Model: 1991 VW Polo GT

Engine: 1272cc 3F engine, K&N panel filter, 131k

Suspension: G-laderseite ARB blocks, new TCA's, standard height, right hand rear shock saggy!

Brakes: Rebuilt VWII calipers with Brembo 239mm vented discs, 22mm master cylinder

Wheels and Tyres: 13x5.5" BBS RA G40 wheels, 185/60R13 Yokohama A539's

Exterior Styling: Clear front indicators and side repeaters, late-spec tinted rear lights, front fog lights, G40 type bee-sting aerial, pressed steel plates, Dubmesiter surrounds, wing mount blanked off

Interior Styling: Low milage interior from a late GT, black carpets, standard steering wheel, cooling fan switch on second demister switch, rear seat belt guides, boot side carpets, fire extinguisher on a bracket in the boot, OEM VW floor mats. Uncut parcel shelf.

ICE and Security: Alpine flip-front head unit, JBL GTO 8.5cm speakers front, 6x4 speakers rear, in correct locations.

Comments: Where do I start? I bought this car back in September after selling my original GT, I wanted another one! It seemed like I got a good deal at the time, but to be honest the car was really suffering with engine faults and loads of other problems, but I got it home and started work. There's loads of my posts asking about problems and slowly but surely getting them sorted, so its all good, now its running the best it ever has, I regularly get 44mpg, and it pulls really well!

But the engine is starting to suffer, its got chronic piston-slap in the mid range when not under power, so its coming out soon, to be replaced with a low milage ABD engine I procured from a Mk3 Golf. I'm just rebuilding the ABD so in a month or so the 3F lump is coming out, either to be rebuilt and sold or sold as it is.

Got loads of other things sat in the garage waiting to go on too, a set of VWII calipers with new discs and Raicam fast road pads and just ordered a G-laderseite polybush kit for the front and rear to tighten up the handling. While the engine's out I'll be fitting PSD braided hoses all round, and be giving the engine bay a bit of a clean up. I've got some original 13x5.5 G40 BBS wheels for it, with brand new A539's, they'll be going on at the same time. Also I want to improve the suspension, but I'm not so sure what to do there. I'll be dropping it 40mm, but how I don't know yet, still got to decide! At some point I'll be getting some pressed steel number plates, and I want some clear side repeaters eventually (I took the crappy black ones off in the pic and put the orange ones back on).

Once I've got the running gear sorted then I need to sort out the bodywork! There's a couple of very small rust patches, one on the bootlid and one the bottom of the drivers door. There's also a lot of small parking dings which are really annoying me. There's also a dent in the rear hatch where a door blew open into it. Ideally I want to have it fully re-sprayed and sorted out, but I don't think funds will allow me to do that just yet!

I'll also be fitting a central locking kit, and a decent alarm, with Mk2 Golf rear door handles. I've already got the handles converted to Polo plungers so its just a case of fitting the locking kit and its done. Oh yeah, I also want to get some Mk3 fogs too, I've already ran the wiring to the front, just need to get some fogs to plug in!

Think thats about it, sorry for the essay! Here's some pics:

And just for the record, here's my old GT:

Edited 17 February, 200818 yr by minis84

nice gt, keep us posted on your progress

Tidy! Keep up the good work.

Did a little bit more on it yesterday! I'll let the pictures do the talking:

New drums, stub axles, discs, VWII calipers, pads, shoes, wheel cylinders and wheel bearings:

Genuine VW caliper rebuild kit :)

Discs and calipers on (braided hoses to follow but PSD were out of stock:

Minging old rear wheel assembly with knackered bearings, leaky wheel cylinders and contaminated shoes:

Shiny new backplates, wheel cylinders and stub axles:

Fully rebuilt:

Back on the floor with G40 BBS (sorry about the carpet!)

Just need to get the ABD engine in, sort out the suspension (going down 60/40) and give it a good wash!

Edited 18 April, 200719 yr by minis84

Good work Tom, let us know how the ABD progress goes.

notice the purple clubman from TMF bud! Looks tidy!

Looking funky.

ABD will go well in it. You doing any other mods to the engine or just as is?

I'm putting a GT cam in it, then just standard apart from that internally. I'd like to have some headwork done but funding is the issue at the moment! And its still my daily so its got to stay reasonably economical too. Have made a de-cat for it, and I'm looking at custom making a 2" exhaust system with a TDi style hidden exit, but thats for later. At the moment I just want to get the ABD in and running properly :)

Will do a project thread for the Clubby soon but for now if anyone's interested have a look here

Tomm, I thought you might have been from TMF when I saw your thread about selling the Mini!! There's loads of people on here with VW's and Mini's, can't go wrong really!

Took a few more pics after washing it the other day, looks a bit tidier! Still loads to do though:

Been a bit busy with other things (mainly the Mini!) but over the last few months I've fitted the G-laderseite ARB blocks, new TCA's and rear beam bushes, front fog lights, new number plates and decent side repeaters. Doesn't look anything special/different but I like it:

Have also started work on the ABD lump, finally pulled my finger out and got it up on the engine stand, just got to start work on rebuilding it not and getting it fitted:

Am aiming for the engine conversion to be done, along with a few other things ready for a trip to the Nurburgring in the spring

Well, as usual things don't always go to plan!!

Have a look at this topic to find out how the Polo died. Here's some updated pictures that I took last week once I got it home:

The boot floor all nicely creased:

The O/S rear quarter panel:

The drivers C-pillar, showing the amazing door shut of 0.1mm (if only they were built like that!)

View from the front:

So, its bye bye black GT - hello Indian Red CL!

Its a completely standard 1992 1043cc Indian Red Coupe, done just over 88k and I paid a silly cheap price for it :)

Since last week I've swapped over quite a lot of unobtrisuve parts from the GT already - nothing that is going to affect the value in the eyes of the insurance assessor, but things that were easy to do when I had whiplash and was off work!

The plan is to strip the black GT completely and utterly, basically save everything possibly saveable from it and convert this CL into a GT, except that I'm going to build the ABD engine I'd be planning for the black GT and put it straight into this one, along with all the other little bits and bobs I'd done to the black one (G40 running gear etc etc).

Here's a few pics, I need to remove the awful pin-stripe and tomorrow I'm getting some A539's plonked onto some GT steels so I can get rid of the 4.5" steelies and ditchfinders, but its getting there now!

As I bought it:

As it stands now:

Can't wait to get started on the conversion though! I'll try to keep it updated here.

Thanks for looking!

Liking the sound of this one, will definatly be waiting for updates!

Same conversion I'm doing this summer, apart from I'm going to be doing the headwork, and sticking a schrink cam and gonner try for 100+bhp keep up the good work.

Ah jeez! Just noticed this! That black GT was coming along really nicely. It's good that most bits can be swapped over though, I'm sure it will be bang on soon.

Shame about the black one New one looks good. Should be nice when your done !

Love the colour of the new 1 Indian Red Kicks Ass !

your old polo j550 vob thats mine now