping to have this completed and MOT'd for the 6th December to take it to the last Scottish meet of the year.

Also once it is on the road and tidied up (wing painted, new tyres etc.) I think I've decided it will be up for sale. I have no need for another Polo on the road so I'd rather sell it and see it get used. So if anyone is interested get in touch. Price will depend on the final cost of parts and any work for the MOT that needs done.

Hopefully I'll have more updates next week and it will be close, if not booked in, for an MOT.

Coming along really well! Good to see you saving it rather then salvaging it for bits

Coming along really well! Good to see you saving it rather then salvaging it for bits

I've done more than my fair share of stripping Polos for bits over the years. I thought it was time I used my knowledge and spare parts to save one that I know can be saved.

Steven, you are like the Harold Shipman of the polo world. Saving one doesn't make up for the mass genocide of others.

Edited 26 November, 201510 yr by dougstar21

Steven, you are like the Harold Shipman of the polo world. Saving one doesn't make up for the mass genocide of others.

We could spend three weeks and not come up with a more perfect analogy! Geneious!

Thinking of getting one myself as a side project when I get rid of the scirocco so I know who to come for for all the help :)

Finally got to working on this again after moving everything to the new house.

So the car is in the new garage and currently on axle stands like this :)

So with the limited time I had today I made some of these.

And ran new brakes lines from the front to the back, pretty happy with how they turned out under the car.

So they are all hooked up and good to go now. Thinking about replacing the front drivers side line too as it is original and is starting to go a little crusty.

Next job on the list when I get time is tank back in, exhaust on and see if I can get it running.

Nice work with the brake lines. Not a job I fancy doing at all lol

Good to see you have made time for work, are you going to attempt the driver seat cover? It's bloody fiddly