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po1o_madman
15-12-2008, 09:35 PM
Hi all!

I've just found this forum and am very impressed so far :D

I got my 1996 polo cl1.4 openair 2 years ago as my first car and now plan to do some mods to it :D

As it stands: (I'll update pics soon)

- Lexus Tail Lights
- Angel Eye Headlights
- 15" MR2 5-spoke alloys (matt black)

- Kenwood Head Unit
- Kenwood 6x9's
- Sony 15" 1200w sub and amp.

I have not fitted the angel eye headlights as yet as i tried sunday but was'nt able to ... if anyone could point me in the right direction to a "How to" guide I'd be very grateful!

Unfortunately the car was owned as a second car before me so it has lots of annoying little dents, scratches that I plan to sort! Also plan on getting a set of coil overs soon to lower it and maybe get a DTM style backbox.

Col
15-12-2008, 10:33 PM
Nice work.

Is it your 1st car?

If so, there is nothing like your 1st car but....

As an 'older' person the advise is to leave it and save for something better once your insurnance goes down. Impossible I know as you are chomping at the bit but just think, the £500+ you are about to throw at it would go a long way to say..... a 1.8t MK4 Golf !

po1o_madman
15-12-2008, 10:52 PM
Hi mate.

Yep it is my first car. Hav'nt bothered touching it for 2 years because of insurance (teenage male :mad:) but now with 2 years no claims it has reduced dramatically!

I actually chose the polo over a golf (many people probably think *** :yikes: lol). I think they look mint with subtle mods, especially the euro look!

Do you know what engines fit in my car? Won't be done just yet again because of insurance but ultimately I'd like to make it a bit of a surprise to other cars performance wise ;);) I'd love to put a 1.8t in it but hav'nt started to look into it yet.

Will

Col
15-12-2008, 11:09 PM
If your after the Euro look you've got to loose those lexus rears :p

Everyone loves their 1st car but the advice still stands, save for something better, like, if you must have a Polo........ A GTI is quick and didn't they sell them with the 130hp PD TDI in as well, that is the one to go for as you could easily get 180hp for a simple £250 remap. That would be insanely fast in a Polo.

euroslap
15-12-2008, 11:13 PM
If your after the Euro look you've got to loose those lexus rears :p


Col that's invaluable advice!!! ;)

20vt fits nicely under a polo bonnet. :D

po1o_madman
15-12-2008, 11:23 PM
haha 3 posts in and already made myself look stupid lol!

The 20vt engine you mentioned .... is that the 1.8 turbo? I know size isn't everything (in car context OBVIOUSLY ;) lol) as my mate has a Toyota Starlet and they go like a rocket and only a 1.3 turbo!

He suggested maybe even a polo gti 1.6 engine then turbo charge it? (I'm all for having a turbo lol)

Col
15-12-2008, 11:34 PM
haha 3 posts in and already made myself look stupid lol!


Nope, stupid, not at all.

More like young and foolish :p

Any conversion always costs more than simply upgrading the car unless you can do almost all the spanner time. Even then it is hard to break even.

po1o_madman
15-12-2008, 11:47 PM
Yep I know ...sucks does'nt it! Been there with motocross bikes, spent £££ then sold them for peanuts.

The car has not cost me much at all so far, because my parents bought me the car and paid insurance for the first 2 years (saving me about £4k). So I would'nt mind spending a few grand knowing that I'll not get it back.

The cars only done 52k miles and had a gearbox rebuild 10k miles ago (apparently a batch of polos around the time mine was made had faulty gearboxes that failed anywhere after 35k miles ... i did'nt know this when the car was bought!). So I'd get a few hundred quid just by selling them.

Oh one thing i will ask .... is my car a 6N? ... Nightmare trying to buy parts because I don't know what this refers to and whether or not mine is it or not!

Jimbo1.8t
16-12-2008, 12:12 AM
The Polo GTI is powered by a 1.6 16v engine, (125 bhp). All that power in such a small car means that the little Polo can go from 0-60 in 8.7 seconds!! with a re-map to 180bhp for £250 its alot cheaper and probaly more reliable than a engine change.

Col
16-12-2008, 12:25 AM
The 1.6 won't map that high.

A 1.9 PD TDI will map from 130hp up to 180 to 185 (depending on who maps it) though with no bother. 8.9 to 60 standard but with 310nm and about 400nm mapped of torque, that, in real world driving means it will frighten lots of supposed sports cars. A real sleeper in my mind.

You will get similar gains on a 150hp 1.8t as well but real world I don't think it would be as effective as the TDI

euroslap
16-12-2008, 12:37 PM
I'd expect about 140bhp max from a remapped 1.6 lump.

