Old Polo's are too slow.

[sports racer]

What's the easiest engine swap for a 97 Polo? My gearbox has gone south and instead of paying $2k for another one I thought it might be more fun fitting a 1800 or 2 litre (with their stronger gearbox).

I can get off the shelf bits to improve the suspension and brakes but the 55kw engine really lets it down.

Just to make things harder for those suggesting mega horsepower engines I do 900ks a week so fuel economy has to figure in the equation. I don't mind getting dirty and know which end of a welder to hold so doing mechanical changes doesn't worry me.

Paul

[philthy]

Can you fit a 2.0L out of an Ibiza in there?

TDI would go like a rocket but may be a bit trickier.

VR6 turbo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVympgkxaeU

[Petrina Polo]

But they are good cars. Id leave the stock motor in, chuck a set of extractors on it and a decent set of wheels.

enjoy the cars stregths not focus on its weaknesses. Every car has its negatives. Maybe a set of extractors for a little more torque and maybe work on its handling a bit..

Might be too slow but its a fine car. enjoy it for what it is.

[RhysQ]

go find yourself a Polo g40 engine......nothing slow about that.

[Blitzen]

If Matt can shoe horn a VR6 engine into a SEAT Ibiza, why not drop one into a Polo? It is basically the same car.

[pologti18t]

Buy a new(er) car....

[Golf Loon]

With regards to the original poster.

Its the same fusebox as a SEAT or a Golf 3 so all you would need would be the engine, gearbox and engine loom from a Golf 3 or SEAT and plug it all in. Yopu could go 1.8 or 2L.

The dash would have to come out and you may end up changing the subframe, but you`d end up with a much faster nicer polo.

I`d be happy to doi the job for you, or assist with parts and knowledge.

I also have a low ks 1.6 polo gearbox for a lot less than you have been quoted if you just want to fix the thing.

[sports racer]

But they are good cars. Id leave the stock motor in, chuck a set of extractors on it and a decent set of wheels.

enjoy the cars stregths not focus on its weaknesses. Every car has its negatives. Maybe a set of extractors for a little more torque and maybe work on its handling a bit..

Might be too slow but its a fine car. enjoy it for what it is.

Petrina, they are great cars. I have already modified the suspension and use aftermarket wheels and the handling is really good. The main reason I want to get away from the 1.6 engine is the lousy gearbox that's attached to it. Because I do over 40,000 ks a year it only takes a few years to chew up a gearbox, and that's a new gearbox. 2nd hand ones only last a year. Would you put up with having to replace your new gearbox every 2 years?

I spoke to Matt and he's looking into a 1.8 motor and gearbox swap. With a bit of luck it shouldn't be too much trouble for me to do the swap and at a price that's less than a 1.6 gearbox. Might even get it done in a weekend if there's no problem with the new gearbox matching my drive shafts.

The 1.8 is a logical replacement, more power and torque without being too fuel hungry. It might even use just as much fuel as the 1.6, being a bigger engine in a smaller, lighter car than the Golf it came out of. I don't need a super quick Polo but the extra power (up from 55kw to 77kw) will be nice.

Ultimately I'd like to fit the 1.9 turbo diesel engine but for that project the car has to come off the road for a few weeks and I can't be without the car for that long.

Why am I bothering with a 12 year old Polo? The Polo reminds me of my old MK1 GTI in size but a lot more refined and with better brakes! The handling on my car is similar to the old GTI too so it's worthwhile doing a few mods to turn it from a "nice" car to something special.

Paul

[DubSteve]

Put a 1.8t in there and your set no one can beat that

[philthy]

I spoke to Matt and he's looking into a 1.8 motor and gearbox swap.
Paul

Good stuff. Look forward to a build thread/ piccys/ report of how it goes.

[sports racer]

OK

1st picture will be a 1997 Polo with a 1.6 in it.

2nd picture will be a 1997 Polo with a 1.8 in it.

What will be more interesting is the before/after performance figures and drivers feedback. It won't be a rocket ship but it should be really nice to drive.

[philthy]

OK

1st picture will be a 1997 Polo with a 1.6 in it.

2nd picture will be a 1997 Polo with a 1.8 in it.

What will be more interesting is the before/after performance figures and drivers feedback. It won't be a rocket ship but it should be really nice to drive.

haha, fair enough. Guess it will look pretty much the same. Are you planning extractors/ cold air intake/ cams etc while you're there? Guess lumpy cams might ruin the whole economy part.

[Petrina Polo]

I still think leave the original motor and gearbox. If its not powerful enough, sell it and buy another car. There will be too much heartache and money to get the car with an extra couple of kw.

I drove a Hyundai Getz 1.4 and 1.6 back to back. One had 60kw and the other 76kw and a bit more torque. Could hardly tell the difference. You will spend all that time and money for no significant difference.

Extractors for the win on the stock motor.

If you just need more power, For the mucking about sell it chuck some money on top (that you would spend for the motor/gearbox and conversion) and walk away with a Mk4 Gti. They are going cheap now.

As for fuel economy, 1.6,1.8 or even 1.8T, they are still frugal, rememebr most people out there are driving big 6s and V8's. They would scoff at you if you talked about fuel economy being excessive in a small car like ours.

[sports racer]

You still don't get it. I love my Polo, it's a great car but I don't like having to replace the gearbox every 2 years. That's my issue, I'm not doing this for the extra power. By fitting a 1.8 I get a stronger gearbox that lasts longer and is much, much cheaper to replace than the original Polo gearbox. The extra power from the 1.8 is a bonus.

I can get the engine and gearbox swapped over for about the same cost as a 2nd hand Polo gearbox so for the minor annoyance of doing the swap I get to keep my car which I know inside out. The Polo needs a new gearbox so there's no additional cost in doing this swap.

When I can afford it I'll get a MK5 GTI but for now the Polo suits my needs perfectly.

[seangti]

just do plenty of research before committing to make sure it's a simple process and reliable outcome. Also double check the weight difference between engines/gearboxes. An extra 20+kg's over the front may significantly change the handling you're currently enjoying.

Each to there own, we've all pi55ed money away on projects we thought were tops and the next bloke would have thought a waste.