BG VW Golf Mk II GTI 8v

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Hmm didn't realise about Koni adjustable. That could be very interesting to adjust it a little, to her liking. Shame coil overs with adjustable damping are in crazy money territory.

A quick bit of research seems to suggest that if I go for Koni with Eibach I should get the Corrado rear Koni sport dampers as they are a straight fit but top adjustable unlike the Golf ones. Does that make sense?
 
Yay! Drilled out and heli coil in it. All good again to continue and build it up again. Just waiting for the belts and mounts to arrive from Germany.
 

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Spax offer good kits for the MK2, both standard and lowered ride heights in different steps e.g 35mm drop. BC Racing offer the BR coil over kit which is designed for both road and track. My daughter has the former on her show car and the latter on her road/occasional track car. It's suspension has been professionally set up. I have ridden in it and it has a very good and comfortable ride in road setting.

I’ve never heard of BC Racing before. Their coil over kit is both spring and damper adjustable I noticed for not much more than an Bilstein/Eibach standard kit. And I noticed they adjust the height from the top, this keeping the damper travel. Hmm very interesting option to maintain the balance between stance and comfort.
 
Drilled out and heli coil in it
I didn't know what a heli coil was, a couple of youtube videos later I'm impressed, nice bit of kit and well done. How difficult was it getting/drilling the studs out?
 
I didn't know what a heli coil was, a couple of youtube videos later I'm impressed, nice bit of kit and well done. How difficult was it getting/drilling the studs out?
As easy as paying a chap with experience some cash 💰😂

But I will get some practise metal for future reference and building up my own experience.
 
Aha.. :thumbsup:
 
What mileage has the car done and do you know if the head gasket has been replaced recently? I ask, because they do go on Golf engines with age/high mileage, so perhaps now would be the time to replace it, if it hasn't already been done.
 
A quick bit of research seems to suggest that if I go for Koni with Eibach I should get the Corrado rear Koni sport dampers as they are a straight fit but top adjustable unlike the Golf ones. Does that make sense?

Exactly. Just what i fitted to mine many years ago.


Corrado Koni rears are exactly the same except they are top adjustable, instead of pressing the damper rod all the way down and turning to adjust the damping, needless to say that has to be done with no coil spring, etc,fitted.

Make sure you get new bump stops, or spring assisters as VW call them, cos I guarantee the rears will be knackered.

What i did when i fit my suspension is to cut down the bumpstops the same amount as your lowering by, eg 25mm, or else you’ll be riding on the bumpstops and it’ll be awful to drive.

4 wheel alignment as it will throw all your geometry out.
 
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My old MK2 on Koni/Eibach, handled really well and drove really nice too as it was my daily drive.
Too low and all the wishbone angles go to pot and they drive crap.


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Getting close now to building it up again. I want to get the lower cover off, and replace the cambelt. I'm struggling there those. I've removed the four bolts from the v-belt pulley (10), there are like two pulleys on top of each other. And they don't move.

Before I apply brute force, is there anything else I should loosen or remove? My understanding is that the crankshalft bolt should remain in place (11) on the image.


Appreciate any thoughts...

PS. My data model is PB.
 
Give the pulley a spray of penetrant around the crankshaft bolt and where you’ve removed the 4 retaining bolts, and then give the pulley a few short cracks with a hammer around the circumference of the flat face of the pulley.
Its being held in place by rust, tapping the pulley face on opposing sides, 12 and 6, 3 and 9, etc, will break the bond.

Yes, your correct in the fact that the crankshaft bolt should remain in place, no need to undo it. The alternator pulley and PAS pulley are held on by the 4 allen head (IIRC) bolts.
 
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What a swine of a job getting those off. Been at it for an hour and no movement. Got to do something else to get my mind of it. Grrr.

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Bloody typical. My daughter hits it with a hammer four times and now it shifts. Gosh I feel old and useless 😂 #girlpower
 
You obviously loosened it for her :thumbsup::D
 
Another day and more fun'ish. Last bit to remove and it is providing resistance :D The powersteering pump pulley.

Two hex cap bolts came out easy. The third one was already a little rounded and now definitely rounded. Part of the challenge is that getting grip on the pulley with enough torque to stop it turning it very hard.

So I thought to be 'clever' and lets drain the system and remove the pump and get it on a bench. Hmm wrong, being defeated by the high pressure hose nut. I can't hold the pump enough to apply the required strength to get that nut loose. Grrr...

My alternative plan was to hammer in a larger Torx bit and then get the impact gun on it. But that pulley keeps on turning.

I'll probably need some sleep and come back to it, or just let my daughter tap it with a hammer. Anyway I appreciate tips on how to either stop that pulley from turning (chain wrench can't grip it enough :()...My backstop was to just get a new pump, but if I can't get that pressure hose off then that won't help either...
 
Get 2 long M8 bolts and put those in where you removed the 2 previously, use a long stout screwdriver or something similar between the 2 long bolts to stop the pulley moving.

Or find something you can drill 2 holes in to and bolt that to the pulley to stop it moving, like this -

 
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The voice of experience. Thanks @freddie5 that definitely holds it in place.

Still can get that bolt to shift. Mole grips are shredding the cap head. Guess I’ve got to try and drill it out.

Or take the lazy route. Clean it and refurb it attached and just put the other bolts in 🤔😂
 
Give the offending bolt head a good tap with a hammer, failing that get your daughter to give it a good tap as she seems to have the knack 😉

Quite often this breaks the rust bond between the bolt and whatever it screws into.
 
Aargh, so want to build it back up again. Was going to do the front engine mount, but had to remove some parts to get to the bolts. Seeing the front cross-member all accessible now I'm thinking that we may as well change the 4 bushes in there as we have good access opposed to doing it another time...

Shame deliveries take that bit longer nowadays...
 
And it was around this moment that Bl4ckGryh0n realised a de-cat VR6 would fit just purrrfectly
 

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