Help!!!

[eviljohn27]

I've recently become the proud owner of a mkII polo breadvan. I was worried at first because she's 27 years old, has 4 forward gears and a manual choke. Over the past few weeks, I've really come to like the drive and feel of the car. Because of this, I'm looking to invest some time, money and tlc into giving her a new lease of life. Only problem is, I'm getting conflicting information from different "experts" that I know. One guy says it's not really worth doing anythin to it, another is giving me tips on how to soup it right up and potentially wrap her and me around something/someone else, and another is actually understanding me but doesn't know enough about polo's to help. I'm not interested in upping the bhp unless that's a bi-product of anything that I do. All I want is a smooth, efficient ride that will last do motorway speeds for a couple of hours if need be, for as many years as I can get out of it. The whole thing, as far as I know is stock. All i've changed is the air filter. I'm sure the brake fluid, fuel line, oil, etc has all been cleaned and checked, before I got hold of the keys. Can anyone tell me where I can get engine parts for it? What parts can I upgrade from the stock parts that are in it to make it run better? Are there any other cars with similar parts that would fit? Are there things that I really shouldn't do because it will make it worse? The things I've heard mentioned are induction kit, spacers for the wheels, weber carb and stiffer suspension. Any advice anyone could give me at all, would be amazing. Thanks.

[alexperkins]

GSF car parts and Euro car parts still stock a massive amount of parts for it

I recommend you sign up on polo3.co.uk - its better for the older polos

[benmkiv]

Webber carbs are good but by mug different to what's on there standard, the Pittsburg i think?? I'd Imagine it will be a lot like my mkii golf cost a fortune to run in petrol costs but was a pleasure to drive. If I'm honest these engines if it runs don't fix what isn't broken in my experience. I'd just get some nice wheels and coilovers to begin with

[eviljohn27]

Awesome. Thanks chaps. I asked about putting alloys on it and a mechanic mate said it would ruin the track rod end. He thought I was looking to put massive ones on it. All I want is to make the handling better. It would be a cheeky bonus if it looked good too obviously. Any suggestions on where to start there? And are spacers going to cause problems too?

[alexperkins]

On a mk2 go for 13s or 14s. 15s are a little big and can make the CV joints howl

BBS RAs, tarantulas, ATS cups etc are all popular choices

[benmkiv]

Set of 14inch p slots would suit this Down to the ground mate! or some tarantulas or bbs ra's?

[eviljohn27]

That's awesome. Thanks again. Any advice on a parcel shelf? I've read about stealth shelves but not really fussed about the speaker holes in them. Also. are there any parts from other cars that are interchangeable? Like the parcel shelf from a mk1 golf for example? I know that would be the wrong shape what with mine being a breadvan but is there anything else I could use? Seats, handles, lights, lamps, anything at all? I keep firing questions at other people too as I really don't know any of this stuff.

[steveo3002]

id suggest a weber replacemnt carb

if its the older points style distributer see if you can upgrade to a later electronic system

the bushes on the front are often badly worn , so new stuff and maybe poly ones , gladersite make upgraded arb front mounts that help

a 5 speed gearbox would make long runs more comfortable

you can improve the headlamps no end by making a relayed loom , and if it doesnt have the h4 lamps get some , later cars have them and will have h4 molded into the glass

other than that have a poke round and replace stuff that looks tired , make sure the cooling system and belts are all good , and try to search out quality parts , ive been disapoint with alot of gsf stuff latley and its not always much cheaper than genuine vw

not a massive amount fits off other cars , golf 2 /scirroco/corrado front seats fit , vw11 calipers fit the later cars , most 4 stud vw wheels will fit , later mk3 polo injection engines swap straight in

[eviljohn27]

That's brilliant. Given me loads to check out. The g-ladersite website was a bit of a bugger but I think I found what I was looking for. I also found the webcon one. Not sure which carb to go for as they didn't seem to make anything between 1983 and 1985. Mine's an 84. I'm eyein up a set of ats classics too. The cups don't really go small enough and I like the look of the classics, (except the ones that someone had sprayed bright red on ebay!) I don't know which kind of distributor it has. But I will find out. Would a 5 speed gear box be a good idea for the 1.04l engine? How would it effect fuel consumption? The engine gets pretty loud and makes a droning sound when it gets up to about 35mph and changes from 3rd to 4th gear. Any idea what that could be down to? Thanks guys for all the advice so far. It's very much appreciated.

[eviljohn27]

Girlfriend used to drive an old beetle. Gave me a tip for cooling the engine by putting the heater on to get the hot air out of the engine bay. Seems to work quite nicely. But I do get warm nuts as a biproduct.

[steveo3002]

5 speed should drop the revs and make it nicer for motorways ...

could the noise be exhaust problems?

for a weber it will probably be ebay , they made kits back in the day for a simple bolt on swap ...having said that i think some early cars came with a weber so maybe look into that , mines a 1300 so im not sure

shouldnt need any tricks to cool it , theyre fine if its all in good nick

[eviljohn27]

The exhaust does have a wee hole in but just needs patching up for now. The droning sound seems to be made by the engine. Think it may just be that it's a 27 year old engine and it's working. Doesn't seem to affect how it runs. I'll start looking for a 5 speed gearbox. Are the early marks all pretty much straight swaps, just with extra linkage and a couple of other odd bits? Think it getting hot is just the fact it's summer and hot outside. Once i turn the heating on, the temperature gauge starts going back down as the air actually flows through the engine bay, instead of just being held there by the engine bay.

[steveo3002]

does the cooling fan work in traffic ? might be worth a look

if yours is a early one , you want the arb and gearbox mounts , think your linkage will be ok but take it anyway if you get chance

[eviljohn27]

Is that the big-ass fan behind the radiator? If I'm honest, that whole bit looks a bit beat up. If I get chance, I will just replace the whole thing. I'll check it tomorrow to see if it spins and stuff though. Out of curiosity, what's so good about the weber carbs? Why do dubheads rave about them?

[benmkiv]

Things to check. Water pump, fan if neither of these I'd go with headgasket :/ webber carbs are just loved. I do not rate them at all was rubbish on my mk2 golf