I was talking about the 1.8 turbo lump, it's been done a lot of times before. As Col says it'll cost money but it'd be a v. quick car and I can't imagine anybody in the near area having anything even close.

Here's a picture of one of Venom's 1.8T conversion engine bays.

http://www.venommotorsport.com/images/venom_cars/lupo_s3/10.jpg

:D

paul b
16-12-2008, 03:14 PM
How about modify it in terms of looks... leave the engine and save up to buy a Polo GTI in a couple of years?

That way the girls don't think you're a geek and you have a car that looks good. ;)

euroslap
16-12-2008, 04:04 PM
How about modify it in terms of looks... leave the engine and save up to buy a Polo GTI in a couple of years?

That way the girls don't think you're a geek and you have a car that looks good. ;)


http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=tbn:ex1lbkLIT_wJ::img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/sxlova07/misc/smiley-rofl.gif (http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/sxlova07/misc/smiley-rofl.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.city-data.com/forum/relationships/417328-has-anyone-being-menage-trois-13.html&h=30&w=45&sz=1&tbnid=ex1lbkLIT_wJ::&tbnh=30&tbnw=45&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drofl%2Bsmiley&hl=en-GB&usg=__4HycoaA3jGSkGEZphVcORYxSYeA=&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image&cd=1)

Captain Answer
16-12-2008, 04:05 PM
How about modify it in terms of looks... leave the engine and save up to buy a Polo GTI in a couple of years?

That way the girls don't think you're a geek and you have a car that looks good. ;)

How about just not bother at all and accept that its a super mini not a hyper car, save a bit of money and get something with actual performance instead

euroslap
16-12-2008, 04:10 PM
How about just not bother at all and accept that its a super mini not a hyper car, save a bit of money and get something with actual performance instead


Thde glass is always half empty isn't it? :p

po1o_madman
16-12-2008, 06:32 PM
I don't actually mod my car for the sake of making it look "pretty" for girls..........

Captain answer - pretty pointless comment full stop! Why follow the crowd by getting a known sports car - I'd rather have a wicked polo packed with a punch ...not to everyones taste I know but at least it's original ;)


----

Back on topic .....

That engine bay looks mint! Euroslap do you know the procedure for the conversion?? Especially any modifications that have to be made and/or any difficulties/problems that I will be faced with. Would I have to run a different gearbox?

Ultimately I want to add coilovers to lower it and a nice black paintjob with very tinted windows and then leave the outside as it is! Oh and a mesh grill lol but I'm not gonna spend 100's on bodykits.

Col
16-12-2008, 06:55 PM
I don't actually mod my car for the sake of making it look "pretty" for girls..........

Captain answer - pretty pointless comment full stop! Why follow the crowd by getting a known sports car - I'd rather have a wicked polo packed with a punch ...not to everyones taste I know but at least it's original ;)


----

Back on topic .....

That engine bay looks mint! Euroslap do you know the procedure for the conversion?? Especially any modifications that have to be made and/or any difficulties/problems that I will be faced with. Would I have to run a different gearbox?

Ultimately I want to add coilovers to lower it and a nice black paintjob with very tinted windows and then leave the outside as it is! Oh and a mesh grill lol but I'm not gonna spend 100's on bodykits.

The voice of wisdom has spoken more than once and through a few people already here young'un !

Get the 1st-car-dreamer-itus out of your mind and seriously think about upgrading.

You know we are right, afterall you are MAD, which you freely admit :p


Saying that......

If we all did what was right, the world be a boring place.

If I'd been less of a dreamer when I was younger, like you are now, and hadn't lashed away countless piles of cash on cars I would be considerably richer than I am now (on paper anyway), would probably have a property empire funded by mortgauges secured on my main house and be currently "well worried" given the current climate.

So in a way, dreaming early on has saved me from worry now.

paul b
16-12-2008, 06:58 PM
Me, I'd save up for a GTI and make it look pretty inside and out, leave the engine as is.

Anyway...

If you're planning a 1.8T conversion, you will need a gearbox from a 1.8T too. You will also need to uprate the clutch to the same spec as a 1.8T.

The problem I foresee is ensuring you can cool the 1.8T engine and the turbo. I reckon you'll most likely need a donor car, either that or a complete engine with ALL of the ancillaries. Much easier to source a donor car in all honesty.

I like the idea of tinted windows.

Paul

paul b
16-12-2008, 07:40 PM
Thinking about it some more...

You definitely should get a donor car. You'll need ECUs, clocks, exhausts and all sorts.

