Locky's Mk2 GTi project daily.

[golfmeup]

Tried and failed trying to turn an old thread into my project thread so here we go- started a new one.
I promise to keep all related to my car on here.

I had originally planned to sell the car as I have been working overseas.
Until that is we encountered a Kangaroo driving back from Sydney to the North coast.
Change of heart- decided to keep the Mk2 with plans for a resurrection.


Photos are below were from when I was selling the car- before being kicked in the mouth by a big red.










Car has had very little use over the last 3 years as I have been over seas.
Car comes with:
15in TSW "Stealth" Alloys all round. Some skuff and kerb marks but they shine nice.
Front 2x 80% tread 195" 55" 15's Yokohama Ecos.
Rear 2x 80% tread 195" 55" 15's Hankook Optimo.

Good-

• Darkest Tint Windows- (1st photo was taken just before the tint was done)
• Black Widow Alarm with Immobilizer/Central Locking.
• Sony Explod MP3 Player with 10 stack CD in boot.
• Sony 6x9 3 way speakers in rear parcel.
• 4 in in dash speakers semi working- need replacing.
• Wipers all working F &R
• New front brake pads
• New spark plugs
• Fresh service- Oil/filters.
• Air-con re-gassed 15,000 kms ago
• Stainless steel exhaust with twin pipes.
• Un-modified engine.
• Reasonably Low K's and lots of fun!

Bad-

• Paint is in overall good condition- just a few stone chips from daily driving and car park trolley dings.Scratch on drivers door.
• A couple of chips in the original windscreen.
• A few interior parts need replacing.
• Unfortunately has a little panel damage on left rear door where some one in Brisbane kindly ran in to my parked car in a carpark and then drove off easily fixed.
• Has typical problems with 2nd gear being a clunky, and has just recently decided to be tricky with 5th gear.
• Heater core needs replacing- but hey who needs a heater in QLD?
• License plate light stopped about 1 year ago.
• The usual rip in Drivers seat side- easily repaired by Automotive Upholstery. Rest of seats are good nic.
• Emergency light switch fell off, still trying to locate a replacement- hopefully before sale date.
• Anything else I come across I will add later, but overall this is a great little car as all owners of MK2's know.

Thanks for looking

[golfmeup]

And here are some pretty sad shots after the incident with the kangaroo-
Collected the front left of the Golf- took out my left side grill, left headlamp, bonnet and part of the front quarter panel right near the aerial. (and lost my GTI badge), guess the roo kept that as a souvenier.

Couldnt find the roo, feel bad about it as you don't know how bad it was hurt.

**WARNING** The following photos may sadden some viewers.





Car is looking a lot better since- but needs some TLC to bring back her charm.

With my plans set in stone now to return to living and breathing in the land of Aus, it has given me much excitement to start planning for my mk2 resurrection.

My lovely mk2 is currently sitting in my grandmothers carport in Banora, most likely with the car cover blown off and a good coating of dust.

She was last started in April 2013 when I was back for 3 weeks( drove her nearly everyday and she ran like a dream).

Now that my family has grown with a wife and 2 little ones now, the mk2 is not going to cut it as the daily hack- so that means an extra set of wheels, maybe a Mk5 gti with DSG that my mrs can drive or an Audi A4 avant or possibly a B6 Passat. I'm honestly don't know yet, but we will decide that in the days after we arrive back.

The bonus of this is, I can take the golf of the road for a few weeks or maybe more to really get into my project!!

Saw a AGU 1.8T for under $1,000 which has me thinking of a 1.8T conversion again.
I don't see the point of throwing any more money into the 1.8 8v when it could be going into a conversion.

I have loved the 8V don't get me wrong- but only with just me in the car!! Once a bit more ppl and the shopping is in it, she doesn't cut it.

So the project planning begins.
I'll quite with the random threads asking for coilovers and wheels and keep it all on this thread.

At this stage for this year I plan the following:

*new grill
*new radiator support panel ( slam panel)
*new bonnet
* some bodywork to straighten left front guard and fix a few minor trolley dings.
*a proper cut and polish.
* may attempt to replace the heater core but will see how long I keep her off the road.*
*coilovers for a modest dumping
*some decent looking wheels- the TSW's are too stuck in the 90's - thinking 15in BBS RA's or similar with maybe 7-7.5 in width. Nothing too crazy.
*engine work for now will be just to keep the old 8v purring, a service, new oil and plugs, new engine mounts and a new rear

And any positive criticisms, thoughts, help, advise or what ever - along the way is fully appreciated.

[ryana89]

Keen to see your 'upcoming' progress.
Will be handy having that second dailyable car.... hmmm.

[sports racer]

Until that is we encountered a Kangaroo driving back from Sydney to the North coast.

What sort of car was the roo driving?





Sorry, couldn't resist.

Looks good in black, how long have you had her?

Matt at Camden GTI is wrecking a MK2, give him a call if you're stuck for parts. As for the engine swap do you need a turbo? I'm going to fit a 9a 16v motor in mine and run it on LPG. It should give enough power to have fun without getting too quick and attracting police attention. Suspension wise I've got cheap Hottuning spring/shocks and they don't seem to be too bad. Admittedly I've only driven the car for an hour but once I fix my front wheel bearing problem (loose/worn) I'll be using the Golf as a daily driver (800 ks per week). Then I'll know if the suspension is up to it.

