Out of interest, is the reason you are keeping the engine small because of your age/insurance?

I guess it depends what you want to do long term and how much you plan to spend.

If you are going to completely overhaul the car and refit as required ie coilovers, g60 or bigger brakes arbs interior and all related ancillaries ie fuel pumps etc etc then its not so essential to get a gti, if you dont want to do loads however then a gti would be a better base.

The standard 8v isnt massivly quick with pretty low bhp figures however it does have a lot of torque which you would not get from the 1.3 and i doubt the 1.6. There are lot of good engines to look at, just look at clubgti.com forums for some ideas of what you can fit. some of the newer stuff like the 20vts are not such a bad idea if ou have the money as they can be more economical and are reliable and need little work for 200plus bhp.

Another good conversion is the 16valve, i have a modified 2ltr 16v which makes for rapid motoring and is a vey different engine to the 8v, these can be picked up quite cheap nowdays.

would i be gain to fit a 5 speed gearbox??

Out of interest, is the reason you are keeping the engine small because of your age/insurance?

I guess it depends what you want to do long term and how much you plan to spend.

If you are going to completely overhaul the car and refit as required ie coilovers, g60 or bigger brakes arbs interior and all related ancillaries ie fuel pumps etc etc then its not so essential to get a gti, if you dont want to do loads however then a gti would be a better base.

The standard 8v isnt massivly quick with pretty low bhp figures however it does have a lot of torque which you would not get from the 1.3 and i doubt the 1.6. There are lot of good engines to look at, just look at clubgti.com forums for some ideas of what you can fit. some of the newer stuff like the 20vts are not such a bad idea if ou have the money as they can be more economical and are reliable and need little work for 200plus bhp.

Another good conversion is the 16valve, i have a modified 2ltr 16v which makes for rapid motoring and is a vey different engine to the 8v, these can be picked up quite cheap nowdays.

insurance isnt worrying me tbh, i know its going to be expensive but then that comes with my age regardless.

the money i dont have to throw at it instantly will take me a few weeks to get, so money isnt too much of an issue.. but obviously i dont want to go stupid because i would like some money left in the bank too!

i dooo however want to completely overhaul the car over a fairly long time as it will be worked on of a weekend only and i want it to be mint, show standards.

also the idea in keeping the engine small is because i wouldnt mind something different from the norm, lets face it not many people tune 1.3 golf's instead they just change out the engine and the way im looking at it at the moment its a good learning base aswell as a hobby

it is possible to use a 1600 bottom end on the 1300 head (depending on which type you have) but it is frought with issues that will make you run around in circles for ages.

with any project, actually fitting the engine in there is fairly easy, especially on the mk2 golf as there are many oe parts around which are designed for the job, the problems which will give you the most hassle is wiring it up.. remember yours is a carb model which means if you want to go to injection you will need the fuel tank and pump too, remember there are 2 types as well, some have a low pressure lift pump inside the tank then a high pressure pump on the underside of the car near the back, but the later digifant model has 1 high pressure pump inside the tank...

personally i would go for a vr6 engine/gearbox transplant, but you would also need the subframe and track control arms + driveshafts from a mk3 golf vr6

with the vr6 i would need the fuel pump wouldnt i?

and how difficult is the wiring loom for the vr6?

honest opinion, do you think i could get around 100 bhp out of the 1.3? if so, how?

honest opinion, do you think i could get around 100 bhp out of the 1.3? if so, how?

yes, but the cost would be prohibitive.... there's no replacement for displacement;)

i see, buttt if the head has all the goods then whats stopping me changing the bottom end to a 1600 and doing some head work?

is that prohibitive displacement?

i see, buttt if the head has all the goods then whats stopping me changing the bottom end to a 1600 and doing some head work?

depending on what exact head you have, the pistons are the wrong shape, and then cylinder head bolts are wrong too, then you would need to work out where you are going to put the starter motor

i see, well before i go all out with a vr6 just how much would i be looking at to tune the 1.3?

for about 100hp you would at least need to think about putting it on twin dcoe carbs and a 4-2-1 header with a lairy cam.. i would put aside at least £1200 for this, you might be able to get away with using motorcycle carbs which you can pick up cheap from a breaker but you would need to fabricate a manifold/runner to put them on...

problem is the 1.3 is prohibitive and considering what you would need to spend to get 100bhp you could probably fit something with 200bhp for the same money and ultimately it will be a much better car/engine for it as it will be running on overtime and probably not be that nice to drive.

Even in a golf, 100bhp is not a lot, if you really want a small engine with power, how bout a g40 (polo supercharged engine) or thinking even more outside the box a hayabusa motorbike engine. Both of these conversions have been done before and would offer that something different factor.

The vr6 is a nice engine, but its not that economical or powerful considering its size, also weight is a factor in a mk2, and the vr6 engine can make the mk2 a little nose heavy imo.

