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TO DO LIST
Install 0 guage power cable.
Move LPG tank to the centre of the boot up against the back of the chairs.
Install ICE - Standard boxes at 1st - Fiberglass to come later.
Upgrade earth strap to 0 guage.
Upgrade alternator wire to 8 guage wire.
Sound proof Doors and boot and if there is any left over do bulk head.
Install bonnet pop solenoid.
Finish Changing illumination of dash switches to blue LED's.
Install gear linkage repair kit.
Replace back box for 6x4 oval quiter box.
Install Remaining Polly bushes.
Roll front arches and seal with waxoil.
Fit lower profile tyres.
Lower car bout 1 inch.
Adjust rear brake bias valve to match height of car.
Waxoil underside of car.
Replace tappets.
Replace Cam chain.
Replace Injector Seals and get them re jetted.
Install polished rocker cover and intake manifolds.
Get Roling Road tuned.
Clean and paint engine bay.
Fit pollished battery cover.
Buy new cradle for hads free kit.
Install DVD Player and Screen
Re trim the chairs in leather - maybe even fit a corrado bench.
Fit a set of vdo guages.
Wire up front fogs correctly.
Wire up sidelights correctly.
Dash conversion.
20v Turbo conversion.
Fit tilt and slide electric sunroof.
Fit 8000k HID Xeonon Light conversion kit.
Fit solid front engine mount.
Replace rear wiper for a punto one.
Euro front wipers.
Replace pedals.
Fix bang on electric window.
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Yes 2.0 16v engines tend to be a bit of a theme when it comes to the dubs ive had and got.
It all started when my beloved Pugeot 306 D-Turbo got randomly burn to the ground. So i decided to spend the insurance money on a real car. I always liked the mk2 golfs but wanted a really nice one! So i bought this one in December 2001.
(http://img102.exs.cx/img102/1879/white3pn.jpg)
I bought it from a local lad where it had been in his family since new and origionally was his mams before he got his hands on it and turned it into a bit of a wolf in sheeps clothing. He had changed the engine for a mk3 ABF 2.0 16 lump with a ported and polished head de cat pipe, full stainless magnex exhaust and induction filter pushing out 175bhp. The intake manifold was polished also was the alternator. To go with this it had KONI fully adjustable height and dampness coil overs and G60 brakes with mk3 calipers on the rears. Plus a rear dubweiser strut brake. Here are some links to a Rolling road vid taken after i sold the car.
http://www.seasiderz.co.uk/other/chris%20h%20video/Mk2%202.0%2016v%20Dyno%203.MOV
http://www.seasiderz.co.uk/other/Ally's%202%20litre%2016v%20golf/stealth%20on%20the%20rollers.wmv
(http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/387/dynoplot9di.jpg)
(http://img171.exs.cx/img171/5083/engine29bc.jpg)
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Stying wise externally it had
[/u]
debadged grill,
clear repeaters
vr6 front splitter,
g60 arches,
delocked passenger handle,
full bare metal respray (no rust at all anywhere!)
color coded mirrors,
lexus rear lights,
rear spoiler with high brake light,
lay flat rear wiper,
wolfsburg badges over the side repeaters
chrome handle inserts
G60 15" steel wheels
(http://img37.exs.cx/img37/135/frontsmall8hu.jpg)
(http://img18.exs.cx/img18/5273/backsmall7zd.jpg)
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There were also some nice additions to the interior
Electric Recaro Chairs with matching rears
Extra guages (oil temp, oil pressure, volt meter) in a custom made stainless surround
Stereo re located below another custom made stainless surround with cigarette lighter.
Momo steering wheel
sparco pedals
Imatation leather door cards
polished handles
Polished Golf ball gear knob
(http://img210.exs.cx/img210/7578/dash2fa.jpg)
(http://img386.imageshack.us/img386/738/chairssmall7eg.jpg)
Pretty much the 1st thing i did was start taking it apart in order to install my ICE. And this is the finished article consisting of
Sony minidisk head unit with 7 disk mp3 multichanger.
6 way active cross over
Front 16cm infinity reference components in custom door pockets
Rear Infinity Kappa 6x9's in a stealth acoustic shelf
2x Infinity perfect subs in sealed boxes
2x 100w amps powering fronts and rears
1x Vibe VP2 Bridged Powering subs.
I entered a SQ competition at donny, didnt win but did pretty good, i had my bass to high and my highs to low if y know what i mean. In the DB drag i recorded 145db! Heres some pics
(http://img63.exs.cx/img63/8903/dash13sf.jpg)
(http://img208.exs.cx/img208/9977/crossover12jd.jpg)
(http://img79.exs.cx/img79/3527/dscf00374fa.jpg)
(http://img13.exs.cx/img13/3008/doors5zn.jpg)
(http://img20.exs.cx/img20/4413/bootinstall13ya.jpg)
(http://img190.exs.cx/img190/9818/bootinstall21ln.jpg)
(http://img171.exs.cx/img171/79/bootinstall33nc.jpg)
(http://img114.exs.cx/img114/2412/bootinstall43pq.jpg)
(http://img105.exs.cx/img105/740/dscf00390qi.jpg)
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I had the white golf for about 2 years and had so much fun in it. It handled amazingly and was a real performer. After changing jobs i was doing allot more miles and the cost of fuel was proving too much so i decided to sell the white golf and buy a diesel. However when browsing ebay one day i came across a black mk2 with an LPG conversion. I didnt really want to sell my white golf but did need something more economical and i always wanted a black one (ooo er missus!) so i rang the guy.
After begging my dad for a loan and a trip down to sheffield a week later i was the proud owner of 2 contrasting golfs.
(http://img86.exs.cx/img86/6341/blackboot1ac.jpg)
(http://img92.exs.cx/img92/9579/blackgolf16jp.jpg)
(http://img225.exs.cx/img225/9974/blackgolfengine0rk.jpg)
The black one was in no where near as good a condition as the white one but my plan was to use the white one as a donor then sell the white one using the money to respray the black one. So after spending weekends working in the cold and rain plus a trip to my trusty mechanic to do the bits i screwed up i had finished the swap of premium parts. Here is the list of what i swapped from the white one to the black one.
Recaro interior
Steering wheel
Acoustic Parcel Shelf
Leather Door cards
Metal heater controls
Gear knob
Stereo
Rear strut Brace
Koni coil overs
G60 brakes
mk3 rear calipers
debadged grill
Steel wheels (to fit over the brakes)
Hard scuttle pannel
Chrome handle strips
Front Vibra Technics Engine mount
So the white car ended up looking more like this
(http://img128.exs.cx/img128/2409/sideold9tl.jpg)
(http://img120.exs.cx/img120/6362/side2old2gt.jpg)
(http://img35.exs.cx/img35/3591/frontold0nt.jpg)
(http://img198.exs.cx/img198/1371/back2old0kk.jpg)
(http://img125.exs.cx/img125/8864/backold3ow.jpg)
(http://img33.exs.cx/img33/4272/oldseatsanddash9dw.jpg)
(http://img193.exs.cx/img193/8846/oldseats8bk.jpg)
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So now the white golf was ready for sale. After a few weeks of advertising i got interest from a lad down south. His dad came to view the car and agreed a sale there and then. So as soon as i was back off my jolly holls the lad traveld up on the train and paid cash and disapeared never to be seen again. Would be nice to hear from him as id love to hear how the car has been and see any mods hes made.
Update 11/03/05 He called me the other day because he had been pulled by the boys in blue and the car was still registered in my name. Oops! Forgot to post the owners slip off. Anyway the car seems to be going well and he is planning a trip to one of the well known tuning garages for some engine work to be done in order to push out more power, sounds good!
So with a wad of cash in my pocket my origional plan to respray the black car went out of the window! I went on a spending spree! Many many parcels later i had bought the following. Just to list what i can remember, no doubt there was more!
A set of Polished porsche design 90.s plus adaptors (they need a little elbow grease to get them gleaming again) - FITTED[/b]
(http://img142.exs.cx/img142/3460/902yj.jpg)
Bonnet and boot lifters - FITTED
(http://img129.exs.cx/img129/9017/bonnetlifters1al.jpg)(http://img108.exs.cx/img108/850/bootlifters8lr.jpg)
A Polished Rocker cover and intake manifolds 45mm - Now for sale as i bought 2 sets
(http://img129.exs.cx/img129/5523/polishedengineparts0fb.jpg)
New injector seals
(http://img227.exs.cx/img227/9687/injectorseals1st.jpg)
M3 Rear Lights and Silver bulbs to match - FITTED
(http://img108.exs.cx/img108/7922/m3lights6cq.jpg) (http://img90.exs.cx/img90/8046/silverbulbs2wh.jpg)
Crystal clear angel eyes - FITTED
(http://img142.exs.cx/img142/4725/angeleyes2ne.jpg)
Crystal clear side repeaters - FITTED
(http://img157.exs.cx/img157/5222/siderepeater4vk.jpg)
Gearshift repair kit
(http://img74.exs.cx/img74/9093/gearrepair11sg.jpg)
4 branch stainless manifold - FITTED
(http://img180.exs.cx/img180/470/manifold9wo.jpg)
Gearbox and rear vibra technics engine mounts - FITTED
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/vibra2.jpg)(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/vibra1.jpg)(http://img235.exs.cx/img235/5113/vibra38qk.jpg)
Twin nozzle washer jets - FITTED
(http://img74.exs.cx/img74/1237/washerjets9bu.jpg)
Automatic boot opening kit
(http://img180.exs.cx/img180/1122/bootpop3zv.jpg)
Strut Brace - FITTED
(http://img66.exs.cx/img66/8986/strutbrace5mt.jpg) (http://img206.exs.cx/img206/4872/strutbrace10uc.jpg)
Strut cap covers - FITTED
(http://img223.exs.cx/img223/5315/strutcaps2co.jpg)
Wolfsburg Door Pins - FITTED
(http://img155.exs.cx/img155/4052/doorpins0lq.jpg)
Chrome Door Striker Pins - FITTED
(http://img182.exs.cx/img182/6490/doorstrikerpins2dh.jpg)
New working heater pannel with blue LEDS
(http://img39.echo.cx/img39/9077/heaterpannel7yi.jpg)
New Blue LED Switches
(http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/9567/blueswitches4ck.jpg)
VW Tax disk holder - FITTED
(http://img164.exs.cx/img164/4606/taxdisk4bw.jpg)
Bonnet Insulation - FITTED THEN BINNED AS IT LOOKED HORRIBLE AND DIDNT DO MUCH OTHER THAN LEAVE DENTS IN MY NEW BONNET
(http://img108.exs.cx/img108/3/bonnetinsulation6yk.jpg)
New leather gear gator - FITTED
(http://img66.exs.cx/img66/1386/geargator6mk.jpg)
Power Rhor - FITTED
(http://img238.exs.cx/img238/2865/powerrhor7im.jpg)
Alloy dipstick
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DIPSTICK-1.jpg)
Not to forget one of Dizzie's wonderfull headlight looms. - FITTED
(http://www.dizzie.biz/golf/headlight_loom.jpg)
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Has anybody spotted a common connection in what i buy? :grin:
I just like shiny things! :laugh:
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So anyway, after my spending spree and the usuall bills etc etc i.e the wife! i had spent it all! :shocked:
The car now looked more like this. A bit nicer but still far from complete! Id just given the car a quick wash over with the jet spray and it was still half wet half muckey. P.S Spot the nosey neighbor
(http://img37.exs.cx/img37/3029/front16qh.jpg)
(http://img18.exs.cx/img18/4050/front4bt.jpg)
(http://img42.exs.cx/img42/8585/side23fo.jpg)
(http://img175.exs.cx/img175/739/side5sk.jpg)
(http://img125.exs.cx/img125/2650/back2eh.jpg)
But im still determined to get the respray! I made a visit to various body shops in the town checking out the quality of their work. I found one i was impressed with so got a quote done. At ?1750 it was a little expensive but i do want allot doing and a perfect job will only do! This included
New bonnet
New front wings
All arches and trim smoothed and painted including grill and mirrors
5 small dents removed
4 rust patches removed
Full bare metal Respray
Underbody seal
Since the quote ive decided i want the side strips removed and the engine bay spraying too.
So its booked in next week. They will have the car for 2 weeks and about 42 hours of labor later im hoping it will look even better than this. Just with the wheels swaped with the red golf behind.
(http://img202.exs.cx/img202/4643/firefoxwallpaper3ts.jpg)
I have no idea what im gonna live on as a full months wage plus the visa limit will be going on the car! Hey you only get in deby one! Just so happens you stay in it all your life. :grin:
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The bodyshop guy said he will take pictures for me every step of the way so as soon as its all done and the pics are back i will have them posted for you all. Here is some bad points that i took pictures of just before it went in the shop.
The rear bumper is cracked on the underside. Looks like its been reversed into with a tow bar.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/bumpercrack1.jpg)
(http://img35.exs.cx/img35/9713/bumpercrack24jm.jpg)
The rear bumper is also metled where a previous exhaust was. At a guess id say it had an upswept twin DTM at some point
(http://img198.exs.cx/img198/1923/bumpermelt9hy.jpg)
The front splitter is also cracked. Hmm me thinks this car is a bit too low for practical driving. But hey im not a practical driver!
(http://img33.exs.cx/img33/4300/frontsplittercrack2zp.jpg)
Now for the rust spots. 1st up is the rear pannel and round the LPG filler cap.
(http://img193.exs.cx/img193/306/backrust5bq.jpg)
(http://img173.exs.cx/img173/371/gascaprust1bu.jpg)
There is also a tricky spot round the rear window on the passenger side
(http://img128.exs.cx/img128/1930/windowrust7ai.jpg)
But worst of all is the passenger arch. It doesent look that bad but under the arch is terrible. In fact the arch does not exist under the plastic its all rotted away!
(http://img120.exs.cx/img120/6640/wingrust7ry.jpg)
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So whats next on my list? LOTS! :laugh:
If anyone knows of anywhere i can get these parts cheaper i would really apreciate it. PM me.
Rear spoiler with high brake light. Same as i had on the white golf ?130 - Awsome - HAVE NOW BOUGHT
(http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/images/mk2matt1.jpg)
Euro Wipers
(http://www.tmtuning.com/universal/images/aeroWipers.gif)
Grillspoiler ?40 - SWG - I know you can get them much cheaper but i like the look of these, better quality. - HAVE NOW BOUGHT FROM AWSOME
(http://www.swgmotorsport.com/asps/uploads/big/11-1.jpg)
Crystal Indicators with built in side lights ?40 - SWG -- HAVE NOW BOUGHT FROM TM TUNING
(http://www.swgmotorsport.com/asps/uploads/super/139.jpg)
HID Xeon Headlight Upgrade ?198 aprox - TM Tuning
(http://www.tmtuning.com/electronics/images/EC-128-131.gif)
Strut Caps - ?18 - Trimsport
(http://img99.exs.cx/img99/8715/strutcap216ao.jpg)
Leather Door Handles ?20 - Awsome
(http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/images/leatherintdh.jpg)
Leather Gear gator ?20 - Awsome
(http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/images/leatherhbgaits.jpg)
EL Dials
(http://www.gashaponusa.com/ebay/bmwmbspecialist/images/GLOW_GAUGES_VW_GOLF_8592_140MPH_SILVER_A.jpg)
Crystal Fogs ?53 - TM Tuning - - HAVE NOW BOUGHT
(http://www.tmtuning.com/golf2/images/G2-L-151.jpg)
New front Drilled Disks ??
Dash Conversion ??
Leather Re-trim ??
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As far as engine work goes i have a little planned.
It has already got a 9A 2 litre bottom end combined with the manifold, exhaust and K&N so has got plenty of power and torque bottom end. Hower due to a bad design in the LPG conversion is very restricted at the top end of the revs. This is due to the reduced diameter (aprox half of normal size) of the T piece that interupts the intake hose which feeds the LPG. I plan to bin this once i fit the twin take off power rhor using the extra take of for the LPG feed.
I also plan to change the rocker cover and intake manifold for the polished items i bought. While im there i need to sort out the noisy tappets and timing chain.
Once all this is done i will be off to the nearest respectable tuning garage with a rolling road. While its there i will get them to squeeze the most bhp out of it as possible! Its already really fast, im guessing or hoping about 170bhp but i want more as you always do!
Im a sucker for a race so most nights on the way home have a bit of roundabout to roundabout tag going on. My last vicim was a toyota celica gt 2.0 16v, he had no chance! I kept letting him past just so i could fly past him laughing again. He took it well and gave the old hazards good bye as he took his turning of the dual carrigeway. Just for legal reasons i must say that i never exceeded the speed limit and manouvered in a very respectable manner. :tongue:
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21/02/05
Disaster strikes!
[/b]
I put ?40 of optimax in to find that i had a hole in a fuel line and lost the lot! So i ordered a replacement fuel line and thought i may as well get a new filter too as it probably has had the same one all its life! So i rushed home friday night to get started to find i had the wrong fuel line! So i rushed back down to VW and paid an extra ?5 for special next morning delivery on the correct line. In all i paid about ?75 for 2 lines and a filter.
I Picked this up sat morning and got straight to work before the snow came! It was a bit tricky as everything was rusted to hell and seized but i got it done in the end.
The car started instantly and run great. This was obviously the reason for the bad starting lately.
I was now in the mood for more challenges so decided to install my strut brace. It was a bit fiddly getting a socket inside the wheel arch to tighten the bolts as my fingers were frozen and i was now working in the snow but altogether straight forward. After a test drive i was very happy with the feel of the car now that it has all braces fitted. Rear - Front lower - Front upper. It feels much squarer on the road and tight round corners.
So as i was now frozen i decided to fit my rear silver indicator bulbs and clear side repeaters then call it a day.
Sunday
Popped into town sunday morning then on the night went to my parents for tea. On the way home i noticed the battery light was on. NOT GOOD! I almost got home before all power died then the engine cut out. So it looks like either the battery or alternator has given up. Instead of more money more problems it should be more problems less money!
