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Next year, or the year after, there's a bit of a thing I want to do and I thought it best to seek a little advice from more knowledgable folk. I've got one of these.  I plan to steal all the mechanical things from one of these.  So that I can have a RWD Polo. If you say it that fast it's an easy enough job but I know it won't be. This is what I've been led to believe: - MX5 is on 2 subframes connected with a propshaft. - MX5 and Polo are a similar enough wheelbase to require minor or no modification to things like axle width, propshaft length and wheel arches to fit. - Engine bay of the Polo is long enough to get the engine in the right way around. - I will need to do the IVA thing (not a problem, lends peace of mind). - This is a good idea. I am a mechanical novice, I've got a very steep learning curve for this sort of thing. However, I do have friends who can help and of course the fantastic people on RR I'm sure I can bribe with beer and biscuits and pictures of the Queen. I do of course have some questions but they don't cover it all. - Can I turn the Polo engine around or is it easier to go with the MX5 lump? (I'm presuming the latter makes more sense) - Is there a better donor vehicle for this conversion? I'm more after getting RWD with a strong engine than going fast. - Are there issues with insurance on such a large change to a car I need to be aware of beyond going through a specialist modified car insurer? - Does the car retain it's identity as a VW Polo or does it change to something else since it's an MX5 with a Polo body, effectively. - Is this even allowed? I don't expect this to be a quick, easy job, I can imagine there's a plethora of problems with this sort of conversion I don't even know about. However, this is something I passionately want to do and has had a few people enthused too, could make for a very interesting end result I reckon. Any and all advice welcome, especially if there's a better donor vehicle for the conversion or if there's something fundamental that makes this a Bad Idea. |
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93fxdl
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How about sticking a bike engine in the rear
Then the front floor, bulkhead etc remains untouched and youd retain the front suspension and steering, would still need an IVA but at least it's been done before.
Massive amount of work in a RWD conversion using the MX5, you'd be chopping the complete underside out the Polo and starting from scratch.
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72 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400. 95 BMW E34 525i Manual. 80 Lotus Elite, sold  86 Mk4 Escort RWD V8, sold |
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i would cut all the outer panels off the mazda and cut the floor/bulkhead and inner wings out of the Polo, then lower the Polo over the MX5 and fill in all the gaps, you might even be able to drop the shell down quite low to give the effect of a lowered car while the MX5 is actually standard height.
The more standard you can leave the running gear the easier it will be to run it as a daily and you wont muck up the MX5's handling.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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I would cut all the outer panels off the mazda and cut the floor/bulkhead and inner wings out of the Polo, then lower the Polo over the MX5 and fill in all the gaps, you might even be able to drop the shell down quite low to give the effect of a lowered car while the MX5 is actually standard height. The more standard you can leave the running gear the easier it will be to run it as a daily and you wont muck up the MX5's handling. This route gets my vote as well. Paul H |
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93fxdl
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if you "clad" the mx5 with the polo shell, like a body kit then there would be no biva since the original body and running gear are unmodified
ttfn glenn
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fad
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if you "clad" the mx5 with the polo shell, like a body kit then there would be no biva since the original body and running gear are unmodified ttfn glenn You would have to do it without chopping a single bit of the chassis on the MX5... |
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if you "clad" the mx5 with the polo shell, like a body kit then there would be no biva since the original body and running gear are unmodified ttfn glenn sounds good, unbolt anything thats unboltable and see how small it is but you'd have to cut the windscreen off i think, and thats a modified monocoque |
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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isnt a mx5 a bit wider than a polo2
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91 golf g60, 89 golf 16v , 88 polo breadvan
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As I understand it, if you cut into any portion of the body of a monocoque car you're modifying it as the rules stand. So while it's more straightforward, in theory, to slot the Polo body over the MX5 body, it's not actually permitted. I could be wrong.
The route I'd been advised to take was to remove the subframes from the Mazda and bolt those in on the Polo shell, with modifications where required. Admittedly, any sort of swapping over is going to affect the performance of the Mazda since the new shell will be much heavier and less streamlined.
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it'll be easier to leave it all on the mazda floor and fit the polo body to that if you can, it'll save you a LOT of work, for a start all the wiring will be there and only need connecting up to the polos lights, all the instruments will work etc etc.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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Once it's IVA'd it would be a new car, not a VW Polo, or an MX5. As far as I know, you'd be able to register it under any name that isn't trademarked. I may be wrong though. It'd be worth dropping aceadvice a PM with questions about the registration of it...
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...proper medallion man chest wig motoring. |
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popuptoaster: You have made the job sound very easy, almost as though the only problem is going to be making sure it's legal and insurable. ben711200: I hope that reregistering it means I get to make up a name for a car, I've always wanted to do that! I will PM Ace, they are good with the advice on these things.
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markgenesis: tempting... Especially since I've got plans to split the tailgate, so I wouldn't lose too much load space. How does fitting a bike engine work, do you give direct drive to the rear axle via a chain? In fact, the more I think about the bike engine option the easier it could be to convert to that... cheaper too I expect.
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Why not find the whole front end off a Golf GTI or similar and weld it into the back of the Polo?
How many mid engined Polos have there been? A G60 lump would rock...
Save an MX5 ftw! ;D
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Koos
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Without being all boring about it (or at least trying) Do you realise how small the polo engine bay is? Compared to any rwd car. The twink engine in the mx5 although 4 pot isnt small for a 4 pot.... And wouldnt fit in the existing room without some major firewall choppage....
The polo would be cool without all that messing in its own right.
If your thinking about chucking the body over an mx5 then have you taken insurance into account? Your a new driver iirc??
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mrj
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drop in a turbocharged, water-cooled boxer engine in the back and claim it is a factory conversion ;D:  that was a prototype Volkswagen built in the 80s.... |
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- 1971 VW 1600 TL Fastback
- 1978 Passat GLS Variant
- 1980 Audi 100 5E
- 1981 VW aircooled panel van (sold)
- 1983 VW Jetta Mk.I
- 1984 VW Polo Coupé
- 1984 VW Passat hatchback
- 1987 VW Passat Variant
- 1987 VW Passat hatchback
- 1988 VW T25
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Without being all boring about it (or at least trying) Do you realise how small the polo engine bay is? Compared to any rwd car. The twink engine in the mx5 although 4 pot isnt small for a 4 pot.... And wouldnt fit in the existing room without some major firewall choppage.... The polo would be cool without all that messing in its own right. If your thinking about chucking the body over an mx5 then have you taken insurance into account? Your a new driver iirc?? I think that's all stuff that he's taken into account. There's more than one way to make something cool  He's asked about insurance and firewall chopping is hardly an issue when he's acknowledged that it's going to need to go through a BIVA; it's going to need a complete new floorpan to cope with rearwheeldriveness, afterall  I think Popuptoaster's idea is the most feasible.. essentially cutting away the MX5 so all you're left with is the running gear and a floor and 'simply' drop a polo body on |
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...proper medallion man chest wig motoring. |
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Wouldn't it be better to find something with a separate chassis and drop the polo body onto that? Can't think of anything RWD and sporty the right size, but a suzuki sj must be fairly close?
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" East bound and down, loaded up and truckin' "
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He's asked about insurance and firewall chopping is hardly an issue when he's acknowledged that it's going to need to go through a BIVA; it's going to need a complete new floorpan to cope with rearwheeldriveness, afterall 
