info needed, restoring a tin top

Hi all.

A friend of mine has had a laisher (excuse the spelling) green 84 tin top MKI sat on his drive for 8 years!

He has decided with gusto, that he wants to have it rebuilt and has asked me to take it on as a project. (yes I do like pain and am some sought of devil worshipper)

The car was parked up 8 years ago due to knackered gearbox and failing rings. The plan once it has been wielded up is to acquire a donor car and transfer good engine and box + also probably the complete fuel system over from a running car. We are thinking this will more than likely come from a MKI cab!

My first big question is this.

I know MKI cabs came in to guises. The first based on the MKI tin top floor pan and the later on a scirocco I believe?

When looking at donor's from what year until when will the floor pan be the same as our tin top? When did the floor pans change.

I will asume unless anyone can tell me otherwise that a pre 87 MKI GTI Cab will have the same engine and gear box mounting points, fuel tank, lines, pumps etc.

Thanks in advance.

Welcome Gary - First of all it's Lhasa Green, but its a silly name for a colour so you're excused for making the mistake

If you're planning on doing a load of welding work to the car, then i really recommend that you find a car that is of a similar age to your car. I don't know if the series 1s are any different, but i can only imagine that the cabbies are much thicker and stronger to accomodate the lack of the roof.

If you're lucky (out of my expertise here) then all of the engine mounts and brackets and all that matters should be the same on the cabby as it is on the tintop - assuming you have/had the same engine.

if they're different then obviously you'll want to do the same as above and look for a complete donor car that has an engine and a floor plan that you can chop about as you please :mrgreen:

hope this helps and good luck!

8 Years?
Mine has been in bits across various garages for nearly 14! Although I suppose that isn't anything to be proud of. Hopefully this year it will get painted, then I can start re-assembly.
Good luck!

pritty sure fuel tank is differnt  as there are on later cabbys.
the sills have loads of extra metal in then for strength.
alot of the outta body is the same except doors , boot.
as for floor pans you can get aftermaket ones if needed,
for my project i use google alot to cross ref pictures etc has solved alot of probs for me

not alot but hope this helps

Thanks for all the replies.

I didn't quite get the definitive answer  to my question though. What I really wanted to know is when was in which year was the floor pan of the cabriolet models changed to the later type. Its not really that I want to use the floor pan its just that all the fuelling components should then be the same, tank lines, pumps etc.

Any body know when the change came?

See other post - if its just relating to the fuel tank etc, approx 1986.

Golf and Scirocco floor pans were altered in 1984.5, though a few earlier cars would have been sold on B, C and D number plates.

The_Autoad said

Golf and Scirocco floor pans were altered in 1984.5, though a few earlier cars would have been sold on B, C and D number plates.

My tin top is registered A so could be 83 or 84.

How can I check for sure which I have?

You could look underneath - the earlier one has straps which hold the fuel tank in, the later cars have a bolted in fuel tank.