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1989 Mk1 Golf Clipper - A New Chapter

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Greasy hands and scraped knuckles!

It all started over 19yrs ago when I saw my first Mk1 Golf Cabrio. At the time I owned a Mk2 Golf Driver and I adored her but the Cabrio got under my skin!!! My Dad was a petrol head - had naff all money but enjoyed the mechanics - so I spent my childhood handing tools to him, learning the basics and loving the Swarfega hand wash at the end of the day! No surprise I went on to marry a petrol head!! 🤦‍♀️

Almost 2 decades of car ownership has passed and nothing quite lived up to the dream. My Mk1 journey began last week, when my Petrol Headed Husband surprised me with an email link to a 1989 Mk1 Golf Clipper, on our 10th Wedding Anniversary. I managed to squeeze a quick look before the school run and returned the next morning for a thorough look. With my Petrol Headed Father in tow, a magnet, handkerchief, Checklist as long as my arm to look out for - I spent over two hours dissecting her panel by panel. There was no evidence of filler, no rust spots in those vital areas, at some point she'd had a paint job, the interior was in good nick, the cills were all good, the hood was good for another couple of years and the engine was an honest 30yr beast. 

Armed with butterflies in my stomach and a growing excitement,  I called Hubby and gave him the low down. The big draw back was, sadly she came with very little history. With an HPI check under my belt and a little online research I got as far back as her previous two owners but that's where it stopped. 

My take was, she drove well, had a few niggles but fundamentally the body was sound and the engine was ripe for some work - a task I couldn't wait to get my head around and my hands on!

Maybe after all those years of passing tools, I might just have a go myself! I hope to give the old girl some love and begin her 4th decade with a little TLC. 

And so, let me introduce Tiggy!

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The sun was out and so was Tiggy…but as soon as I got home, she assumed position:

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As part of the full service, we've decided to change out the spark plugs and with a little help from my dear old Dad, we got to work. A little copper grease on the threads before I put them in and job done!   83015971-5258-4BDE-8C4A-5CEDF9FAF1D4.jpeg I then wanted to understand what the blackening on the spark plugs meant, so Hubby sent me this:
D4D26259-F68B-4ED9-B566-D7B4D85C7BAB.jpeg From the infographic, I can see she has carbon deposits, which I've read means she's running rich (That's another hours research on the internet to understand what that means!) 

I thought I'd get a closer look at the Carburettor, so carefully removed the Air Filter to see what was lying beneath - chuffed to find a Webber! Check out the Air Filter, it's definitely ripe for changing out - good thing it's been ordered! 
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Thrilled to have greasy fingers and grazed knuckles! 

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And finally after 5 days of ownership, I got to give her a clean!!! Admittedly, I had to sneak out of the house at 7.30am on a Sunday morning for some child-free car cleaning fun - but worth it!!! 


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I also hoovered her out and fitted some smart new floor mats (I opted for the carpeted ones) so, you can't really see them but I have the peace of mind that her carpet is staying clean and the kids aren't doing their worst! 

Top Cleaning Tips Please!
I'd like to clean the vinyl headlining. Now, it's slightly textured - what have you guys used to clean it? 
Soap and water? A chemical? Cloth? Brush? Sponge?

Last edit: by Tiggy1989

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Husband here.

SWMBO will be doing the spanning and I’ll be assisting ;). This’ll be the most modern VW I’ve worked on having previously owned a 53 samba and a 75 beach buggy. From the pics I’ve seen she looks very clean with little or no rust and a tidy interior which is great, as the oily bits are what I enjoy. Oh and despite its appearance the engine appears to run well. As there's no service history and given the state of the engine bay we’re not taking any chances and will assume everything requires a service/inspection/replacement. I’ve purchased the obligatory Haynes manual and have read the ‘how to’ guides. All filters and oils etc. have been ordered.



Finding it had a Webber DMTL 32/34 carb was a bonus, but that’s the end of the good news. The carb was missing the Air Filter Adapter that mounts on top of the carb. As a result the air box had been bodged on top of the carb. Its filthy and obviously well overdue for a rebuild and the fuel hose looks like garden hose :o:o:o.



Missing air Filter Adapter:



Manky carb



If a jobs worth doing properly………………….or not!



A new Air Filter Adapter is £65, so instead we bought a second hand carburetor for £75 that had the missing adapter as a parts donor/replacement.