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24/02/05
Well my design 90's arrived last night. I was a little disapointed as they were advertised with legal tyres but they were clearly not legal or even roadworthy! I was hoping i could put them on the car while it was getting re sprayed but i cant afford a full set of new tyres as well as the respray, hell i cant even afford the respray but dont tell the bodyshop that! Im yet to work out how im gonna pay. So i will just have to wait till next month to put the wheels on.
The wheels were also advertised as polished but needing a little elbow grease to get them gleaming again. This was true! So i got straight to work on one of them. It took about 3 hours of polishing with some autosolve but i must say am impressed with the result. It came up very nice and shiney! :smiley: So now i just have the other 3 to do!
Well this is one of them before
(http://img69.exs.cx/img69/702/closebefore9en.jpg)
And this is the result after polishing!
(http://img57.exs.cx/img57/1103/closeafter0ji.jpg)
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At a rate of one a night i only have one left to do. They should look well nice one i can afford to wrap them in some very thin rubber. Its a shame i cant put them on ready for the car to roll out of the body shop in all its glory. Here is a few more pics. The quality isnt great because they were taken with my phone.
Before
(http://img224.exs.cx/img224/5713/before36tf.jpg)
(http://img232.exs.cx/img232/3622/before44ig.jpg)
(http://img235.exs.cx/img235/9908/before55lw.jpg)
(http://img92.exs.cx/img92/4483/before68ix.jpg)
(http://img148.exs.cx/img148/4954/before2en.jpg)
(http://img163.exs.cx/img163/42/before21av.jpg)
And After Plenty of elbow grease[/b]
(http://img190.exs.cx/img190/9450/image0301hk.jpg)
(http://img171.exs.cx/img171/7805/image0316me.jpg)
(http://img114.exs.cx/img114/8293/image0349py.jpg)
(http://img105.exs.cx/img105/4645/image0368ps.jpg)
(http://img63.exs.cx/img63/8483/image0379lt.jpg)
(http://img208.exs.cx/img208/3003/image0386vz.jpg)
(http://img79.exs.cx/img79/3985/image0399fs.jpg)
(http://img13.exs.cx/img13/347/image0419an.jpg)
So far there has only been pictures of the car, if your wondering what i look like then its something like this only a little less scary. Im kinda camera shy, in fact i hate them so this is as good as you gonna get.
(http://img129.exs.cx/img129/5281/image0329mw.jpg)
Seriously though this is what i look like. Me my wife all poshed up.
(http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/9854/temp8jn.jpg)
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01/03/05
Well at the weekend i needed to get the alternator fixed ready to take the car to the bodyshop that afternoon. So i took it off the car which is real easy to do, just three bolts and a couple of nuts holding the wires on, then took it to my local starter motor/alternator repair guy. Only to find when i got there his shop all boarded up! So i rang a mechanic friend who was not answering his phone, then a mates dad who is into cars. It turns out the guy died last year sometime! Mind you he looked dead a long time before he was. Anyway my mates dad recomended a guy who used to work with the dead guy who had set up his own place. So after hunting round a local trading estate i found him. It took about 10 mins to fix and only cost ?18! Well chuffed! :smiley: It turns out the voltage regulator was shafted.
So i got home fitted the alternator even faster than it took to remove and went to start her. The only problem is my jump leads are the worst ever and hardly work, i think i could get more power jumping from a AA battery! I thought at one point that i must have shafted my battery at the same time but much to my joy in the pouring rain she fired up! Plus she ran great and my battery seems fine.
I had a few more hours to spare so decided i would attack my dash and replace all the blown bulbs in my clocks etc. I found it pretty easy to get the clocks out. I think this was only because somebody had been there before me and loosened everything. The speedo cable pretty much fell out by itself which was a releif. The clocks had a set of badly fitted white dials which ive never really been a fan of. So i stripped the dials completely and peeled of the white dials leaving the origional black clocks. Much nicer! I needed two new bulbs for the top of the clocks so i went to chavfords. What a rip off! ?1.90 each for 1 tiny bulb and they didnt even fit! I had to strip the working bulb from the holder and press it into the older holder in order to make it fit. It was very fiddly but i got there in the end. So after testing them in the house i went back out to refit them. Re fitting was a little trickier but not too much of a problem. I bought a new heater pannel with working light weeks ago so now was the time to fit it and throw the old tatty one with a blown bulb. I managed to get it all back together without too much fuss just in time to take it to the bodyshop. I was a bit worried at one point because id got the clocks back in and decided to test everything before i went any further. All worked except the indicators, you got a permanent light on the clocks but the indicators didnt light up at all! I was very releived to find that when i plugged the hazard warning light switch back in the problem disapeared. Makes sense i suppose.
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03/03/05
Got a call from the bodyshop today.They were asking if they could have the wheels so that they could do any needed archwork to make them fit as the car is very low on coilovers. I explained that they needed tyres and i do not have the money to pay for tyres and pay them for their work. They were very understanding and agreed that i could pay what i could afford this month and the rest at the end of the month. Which was very nice of them and made me very happy because now the car can roll out of the shop in all its glory! So its a rush home from work at 4, fall/carry 2 heavy boxes down 3 flights of obstructed stairs and stumble into the back of the van im borrowing off my grandar (buddy nice bloke!) buddy horrible van, its well scary in the snow. Hell its scary in the dry!
(http://www.nscars.f9.co.uk/images/164541.JPG)
Anyway it will be a mad rush to get the wheels to them before they close but at least i can just leave the wheels with them to get the tyres sorted as the tyre place is just next door. Hopefully i will get some decent pictures soon as my dad is back off holiday and i can steal his digi camera. I will take some tonight if possible with my phone. I was gonna yesterday but i forgot my phone. Dur!
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04/03/05
True to my form i c*cked up again and left my lights on for the second time in one month and could not get the van started. There goes my plan for rushing home and getting the wheels to the bodyshop! :angry: I was sooooo p*ssed off! Plus in true style my battery was dying on my phone and nobody at home was answering! So i thought i would get the bus or train home, but only had ?2.50 plus i could not work out the train timetable and didnt know where the bus stop was. So i thought i would try and get a lift of a work collegue who lived half of my way home and get the buss the rest of the way. Then i remembered that my grandad is a total perfectionist old well prepared type of bloke. So i hunted around in the van much to my delight to find a set of jump leads! Then the guy who i was gonna blag a lift of turned up, so he gave me a jump off his car. So 45 mins later i was on my way home. When i got home i thought i would call the bodyshop just in case they were working late and youl never belive it they were! So after nearly killing myself carrying the wheels downstairs i took them to the shop. Its the 1st time ive seen the car in progress and so far so good. They have replaced both wings, got the bonnet off and all windows out. They are gonna cut out the uneeded excess of the arch so that the wheels fit without scrubbage which is nice. I also asked them to do a few other bits and pieces like smooth over the un-needed wiper hole on the front. So far so good, i also got shown round their paint room where they mix the paint and also the spray bays and i must say was impressed. However i forgot my phone and did not get any pictures again! But ive got the camera now and am planning a trip over tonight for some photies. Ive also just ordered the rear spoiler i wanted and an eybrow spoiler. So sorry for the lack of pictures on the progress so far but as you can tell im a little forgetfull to say the least! Repeat after me "lights lights lights i must remember my lights!"
P.S I ordered these to make me feel better.
Rear spoler
(http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/images/mk2matt1.jpg)
Grill Spoiler
(http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/shop/image.php?productid=435)
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07/03/05
Well i eventually got some pics from the bodyshop. So far it doesent look like much has been done but im not really bothered as long as it gets done right. The car looks like a total mess at the moment! The new wings are on, all the side windows have been removed, so have the mirrors and some of the plastic trim. The new wheels have been test fitted with the old tyres on to get an idea of how much archwork is needed. On the rear there is going to be a serious amout of arch cutting going on! I didnt have much room to take the photos so some are a bit close.
Thats the new bonnet in the backgroung being prepped.
(http://img31.exs.cx/img31/2969/sidefront10fe.jpg)
(http://img49.exs.cx/img49/2733/sidefront6zi.jpg)
(http://img194.exs.cx/img194/5016/sideback3mi.jpg)
Its still got the chunky tyres on but check out the lack of clearance! In fact the car is sat on the tyre.
(http://img173.exs.cx/img173/3822/backclearance11ng.jpg)
Ive also asked them to smooth over them flappy things on the side skirts as they are no use really and just end up falling off.
(http://img185.exs.cx/img185/8315/backclearance5op.jpg)
Not much going on here yet.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/back.jpg)
(http://img208.exs.cx/img208/899/frontother2uc.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/front.jpg)
(http://img87.exs.cx/img87/7949/otherside0ur.jpg)
This is the back window that had the rust in the corner. Its not really that bad now the window is out not that y can tell cos the picture is poo!
Sorry
(http://img17.exs.cx/img17/3301/windowrust0vb.jpg)
My next visit will be on tuesday morning as im on late starts at work this week and finish at 6. So if there is any more changes i will have more pics. Over and out!
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08/03/04
Well i visited this morning but dont really have much to report. Nothing more has been done. Towards the end of the week one of the guys will be devoting all his time to it and getting cracked on as he said. I mentioned to them last week that i would be entering it into competitions when done and now they are totaly promising a perfect job not just a rush job and get it out the door. Thus the guy is gonna devote his time only to the golf and not all the other jobs they have waiting in the shop. When talking to him he said hes sick of doing boring everyday jobs like spraying taxis and is looking forward to doing mine. They have got the new tyres on the porsche wheels ready to start cutting the arches to fit later in the week. Other than that nothing new to report.
As it looks like it wont be finished till the end of the month i have a little more money to play with so I decided i may as well buy everything that i want in order to complete the stying ready for it to roll out of the shop complete, rather than have to wait for the finishing touches. So i ordered the final 2 items to complete the clean and clear look. Im spending a bloody fortune on this project! Dare i add it all up? Nope
(http://www.tmtuning.com/golf2/images/G2-L-151.jpg)
(http://www.tmtuning.com/golf2/images/G2-L-138_demo.jpg)
(http://www.tmtuning.com/golf2/images/G2-L-138.jpg)
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11/03/05
Well i popped in today to drop off the new rear spoiler and front grill eyebrow. I was hoping to see some more progress but it hadnt been touched and the guy was working on a taxi. :sad: He said it was getting started on monday. Buddy hope so! The rear spoiler is pretty good with an led brake light, he said he would even run the cable through the boot lid for me ready to be wired up. I wasnt that impressed with the grill spoiler though, it was very cheapy nasty plastic with rough edges. I might splash out and buy one of the SWG ones. Will see what it looks like before he bonds it on then decide.
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15/03/05
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes im stressed! Here is my reasons.
1. I need a new boot lid as there is rust. Its not rusted beyond repair but i would much rather it be new if the car is gonna be in mint condition. Behind the number plate is rusted right through which could be cut out and welded but the main issue is the runst round the window seal. It could be repaired but you run the risk of it coming back and bubbling in 6 months time. So id much rather get a new tailgate. Have a look for yourselfs
(http://img126.exs.cx/img126/8637/windowbottom2be.jpg)
(http://img332.imageshack.us/img332/5326/windowcorner8hu.jpg)
Inside the boot lid looking at the number plate hole. Rusted!
(http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/6404/insideboot8hh.jpg)
2. And this is a big number 2 that wont flush! The rear wheels will not fit! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH. How gutted am i. I will explain why best i can and will draw a little picture. Because they are wider than the fronts they are closer to the suspension strut. Normally this would not be a problem as the strut is skinny at the bottom then wide at the top above the wheel with the spring.
(http://img126.exs.cx/img126/8739/normalstrut4jb.jpg)
But because i have coil overs my spring runs the full length of the strut and the spring is touching the tyre. The fronts fit on the rear no problem as they are not as wide.
(http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/3533/coilovers6da.jpg)
So if anybody out there would like to do me a swap on my deep dish wide rears for the standard smaller fronts i would be very gratefull. Failing that i will buy a set of these if anybody has any for sale.
(http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7287/flat5fm.jpg)
This is turning out to be a very expensive project!
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18/03/05
Well things may be looking up. After ringing around and doing some investigations i managed to get in touch with a very nice guy who has been dealing with porsche wheels and golfs for a long time. It turns out that i bought the wrong adaptors. Well you learn from your mistakes. I bought a set from VW Speed as they were the cheapest i could find at ?150. But like the saying goes "you get what you pay for" They were made of steel and very very heavy. Apparently this is not good as your likely to knacker your wheel bearings even maybee your drive shafts due to the extra weight and force applied by heavy adaptops. Plus there susceptable to cross threading which is not good if your wheel flies off going down the A1. :shocked: So anyway this nice guy called Neil 02920795207 or 07861207710 offered to do me a discount on a set of 20mm adaptors for the front and 30mm for the rear, both being light weight with hexicoil fittings - which doesent mean allot to me but it sounds good! Plus when i rang VW Speed they agreed to do me a refund upon return of the items. Bloody nice Blokes!
Also i have managed to source a good quality second hand tailgate for ?35 in Darlo which isnt too far from me. So im off there in my little van tonight to pick it up.
I also called into the bodyshop last night. The only difference i could spot was that the tailgate had been removed as had the final trim down one side and the rear pannel has had the rust removed and sorted.
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21/03/05
Well i got the tailgate on friday night. Total bonus was it was black and in very good condition!
But thats all i gotta say for now. Just trying to get my hub adaptors sent back and will pop in the bodyshop tonight for some more pics.
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31/03/05
I havent posted for a while, and no (mix) its not cos ive left my lights on again and cannot get to the bodyshop! I am getting a bit sick though! I totaly miss my golf! I feel like im perstering the bodyshop and so dont want to be one of those guys that people say "oh no hes back" about when they see you coming. But they do need a boot up their arse! At the moment they a holding things back till the new adaptors for the wheels arrive so that they can do any needed arch work. They should have been delivered this morning but surprise surprise they havent! Also now that i forked out £22 to send the old adaptors back to VW Speed they are telling me that they wont do a refund because they had been test fitted! And the guy i need to fight it out with never returns my calls as hes busy working out the tax for the business. So in my opinion stay well clear of www.VWSpeed.co.uk if anybody knows what my customer rights on returned items is i would be gratefull if you coud PM me. Plus on top of all this im due to move house in a couple of weeks and need to find £1250 for a deposit. Does anybody know where i can sell kidneys and lungs maybee even a bollock?
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05/04/04
Well after many emails back and forwards to VWSPEED they point blank refuse to give any refund, even on the two un-opened adaptors. Here is a copy of the email conversation. Make what you like of it, im sure you will come to the same conclusion as me.
Reg: Returned Items
I bought online from your web site as advertised the adaptors needed to fit Porsche 5 stud wheels to a 4 stud mk2 VW golf. However upon test fitting two out of 4 of the adaptors I discovered that the said items were not suitable for the job as they did not provide enough clearance from the suspension strut.
Following a telephone conversation it was agreed that if the items were sent back a full refund would be given. However after not hearing anything from yourself I phoned only to find that you had now changed you mind and were no longer willing to give a refund as 2 of the adaptors had been test fitted.
After receiving legal advice I now know that this is breaking the law under the sale of goods act 1979. Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982. Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994. The Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002 as the items did not suit the purpose for which they were advertised, i.e. they did not allow me to fit Porsche wheels to my MK2 VW Golf.
Therefore I expect a full refund not less postage, including my costs incurred for postage return amounting to £22 (receipt available if needed). If no response or refund is given within 7 days then further legal action will be taken.
In response to your recent email. The Porsche adapters you purchased on the 14th February are the exact items required to fit Porsche wheels to a Mk2 Golf. We have sold numerous sets for this exact purpose. May I ask what dimensions and offset the wheels are you're attempting to fit to your car?
Mike VW Speed
The wheels are desigh 90's ET52 6" and 8" rears.
May I also ask what suspension you have fitted to your car?
KONI coil overs.
When you say enough clearance from the strut, what do you mean by this? Were they catching?
Yes the wheel was touching the suspension.
cont...
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Did you fit them to one axle or one side of the car and which ones were catching?
two adaptors were fitted to the left side of the car. and the rears were catching.
The widest standard wheels that were put on the Mk2 Golf were 6.5" wide. The wheels you are attempting to fit to your car are 1.5" wider than this at 8 inches and the fact you've also got coilovers really won't be helping the situation either as they are specifically designed to dramatically lower a car. The legal point you are highlighting doesn't apply in light of your application of the items sold as they do allow you to fit Porsche wheels to a Mk2 Golf. Secondly, you notified us after 30 days from the sale of the items and they are not in an as new saleable state and can no longer be sold as such. It would be like taking an item of clothes back to a shop 5 weeks after buying it with a stain on it and asking for a full refund.
I disagree as the advert was not detailed enough. It did not specify that the adaptors would only be suitable for certain sizes and suspension setups. I suspect that this is the reason why you have removed the advert from your web site. To sugest that the items would not fit a modified car is ridiculas as the items themselves are intended to modify a car from standard specification. Thus the items did not meet the criteria as they were advertised to. Also products are legaly allowed to be returned up to 6 years after the purchase date. Also you are refusing a refund when one of the boxes was not even opened.
The reason they are no longer on the website is because we had one set left which you bought and the stock control system in the admin section of the site removes items from sale if we have no stock available. I would be very interested to check out websites selling Porsche adapters and see if they specify wheel sizes, ride heights and specified suspension kits to enable you to fit the adapters. I very much doubt anyone advertises what they will and won't fit with regards to individual set ups. This is just not logistically possible as you'd have to test all manor of suspension set ups on numerous vehicles. I agree one of the boxes may well not have been opened, although I haven't seen them yet, our issue is the fact that the other box has not only been opened but has been fitted to a vehicle and shows very clear signs of this fact and can no longer be sold as new. The items have been returned to us in a non resalable condition.
So what is your final answer? Are you prepared to give any refund or are you going to ask for more of my money to return the items to me?
As a long time VW enthusiast and member of the largest VW club & forum plus many others i am very disapointed and angry at the level of service plus waste of time and money i have encountered with VW Speed. I have never come across such problems with any other company and certainly could not recomend your company to anybody.
