Author Topic: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto  (Read 65208 times)

Offline th3_f15t

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Re: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto
« Reply #110 on: 30 June 2018, 09:51 »
I've been busy with moving house recently so things like the cars have taken a slight backseat while I'm sorting everything else out. That being said, I did put Hayley through for an MOT to try and at least baseline what else needed to be done and hoped that she would pass so I could get using her. Sadly it wasn't meant to be, which I will come onto shortly. One thing that's been bothering me is the grill (of all things) as I miss the signature GTI red stripe, so bought myself another one off eBay which wasn't exactly the best condition:





It's also missing the two top clips but these really aren't that necessary as it screws into the slam panel anyway and secures nicely. I broke out the glue gun and got to seal it back together:




So onto the results of the MOT. Well, when I was called up by the receptionist for the garage, the term "failed miserably" was used, which was a bit unfair but the list goes like this:

Do not drive until repaired (dangerous defects):
Offside Macpherson strut mounting fractured (5.3.3 (b) (ii))
Nearside Track rod end ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment lock nut lose (2.1.3 (b) (ii))
Offside Track rod end ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment lock nut lose (2.1.3 (b) (ii))
Brake load sensing valve inoperative and ABS not fitted or inoperative (1.1.17 (c) (ii))

Repair immediately (major defects):
Bonnet primary retaining device ineffective (3.1 (c))
Offside Front Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength jacking point area (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Repair as soon as possible (minor defects):
Offside Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

Monitor and repair if necessary (advisories):
Steering wheel very close to column switches
Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear (1.1.11 (c))
Nearside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
Offside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))
Nearside Rear Road wheel slightly distorted (5.2.2 (c) (i))
Offside Rear Road wheel slightly distorted (5.2.2 (c) (i))
Park brake effort on minimum percentage to pass
Rear service brake effort low

So starting from the top of the list, the tie rods and rear bearings were simply where I'd not tightened the locking nuts properly and instead of the garage just tightening them (literally a few minutes work) they just failed it. The top mount being broken is a bit off as I had the suspension off the front as you can see but when I inspected it I didn't see a split but I haven't yet removed it again to look. The more pressing issues are the brake regulator for the rear brakes and the front jacking point. I did have trouble bleeding the rear brakes so that one makes sense and I knew about the jacking point but didn't think it would fail but lesson learned.

The wheels are another issue that I've already addressed:



Bought them off eBay, the story goes that they were removed from the car by the dealer at purchase and been stored ever since. They're genuine G60 steels in a 15x6J size with an ET45 which is 10mm more than the Sebring wheels I currently run which is nice. Plus the tyres will swap straight over so it's a cost-effective way to carry on the G60-theme that seems to be running through the car now. The MOT guy did say to me the wheels were probably OK but the fact the tyre shop advised fitting them to the rear and now they've been picked up under the safety inspection they have to go.


The windscreen needed replacing when I bought the car so that's no surprise and the brake lines were also needed to be done. Just a lesson that skipping jobs to speed things up doesn't work...


And now the elephant in the room. The jacking point. It's not something I can resolve myself, especially when it looks like this:




Luckily for me, there are some body shops/painters just 10 minutes drive down the road so I popped into them for a chat, turns out there an awesome bunch of guys:

https://en-gb.facebook.com/leadfoot.racing.lfr/

Check out the crazy TDI Corrado they've just finished, the thing is insanely awesome in the metal. Keep an eye out for it when touring around at shows. We discussed options and came to a plan to cut away the jacking points, plate them with fresh metal and use box steel from the sill to the chassis leg to create a much strong, reinforced jacking point. This will allow me to safely get the car up in the air without worrying about damaging the floor which is essential as this project will require a lot more work yet. There will definitely be much more work from these guys being done, just right now time and money (as always) don't allow for the full-scale crazy plans.


To end this update, here's how she currently stands with a new grill:



Oh wait, one more thing...



Yes, that's Harriet, the other car that appears to have dropped off the radar. Well, the old 1.6 engine is out and sat waiting to be scrapped (unless someone wants to come to grab it for free) and I've fitted the Corrado VR6 front cross member. Got to source a VR6 subframe and gearbox, going to opt for a 5 speed for the short term just to get the car driving and functional. It means parts are easily available off the shelf and cheap enough I can get it together sooner than trying to get the 6 speed working. I'm trying to get back to her once a month at least now to get things moving again.
« Last Edit: 30 June 2018, 09:53 by th3_f15t »

Moving over to Flickr, sorry for the broken picture links!

Offline th3_f15t

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Re: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto
« Reply #111 on: 08 July 2018, 13:08 »
Bagged myself a G60 rocker cover to brighten up the engine bay:



And a genuine Momo steering boss to move the wheel away from the stalks to clear the MOT advisory off:



Got a selection of tools to help finish off the remaining MOT jobs, got a Sealey suspension nut tool:



Had to file it down as the lugs were too big for the nuts, but it does make the job a lot easier none the less. Also got all my brake pipe tools:



Had Friday afternoon off work so decided to get out in the sun and crack on.



