Keeping the Storm

[Tomsy]

OK, after some hard thinking....and drinking, ive decided to get my mk2 storm back on the road. its been sitting getting soaked inside for 6 months and ive decided to sell my fiesta and use the rocco. few problems to sort out but apart from that and an MOT and some tax ..and insurance it should be up and running in no time! Now, i want to invest some money into the car to get it handling and running well. I havn't got a massive budget as ive got an ongoing skyline project to pay for but i'd like to get my car looking and feeling good. Any advice on some mods i could do to make the car better. cheers peeps

[Funky Diver]

Renew worn stuff with new... you'd be surprised the difference it makes.

Daft stuff like bushes, etc. Then as you're doing it... uprate them to poly if you want sporty, or rubber if you're hankering after OEM comfort.

[GTXTRA]

as Rich suggests just sort out any worn items - brake fluid/pads, bushing and get it properly tuned up somewhere.

starter mods - lower front strut brace, golf 16v master cylinder upgrade and short shift/weighted gear lever. you'll be amazed how much nicer it'll feel just with those.

sorting the leaks will be handy too - use the search function for the many threads/solutions.

[Tomsy]

cheers. the handling and brakes are prbo my main concern. brakes are very slow to respond and not very good but the guy i bought it off said something about a complex connecting system designed for LHD to RHD vehicles which might explain the delayed braking. bit wierd to drive and if i have to stop suddenly i'm wondering if it will stop lol. i was looking at new suspension on fleebay which was cheap and poly bushes. just want the car to drive a bit more solidly and smoothly

[ianaudia4]

As a person with a Storm that has lowered suspension, don't! Just get new standard shock and springs, it will feel and handle better! Brakes, just renew and get used to 1980's technology, you do stop.

[vr_powered]

If your on a tight budget do the essentials first and then see what you have left to play with once its legal, 16v servo and master cylinder along with the 256mm front brakes from a scirocco 16v is a nice little upgrade and what i run on mine, decide what you want from the car before thinking about suspension and poly bushes, i have one car which has has new vw suspension and bushes and handles great, another with poly and whilst the handling is great it makes you feel the bumps a lot more so its at the expense of ride comfort, either the bushes have softened up a bit or i have got used to them, if i where doing it again i wouldnt fit poly

[Tomsy]

i dont mind having a harsher ride but then again if theres no benefits to aftermarket suspension i'l leave it. i'm new to the whole vw scene so just need to do some research into what are the best places for mods and useful upgrades. just things like brakes i wouldn't know where to start to look for the best prices and which company makes the best etc. i'm not going to track the car or anything like but would like a good looking and handling storm that looks the part....the gtr is for speed :D

[vr_powered]

If you do go for poly then dont buy the cheap ones, powerflex are good as are the yellow bushes sold by rally design (and also found on ebay) although i havent done enough miles to tell you how long the yellow ones last but mine are now 5 years old and still holding up... if you decide to upgrade the brakes to 16v scirocco fronts then the hardest part is finding the caliper carriers as the uk only got a handful of 16v sciroccos, they can be found on ebay.de although can sometimes sell for silly money or are more easily found from the states, they where also used on certain audi's but again not the easiest to find, if you where planning to run 15" wheels then the 280mm upgrade would be an easier one when it comes to sorcing the parts

[Funky Diver]

And I have to say it... because it's AWESOME... Ignition upgrade to a contactless system... lumenition or the like for simplicity or MegaJolt if you want full on programability via PC... but that's not a cheap option, although the results are nothing less than outstanding!!

[Mr Funk]

i dont mind having a harsher ride but then again if theres no benefits to aftermarket suspension i'l leave it.

Lower front strut brace will transform the car from a canoe so that would definitely be the first thing. I know how Ian and some of the other guys feel about OEM suspension but it just can't compete with a good, well set up coilover kit. Can't really say it's a harsh ride either BUT (and it is a big but) I don't drive the car every day. I can see how it might be a pain in the arse (albeit a rather quick, excellently handling one) but then something non-power steering wouldn't be my first choice of daily driver.
16v Brake set up would be a great choice as well.

[Tomsy]

thankyou all for the advice appreciate it. got new battery today and fired it up all good. drove around my yard a bit to get off the brake crap but still very very poor stopping power. feels so strange to jump into a car like this again, very retro lol. for some reason i thought my car was 16v already??? 1984 storm... have to find the paperwork at some point and check. can't wait to get it all sorted!

[the edmundator]

The only 16v cars were GTX spec in the UK and all originally LHD - although a few were converted to RHD. Storms were all 8v.

[ianaudia4]

Take a look at DR Dubs Scirocco Storm site, very informative.

[fonzooorooo]

Brakes... If they work properly, they're OK.
Mine's a standard car (give or take) and my daily. The tracking's correct, and tyres are Pirelli P6000s. I've locked up the front in the dry at 60. (slamming the brakes on to see what happens, not through necessity!) They never feel the most "inspirational", but they'll certainly stop the car!

It's just a case of working round it to find where the problems lie... Leaking cylinders at the rear have the effect of lubricating the shoes. Front pistons can seize. Master cylinders can fail. Rear brakes have adjusters that can rust in position and not function. The rod connecting the pedal box to the servo can need adjusting. The lines can corrode. The fluid can be 20 years old... You get the idea... Apart from the carriers required for big(er) brake upgrades, at least all the parts are cheap and accessible (both to work on, on the car and to buy, from the parts merchants) ... It's worth thinking about changing handbrake cables and wheel bearings at the rear while the brakes are off. That way, you know they're done.

Suspension... Mines all on standard aftermarket stuff from the local motor factors (I get trade price, so they get my business - simple as that) ... I've never been put off by the handling, I've had a go on one with lowering springs which was awful, and I've travelled in one on decent coilovers which didn't seem much different in terms af harshness etc to mine... but the lower it goes, the more you get everyone elses headlights straight in your face/mirrors, the more you have to slow down for the evil speed bumps etc etc. (And yes, I know how much of an old man that makes me sound!)

I've never played with one of the injection engines (except to point and say "it's broke") so can't offer any thoughts on that score. ... Just check the filler neck/tank/lines before you put it into service... The "rust in the fuel" game is best avoided - espcially on a daily!

[Tomsy]

whats the best way of getting water out of the footwells? ive been leaving the car with windows open during the day and have used cloth to soak up most of the water. i dont want to lift up the carpets if possible but i dont want trapped water either. any suggestions?