Engine change for VW Golf

[Andyvon]

I've got a 1984 Golf Mk2 which I've owned since 1987. The car has a 1.3 petrol HK engine which VW stopped making in 1984. The engines are now pretty well extinct and even replacement engine firms don't stock the 1.3 HK. Service parts are OK but major parts are like hen's teeth and there are none left in scrapyards.

I've always kept the car fully serviced myself and changed the oil and filter every 2000 miles. We toured north France this May and drove to Gibraltar and around Andalucia in 2006. The engine is good and it sails through MoT's but it has now done 237,000+ miles. I can see myself getting stuck if anything major needs doing.

A local engineering firm used to machine heads and blocks for me when I had a chauffeur company but they have now closed. I'm 46 now and I don't enjoy working on cars any more. My wife won't tolerate me stripping engines on a pallet in the kitchen any longer and we can now afford to pay someone else to get their hands dirty. I want to treat the car and get a replacement engine dropped in while I have a cup of tea (I also want to know I can do that if I suddenly need to).

But that's the trouble - there aren't any replacement 1.3 HKs left and I really don't want to have to rebuild this one if it broke. I know some would say get another car but I've had this one too long. I used it for courier work and running around and it's the last link to my business which I sold. I still hope to have the car in 20 years time so it's worth the money to me.

Is it a simple matter to drop a 1.6 engine in without too much modification? 1.6 engines are common but I haven't looked too closely at later Golfs to see whether the 1.6 is a bored out or longer stroke version of the 1.3 HK. Would I have to change manifolds, gearbox, linkages etc or would it just be a straightforward swap? My local VW dealer can't answer the question neither can the replacement engine firms.

[bigboots]

There are plenty of VW specalist that do lots of engine conversion, IE vr6 and diesel swaps into early cars like yours there are at least 2 companys i know of in the north east, glad to see some one who is willing to keep an old car going

[Andyvon]

Thanks bigboots.

I'll have to find a replacement engine company who know what they are doing - or who can be bothered! It probably is a straightforward swap.

I'm pleased to find someone else who appreciates older cars. I've never understood why people go out of their way to throw huge amounts of money at cars when motoring can still be fairly cheap and reliable.