1.3 Driver 83' , Simple engine swap suggestions?

Wanting to swap the engine to something slightly more powerful, nothing stupid, but would like a swap which isn't going to cost the earth and also one that is a pretty simple job! am i asking too much ?? ANy suggestions??

Have you now bought the car?

Yes i have, picking it up tomorrow, its nothing urgent that needs doing but Im just getting ideas. I heard suggestions of a Polo G40 as something that will drop straight in? is that true?

No, it doesn't just drop straight in. Any engine conversion is going to need some kinds of issues sorting along the way. It would have been far simpler to buy a higher performance car in the first place, if you wanted more than the 1.3 offers!

How old are you, have you thought about insurance? Have you insured it yet?

Im almost 24 so insurance isn't much of a problem, but the GTI insurance was a tad too much! i had a MK1 GTI Cabriolet when i was 19 and the insurance killed me :/ I might just leave it as standard then if its too much of a problem. How about getting more power from the engine itself? Weber Carbs perhaps?

You have probably guessed that I am by no means a mechanic

If you're "by no means a mechanic" and if you want a fast car, buy and enjoy a Mk1 Golf GTI. Don't buy a 1.3 and try to make it into something it isn't. Personally I don't think its too slow anyway, but if you did perceive it as such then a Golf 1.5 GL or GX would be a good choice.

More power can be extracted from a Driver engine, but its not cheap or easy, and the gains are pitiful compared with the outlay

You could fit (as I've done for my son's Driver):-

Weber carb
Exhaust manifold
Electronic ignition
Skimmed head

I reckon we *might* just have got the car to the power it produced when it left the factory

There's three simple ways to get more power

1. Fit a bigger engine
2. Fit a more modern engine
3. Fit a turbo

personally, I reckon the best route is to buy a car with a bigger engine already fitted - save for a GTi, then sell the Driver as is