First motor is an old Dub :D

Hey guys!

I hope this site (and it has been so far), will be a damn sight more useful than the Caddy site I was told about!

If you're wondering, my first car, as a 17 year old, is a 1989 Mk1 Caddy 1.6  Not perfect, but with some advice, she could be Jack

hey welcome along mate
always loads of help and useful info on herer

get some pics up of your caddy when you get a chance !

Scott

Hey Jack and welcome along to the MK1 forum. Always happy to help where we can on here. Stick some pics up when you can as said above so we can see her.

Thats some car for a 17 year old! Whats the insurance like?

Get some pics up, we love pics!

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

Well, long story short, the insurance is the reason for getting her! Because of my age I based my car choices on insurance, not what car I wanted, but it turned out pretty well! Maddy (as she is affectionately named), is insured fully comp by me as the main drive for £860 Here are some pics of when she first arrived home (after being towed home)…, and in the snow, I can't take any now as theres an even layer of mud and yuck all over her!

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And this is her this morning!



Its fair to say shes given me a fair bit of fun in the 5 weeks I've had her, forgetting the two times I've been towed home!

Jack

Welcome to the forum Jack, Nice first motor and gob smacked at how low the insurance is - you don't live on an island by yourself or something?

Enjoy your time here  

The secret is that she's insured as a van by Aviva van insurance

I posted in the big block engine section for some carb wiring trouble, so if anyone knows where there should be wires, I would love to know!

Well I'm sure I will

Jack

Ah of course, good call

Ideal! I have a mk1 tin top for my first car- 17 in 2 weeks!
Nice one on the insurance, its going to cost me 900 quid for my '1.1' (actually 1.3 ) and thats on my parents fleet!

'1.1' (actually 1.3) is one of the reasons insurance is  so expensive…….. ffs

Early-1800 said

'1.1' (actually 1.3) is one of the reasons insurance is  so expensive…….. ffs

Yes technically not insured I think

still can't figure out how a modified commercial could be so 'cheap' for a 17 year old?

It only works on Aviva though I'm not complaining

Jack

what you got planned for the caddy then ??

arf333 said

what you got planned for the caddy then ??

Well….first a decent sound system, and when the money is available I want to get a decent paint job, lower her, and get a 5 speed gear box on her! Will see where it goes from there, though it isn't easy and its my daily driver so I can't leave it to have jobs done on it…

With regards to the lowering, I just came across this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/130876373427?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649...makes sense as I still wish to use her as a pick up, and the axle flip is way too much affort, does anyone have experience with this?

Jack

Nice caddy Jack! What a cracking first car. Good man.

To fit those lowering plates you have to strip down and remove the brakes and then get the stub axles off which can be a pain and will need lots of soaking first. If they snap its a real pain in the backside. Then you still gotta rebuild the rear brakes etc.

So if you then want to raise her to use as a pick up its alot or work again. Better off waiting for a used flipped axle to come up for sale or do it yourself. Then use the adjustable spring shackels that Al sells on the caddy forum or ebay.  

Flipping the axle really ist that bad a job. If you can weld its even easier! If not you just need someone to spend half hour welding on some new spring saddles and the ones in the caddy shop on the forum have the offset hole through them already.  My honest opinion is that the little extra work would be worth it.

Or save up and just give it to someone else to do. Al does it for £350 including the front coilies and rear shocks. Thats a good price to be fair and it will be done properly and in a day! If you're a long way away……make a weekend of it. Summer road trip in ya new caddy!   

Can't get my head round how cheap that insurance price is for you mate. Nice work.

Good luck getting her sorted.  

Early-1800 said

'1.1' (actually 1.3) is one of the reasons insurance is  so expensive…….. ffs

I didn't do it   and if I told dvla, the insurance would go further through the roof. And after all, they are pretty hard to tell apart! 

I prefer flipping the axle as opposed to drop plates. The axle ends up getting closer to the ground with drop plates.

Mines flipped although without using lowered blocks and i still use mine as a pick up to carry my mx bike about and what ever else i need to carry.