The story of Greg(Grzesiek) the mk1

[Water Boy]

Good work mate. I wouldnt have a clue about wiring. Looking forward to your next update!

[roccodingo]

Hiya Krystian, car looks to be a reasonable base to start with.

Check the VIN number under the hood and see what year model the car actually is.

Large rear lamps appeared in/after 82 so going by that you should be running a slightly "newer" version of the bullet fuse box ( B or C after the part number ) If the fuse block/relay plate is the original then the car is likely to be a 76 or earlier and the rear body hacked to fit the later model tails.

The fuse meltdown is likely to have been caused by fitting higher wattage headlamps, ingress of water ( rust underneath the windscreen seal the usual culprit ) Do the windscreen wipers also run erratic ?? that and dogy indicators is a sign of a rooted fuse plate. You can change up to the later series fuse box however some of the wiring positions between A version and B/C version are different.

OK, just had a peek at your interior shot and your using the early indicators ( thin stalks ) so I do think its a 76. New fuse box's are available from VW classic parts / vwheratige altho there around the 100 Euro mark ( from memory) quite likely you can source one here also. If your going used check for water damage first. I would have a good look around the rear tails as the bodywork will likely be a bit butchered and likely leak. the big tails have a different base profile to the early smaller lamps, leaving gaps when fitted.

Terminals for the rear lamps you will prob need to get odf a wreck that had the large units fitted originally ( US big lamps use a different plug also )

Good luck man, keep us posted.

[powerd_by_polska]

Good work mate. I wouldnt have a clue about wiring. Looking forward to your next update!

Thanks Mate with this golf wiring is not actually that bad since its so old everything is very simple and heaps easy to follow, Haynes manual def helped although at parts its a bit unclear. next update should be fixing up the gearbox but I am not brave enough to do this myself so I might need someone to do it for me. Was hoping Camden Gti would be able to do it for a reasonable enough price but I haven't been able to get it over to them so i sent them an email just waiting for a reply.

Hiya Krystian, car looks to be a reasonable base to start with.

Check the VIN number under the hood and see what year model the car actually is.

Large rear lamps appeared in/after 82 so going by that you should be running a slightly "newer" version of the bullet fuse box ( B or C after the part number ) If the fuse block/relay plate is the original then the car is likely to be a 76 or earlier and the rear body hacked to fit the later model tails.

The fuse meltdown is likely to have been caused by fitting higher wattage headlamps, ingress of water ( rust underneath the windscreen seal the usual culprit ) Do the windscreen wipers also run erratic ?? that and dogy indicators is a sign of a rooted fuse plate. You can change up to the later series fuse box however some of the wiring positions between A version and B/C version are different.

OK, just had a peek at your interior shot and your using the early indicators ( thin stalks ) so I do think its a 76. New fuse box's are available from VW classic parts / vwheratige altho there around the 100 Euro mark ( from memory) quite likely you can source one here also. If your going used check for water damage first. I would have a good look around the rear tails as the bodywork will likely be a bit butchered and likely leak. the big tails have a different base profile to the early smaller lamps, leaving gaps when fitted.

Terminals for the rear lamps you will prob need to get odf a wreck that had the large units fitted originally ( US big lamps use a different plug also )

Good luck man, keep us posted.

Well I had a look around the back of the car and couldn't see any obvious signs of it being chopped up and replaced this could be because it has been resprayed so anything is possible. the Fuse box is an A series box and i would assume it was rooted and dirty causing the indicators to work from time to time but i cleaned it up and all seems to be working sweet now. the wipers run fine as well and there is no rust under the windscreen that is visible although I did notice that the windscreen sits out further on one side don't know how that's possible ??
for now all electrical things work so next on the list is mechanical and since engaging gears such as reverse, first and fifth isn't working very well I'm thinking whether I should get a new gearbox or if it would be worth fixing? or if its just the shift linkages ??

[HuH]

The gearbox in that car is definitely worth fixing. It's an ACD 020 box which is a close ratio five-speed from a Mk2 GTI. Quite a desirable gearbox, and worth holding on to.

It had new carrier bearings put into it by Craft Differentials in Granville a few months ago. After I got the box back it didn't seem to be engaging properly. Are you experiencing the same clunking into gear when taking off after letting the clutch almost all the way out? This was one of the main things Andrew's dad was going to sort out.

I suspect that Craft didn't put it back together properly. The job was somewhat rushed because I needed it back before I went overseas. I have a feeling it's related to the preload on the hubs, but I can't be sure. It needs attention from someone who understands those gearboxes. Matt at Camden is worth a go.

Hopefully that helps.

[powerd_by_polska]

The gearbox in that car is definitely worth fixing. It's an ACD 020 box which is a close ratio five-speed from a Mk2 GTI. Quite a desirable gearbox, and worth holding on to.

It had new carrier bearings put into it by Craft Differentials in Granville a few months ago. After I got the box back it didn't seem to be engaging properly. Are you experiencing the same clunking into gear when taking off after letting the clutch almost all the way out? This was one of the main things Andrew's dad was going to sort out.

I suspect that Craft didn't put it back together properly. The job was somewhat rushed because I needed it back before I went overseas. I have a feeling it's related to the preload on the hubs, but I can't be sure. It needs attention from someone who understands those gearboxes. Matt at Camden is worth a go.

Hopefully that helps.

I remember reading about that but thought that it wouldn't be that bad and yeah I haven't been driving it much since I have no license till November but "a friend" took it around the block and yeah it doesn't seem to engage properly and when it does it just jumps in like you said, along with the reverse gear hard to select and then even harder to keep in gear as it just pops out like pop corn also noticed it doesn't roll when the clutch is in ??? not sure exactly as I haven't been able to test it out properly but would love to get this box going nice and smooth just thinking of advice on what I should do, engine wise will probably just give it a good service since it runs well might get a tune after I replace some gaskets.

[HuH]

The 1.9 8V that's in there is a good motor. Just look after it and you'll be fine.

I didn't drive the car very much at all so I don't know much about the 'box issue. What I did find was that all I had to do to get it working well was: clutch in and select first when rolling to a stop, then put it in neutral and let the clutch out. When I needed to take off I'd clutch in, select first and it would take off perfectly normal. Can't actually remember using reverse or fifth so I don't know about them.

[powerd_by_polska]

Ok so I emailed camden gti but they haven't got back to me so I'm not too sure on what I should do with this gearbox issue since im guessing it will cause issues when getting it registered again. Another question I have is what sort of paperwork I need before I go to get a blue slip to note the new engine number, Do I need to have some sort of receipts or something of the engine the car was in before or does it not matter? is it just a write in the new number sort of thing. Also I was just wondering what sort of things mechanics will look for when registering so that I know what I should prioritise first, I know that brakes horn wipers tyre tread depth are some of the things they look for but I've only ever had one car which is fairly new and me and my dad usually just do the servicing like brake pads tyres oil and filter and what not. So basically what sort of things should be done on such an old car to make sure its roadworthy?

Also got Smoked indicators anyone want to help me out with getting bumpers??

indicators by pyro92, on Flickr
any help is great help Thanks