Another VW Golf Mk2 16v
Discussion
So... an interesting day on the car today. 
First off, we were troubled by a clonk from the rear suspension. Close investigation eventually revealed that the top rubber strut mountings had been put in upside down...
Easy fix, but another for our list of bodges we've unpicked!
Today's job was supposed to be the brakes. Parts ordered in advance. The mk2 Golf 16v is fitted with 256mm front discs as standard, so we'd got everything ready...
Only to find that ours wasn't.
It is running the smaller 239mm discs for some reason which isn't immediately obvious. Some really early 16vs apparently had 239mm (standard 8v GTI size), but by late 1988 all 16v should have had the larger discs... I believe anyway!
This gave us a problem. Bigger discs won't fit. Worse, it's not a case of replacing carriers as on this 8v setup the carrier is part of the hub, which means we'd need to take the whole lot off (and replace calipers too) to swap to the 'standard' 256mm setup.
So... quite how our 16v ended up with 8v brakes is a mystery. Question is now... what to do about it.
Kettle is boiling.
Cheers,
Drew.
First off, we were troubled by a clonk from the rear suspension. Close investigation eventually revealed that the top rubber strut mountings had been put in upside down...
Easy fix, but another for our list of bodges we've unpicked!Today's job was supposed to be the brakes. Parts ordered in advance. The mk2 Golf 16v is fitted with 256mm front discs as standard, so we'd got everything ready...
Only to find that ours wasn't.
It is running the smaller 239mm discs for some reason which isn't immediately obvious. Some really early 16vs apparently had 239mm (standard 8v GTI size), but by late 1988 all 16v should have had the larger discs... I believe anyway!
This gave us a problem. Bigger discs won't fit. Worse, it's not a case of replacing carriers as on this 8v setup the carrier is part of the hub, which means we'd need to take the whole lot off (and replace calipers too) to swap to the 'standard' 256mm setup.
So... quite how our 16v ended up with 8v brakes is a mystery. Question is now... what to do about it.
Kettle is boiling.
Cheers,
Drew.
pistolpedro said:
280’s are great but you won’t get 14” Bottle tops over them. Cars coming on nicely
That's a good point actually, my car had 15" aftermarket wheels and the brakes were a bit of a squeeze. I bought some 15" BBS RA, original wheels for a 16v Golf, and I think they would have been ok but I never got around to fitting them before I sold the car.Gallons Per Mile said:
That's a good point actually, my car had 15" aftermarket wheels and the brakes were a bit of a squeeze. I bought some 15" BBS RA, original wheels for a 16v Golf, and I think they would have been ok but I never got around to fitting them before I sold the car.
Yes RA’s fit iiirc. G60 steels, Corrado G60 BBS RZ. Plenty of info out there for Golf 2 fitments with 280 stoppers.Definitely a significant improvement. 239’s pretty woeful tbh. 280’s with good pads & fluid used to be good on track
Yes you can run RA's (15") with 280's but need to use the 256mm calliper and grind down some length off the slider pins, pad thickness can be an issue too so you may have to remove some of the braking material. If you're using the G60 calliper you need to run a spacer with RA's (not sure what size as I used the 16v calliper on mine)
Problem with the RA I found was decent tyres they're too thin IMO for a 195 and I struggled to find a decent 185/55 R15 at the time , the RZ mentioned is a good option as they are a wider more common size so more tyre options available and there's more headroom for brake options.
Looking at this car without PAS I'd be inclined to go with the oe 14" wheel with a 185 tyre and 256mm brakes, in good order they are more than sufficient on a road car,
Problem with the RA I found was decent tyres they're too thin IMO for a 195 and I struggled to find a decent 185/55 R15 at the time , the RZ mentioned is a good option as they are a wider more common size so more tyre options available and there's more headroom for brake options.
Looking at this car without PAS I'd be inclined to go with the oe 14" wheel with a 185 tyre and 256mm brakes, in good order they are more than sufficient on a road car,
Edited by pistolpedro on Friday 15th May 10:35
Edited by pistolpedro on Friday 15th May 10:37
Gallons Per Mile said:
pistolpedro said:
280’s are great but you won’t get 14” Bottle tops over them. Cars coming on nicely
That's a good point actually, my car had 15" aftermarket wheels and the brakes were a bit of a squeeze. I bought some 15" BBS RA, original wheels for a 16v Golf, and I think they would have been ok but I never got around to fitting them before I sold the car.Cheers,
Drew.
Brilliant thread. I’ve had quite a few MKIIs, all different kinds but the 16v was always my favourite (big bumper though ) Actually been thinking about another one recently but the money they are going for now seems crazy when I think what I used to buy them for but that’s how things go. I’d personally go for 280 brakes and RAs myself.