Also, in your quest for power and speed, ever thought of how you're actually going to make it stop? You will need uprated brakes, maybe find a GTI in a scrapyard and get the brakes off it, then add 15" wheels or whatever a GTI uses to ensure you'll fit them in the wheel. ;)

This will cost thousands to do it right, especially if you plan on paying someone to do the work for you and buy new parts rather than used.

Paul

euroslap
16-12-2008, 08:34 PM
Thinking about it some more...

You definitely should get a donor car. You'll need ECUs, clocks, exhausts and all sorts.

Also, in your quest for power and speed, ever thought of how you're actually going to make it stop? You will need uprated brakes, maybe find a GTI in a scrapyard and get the brakes off it, then add 15" wheels or whatever a GTI uses to ensure you'll fit them in the wheel. ;)

This will cost thousands to do it right, especially if you plan on paying someone to do the work for you and buy new parts rather than used.

Paul

Donor Car is definately the way to go or you'll be buying bit after bit that you didn't realise you needed and it'll turn into a massive ball ache and bill. Also you'll have upgraded brakes, gearbox and everything including clocks, ecu etc. that you'll need to get her running.

If everybody had the wet blanket attitude to modding you'd go to a show and look at a shed load of bog standard cars, might aswell go and have a look round a showroom forecourt for that. ;)

paul b
16-12-2008, 08:48 PM
Donor Car is definately the way to go or you'll be buying bit after bit that you didn't realise you needed and it'll turn into a massive ball ache and bill. Also you'll have upgraded brakes, gearbox and everything including clocks, ecu etc. that you'll need to get her running.

If everybody had the wet blanket attitude to modding you'd go to a show and look at a shed load of bog standard cars, might aswell go and have a look round a showroom forecourt for that. ;)
Indeed.

I will be the first to applaud if this goes well... I'm just hoping the poster really knows what he's letting himself in for. If you've the money and time to do it, go for it!

Paul

euroslap
16-12-2008, 08:55 PM
It's a big job indeedy but it's also been done absolutely loads of times before. Did you see the 1.6 to 1.8T A3 thread? He did the whole lot in his own garage with virtually no assistance, very well done. :approve:

paul b
16-12-2008, 09:00 PM
It's a big job indeedy but it's also been done absolutely loads of times before. Did you see the 1.6 to 1.8T A3 thread? He did the whole lot in his own garage with virtually no assistance, very well done. :approve:
No I didn't see that. Sounds interesting, must be a very clued up bloke.

There is somebody in the A6 section trying to convert a Quattro to RWD... that's about as fun as its getting over there. :p

I'm drifting off topic... I better stop.

Paul

po1o_madman
16-12-2008, 10:30 PM
Already got the 15" alloys ;) Got them for £130 with brand new tires!!! Brakes/exhaust don't exactly cost the earth either! Well unless you go mad with them.

I don't see how I'm a dreamer though :confused::confused: As Euroslap says it's been done loads of time before ... so I guess the dream does come true :D:D. Very easy to accuse me of being young and foolish but no guts no glory and if and when it goes ahead ... I will be much more proud to know that I had all the work done and did'nt just go to a vw showroom and buy a ready-made sport hatch!

My girlfriends brother in law is a mechanic so labour will cost me a fraction of what it would if I took it to a garage.

I had'nt thought about a donor car ... seems a good idea! Most likely to find this engine in a golf are'nt I?

po1o_madman
16-12-2008, 11:12 PM
Just been doing some insurance quotes lol ... actually quite amazed how little difference it would be. My renewal price for a bog standard car as it is now is £760 fully comp. But just to see I then did a quote stating that, it has alloys, big sound system, 1.8t conversion, uprated gearbox/clutch, racing suspension, tinted windows, aftermarket exhaust, non-standard paint job ... and to be honest I expected them to laugh at me (being a teenage male) ... but it was only £880 fully comp :confused::confused: and saying that the cars worth £2k!

Work that one out lol as in my first year it cost me £1600 as a standard car!

What do you guys pay for yours? :beerchug:

euroslap
17-12-2008, 10:43 AM
Golf, A3, Bora, Ibiza or Leon. Power ranges between 150 and 225 bhp in standard form.

As far as the insurance goes aswell get a quote off Brentacre they specialise in cars like this and may be even cheaper.

The number is...

01792 650 933

;)

Captain Answer
17-12-2008, 10:45 AM
I don't actually mod my car for the sake of making it look "pretty" for girls..........

Captain answer - pretty pointless comment full stop! Why follow the crowd by getting a known sports car - I'd rather have a wicked polo packed with a punch ...not to everyones taste I know but at least it's original ;)


----

Back on topic .....

