1993 Polo Engine Swap - Paging the poloisti and anyone else who likes this sort of thing

There's a 1993 1.not-very-much litre Polo coupe outside my house at the moment.

It has stuff wrong with the engine that I really can't be bothered trying to fix.

I'd like to know if there's a "simple" sort of engine swap and suspension/brake mods I can do to make it into something I can strip out and entertain myself with on sunny days down the local track.

Reply to
Douglas Payne
Loading thread data ...

There was a Polo (MK2, but very similar to the MK2.5 that you've got) with a

1.6 16V engine out of a 2000 polo in June's PPC.

I think you should get a VR6 and take it done the drag strip :D.

Reply to
Doki

Right - this will be tricky, but follow me.

Jock (405 estate, Red Dutton) and his next door neighbour built a sprint polo with twin webers and all sorts of cheap mods on it. Inlet manifold was made from an old ally scaffolding tube. I'm told that it enjoyed some big revs. The neighbour was the same guy that built the silver single seater at F'burn at the weekend. This one

formatting link
Anyhow - we should speak to Jock and he will give us the spiel on the Polo (which was strangely competitive for some odd reason).

Reply to
Bob Sherunckle

The 1.6 16v is getting quite popular with the older polo owners now.

Best bet on the cheap would be to find a GT pump 1.3 8v but revvy 75bhp as standard and nothing overly complex to it, another option would be the 100bhp

1.4 16v from a 1996 on polo a bit more complex injection wise but you could fit carbs to make life easier. Front breaks can be 16v Mk2 Golf GTi setup that you should get behind 14" wheels (don't go bigger than 14"). Avoid Golf engines even of the same age as they are taller blocks than the polo units so you will be removing the sump on an almost daily basis. The rear drums will be fine if you strip it out. If you have a few hundred extra to throw at it then you could put a G40 lump in 113bhp standard (I'm running 136 with a slightly modded charger, different pulleys and a chip) and you can if you want the extra power at the expense of low down boost fit an M45 Mini Cooler S Eaton.
Reply to
Depresion

This may sound pretty naive, but what's trickier about transplanting engines with fuel injection? I guess they have more wires and cause you to cry more?

Am I likely to get a G40 engine that works for very little cash?

1.6 16v sounds just like what I want without the complexity of a 'charger, 1.4 16v sounds good too. A revvy 1.3 would probably be perfectly adequate. I'll look out for GTs in the scrappies this weekend.

I'm sort of hoping to cut my teeth on this project as it were. I don't know much about Fuel Injection but I know almost naff all about carbs.

-- Douglas

Reply to
Douglas Payne

Carbs are easy to fit. Fuel injection is a bit more complicated due to all the wires/sensors needed. But if you use a standard FI setup from another car 'all' you need to do is swap it all over so it's effectively plug and play. With carbs you'll need to have them setup properly once fitted which means a rolling road session

Reply to
Carl Gibbs

It's the immobilisers that VW built into them that's the problem, the 6N

1.4's are relatively basic immobiliser wise, the GT's I don't think has an immobiliser as standard, the 6N2 needs more than the 6N lump taking across to work (things like the clocks are part of the immobiliser on them). As long as you know exactly what's needed it's just a little extra fuss to set up but if you find you don't have the right bit then it can be quite expensive to bypass.
Reply to
Depresion

Twin turbo small block chev. Why f*ck around?

Fraser

Reply to
Fraser Johnston

It depends. Some fuel injection stuff swaps stupidly simply - IIRC you can put an ABF (MK3 Golf 2.0 16V engine, 150 horses) straight into a MK2 8V if it's 90 spec. Everything just plugs in. Sometimes you can't, and that's when it's a pain in the arse. Plenty of people run K-jet and Digifant on modified engines without them going up in flames (probably not making optimum power, but they're running for £cheap).

No. Have a look on clubgti.com/forums and search for G40 in the for sale section. The Glader generally needs rebuilding quite often.

Reply to
Doki

There was a rolled one on ebay (still drove but needed reshelling) that IIRC sold for less than £600, I almost got it to transplant to my Mk2 but I don't have that much spare cash about. (The inside looked good as well and they can fetch a bit).

Reply to
Depresion

IIRC 16V brakes are 256mm, and 8V brakes are 239. The 8V has 112 horses, stops alright and weighs more than a polo. 256s would be overkill IMO unless you were going up to 140 - 150 horses.

16V brakes are also quite sought after and expensive for converting 8Vs to big brakes (you can go to 280 with Seat or G60 carriers).
Reply to
Doki

You'd also need the ECU / wiring loom and need to upgrade the brakes etc to go in. Also you'll need either a G40 or GT gearbox and driveshafts, the standard 1L one won't have the right gearing, and probably won't like the power going through it.

I have a Polo 1.3 8v engine I've just swapped the head gasket on (complete with skim, valve re-grind etc) which will be up for sale very soon if you're interested, complete with ECU etc.

Located in Luton, Beds.

I was planning on putting the car back on the road after engine repair but have since bought a G40 and used the 1.3 car as a spares donor for it!

Alan.

Reply to
Alan

Only after 88/89, the early 88 and older ones were still 239mm.

Reply to
Homer

G40 is appealing, but I'm not so sure I want that sort of complexity at the moment.

Will said 1.3 fit straight in? Is said engine cheap?

I live just outside Glasgow but I do enjoy mad adventures to far flung parts of the country from time to time, so the location may not be that important.

Reply to
Douglas Payne

Yes, yes. I want about £75 for it depending on what bits are attached!

It's a fair drive to me then. The engine will be re-assembled and tested in the next few weeks, then removed from the car so I can scrap the shell. It's done about 70,000 miles IIRC.

Alan.

Reply to
Alan

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.