Another VW Golf Mk2 16v
Discussion
I see there's already a thread about a Mk2 Golf GTI 16v, but we had the opportunity to get one of these too. With prices for decent Mk2s on the rise (and seeing what happened with the mk1s in the last decade) it seemed like:
a) The man maths might actually work in our favour (long term)
b) A 16v Mk2 is always going to be a fun thing to punt about anyway.
Car has an MOT, but given the sellers (reassuringly honest) appraisal of its current set of faults my son and I decided to trailer it home yesterday amidst flying branches, sideways rain and gale force winds.
Got home safely though.
So this has just joined the fleet alongside my supercharged Mk1 Mx5 and the Mk1 Audi TT. It's a 1989 16v, pre the big bumpers, type 1G, but with the earlier electrics.
It's pretty smart looking but needs quite a bit of TLC. Plans are to take it back to 100% stock over time and rejuvenate what needs rejuvenating.
Good:
Once the paperwork is sorted I may have a go at contacting previous owners - got most of their details - Might be fun to see if anyone is still about and has pics of the car from days of yore.
Nice to own an a Golf GTI again though. Haven't had one since 2009.
Cheers,
Drew.
a) The man maths might actually work in our favour (long term)
b) A 16v Mk2 is always going to be a fun thing to punt about anyway.
Car has an MOT, but given the sellers (reassuringly honest) appraisal of its current set of faults my son and I decided to trailer it home yesterday amidst flying branches, sideways rain and gale force winds.
Got home safely though.
So this has just joined the fleet alongside my supercharged Mk1 Mx5 and the Mk1 Audi TT. It's a 1989 16v, pre the big bumpers, type 1G, but with the earlier electrics.
It's pretty smart looking but needs quite a bit of TLC. Plans are to take it back to 100% stock over time and rejuvenate what needs rejuvenating.
Good:
- Starts, runs and idles. Engine has only recently been rebuilt so is still being run in, runs up to temp ok and fans cut in. In 500 miles we can open her up a bit.
- Has Newman cams, so potentially a bit livelier at the top end
- All original in terms of trim, though some a bit tatty
- BBS RMs are in good nick
- All gears work
- Most of the electrics work
- Bodywork has been done and underseal too
- Paperwork is comprehensive - all MOTs back to the first one and a massive folder full of stuff
- Damn good clean, interior a bit of a mess, door jams etc full of dirt
- Fix brakes - scarily has almost nothing and what it does have pulls to one side
- Small water leak from bottom of the water pump, hopefully just a pipe
- Tidy up engine bay (wasn't done for some reason when the engine was out)
- Replace parcel shelf (been cut for a set of 6x9s
) - Has some quite nice mk3 GTI 'GTI Edition' recaro seats - not standard, but in two minds as to whether to replace.
- Front valence needs some attention
- Remove rock hard coilovers
- Replace front headlamps with stock (currently some 'crystal clear' things)
- Replace rear light clusters with stock (currently some 'crystal clear' things)
- Remove non-standard exhaust
- Fix rear wash wipe - currently pipes popped off at both ends and sprays water into the boot and engine bay)
- Replace all locks to allow use with a single key (currently has 4!)
- Fix MFA lcd
- Fix Temperature gauge (hopefully a broken wire as sensors in place)
- Fix Speedo (works but bounces around below 40 mph)
Once the paperwork is sorted I may have a go at contacting previous owners - got most of their details - Might be fun to see if anyone is still about and has pics of the car from days of yore.
Nice to own an a Golf GTI again though. Haven't had one since 2009.
Cheers,
Drew.
Edited by drewwa on Sunday 3rd November 18:20
It has had the sills replaced and resprayed, which has been done well as far as I can tell. No sign of any rust under there and we have pictures of it being done with all the trim off, so no nasty surprises behind the arches! 
As for tuning, don't believe so, hasn't been gas-flowed or anything. The only non standard addition is the Newman cams, which I'll identify when I go through the receipts. I believe they are slightly cheaper than stock at £380 for the pair based on their website and probably the like for like equivalents. I'd like to keep the KR engine stock and have the oldskool fun of chasing revs. I'm not really looking to improve the performance of it given it's a 30 year old hot hatch. It also has a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold - not sure if this is stock or not.
As for the coilovers - not sure yet. Might drive it around a bit more. First impressions are that they are the worst of both worlds when it comes handling/ride. Ride is very jiggly even on smooth-ish roads, but there doesn't seem to be much damping. Our other golf has Eibach springs and Koni dampers and is much better to my mind - smooth ride and firm damping. The coilovers are brand new and set a bit lower than stock height - I agree it looks nice like this, but it's not riding how a Golf should as far as I'm concerned.
Starter motor is also dicky, so we've taken it out to see if it needs new bushes. While doing this we discovered that the bolts for the starter hold in the front engine mount - odd design!
Cheers,
Drew.
As for tuning, don't believe so, hasn't been gas-flowed or anything. The only non standard addition is the Newman cams, which I'll identify when I go through the receipts. I believe they are slightly cheaper than stock at £380 for the pair based on their website and probably the like for like equivalents. I'd like to keep the KR engine stock and have the oldskool fun of chasing revs. I'm not really looking to improve the performance of it given it's a 30 year old hot hatch. It also has a 4-2-1 exhaust manifold - not sure if this is stock or not.
As for the coilovers - not sure yet. Might drive it around a bit more. First impressions are that they are the worst of both worlds when it comes handling/ride. Ride is very jiggly even on smooth-ish roads, but there doesn't seem to be much damping. Our other golf has Eibach springs and Koni dampers and is much better to my mind - smooth ride and firm damping. The coilovers are brand new and set a bit lower than stock height - I agree it looks nice like this, but it's not riding how a Golf should as far as I'm concerned.
Starter motor is also dicky, so we've taken it out to see if it needs new bushes. While doing this we discovered that the bolts for the starter hold in the front engine mount - odd design!
Cheers,
Drew.
Edited by drewwa on Monday 4th November 17:09
Edited by drewwa on Monday 4th November 17:38
I remember discovering that too 1st time i changed a mk2 starter!
My 16v is getting a bit of resto work done at the moment, and while the engine is out i had considered fitting the tsr 4 branch i have had sitting for years.
How do you find the noise? Excessive? Has yours been wrapped or coated? Did they fit a solid front engine mount at the same time?
You will enjoy chasing the revs once the 500miles has been done. I sold my vr6 vento in 08 and bought the valver few weeks later and thought it was slow.
Few months later while considering selling i watched the 5th gear mk2 golf 16v getting tweaked at tsr. I hadnt rung its neck until after i watched that!
My 16v is getting a bit of resto work done at the moment, and while the engine is out i had considered fitting the tsr 4 branch i have had sitting for years.
How do you find the noise? Excessive? Has yours been wrapped or coated? Did they fit a solid front engine mount at the same time?
You will enjoy chasing the revs once the 500miles has been done. I sold my vr6 vento in 08 and bought the valver few weeks later and thought it was slow.
Few months later while considering selling i watched the 5th gear mk2 golf 16v getting tweaked at tsr. I hadnt rung its neck until after i watched that!
Waded through the service history and receipts today, quite interesting overall and lots of history.
Car had a full VWSH up until 2002 whereupon it had hit 121k miles. After that it gets a bit vague, one MOT recorded in 2006 at 147k miles, and then nothing until 2017 (previous owner) at 150k. According to him it had been in a lockup from 2007 and hardly used. He'd got it running and through an MOT again.
A few more pics - still only using the phone so apologies for 'pinkness' - the paint is a much fuller red in reality. I'll go get my SLR in a bit.
Parked up next to my son's 1988 CL
In the receipts was a newspaper cutting from when the car was sold a second time from the same garage (Skinners then - still a VW garage now - Caffyns of Eastbourne). Check out the other cars on offer! This is circa 1992.
Lots of early history - here are all the MOTs from 1991-2002.
And the original brochure for the car.
Interior isn't original unfortunately. These seats are a Mk3 Golf GTI item from Europe, a 'GTI Edition' set of unbadged Recaros (quite nice actually). Otherwise the dash hasn't been mucked about with.
Cheers,
Drew.
Car had a full VWSH up until 2002 whereupon it had hit 121k miles. After that it gets a bit vague, one MOT recorded in 2006 at 147k miles, and then nothing until 2017 (previous owner) at 150k. According to him it had been in a lockup from 2007 and hardly used. He'd got it running and through an MOT again.
A few more pics - still only using the phone so apologies for 'pinkness' - the paint is a much fuller red in reality. I'll go get my SLR in a bit.