That engine bay looks mint! Euroslap do you know the procedure for the conversion?? Especially any modifications that have to be made and/or any difficulties/problems that I will be faced with. Would I have to run a different gearbox?

Ultimately I want to add coilovers to lower it and a nice black paintjob with very tinted windows and then leave the outside as it is! Oh and a mesh grill lol but I'm not gonna spend 100's on bodykits.

You can put all the tinsel and lights you like on a small christmas tree, but at the end of the day it's still only a small christmas tree with a load of lights and tinsel on

euroslap
17-12-2008, 10:56 AM
You've got to think outside the box sometimes Uncle Chris. ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/craigmatthews17/test_pp007ed.jpg

paul b
17-12-2008, 01:09 PM
Brakes/exhaust don't exactly cost the earth either! Well unless you go mad with them.
Euroslap probably knows better than me about what the exhaust and brakes might cost. But they will be quite dear. You will most likely need a custom made exhaust, as nothing in the Polo range was designed to take 180bhp (1.8T example). I highly doubt you'll be able to fit the stock exhaust from a A3 or a Golf etc to your Polo, I imagine they're quite different underneath. Milltek might do something, but you'd have to speak to them about it.

Good quality brake discs and pads (Brembo or similar) will put you back about £200ish I would have thought.

euroslap
17-12-2008, 01:32 PM
The thing I'm not sure on is the driveshafts with the Polo, if you can use the donor car driveshafts and hub assemblies then you'll have your big brakes on your donor car.

:confused:

Captain Answer
17-12-2008, 01:33 PM
You've got to think outside the box sometimes Uncle Chris. ;)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/craigmatthews17/test_pp007ed.jpg

Yes but it's still a Polo isn't it? Granted that's a very nicely modified version of a polo, but it is still a polo, and most modified cars do not look like that - they look like someones crashed their mams car through a plastic works. Personally i'd prefer to start with a nicer car as a base - corrado, audi coupe etc

euroslap
17-12-2008, 01:41 PM
Yes but it's still a Polo isn't it? Granted that's a very nicely modified version of a polo, but it is still a polo, and most modified cars do not look like that - they look like someones crashed their mams car through a plastic works. Personally i'd prefer to start with a nicer car as a base - corrado, audi coupe etc

I suppose so, but there is always a very healthy Polo following at the Big Shows. I agree the majority of "Ave a Go" modifiers you see from day to day haven't got a clue and look utter Sh?te, Park bench roof spoilers and god know what stuck on but if you steer these people onto the right tracks before such travesties occur, who knows what the finished product could be. ;)

paul b
17-12-2008, 01:47 PM
The thing I'm not sure on is the driveshafts with the Polo, if you can use the donor car driveshafts and hub assemblies then you'll have your big brakes on your donor car.

:confused:
That's a point. I was assuming he couldn't. This would save him a fortune if its possible!

EDIT: What Uncle Christopher really means, is he hopes this Polo won't be turned into a snowplough version. :p

On the subject of snowploughs... :p
http://www.stuif.net/polo/assets/images/db_images/db_VW_Polo_1998_1_4_0062.jpg

euroslap
17-12-2008, 01:53 PM
There's a lot of homework going to be involved in this one if he's going to take it on, it's definately been done lots of times before but on the other hand it's definately not as straightforward as dropping the engine in and off you go.

Captain Answer
17-12-2008, 03:30 PM
That's a point. I was assuming he couldn't. This would save him a fortune if its possible!

EDIT: What Uncle Christopher really means, is he hopes this Polo won't be turned into a snowplough version. :p

On the subject of snowploughs... :p
http://www.stuif.net/polo/assets/images/db_images/db_VW_Polo_1998_1_4_0062.jpg


No, I think i've made it clear what I mean

po1o_madman
17-12-2008, 06:10 PM
Look what I've started :P:P

I know it's not an easy job, which is why I have not dived in yet! But I would seriously like to do it.

I know it will cost a bit ... but then so will buying a much newer audi coupe or a newish polo gti ... but imagine what the insurance would be for an audi as a 19 year old male!!!

My made reason for wanting to do it is to have a car that will surprise people. Golf gti, audi a3 ... people know it's a fast car!! I'd rather keep my small christmas tree, put some classy but not too flashy tinsel on it and have a little tree that can challenge the larger!

Plus I like having a small car! I've only been driving 2 years, I live around narrow country lanes ... much easier to drive a smaller car! Then of course its also lighter than a golf ;)

po1o_madman
17-12-2008, 06:13 PM
That's a point. I was assuming he couldn't. This would save him a fortune if its possible!

