mk1 rear disc coversion can n e 1 help??

hi newbie here

i have mk 1 1983 had for about ten years now and i'm planning to restore as its getting tired.

i've tried useing the search but with so many posts i cant find what i'm looking for.

What parts do i need to convert to rear discs and is there a guide on this site that i could use.

thanks in advance

Hi. Although it seems like an upgrade, most people stick with well set-up drums nowadays as the bulk of the braking effort on a Mk1 is biased towards the front. Means that the rear brakes don't have much to do when compared to the fronts, and the std drums are more than up to the job. If you still want to go with disks (for looks or whatever), you need the stub axles, calipers, etc, from a Mk2 Gti and Scirocco 16V handbrake cables (you can get the cables from GPC I believe). The Mk2 calipers are prone to sticking, so some people use Mk3 or Mk4 calipers that are better designed, but the unions on a Mk4 are a different size, so these would need changing on your brake lines.
Cheers,
Mark

Yeah , dont bother with rear disks , its actually a down grade . u can find urself facing the wrong way very easily !!!!!  8O

VW can still get the rocco handbrake cables, thats where I got mine.

If you did decide to go for Mk4 calipers (they look alot better and dont sieze up), goodridge do a braided conversion pipe.

I love my discs and my car goes road rallying. I have the mk3 calipers and the handbrake is excellent too.

I agree with Mark in that you don't need discs on the back of a mk1. I used to race an `82  1.6 and the standard rear drums were fine. The back over taking the front at the end of the Craner Curves was not a good look!!!

In fact I had more issues with the fronts overheating - managed to split one pair of discs in two at one event!!

Philspeed

thanks for the advaice guys much appricated

I have rear discs on my series 2, and it the best braked MK1 I've ever had, yes they can be set up incorrectly so it will lock the rears before the front. The brakes need to have a good compensator on them and adjusted but this is easy and once fitted will give an excellent pedal feel. Yes you could argue all day long about the drum brakes when set up well but how many modern cars do you see with drums? and if they are so great why did the mk2 (GTI) get discs all round?? If you're planing an engine up grade or some track use I think they're well worth it.
A link to some for sale:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-GOLF-MK1-MK2-GOLF-REAR-DISC-BRAKE-CONVERSION-KIT_W0QQitemZ320016883469QQihZ011QQcategoryZ9889QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem