The Little Red Rocket.

[ByronRichesMk1]

So finally I thought I would make a proper thread for my car, and stop posting random threads all throughout the forum haha!

She is a 1976 VW Golf LS with the "Swallowtail" rear, took me three years to find her. I spent many years looking at Mk1s and (and even a few Mk2s) for various dollars, going all the way from humble hundreds to the far reaches of the triple zero digits. Every time I saw one however, they didn't really strike me down, never being obvious that it was the car I wanted. So I kept searching for a clean Mk1. Eventually I found my Mk1 for sale on Gumtree. In need of a bit of work and for sale for $800 from a bloke in Yanchep. So after calling him up I told him if the people coming to view the car that day weren't committed to it, i'd drive up the next day early in the morning. So the evening rolled round and the viewers weren't committed to it so I got Dad in the car and he drove me there (3.5hr trip one way) the next morning at 6am. Pretty much bought the car straight out for a reduced price there and then, then returned to pick it up the next week with a car trailor. After that she pretty much sat in my shed under covers for a few months and very little happened with her.
In November of last year I finally sent her down south to a friends mechanic who got her finally running again, by reconditioning the head, redoing gaskets, and a full service (belts, fluids, etc).
Since then she's been my daily, covering anywhere from 250-330odd kms every week, and never letting me down! I've always made it home, and mechanically all is well! Electrically though there was a few kinks to work out haha (like having very dull headlights that alternated from side to side as it pleased)..

Anyway, enough rambling and on to pictures.
These where taken just after I got her home many months ago and got that paint looking a bit more lively.






Many items of restoration and modification are soon to follow!
Most of which are here already, some arriving today!
Love getting mail!
Most, if not all the work from now on will be done by myself or with the help of another in the know.

Anyhow, cheers guys!

[ByronRichesMk1]

Now, as I mentioned I have a lot of parts already, and many in the mail
Quite a decent list of parts too I think!

As far as things I have right now..
-Ashley performance exhaust manifold
-2inch straight through exhaust (already installed)
-VDO gauges (water temp, volts, oil pressure, clock, fuel)
-Weitec coilovers
-Strut bearings
-PVW sticker (adds 10hp!)
-New/old door cards (from Mick's Team Green 16V)
-Wolfsburg gear knob, and window winders
-GTI rear arch trims (found them in the pile of parts I got with the car)
-Duckbill lip

All to be installed as soon as possible.

Photos of said items..

Still havn't actually unwrapped them as installation is a way off..

Mock up of two of my VDO gauges (all others are matching)

Weitec's courtesy of Mr Preen!

Bad phone photo of the rear arches and duckbill mocked up.

And now on order I have..
-TPR strut brace
-Wiechers strut tower brace
-New inner, and outer CV joints
-New wishbones, balljoints
-Urethane bushings
-Urethane engine mounts (bought them in a kit with the bushings as it worked out a fair bit cheaper.. Will see how annoying they are to live with very soon..)
-Gas strut bonnet lifters
-OMP Corsica steering wheel in leather
-Momo steering boss
-New steering rack, tie rods, boots, gaiter clips, etc.

As of the moment..
That's all!

Also if anyone needs anything that can be sourced through TPR Engineering, please do it! Chris is a top bloke to deal with and a good guy all round too.

[RedMk2Gti]

Top buy !!!!!!

I can understand why it took you several years to find her. You need Mick's Greenteam 16V interior stuff to make her perfect

[ByronRichesMk1]

Indeed!
All pays off if you're very patient in the end. The door cards set the interior off nicely, brighten it up a bit The gray in them is the same colour as the floor mates I got from my Nan out of her Mk3 too. (they basically fit almost perfectly, maybe a half inch too wide at the front for future reference for anyone but nothing that can't be easily altered with an overlocker machine..)

[mikinoz]

Nice to finally see this, looking forward to the progress

That planning and buying everything ready to install will make it a fast build.

[Water Boy]

Nice mate.

Whats the choice for wheels? Very important...

[roccodingo]

Your little red rocket looks a lot like one of Ron's cars that he bought from Frank at Kojonup many years ago !
Was the guy you bought it from telling you about wanting to run a car at Barbagello ( and Mini's too) ??

Glad to see your getting into the swing of things, all good fun

[Zalemate]

Very nice mate, looks as though things will be happening very quickly indeed by the looks of the order list you have mounting up.

i like it.

[ByronRichesMk1]

Cheers guys!

As far as the bloke I bought it from, he didn't mention much about that from what I can remember. He was pretty heavily into road bikes though. He was an English bloke, been over here a few years now he said. I think he said he was either the second, or third owner? If he was the third owner that would make sense about it looking familiar! The car has been looked after very well though.

Definitely getting into the swing of it! All good fun!

As far as wheels, I was thinking something alone the lines of some 15inch ATS Cups, probably ET20 as that should fill the guards fairly well, coupled with some good quality high performance tires; not too low profile, but not too 'balloon like' either. I'm leaning towards the performance side of the spectrum with this. Wheels are a fair way off at the moment though as I've started a pre-apprenticeship course (heavy duty mechanics) so I had to cut back on my work hours. Plus when I bought the car it had brand new Pirelli's on there, so no use wasting those!

[ByronRichesMk1]

Not much happening lately.. Waiting on shipping quotes for parts and my uncle to help me install the gauges..
Just a happy snap from this afternoon as I was waiting for Dad to get home, ignore how dirty she is haha.