EDIT: What Uncle Christopher really means, is he hopes this Polo won't be turned into a snowplough version. :p

On the subject of snowploughs... :p
http://www.stuif.net/polo/assets/images/db_images/db_VW_Polo_1998_1_4_0062.jpg

Definately not haha! I want to keep it fairly subtle on outside. Got my alloys and lights. I just want a grill, tinted windows and a black spray job. Bodykits don't interest me.

paul b
18-12-2008, 12:30 PM
No, I think i've made it clear what I mean
Ooh okay! :notworthy

po1o_madman
18-12-2008, 05:41 PM
Looked online last night to find info on the conversion ... bloke reckons it costs about £4000 to do it right. I knew it would be pricey but not that much!!!!

euroslap
18-12-2008, 05:55 PM
If you buy a back end damged donor car and do most of the work yourself you'll get it done for between about £1500 and £2000 and you can sell on bits you've taken off your car and what you haven't used off the donor to make some of that money back.

po1o_madman
18-12-2008, 06:35 PM
I have no idea how to do it myself though thats the trouble ... i'm a landscape gardener by trade lol so I know nothing about mechanics. If I got a donor car and took it to a garage ... do you reckon they'd do it??? And what kind of price would I be looking at?

If I get a minute at the weekend I'll go to the local scrap yard and see whats around as a donor.

Looked at getting a seat, a3 instead but still would rather have a converted polo as I just profer the cosmetics!

Col
18-12-2008, 06:42 PM
If you buy a back end damged donor car and do most of the work yourself you'll get it done for between about £1500 and £2000 and you can sell on bits you've taken off your car and what you haven't used off the donor to make some of that money back.



Even if you do virtually all the spanner time yourself, you will have to take the car off the road for a minimum of one month I'd say and once you've finished, you could add another £1,000 on top of the £2,000 for the doner car.

Is it worth £3,000 and no transport for at least a month? No !

How about flogging the Polo for say £800, putting that £3,000 towards a nice MK4 Golf 1.8T Then start modding that !

You know I'm right.

Assumes you have access to 3k in the first place ?

po1o_madman
18-12-2008, 06:58 PM
If I had 3k and I knew I could get it done for that then I'd do it tomorrow!

But then I'd have spent 3k on a mk4 golf ...... and it would be the same as every other mk4 golf!

Same reason why I would'nt get a seat, or and audi a3 ... nice cars but I won't something a bit different.

I think if I do it ... then I will remove all the parts I've added back to standard then sell it. Then buy a black 3dr polo with mint bodywork .... I know I'll get one cheap as I can just get a 1litre .... as engine will be changed anyway! One thing I can't justify is £1000 on a black paintjob, hence this idea.

euroslap
18-12-2008, 07:02 PM
You can get a decent 1.8T Golf for considerably less than £3k Nowadays if you want to save yourself a load of hastle. ;)

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLKSWAGEN+GOLF/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-14-240-4294966995-4294967159/advert.action?R=200850324964008&distance=67&postcode=b44+8ju&channel=CARS&make=VOLKSWAGEN&model=GOLF&min_pr=&max_pr=3000&max_mileage=&vehicleYearOfManufacture=1999&vehicleRegLetter=S

This one's got an R32 kit on it already.

po1o_madman
18-12-2008, 07:09 PM
Profer polo's lol .... I'm not meaning to sound stubborn lol I genuinely do profer the older polo's!

euroslap
18-12-2008, 07:11 PM
Profer polo's lol .... I'm not meaning to sound stubborn lol I genuinely do profer the older polo's!


That's fair enough, as I said earlier there's always a big Polo following at the Shows. Each to their own.

:beerchug:

euroslap
18-12-2008, 07:13 PM
If you want a mega cool Polo, how about one of these....

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/cars/VOLKSWAGEN+POLO/Ne-2-4-5-6-7-8-27-44-49-53-61-64-67-103-133-146-236,N-240-4294966384-4294967159/advert.action?R=200847112182531&distance=125&postcode=b44+8ju&channel=CARS&make=VOLKSWAGEN&model=POLO&min_pr=&max_pr=&max_mileage=&vehicleYearOfManufacture=1991&vehicleRegLetter=J

:D

po1o_madman
18-12-2008, 07:21 PM
Love it! :D There's a really oldschool polo like that I've seen driving around near where I work. And a mk2 golf slammed on bbs alloys, left hand drive though!

euroslap
18-12-2008, 07:24 PM
Love it! :D There's a really oldschool polo like that I've seen driving around near where I work. And a mk2 golf slammed on bbs alloys, left hand drive though!


If it's a left hooker I bet the Golf's a G60. Both the Polo and Golf are Supercharged as standard! ;)