1.1 ideas??

i have a 1043cc polo engine in my mk1 golf, i have a single weber on it but is there anything else i can chuck on to make it a bit nippier, i know its not going to go like a rocket but with car insurance these days i can chuck a big lump in just yet, any help is much appreciated!

See if you can get a twin carb manifold to fit, i dno if you can, but would be a massive improvement.

I'd have a read on the Polo forums (Club Polo) etc and see what they've done to up power on their 1.0's. I've just had a quick look and it seems a 1.3 GT cam or even better GT Head + cam (larger valves and ports) would be a good upgrade.

A much cheaper option is to just to strip all the excess weight out of the car and don't let any passengers in.  

Seriously though, I have a 1043cc Mk2 Polo and a 895cc Mk1 Polo and once they get going they're quite nippy - it just takes a while to get there!

dont get me wrong its nippy for the size of its engine but i just have a heavy foot and what a bit more haha but thanks for the help guys! i will definately look in to that with the cam etc thanks alot!! so you reckon the 1.3 gt head would be on on my block, reckon the pistons could handle it?

All the Polo head castings were the same - I looked into it before Xmas as my Polo's head gasket went and the head was heavily pitted. The only differences are that later cars had Fuel injection so the area on the casting where the mechanical fuel pump mounts was left blank. Some will have larger valves ie 1.3's and the GT has larger valves/ports and double valve springs.

It'll all go on your 1043, but I can't comment on how much gain you would get from doing it. Have a look on Club Polo: http://www.clubpolo.co.uk/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t209714.html

Hows about save your money until you can afford something quick?..  :dontknow:

I'm not taking the mick.. I'm serious.. You will spend hundreds of pounds which could have been put towards a much better and much faster car.. Insurance company's stack young drivers premiums for a reason.. Patience will pay off I assure you..  

Why own a car like a Mk1 Golf if all your doing is waiting to sell it.

He could've just gone and bought a modern 1.0 car and it would be quicker than the Mk1!  :roll:

Small engine cars eg 1.1 aren't that much more economical than 1.4 anyway, the reason the manufacturers do them instead of simply sell the 1.4 is to limit the power of the engine to provide a range so there's a starting point for young/inexperienced drivers.

Trying to rag the t*ts off of a 1.0 or tweaking it to within an inch of its life is best saved for Corsas and Saxos, where you will gain more respect. Allegedly.

I don't think he's tuning the car for economy and I doubt a 1.3 cam would push the 1.0 to within an inch of it's life. I guess it's all down to him what he chooses to do with his car, he's asked for advice on how to get a bit more out of it, I don't recall the initial post saying "I'm going to tune my 1.0 - please talk me out of it".  

Small block tuning is a rare thing on Mk1 golfs but it's popular in early Polo's (which didn't have large cc derivatives) as well as across other marques, e.g Mini's, Hillman Imps etc etc. It's not just the domain of Saxo's and Corsa's in McDonalds car park.  :roll:

Yes but other posters are able to see the bigger picture. Yes, by all means any engine is tunable - and you've already suggested ClubPolo. You can't say how much power would be gained from 1.3GT head, I'll suspect that along with a slight power increase there's an amount of work also required getting the carb rejetted as appropriate, or adapting fuel injection onto it + remapping (which would probably need a rolling road session). If this wasn't done then it may run so far off stoichiometric as to lose power, not gain it.

That kind of thing costs money, which must also be shared between the mods and the extra insurance premiums. The devil is in the details - can you put figures to the mechanical work itself, the tuning (rolling road), the insurance increase and the before and after power?  That would yield a £ per bhp figure, which is surely what is the critical aspect here.

Even with a, say, £500 allowance for teething troubles on a different car, selling the 1.1 and buying a 1.5 would I suspect work out cheaper on a £ per bhp basis.

If the 1.1 has particularly good bodywork/paintwork, or sentimental value, then I'll understand the desire to keep it, all I can do is say what seems sensible from my experience with these cars.

So no worries all round.

You are right GavB, he didn't ask to be talked out of it.. However, as the old saying goes, you can't put an old head on young shoulders and this saying comes from generation after generation of older and more experienced people trying to help the younger more inexperienced and I emphasise the word help as I wasn't taking the Mick.. I am just suggesting a different way of eventually getting what he really wants.. Another saying from someone older than me (my dad) is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions and prior to verbally being given a dressing down just now, I had no idea what his saying meant.. But now I do.. Fit nitrous and a turbo, ratchet strap the engine and remove the exhaust.. Enjoy the fastest 5 miles your car will ever do.. Also you might want a fire extinguisher and some flame retardant clothing… Don't bother uprating the brakes, just use a tree to stop.. Best of luck..

hahah cheers guys, i will never sell this car, i just wanted a little more go for now! later i hope to fit a 1.8 turbo or something in the near future! but i am just after a little more go for now.

£100 gets you to 60bhp by swapping in a 1.3 engine - worth thinking about that one.

Good luck with it mate, you should be able to get a GT head for about £40-50 if not less from a breakers. A cam for alone for maybe £20. If you fit a late head you won't need to run F.I, you'll just need an electronic fuel pump unless you drill out the blank on the casting and fit the mechanical pump.

Your never going to make it lightening fast but there's harm in enjoying yourself and getting to know your way around the engine. The brakes on my 1043 Polo are the factory VWII calipers with solid discs and the same where fitted to the base 1.3 Polos. GT's and G40's had vented discs and the same calipers as Mk1 Golf GTIs. You won't need these though but your brakes should be more than adequate if your running VWI or VWII calipers.

Walt's comment about trees brings a big stick in the mud to mind.  

where could i get a engine for £100?

its just to have a little play really guys but thanks for all the help!

and thanks for all the advice gav much appreciated!

eBay, classified ads on here, etc etc are a good place to start?

i noticed a difference when i swapped my 1.1 derby engine for a 1.3 mk1 golf engine (80k, £125 on ebay). they are great little engines. getting the carb set up properly and using the higher octane petrol made a difference too.
 i thought about tuning my 1.3 up a bit but mk1jim and a few others talked me into a g60 conversion. yet to see what it is like( i'm scared to be honest).
a part of me wishes i kept the small block engine just because it was so fun! although i didn't like the reaction when people asked if it was a gti and i said ''no, its a 1.3''.
i recon when i get a bit older i will swap the g60 for a 1.4tfsi out of a new polo gti or something? or maybe even back to the good old 1.3.

i'd love a g40 lump! i'll have a little think and see what pennies i have to play with!