4wd mk1 golf

hey guys and gals

im looking to make a mk1 golf 4wd im not the brightest spark about was wondering if any one on here has attempted this or completed this mod as will need all the advice i can get  thanks muchly

aaron

if your not the brightest spark then i wouldnt even bother thinking about it

its not the easiest thing to do thats for sure

may not be a brightspark but love a challege i managed to rebult a triumph dolomite for a friend m quite useful just dont blow me own trumpet alot just wud like to have a bit of info about the 4wd before i attempt it

can you cut and weld metal, and measure things accurately?

a friend of mine just bought a civic that had been amateur 4x4'd…

I shall be spending a fair few weekends re-doing it!!!

You'll need to make a custom subframe for the rear which means losing the spare wheel well.  The tunnel will need lifting and widening to make it big enough for the gearlinkage, exhaust and the new propshaft.

The mk2 syncro is longer so the shafts need shortening.  This is the best system to use as the engine and box are a straight mount. the rest is custom fit.

You need to be good enough with a mig welder to get paid for it else I wouldn't try…  If your welds are crap it may pass the mot but disintegrate half way round a roundabout!!!

Personally i'd want access to a tig welder and a big lathe to make sure the drive shafts and prop shafts are true.

A big job if you've only really tinkered before.  Restoring a Dolly is all well and good but, (and trust me, i mean no offence here but I have seen some god awful restorations/rebuilds done buy professionals with 30 years experience and at 2 posts I don't know you  )

Did you weld slowly with good penetration but no distortion or contamination?

Is your welder at least 130 amps, ideally 200 amp? If not it wont manage good welds on chassis structures as these need to be fairly hefty!

Are you Very, Very good with measurements?  To be honest it isn't an easy home build unless you have ramps, as you cant really cut the middle of the car out on axle stands.  A spit is a must!!!

That way the welds on the bottom will be much easier to achieve.

Just my two-penneth.

Not trying to put a downer on stuff but I am a welder and a mechanic, and i know a fair bit about metallurgy to boot!!

Jon.

thank you jon no offence taken as have sed am just looking for experienced person like urself  i get wat im considering taking on i can weld wudnt say am the best i have a few friends with massive workshops so tools welders ramp etc wudnt be a problem thank you for the detailed description i think i will keep it 2wd for now maybe wen i get abit more exp will consider the 4wd again thanks

4WD isn't that much of an advantage anyway (on the road, that is), you can do plenty of little tweaks to make FWD traction good and achieve good acceleration and handling, etc. What power is your engine?

Leave 4WD to the farmers….

well my aim is to have 200bhp and 280 - 300lbs of torque which is why i wanted the 4wd for extra traction and launch

you wont get 280 to 300 pounds of torque running 200 bhp

hi mate,

i've been considering doin this to my golf but as i've already done a 4x4 2l turbo nova then i know what mess i'm gonna get into.it's a hell of alot of work todo,as said above a spit is the only way to start with, you need the shell on it's side or totally upside down so you can achieve the best welds without setting fire to your self!!!!

yeah i think if your only looking at 200bhp then i would stick with fwd mate as the 4wd system will sap some of that power,my nova had about 450bhp and that def needed 4wd!!

i'm looking at either using a 1.8 20vt or a vr6/4 motion turbo motor in mine and i'll be looking for atleast 450 bhp with loads of torque.

have alook at this guys posting, VW Caddy 4motion 4wd beast,done in his garage!!

http://www.vwcaddy.com/showthread.php?t=23553

hth

Andy.

http://www.clubgti.com…m/showthread.php?t=209507

that's another one to check out aswell

cheers nicko much appreciated