Parked up next to my son's 1988 CL
In the receipts was a newspaper cutting from when the car was sold a second time from the same garage (Skinners then - still a VW garage now - Caffyns of Eastbourne). Check out the other cars on offer! This is circa 1992.
Lots of early history - here are all the MOTs from 1991-2002.
And the original brochure for the car.
Interior isn't original unfortunately. These seats are a Mk3 Golf GTI item from Europe, a 'GTI Edition' set of unbadged Recaros (quite nice actually). Otherwise the dash hasn't been mucked about with.
Cheers,
Drew.
Edited by drewwa on Tuesday 5th November 14:51
A bit of research and working out going on at present. A shopping list of bits.
First - things that need to done:
Starter Motor
Brake Pads front
Brake Pads rear
Brake Discs front
Brake Discs rear
Water Leak from near the water pump (hopefully a pipe as the pump is new-ish)
Oil Change (after run in period)
Oil Filter
Battery Area Clean and Antirust
Temp Sensor
Dash Lights (ok on the binnacle, but not working on the temp/air sliders)
Battery Clamp
Battery Cover
Speedo Cable
And then the list of cosmetic things to tidy up and return the car to stock:
Interior Door Trims
Interior Seats
Cambelt covers
Sunroof Wind Deflector
Gear knob
Right inner Door Pull Surround
Door Striker Pins
16v Key
Front splitter vent
Door/Ignition Locks
Front Lights
Rear Lights
Door Lock Pulls
Wing Mirrors
Bonnet Rubbers
Rubber Bonnet Buffers
Front Valence
Bee Sting
Scuttle Trim
Side Trim
Speakers
Stereo
Headlining
VIN/Stickers tidy up
Suspension
Exhaust
Front Badge
Alloys
Parcel Shelf
Parts list comes to just over a grand. Going to be a bit of project.
Pic for attention.
Cheers,
Drew.
First - things that need to done:
Starter Motor
Brake Pads front
Brake Pads rear
Brake Discs front
Brake Discs rear
Water Leak from near the water pump (hopefully a pipe as the pump is new-ish)
Oil Change (after run in period)
Oil Filter
Battery Area Clean and Antirust
Temp Sensor
Dash Lights (ok on the binnacle, but not working on the temp/air sliders)
Battery Clamp
Battery Cover
Speedo Cable
And then the list of cosmetic things to tidy up and return the car to stock:
Interior Door Trims
Interior Seats
Cambelt covers
Sunroof Wind Deflector
Gear knob
Right inner Door Pull Surround
Door Striker Pins
16v Key
Front splitter vent
Door/Ignition Locks
Front Lights
Rear Lights
Door Lock Pulls
Wing Mirrors
Bonnet Rubbers
Rubber Bonnet Buffers
Front Valence
Bee Sting
Scuttle Trim
Side Trim
Speakers
Stereo
Headlining
VIN/Stickers tidy up
Suspension
Exhaust
Front Badge
Alloys
Parcel Shelf
Parts list comes to just over a grand. Going to be a bit of project.
Pic for attention.
Cheers,
Drew.
Ticked one item of the list - the parcel shelf. My son has built a new one for his CL out of a bit of MDF, along with amps and speakers, so he's very generously given me his.
Car tucked away for now, most of the work will resume in the spring once we've assembled all the bits.
Cheers,
Drew.
Car tucked away for now, most of the work will resume in the spring once we've assembled all the bits.
Cheers,
Drew.
drewwa said:
Waded through the service history and receipts today, quite interesting overall and lots of history.
Car had a full VWSH up until 2002 whereupon it had hit 121k miles. After that it gets a bit vague, one MOT recorded in 2006 at 147k miles, and then nothing until 2017 (previous owner) at 150k. According to him it had been in a lockup from 2007 and hardly used. He'd got it running and through an MOT again.
A few more pics - still only using the phone so apologies for 'pinkness' - the paint is a much fuller red in reality. I'll go get my SLR in a bit.
Parked up next to my son's 1988 CL
In the receipts was a newspaper cutting from when the car was sold a second time from the same garage (Skinners then - still a VW garage now - Caffyns of Eastbourne). Check out the other cars on offer! This is circa 1992.
Lots of early history - here are all the MOTs from 1991-2002.
And the original brochure for the car.