We will gladly return the items to you at our own expense. As long term enthusiasts ourselves, our aim has always been to ensure we provide good quality goods at competitive prices and with high levels of service. I can appreciate your frustration but please do also see our side of things. We can't sell on the items you've returned as they are no longer in an as new and unused state. You must appreciate that second hand goods fetch second hand prices.
 So are you not willing to refund me on the unopened box?
We sold you the last set we had and don't currently have access to further sets. They won't sell us single boxes as they refuse to break up complete sets, I'm afraid that's their rule not ours.
Again i am astounded by your lack of customer satisfaction. Send the items back to me and this whole matter will be dealt with by other means.
when we return the items to you, we would see the matter as closed.
Mike
VW Speed
What do you all think?
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Check out my life! Could it be any worse? Shops wont give me refunds, i have no golf as the bodyshop are slower than drying paint and now im driving this! And belive me the scenery does not blur as you drive!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/suzuki_wagon_r_1.jpg)
Im a man on the edge! :angry:
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07/04/05
Things are starting to move a little. These arrived, which was nice! They are 10x better quality that the rubbish VWSPEED are selling. About 1 10th the weight and better fitting. Big up to Neil who sold me them at a reasonable price and was very very helpfull and knew what he was talking about. Not like VWSPEED! PM me if you need Neils number.
(http://img21.exs.cx/img21/8561/porscheadaptors4lo.jpg)
Also the bodywork has moved on a little too. One side of the car has had the rub strip holes welded and smoothed, and all the prep work has been done to remove little dents etc.
(http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/1142/filledrubbingstrips2el.jpg)
The boot lid has also been prepped ready for spraying.
(http://img171.exs.cx/img171/6362/bootlid7lu.jpg)
The wings are also back off the car being sprayed
(http://img112.exs.cx/img112/7762/wingless4ta.jpg)
Hopefully today they are test fitting the wheels with the new adaptors so that any archwork can be planned. They also plan to prep the other side of the car.
TBC..........
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Also is anyone interested in these beautys!
(http://img128.exs.cx/img128/8261/fullset3xm.jpg)
(http://img122.exs.cx/img122/8459/lowermanifold0kh.jpg)
(http://img59.exs.cx/img59/6566/rockercover9qu.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/TopManifold.jpg)
Make me an offer over £150 and there yours plus £20 p&p
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08/04/05
A little more has been done. Just a bit more smoothing and primer for a perfect finish.
(http://img31.exs.cx/img31/341/sideprimer6cb.jpg)
Also the tyres are on the wheels, they are 45's which is bigger than i wanted really but nevermind. The wheels are a little mucky and dusty now - all that hard work i put in! :cry:
(http://img173.exs.cx/img173/6834/rearwheelfront3pf.jpg)
(http://img185.exs.cx/img185/7007/rearwheel2jv.jpg)
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12/04/05
Thanks to the new super duper adaptors the wheels fit! :grin: Well they will once the archwork has been done! If you look close you will see some lines marked out on the arch. The 1st line is where the arch is going to be cut 2 and the second line is where its going to be folded to. It will then be welded and wax sealed.
(http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/3977/rearclose4tm.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/rearfar.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/otherside.jpg)
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15/04/05
Well these arrived which was nice. I was very happy with the price from TM Tuning and equally happy with the quality of the items, they even came with bulbs and connectors!
Front indicators with built in side lights (yet to decide what they will be used for)
[/b]
(http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/3784/2repeatersclose9zc.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/2repeaters.jpg)
(http://img98.echo.cx/img98/5324/repeater0ap.jpg)
(http://img160.echo.cx/img160/3944/repeatersback1ie.jpg)
Front clear fogs
(http://img103.echo.cx/img103/1057/fogs24kt.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/fogs3.jpg)
(http://img230.echo.cx/img230/205/fogs8yp.jpg)
(http://img239.echo.cx/img239/9882/firefog6td.jpg)
(http://img76.echo.cx/img76/1212/fogback8tf.jpg)
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19/04/05
A few more pics guys and girls.
This is the arch after being cut and folded, just needs sealing now.
(http://img243.echo.cx/img243/7044/rolledarch6gi.jpg)
The underside of the car is in good condition thankfully.
(http://img257.echo.cx/img257/8430/under0fm.jpg)
However the disks have seen better days. The fronts are even worse! But they will have to wait as im skint.
(http://img256.echo.cx/img256/7905/rear2uy.jpg)
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26/04/05
Im glad to say allot more work has been done and its not far off being finished now.
(http://img167.echo.cx/img167/4386/back3qk.jpg)
(http://img248.echo.cx/img248/5017/driversside1vv.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/driverssideclose.jpg)
(http://img25.echo.cx/img25/369/driverssideclosest9il.jpg)
(http://img230.echo.cx/img230/3731/driverssill1qj.jpg)
The roof lining is now off so that a proper job can be done!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/roof2.jpg)
(http://img198.echo.cx/img198/2310/roofrear9us.jpg)
Good old gaffa tape came in handy last time i was working on the door but all thats getting taken off and proper door skins re applied.
(http://img25.echo.cx/img25/3629/driversdoor7wh.jpg)
Windscreen gone.
(http://img242.echo.cx/img242/6281/windowout7xi.jpg)
Wiper hole filled in, they had to make a bracket to hold the motor frame on the underside of the scuttel pannel.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/wiperhole.jpg)
The front shot looking very bare and a bit sad. Check out the way they removed the lights but left the mounting frame, it better go back together ok!
(http://img247.echo.cx/img247/8008/frontbare8at.jpg)
Somebody was asking me about my door pods and i didnt know much about their origin but said i would get some pictures for them so here they are. Bit dusty but they look great when cleaned up.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Doorpocket1.jpg)
(http://img207.echo.cx/img207/8084/doorpocket20bu.jpg)
(http://img230.echo.cx/img230/6679/doorpocketback0xp.jpg)
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03/05/05
Things are at last progressing. The body of the car is now fully prepped and masked off ready for painting in the oven.
(http://img181.echo.cx/img181/2395/front2ul.jpg)
(http://img181.echo.cx/img181/7907/rear5un.jpg)
(http://img126.echo.cx/img126/2475/roof6fy.jpg)
(http://img184.echo.cx/img184/5019/side3rr.jpg)
(http://img236.echo.cx/img236/2423/side16pi.jpg)
(http://img126.echo.cx/img126/3682/wiperhole2rg.jpg)
The car has now been sprayed and has been baking in the oven all weekend. He didnt dare put it on a high heat due to the gas tank so put it on a slow bake all weekend. I will go tonight for some pictures.
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05/05/05
ITS BLACK!
BLACK AS THE DARKEST NIGHT!
LOCK ME IN THE CUBBORD AND FEED ME PINS!
At last the end is in sight! The main body of the car has been sprayed. The pictures arnt great as they were taken inside a dark storage unit but you can still see the shine. However that shine is soon to disapear. If you look at where the bonnet has caught the light you can see that the paint is not totaly flat and has ripples and bumps. So the next job is to flat back all the paint with very fine sandpaper (which sounds crazy to me) making the finish very dull/flat but smooth, then machine polish the whole car to a very high shine again with no imperfections at all! Sounds like allot of work to me!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/bonnet.jpg)
Check out the evil motor in the background. See they do come alive when nobody is watching! :grin:
(http://img135.echo.cx/img135/3544/front3zo.jpg)
(http://img41.echo.cx/img41/6294/quarter7yi.jpg)
(http://img63.echo.cx/img63/3341/side2tv.jpg)
And now its the doors turn.
(http://img153.echo.cx/img153/4449/doors6on.jpg)
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12/05/05
Doors and boot are done. Ive had a word with the garage and said i need the car back next week as im going away for a week with work and need my own car. They promised that it will be done before thursday next week. Bout bloody time!
Nicely painted slam pannel
(http://img71.echo.cx/img71/1048/engine9po.jpg)
The new bonnet and wings line up nicely
(http://img156.echo.cx/img156/514/front0vj.jpg)
Side View
(http://img141.echo.cx/img141/3146/pside1rz.jpg)
Rear with new spoiler and high brake light
(http://img201.echo.cx/img201/5849/rear2lh.jpg)
Another view of the new spoiler
(http://img207.echo.cx/img207/8590/spoiler4zv.jpg)
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18/05/05
The paint has now been flatted back and machine polished once. Everything is being put back on the car ready for its last polish and wax. At the moment it has water marks and dust all over so does not look brilliant but it will when its done. Slowly everything is going back on the car. i.e roof lining door cards lights windows rubber seals door sill plates door locks etc etc. P.S its still in the dark shed so the pics are not brilliant.
(http://img273.echo.cx/img273/3064/backside8st.jpg)
(http://img280.echo.cx/img280/432/boot4sj.jpg)
(http://img281.echo.cx/img281/5061/frontclose8lb.jpg)
(http://img276.echo.cx/img276/534/front7om.jpg)
(http://img264.echo.cx/img264/8122/inside8zu.jpg)
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20/05/05
Well i didnt really expect the car to be done on Thursday as promised and it wasnt. But its very very close to completion. Theres just the front bumper and grill left to paint then put it all back together with the new wheels and a final polish. It may be finished tonight or saturday morning. Heres the latest pics for yallllllllll. Sorry its still in the dark shed and im not the best with a camera.
Rear arches being bonded on.
(http://img276.echo.cx/img276/7674/backside5uj.jpg)
(http://img279.echo.cx/img279/6766/side6qf.jpg)
(http://img274.echo.cx/img274/554/reararch4du.jpg)
This shot was supposed to show the colour coded lock and strip but cos its all black in a dark shed with a reflective number plate it all went a bit pete tong.
(http://img287.echo.cx/img287/8330/back4ue.jpg)
A few small changes here
(http://img264.echo.cx/img264/1765/frontside9mw.jpg)
Colour coded handles
(http://img269.echo.cx/img269/5854/handle9as.jpg)
This pic is clearer
(http://img266.echo.cx/img266/2329/handle12vv.jpg)
Colour coded mirrors. The camera has shown all the rubber as white but it isnt.
(http://img273.echo.cx/img273/9506/mirrors2rh.jpg)
Rear bumper colour coded waiting to be fitted.
(http://img278.echo.cx/img278/2916/rearbumper9se.jpg)
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21/05/05
Well sorry guys but its not done. It was supposed to be finished this weekend but once again i was let down. And your gonna have to wait a couple of weeks to see it as im off to manchester on a training course for a week then im off on holiday in scotland for a week. Im being loaned a ford KA (yippie :cry: ) by the bodyshop to go to manchester in. They promised my car will be finished while im in Manchester and i can pick it up next week on saturday.
Totaly Gutted! :sad:
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08/06/05
Its not good news im afraid :cry: I got back from manchester and picked the car up on the saturday, it looked amazing! Ive got some pics but need to get them off my dads camera 1st. I got home and inspected closely, to be honest i wasnt too happy. Theres the odd small dent here and there that show when its pollished and a rough edge on the bonnet where the paint has ran. Also the interior wasnt valleted properly and there are marks all over my recaros. Plus my central locking isnt working and the interior handle surroung it broken the alarm sensors are not working and the sunroof catches when you open it and scratches the paint. Then to top it all of while i was away on holiday in scotland the back bumper fell off and skidded down the road. It had only been bonded on with silicone! Correct me if im wrong but silicone is a sealant not a glue? So needless to say its going straight back in to the shop tonight and hes not getting a penny out of me till its perfect!
While i was away last week in scotland it got plenty of attention! First on the journey up there i had a guy wanting a race in a red mk 2. So of course i oblidged even thought i was full to the brim with suitcases and 3 people in the car. Even fully loaded i left him standing :grin: I pulled into the next petrol station and he followed me in, it turns out his gti started out life as a 1.6 cl. He still had the 1.6 engine but had modified it heavily and to be honest was really quick for a 1.6! I thought it was a standard 8v when i was racing him. We had a long chat and he loved the car.
Then up in scotland in a town called crief there was a lad cruising in a polo GT, i stopped to go to the cash machine and he pulled up. He loved the car too and asked for a few pictures.
Then on the following friday me and the wife went white water rafting, as we pulled into the car park the guy running the rafting started jumping up and down shouting ive got one of them like a maniac. He was a total enthusiast and loved the car. After the rafting he invited us back to his place to see his cars. He had a tidy mk1 which he was going to restore and another red mk2 which looked pretty standard. But when he popped the bonnet it was clear it was not standard. Lost had been spent on the engine! It had twin carbs, cammed, fully worked race head and internals and vernier pully. He was itching to see how my 2.0 valver would compare. So went went out for a race round the twisty scottish highlands. He obviously had the advantage of knowing the roads but none the less he was very suprised how fast my valver was and how well it took corners sitting sollid with no body roll. Hower i have to admit his tuned 8v was fractionally quicker. However i still have a few mods planned which should add allot more power especially top end which is where im limited at the moment. He was a top bloke and left me his address etc to keep in touch.
Anyway on our journey home from scotland my battery warning light came on. Ive only just had the voltage regulator replaced on the alternator so thought the brushes might have gone now. I decided to keep going and see how far i could get before it died. It was a total nightmare pouring down with rain and i didnt dare use my wipers. I managed to drive for another 2 hours before it gave up completely just outside of Berwick which is about 2 hours from home. Im not in the AA so was stuck! After waiting 4 hours a friend arrived with a tow rope, battery and tools. I swapped batteries but the new one only lasted about 5 mins as it was now dark and i needed my lights. So we decided to tow the car to a nearby holiday park that we stayed at a few months ago. That was very scary, towing a car with no lights no wipers and a very short tow rope with no power to the brakes! At the holiday park i wipped the alternator off and we all set of home in the 1 car. Arrived bout half 2 in the mornig totaly nackered!
I decided to upgrade the alternator from a 60 amp to a 90 amp at the cost of £128 - Seemed a better option as im going to be installing a big stereo. It arrived yesterday so last night we traveled back to the car, fitted it and got running no problem. Hopefully that is the last of my bad luck for now.
I will try and get some pics up asap but for now these are the only ones i have which were taken by my brother in law hanging out of the window in the scotish highlands. Turned out good i think.
(http://img293.echo.cx/img293/3682/bwwheelsam9sk.jpg)
(http://img295.echo.cx/img295/7793/sam15bu.jpg)
(http://img300.echo.cx/img300/2047/sam21bc.jpg)
(http://img256.echo.cx/img256/507/sam38vf.jpg)
(http://img251.echo.cx/img251/70/sam42bv.jpg)
(http://img189.echo.cx/img189/4871/sam58jn.jpg)
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15/06/05
Well im back from all my hols with a nice tan to match. But less about me and more about the golf. Its got a good tan too, infact its black as the ace of spades! Ive made a few more trips to the bodyshop to get odd bits re done as im not satisfied with the job yet but its getting there and is very close to perfection. Heres a few pics to feast your eyes on. Let me know what you all think. And im open to constructive critacism (if thats how you spell it)
(http://img65.echo.cx/img65/7118/ascf00022jh.jpg)
(http://img226.echo.cx/img226/9586/ascf00042nr.jpg)
(http://img231.echo.cx/img231/9803/ascf00017wx.jpg)
(http://img234.echo.cx/img234/1162/ascf00054gh.jpg)
(http://img93.echo.cx/img93/5201/ascf00078wc.jpg)
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17/06/05
The other night the weather was good and the wife was out so i decided to do a few jobs. I replaced the broken exhaust rubbers for new tight ones which straightened the tailpipe out and stopped it wobbling about. While i was at it i decided to polishe the tip with some autosolve which brought it back to its former shiney glory. I also decided to install my new blue led dash lights and heater pannel. I dont have my own digi camera so ive only got pics i took on my phone at he moment.
(http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/3861/dashlights3tc.jpg)
(http://img67.echo.cx/img67/5149/exhaust6dq.jpg)
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When i got the car back from the bodyshop they could not get the rear wiper to park propperly so left it off. I decided to have a look after reading a post on this site. Armed with my new multimeter i set to work. I soon found a broken wire when i pulled back the tailgate boot. After soldering it back together and seting up the motor and linkage, which i might add was a pain in the arse, i now have a working lay flat rear wiper.
(http://img237.echo.cx/img237/140/wires9en.jpg)
This is the position the mech had to be in order for the wiper to lay flat and work
(http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/9719/wipermech31lf.jpg)
(http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/752/wipermech28dw.jpg)
(http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/182/wipermech6pc.jpg)
(http://img153.echo.cx/img153/2097/back2wx.jpg)
I also installed the bonnet insulation i bought ages ago. This didnt last long though. For a start it looked crap and the metal rods that you attach it to the bonnet put small nipple like dents right in the middle of my bonnet! I was not best pleased but thankfully the bodyshop removed them free of charge and you would never even know they were there. Plus it didnt do much, i was hoping it would act as sound deadening but it didnt work. I took it to the Leeds show to see if i could sell it but put in under the car and forgot about it. It was only when we were half way home we remembered. Come to think of it i can remember somebody beeping as i drove off but didnt think they were beeping at me. lol Nevermind.
(http://img7.echo.cx/img7/191/bonnetinsulation4gy.jpg)
Ive also tidied around in the engine bay. I fitted a twin take off power rhor in order to do away with the T piece for the LPG feed. Doing this meant i had to rework the pipe work for the idle control valve as it now attaches underneath the intake hose. It was a bit of a faf on but i got there in the end after robbing some hose from the oil breather. I also did away with the plastic trumpet that runs acros the front of the intake manifold and replaced it with crome pipe. There are 2 of these as there is also one for the LPG feed. Looks Good. Just need to get the polished manifold and rocker cover on to match now.
(http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/1622/image0007yn.jpg)
(http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/1440/image0017ye.jpg)
(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/1795/image0025bj.jpg)
(http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/5838/image0036kt.jpg)
(http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/627/image0040xx.jpg)
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28th June 2005
Well the Leeds show was great. I really enjoyed it! I kinda wish i hadnt entered the show and shine though cos i had to stay at the car waiting for the judge when i really wanted to put it on the club stand. Nevermind maybee next year. Was nice to put faces and names to cars and nicknames also. Had a good look at the TVR/Golf and asked plenty of questions. I even had a sit in it! :laugh: Not what y'd call practical but i wouldent say no to a go!
