MK1 1272 GY motor mod

Please, I need info to make an informed decision. I am the owner of a 1996, 1272 MK1 golf (called chico in South Africa) with 160K on the clock, a good runner but lately I detetected a small puff of smoke on startup and after some downhill running. As mom's taxi it had been servicing the family well for 10 years but joined the student fertinity earlier this year. Though I have been playing around with making horses myself many years ago my student son has been nagging me to perform some mods to the car to increase the power 'a bit'.

I do not want to merely replace the existing 1272cc motor with a modified 1.8 or whatever is available nowadays. I see this as a family (father and son) project and an opportunity to 'school' my sons regarding what it takes to make horses and would like to use the eisting 1272cc motor as the test subject.

Several people have advised me that I should merely increase the bore from the existing 75mm to 81mm (because the blocks are all the same), replace the 1272 crank with an 1800 crank, replace the head with a larger (flowed) valve head and replace the flywheel with one housing a 200mm clutch assembly and lighten the flywheel. Another problem is that the car has a 4 speed gearbox.

Would the aforementioned mods suffice or is there an alternative, other than the well known 1.8, 2.0 etc. transplants?

get a custom manifold made up, and run it on bike carbs, performance cam, lighten the flywheel, but dont forget when moding the engine side, it is ADVISED!! you uprate your brakes!

simon

the citigolf 1.3 is a big block,so if i were you i wouldnt waste time playing with the engine,just drop a 1.6 or 1.8 carb big block in with a 5 speed box,my 1994 citigolf is a 1.3 big block and does ok for me,but if i wanted to pay more road tax and insurance i would drop a 1.6 in with a weber carb,its ok changing the engine but if you have a smack like i did once and the assessor comes out and opens the bonnet,your out of luck and your claim is thrown out,the assessor looked at the engine code on my jetta and said it matched the records ok  8O my god the car was only worth 400 quid,he said in future all cars will be checked before the insurance will pay out…..
Bert.