Driver's side suspension. Looked alright, top mounts have in fact been replaced within recent years as they were Febi items which didn't show any real signs of wear. However, the dampers are definitely worn as the second picture shows:




No rebound left in it! No leaks from the gas/oil in the main body so they'll do for now until I can afford a complete overhaul of the system. Got the other side off and the top mount was also fine, the MOT garage had failed me on this:



Wasn't sure a dust cover is a pass/fail item, but apparently so:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/671818/mot-inspection-manual-for-classes-3-4-5-and-7-from-20-may-2018-draft.pdf

A handy one to have so you can check out what your codes really mean as the description on my sheet would lead you to believe the top mount itself has failed, so double check first before rushing out to buy replacement parts. Next step now really is to get the brake lines and rear compensator sorted, into the body shop for repairs and then back in for an MOT.

Planning to completely overhaul the suspension now with new dampers, springs and hardware which includes bolts. Freshen everything up then get it fully aligned and the caber corrected as much as possible before putting her into daily service so I can crack on with the 6R.
« Last Edit: 08 July 2018, 13:12 by th3_f15t »

Moving over to Flickr, sorry for the broken picture links!

Offline th3_f15t

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Re: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto
« Reply #112 on: 15 July 2018, 11:13 »
Decided to get the new boss kit installed, you can see the difference in height:




Feels a lot better behind the wheel now. Got to sorting the brake lines out and fitting the new regulator for the rear brakes as well:







Haven't seen flares that good since my dad showed me a picture from his teens. Would have bled the brakes through but I've not got any tube to do it so I'm off to Halfords to get some supplies.

Moving over to Flickr, sorry for the broken picture links!

Offline th3_f15t

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Re: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto
« Reply #113 on: 31 December 2018, 13:14 »
I've not been updating this project lately for which I apologise but things have been moving forward, although not all in the direction I originally intended. To fill in the gap between the last post and up to about a week ago, I bought replacement panels from VW Heritage to replace all the floors and sills, but after chatting with the body shop we decided it wasn't cost effective to continue as it's all a bit too far gone everywhere. To seal the deal, a branch fell onto the roof at some point and has damaged it there as well so there was no longer any desire to save the shell so decided the only thing left to do was to strip it down:




The mk2 Scirocco is also mine, I picked it up cheap as I needed a new run around and wanted something older (still was sulking with the R at this point) but now it's sat awaiting a new MOT and some work to get it road worthy again before selling it on. Has been an awesome car but I want to get back to Harriet, which was another influence on breaking Hayley. Gutted the wiring loom out the bay:




Currently working on repairing a few connectors, separating it out into 2 distinct looms (engine management and others) as I have a plan for it:




The plan now is to take the wide track gear off of Hayley and transplant it onto Harriet which changed from the original plan of a full VR6 wide track/5-stud conversion. The reason is I have the parts and they're tried and tested so going to re-use them for time's sake. Will use my VR6 rear beam and fuel tank in Harriet as well and keep the GTI rear beam and fuel system separate, along with the re-built engine I have planned, to transplant into another decent body shell. Ideally, I'll find a rolling shell with interior and drop the GTI parts into that and once I transport Harriet to my home in Wiltshire (from my workshop in Essex) I can get her up and running much sooner.

Another change from the original plan is to use a VR6 5-speed gearbox from a Corrado instead. This is simply for ease of conversion right now, allows me to re-use parts I already have and means any part to replace something is off the shelf available. Still working on which flywheel and clutch to use right now, I'm not aiming for forced induction, big power or likewise, just a comfortable, awesome sounding cruise machine.

Hoping that I'll get Harriet down to Wilshire by end of February and at least firing up by the summer, but there's a ton of work that needs doing so don't hold me to that...

Moving over to Flickr, sorry for the broken picture links!

Offline hardmonkeys

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Re: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto
« Reply #114 on: 31 December 2018, 14:49 »
Would love a MK2 Scirocco.
'05 VW Golf Mk V GT TDI Laser Blue
'98 VW Golf Mk IV GTi Black
'97 VW Golf Mk III GTi
'58 VW Golf Mk V GT Sport TDI Steel Grey
'10 Audi A4 B8 SE Multitronic


'00 VW Golf Mk III.V Cabrio


MK3.5 Cabrio 2.0 8v Automatic to 2.0 16v Manual Conversion Project

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=272728.

www.dorsetautorestore.co.uk

Offline Coakers

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Re: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto
« Reply #115 on: 09 September 2019, 07:49 »
Any updates on this by any chance? Thoroughly enjoyed the read and admired your commitment to this car.

Offline th3_f15t

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Re: Mk2 Golf 3.2 VR6 Kamei Edition + GTI 8v Mini Resto
« Reply #116 on: 05 September 2020, 10:44 »
30 June 2018 since I last saw Harriet... Wow, time flies! I've moved house twice, got married, had my first child and my second is on the way since then! Seems a life time ago since I last did anything on her. Harriet went to the scrap yard after being gutted for parts sadly, life didn't allow me to keep her and the many other projects I had on the go. These days we only have my wife's Polo Coupe S and a VW T5 Caravelle as the other cars now, but we are now in the planning stage of getting Harriet bought to our home so things can begin again on her.

I'll try and give a fuller update soon as many parts have been sold and changed compared to the original plan, so stay tuned... (I'll not promise it'll be another 2 years before another update though!)

Moving over to Flickr, sorry for the broken picture links!