Me and the wife spent all day saturday polishing the car ready for the show. It came up better than my expectations, with a totaly flat mirror finish with such a deep black, well chuffed! :smiley: The only problem is i dont own a camera so couldent take any pictures :cry: So if anyone at the show took any i would be very gratefull if you could send me a copy.
Heres a couple i found on other forums. Not sure why people only took pictures of the back? :huh:
(http://img237.echo.cx/img237/7052/back6ui.jpg)
(http://img232.echo.cx/img232/287/backside9bw.jpg)
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1st July 2005
Well i topped the oil up and overfilled it. I thought nothing of it till i opened up the bonnet the next day. Because i robbed half of the oil breather hose it no longer connects to anything. To put a long story short oil ejaculated everywhere! So back to the drawing board. My plan is to use some more chrome pipe to point the oil breather at the floor allowing any excess oil to splutter all over the ground rather than my clean ish engine bay. Hopefully will have that done this weekend.
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4th July 2005
Well at the weekend i sorted out the oil breather hose by adding some chrome pipe and pointing it directly at the floor. Seems to do the trick. I also fixed my interior light which was constantly on even when the doors were closed. Dont ask me how i fixed it i just did! :smiley: It was one of them problems that go away after you take it apart and put it back together again. So now that the interior light is working again i thought it be a good time to install a lights left on buzzer. Not that i need one cos i never do that! :grin: Anyway it was dead easy and quick to do. All i did was pull out the light switch and with a multimeter find a wire that was live when the ignition was off and the lights on. There were actually a few but i decided to use the Blue\Grey one. I took off the undertray and found this wire under the dash near the fuseboard. I soldered the live wire of the buzzer onto this wire. Then i soldered the negative wire of the buzzer to the ground of the door switch wire brown\white which you can just see poking through. And thats it! So now when i leave my lights on and open any door i get a really anoying buzz, does the trick alright!
(http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/4014/image0002xj.jpg)
(http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/8117/image0025qs.jpg)
(http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/4356/image0018ki.jpg)
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6th July 2005
I dont know what to say really. Bugger might sum it up polightley. I got in the car the other night and set off. I only got about 200 meters down the road when we all started choking on the smoke pouring from the dash. I imediately grabbed the screwdriver i had left in the door pocked and started stripping the bottom of the dash off. Luckily there was no fire. Since then pretty much all of my electrics dont work. The only working things seem to be the sidelights, brake lights, indicators and dash lights. Oh and the stereo (still got tunes). The car still drives fine exept in the rain its really hard to see with no wipers and blowers to clear the mist as i found out on my way to work this morning. Last night in the pouring rain i had a look and there are 2 wires that are affected. Its the yellow one that goes from the fuse board to the steering columb and light switch, but mainly the other side of this yellow wire that goes from the fuse board all the way through the bulk head, under the airbox and to the headlight loom. When it comes out near the headlight it connects to some kind of ceramic pipe about 10cm long then doubles back on itself back to the fusebox. Its totaly crispy and has burnt pretty much all of the insulation off. I had a go last night and replaced the wire but had no luck so i suspect it has affected other wires too. So im gonna take it to a local auto electrician when i get the chance.
As the burnt out wires are connected in some way to the headlight switch i fear it might have something to do with the buzzer i installed. So much for an easy job! I hope it doesent cost too much to fix as i really dont have any money this month and payday is a long way off! I would of took pictures to show you all but i was dirty and very wet so couldent be bothered! :tongue:
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7th July 2005
I dropped the car off with the auto electrician last night. Hopefully it wasnt stolen as the area is a bit dodgy. The guy is real strange, we all call him the ghost as he looks like one but is real good at what he does. He is going to ring me this morning and let me know the damage. Fingers crossed it aint too bad and will be done today.
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Just called the ghost, its the ignition power switching relay that has also burnt out. Which makes sense as its all the ignion devices that are not working. He is going to replace this and re-wire it. He did mention that the rest of the wiring is a bit of a mess and could do with being replaced but i will discuss this with him later. Im not that surprised really as the car is about 17 years old. While hes working on it i have asked him to wire up the lights left on warning buzzer, this way i know its been done right and not by some monkey with a soldering iron.
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8th July 2005
I didnt get the car back that night as a slight snag was encountered. The full story is this. The cause of the problem was down to the dim/dip wire rubbing on the chassis over 17 years causing the insulation to rub away and the wire to short out on the bare metal. This wire burt out also taking with it the ingition relay and wire as well as the columb switch for the main beam. The contact in the columb stalk got that hot that it melted the plastic and sunk down a few mill breaking the contact. So i need a new stalk, time to upgrade to a mk3 set i think which im going to buy from a local breakers tonight. I could have possibly had the car back last night but i decided to ask him to sort out a few other things while hes there.
1. The fog lights are currently connected to the main beam and need to be moved to their own circuit.
2. The angel eyes are powered from 1 sidelight as the other side was dead so i just ran a wire across.
You should have seen the guys face when i told him about these 2 bodge jobs :grin:
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11 July 2005
Got the car back from the auto electrician friday night costing a grand total of £125 which i thought was a bit steep as he hadnt even done the extras id asked him to. Dont ask me why, like i said hes a bit strange. I think next time i will try the other sparky in town.
As usual i got a few jobs done at the weekend. Firstly the car was in desperate need of a wash as it had been parked under a tree at the auto electricians and was covered in bird poo and sticky leaves plus last weeks road grime. So in the blazing sun i gave it a wash which turned out to be a total disaster because as soon as i wet the paint the heat dried it leaving nasty streaks everywhere. Eventually i got it to a reasonable streak free state. That was it for saturday as the wife wanted to go out somewhere.
So sunday afternoon i was allowed to do a few jobs before tea. Priority 1 on the list was to sort the idle out. Ive been cutting out at lights etc lately. I was armed with the instructions i found on the site about setting the idle and co2 level. This wasnt so simple though as when i got the petrol idle sorted the LPG idle was far too high. I settled for a happy medium for now just by altering the idle screw and removing the adjuster from the LPG pipe. I couldent alter the co2 as i didnt have a long allen key. The LPG is running far too rich at present so when i go to get the tank moved in the boot to allow for my planned ICE install i will ask them to set up the fueling propperly.
While trying to set the idle i noticed that my rocker cover gasket is leaking. Luckily i already have a new one waiting to go on when i eventually swap the intake manifolds and rocker cover for the polished set i bought ages ago. Unfortunately its leaking directly onto the exhaust manifold which could cause a fire so the sooner i do it the better i think.
Other than that i just tidied up my wires under the dash ready to put the under tray back on.
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18/07/2005
I got bored while waiting to pick my wife up from work and found a screwdriver. I decided to attack my dash! 10 mins later i had removed everything including my clocks. The reason for this is that i want to replace all the illumination for blue LED's. Ive already had a bash at doing the various switches which are 90% done but i also wanted to figure out an effective way of iluminating the clocks. Ive seen other peoples where the bulbs were replaced for LED's but wasnt that impressed. After some trial and error i came up with a result i was happy with.
I removed the plastic bulb holder and green film completely. I then pointed 2 frosted LED's directly at the dial faces and glued them in place with my gluegun. Then to brighten up things and iluminate the remainder of the console i used 2 non frosted directional LED's in each corner pointing across to the opposite corners. I then wired them all up to the origional contacts for the standard bulbs with my trusty soldering iron. Its all a bit tricky and fiddly but the result i think is worth it. Here is a little diagram and some poor quality pictures i took while driving.
(http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/7773/consolediagram1vp.jpg)
Daytime
(http://img275.imageshack.us/img275/6200/clocksday0cj.jpg)
Night
(http://img316.imageshack.us/img316/8697/clocksnight21ua.jpg)
(http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/4250/clocksnight2ig.jpg)
This is where i bought the LED's from. They come with the resisor already fixed.
http://www.ultraleds.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=44&products_id=750&osCsid=cd5fd879d725033e56847914efd60eb6
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18/07/2005
I got a few other bits and pieces done also at the weekend. Mainly i sorted my running problems out. I managed to rob a few bits and pieces from the scrappy while i was purchasing a new mfa stalk. I got a load of boot clips to fill the mystery holes in the dash. i also got a new oil breather hose which cured the idle problems.
But the bigest shock i had this weekend was when my wife told me those imortal words IM PREGNANT
Turns out shes actually 3 months pregnant! Im happy but very shocked! We dont even have a home! And we wanted to go traveling. Bugger! but yey! Im confused? How did that happen? Whos the dad? Where do babies come from? How much do they cost? can you give them back if you dont like them?
HELP!
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20/7/05
It turns out you can also change the colour of the MFA! Have a look on the following link, they make it sound so easy. Belive me its not!
http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/tech/Techtips/ATStechnotes/clusterlights/clusterlights.htm
What they dont show you on the picture is that you have to take the rev counter dial off completely to get to the mfa screws. All in all you have to take the whole thing completely apart! Once its apart there is a green film between the 2 parts of the MFA display. Chuck this in the bin and put it all back together.
(http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/tech/Techtips/ATStechnotes/clusterlights/pics/p1240080.jpg)
And dont do what i did and realize you forgot 2 screws meaning the whole thing had to come apart for the second time! Once its all back together its time to start modding. Simply replacing the standard bulb for a blue LED will not give the desired effect. Again this is because LEDS are directional and the light needs to be aimed sideways at each bit of perspex that sticks out and not straight ahead at the circuit board.
(http://www.vintagewatercooleds.com/tech/Techtips/ATStechnotes/clusterlights/pics/p1240077.jpg)
So i used 2 LEDS and glued one pointing left and one pointing right then soldered them directly to the origional bulb holder contacts on the back of the unit.
The result is better than expected! Ive got a really bright blue MFA and you can still clearly read the black writing at night or in daylight! I havent yet got pics but watch this space!
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21/07/05
:cool: As promised the finished article! :cool:
(http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/882/dashcomplete5es.jpg)
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/7266/dashcompleteclose3mf.jpg)
(http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/2114/dsc002041qk.opt.jpg)
(http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/7527/dsc002057jh.opt.jpg)
What do you think?
Ive also been replacing the standard bulbs in all my switches. Here is one of the electric window switches complete.
(http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/2452/dsc002016py.opt.jpg)
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25/07/2005
Well at the weekend i made a start on installing my stero. I decided to run the high power speaker cable down the centre of the car as it makes it easier to keep them the same length. So to do this i removed all the chairs. I also removed the door cards in order to pull the cables through the grommet to the doors. And also the undertrays on both sides of the dash and the centre console. So by this point the interior of the car is pretty bare and im lying on nothing but carpet. I got a few funny remarks as people passed like "i hope you know what your doing"
The trouble with me is that when i come across something else that needs sorting i leave the 1st thing i started and move onto the new thing. At one point i was onto my 4th job when i hadnt even finished the 1st. Ive been getting winged at by the wife for months now about a cold draught coming from the footwell in the passenger side. So while it was all apart i decided to have a look. The blower motor was not clipped up properly and was hanging down at the back. It turns out the clip was snapped. So i removed the whole unit and glued the whole thing together with the glue gun. Its now sealed tight and should never come apart again!
So at the moment the car is still in a million pieces but its not a problem cos ive nicked my dads audi a2 cos hes on holiday! Yey free fuel! Im moving onto the mx5 when the diesel runs out on the a2. See how i left the mx5 as a last resort! lol :grin:
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1/8/05
Well after getting back in the golf after driving the A2 things feel a bit heavier but its soooooooooo much more fun to drive than any new car! Its still in pieces cos ive decided to do a propper job while im at it. Im going to dyna mat the whole of the doors before i put them back together but im a little low on funds so might have to wait till next month to complete this. :cry: Which means im gonna be driving without tunes for a month. Ive ordered all new drilled and grooved disks and green stuff pads which should arive on Wednesday. As soon as there on its straight to the MOT centre as it ran out last month and i didnt realize. :shocked: And then when thats done i have to run to the post office and tax it as that run out today! Funny thing is i havent had a renewal letter for the tax. I will just hope and pray i dont pass any tax cameras or get stoped by the boys in blue. Hey y gotta live dangerously some times, makes y feel alive! :grin:
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Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo i so wanna chrome my wheels!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v221/D_rack_gli/DSCF1231.jpg)
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05/08/05
MOT time has come and gone so i thought i better put the car in before the boys in blue pull me and lock me up. I knew i needed new disks on the front and my rears were pretty shabby too so i ordered a full set of drilled and grooved disks combined with a set of ABC green stuff pads.
(http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/1486/disks3ln.jpg)
I changed the fronts no problem but the rears are a different story. I got the old rear disk off and removed the 2 bearings. But when i put the bearings in the new disks they were not a snug fit and pretty much rattled around. Has anybody else come accross this? I dont know if the disks i got are the wrong ones or im doing something wrong like not removing a shim from the old disk. Anyway i put the car in for MOT last night hoping and praying that it wouldent need too much work as i have no money to shell out on it. To my delight it only needs 1 bottom ball joint. Gonna order it today so hopefully will have it done by saturday. When i was doing the disks i noticed that my cv boot had a split in it so im gonna give changing that a go too. When they did the emisions test it was running on LPG and they were far too high, which had me worried but i flicked over to petrol and it passed with flying colours.
Prices
Ball joint = £17.80
2x CV Boots = 27.38
Total = £45.18 Not bad to get through an MOT.
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08/08/05
On saturday i put in a 13 hour shift on the car 10:30am till 11:30pm. I was totaly knackered when finished! :tongue: I needed to replace a ball joint for the MOT. I figured while i had it in bits i might as well replace both CV boots as the drivers side one was split and also fit the Polly bush kit i bought ages ago. So here goes...
Firstly i stripped the suspension down so that the major components were apart
(http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/631/01sideview3ae.jpg)
(http://img336.imageshack.us/img336/9527/02allapart7cr.jpg)
P.S Here a pic of my new G60 disks. A bit oily but thats becase i was absolutely filthy! I Looked like a ying yang sign! :grin:
(http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/5791/02g60disk1js.jpg)
I then replace the ball joint with this nice new one. The old one was totaly shot!
(http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/7600/03balljoint2ac.jpg)
While i was there i though i may as well take a pic of my KONI coil overs. There so dirty! I hope if i ever need to adjust the height the rings will still turn. Im planning on going lower once i fold the front arces. Apart from the muck they still seem to be in good condition.
(http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3061/04coilover2nr.jpg)
Heres the new CV boot installed. This should be an easy job if you know what your doing or have a haynes. I didnt! I spent ages trying to figure out how to remove the CV in order to fit the new boot. It turns out you just belt it with a hammer and it pops off. Wish i knew that before i spent an hour trying to do it gently. Oh well got there in the end.
(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/4541/06cvboot1nv.jpg)
Right next on the list was to install the anti roll bar polly bushes. In order to do this you need to drop the engine bed about 2 inches. This sounds drastic but its not really, i supported the engine bed with my trolley jack as you can just see in the pic above. Then there is one bolt either side that you need to remove. This is accessed through the centre of the wishbone with a long socket. Once there out then very carefully and slowly lower the trolley jack about 2 inches. Only go about 2 inches otherwise you will end up with your engine on the floor and your car in the air! Here is a pic of my wonky engine after i lowered the engine bed on the passenger side.
(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/2199/07wonkyengine0du.jpg)
You should now be able to undo all nuts for the anti roll bar and replace the bushes. Sound easy but can be difficult as the new polly ones dont have much give and you gotta squah em in tight. A few swear words later and some gentle perswasion i.e Big Hammer and it should look something like this.
(http://img342.imageshack.us/img342/822/07antirollbar8vj.jpg)
Next was the bushes in the wishbone. Again not an easy job unless you have a press, which again i didnt. First you gotta get the old ones out! I pretty much cut, drilled, burned, swore the rubber centres out. Then i had to cut a line across the shell thats pushed into the wishbone then hammer a screwdriver inbetween it and the wishbone then bend it out. Now your ready to push the new polly ones in. Sound easy doesent it. Well its not. I got the fatest man i could find (step father in law) to jump up and down on them till they were in. Took a few attempts but got there in the end. P.S the lube supplied works a treat if you remember to use it! Heres a before and after shot.
(http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/6641/08wishbonebefore1bz.jpg)
(http://img336.imageshack.us/img336/7053/09wishbonesafter6ao.jpg)
(http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1381/10wishbonecloselargepolly7vt.jpg)
The smaller one is much easier to press in place as it comes in 2 halfes. I managed by hand.
(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8166/11wishboneclosesmallpolly5zg.jpg)
Now i just needed to put it all back together. This is the point where i thought id lost 2 bolts and spent neary an hour looking for them only to realise i was being thick.
(http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8986/12wishbonein1xk.jpg)
I thought i had lost the 2 that go through the smaller bush but realized i already had them because they were the same 2 that held the lower strut brake on. Dur! :laugh:
(http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/4742/13wishbonecompleteplusstrutbra.jpg)
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Next was replacing the bushes on the bit that holds the anti roll bar to the wishbone. Was easy enought to get the old rubber bits out but getting the new polly centre in was a bit more tricky. A bit of perswasion with some adjustable grips and leverage with a screwdriver did the trick.
(http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/4868/14arbcomplete3ra.jpg)
(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8257/15arbcomplete14iv.jpg)
While rolling around under the car i noticed my drivers side drive shaft was loose. The 5 or 6 bolts that connect it to the gearbox were completely loose, not even finger tight!
And thats it all done! Took 13 hours due to the amount of work involved and seized bolts and various problems. But got there in the end and am very happy with the results. The ride is allot more reponsive and feels much more solid on the road. Sorting out the loose driveshaft has also made changing gear allot more smoother as there is now no play inbetween gear changes. As far as handling goes i havent tested it that much as im still bedding in my brakes but so far so good! :smiley:
While i was snapping away with the camera phone i thought i would show you all the LPG system. Its very basic really. Heres the 50 litre tank in the boot which im going to move to the centre up against the chairs to make way for my subs and amps.
