CITIGOLF buried for 17 years! should i bother? general advice?

So hello and I though I'd try and find some general advice from you keen mk1 heads!





 I bought this from a friend in college, who lived near a RAF base where he'd bought it from someone who'd imported it from South Africa,  of course i 'temporarily' put it in my parents barn when I went off to a big city, and 17 years have gone by….. I've had so many cars and car sagas since but right now, right now i have no car! only a camper van, and i need a runabout





It's time again to consider the mk1!





since being in the same spot for so long, its not been turned much and was more used as a part storage location for my mk2 and my brothers mk2+mk3 and other project parts





general comments:


repairing rust/maintenance of 2008 van is already a lot of work


ive done painting, changed suspension, clutches but nothing more,


i was told by a mechanic at some point "it's old and not worth it and theres knocking in the engine"….I've no idea how bad! people always seemed to find  it hard to identify it, its ancillary parts are mk1 and 2, it not a 1.3 (as reg doc) or a 1.6, or a 1.5GLS, i don't think i ever found out exactly what it was, back when it was my daily mechanics couldn't be arsed with it, if i paid for an engine swap how much roughly for just anything basic, modern and working? or should i look into something else first?





my brother can weld, but i dunno how much work it will take, he says it aint bad but then he has a LT28 thats missing its entire floor, so time wise what am i looking at? full strip down and respray or just work on the patches, wing and rear arches? it looks pretty bad to me!





lastly sorry for rambling, as always i don't know what I'm doing with it, jus look at some pics…… check out that windscreen sticker from 1986!










 

Welcome!
Looks like you have a great project there!

thanks!

if im gonna work on it to use it again im going to need some rear belts, i hope it has mounts, i can't believe i rolled around with my college mates in the back without belts!

so initial plan is:
remove plastic trims (seems to have caused the rust!)
clear the space in front of it, pump up tires, tow outside
jetwash exterior and engine bay
wipe away mold and clean interior
go at rear arches with  grinder,
remove grille, rear plate, and NS wing to grind down rest of rust and prime the lot
Get my bother to look at welding?!
inspect oil/water/ brake fluid/lines, CV boots,
inspect fuel filler rust
price up : discs and pads, lines,battery,tires

also the engine turns but doesn't start, i'll look at the plugs and the fuel line but after that i've no idea where to go next

theres a set of MK2 adjustable lowering struts+springs in the passenger footwell, will they fit?

any other ideas to this list let me know, cheers



 

Mk2 golf suspension is completely different to Mk1 golfs so it won't fit.

thanks yeah i've read that now on this very informative forum, also info on engine swaps,

will have to look at doing some of the prelim checks before i have more questions

Lots to check and replace after that many years of storage.

Check inside the fuel tank to see what it looks like as petrol can turn nasty after that amount of time.

The original 1.8 engine is pretty bomb proof and reliable if it was me I would get it going on what engine is fitted, drive it about for 12 months and then if you what more power, look into an engine swap but the Mk1 is a light car so does not need big BHP to enjoy it.

Shout if you need help/advice we are always happy to help  

And delete the CAT if it's got one fitted, cars pre 1992 ish don't need to have a CAT to get a UK MOT.

thanks

and yes true, there is lots to check  I'm open to more suggestions to my list

also what am i looking for with the fuel?, it looked to be coming through clear enough,  should in flush the tank first in case?? there will be rust in there from the filler neck i know but that should be filtered and i have a new pipe 'in stock' lol

the engine i will try and get going, but as i said i was told  it was 'worn' but I suppose guy was unreliable. Its not a GTI or 1.8, not a 1.3 like the reg doc.  I'll post some pics and look for codes to try an identify it here.  

Welcome along.

The rust in the pics seems to be mainly the rear arches and surrounding areas? If so they are reasonably easy to sort. If you brother is handy with a welder and after working on an LT he must be, then I'm sure a couple of weeks will see it done.

I think the citigolfs came with a 1400cc engine in some cases. It may have been fuel injected too. Take some pics under the bay and I'm sure we'll be able to give you an idea.

If you can find an MOT tester locally and a transporter it might be worth getting an inspection done to give you some idea of the work needed to pass the mot. I always find that helpful with projects and rot boxes. Sometimes it's just not worth it, Unless you want to do the work of course.

Ian

hey thanks

i've read up on here where to find the engine code next time i'm over there, weird how i remember a  vw garage bloke saying it was a mix of mk1+2

there are no injectors, and its different from the mk2 1.6 we had tho the airbox looks the same,

my guess is its the RE or EZA 1.6 as its year is 1986


ill attach a pic incase you guys wanna guess

'

Its a big block but it still might be a 1.4 - South Africa made their own engines including a 1.4 big block. It should have an engine code which would confirm this, its on the front. A lot of the stuff is similar to UK cars on the engine but there might be unique-to-SA stuff, eg the carb, but it shouldn't be a show stopper.

I don't think its going to be massively valuable if/when restored, but then Mk1 Golfs never are and its generally not worth full restoration if profit is the motive. If you like the car, that's the best reason to do it.

ETA I think they did a 1.3 big block too? Not sure?

I agree with Paul_C in value. Find a mint Citi Golf for sale and work back the figures from there. It won’t stack up financially, so it’s just for your own sentiment. Maybe in 10 years, when the shells are getting hard to come by it’ll be worth it. I’ve saved a few VW’s, so I’d say go for it, sleep well at night content that you’ve saved one. It’s only money.