For the sagging headlining don’t waste money on Evo Stik or any of the high street glues, go straight for AS Trims high temp contact adhesive. They do a spray and brush on, imo the brush on works fine and is easier to work with. It’s not cheap but it’s pro quality and works.
) Actually been thinking about another one recently but the money they are going for now seems crazy when I think what I used to buy them for but that’s how things go. I’d personally go for 280 brakes and RAs myself. For the sagging headlining don’t waste money on Evo Stik or any of the high street glues, go straight for AS Trims high temp contact adhesive. They do a spray and brush on, imo the brush on works fine and is easier to work with. It’s not cheap but it’s pro quality and works.
Thanks for the tip on the headlining - it's on the list to do.
Last few bits for prepping. Decided to keep the brakes as they are for now (whilst rusty they are serviceable) and I'll see what they feel like on the move before assembling bits to make a change for something a bit better.
Reset the timing today - leaving it at a standard 6 degrees of advance for now.
And then did a rough tune of the Co2 until the engine started to hunt and then wound it back out again. Seems happy, we'll see what the emissions are come MOT time.
Idling really happily (950rpm) now that the wiring, sensors and a basic tune have been completed.
First proper run time looms! I'm going to tax and extend the insurance to cover it on the road from June (assuming lockdown doesn't come back) and give it some light daily driver duties to get the run-in mileage on the rebuilt engine complete, then it's time for a complete service and open her up a little.
Can't wait!
Cheers,
Drew.
Last few bits for prepping. Decided to keep the brakes as they are for now (whilst rusty they are serviceable) and I'll see what they feel like on the move before assembling bits to make a change for something a bit better.
Reset the timing today - leaving it at a standard 6 degrees of advance for now.
And then did a rough tune of the Co2 until the engine started to hunt and then wound it back out again. Seems happy, we'll see what the emissions are come MOT time.
Idling really happily (950rpm) now that the wiring, sensors and a basic tune have been completed.
First proper run time looms! I'm going to tax and extend the insurance to cover it on the road from June (assuming lockdown doesn't come back) and give it some light daily driver duties to get the run-in mileage on the rebuilt engine complete, then it's time for a complete service and open her up a little.
Can't wait!
Cheers,
Drew.
Edited by drewwa on Sunday 17th May 16:04
I would imagine you're very excited for the 1st drive,
Engine bay looks clean, hard to be sure from the pictures but it looks like you have the earlier 42mm inlet, being an 89 it would have left the factory with the 50mm. The prevailing theory is the 50mm gives a more free flowing top end whereas the 42mm is better for low end torque. It's no big deal really any differences are negligible and they are easily interchangeable.
There was always a strong demand from the US as they never got the 50mm 'Euro' ones over there, the real unicorn is a 50mm from a Scirocco 16v (TB is on the opposite side) , they go for a huge amount as its one of the pieces which allows you to build a factory looking 16v G60.
I sent one (Golf KR 50mm) to TSR for porting once, I foolishly had it sandblasted locally prior to sending it down and they sent it back as scrap, the inside of the runners had been blasted and they were concerned about any medium coming out and damaging the engine.
Engine bay looks clean, hard to be sure from the pictures but it looks like you have the earlier 42mm inlet, being an 89 it would have left the factory with the 50mm. The prevailing theory is the 50mm gives a more free flowing top end whereas the 42mm is better for low end torque. It's no big deal really any differences are negligible and they are easily interchangeable.
There was always a strong demand from the US as they never got the 50mm 'Euro' ones over there, the real unicorn is a 50mm from a Scirocco 16v (TB is on the opposite side) , they go for a huge amount as its one of the pieces which allows you to build a factory looking 16v G60.
I sent one (Golf KR 50mm) to TSR for porting once, I foolishly had it sandblasted locally prior to sending it down and they sent it back as scrap, the inside of the runners had been blasted and they were concerned about any medium coming out and damaging the engine.
Thanks for the info. I measured the inlet and it has a small bulge on each inlet adjacent to the spark plugs - measured those to be 50mm external diameter... though I'm not sure if that's what you mean?
With most the mechanicals done for now (until we can drive it and see how it goes) we turned attention to the Florence's bodywork today. Proper wash, clean and decontamination today, with a bit of work on various swirls.
Working to ensure we have a "Tornado Red" car rather than a "Tornado Pink" one as in early pics on this thread! Lots still to do, but she's coming up a treat.
2 weeks until we can drive her!
Cheers,
Drew.
With most the mechanicals done for now (until we can drive it and see how it goes) we turned attention to the Florence's bodywork today. Proper wash, clean and decontamination today, with a bit of work on various swirls.