(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/3646/16gastank9zt.jpg)
(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/7375/17lpgtank4rg.jpg)
The next main component controls the flow of gas and also heats it up using the engine coolant system in order to transform it from liquid to gas.
(http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/1984/18lpgevaporator8yu.jpg)
Then basicly it is injected direct into the intake hose. I bought a twin take off power rhor for this part and re located the idle control hose underneath.
(http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/4974/19powerrhor9dw.jpg)
Last but not least is the little controller that connects to the metering head. This basicly cuts the fuel supply when running on LPG
(http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/1557/meteringhead3xc.jpg)
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09/08/05
Well before i go through all the trouble of sending the rear disks back because they dont fit i decided to double check to make sure i hadnt missed anything. So last night after i had my tea i went back out to the garage to strip the rear disk off again and compare.
(http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/4981/01comparison5gb.jpg)
Side by side they both look identical. On closer inspection after wiping away all the grease i could see that the old disk had some sort of shim inside on the back and front side.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/02Shim1.jpg)
(http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/7360/03shim26is.jpg)
Usually you would need some special tool or press to get these out but i managed with a hammer and screwdriver. Tapping one side then another from the inside i eventually managed to remove the front and rear shims in one piece and undamaged.
(http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/8895/04shimout16yx.jpg)
(http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/8369/05shimout24qd.jpg)
With the help of some lube a large socket and a scateboard wheel i was able to hammer the shims into the new disks, again much to my surprise un-damaged! So now i was able to reasemble the whole brake assembly with my new green stuff pads.
(http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/7747/06newdiskinstalled2hn.jpg)
By this time it had gone dark and i still had the other side to do. I hate working in the dark so decided to pack up and do the other side at 1st light in the morning. 1st light happened to be 5am so here i am working away on my car at 5 in the morning like some kind of looney. As always the second time you do something its much easier and i was all done and packed away for 7am ready to jump in the shower and get ready for work. This didnt seem that strange to me but everyone thinks im mad for doing so. Maybe i do have a un-healthy addiction to my car. If i had the choice i would work on it 24/7!
Here is a pic of the rear coil overs which i hope will adjust when i come to lowering the car some more.
(http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/6923/07rearcoilovers7vk.jpg)
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15/08/05
Didnt do much this weekend. I washed the car for the 1st time in ages. Also put the undertrays back on the dash. I also decided to loosly install my new 3000 watt mono amp and 1 12" sub as im sick of music with no bass. Oh and i had to brake into the car! I was busy working in the boot when our kitten did a run for freedom out the front door and across the busy road. So i dropped my keys and shut the boot and ran after her. However my alarm locks the doors for you automaticly if you forgot and yes my keys were in the boot! And ive lost my spare and only have 1 alarm fob! So i spent ages with a coat hanger down the door trying to lift the lock. This didnt work so i turned my attention to the rear window. Turns out you can slowly peel bend the seal back with kitchen knives then remove the glass. Took a while but got there in the end with no damage to the car at all. BLOODY CAT!
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06/09/05
At the weekend i flushed my coolant system as it has never been done while i have owned the car and the water was a murky brown colour. I came across something strange which im hoping somebody can shed some light on for me.
1st i took off the top and bottom radiator hoses, after the water stopped pouring out i put the hosepipe in the top then bottom to push out all dirt.
(http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/9273/image0134xb.jpg)
I then took off the following hozes. This one at the front of the engine that connects to the solid metal pipe.
(http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/2848/image0041jc.jpg)
This hoze on the side of the block under the dizzy.
(http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/9540/image0117eq.jpg)
And also the 2 hozes connecting to the header tank. I then put the hozepipe down every disconnected hoze and in every hole that hozes connected too. After a short while the water coming out runs clear and you know you have got all the gunk out. While the header tank was disconnected i took it inside and gave it a good scrub, came up quite clean in the end.
(http://img387.imageshack.us/img387/1909/image0120wx.jpg)
All that is left to do now is to re connect all hozes and fill up the system. To fill up i used a ready mixed coolant/distilled water mix that i bought from Tesco, i wouldnt usually buy coolant from tesco but it was the only place open on a sunday afternoon. To fill i poured the water in the header tank till full and left for a couple of mins for the level to drop. I repeated this till the level stopped dropping. I then started the engine and with the header tank cap still off kept an eye on the coolant level and topped up each time it dropped. Eventually the fan will kick in and if the coolant level is fine when the fan stops then you can put the cap on and your done. Just keep some water with you and check your level for the next day or so in case it drops.
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Now for the bit i cant understand, the rubber hoze in the pic below had a round bolt shoved up it with a jubile clip round it thus blocking the hose. I cant understand why? This hoze seems to be some kind of bypass that runs from the right hand side of the engine block to the front metal pipe that feeds the oil cooler and pump. Does anybody have any theories on why this hoze was blocked, PM if you do please. Anyway ive removed the bolt to see what happens. So far my temp is fine and the only difference is that my oil pressure buzzer keeps coming on, but im pretty sure this is just because i caught the yellow wire and broke it away from the spade connector. Ive had a quick go at re connecting it but with no joy, im gonna get the soldering iron out tonight and solder it on good and propper. Hopefully the anoying buz will go away and i can drive to work in peace.
(http://img380.imageshack.us/img380/2848/image0041jc.jpg)
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12/09/05
Another weekend of activity and a few more jobs done. Firstly i replaced my oil pressure sensor with one i aquired from my local breakers, and voila the buzz has gone! Thank goodness, it was driving me mad! I think the old one was working intermittently.
(http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/3339/oilpressuresensor2mx.jpg)
I also decided to investigate one of the reasons why my back end slides out in the wet. The Rear brake pressure regulator or byas valve. This works by increasing the power of the rear brakes when there is more weight in the rear of the car. However in a car that has been lowered it thinks that there are people in the back when they are not and applies too much braking power to the rear disks, this can result in rear wheel lock up at the most inapropriate times and you will be facing the wrong way before you know it! NOT GOOD!
To locate the regulator look underneath the car on the passanger side in front of the rear wheel and you should see this.
(http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/9921/regulator3kt.jpg)
The regulator works as follows. When there is more weight in the car and the body is closer to the ground the arm shown in the bottom left of the picture below moves towards the ground. This pulls on the spring which is hidden behind the chassis arm which in turn pulls the regulator valve together. Closing this valve allows more pressure to be applied to the rear brakes resulting in greater braking power.
(http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/357/movement7xn.jpg)
Now in order for the regulator to work correctly the 2 ends of the valve shown below must be fully open or apart from each other as much as possible when the car is sat flat on the ground (i.e do not check this when the car is jacked up!)
(http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/2441/regulator19bq.jpg)
In order to adjust you will need to release the spring that runs from the regulator to the adjustor bracket. To do this simply undo or loosen the bolt that holds it to the arm.
(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6438/image0236lh.jpg)
(http://img335.imageshack.us/img335/1876/image0222mh.jpg)
However! If your anything like me and your car is very low you will find that there isnt enough adjustment left in order for the valve to be fully open when the car is sat flat on the ground (i.e not jacked up). But there is a solution! And a free one at that!
Un hook the spring at both ends and remove from the car. The adjuster arm end is easy done as its just one bolt but the regulator end is a bit more tricky as its held on with the following clip. But with a bit of gentle perswasion it should eventually pop off.
(http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/7439/image0204am.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Image018.jpg)
While everything is apart its a good idea to check that the regulator valve opens and closes freely, if not then grease up good and propper till it does.
In order to get more adjustment the spring needs to be stretched longer. As standard it will look like this
(http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/6992/image0251mq.jpg)
The spring was far too hard to stretch by hand so i used the standard scissor jack. Hook one end through the hole in the top of the jack and secure the other end in the ridge on the foot of the jack.
(http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/8666/image0264no.jpg)
Then get winding! But be carefull! You really dont want the spring to come flying off into your eye! That might hurt a little! To minimize the risk i did all winding inside a wheely bin. Sounds daft but not as daft as loosing an eye! By the way i wasnt inside a wheely bin, just my hands were. :grin:
(http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/5010/image0282qd.jpg)
Dont go overboard with the winding, you dont want a spring stretched a mile long! Wind out then back in a few times checking the result, your looking for a finished article like this.
(http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/2070/image0299fg.jpg)
In the process one end of the spring was bent out of shape but this was easy fixed by bashing it against the floor with a hammer! Technical eh! :smiley:
(http://img397.imageshack.us/img397/1122/image0302ah.jpg)
Now its time to put it all back together. In the style of Haynes - Refitting is a reversal of the removal! The tricky part though is re securing the spring to the adjuster arm while the car is flat on the ground. Remember the bias valve must be fully open when the car is sat flat on the ground! So hold the valve open and secure the spring to the arm.
That should be about it, all done! Hopefully you wont have any more brown pants moments when taking corners or braking hard.
(http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/8546/image0317jt.jpg)
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07/11/05
Right its been a long time since i posted on here due to a house move and illness etc. I havent really done anything with the car for months but came accross these pics last night on my bro in laws phone so thought id post them. They were taken the day i got the car back from the body shop.
(http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/444/benzgolf3hd.jpg)
(http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/1005/chromies7wv.jpg)
(http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/9370/golf6qz.jpg)
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21/11/05
I did something daft! :cry: I was adjusting the pressure for the LPG and over did it a little resulting in part of my intake hose blowing off. Since then the car will not idle correctly and it is very lumpy when coming back down the revs. So i fugured its got to be something on the idle or intake side of things. 1st i checked all hozes which were fine. Then i cleaned out the ISV with carb cleaner. P.S ive never used carb cleaner before, i was well impressed, top stuff! Ive bought 3 tins now. :grin: All in all these checks and stuff didnt fix the problem and now my battery is dead and i dont have a charger. So i went and bought one from the local motor shop at a bargain price of £15 for a heavy duty unit. So when i was poking around some more i noticed my far right injector was very wobbly compared to the others. It pulled out real easy, and the small O ring was snapped in 2. A ha!
While i had it all in bits and the car in the garage i decided now was as good a time as any to fit my polished rocker cover and 52mm intake manifolds that ive had for nearly a year. So i started stripping it all down. Once it was all apart i also found that the injector seat had disintegrated, which was another reason why the injector was not a snug fit. Not to worry though cos the new manifold had new injector seats already on it. While the rocker cover was off i tested the cam chain which seemed nice and tight and also the cams did not show any sign of wear on the lobes which is very good for an engine which may have done 180k.
While ive got the chance i have also decided to take all my injectors to the local bosch centre to have them cleaned and tested. As they are mechanical injectors it only costs £6 +vat each to have done and that includes new seals! If any are faulty i will replace them all with new merc ones. Apparently they cant be fixed as the pindle is just a basic spring operated setup.
So far i have put the new cam cover on complete with a full new rubber gasket set. The old cam cover was completely loose! All the bolts were not even finger tight! Im not surprised it leaked a little. Ive also cleaned all intakes and throttel body with carb cleaner to clear any grease and grime.
Now ive just gotta take the injectors tomorow and pick up a few new seals and stuff from vw.
Sorry for the lack of pics, i did take loads and loads but like a mong i deleted them all off my phone by mistake. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :angry: But i will take more tonight of the progress so far.
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22/11/05
As promised here are some pics.
1st some shots of things done before anything was put back together.
The pic below shows the old lower intake manifold with the broken injector seat.
(http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/8301/brokeninjectorseat5xv.jpg)
Here is a quick shot of my 4 branch stainless manifold. I Checked all the bolts holding it to the head while i had good access and found that nearly all were loose. I think from now on im gonna do all work myself no matter how big a job it is so that i know its done right! Bloody mechanic!
(http://img345.imageshack.us/img345/7687/4branch4xh.jpg)
This shot shows a couple of the intakes on the head. Can you see how there is a scored part in the centre. Is this bad? If anyone knows then please let me know. What would cause this?
(http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/3282/intakehead6jz.jpg)
Here is the new lower intake complete with new gaskets, even though only 1 new gasket is shown i did use a new one for the bottom too.
(http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/4047/lowerintake7cj.jpg)
You can see the bottom gasket in this shot
(http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5185/bottomgasket0rr.jpg)
Here is my now clean throttle complete with 2 new gaskets.
(http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/1439/throttle8nd.jpg)
Now for some pics after i started putting it all back together
1st the rocker cover was installed with all new rubber seals and half moon blocks
(http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/447/rocker18dj.jpg)
(http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/9824/rocker28ho.jpg)
And another shot showing the manifold and also my quick shifter. Notice how the weighted rod is installed upside down. This allows for a smoother movement as it connect with less of an angle to the gearbox.
(http://img502.imageshack.us/img502/2593/4branchandquickshift5uc.jpg)
Then the new lower intake manifold was installed. In this shot you can also see the new half moon seals installed.
(http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/9899/dsc002148dm.jpg)
(http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/4577/lowerinstalled5vy.jpg)
(http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/5498/frontshot3mo.jpg)
(http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/7344/topshot5qj.jpg)
Then i fitted the cam cover and found 2 bolts to hold it that were previously missing.
(http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/7379/camcover4ta.jpg)
(http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/4196/camcovertop4wp.jpg)
I also removed all the injectors to take them to the bosch centre tonight. Also VW have just rang me to let me know that the other parts i ordered have arrived. More updates later. I hope after all this work it fixes my problem! :undecided:
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23/11/05
Last night i just got to the bosch centre in time with the injectors. I had an interesting discussion with him about the whole 2 litle conversion. It turns out they have a rolling road and will be able to check everything over for me and get the motor running perfect. He also seemed to know what he was talking about when it came to the LPG setup. Also their price is no different to my other local RR centre and ive used them before and was more than happy with the service. So its going there once its all back together.
Last night i spent a few more hours putting it all back together and cleaning parts. Here is my progress so far.
(http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/9914/manifold1vo.jpg)
(http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/8890/manifoldtop6st.jpg)
This shot shows the rear fixing bracket for the manifold and my special tool i used to make it fit. :grin:
(http://img322.imageshack.us/img322/3556/rearbracket7si.jpg)
Then on was the intake boot and idle control valve and the 5th injector and the WUR fuel lines.
(http://img323.imageshack.us/img323/3739/intakeboot3od.jpg)
(http://img343.imageshack.us/img343/3329/isv7bp.jpg)
(http://img421.imageshack.us/img421/5504/wur7yf.jpg)
1 by one im cleaning the fuel lines which is a right pain but will be worth it in the end. More updates tomorow.
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25/11/05
Got the injectors back last nigh. They were all running fine, so have had a good clean and new seals where needed. So hopefully it will all be back up and running tonight. Fingers crossed! :undecided:
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29/11/05
Well well well..... Got it all back together and had problems starting. So i got some jump leads from a friend. Still no joy! Then a guy down the road came and started to help. Turns out the 1st plug was drenched. So cleaned that up and brum brum the engine started. But dont get y hopes up, cos it didnt keep running. It seems that the origional fault was still there. So much for my diagnosis! :cry: Oh well, at least i got the polished manifolds on. So i rang a local ish Bosch centre who i had used before and was very impressed with and booked the motor in. So me and a mate towed the car in a snow blizard round country roads and a couple of dual carrige ways. Very very scary! :shocked:
Just got a call now from the garage and they have fixed the problems. Easy as that when you know how! :grin: Turns out the air mass meter needed re-setting (didnt even know it had one) And the timing needed doing which i suspected was the case as its been pinking. Its also got a water leak on the LPG vaporiser but i think this is just a jubilee clip.
While its there i asked them to plonk it on the rollers and test the fueling side of things to make sure the k-jet system can cope with a 2 litre conversion. They will also be able to get me a long awaited bhp figure.
So at the mo i only have a few finished pics of the manifolds for you all to feast your eyes on. At least it looks good! :smiley:
(http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3189/12tn2.jpg)
(http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/9861/23zy2.jpg)
(http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/4121/30ut.jpg)
(http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1700/45go.jpg)
(http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7292/52tp.jpg)
Also this hose had collapsed so i replaced it with a propper elbow joint hose which was kindly donated by my kind neighbor who also said i can use his equipment anytime etc. Hey hey! He will never be able to get rid of me now!
(http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2258/vacumehose1tl.jpg)
I also replaced all the vacume hoses going to these little gizmos. I have no idea what they do like.
(http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/911/mysteryitem5uv.jpg)
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01/12/05
Well i got it back last night and all is good in the world again. It runs very well and idles very nice for once in its life. Theres still a few odd jobs to do though. I need to sort out a coolant leak on one of the lpg vaporiser hozes. I also need to trim a vacume hose and fit it correctly. I need to swap my wheels for my winter set as my tires are illegal. And the battery could also do with a charge.
My starter motor is also very dodgy now. Its taken quite a hammering lately trying to get the motor started and i thinks its starting to give up. Hopefully it will just need a service.
So ive nicked some of them rubber gloves from the petrol station and hope to have it all done tonight ready to go to Oasis in the morning.
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6/12/05
Right back from my short break and have a little update. I crashed on the way home and wrote the car off. :cry: Only Joking! :grin: Nah all is good. I sorted the water leak which turned out just to be a crap jubilee clip not holding the hose propperly. Charged the battery and changed my wheels. It sits well low now its back on the 15's. Will get some pics for ya all after i wash it. Its absolutely caked in muck after my motorway journeys. Hopefully it will come back to its former shine after a good wash. But now it also seems that my fan has stopped working. I have no idea why so will put a post up in the mk2 section.
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12/12/05
Well i eventually gave the car a quick wash this weekend. I also sorted out my problem with my radiator fan not coming on and the engine overheating. Turns out it was just an air lock, or was it? All will be explained. But first a funny story. I normally run around on LPG which isnt exactly a performance fuel. So once in a while i get a real big urge to switch over onto petrol and give the car a real good thrashing. This happened to be while at my parents for tea and my dad asked me to go to the local shop for a bottle or 3 of lemonade and coke. The local shop is about 2 mile away. The engine was already warm from the journey to my parents so on came the petrol! :evil: And bugger me that car is fast when it wants to be, i didnt really get proper traction till 3rd gear! And the noise it makes is quite frightening! Anyway i ended up having to go to three different shops all at warp speed cos no where had lemonade, i didnt mind though, was having great fun! Then things started to go wrong a little. Firstly it seems my radiator fan decided not to work again and i started overheating. Because of this extreme heat the motor started pinking real bad, which wasnt helped by the fact that i was running standard fuel and not optimax. Then i lost 5th gear for some bizare reason. All problems aint that bad really. I will check out the water again tonight and try and clear the air lock, which i would of had to do anyway cos i wanna take one of the matrix hozes off cos it feels like its blocked with gunk. 2 im gonna fill up with optimax next time i pass a shell garage. And then theres the 5th gear problem. Which in turn is another story.
