Aircooled dubber coming over to the darkside

[five2]

Hi guys,

My name's Muz, just bought a '79 Mk1 2 door Golf some of you may have seen on ebay a couple of weeks ago. Has a haggard sunroof grafted into it which will need sorting out.

I've been into Aircooled VW's for a while and built this 'standard' '63 a year or so ago

and now i'm in the process of building a '54 oval with a few changes here and there;


I'm an automotive technician by day and automotive enthusiast by night and have wanted to build something to throw around the track for a while and a Golf seemed like the most sensible and cheap option.

Unfortunately i had to drive it home to Geelong from Pakenham on 2 cylinders which was due to a cracked head upon further inspection... so now this is where i am left.

What to do, rebuild the 1.6 and get a replacement head? or look at dropping an ABF engine in?

What are peoples thoughts on engine/gearbox combinations for a mk1?
I hear there are some bolt on brake conversions too from the mk2 or mk3?


Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Muz

[GoLfMan]

welcome to the dark side mate!

awesome looking beetles there, love the aircooled stuff (shh dont tell anyone )

dont bother with rebuilding the 1.6 mate, you are better off building up a 1.8 with some flat tops, ported head with big valves and a cam with carbs. They certainly get up and boogy the 8v is a good lill thing to punt!

an ABF would be an awesome conversion if you want to muck around with wiring and all that but if you want to keep it simple.... do the above!

Some recon a diesel 4 speed gearbox is a great all around gearbox and its pretty indestructable (and basically free if you can find them!)




come along to the photo shoot with your Bug! Bring some other Aircoolers aswell, we're all dubbers!

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/showthread.php?t=31212

[Jarred]

welcome to the forum. rad looking beetle there, I'm a fan!

Search through the mk 1 section, as there's heaps of hidden gems there, (especially from Pete Jones).

Toss that 1.6 for starters. My 'advice' (if you can call it that) would be based around having a track car with reg plates. cheap and cheerful.

1.8l 8V from a mk 3 (or mk 2 GTI) will bolt in, as will the close ratio 5 speed manual. brake booster and MC (bigger and newer) from mk 3 can be modded to fit into a mk 1.

I'd fit a 1.8 from a mk 3, and run in on a carb (or multiple), add a decent cam, and nice big exhaust. If you're feeling fancy, up the comp with new pistons, and get some basic head work. I wouldn't bother with injection, personally, unless you needed everyday driveability. (although a good carb setup will do that anyways) 130-140HP is very achievable with a properly setup 1.8 8V.

ABF would be nice, but kinda harder to find, and more expensive than a 1.8 8V. Allthough, standard will have more power than a mild 8V. Have a search around, plenty of chats about the pro's and cons of 8V vs 16V's here.


Mk 1 GTI calipers & discs are also a worthwhile upgrade, I've also heard mk 2 GTI calipers will work.

If you're handy with a welder, plenty of strut braces can be fabbed up, to help stiffen the car, and a decent spring + shock combo will go nicely on the track. No need for coilovers (imo) unless you're going to get really serious.

Hope this helps. Don't hesitate to ask any other questions you might have.

[greasykitchen]

Welcome from a Mk1 and Beetle lover

There's always plenty of advice on here for mods or just maintenance.

I've kept my Golf stock and it's a hoot to drive (except for the brakes ).

[five2]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, yeah everyone i contact about the ABF's are after fairly hefty money for what it is. At least the 1.8's are relatively cheap.

My golf's got a 5 speed in it currently, did mk1's not have 5 speeds from factory?

come along to the photo shoot with your Bug! Bring some other Aircoolers aswell, we're all dubbers!

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newf...ad.php?t=31212

Sorry mate, sold the blue 'standard' still wish i hadn't too

[Water Boy]

Muz wassssssssssssssssssss upppppppppp

Luft Brother

[GoLfMan]

Thanks for the warm welcome guys, yeah everyone i contact about the ABF's are after fairly hefty money for what it is. At least the 1.8's are relatively cheap.

My golf's got a 5 speed in it currently, did mk1's not have 5 speeds from factory?



Sorry mate, sold the blue 'standard' still wish i hadn't too

ohh shattered! well come along anyway and meet the Melb crew

Only the GTI came out with a 5 speeder I think!

[Jarred]

ohh shattered! well come along anyway and meet the Melb crew

Only the GTI came out with a 5 speeder I think!

and they were later models anyways. could have had one retrofitted easy enough.

[five2]

Muz wassssssssssssssssssss upppppppppp

Luft Brother

Hey Waterboy!

I'll always be an aircooled man deep down inside, but i have to entertain my other cravings... at least i made the decision to build a Golf instead of my Volvo/Saab hybrid race car idea

[five2]

and they were later models anyways. could have had one retrofitted easy enough.

and should the linkage have been changed on a 5 speed conversion?

gear selection is extremely close together, i know it's missing a few selector bushes but still doesn't feel right even for that

Whereabouts do you guys get your parts from in Vic?

[GoLfMan]

and should the linkage have been changed on a 5 speed conversion?

gear selection is extremely close together, i know it's missing a few selector bushes but still doesn't feel right even for that

Whereabouts do you guys get your parts from in Vic?

I usually just treck down to Volkspower if its urgent, or some people get it from GAP (german auto parts)

gear selector bushes are a common prob in the mk1, easy and cheap fix mate

[Golf Loon]

5 Speed has a wider shifter box, grind a piece off under the car for the same result

I`d just get a 1.8 engine and a dirty great webber, for simplicity.

If you wanna go 16v or something exotic, hit me up at work, we mailorder everywhere

Also have a complete roof that we chopped out of a rust free Mk1 the other day if you wanna loose that sunroof.

Other than the roof, the car looks good, welcome to our happy forum.

Cheers
Matt

[dubai gti]

Welcome.

I'm also new to Mk1's, and have owned 4 or 5 Bugs in my younger days..my 1st and 2nd cars were '66 classics....

What sort of price do you guys reckon a Mk3 1.8 engine is to buy s/h ? as I'm thinking of swapping the 1.6 in my Cabby...