Working to ensure we have a "Tornado Red" car rather than a "Tornado Pink" one as in early pics on this thread! Lots still to do, but she's coming up a treat.
2 weeks until we can drive her!
Cheers,
Drew.
Edited by drewwa on Monday 18th May 18:31
Edited by drewwa on Monday 18th May 18:32
yes the easiest way to tell is if the runners bulge inwards around the plugs if its a 50mm on the 42mm they are straight, sounds like the your is the 50mm apologies for any confusion. (The picture looked like it had the more pronounced / angled shoulder seen on the 42)
It looks great, red always looked good against the black trim
It looks great, red always looked good against the black trim
pistolpedro said:
yes the easiest way to tell is if the runners bulge inwards around the plugs if its a 50mm on the 42mm they are straight, sounds like the your is the 50mm apologies for any confusion. (The picture looked like it had the more pronounced / angled shoulder seen on the 42)
It looks great, red always looked good against the black trim
Yep - they definitely bulge - checked again today. Car now covered up until the 1st of June.. which is GTI launch day!It looks great, red always looked good against the black trim
Cheers,
Drew.
One small tidbit of info. Found out that my 16v is supposed to have 239mm brakes as standard. The early 16vs had, but internet wisdom suggested that they were almost immediately replaced with the bigger 256mm version.
Turns out it wasn't quite "immediate".
Not until chassis number 1G 240000 onwards from November 1988 . Mine is 98k on the chassis and dated about September. Mystery solved!
All set for a drive on Monday. Looking forward to it!
Cheers,
Drew.
Turns out it wasn't quite "immediate".
Not until chassis number 1G 240000 onwards from November 1988 . Mine is 98k on the chassis and dated about September. Mystery solved!
All set for a drive on Monday. Looking forward to it!
Cheers,
Drew.
Edited by drewwa on Saturday 30th May 12:33
chrismc1977 said:
Enjoy the drive- but don’t lean on those 239’s
It will be a very gentle drive to start with, the engine still needs running in. Got about 300 miles to put on it before I can give it any beans. Want to check it can hold all its fluids and everything works before I go anything close to 'brisk'!Cheers,
Drew
Edited by drewwa on Monday 1st June 10:16
Woohoo.
Back from a "first drive" in the GTI. Overall seems pretty good. Engine is smooth, no hesitation, seems to be reasonably torquey at the bottom end and is gaining enthusiasm as the revs rise.
Brakes are... well ok I suppose! Still a slight pull to the left under cadence braking, so needs further investigation, but much better than before.
Handling has been dramatically improved by having the suspension mounts in the right way, car no longer jiggling about - think I can live with it now.
MFA working. Oil temp reached 104 on the drive - seems a little higher than I remember for my mk1, but google seems to suggest that's ok.
Steering is dead straight, so we guessed well with the tracking! ??
Cooling fan was running as I pulled up to the driveway though, so will keep an eye on that - but it's a fairly hot day down here.
Exhaust is surprisingly quiet given how big it is. Not intrusive when driving that's for sure. The speedo is the annoying part, rattling like a good 'un. Speeds up to 40 mph currently unknown!! ??
Overall, seems pretty solid. Not very exciting given the low revs, but seems nicely planted on the road. I think I reached 3,500 rpm, so well below the interesting parts!
Plan is now to run it around a bit to get the engine run in proper, oil/filter change, and then open her up bit by bit.
Cheers,
Drew.
Back from a "first drive" in the GTI. Overall seems pretty good. Engine is smooth, no hesitation, seems to be reasonably torquey at the bottom end and is gaining enthusiasm as the revs rise.
Brakes are... well ok I suppose! Still a slight pull to the left under cadence braking, so needs further investigation, but much better than before.
Handling has been dramatically improved by having the suspension mounts in the right way, car no longer jiggling about - think I can live with it now.
MFA working. Oil temp reached 104 on the drive - seems a little higher than I remember for my mk1, but google seems to suggest that's ok.
Steering is dead straight, so we guessed well with the tracking! ??
Cooling fan was running as I pulled up to the driveway though, so will keep an eye on that - but it's a fairly hot day down here.
Exhaust is surprisingly quiet given how big it is. Not intrusive when driving that's for sure. The speedo is the annoying part, rattling like a good 'un. Speeds up to 40 mph currently unknown!! ??
Overall, seems pretty solid. Not very exciting given the low revs, but seems nicely planted on the road. I think I reached 3,500 rpm, so well below the interesting parts!
Plan is now to run it around a bit to get the engine run in proper, oil/filter change, and then open her up bit by bit.
Cheers,
Drew.
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