Ive already got most of the replacement bushes for the gear linkages and a new cup and ball, so i thought now is obviously a good time to fit them. However the same night we went to see some friends and watch a video. They have 2 rabbits as house pets as she is alergic to cats and he doesent really like dogs. But everytime i go i start sneezing and my asthma starts making me wheeze. So i looked in my coat pocket for an inhaler and it wasnt there, so i thought it must be in the car. So when we left to come home i was looking around in the car and to my delight and amusement it had fallen into the gear gator on the right of the stick - hence the reason why i could not push the gear stick over to the right and select 5th! :grin: DOH! i felt very daft but none the less a little relived.
Heres some pics i took just after washing the car. Im glad it turned out shiney again and is no longer a dull brown colour.
(http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/1464/front6xf.jpg)
(http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/728/rear8hv.jpg)
(http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/3057/rearside6gh.jpg)
(http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/6880/frontsidefar3kg.jpg)
(http://img382.imageshack.us/img382/512/frontside9xi.jpg)
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14/12/05
Oh by the way. Since the starting problem when the garage re set the fueling and ignition timing my noisy tappets have silenced completely. I guess they wernt faulty after all. Which is nice.
The other night i made a quick start at soundproofing my doors. The door cards have been off for months and the sound proofing arrived ages ago so its about time i made a move. I used methalated spirits to clean the interior of the door which turned out not to be such a good idea as it leavs a bit of an oily residue behind. So i will have to do it all again. This time im gonna use an alcohol spray used to clean electrical components. I know for sure this stuff evaporates fully! I bought a roll of www.fatmat.co.uk its prety much identical except for the logo to dynamatt extreme only much cheaper. Not much to see really but you get the idea. Pics will follow when i get off my ass and finish it off. I could do with a heat gun and roller really. Will steal them from my parents house tonight if i can find them cos there on holiday and will never know. That seems to be the way ive inherited all my tools! :grin: Gonna raid the freezer too cos im skint and cant afford food!
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28/12/05
Oooooo look at the pretty snow. And my angel eyes! :grin: In real life the ring looks smaller and clearer. If only i knew how to use a camera!
(http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/1763/snow1edit9zt.jpg)
(http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/8687/snow2edit3dh.jpg)
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30/12/2005
Well with the extra cash i got over christmas ive decided to treat myself a little. Ive been planning on an in car pc for a few weeks now so decided to take the plunge and buy the most expensive part 1st - the touch screen. I opted for this little beauty on good old fea bay. Im planning on mounting it flush in the lower centre console where the ash tray and leccy windows are. I will relocate the window switches to the top part of the dash under the hazard/rear screen/fog lights.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/frontpic.jpg)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lilliput-7-Touch-Screen-XGA-VGA-TFT-Car-Monitor-2005_W0QQitemZ5847349880QQcategoryZ14946QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem
I also purchased a new temperature switch to hopefully fix my non operating radiator fan and a nice new blue coolant bottle cap cos ive heard they are better than the origionals. Ive also splashed out on these beautys from Missing Linkz to sort out my bus style gear change.
(http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/Images/A2BushingSetInstalled.jpg)
Have a look at the following link if your having dodgy gear changes. Its a good old read and can explain allot.
http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ShiftLinkage.shtml#FAQ22
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04/01/06
My screen arrived! Its exactly what i wanted really. Havent trial fitted it yet but i will make it fit no matter what! The quality is really good, most impressed i am!
(http://img285.imageshack.us/img285/1104/dsc003605wc.jpg)
(http://img287.imageshack.us/img287/8682/dsc003479rg.jpg)
(http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/1598/dsc003584tj.jpg)
I just need the pc now :grin:
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09/06/06
Well this weekend i managed to squeeze in a full days activity working on the golf. Got a few needed jobs done and some extra stuff thrown in too. Jobs that required attention were.
* Since last week the drivers door did not open from the outside.
* Radiator fan was not working and the engine overheating.
* Startor motor has been struggling to turn sometimes.
1st up was the fan. Id already tested the wiring and motor and knew they worked fine. So i ordered a new single speed switch from GSF as well as a new blue coolant bottle cap. However upon removing the dodgy switch i discovered it was actually a twin speed one with 3 connectors even though it had only ever been used as a single speed one. This meant that the new one i had ordered had a different electrical plug on it. Undetered i removed the spade connectors from the plug and pushed them onto the contacts withough the need of the plug.
(http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/1605/dsc003980du.jpg)
The blue coolant cap was bought in an attempt to fix the intermittent flashing red coolant level light on the dash. I thought while i was there that i best try cleaning up the sensor too. So i removed it from the tank and cleaned the prongs with a wire brush. I then put it back in and did it up good and tight. So far it hasnt really helped as the light is still flashing now and again. Either the sensor is dodgy or my coolant is actually a little low since i re filled the system. To be honest i havent checked yet.
(http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9213/dsc003978sc.jpg)
(http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5863/dsc003953qk.jpg)
(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/3421/dsc003940tw.jpg)
Up next was the drivers door opener. Lately ive had to squeeze the handle loads to open the door then last week it just stopped working all together. Ive been climbing over from the passenger side for days now. 1st pop out the handle insert. Then unscrew the screw that holds the handle to the door (right hand side of handle.
(http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/3527/dsc004102jt.jpg)
Then unscrew this screw on the side of the door above the lock.
(http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/7796/dsc004098gp.jpg)
It turns out that my problem is related to this crack in the handle mechanism.
(http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/9475/break7am.jpg)
I will need a donor handle from a scrappy to fix it properly but for now ive bodged a temporary solution and greased it all up to free up the movement as it was very stiff.
(http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/10/dsc004006id.jpg)
Now the starter motor problem. Basicly when hot and even when cold sometimes the starter really struggles to turn as if the battery were dead. This has been the case since i had the starting problem last month. My theory is that with all the attempted starting i have burn out part of the motor or even the main supply wire from the battery. So i started to remove the motor and take a look. Tip no 1 place a jack under the bell housing like so to take the weight of the motor becase the three bolts that hold the starter to the engine also hold the front engine mount and when removed the engine will drop forward. I didnt and got a big shock when i removed the final bolt and the engine dropped towards my head!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00389.jpg)
In total there is one long bolt from the top and 2 at the bottom underneath
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00390.jpg)
Undo the spade connectors, undo the main securing bolt and remove the 2 main power wires.
(http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/89/dsc003927yv.jpg)
With the motor removed from the car i gave it a good old testing and found no problems at all. The solonoid fired every time and the motor span no problem. So i greased it all up and put it back on the car. This made me think that it must be the main live wire so i replaced it with a piece of 8 awg audio amp wire. The wire in question is the main thick black one in the pic. So far i havent used the car enough to see if it has done the job but time will tell.
(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2399/dsc003910lk.jpg)
-
While tinkering i also decided to trial fit my replacement LPG tank. It a donut one that will sit in the spare wheel well. Im hoping it will free up allot of boot space for my stereo and carputer plus bring the centre of gravity on the rear of the car down allot and improve handling. It weighs a ton and i nearly did my back in lifting it in but i managed cos im big and strong and eat me spinach. I didnt actually manage to get it in cos the origional tank is in the way but i recon it will fit. Luckily the well is much larger than the spare wheel for some strange reason. I just need to run the lpg empty now and give the swap a go.
I almost made a start on sorting out my gear linkage but the light was fading fast so i decided to leave it for another weekend.
Last but certainly not least. As it was now coming in dark i decided it was best to move things indoors. So i whipped out my centre console and made a start with my trusty dremmel drill to make a hole for my screen. I took things real slow and steady and was very happy with the finished result a few hours later. This is what it looked like during the cutting.
(http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/5078/dsc003857vp.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00384.jpg)
Much fine tuning later the finished fit was as follows.
(http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/8159/dsc003818ko.jpg)
(http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1830/dsc003764sd.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00377.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00383.jpg)
Im happy with the result, it just needs glueing in place now with some black silicone sealant. Jobs a good un!
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10/01/06
Glued/siliconed the screen in last night. Boy that stuff stinks! I got a right gob full and nearly chucked. It doesent look to clever from the back but hey you will never see it from the front.
(http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/5784/dsc004241zc.jpg)
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16/01/06
Ive got a little story for everyone. I was on my way home from work on Friday when i came up behind an scooby. Im not sure what engine it was running cos the rear badge said 2.0 GX, so i dont think it was the turbo version. Anyway we come to a roundabout and he took the lane next to me, so i thought he was going the other way. But the next thing i knew on a long strait he was sat right up my arse! Always game for a little race i quickly flicked my fuel over to petrol (my racing juice) and floored the bugger! Much to my surprise i left him behind, quite allot behind too, that is until i smelt the unmistakable smell of electrics on fire and i slowed right down. I went to switch back onto gas only to find that the controll switch was dead and it wouldent, so i was stuck on petrol. So i thought sod it and floored it again passing the impretza again, at least it would be dying in sytle if it turned into a ball of flames. When i got home i turned my attention to the controll box 1st. Once i got the casing off it was pretty clear that it had burnt out a track on the circuit board. Luckily none of the components had been damaged and i was able to solder a standard wire in place of the burnt out track. Plugged it back into the car and i was cooking on gas again, well until the next morning that is when i was ticking over on petrol. I could smell burning electrics again and when i looked down at the controll box i could see one of the wires on its plug melting!
(http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/5743/dsc004398xx.jpg)
So i traced this yellow wire into the engine bay. I found it wound into a ball and not connected to anything just under the expansion tank. This too had also melted the insulation quite a bit. So i whipped out the good old multimeter and tested the wire. It turns out that it becomes live when running on petrol but stays dead when running on gas. What i recon has happened is the wire has become live when i flicked over to petrol to race then shorted out on the bare metal of the chassis causing it to melt and burn out. So i chopped the wire, taped the end up and tucked it away out of sight. Has been ok since.
(http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6031/dsc004375uq.jpg)
(http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/925/dsc004380qv.jpg)
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23/01/06
Right my plan for the PC mainboard is for it to be installed in the little compartment under the steering wheen where the log book and stuff is supposed to go. I always forget that its even there and never use it anyway. I would prefer it up the front of the car as there will be less cables to run and im limited on boot space anyway. Heres my plans for its location, should be fine tucked away in there.
(http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/284/dsc004628if.jpg)
(http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1173/dsc004590xr.jpg)
(http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/3001/dsc004607oa.jpg)
(http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2781/dsc004638qf.jpg)
Also here is a pic i took of the motor in the early hours of the morning after a wash the day before.
(http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9388/dsc004563cw.jpg)
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30/01/06
For ages now ive been suffering with bad running on LPG. Ive just put up with it really but decided to do something about it this weekend. Basicly it would not run above 3k revs and was very lumpy with the power. After joining an LPG forum and getting some advice i set to work this weekend. First i needed to remove my power rhor and put back the standard intake hose including an LPG mixer. :cry: The mixer works like a carb and sucks more gas in as more air flows through it. Its best to have it as close to the throttle as possible to cut down lag but you still need it to be before the idle valve take off so that it can still tick over on gas. Then following the advice on how to set it up propperly i set out on a few test runs. It only took 10 mins to do. Now it runs as smooth as silk with no flat spots and good power delivery. Ded chuffed now. Just need to see if i get even better economy now! Fingers crossed. :smiley:
It all looks like this now.
(http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/3774/dsc004787dg.jpg)
(http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/7791/dsc004793lh.jpg)
Next job on the list was too have a look at the squeeling power steering. Yet another thing ive been putting up with for ages. First i jacked up the drivers front corner.
(http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/5308/dsc004755ws.jpg)
This is the power steering pump.
(http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8220/dsc004745rd.jpg)
My plan was to just tension the belt some more, but upon further investigation i found that the tensioner was already at full tension and not in the best of condition (bent bolt) i gave it a go and ended up snapping the bolt. So i fitted a new bolt and left it alone. I will get a new belt ordered now along with a few other bits and pieces. I found out that my header tank is leaking so will replace it with a nice new round one.
(http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/1109/dsc004735gl.jpg)
I also made a start at sound proofing my doors or should i say door. I bought a small roll of fat mat http://www.fatmat-uk.com (http://www.fatmat-uk.com) which is exactly the same as dyna mat extreme but cheaper. This stuff was real easy to install with the use of a heat gun and so far so good. I only got my door 80% done cos i ran out but then i did do both the inner and outer skin. So im going to order another bigger roll to finish the other door and boot floor. I will do other pannels at a later date. The following pic only shows the inner skin complete but i did the outer too. This stuff also has a cool logo which looks like the transformers face.
(http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/9020/dsc004708bn.jpg)
(http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/835/dsc004724kt.jpg)
When it came in dark i moved indoors and set to work on converting some switches and heater pannels to use blue LED's. So far ive got a couple of swithes done and 2 heater pannels. Im doing an extra set to sell so if your interested then let me know and i will tell you when they go on ebay. All i can say is im a perfectionist and my work is alway top quality. Ive even gone to the trouble of converting the little lights on the bottom of the switches that come on when you put the fogs on etc. Plus i use frosted LED's which give a much better light coverage and not the cheap clear ones. I will post pics when im done.
Thats it for now. Another saturday well spent in my opinion! Bet the wife doesent agree though. :evil:
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07/02/06
Right the Blue switches are all complete and for sale here
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VW-Golf-MkII-Dash-switches-with-blue-illumination-LED_W0QQitemZ4611426255QQcategoryZ9889QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
And look like this...
(http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7544/dsc005467bh.jpg)
(http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/4797/dsc005395bg.jpg)
(http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/8891/dsc005364tb.jpg)
The following pictures were taken during the day. Notice how visable the illumination is, these really are that bright!
(http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/8792/dsc005211bt.jpg)
(http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9384/dsc005186ad.jpg)
(http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/2010/dsc005273wx.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00525.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00529.jpg)
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23/02/06
Well the above switches sold pretty dam well. Nice little profit made, although it does take ages to do them properly. Ive got a few people asking for different colours so will have a go at keeping them green but extra bright next. Im also thinking of converting a few sets of clocks and see if there is any interest. Will all have to wait till pay day now though cos im skint. At the begining of the month i bought a few bits and bobs and ordered loads of various parts from vw in order to continue upgrading and fixing. I think vw have forgot about me though cos i never received a call to say my parts are in and that was almost a month ago. I will chase them up when i get paid. Here is the other stuff i bought.
A lightened flywheel. Im going to be doing a full rebuild of the engine shortly. My plans are to have the whole bottom end lightened and ballanced and gas flow the head. Hence why i bought this.
(http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/369/dsc005591cq.jpg)
(http://img50.imageshack.us/img50/3586/dsc005566xq.jpg)
A big ass roll of sond proofing to finish off the doors, boot and any other pannels that i feel like doing.
(http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/7959/dsc005551ms.jpg)
A new round header tank to replace my crappy leaking orange kidney shape tank of which the sensor intermitently works. I ordered the needed bracket etc from vw but im still waiting on them. I also need to source a plug for the sensor.
(http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/2530/dsc005538gb.jpg)
(http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5663/dsc005545ck.jpg)
A new pas belt. Mine has been squeeling for months now and is already adjusted to the max. To me it looks too small but i will soon find out when i come to fit it. I also ordered all the needed bolts and adjuster from vw but yet again im waiting for them.
(http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/6734/dsc005520kc.jpg)
And last but not least a replacement drivers door handle. The mech inside mine has snapped so im gonna see if i can swap the mechs over to my handle. The reason im doing this is because my handle has been painted so would like to keep it.
(http://img55.imageshack.us/img55/7158/dsc005511fm.jpg)
On the way home last night i struggled with gears at a junction and ended up doing a rolling start in 3rd with plenty of cluck riding. Then on the way to work this morning my cluth is slipping. Seems like i need a new clutch then. I will see how long i can get out of it then when its totaly shot i will tow the car to my mates garage and start the rebuild. Hopefully i will have moved house by then too and have the funds and time to work on it.
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09/03/06
Where do i start! Ive been taking half days at work all this week and spending some of them working on the car. Ive got loads done but have also got problems. I went to start the car the other morning and there was a loud bang. It seems that fuel ignighted in the intake manifolds causing a blow back. This has knocked my Metering head out of calibration again causing the car not to idle or run correctly. I had the exact same issue a month or 2 back and ended up taking the car to a specialist BOSCH garage costing about £150. Im gonna have a bash at sorting the issue myself but its not looking too promising. Oh well..
Anyway here is some of the jobs ive got done.
I fitted my new pas belt and renewed some of the bolts. The pump is held by a couple of bolts which i had to remove completly in order to get the new belt on. This top hindge bolt.
(http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/7500/dsc005677bb.jpg)
And the tensioner bolt assembly
(http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1342/dsc005662iz.jpg)
All back together and tensioned up. No more squeely squeely on full lock, jobs a gud un!
(http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/907/dsc005694rx.jpg)
I also fitted a new dipstick guide as mine had broken, probably giving an incorect oil reading.
(http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/9807/dsc005713rm.jpg)
I also did a bodge job of arch rolling. When i have my 90's on the front left catches the inner arch now and then. Enough to bend the lip anyway. So i simply folded the lip up on itself to give another 1cm clearance. I say it was a bodge cos i just used a pair of grips to bend it up. Then i made sure it wouldent rust by applying losts of hammerite paint. I only had some red hammerite but it doesent matter cos you cant see it. Once the paint was dry i also applied plenty of wax oil just to be sure. The finished article looks like this, not pretty but does the job.