I’ve not seen the car yet but figured I’d start a jobs list anyway.
Buy and fit floor carpet set – Done
Fit Crazyquiffs rear 3 point seatbelts kit – Purchased
Perform compression and leak down tests FULL engine service including cambelt and gearbox oil change – All purchased
Replace garden hose fuel line!
Clean and rebuild Webber DMTL 32/34 carb
Check ignition system and set timing
Check and replace incorrect and perished hoses in engine bay
Paint rocker cover and steam clean engine and engine bay.
Change brake fluid
Change coolant
Fix temperamental Odometer
Fix collapsed parcel shelf
Check dash lights - fit LEDs
Inspect all tyres and check dates, fix leak in left rear tire
Check/replace noisy radiator fan (advisory on MOT)
Check engine mounts
Remove shocks, inspect, clean and replace dust covers and bump stops
Check suspension bushes and replace as necessary.
Remove, strip and powder coat/POR 15 all suspension components
Inspect steering rack mounting points and bushes.
Strip and rebuild rear brakes
Check wheel bearings
Check gearbox linkage
Polish scratches out of windscreen
Fault find and fix fuel gauge
Investigate noise from rear brake or hub
Replace all badges
Buy and fit new radio
Source and fit missing cold air hose to end of intake

That should be enough to be getting on with……………. :thumbs:

Last edit: by Tiggy1989

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1989 Mk1 Golf Clipper - A New Chapter

Well done looks like your bringing her back to life .I've had my 1990 for 16 months.also got a Weber 32/34dtml had it tuned runs lovely been working on it whenever time and money allow. keep it up .the list gets smaller allegedly. Although I just see new faults…..heres mine .

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Deano, very tidy, looks like you've done a great job! And good inspiration, that's what we're aiming for……………lets see how close we get :).

Couple of questions: Is the EX engine the same a the GU engine. When I'm buying gasket and hose sets its a minefield as there were so many different engine variations and the MK1 Cabby was produced at the same time as the MK2 etc.

Hopefully the engine will compression and leak down test ok, so it'll just be a external strip down, clean, rebuild and tune. Not a full engine rebuild! 

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I noticed that when releasing the accelerator and changing gear, Tiggy wasn't dropping the revs - instead she was maintaining 2000rpm. If I pulled the accelerator pedal up with my toe, she would return to normal. The only way I could describe it, was a like a sticky accelerator. I promptly drove home, whipped out my phone and searched the forum for ideas (love this place!) I immediately came across a fantastic thread from 2012 where Jellybelly gave a fantastic guide…and then I got to work. 

Time to put my big girl pants on and have a go myself! I started out by identifying the cable running through the grommet in the bulkhead and then up round the carburetor and into the springed side arm. I released the accelerator from the spring arm and pulled the cable - it quickly sprung back, indicating the problem wasn't in the cable or the pedal but carburettor. The mechanisms to the side of the carb were caked in grease and crud.  

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I sprayed the area with Brake Calliper Cleaner, wiped it over and played the spring  back and forth until it snapped back promptly. 

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I Refitted the cable, jumped back, took her for a spin and no more sticky accelerator!!!  

I'm loving the simplicity of the VW engine and getting my hands dirty! 

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1989 Mk1 Golf Clipper - A New Chapter

I tell you something I admire your ability to get stuck in well done ..I'm not sure about the G U engine mines an E X I assume yours is too .I've had so many issues in the last 16 months. But as you say it's a car that you can work on yourself .which is almost unheard of these days I've done all the work myself learning as I go except the cylinder head and the brakes as I had all 4 wheel bearings done at the same time and had no press to press them out .my first car was a mk1 a little black 1.1 and I loved working on it .takes me back to those days .was out in mine today wow it was hot but it did well ….keep going and as I say well done

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Looks clean and tidy

I'd throw that carb in the bin and get a Webber

Less headaches and cheaper long term 👍🏻 And it will run properly from the off, people try and fix the pierburgs, new base plate, wax stats etc etc but an old carb is an old carb and all the mucking around with them and issues takes the fun out of it in the end

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One seven one said

Looks clean and tidy

I'd throw that carb in the bin and get a Webber

Less headaches and cheaper long term 👍🏻 And it will run properly from the off, people try and fix the pierburgs, new base plate, wax stats etc etc but an old carb is an old carb and all the mucking around with them and issues takes the fun out of it in the end

Under all that muck is a webber. I've purchased a good used spare and have an ultrasonic cleaner. Hopefully it'll come up like new, if not I'll swap the jets into the other carb and should be good to go.

I enjoy the challenge of taking something dirty and old and bringing it back to life.
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