Buying a MK1??

Hi,

I'm looking at buying a MK1 and have found a 1993 Karmann Convertible 1.8,
its recently had a Webber twin choke carb, new jets and carb flange fitted
im not really an engine man just into styling…..
any1 help me on what a twin choke carb is and does also if it will have any effect being on a old car ?
and anything else to look for when buying like the best place to find rust spots or a dodgy roof maybe ……
any help appricated!

Thanks,

Welcome to the site. Convertibles are a little different to tintops as a few other things can go wrong. Mostly with the Hood and water leaking in.

If i was going to buy one id look at the hood and check the seals and see if there are any gaps between the hood and the body/windows. The condition of the hood is important too. However can be replaced but at cost.

In terms of rust the usual spots are

-the sills. Just underneath the doors. id get on all 4's and have a look under the car

-floor pan. Lift up the carpet and have a look underneath especially around the edges of the doors and the sides of the footwells.

- innerwings. on the inside on the front body panel wings is a usual spot for rust. often water from the roof finds its way down there.

- A pillers. Structure importance to the body.

- Fuel filler neck. Take off the cap n put a digit in and see if any rust comes off. Not the worst problem. can be anywhere from 10-60 quid fix. however, might indicate rust in the fuel tank which is a problem. But again can be sorted.

- underneath windscreen- usual spot for a bit of water sitting and corroding just bellow the windscreen.

- spare wheel well


Dont let this put you off if there is some rust present. Often it can be fixed and restored easily and at little . However depending on your budget and time try and find something with as sound a body as possible as alot of rust can require full metal resprays etc which can cost a lot.


Carbs are an older style of tuning engines. typically cars moved to injection fuelling. weber carbs are some of the best around and what they do is change how the engine receives fuel and air. in basic terms they can make your car produce a lot more bhp if set up correctly. Although they do use more fuel. less mpg etc but sound great and really make the car go!

All that twin choke means is there's 2 tubes with 2 throttle butterflies, rather than one big tube & butterfly. They're nothing to do with tuning or increasing BHP in this case, its simply that older cars all used carbs and newer cars all use injection. Obviously there's a period when manufacturers gradually converted from carbs to injection, and for example the Mk1 model range has carbs for the lower specified cars and injection for the GTI.

Carbs as a performance mod is a separate issue, and typically doesn't gain power over injection anyway.

The Weber is simply a different manufacturer replacement to the original, and is a slightly simpler design which makes it easier to set up.

Spot on Lads Thanks ALOT ! I'm gonna check a few out in my area this week hope ill have some pics up soon!

There's also a Mk1 Buyers' Guide somewhere on the website if you do a search.
I've just printed my copy!