(http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/9205/dsc005749gm.jpg)
I also removed and cleaned up all my spark plugs and dizzy cap and rotor arm. Im not sure what it means but the plugs had a thick coating of white hard powder. Might have something to do with running on LPG.
(http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/3491/dsc006498sq.jpg)
When doing stuff and being under the car etc i noticed a few problems. The first was that my Tie rod end on the drivers side is nackered. The rubber bushing has given way and moves rattles etc, this will explain the random movement in the steering/handling sometimes. So i picked one up yesterday and hope to fit it today.
(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9640/dsc006556pa.jpg)
Also my drive shaft on the drivers side has worked itself loose again! One bolt was completely missing and the others were loose, just finger tight. So i nipped them up as much as possible and replaced the missing one with a bolt which allowed me to tighten it better than the origional allen key bolts. When i do the engine re build i might do them up tight with some thread lock.
(http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7484/dsc006575br.jpg)
Thats it for todays updates but there is plenty more for tomorow.
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10/03/06
Good news! Upon closer inspection in daylight i could see that my little backfire had blown the bottom half of the intake hose off and also the brake vacume hose on the back of the manifold. So i re connected them and voila! Brum brum again. My idle is very high for some strange reason but im not that bothered about that at the min. That sorted i decided to do some more jobs.
First i got to work at replacing my worn Tie rod end. I thought it was gonna be a right royal pain in the arse to do but turned out simple enough once i figured out how it all worked.
1st take the nut off the bottom and belt the bolt upwards with a hammer till it pops out of the hub.
(http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/193/dsc006604uf.jpg)
Then with a spanner or some grips hold the nut, then with another spanner free up the tie rod end. Once free'd you will be able to wind it all the way till it drops off. The tie rod end has 2 notches on it making it sqare in shape, this is the bit you use to grip with a spanner.
(http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/6234/dsc006613hk.jpg)
(http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/1379/dsc006593cd.jpg)
Then simply screw the new one on all the way back to the nut.
(http://img113.imageshack.us/img113/5818/dsc006624qs.jpg)
After doing all my suspension jobs i figured it would be a good idea to go and get my suspension laser alligned. So while i was there i cleaned up the threads on the tie rod bar and free'd up the adjuster nut. This will save me extra cash in labor at the garage which they charged if they have to spend time free'ing up seized bits n bobs. When free'ing up the nut you can hold the main shaft still with a 13mm spanner, there is a specially grooved bit on the shaft about half way up. Scrape some dirt off and it will all come clear.
Job done and all threads clean and free ready for the allignment.
(http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2046/dsc006633mv.jpg)
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27/03/06
Well i have been off work for a few weeks now and have got a boat load of jobs done on the car. As always i tried to take as many pictures for you all. Day by day i will try and do a write up of each little project. Fist up is how to strip and clean a starter motor, handy to know if your starter is sticking like mine is.
Obviously you gotta remove it from the car, i covered this in an earlier post. The starter consists of 2 main parts, the solonoid and the electric motor. The solonoid basicly makes the shaft shoot out and engage with the flywheel to turn and start the engine. First you gotta remove the solonoid. This is held on by 3 cross head screws. Be carefull not to strip the screw heads, make sure you use the correct size screw driver to avoid this. Before you undo them disconect the wire that goes from the solonoid to the motor.
(http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7928/dsc006227sv.jpg)
(http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/9954/020bo.jpg)
Once the screws are out you can simply split the solonoid from the casing, there is a spring inside which you must not loose.
(http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/4356/37bs.jpg)
(http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/6858/49rr.jpg)
Try and hook the part that is left attached if possible. If you cant unhook it dont worry cos you soon will be able to once everything is loose. Next undo and remove the 4 bolts on the opposite end of the motor and remove the cap. Now would be a good time to clean the cap and re grease.
(http://img236.imageshack.us/img236/1672/059zs.jpg)
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/5516/062oa.jpg)
You now need to slide off the circlip that is holding the shaft in and remove the end cap from the casing shell.
(http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6563/077rq.jpg)
(http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3518/084so.jpg)
You should now see the following. You need to slide the electrical unit up and out to remove, being carefull with the carbon contact blocks. Make sure none ping off and get lost or damaged.
(http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/5522/095wd.jpg)
(http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7455/101ks1.jpg)
The next task is to slide the whole centre shaft assembly from the casing. At this point its simply held in by magnetic force, so pull and it will come out. You may end up with something similar to this.
(http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/6835/114fo.jpg)
(http://img68.imageshack.us/img68/9616/129ie.jpg)
(http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/2638/135pf.jpg)
Because mine came out with magnets all over the place i needed to clean it all and re assemble. To do this slide all magnets out of the shell. Slide! Do not attempt to lift them as they are brittle and may snap. Once the shell is bare get a wire wheel inside and clean up all rust from the inner face. Once clean slide the magnets back in and re-fit the circular cage that holds them in place.
(http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/8979/148go.jpg)
(http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/8337/157go.jpg)
Next turn your attention to the centre shaft. You need to clean up the contacts on the end. I used some wire wool as its not too abrasive but does the job nicely. Here is the before and after shots.
(http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/8305/169ku.jpg)
(http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/2682/189ez.jpg)
Nearly done! All you gotta do now is put it all back together. And yes youve guessed it re-assembly is simply a reversal of dis-assembly. Its not that hard really. I came accros a couple of tricky parts which i will list for you. Once you have the centre shaft back in place and the electic contact assembly in and the end cap back on you may wonder how this plate on the opposite end is supposed to sit. But dont worry because when you slide the long bolts back in you will see that it will only sit one way with the bolts slid throught the largest gaps.
(http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/2008/200ue.jpg)
Also you may wonder where about the rubber stopper is supposed to go. If you look closely you will see that there is a cut out on the casing that it slots into nicely.
(http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/7088/211na.jpg)
Now your ready to attach the solonoid housing. Make sure you hook up the solonoid before tightening up all the bolts. I didnt and had to undo the bolts again as you have no chance hooking it on once tight.
(http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/3193/21a7ea.jpg)
Last but not least. Clean up the electrical contacts and re-fit the whole unit to the car. Fingers crossed it will be as good as new!
(http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3896/228jg.jpg)
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28/03/06
Today children we are studying cups and balls. Gear stick cups and selector rod balls that is. After driving my golf for a year with a totally shot gear selector bushings cups balls etc i decided to do something about it. Ive had the bits needed for ages but never got around to fitting them. I bought a fixing kit. Apparently the genuine VW ones are the best to buy. You can also get stuff from this guy too though.
http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ShiftLinkage.shtml
First attacked was the shifter cup and ball. Simply unscrew your gear knob off and pull up your gear gator and you will be left with something like this. I also had removed my center console but not for this job in particular. While your in the car undo the 2 10mm nuts that you can see and put them to one side. That yellow thing in the picture is a McDee's chip. Still tasted good as new after being there for about a year! :grin:
(http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/5106/013fn1.jpg)
Next get under the car. Jack it up as high as possible and support securely on axle stands or ramps. You need to remove the heat sheild for the exhaust. Its held on by round clips. Hopefully they wont be too rusted and can be re-used when re-fitting the heat shield. Once the clips are removed then twist the shield around and off the exhaust.
(http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/4627/021zh.jpg)
You should now be able to see the bottom of the shifter cup. This cup is held in by a rubber seal and to get it out you need to push it up wards into the car. Takes some effort but does go eventually. Once loosened and pushed up you should be able to remove it from within the car with a bit of jiggery pokes malarky. It sounds easy but believe me its not! I found it a little advantageous to take the 4 bolts that hold the shifter box in place out giving more play to the parts.
(http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/3811/037hx.jpg)
You should now be able to drop the whole gear stick down through the hole and out the bottom of the car. Looking something like this.
(http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/7500/3a9nc.jpg)
You now need to replace the ball on the end. To do this you need to remove the pin in the center holding it all together. You need about 10 hands for this bit. You need to pull down on the ball and belt the pin with a hammer till it comes out. I managed on my own but it wasn't the easiest of jobs.
(http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/9558/040pg.jpg)
(http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/1599/052ek.jpg)
Then simply re-assemble with your new ball and metal plate and pin. The finished article should look like...
(http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/9342/061lo.jpg)
Now its time to re-assemble it all. The most difficult part here was getting the new cup in place, which you do from inside the car. Apart from that its easy enough. Its also a good idea to grease everything up good and propper. Put a great big blob in the new cup and ball and all other moving parts.
(http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/6941/071zs.jpg)
Just to give you an idea of how nakered my setup was, here is a pic of the left over bits.
(http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/1665/dsc006117go.jpg)
-
28/03/06
Next up you should do the gear linkages. Heres what i did. First undo the clamp on the end of the selector rod from underneath the car. This will allow you to slide the U shape bracket off the selector rod. You will need to undo the little rod that attaches to it before removing it. This is just clipped on but be carefull with the clips as they break easily. This pic shows the clamp and the U bracket that it holds and one of the selector rods.
(http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/6702/016va.jpg)
Next you need to remove the main relay shaft assembly. This is bolted to the car in 3 places. The following pics should help you locate the bolts as no doubt they will be hidden by dirt.
(http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/217/025ff.jpg)
(http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/3471/038rh.jpg)
(http://img474.imageshack.us/img474/1672/040dm.jpg)
(http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/5839/050vs.jpg)
Next undo the top nut that hold the shifter bar on.
(http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/7549/064aq.jpg)
And remove the cirlip on the opposite end.
(http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/3921/070xk.jpg)
This will allow you to remove the relay shaft from the assembly.
(http://img477.imageshack.us/img477/9084/084xn.jpg)
Now you can pop out the old bushings and replace them with fresh new ones.
(http://img352.imageshack.us/img352/1691/090ez.jpg)
(http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/8999/101br.jpg)
I had to install a new relay shaft ball too as mine was missing completely.
(http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3164/113xa.jpg)
Now re-assemble the whole mechanism putting new bushes in the shifter bar too.
(http://img466.imageshack.us/img466/6468/127td.jpg)
(http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/9233/135gj.jpg)
At this point i decided to also check out the mech for the side to side movement. This too was very wobbly so i stripped it down to have a look. To do this you need to remove the bolt that holds it in place. This can be tricky because you need to hold the nut on the underside still and access is very restrictive. But keep trying and you will get there in the end.
(http://img400.imageshack.us/img400/4980/149xm.jpg)
With the nut and bolt removed you can remove the mech to reveal the bushings. My top one was in place but the bottom one was completely missing. The kit i bought did not supply these bushings but i found that the old ones i removed earlier were a good fit and nice and tight. So i used them to replace the old and missing ones.
(http://img457.imageshack.us/img457/8660/151xz.jpg)
Now its time to fit everything back on the car and align your gears. I bought the tool from a guy on ebay and would recommend doing so yourself if your gonna do this job. I only had to align once and all gears worked perfectly 1st time. No messing about at all! So i installed my new reverse gate (the white plastic bit) because mine was missing and clipped in the gear tool like so.
(http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/9069/16tool4oz.jpg)
Next you simply re-install the U shape bracket and clamp up nice and tight. If you look closely at the pic you will see a notch cut out of the U clamp. This is where the bolt goes. I could not see this when under the car and took me ages to figure out why i could not get the clamp back on.
(http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/4875/178yu.jpg)
Well thats it, job done. Now you should have a nice tight feel to your gear shift. It certainly made a huge improvement for mine! The only thing i missed was the relay shaft bushing because i did not have a new one. But ive now bought one and will fit it when i can.
-
29/03/06
Next job on the list was to install the rear axle Polly Urethane bushings. To be honest i would not really recommend doing this job to anyone unless you were also replacing the OEM axle bushes at the same time. I say that as the polly ones are simply an addition to the original bushings and not a replacement. I didn't replace the OEM bushings and this is how i did it. The picture below shows the bushes for the axle on the left. The others are top mounts for the rear suspension struts.
(http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5944/012hz.jpg)
Next jack the rear of the car up and secure with axle stands. You need to remove the bolt on either side that holds the axle.
(http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/3286/026jm.jpg)
(http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/8752/032bi.jpg)
Removing the bolt isn't as easy as it seems though because on both sides of the car it is blocked by brake lines. On the fuel pump side i had to bend the bracket that held the flexible brake line out of the way. And on the opposite side i had to cut the spring clip that holds the line secure so that i could bend the line out of the way a little. Got there in the end though.
(http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/9938/047gj.jpg)
(http://img66.imageshack.us/img66/4476/050dp.jpg)
(http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/6474/064qb.jpg)
Once the bolts are out the axle should drop enough to gain access to the bushings. Don't let the axle drop as its only supported by brake lines at this point. You don't want your brake lines taking all the weight so support the axle with something. I stuck a tin of paint underneath for it to rest on.
(http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3513/072dt.jpg)
Now you need to drill out part of the rubber on the OEM bushing for the polly ones to slide into. Drill out enough either side of the center like so.
(http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/3057/081jn.jpg)
Now with the aid of some grease and allot of squeezing you should be able to slide on the new polly overlays like so.
(http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/5438/097ln.jpg)
Now you just need to put everything back together.
-
29/03/06
Next up was the rear suspension top mounts. This is what the replacement polly urethane ones look like.
(http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/2298/012wj.jpg)
First undo and move out of the way the parcel shelf support. They are only held in by 4 or 5 spring clips with a 10mm head. You will now be able to see the strut top.
(http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/3191/023of.jpg)
This is what they look like. Yours may look different to mine as i have coil overs with adjustable dampers.
(http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/2457/037vy.jpg)
First you need to undo the large nut. To do this you will need to use a spanner and not a socket. This is because you will need to hold the center of the shaft still with another spanner or allen key depending upon what fitment yours is. Once the 1st nut and the metal disk are removed you will see another nut. Remove this one in the same way.
(http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/9973/041ka.jpg)
You should now be able to lift off the top mount. You can chuck the rubber bit but keep the washer in the middle.
(http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8185/054sr.jpg)
Now jack the car up and remove the bolt shown holding the bottom of the strut to the hub.
(http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/7117/069ck.jpg)
You should now be able to remove the entire suspension strut from the car.
(http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/3413/079fd.jpg)
You now need to remove the final nut on the top holding the bottom mount in place. Once removed the washer and rubber mount should slide off with ease.
(http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/4028/086aj.jpg)
Now its time to slide on you new bottom polly mount and bolt up with the washer in place.
(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7467/096jn.jpg)
Now you can re-fit the strut assembly to the car and even put the wheels back on the ground. You can then slide on the new top mount and re-fit all the nuts and washers in reversal of removal like so.
(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7391/104tc.jpg)
(http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/7421/117hw.jpg)
Thats it. Just repeat the whole process for the other side and your done. While i had the shockers off the car i had a good old inspection. To my horror i discovered that my springs were snapped in 2 places on one shocker and in one place on the other. At the moment I'm still running about like this but i have ordered replacements which are due to arrive in a couple of weeks costing about £100. Luckily the breaks are right at the top part where the compressed spring is. Because my car is really low this part of the spring should not really be in use so i should get away with it for a short while. Fingers crossed!
(http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/1514/dsc006897zy.jpg)
(http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/3504/dsc006908he.jpg)
(http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/2183/dsc006921ta.jpg)
(http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/9205/dsc006980aj.jpg)
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30/03/06
I love the fact that i can run around on LPG at half the price of petrol but Ive never been too happy with the amount of boot space taken up by the huge tank. Its always added allot of weight which is all at one side of the car and very high up, which no doubt affects my handling loads. Plus at the moment i need boot space for a pram. So when i got the chance to swap my tank with a mate for a donut one i jumped at it. Once we move house and i buy Faye her own car again the pram will be replaced by a huge stereo install! So heres how the swap went. This is the old tank,
(http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7343/01gastank5kz.jpg)
(http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/5723/02lpgtank7yj.jpg)
Under the Grey circular cap you will find the main workings of the tank. Basically you have 1 hose used to fill the tank. Another to supply the gas to the engine. An electric solenoid to open a valve for the gas to flow when the engine is running. And a fuel level Gage sender for your heads up display.
(http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/6641/030hv1.jpg)
(http://img71.imageshack.us/img71/7038/048sp.jpg)
Once the wires to the solenoid are removed the tank is automatically sealed and you are safe to remove all pipes and wires like so.
(http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/2315/053sq.jpg)
Now you can take the tank out completely. My tank was secured with 2 steel straps to the cradle which is bolted through the floor pan. So when the cradle was removed i was left with 4 bolts poking through the floor. 2 bolts were re-used to secure the new tank and the other 2 were removed and the holes sealed with silicone.
(http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/7479/068tz.jpg)
Next i prepped the spare wheel well. My intention is to use sound deadening on the entire boot area. For now i just did the well.
(http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1807/071yx1.jpg)
(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/161/089ic.jpg)
Now for the new tank install. I went to a mates house who's dad has all the tools and materials for metal fabrication. Here i made the 4 brackets to secure the tank to the car. I was really pleased with my efforts.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/09.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/10.jpg)
Now i had to plumb in the new tank. I bought myself a brake line flaring kit to cut and re-flare the copper pipe and fit the different pressure connector for this tank. I will show you how to do this as i had no idea and struggled a little. I practiced on a bit of spare pipe a few times before getting it right. The principal is exactly the same as when you fit new brake lines. First cut the end of the pipe so that you have a nice fresh un-bend end. Use a propper pipe cutting tool to do this. Then clamp the pipe in the flaring tool, leaving about 3 mill poking out the end like so.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/11.jpg)
You then clamp the second half of the tool on and tighten down hard the spike into the pipe end.
(http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9141/121gd1.jpg)
To get a result like so
(http://img79.imageshack.us/img79/9128/138wn.jpg)
You then gotta repeat the clamping but with this little gizmo in between the spike and the pipe. This rounds off the top end for a good fit.
(http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/9278/149tl.jpg)
Then your done and should have a finished article like so. Word of warning! Put the connector nut on before flaring the end!
(http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1605/158la.jpg)
Now i was ready to connect all the pipes and hoses back up and plug in the electrics. Jobs a gud un!
