How
the "Polo Project" all began...
Written by Ross Cupples &
Steven Elliott
In March 2003, Steven
was looking for information on a VW Golf Harlequin, and happened to stumble
across Ross Cupples Web Site at
www.rossvw.com. He
noticed that as well as owning an early example Golf Harlequin,
Ross had a small VW Polo, which was more or less identical to
Steven's.
Above - Steven's 1990 VW Polo CL
Below - Ross' 1988 VW Polo CL
Steve contacted Ross to find out a bit more about the
car, and a few other things.
The
car had been purchased as a rolling shell with no
engine/transmission from a Government Auction, and it most likely had the
engine and gearbox removed due to it having failed some kind of emissions
testing because it was a diesel. Ross snapped up the little car on E-Bay, and it
has been in his possession ever since.
This is all very well - but with
no working parts, the car can't go anywhere... this is where
Steven decided to help Ross out.
Above - The interior of Ross' car (Click to enlarge)
Below - The interior of Steven's car (Click to
enlarge)
Volkswagen Polo's of that style are readily available in the UK, both on the Road, and in Car Spares Yards, so Steve suggested that he try and source Ross a suitable Engine and Gearbox, and get it shipped over to the USA.
Steve had been on the lookout over the summer months for a suitable "Donor" vehicle; and in Early October we found a suitable car on E-Bay, which wasn't very far from Steven in Scotland, and he could easily arrange for all the parts to be shipped over to the States.
The car was purchased on Friday 11th October 2003, and was delivered to Steven's home in Ayrshire, Scotland.
Above - The "Donor" Polo
(Also a 1990 model), with Steven's car in the
background
As you can see, the Polo we purchased to strip for spares isn't in very good
condition as far as bodywork is concerned.
The engine and gearbox however are running very sweet, and both run without a problem (Steven drove the car round the block a few times).
Click to enlarge
Steven and his father hired some heavy duty lifting equipment, so the engine block could be removed from the car without any problems.
On Wednesday 15th October 2003,
the car was moved into the garage, and all the
equipment was setup to remove all the parts.
Within 3 hours, the engine block and gearbox was safely removed from the car.
Above - The "Donor" Polo
in the garage being stripped of its major components
Below - The "Donor" Polo with the engine and gearbox assembly completely
removed
After the engine and gearbox were removed, the car
was taken back out of the garage and stored again so Steven
could remove other cosmetic parts from it.
The engine was kept on the lifting equipment, and was cleaned later on that
evening.
After the engine was cleaned, it was now time to find a suitable way of transporting the engine from Scotland over to the states.
Originally we had thought of getting pallets and building up a suitable frame, but we were able to obtain a large wooden crate, that was more than sufficient to carry the engine, gearbox and all other major components.
Having obtained this box, we were now able to start packing up everything into it.
Photo 1 - Crate containing all parts to be
shipped
Photo 2 - Engine, and Reconditioned Valve Cover (Painted in Black)
Photo 3 - Radiator
Photo 4 - Reconditioned Oil Sump
Photo 5 - Front part of exhaust, and Down pipe
Photo 6 - Gear Change Mechanism
Photo 7 - Electronic Ignition System
With all this ready to go, Ross asked
Steven to purchase a few spares that would come in
handy in the future, so
he purchased:
New Oil Filter
New Air Filter
New Fuel Filter
Valve Cover Gasket
Oil Cover Gasket
Locking Petrol Cap & Keys
The crate was sitting awaiting collection, as was the "Donor" Polo. It was located out in the Garage Site at the rear of Steven's house, and was picked up by the local car scrap dealer in the next few days.
Photo 1 - Front, with all indicator lights removed - Note how the suspension is raised, due to there being no engine inside.
Photo 2 - The remains of the interior - without a clutch, speedo or gear shifter, which have all been removed.
Photo 3 - The rear of the car, with the license plate removed.
The local Car Spares Yard - Irvine Car Spares, picked up the car on the (extremely cold and frosty) morning of Monday 20th October 2003.... All we need now is for FedEx to pickup the crate, then the Polo Project at the Scotland Side is done.
Above - The "Donor" Polo being hoisted onto the rear of the low-bed
pickup truck
Below - Ready to go! Bye :)
On the afternoon of Thursday 23rd October 2003, the crate was uplifted from Steven's home in Scotland, and it on its way across the Atlantic.
Ross will keep you updated with the latest at his
end - but for me, it's Auf Wiedersehen!!! ;)
UPDATE:
11/20/03 - The Engine Has arrived in the USA, click here
to follow the polo project!
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| Page maintained and updated by Ross Cupples & Steven Elliott | |
