Hey all,

Here in Australia we did not get nearly as many variants of the golfs and polos that you did in the UK and as such some of the already documented compatible donors are either hard to get or we didnt get them at all.

I have found the below car at the local wrecker.. would its rear brake assembley be suitable for transplant into a 6n1 drum'd car?

VIN: wvw zzz 1hz sw 196 936

Cheers,

Aaron

Edited 22 February, 201610 yr by pontiff

Haven't seen these before, it a bit hard to tell. The hubs look like the mk2 golf as apposed to the later polo style. Non of that matters really the main thing is if they will bolt up. If you are able to get the disc and hub off and check the bolt pattern that will tell you if they can be fitted.

I don't see it not fitting if I'm honest, I doubt VW would have used a special setup just for the golf.

What you will need of the golf is pretty much everything attached to the brakes so obviously calipers and carriers, the stub axle hub and disc and all the bolts. You will also need the brake pipes from caliper to where its clipped to the sbeam and also the handbrake cables all the way to the end of the handbrake, there are little retaining clips where the cables attach to the caliper make sure to grab these.

If the hard lines are bad then it's a lot cheaper to just make a new hard line as those new are pricey.

The main bolts behind the hub are sometimes really stuck in there so it might be a lot easier to disconnect the whole rear beam and chop the flexi pipes etc and take the whole thing away.

Hi mate, thank you for your reply. I will go there on the weekend and grab the whole assy and take it from there. I know what you mean about those retaining clips, they are an absolute PITA!.

They look like they are 4x100 and as you say, I cant see VW making a different version for the golf when it looks like all they've done is just pass down the parts to their lesser models as they get older.

By 'hard lines' I'm guessing you are referring to the metallic ones? I will grab them while I am there also. What should I look for in terms of condition to determine if they are worth keeping? Are you saying you can have them made if they're not suitable? I'll just have to check their length and ensure their routing is similar to the current drum lines?.

Sorry for the 1,000 questions :)

The only difference on the "Hard lines" are on the disc setup there is a short flexi pipe to connect to the caliper, on some Golfs this connects to the standard brake pipe on a bracket or on others the flexi pipe is crimped onto the standard brake pipe, then both go to the same point on the axle beam as the Polo and connects to the flexi pipe by the axle pivot bush

As noise says above they are different to the drum pipes so grab them while your there. I can't tell from the pic if it's the same as the polo but I doubt it will be far off.

Yes you can have them made its just copper piping that needs cutting to length and fitting attached then the pipe needs a shaped end crimped on. Not an expensive thing to do especially if you can get hold of the tool as the piping and fittings are not expensive. That said, if the golf ones fit then just stick with them.

A good sign of a failed brake pipe is a hole or a lot of corrosion or damaged fittings etc.

The clips I mentioned above are to hold the handbrake cable in place so it doesn't jump out when the handbrake is down. I didn't get these for my setup and had to order them from VW... One of the few things I've ever bought from the dealer.

I know the exact clips that you mean, they are a pain to get off and on again without mashing them in previous experience :) I'll give it a shot.

Also does anyone know the standard offset for the mk3 wheels just so I can see if the offset of the polos will clear the suspension strut. Should do hopefully..

When I have the bits I'll report back to the group for an FYI.

Looking on vagcat the standard wheels (steel & Alloy) vary from ET38 to ET45

Cool I'll just grab the gear and play it by ear and see what happens :)

I used both Golf3 1.8 rear drum assemblies and 6N1 16v rear drum assemblies on my MK2 (they were actually the same drum assemblies), so that experience tells me the bolt pattern to the axle is likely to be the same.

Hey mikeyMK, thanks mate great to know !!

Okay... So I had brake lines made (the golf ones were too long) and bolted it all up tonight and bled the entire system.

Problem is that the pedal is terrible, there is just no brake pressure and when you turn off the car when you pump the pedal you can't get it to hold pressure where as with the drums you manage to get a rock hard pedal. When applying the brakes you only manage to stop the front wheels spinning (I have car on a hoist) when the pedal is a few cm from the absolute floor.

Have I missed something? All I have done is change the drums for calipers and 2 new brake lines (which don't leak)..

Admittedly I am testing this on a car I have had sitting in the paddock for 2 years but everything looks good..

Any advice would be appreciated

I am going back to the donor car tomorrow and going to get the master cylinder and the brake proportion valve

I'm at a loss otherwise. It doesn't seem anyone else changes the MC as part of a conversion?

I changed mine but there was no need to.

How have you bled the brakes? I've noticed you have to go round at least 3 times usually and using the one way valves or eezi bleed type things don't work for this job you need to have someone sit in the car, pump the brake until hard then hold pressure while you open the bleed nipple. I have been told to start at the wheel nearest the MC and then work round to furthest away. I then go round again in a cross pattern so passengers front , drivers rear, drivers front then passengers rear etc.

You can't really ever bleed it too much but unless you catch the fluid you will get through alot of it but If it's still clean then reusing it isn't a problem.

Should the pedal be absolute rock hard when off? All the 6n1's I've used is never rock solid .. Mk6 golf on the other hand, rock solid..

Got the golf Mc and proportional valve today too, I'll give them a go too..

Is there any way to see if the rear calipers are working properly? They twist as the pads wear?

Oh... And I hVe a motive power bleeder

As you raise the handbrake the piston should twist out this sets the piston in place the first few times it pulled after that the pressure from the pedal pushes the piston out slightly to brake.

You could carefully wind the Pistons out with the handbrake when they aren't fitted to the carrier and then wind them back in to see if they are seized. Not the hardest thing to take apart and put back together if you have the tool to wind them back in

Pistons are ok.. You have to jump on the pedal just to stop it rolling at idle. Something is very wrong hmmm... Would a failed booster present issues that mean you can barely stop a car rolling in drive at idle RPM?

Replaced MC As I say and all it did was make pedal firmer to press but didn't improve response/ feel.

Doesn't leave much other than booster? (And air but for the life of me not sure how any air is left, car bleeds sell with the motive)