Single seater polo racing!

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:02 am

I got bored, so.... decided to race-prep the hatchbox to get better mileage and destroy some corsas at a chav track day (read: tescos).
naw not really, just swapping in the much fresher and functional set from concept-e steve..... but went to work with no passenger seat or bench...

rorty!
this mod must give me at least another 50hp!
.

not to mention it was a total doddle..... getting the (new) stuff back in might be a bit of a pain tho
.

finally.... a polo with PROPERLY decent legroom in the back for anyone over 5ft 6!
.

that's rally style... well except for all the crap in the boot! (which flew forwards at the first hard stop.... doh)
.

for sale, one totally intact but slightly grubby/worn set of polo seats. tilts on front pair inoperative. have done some "off-roading". offers invited. coupe parcel shelf thrown in at no extra cost (got it for free... and it's an inch too short for a hatch

)
.

cars don't half collect some valuable treasure under their seats when they're (predicably) not removed for a thorough how-clean-is-your-car'ing for 13 years. best way to describe this is "grody". wonder what its like under the drivers side!

(so THATS where all my bloody energisers went!)
.

theres more pics of me dicking about putting it in backwards (MPV/taxi style - big failure, zero legroom and it kept knocking the stereo powerbutton) and in the back (2+2 for those under 5'6 only, anyone?), and vids of part of the half hour spent dysoning all the crap from on, under (mainly), around the carpets and handbrake, but i know you're bored by now

sooooo.... if you're thinking of removing seats but think its gonna be a big hassle... dont worry... you can have the whole lot out in 5 mins, especially if you've got a decent "big" screwdriver for the rear bench megascrews

Gareth_GT_Hatch · Post by **Gareth_GT_Hatch** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 12:49 pm

Easist way to get them screws out is to get a set of screwdrives with hexagonal handles so you can fit a socket over them. When I took the rear carpet out of my black GT I fould all sorts of stuff including about 7 biros under the passenger seat and a big chunk of mould amongst other things

I always thought the legroom in polos was pretty good. Compared to some other similar age small cars its great! You can get a 6 footer on either side in the back of mine (but only two since the bench is so narrow)

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 3:22 pm

I thought it was more because they had to have their legs akimbo!

Four 5 foot 10 (about) guys in one little VW is possible, but its only comfortable for 150 fast miles or so

(and as the driver, there's always the odd feeling of the rear passenger altering between having their knees in your back and either side of your waist every quarter hour)

Luckily the random crap in the garage usually turns up trumps, even if the stuff was never meant to go together... found a large-section phillips head screwdriver-bit in one box, and a rather fancy ratcheting multi-bit driver in another... which had a handle that could be loosened off and set at 90 degrees so it could act more like a proper torque driver with a handle

took a LOAD of force even so

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:56 pm

Impressive little hoard you've got under your seats there

Might go and see what's collected under mine in the last 18 years later..

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:42 pm

GroovyCarrot wrote:Impressive little hoard you've got under your seats there Might go and see what's collected under mine in the last 18 years later..

Checked mine tonite - nothing but screenwash!!!!! But you'll have to look at the MKIV post to find out why

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 6:24 am

yikes! screenwash?! (perished rear hose, he guessed, not having looked at the mk4 forum...)

*loses concentration because of chirping birdie downstairs, shut up you little un-catchable b-stard*

not so sure on the legroom thing now, maybe i had a jez clarkson lookylikey behind me and i didnt realise. been playing with the new seats, yknow just enjoying the novelty of climbing in and out of the rear without getting my arse in the air like a prat, and i can sit on the rear bench quite happily without legs touching a slightly reclined front seat (...just) with it in my normal driving position - and i'm pushing 5'11...

