My First MK1 GTI

Hi all, first post to go with my first MK1 Golf GTI…I've had a mk1 before some 25 years ago as my first car which sadly got written off (not my fault though!)

Anyway - I've a few questions about my recent purchase and hoping you guys can help! I've bought a decently restored 83 GTI tintop in the best colour of red. Main question refers to the ride and vibration of this thing which isn't unbearable but then again isn't the greatest. Car is running a 1.9 with a ported and polished head, piper fast road cam and Audi 2.2 throttle body with a power flow exhaust. Handling wise its been polybushed, and is on bilstein shocks and eibach springs. When its ticking over its vibration is quite bad, the idle sits at 1000 and the dash and the whole car shakes.

My question is how to make it more bearable? Im guessing its a mix of the polys and the large cam in the engine - thoughts are to revert back to standard rubber bushings. My old mk2 was on bilstein/eibach and was a lovely ride so hoping by just changing the bushes I can sort this a bit. I did get the original DX with the car and am taking that to a engine builders next sat to quote - so that is an option further down the line but looking for an improvement sooner!

Thanks

If they used POLY mounts on the engine and tranny, then right there is your issue.

Now I don't know what the mounts look like on a non-oem engine as the 1.9 or 2l wasn't factory on these critters.

I don't know if the different engine has a different mount set up but if they are Poly.  I hope you have a good dental plan.

On a Factory set, you can reduce the torque loss by inserting large fender washer between the front valance and the cup makes the front mount tighter to the engine.

You can also insert a piece of the old mount on the Left (tranny mount) and Right (engine mount) side reducing the movement of the thing when the mounts go.

Ah - thanks for that. 
I had a look underneath and around the engine yesterday, the front engine mount is poly, as is most of the others (wishbones aren't) 
Ordering up standard bushes today and will have them in on my next day off! 
It's a 1.8 engine bored out to 1.9, so utilises the standard mounting points 👍

Welcome to the club Phil (?).

I think you've sussed that poly bushes will produce a firmer ride (that's what most who use them are looking for). 

If you're thinking about a standard 1.8cc engine, do you really need the poly stuff. As VW spent fortune designing the original suspension it may be better to return to that in time. 

Cheers - just in the process of ordering all standard bushes for it…off to Germany in a month in the car and it would be costing me a flight home for the mrs if I kept it as it is!

Dano said

Welcome to the club Phil (?).

I think you've sussed that poly bushes will produce a firmer ride (that's what most who use them are looking for). 

If you're thinking about a standard 1.8cc engine, do you really need the poly stuff. As VW spent fortune designing the original suspension it may be better to return to that in time.