Modding Advice

thinking of taking a different route instead of buying a GTI to modd and make nicer and faster.
i was thinking of buying a base model, like a 1.1 as there is a proper minter near me, then uprating the suspesion, brakes, wheels, interior, engine conversion and the obvious chassis stiffening i.e. poly bushes, anti roll bars and strut braces.

was just wondering how much fabrication work is involved in fitting say a 2.0 8v and 5 speed bo (or 1800) into a 1.1 bay. do i need new mountings etc…

sorry if this sound novice like.

im wanting to go down the route of webers on either th 2.0 or 1.8 8v/16v. what do people reacomend?

 :dontknow:

Only one engine mount to change on the 1100 to get a GTI engine to fit.  It's dead easy - I've done a few myself.

Best bet is to find a 2.0 Audi "bubble block" and whack an 8v head on that with twin DCOE Webers/DHLA DellOrto carburettors.  Relatively simple in the 1.1 - uses the 1100 fuel tank with a facet electric fuel pump and pressure regulator.  Wiring wise you'd need an ignition amp and coil pack from a Mk1 GTI but you can break the loom at the coil and it's very very simple.

Other than that you'd want a GTI gearbox, steering rack and gear linkage.  GTI raditor and a few other ods and ends and away you go.

16v is a bit more complex as you need a Mk1 Golf "conversion" 16v exhaust manifold.  If you go for a 2.0 from a Mk3 GTI then you also need to take into account the extra block height so would be looking at something like a supersprint manifold.  Carbs wise you can still go with Webers/DellOrto's if you get the right inlet manifold.  You'd need a longer throttle cable too.

Brakes - I'd suggest going for Audi 90 caliper carriers (14" wheels or bigger required) which wouldlet you use Mk2 Golf GTI 16v 254mm discs and pads and a Mk2 16v "big" master cylinder.

Your best bet is to find a tidy Mk1 1100 with a knackered engine than find a complete GTI that's been crashed/rolled/is absolutely rotten.  That'll give you 90% of the parts you'll need for the conversion.

Best of luck!

Speak to simon_parker, he did this kinda thing, fitting a 2 litre into a car which was originally a small block, spent thousands on it, etc. Unfortunately, it will always be a 'modified' 1.1 rather than a modified GTI. He sold his for ?400 in the end, everyone wanted it just for the engine and didn't really care about the rest of the car.

16v's seem to like carbs more so than the 8v. if i had a carb model and wanted to go down your route, then i'd go 16v. 1.8kr engines are nice and cheap.

that all sound great guys, thanks very much. i realise that it would be classed as a modd'd 1.1 (which is what i would want and would never try and pass it off as a GTI)

i have a budget of around ?1500 for the donner car, engine/gearbox, suspension, brakes and wheels etc…

is this going to about right?

i know it would prob go a little over and thats fine, but just as a guide.

what about the 20vt conversion? can this be done cheaper DIY? or even the G60 unit.

?1500 would get you the 20VT engine box and loom, nothing else!

Stick to a 16v on carbs - not too much work and all in for ?1500 is probably do-able if you can get a base model car cheap enough…

AL_Mk1 said

?1500 would get you the 20VT engine box and loom, nothing else!

Stick to a 16v on carbs - not too much work and all in for ?1500 is probably do-able if you can get a base model car cheap enough…

I reckon I've spent around ?1500, on a 2l 16V, and that's going into a GTI. If you're starting from a 1.1 or 1.3 you need to address the fuelling, brakes and suspension issues too. Even if you started with a ?500 Golf Mk2 16V donor car, you would still need to replace suspension and fuel tank/fuel pump/accumulator/lines etc.

For ?1500 you could buy a Mk1 GTI donor car (say ?750) and use all the bits, leaving you ?750 for replacements to worn parts, as & when. But then you'd end up with a 1.1 converted to 1.8 injection, not a GTI. You could buy the ?750 donor car and spend ?750 on it instead? Or spend the ?1500 on a Mk1 GTI to start with!

Or you could keep saving and go "all out" for a better engine than the 1.8 injection.

i spent ?730 on a GTi - complete motd the lot :mrgreen:  :roll:  :wink: !

Dougelove said

i spent ?730 on a GTi - complete motd the lot :mrgreen:  :roll:  :wink: !

It all depends how good condition its in. I originally bought mine for ?495 and drove it home, well until it broke down that is (fuel pump relay). Once the fuel pump was replaced it was perfectly usable, although it did have issues. Sorting out the general running issues, a lot of corrosion, and refurbishing brakes and suspension, has cost thousands!

oohh decisions decisons!

for the initial cash out lay its gonna be ?1500 so that should cover a solid mk1 base car 1.8/2.0 engine/gearbox, wheels etc… i know over the coming months ill be spend more and more dosh on it (as all projects do)

i have found a 1984 1100 with only 63k on the clock, fsh and one lady owner. would you modify this or look for something less orginal?

bye it and swap for mine could do with one i could drive now

G60_joe said

oohh decisions decisons!

for the initial cash out lay its gonna be ?1500 so that should cover a solid mk1 base car 1.8/2.0 engine/gearbox, wheels etc… i know over the coming months ill be spend more and more dosh on it (as all projects do)

i have found a 1984 1100 with only 63k on the clock, fsh and one lady owner. would you modify this or look for something less orginal?

If it's a 3-door then yeah - sounds perfect.

Might want to find a very rough and rusty Mk1 GTI donar car though.  Either that or a Scirocco.  You might even find a crashed Mk1 with a 16v in it pretty cheap then get the 1100 painted a nice colour and swap everything over.

there is the option of using a scirocco as a donor car. it's all swappable then. apart from maybe altering engine mounts. between taking the lump out of the rocco and putting it in the golf, you could fit a 2.0 belly and port match the manifolds.

someone please tell me what to do. as of today i have sold my clio valver to a friend (which i didnt want to do, just in case it breaks down) im driving my ex girl friends smart car!

i need a golf in my life lol.

G60_joe said

someone please tell me what to do. as of today i have sold my clio valver to a friend (which i didnt want to do, just in case it breaks down) im driving my ex girl friends smart car!

i need a golf in my life lol.

Seek out a reasonable standard(ish) GTI for around ?1500-2000. Spend the money on sorting small niggles, etc to gradually bring it up to fully-working condition and enjoy it for what it is! If you have plenty of spare money and time, say 6 months later, then you could do one of the 'standard' conversions such as 16V, 2 litre 8V, 2l 16V, G60 or 1.8T conversion, there's plenty of info out there on these kinds of conversions.

Buy the best shell you can - it's the biggest cost driver for any restoration/modification unless you plan to restore a rusty shell yourself.

dubboy said

Buy the best shell you can - it's the biggest cost driver for any restoration/modification unless you plan to restore a rusty shell yourself.

Seconded!  Sound advice there.  Unless you can weld and paint, buy the cleanest Mk1 Golf you can find.  Don't worry about it being a GTI, Driver or whatever (although buy a 3-door if you want to build a GTI replica).

If you can find an 1100 with MOT on it then you've got a car to use and you can start finding all the bits you want to fit to it in your leasure(sp?).

my mind is changing as fast as girls underwear!

do i buy a cabrio for the summer? or a tip top for the old skool look?

buy a cabrio!!!!! buy a cabrio!!!!! u have loadza fun in a cabby !!!!!!!

tintop all the way, cabbys wernt even built in wolfsburg  , buy that 1.1 if you can get it for a good price, and then go about getting the engine and whatever else when you can, you can use the car as is if its mot'd and running!