My name is Leigh I’m 29 and this is my 4th Mk2 GTI, my day job is working in the Army/REME on Aircraft

I bought the golf a year ago for £1000 from a guy on Warminster, it’s a k-jet 8 v and it had a lot of issues and was sold as a non runner but upon inspection the body was good as was the paint.

It was overheating and cutting out when I bought it so I went straight for the head gasket change as tried all the usual before hand.

With the head off all the water ways were blocked with k seal as was the heater matrix.

Replaced the gasket and moved onto the cutting out issue which was fuel related and being kjet had me stumped for a while as the previous owner fitted all new fuel pumps and ignition system.

Turned out he had fitted the lift pump poorly as the strainer would bottom out in the tank struggling to pick up fuel.

So now I had the car running sweet but the steering was terrible and stiff as the p/o fitted the top mounts upside down.

Next was to get the car looking more original so I put it back on small bumpers with some mim bbs type wheels, sorted the interior with vdo gauges and an upholstered arm rest

Then I got rear ended had a payout from the guys insurance and sorted it out myself

Ran the car for a few months then the lack of power tempted me to tune it.

I got a donor car off my bro which was previously mine but he left it rot for years as couldn’t afford the insurance.

Time was a constraint as I was deployed a few times on excersises for months to ascension islands and the middle of nowhere in Cumbria

It had a lot of goodies on it so it got robbed for:

2.0 agg Bottom with tsr big valve ported head
4 branch stainless 2.5 jetex exhaust
Newman 276 cam
Chipped/mapped ecu
G60 brakes
Power steering
Fully polybushed
Electric windows

It’s now putting out 167 bhp and is a pleasure to drive.

Future plans are not known yet as I’ve only recently finished the work and been driving it for 2 weeks before I got sent to America with work  but there never “finished” and the mots ran out for when I get back