Help

[kurt]

Hey, I could desperately do with some advice. As i mentioned in my greeting post a mate put me onto this forum because you guys know everything worth knowing bout VWs so i'm hoping you can lend a newbie a helping hand.
I own a mk1 1.5 GX (does anyone actually know what that means performance wise? Had several different interpretations) i'm probably eventually gonna slap a gti engine in there but until my cash flow improves i'm looking at the little things.
My ultimate plan is to jack the car up on big wheels & call her Hulk to ride alongside my mates mk2 "green goblin", but i have no idea how to ahieve this. Searching the web has given me nothing & i dont wanna go into this blind. Can anybody help?

[[han]]

i feel ignorant for reading and not replying - but to be honest - i know nada! new to this myself - got a mk2 and can't get the bl**dy thing on the road for love nor money at the mo!

Theres a GX on ym street - a green one, mk1. not that that helps you in anway! Sorry!!!!

xXx   

[...joe]

erm not sure of this, to be honest most people want to slam their golfs not make them higher!!! there was a mk2 called a golf country which was an off roader but they were super rare so trying to find parts for one would be near impossible!!! i'm stumped!

[DubFan]

The Mk1 GX, was a fairly late model, that had some of the interior and exterior styling of the GTI, but with the option of 5 doors and without the 1.8 engine.
The engine is sposed to be ok, but being only a 1.5 carb'd it ain't gonna be that quick.

Mk1's don't tend to look too good with massive wheels unless you remove the plastic moulded arches and get the arches rolled out.
Personally, I'd go for a nice set of 15inch retro looking wheels and a 40mm drop.

If you're looking for a cheap option, try some of the VW breakers and ebay for some Mk2 alloys, eg Pirelli P-Slots, tear drops, or if you're lucky, some LeCastalettes or Scala alloys or even some BBS rims.

[kurt]

Cheers for the info man but ive seen some mk2 country 4x4s & like the look of em & have my heart set on going the same. May not be fast but it will be big & loud!
I've gotta pick your collective brains further, though. How big is it good to go, bearing in mind im going for a sort of jeep look, & what sort of complications have i gotta look out for? Will it slow me down at all?

[kurt]

oh, & something im sure you guys know alot about, making it go faster! 

[DubFan]

If you're seriously after the jeep look, trying to find running gear to fit will be an absolute dog.
Mk2 Country's are hard enough to find in one piece, let alone find the running gear, and even then you'd have to mod it to fit.
If you can find a Mk2 Syncro (the 4 wheel drive Mk2) then you might be able to use that running gear, then jack it up. But even then you'd have to mod the running gear to the right size and then mod your Mk1 shell so that the drive-shaft can go to the back wheels.
By this point you're talking about serious mods, and if your GX is in good condition, you might be better leaving it that way, selling it and finding a cheap Mk1 shell to do this sort of serious stuff.
You may not be able to find VW parts to do this sort of thing, so you might have to source running gear off something like a Suzuki or Toyota.
I doubt that you'd be able to just jack up a Standard Mk1 without modifying some of the running gear.
Converting a Mk1 to 4wheel drive is major enough, but it's been done using Mk2 Syncro or Rallye bits, but creating a Mk1 jeep is something else. Could be a very interesting project though.

[Agreeable Slick]

you are pretty much looking at changing the entire suspension set up and geometry of it. It will require longer shocks and springs, uprated driveshafts, and i am not even sure that doing all this to a 1.5 is worth it as the engine will struggle to deliver the power.

problem with using running gear of a mk2 is that i think the wheel base is slightly longer on a mk2 which would require some serious thought and modification to the chassis of the mk1.

Interesting idea but time and money will be the key factors here.

[kurt]

Hmmmm, daunting for a first-timer. Say I don't go 4x4 but just raise it on some big tyres, say 17's or bigger, will my engine be able to shift my motor? i'm determined to do something original.

[DubFan]

I think that even if you raise it up, you'll struggle to fit 17s in the arches, unless you roll them (make them bigger/more flared).
Your engine might be ok with 17s, though it will depend on which ones you pick.

Post some good pictures of your car, then maybe one of our budding photoshop guru's can do you a mock up to see what it would look like with larger wheels, lowered/raise suspension, etc.

Take a look through the Gallery http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/gallery/index.php and work out the sort of look you like.