Help me spend my money - Suspension, wiring issues

[willwho]

Hey all,

I recently took delivery of a 1981 mk1 4 door, and finally am financially sorted to start tinkering with it a bit .

Has anyone on here dabbled in a wiring loom conversion? as the loom in it is pretty much rooted, i'm surprised i can start the car! would a mk2 loom be made to fit using the blade type fuses? because at the moment the wipers don't work and i will put them on a toggle switch for now, but obviously can't stay like this for long haha.

And what are the most popular coilovers to go for? i don't necessarily need track coils, but a bit of low while maintaining the ability for a spirited hill run or two would be good.

EDIT: Also, my speedo is stuck at 80 km/ph, any way of fixing that or does the speedo need to be recalibrated?

[AUC-05L]

with the wiring, troubleshoot....the fuse box can get rusty so check that. also in my mk1 and on several other occassion i've seen the ignition switch was shot and caused things (like wipers, lights etc) not to work.

Thats where i would start if i was you

cheers
john

[roccodingo]

Look for a late Mk1 golf cabrio and swap out the entire harness ( likely cheapest and easiest option) you will need to change some of the wiring over to suit a carbed engine tho.

I have just rewired Anton's car still using a bullet fuse box ( original) its not to difficult, just need time without interuptions to get your head around it. Most of all the connector terminals are still available .

[willwho]

with the wiring, troubleshoot....the fuse box can get rusty so check that. also in my mk1 and on several other occassion i've seen the ignition switch was shot and caused things (like wipers, lights etc) not to work.

Thats where i would start if i was you

cheers
john

okay, i was getting a couple of things looked at at the auto leccys and he wasn't too keen on tackling it, so a new loom might be a goer.

Look for a late Mk1 golf cabrio and swap out the entire harness ( likely cheapest and easiest option) you will need to change some of the wiring over to suit a carbed engine tho.

I have just rewired Anton's car still using a bullet fuse box ( original) its not to difficult, just need time without interuptions to get your head around it. Most of all the connector terminals are still available .

Any ideas on where's best to get one of them? Should I source one out of the U.K. or locally? I'm at uni so time is no worries are there any specific guides on what exactly is involved with swapping the loom over - converting it to carb? I'm gonna grab a Haynes this week so I have electrical diagrams etc, I've never tackled something like this before so it should be a good learning experience, I hope hahaha

The car itself has a vwwatercooled sticker on the back so it's been on here at least once in it's lifetime haha.

[roccodingo]

Haynes would be the last manual I would buy, do yourself a favour and buy the real deal from Robert Bentley publishing. I think they'll do that manual as a download also.

Find My Car  -  Bentley Publishers - Repair Manuals and Automotive Books

Look up Camden GTI as Matt has wrecked a few cabrio's in his time otherwise advertise in the WTB columns on here. Check local wreckers, gumtree etc.

[IBN]

Is there really any point in replacing the loom itself? The weak point in the Mk1 seems to be the fusebox. Due to its crappy construction, various connections within either go open circuit or high resistance. Along with the fusebox being exposed to water from leaks due to perished windscreen rubbers and clagged ventilation systems, some time has been spent on the side of the road with head under the dash coaxing the car back to life. German Auto Parts appear to have new fuse boxes GermanAutoParts.com which might be a worthwhile investment for trouble free motoring. Along with that, checking all the earths around the car would be a worthwhile investment if you want brighter lights and a more reliable car. Let's face it, our cars are over 30 years old; time takes its toll.
Cheers,
Ivars

[Preen59]

Wiring loom swap is good if it has been hacked up... And most of them have been at some stage in their life these days.

DEFINITELY agree with Grant- Get a Mk1 Golf Bentley. They're worth their weight in gold.


Speedo could be just stuck, or it could be knackered. You'll have to pull it out and have a look. If you need another speedo, I have a stack of them. Just PM or email me if you need one. Check your speedo cable condition while you're at it.


Coilovers, I suggest Weitec Hicon GT for best bang-for-buck (and best ride quality). My daily GLD runs them and all my customers absolutely love them.