I'm looking to finally get the 'rocco back on the road this year. The question is do i keep it in its factory auto state or convert it to manual (I have everything needed for the swap I collected years ago)
Its in very good fettle given its sat in a garage for nigh on 8yrs, but will obviously need the normal recomisssioning.
I'm just not sure whether to keep it as is in auto flavour or go the manual route...
Manual swap = more fun to drive and more economical (depending on how much fun you're having of course).
Auto on 14s = lazy one finger driving.
Depends what you want
And when you say you have "everything" for the swap - are you sure? Steering rack? Driveshafts?
Yes everything (I hope...). I have a list from a how to i saved off here (well the old website) many many moons ago, as well as one i picked off vortex and got all the parts from a car being broken and new parts where required and its all sitting in the boot (I also have a garage full of spares from 20 odd years of messing with water cooled Vw's)
I have a mk1 golf gti for the fun twisty stuff so tbh i'm erring towards the auto route to keep it fairly stock, but there is a a part of me nagging away to set it free from its auto chains... I have known the car since 99 and bought it and sold it and bought it and loaned it until it came back with a dodgy starter and got put in the garage, where its kind of become a extra shelf...
jpr1977 wrote: I have known the car since 99 and bought it and sold it and bought it
Haha, I know the feeling. If you have a Golf then definitely keep it as an Auto - besides which, what would you be setting it free from? It's only a 90bhp engine.
I've had a few manuals and my current auto doesn't feel any slower, Obviously it will be marginally slower, but certainly not noticeable. Switching over would be a right pain as you'd need the box, new driveshafts, shifter, linkage, mounts, small bit of re-wiring (P/N switch on ignition and reverse lights), Clutch, flywheel (Autos have a flexplate), brake/ clutch pedal assembly, clutch cable, if it's a carb car you would need a new linkage set up also (Hard if you're still on a pierburg), new throttle cable, mounting bracket.
All in all I'd say it's not worth it as it would be cheaper and easier to buy a manual car. If you're going to do an engine conversion in the future, that would be the time to do it as alot of that stuff would be changing anyhow.