Tom, you know you vw engines, what do you have?

mk1 with g40

1983 mk1 golf g40 rat look hoodride supercharged !!!!!! on eBay, also, Volkswagen, Cars, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 21-Jan-09 22:01:18 GMT)

ok then, i know 100 bhp isnt that much im not a power junkie tbh i know power isnt everything and the handling is worth just as much as power.

im just doing my research and exploring all possibilities within reach

i found today i can pick up the back of the golf on my own! did surprise me, so surely nose heavy and nothing down the back could cause issues with handling? maybe im being too fussy?

now i know the mounts are in the same place on all the golf engines it makes things easier with regards to dropping one in, and a vr6 was the very first plan when i was offered the car.

so supposing i go vr6, obviously i need the driveshafts, track control arms to fit it into the car, (brakes, suspension etc will be much later on because they where going to be done regardless as to whether i brought a vr6 or not)

to plumb it in i need a fuel pump, fuel lines, wiring loom, ecu, clocks??? what else?

Thats right, power is not everything, but for what you will spend on a

1.3 tuning it, you can buy much better value for money and something that is more useable realiable less of a pain to drive and probably more economical. If you get the chance to drive a car with 'wild' cam/s you will see what we mean, and more to the point, they are not that nice to drive for normal driving.

The vr6 is a good engine, but you mention handling is important to you, a mk2 vr6 will not handle as well as a well set up g60 or 20 vt as its too heavy on the front, plus its not that great on power delivery for the money, dont get me wrong, the vr6 is a nice car/engine, my brother has a highline, its just not inspiring, particularly tuneable and is not as fast as my 16 valver and does not even come close when it comes to handling.

Just my opinion, but there is a reason there are not loads of vr6 conversions, the mk2 is still a small car and although any vw engine (more or less) can be made to fit, whether its a sensible fit that will improve the car is a different matter!

You really need to get on performace vw or club gti and get reading some of the conversions that have been done for more info.

im allready on there, i cant post on club gti :S

ok so if the handling will be taff with a vr6, then a 16v maybe the job

what would you advise? 2.0 16v?

How many years no claims have you got? The reason I ask is that both the MK2 and MK3 16V Golfs are both group 16 insurance !!!! I know - I've had them both.

For fun the best a MK2 16V with a KR engine - standard is 140bhp on an 1800 engine. Easy to drop in a 2.0 ltr from an ABF on the KR injection and then you'll have serious fun. (160bhp+)

MK3 16V - much more refined, more power, better fuel consumption BUT heavier, lardy, not nearly as much fun as a MK2 16V

MK3 8V - more torque but that's about it.

Don't bother tuning a 1300 block. Hopeless. Their weak point is the oil pump. A b1tch to change as they are chain drive off the crank. It's the same block as used in the Polo's and v old Jettas. Don't go there!

If you want to keep with a carb engine use a 1600 EZ (Golf Driver) engine with a Webber carb and possibly a MK2 8V GTi cam. Very nice simple setup and cheap too.

no no claims because i was a named driver and i had a bump a few weeks ago which was my own stupid fault so still no claims, but insurance isnt worrying me, if i cant afford the insurance then i have the experience doing the car i may well sell it on, or keep it for shows instead

i had a 1.8 16v mondeo which was like 2100 too insure, ridiculous i know but not not out of reach.

and thanks for the info im going to whip the engine out saturday and forget about it untill then so i can clear my mind and go back at it fresh because theres so many options!

also the misses just had a driving lesson and the pug 106 i brought her doesnt get along with her, she said she wants rid of it after head gasket, brakes, thermostat, cv boots and a service. typical

so i have to think about getting rid of that now too :/

If you want to keep with a carb engine use a 1600 EZ (Golf Driver) engine with a Webber carb and possibly a MK2 8V GTi cam. Very nice simple setup and cheap too.

Or the very similar 1.8 that the later Drivers, earlier GLs and some Scirroccos had.

90 BHP in stock form, and loads of torque.

GTi 16v 3 door. Which i converted to 20vt.

Is that even more tilted over than the original engine, or does it just look like it?

VW CORRADO 2.9 VR6 ENGINE AND COMPONENTS 1993 on eBay, also, Volkswagen, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 18-Jan-09 20:31:34 GMT)

this isnt far from me, worth it?

VW CORRADO 2.9 VR6 ENGINE AND COMPONENTS 1993 on eBay, also, Volkswagen, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 18-Jan-09 20:31:34 GMT)

this isnt far from me, worth it?

don't touch it with a barge pole, these engines suffer a lot from cylinder wear on the thrust side of the crank (bear in mind that they have inclined bores opposing each other) and if it has a burned piston is will almost certainly need a re-bore, and it's an absolute pig re-boring them becasue the cylinders are 15degrees inclined from upright so you have to set the boring bar at a strange angle... read expensive

Tom, you know you vw engines, what do you have?

this and that:) i've got broken bits of vw's all over my garage and i've been fiddling with them for years

thanks for the info, im seriously considering just buying a gti now after all this, because like its been said to me a thousand times im just making a car thats allready ready to be brought and it will only take about 2/3 weekends to prep this car to be sold... i have the space for 5 a week call it 20 quid, the paint for the front end is about 30 quid, (previous owner started spraying matt black everywhere) and it needs an engine mount and tax and mot.

given the car was free if i put £60 into putting the car right to standard would i make any profit with 6 months tax and 12 months mot?

be like £180 ish??

any profit will be towards a gti then insurance is easy and i can still strip it to upgrade brakes, suspension etc and have the lot re-sprayed..

another thought i guess

this and that:) i've got broken bits of vw's all over my garage and i've been fiddling with them for years

in that case what about engine mounts? i dont know which one yet.. but if you thin you have some let me know