Cheers

Paul

[golfmeup]

Keen to see your 'upcoming' progress.
Will be handy having that second dailyable car.... hmmm.

Yep, long over due I know!
That's what happens when you move overseas for a few years and start a family!

The second car is a going to be a necessity now with 2 little ones.

The Enkie 92's your running are one option I'm looking at.
I like them in silver!
(Sorry link is not working)
Might have to do a photoshop to get a good idea what they'll look like

[golfmeup]

Haha,
One fast moving roo

Paul, believe it or not I've had this car for over 8 years now.
Was nearly going to sell it when I decided to move OS and then had a change of have heart.

I've always looked forward to holidays back home so I can fire her up and get her out on the road.

2 liter could be an option as you can get an ADY from a Mk3 for under $400 if you shop around.

What sort of car was the roo driving?





Sorry, couldn't resist.

Looks good in black, how long have you had her?

Matt at Camden GTI is wrecking a MK2, give him a call if you're stuck for parts. As for the engine swap do you need a turbo? I'm going to fit a 9a 16v motor in mine and run it on LPG. It should give enough power to have fun without getting too quick and attracting police attention. Suspension wise I've got cheap Hottuning spring/shocks and they don't seem to be too bad. Admittedly I've only driven the car for an hour but once I fix my front wheel bearing problem (loose/worn) I'll be using the Golf as a daily driver (800 ks per week). Then I'll know if the suspension is up to it.

Cheers

Paul

[golfmeup]

Looking into the logistics of an ABF 16V conversion.
Would be a lot easier than the AGU 1.8T and most likely cheaper.
Thanks Paul for the suggestion.
I'll also be looking at all the wealth of information on the forums here for info.

[Schalke04]

Looking into the logistics of an ABF 16V conversion.
Would be a lot easier than the AGU 1.8T and most likely cheaper.
Thanks Paul for the suggestion.
I'll also be looking at all the wealth of information on the forums here for info.

I've had two abf's and both times decided to sell them rather than put them in my cars, because I drove the 1.8t and a standard abf doesn't compare. The only difference in install is the intercooler install. I have so far found my 1.8t conversion install easier than putting an 8v back in my other mk2

[golfmeup]

Yeah I've read a lot of people saying the 1.8T is a fairly easy conversion.
Inter cooler aside.
Just means a slightly longer parts list.

What gearbox are you using in the mk2?

[Schalke04]

Had an 02a for ages but had a bad second gear syncro, so I went with a 02j and put a wavetrac lsd in it. Another upside of going the 1.8t is it's a much more modern setup so the car will drive more reliably and you can focus on fixing the rattles.

[golfmeup]

And here are the links again. Lol


It's frustrating not actually being with my car yet, so I'm wasting the time on the Internet.
Finding some great information, probably a lot of people have seen already, but I'll list on here anyway- good a place as any to keep it

http://http://www.qpeng.com/faqs/
Awesome website devoted to conversions for 1.8T and even the 2.0 TFSI.

http://http://www.basic-engines.co.z...w_engines.html
Good picture- engine code reference on older South African VW engines.

http://http://www.conrod.co.uk/golf.html
Conrod- UK website with great information including detailed guide for 1.8T conversion.
Also has some good info on how to remove your suspension on the mk2.

http://http://www.clubvw.org.au/vwengines
Engine codes!!

[golfmeup]

Gearbox is one thing I really need to sort out! I have the dreaded mk2 2nd gear grind.

The 02a sounds like the go.
Did the LSD conversion cost you much?

Yep, the reliability of the 1.8T was what pushed me towards it- that and the standard 150hp you get without any mods(on an AGU)

Had an 02a for ages but had a bad second gear syncro, so I went with a 02j and put a wavetrac lsd in it. Another upside of going the 1.8t is it's a much more modern setup so the car will drive more reliably and you can focus on fixing the rattles.

[Schalke04]

Gearbox is one thing I really need to sort out! I have the dreaded mk2 2nd gear grind.

The 02a sounds like the go.
Did the LSD conversion cost you much?

Yep, the reliability of the 1.8T was what pushed me towards it- that and the standard 150hp you get without any mods(on an AGU)

It's not the cheapest thing to do, but it wasn't too bad. Lsd cost around $1200 I think, plus install and replacement of bearings and stuff. Plus the lsds really made my car drive a lot better, I can now put my foot down and I won't just spin. A plus if you bought my conversion is it comes with an 02a and the ecu is chipped to 200hp

[golfmeup]

It's not the cheapest thing to do, but it wasn't too bad. Lsd cost around $1200 I think, plus install and replacement of bearings and stuff. Plus the lsds really made my car drive a lot better, I can now put my foot down and I won't just spin. A plus if you bought my conversion is it comes with an 02a and the ecu is chipped to 200hp

Haha, believe me I'm tempted by your conversion kit, but the funds we will have left over after moving back to Aus will be going towards a 2nd car.

Trust me, moving 2 adults and 2 kids with a tonne of stuff ain't cheap!
Also still have to get a job again and be earning money!!

I plan, if the second car works out, to do it piece by piece over a few months.

How easy was it getting your engineers check?

[Schalke04]

Not a problem. Mine was really easy to get done. My engineer was extremely easy to work with and has since passed a 16v turbo mk1. A plus for the 16v is not needing the engineers certificate.