Archive for March, 2009
Engine codes and conversion options
I’ll refer to each engine by it’s first 2 letters of the engine number.
Stock Engines for Mk1
some of these may appear in an early Mk2:
I think there’s some 1.1 and 1.3l engines that were also fitted, but if you’ve got one, keep it cos it’s a bit of a European novelty 
JB – 1.5L 8v Carb Approx 70BHP
Found in mk1′s and mk2′s til ’82
Simple upgrade to 1.8 EX Carb engine
FR – 1.6L 8v Carb Approx 85BHP
Found on GLS Model
Simple upgrade to 1.8 EX Carb engine
EG 1.6i, 8v Approx 110BHP, All Mk1 injection models and Mk2 until 1983
This engine can compete happily with the 1.8 injection engines thus a KR would be a starting point for an upgrade as the fueling system is similar.
Stock Engines for Mk2
EW – 1.6l 8v carb approx 75BHp
Easy upgrade is to an EX as very little needs to be changed.
EX – 1.8l 8v carb approx 90BHp
Easy upgrade would be a KR on side-draught carbs. Fuel injection requires new pump and fuel lines.
DX – 1.8l 8v K-jet injection approx 110BHp
Easy upgrade would be a KR running K-jet injection.
KR – 1.8l 16v K-jet Injection approx 135BHp – Import (LHD) only
› Continue reading
Auto to Manual Conversion
This one comes up more than you think on the Scirocco Register forums, so, having done the conversion, here is what you need to know. Some parts are vital and some are recommended. I recommend using a complete donor car for this conversion.
Vital
Manual Gearbox & Clutch
Gear stick & selector shafts, rods and brackets
Manual Steering Column/pedal bracket. Pre-1984 cars can also benefit from a post-1984 pedal mounted brake switch on the later brackets.
Manual Steering Rack (has brackets for the manual gear rods that the original auto Rack does not have)
Throttle cable
Clutch cable
Recommended
Manual car engine wiring loom. The starter motor on a manual car is on the front of the gearbox, on the auto it is on the back. It is possible to elongate the starter motor wiring but again for originality you may wish to use the factory loom which is the correct length.
Method
This is a recommended method, which I found to be the easiest way. › Continue reading
Mk1 Balljoints
Mk 1 owners, particulalry of ‘70s vehicles will find that these earlier cars used a 15mm steering balljoint (attached to the end of the wishbones, over which slides the upright/hub) which can now sometimes be a challenge to obtain.
When replacing the balljoints on my late 1977 GLS I found that the VW dealer could only order the later, larger 17mm type. The uprights of my car would not fit these later balljoints. When taking the incorrect sized balljoints back to the dealer, the parts chap scanned through ETKA and discovered that all mk1 chassis vehicles back to 1974 have the 17mm items listed for them and the 15mm listed as unavialable. I also tried several specialists but they also could only obtain the later 17mm size balljoints.
The Mk1 owner is presented with two options here:
· Try to track down some correct 15mm balljoints.
· Convert the car to the later 17mm balljoints by using late Mk1/all Mk2 uprights/hubs, pinchbolts and bearings. Wishbones remained unchanged throught Mk1/Mk2 and there are no issues with outer CV joint fitment but the correct size wheel bearings for the later hubs will need to be used.
Luckily, I managed to track some 15mm balljoints down at a back-street auto factors, my set had been on the shelf for a good ten years! Some auto factors are able to order some but supply seems to be hit and miss, so best to stockpile.
I’m not sure when the changover was enacted so if anybody can supply the information I will update this FAQ article. Also for a lead on a regular supply of 15mm balljoints!
Contributor: Forum user The Autoad
Brake upgrades
Get in the engine bay and you can dial out some of the play in the pedal linkage by cracking the locknuts on the pushrod and adjusting that (ISTR the offside has reverse thread so just spin the rod to add/remove tension).
All of this will cost you little £s and can seriously transform the feel and performance of the braking setup before you really get serious with changing stuff.
The 256mm conversion gives you the 16v setup (for the Scirocco and Golf) up front and does this using either Audi or Vauxhall parts. The key is finding the correct caliper carriers as they need to be sized to take the Girling 54 caliper (common as muck) yet fit onto the mk1 bearing housing. Some Audis had similar bolt spacing on their front bearing housings:
Audi 80 quattro (83 to 85)
Audi 90 5-cylinder (85 to 87)
Audi Coupe 5-cylinder (85 to 88)
And of course the (genuine) 16v GTX rocco
Then all you need is the calipers discs and pads. › Continue reading
How to get power from your Fuse Box
Thankfully a lot of the empty relay slots have access to useful circuits.
Permanant live (AKA Circuit 30)
Relay 1 pin 2 (unfused)
Relay 2 Pin 2 (unfused)
Relay 5 pin 4 -via fuse 1 (radiator fan 30A)
Switched Live (AKA Circuit 15)
Relay 2 pin 4 (unfused)
Relay 3 Pin 5 (unfused)
Relay 4 Pin 4 (unfused)
Relay 6 pin 4 – via fuse 18 (various shit 10A or 15A)
Relay 7 pin 2 – this is acutally x-relief so goes off during cranking.
Relay 2 is mostly used by fuel pump relay, or carb manifold heater relay, but if you’ve got a conversion this may be free.
Relay 6 is for the dual horns, so poverty spec cars will just have a jumper.
Relay 7 is for front fogs, so if you’ve binned the lights, you can use the relay slot for something else.
The rest are mostly used, unless you don’t have wipers 
Other useful stuff that appears on the empty relay slots are listed below:
Relay 2 pin 7 goes live when the starter is engaged.
Relay 2 pin 5 and Relay 4 pin 1 both have a strobed feed from the coil, good for aftermarket tachos or shift lights.
You can use the multiple earth points to the right of the fusebox for grounding all your electrical toys, but if you want more, here’s the earth connections for all the relays:
Relay 1 Pin 1
Relay 2 Pin 1
Relay 3 Pin 6
Relay 4 Pin 6
Relay 5 Pin 1
Relay 6 Pin 2 (not always connected)
Relay 7 Pin 1
Relay 8 Pin 1
Relay 10 pin 4
Relay 11 Pin 4
Relay 12 Pin 4
Obviously the last 4 or 5 won’t be available to you, unless you’re getting creative with the wiring.
Contributor: Forum user SkyRocketeer
Interior water leaks?
rear lights
wheels
wheely useful