oh yeah.. the new ones are in, after a bit of grunting and swearing (and fishing out a make-do washer from an old bath tap in the garage), and i must say.... though there's a couple small holes in the side that probably appeared when i was transporting, the rear bench is a little more faded than the old one at the top, and had to transplant a seat-fold handle........ well impressed. so much cleaner/brighter, fully functional (properly tilt, go back/forth a lot smoother without sticking, passenger seat doesnt wobble!) and, the most surprising thing that has an effect on the driving experience.. much firmer and more supportive. Sat in the new drivers seat then went back and sat in the old removed one again, it suddenly felt so flat and floppy, the drive to work was transformed

oh yeah, and the headrests look (and feel) proper bo without ruining the rear view much! and the speaker shelf still fits, sounds and lifts... snugly, but it fits!

i'd reccomend swapping in fresh seats, if just CL or even Fox ones, to anyone who is a bit unhappy with the feel of their knee-arse-shoulder supports.... suppose after 13 years of first the rather large lady who sold it me, then my own substantial backside "frame", the spongy filling stuff gets to be a bit over-soft, squashed and bitty, much like an old wash sponge.

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:11 pm

You must drive a hell of a lot further forward than me if you can sit in the back without touching the front seats.. I'm also about 5'11, and if I try to get in the back I either have my knees digging right into the back of the driver's seat or I have to put my knees either side. Mind you, I do like having my legs stretched out in the front

New seats really do make a hell of a difference, especially if your current ones are a bit past it. I've got a pair of front seats from a mk2 golf gti in mine.. they're a huge amount more supportive than the old polo c seats were, and there isn't a horrible bit of loose padding right in the small of the back

Did have to do a bit of reconstructive surgery on the drivers seat bolster, obviously someone had done a lot of sliding in and out of the seat, but now that's fixed it's really very comfortable and supportive.

Karl_CLCoupe · Post by **Karl_CLCoupe** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 1:18 pm

Now if you could modify a rear bench from a Gti to fit yours, that would be one sweet custom ride.

You might fool some of your friends that they are in a Golf GTi one of these days.

Karl.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 7:06 pm

Well, i guess i just have short arms

whats the deal with a gti bench?

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 10:42 pm

Tahrey1043 wrote:yikes! screenwash?! (perished rear hose, he guessed, not having looked at the mk4 forum...)

LOL - read the post - you ain't far wrong!!!!

Tahrey1043 wrote:*loses concentration because of chirping birdie downstairs, shut up you little un-catchable b-stard*

You aren't taking my name in vain are you?

GroovyCarrot · Post by **GroovyCarrot** » Thu Jul 29, 2004 10:50 pm

Karl_CLCoupe wrote:Now if you could modify a rear bench from a Gti to fit yours, that would be one sweet custom ride.

You might fool some of your friends that they are in a Golf GTi one of these days.

Karl.

Well.. I would, but I actually think that the back seat of my car is by far the most comfortable of the lot

I don't think it's ever been sat on before I bought it, it's really strangely comfortable

I think my next step to golf gti lookalike status has to be to work out how to modify a golf mk2 dashboard for my polo.. that really would be an improvement.

Tahrey1043 · Post by **Tahrey1043** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 5:14 am

the polo rear bench really is opulent compared to the rest of the car, especially considering it's just an enormous foam rubber sponge with a bit of thin fabric stretched over the top

its just so soft and comfy

naw, child, i wasnt.... i'm having to "look after" my aunts budgie (ie leave downstairs and make sure it's food/water doesnt run out... theyre not... it seems not to drink nor eat!) whilst shes off on hols. it's a noisy little f****r when the sun rises (i've now stuck a big, dark coloured sheet over the cage with a small hole for ventilation) and has so far proved impossible to catch even thusly confined. It's been sharing a house with two very noisy, almost wild young girls (they scare the pants off me) with equally noisy parents - little wonder the its companion died seemingly of shock, and this one is near feral...

sooooo......... what IS the deal with a GTi bench?

Karl_CLCoupe · Post by **Karl_CLCoupe** » Fri Jul 30, 2004 11:36 am

Groovy mentioned that he has Golf Gti front setas in his car now. I sugggested modifying and fitting the rear bench from a Gti, to have one cool custom mark2 interior (its sweet already with the Gti steering wheel, deep purple trim and Gti front seats).

Karl.