Interior isn't original unfortunately. These seats are a Mk3 Golf GTI item from Europe, a 'GTI Edition' set of unbadged Recaros (quite nice actually). Otherwise the dash hasn't been mucked about with.
Cheers,
Drew.
That brochure looks like it is for the big bumper cars. ‘G’ onwards in the UK.Car had a full VWSH up until 2002 whereupon it had hit 121k miles. After that it gets a bit vague, one MOT recorded in 2006 at 147k miles, and then nothing until 2017 (previous owner) at 150k. According to him it had been in a lockup from 2007 and hardly used. He'd got it running and through an MOT again.
A few more pics - still only using the phone so apologies for 'pinkness' - the paint is a much fuller red in reality. I'll go get my SLR in a bit.
Parked up next to my son's 1988 CL
In the receipts was a newspaper cutting from when the car was sold a second time from the same garage (Skinners then - still a VW garage now - Caffyns of Eastbourne). Check out the other cars on offer! This is circa 1992.
Lots of early history - here are all the MOTs from 1991-2002.
And the original brochure for the car.
Interior isn't original unfortunately. These seats are a Mk3 Golf GTI item from Europe, a 'GTI Edition' set of unbadged Recaros (quite nice actually). Otherwise the dash hasn't been mucked about with.
Cheers,
Drew.
Edited by drewwa on Tuesday 5th November 14:51
Lovely car OP. Get it as original as you can!
Looks like a good straight example
Noticed you’ve got the correct OE rubber mats which is cool, they fit really well and match the rest of the interior nicely,
Will you be fitting the rear hatch vinyl? It’s often missing on GTI’s (usually after repainting) IIRC was a bit of a pig to fit (can’t recall if it’s a window out job) there’s a number of aftermarket ones available now at a reasonable cost, contrasts with the red really well
Noticed you’ve got the correct OE rubber mats which is cool, they fit really well and match the rest of the interior nicely,
Will you be fitting the rear hatch vinyl? It’s often missing on GTI’s (usually after repainting) IIRC was a bit of a pig to fit (can’t recall if it’s a window out job) there’s a number of aftermarket ones available now at a reasonable cost, contrasts with the red really well
pistolpedro said:
Looks like a good straight example
Noticed you’ve got the correct OE rubber mats which is cool, they fit really well and match the rest of the interior nicely,
Will you be fitting the rear hatch vinyl? It’s often missing on GTI’s (usually after repainting) IIRC was a bit of a pig to fit (can’t recall if it’s a window out job) there’s a number of aftermarket ones available now at a reasonable cost, contrasts with the red really well
We have the vinyl to go back on - a later job I think. Noticed you’ve got the correct OE rubber mats which is cool, they fit really well and match the rest of the interior nicely,
Will you be fitting the rear hatch vinyl? It’s often missing on GTI’s (usually after repainting) IIRC was a bit of a pig to fit (can’t recall if it’s a window out job) there’s a number of aftermarket ones available now at a reasonable cost, contrasts with the red really well
Installation does look a bit tricky!Cheers,
Drew.
Not much in the way of updates, too cold to be working on the car for my liking! A few parts have been trickling in though.
Found the manual for the original stereo (long gone of course) in the documentation. A bit of search online bagged me a working one though, so here it is in all its retro glory.
As a dealer fit accessory from 1988 - I present the awesome Blaupunkt SQR38 Radio/Cassette.
Cheers,
Drew.
Found the manual for the original stereo (long gone of course) in the documentation. A bit of search online bagged me a working one though, so here it is in all its retro glory.
As a dealer fit accessory from 1988 - I present the awesome Blaupunkt SQR38 Radio/Cassette.
Cheers,
Drew.
Love it!
Still deciding if I should source an oem unit for my valver once its resto is complete.
They just look and feel so right in a car of this vintage
Any pics of how your four branch sits near the bulkhead? Any heat shield/wrap etc used? Fitted mine but yet to start car up and manifold looks mighty close !
Still deciding if I should source an oem unit for my valver once its resto is complete.
They just look and feel so right in a car of this vintage
Any pics of how your four branch sits near the bulkhead? Any heat shield/wrap etc used? Fitted mine but yet to start car up and manifold looks mighty close !
Edited by rickygolf83 on Tuesday 3rd December 19:25
Edited by rickygolf83 on Tuesday 3rd December 19:25
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