Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.Daaaaamn. Been a while eh gang?
Well, the lounge is looking great now, and the new central heating & radiators downstairs work a beaut! It's not done much for the polo though. You know how it is - sometimes life gets in the way.
Anyway, after a while of waiting for a slot you'll be pleased to know that the shell and parts are in for paint!
Good times. Expected back in a few weeks. Meanwhile, back in the jungle (my massively untidy workshop) knowing the first bits to go back on are tank, pump & lines, looms & brake lines I thought I should dig out the Mk3 injection system lines and sort them out for the install....
they'd seen a lot of service and the whole lots needed a decent clean. So I took them to work and showed them to the parts washer. They came up a lot better. Took the bracket, and gave it some cup-brush action and it came up well so painted it.
Advice on here told me the 1.3 SPI pump was not the right one, and my second hand G40 one had the plastic end knocked off in the post. I had some repair parts made, but I was a bit sceptical. A pump in good health is key so I opted for a new one. It's a bit larger in diameter, so I altered the bracket to fit and made a new cradle for it out of some stainless tube. Coupled with some new clamps & a filter and a clean of the accumulator, I'm pleased with the result. Ready to go on when shelly gets back!
Faced with what to do next, some excess enthusiasm with the shell just being off for paint and an empty workshop, I thought I'd tackle the rear axle - not something I'd planned on doing until the other end of the build really - once it ran on axle stands.
The original Mk1 axle and a Mk3 GT axle resided in front of my house amongst some shrubbery. When I hauled-ass and got it into the workshop, it looked as you'd expect.
Again, after a brutal strip-down Mr. Knotted wire brush on grinder was applied to great affect.
Those of you with keen eyes will note that in the above photo I've got stub axles for the rear disc conversion. Bitchin' brakes were part of the initial design brief.
The finished spec will be thus: Mk3 Servo & Pedalbox, Ø22.2 Master cylinder, 256mm fronts with Vauxhall Calipers (with increased piston size over Golf GTi), Mk2 golf rear discs / Mk4 golf rear calipers, Wilwood bias valve, kunifer pipes, braided lines.
No dicking about. In fairness, it's only the same spec as a lot of other Polos - nothing new to see here. I was going to run a servo with a much higher assistance ratio, but was advised against it in the end. Knowing when to take advice is key. Should stop well with the above spec anyway!! I'll worry about pad/disc spec later. Rears are standard (obvious) but might go grooved on the front with an up-spec'd pad compound on the front. Nothing race orientated though - it's a road car.
Anyway, we've got some really good acid-etch primer at work so I gave the axle a coat of that then some good old Hammerite after that. That acid etch gets a real grip, so it should be good.
Took the calipers off the carriers and took some time to understand the difference in offsets and how it all pieced together with the mk2 items I bought what seems like an age ago, early in the build. Someone had been a bit over-zealous with the powdercoat, so I had to tip thinners down the slider sleeves and clean them out when the paint was soft, then set-to with the finger belt sander & file to make sure the anti-rattle shims & pads were a sound fit.
All good. It went together like this...
The bushes are in good nick no splits or perishing so I've left them alone. Yeah I could up-rate them, but road car. I can always do that later.
So now it's about the front. I'm reliably informed that Mk3 frontstruts are stronger than Mk1 items, so a pair of them are on the way for the same treatment as the rears. Got my calipers already.
With all this work on the axles going on, I put a call into one of our suppliers to hook me up with some suspension. He's going to get back to me with some options. It'll probably be fixed ride height & rate stuff, but quality gear. I await him coming back to me.
Apart from that & waiting for my front struts to arrive, I've been improving the Mini's cooling system! (but we'll stick to the Polo on here eh?
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