(http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4951/166bz.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/6fa23d86.jpg)
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04/04/06
With the gas tank moved i can now get on with the task of sound deadening the entire boot. Eventually i will do every pannel in the car. Now i have a baby im looking to quieten the car as much as possible. The new exhaust is already on its way. So far i have done the boot floor and each side of the boot up to the roof. Looks like this.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00734.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00735.jpg)
Ive now moved house so no longer have the use of a garage. I can use a mates when i want though. My plan is to take the golf off the road while i re-build the engine. So im on the look out for a performance head. Can anybody point me in the right direction?
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05/04/06
My drivers door handle has been well dodgy for a while now. To open you had to push the handle towards the car and press the lever to open it. It was an skill i tell you! Anyway at the weekend it decided to stop working all together and Ive been resorting to getting in the passanger side and leaning over to open the door. Well not anymore! I decided to tackle it last night. The easy option would have been to replace the whole handle assembly. But my handles are painted so would prefer to keep them. So i swapped over the broken mech instead. Its a bit of a b!tch to remove the pin but with a bit of cutting and brute force it came out in the end. Here is a pic of the broken mech.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/broken.jpg)
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21/04/06
Ive been spending money again! Ive bought the rest of the hardware needed to get my car pc up and running.
1st i needed a new amp to power my fronts and 6x9's as my Vibe VP2 went up in smoke. So im now the proud owner of this lovely shiney Genesis amp.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00001.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00294.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00293.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00292.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00291.jpg)
Im mounting the Motherboard in the tray under the steering wheel so needed something compact. I bought this tiny 1ghz fanless motherbord.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00282.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00283.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00284.jpg)
These are the cables for the main board - everything is on cables to keep the board low profile.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00290.jpg)
I went for the maximum of 1gb of SO-DIMM laptop Memory so that i was running at full potential and not have any slowness issues. The board is so compact that the memory clicks into place on the underside of the board!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00286.jpg)
The all important car power supply. This is the Opus 90 with remote trigger. Its a clever little gizmo that can controll all sorts of functions and safety features.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00288.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00287.jpg)
Bough this little monster to keep all my music and films on. Its a 100gb 7200 rpm laptop Hard Disk. Nice and quick!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00285.jpg)
I also got this bargain of a Slot load DVD drive from ebay. Its going to be mounted in the glove box with a custom made facia pannel. When im done it will be black to match too.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00289.jpg)
Cant wait to get playing with it all. Gonna set it up at home 1st then begin installing it all in the car. I also bought another car on Tuesday. Its a rover 200 Diesel Turbo. Got it to use while i do work on mine, then once im done the wife is going ot use it. So as of this weekend the car will be off road and the engine work will begin. Hopefully the head will be off and sent away to SP Performance Monday.
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24/04/06
Right! Work has begun! At the weekend i took the golf out for its last trip in a while to my mates garage. Its time to start taking stuff to bits! 1st i had to install some strip lights in his garage so that i can see but hey its a fair trade for the use of his garage. I decided to support the car on 4 axle stands as i will also be taking the exhaust off as the middle box requires welding and in general it makes it easier when i need to get at stuff from underneath.
Drag style!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00003.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00004.jpg)
This is a before shot
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00005.jpg)
And this is the end result for half a days work.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00046.jpg)
To be honest i found everything straight forward enough. I reckon the hard part will be putting it all back together! This in mind i was very organized and kept bolts etc separate or even screwed them back into what they came off once removed and took lots of pictures for reference. I also made sure all timing marks were aligned up and the dizzy was marked before taking anything apart. I also took lots of pictures of the cam positions for reference so that when i come to fit my new ones hopefully i will put them in right. I will put up some pics showing the stage by stage progress.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00008.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00012.jpg)
When i removed the front bumper i was greeted with some rust under the battery tray area. I will clean it all up and weld a new piece in.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00013.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00014.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00032.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00034.jpg)
Head off
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00035.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00036.jpg)
The pistons seems to have some hard deposit on them. I'm guessing this is due to the LPG either way this will all be cleaned when the bottom end is re-conditioned.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00045.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00039.jpg)
Voila! 1 Head
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00037.jpg)
I then turned attention to the block and started to strip all stuff like the water pump and oil filter from it.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00042.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00043.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00047.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00046.jpg)
Ive always wondered about which bottom end i have. Everyone seems to hunt for the elusive 9A but from the looks of it mine is an Audi 11J. These pics show the stamps on the front of the block.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00041.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/Engine%20work/DSC00040.jpg)
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25/04/06
Just a quick update of things ive been buying.
GPS receiver for the car pc sat nav. And a Bluetooth dongle for the car kit.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00066.jpg)
Batcap 400 to power all my amps etc.
(http://www.sicorpusa.com/audio/BatCap/BATCAP400image2.jpg)
A laptop Hard Disk Adaptor
(http://i14.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/d7/e8/9a_1_b.JPG)
A hefty O gage amp wiring kit
(http://i1.ebayimg.com/02/i/02/b7/30/85_1.JPG)
100sq of Sound Deadening (the thickest available)
(http://i9.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/a2/8b/58_1_b.JPG)
I also decided to get a new grill as mines a little worse for wear and to be honest ive gone off the 3 bar style.
(http://www.concept1.ca/images/FKSG902%20MK2%20Grill%20Chrome.jpg)
A couple of haynes manuals to help me out with the engine work
(http://i21.ebayimg.com/04/i/06/c8/52/e2_1_b.JPG)
(http://i11.ebayimg.com/01/i/06/e7/81/02_1_b.JPG)
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03/05/06
Right some more progress to report. Ive now got the bottom end out and its currently in the boot of the mx5. It only just fit! After work im taking it to be lightened and ballanced. Taking the engine out without a hoist isnt really recomended but possible none the less! So my engine bay now looks something like.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00096.jpg)
As for the engine im still unsure to exactly what it is or where it came from. On the front of the block it says 2.0 11J and has what looks like an audi badge. On the rear however it says 2.0 and has a vw badge. Im so confused!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00100.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00099.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00098.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00097.jpg)
The rust under the battery tray is also quite bad. The more i poked and prodded the more fell off. Ive now got a sheet of steel to cut to size and weld in. Should be as good as new once im done.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00095.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00101.jpg)
I also removed all of the exhaust as the manifold was in the way, the centre box needs welding as a weld has split and im changing the rear box. Other than that I didnt really get much done this week.
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23 May 06
Right its been a while since my last post. So heres an update on the current stage of the rebuild. I removed the gearbox ready to clean it up and paint it. I cant really be bothered to clean and paint it but it would be silly not too as the head and bottom end have both been done. I left the drive shafts attached as i didn't have the correct spline tool at the time. So to do this i had to dis-assemble the whole hub Assembly. I wasn't bothered though as i would be doing most of this anyway when i come to replacing the top mounts. On the passenger side i managed to un-do the hub nut no problem. I think it wasn't really that tight from the last time i removed it. But i couldn't get the other side un-done so had to remove it all with the hub still attached.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00115.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00112.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00113.jpg)
The next job was to remove the sub frame. Easy peasy you might say, its only 4 bolts! Not on my car it wasn't. More like 3 bolts and a big weld where a bodge job mechanic had welded the subframe to the chassis because the bolt had snapped. So i had to get to work with a grinder and get rid of the weld.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00111.jpg)
Once removed the subframe came free. It left a bit of a hole in the chassis so i welded it up and ground it smooth again, i will later seal it all with under body sealer.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00110.jpg)
All gone! Just a dirty engine bay left now, but not for long!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00109.jpg)
I brushed on a load of Jiser de-greasant, let it settle for a while then got to work with a cloth. Plenty of rubbing later all the grime/grease and crud had been removed. Ive still got a little left to do but once done I'm going to re-paint the bay.
Before
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00138.jpg)
After
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00129.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00131.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00137.jpg)
Once cleaned up i could see the full extent of the rust damage.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00128.jpg)
I'm going to cut out the full square section and weld a new piece in. You can see in this pic where i have started to cut.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00126.jpg)
While Ive got the welder out I'm gonna fill in the extra holes in my strut tops where a previous brace has been. I'm also gonna weld an extra exhaust mount on to keep the backbox wobble free.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00127.jpg)
I'm almost at the stage where i can start re-building everything, i wonder if i will be able to figure out where all these bits go!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00136.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00135.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00133.jpg)
Oh and i also bought these little beauties as Ive gone off my crystal clear ones.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00124.jpg)
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31 May 06
Just a qucik update. I didnt get any work done on the car this weekend due to fitting a new kitchen at home. At the moment all the engine and cams are at the engine builders getting built back up ready to drop the whole lump back in the car. Im not confident enought to time up aftermarket cams so thought i would leave it to the pro's. Hopefully it will be ready towards the end of the week. Moneys now non existent also which might hold up a few things as i still need to buy oil etc. Oh and i found out that my bottom end is actually a 9A! You can see the stamp as clear as day when you know where to look!
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05 June 06
Well i had a fairly productive weekend this week. I bought a new posh welding visor that automatically adjusts the shade for you so that you always have clear visability when welding. So i wanted to test it out. So 1st up was a spot of welding! Firstly i filled in the holes left over from a previous strut brace. So i cleaned up the holes with a dremmel.
(http://i22.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/0e/d7/7c_1_b.JPG)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00165.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00163.jpg)
I then filled them in with some weld and smoothed the welds off ready for paint.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00166.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00164.jpg)
While busy with the welder i decided to fit my new round expansion tank. Previously i had a kidney shaped one which arnt the best. In order to do this i had to remove the old bracket. Hammer and chisel later it was gone.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00162.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00161.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00160.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00159.jpg)
I then cleaned up the surface and welded on 2 bolts that will hold the new bracket like so.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00158.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00157.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00156.jpg)
So now the drivers side is all ready to be re painted. So i did! As its only smooth finish hammerite brushed on the finish isn't amazing but i was quite impressed really. I'm not after show condition really, i just want to protect the bay and prevent any future rust.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00155.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00154.jpg)
As Ive still got the new battery tray to weld in i only painted the strut top for now on the passenger side. I ordered a new replacement tray from VW for £33 which will work out allot better than trying to make my own. I'm gonna pick it up tonight so should be fitting it next weekend.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00153.jpg)
As it was lovely and sunny out side i didn't really wanna be inside the garage. So i started to look for jobs that i could do outside. So i started to heat wrap the exhaust manifold. I paid £25 for 25 feet of roll. It turns out that this wasn't enought and i only had enough to do 2 branches, so Ive ordered some more ready to finish it next week. Here is a before and after shot.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00152.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00151.jpg)
Next on the list was the seat runner clips. Ive been suffering from wobbly seat on and off for a while now as 1 of the old clips keeps sliding off. So it was time to replace them. It was really simple to do. You just undo the bolt at the front under the chair and slide the seat off the runners. Then pull off the old clips and push the new ones on. There are 2 clips for each chair and they go on the rear runners.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00146.jpg)
I then replaced my crystal clear side repeaters for my new smoked ones. Another before and after. I'm happy with the change. :smiley:
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00148.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00147.jpg)
I then set to work removing my rear coil overs as my new springs have arrived. I haven't yet picked them up from my parents house but thought i may as well get ready to fit them. While the shocker was off the car i gave them a good clean up. I removed all dirt from the adjustable part threads and soaked them in oil. I was going to adjust them a little for more drop but could only find one spanner needed to do it. So Ive ordered a new spanner from ebay. Once adjusted I'm going to brush the threads with some wax oil to prevent future corrosion. Heres a pic of the spring in 3 pieces.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00149.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00150.jpg)
I also made a start at replacing my front top mounts. But i got stuck with the recessed nut, i have the special tool needed but i wasnt getting anywhere! I was getting tired and hungry so decided to call it a day.
-
8th June 06
My new springs have arrived. Hopefully they are the right ones!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00168.jpg)
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9th June 06
Just a couple of updates. Battery tray should be ready for pickup today so hopefully i can get on with it tomorrow. Also i got a call from my engine builder. I origionally took him the bottom end to lighten and balance. I told him that if anything else needed doing then to let me know. Turns out my bearings could do with being replaced and my piston rings were worn. So the bottom end has been fully re conditioned with new parts and the bores have been re honed, plus everything lightened and balanced. Then when i started doing some research i realized that timing it all up with new cams was not a straight forward affair. So i took my gas flowed head plus cams etc to the engine builder to re mate to the bottom end, install cams and time everything up with my new vernier pulley. When he started on this he noticed that my valves were not sealing properly so he re cut and lapped them in for me. Now hes noticed that a couple of the hydraulic followers are badly worn so could do with being replaced also. So i gave him the go ahead to do it all. So now the top end is also pretty much brand new with new guides and followers. I'm dreading the bill! Will have to abuse the credit card me thinks as I'm skint. Oh well, at least it will be all done and ready to install sometime next week.
P.S A very kind member of this forum also donated to me their modded thermo and stat that bring the fan on sooner to keep heat down to a minimum. Thanks you very much, they arrived safe and well. PM me cos i forgot who you are, sorry.
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12 June 06
Right then. This weekend it didn't seem like i got much done really. But i suppose i did. I jumped straight in at the deep end and made a start on replacing the battery tray. Its not a job for the faint hearted but if you take y time and think things through its not too bad. The 1st task was to remove the existing rusty tray. To do so i cut all the way around the tray like so. If your reading this as a how to make sure you cut as low as possible as you don't want to cut away the inner wing, you need this to weld onto later.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00190.jpg)
I also made a cut from the front straight up the chassis leg. If doing this it might be a good idea to make the cut about 1cm away from the chassis leg so that you don't end up cutting the chassis leg also. I didn't but hey you live and learn. Luckily i did no damage.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00189.jpg)
Now its time to get out the hammer and chisel. If you bend the lip of the battery tray up you can see where the tray meets the chassis leg. You need to then carefully chisel in between popping all the spot welds as you go.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00188.jpg)
You can now start bending most of the tray up and off like so. It will probably help if you cut other bits off with the grinder here.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00187.jpg)
You will now need to repeat the hammer and chisel process on the opposite side of the chassis leg to remove the remaining part of the tray.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00186.jpg)
Once removed it should look like the following. Now is a good time to clean up the top parts of the chassis leg removing any left over pieces and spot welds with the grinder.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00185.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00184.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00183.jpg)
Now you have to remove the left over parts of tray attached to the inner wing. You have to be very carefull here so take your time, remember the grinder is your friend, just use him wisely Young man!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00182.jpg)
That done and all surfaces cleaned up with a combination of grinder and wire wheel its time to test fit the new tray. Once you've made a few minor adjustments and are happy it time to prep everything. I decided to hammerite the inside of the chassis leg to help prevent future corrosion.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00180.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00179.jpg)
The next job is to drill lots of holes in your new tray. Basically you need to drill where you needed to use the chisel to remove a spot weld. So all along the inner wing join. All along the side that meets the chassis leg and down the middle where it meets the chassis leg. I probably drilled too many holes but I'm just over kill when it comes to welding, better secure than loose! Then clamp the tray in place and start welding! This is where i got too before my welder died after a grand total of 1 dodgy weld. So thats where i finished off. For next week Ive got a loan of a brand new welder so hopefully i will be able to get the tray all finished and painted.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00178.jpg)
Because i hit a brick wall with the welding i decided to make a start on the under body seal. Its great stuff! Its like gooey tar in a tin and basically you just brush it on. I didn't get much done really, just the front right corner and inside the arch.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00176.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00175.jpg)
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12 June 06
Why does nothing ever go right! :angry:
I got a call from my engine builders with some bad news. Upon coming to fit the new schrick cams he noticed that one of the lobes on the exhaust cam has a hair line fracture all the way through it! So now i have to send it all the way back to germany and wait for a replacement. This is no doubt going to hold everything up a few weeks.
Good on Craid at CAS though for being so thorough and precise with his workmanship. Well recomended so far.
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14 June 06
Hmmmm not good! Turns out the fracture ended up in a break. There must have been a fault in the cast. Well its getting sent back to germany today so hopefully they will send me out a replacement straight away. Fingers crossed.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00192.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00191.jpg)
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19 June 06
Well its Monday and that can only mean 1 thing. Update time! Well parcel force decided not to even turn up for the cams, so there still sat on my desk. I'm just gonna send them via royal mail parcel at lunch time as i cant find a reasonably priced courier and I'm not using parcel force ever again.
Secondly my battery tray is finished! Id be lying if i said it was easy but i got there in the end. After getting some gasless wire for the welder i set to work doing all the spot welds to hold the tray in place. First i did a weld at each corner in order to hold the tray securely in its final position. Then i set to work doing all the welds up the middle section. With gassless wire you get loads of splatter and it leaves a white coating behind, but i managed.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00199.jpg)
Then i did all the welds round the wing edge of the tray.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00200.jpg)
Id cut a little too much away at the point where the tray meets the existing chassis leg so was left with a gap. So i set to work filling this in too.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00201.jpg)
I then did a seam weld all the way round the top edge of the tray joining the tray to the inner wing. I don't think its necessary to do this but once ground flat it will look so much better.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00202.jpg)
I also did a few welds on the underside just to tidy things up and add strength. By the way this was a nightmare! The underseal turns to napalm and ends up on your head n hands etc. Ive got rocky burns all over me!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00204.jpg)
And voila all welding done.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00203.jpg)
Now for the real ball ache, grinding all the welds back. This took flippin ages and was a real pain in the butt due to the awkward angles. With a combination of a grinder and dremmel drill i eventually finished a few hours later. At this point i kinda regretted doing the seam weld. Oh i also killed my dremmel in the process so had to strip and fix that also. But the finished result was pleasing.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00205.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00206.jpg)
Oh i also welded back on my bracket or arm to hold the lpg mixer.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00207.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00208.jpg)
The final thing to do for the day was to paint it all. Before doing this i had to finish off stripping all the origional wax seal away and cleaning the whole thing. On the opposite side i basicly rubbed at it till it was no more. This took flippin ages and i couldent be bothered doing all that again. Then i had a bright idea. Use a heat gun! Its wax, it melts! So with a little bit of heat most of it drips away taking the crud with it. And any left over can simply be wiped away. If only i had realized this earlier! Oh well, now i was ready for paint. There are various methods you can adopt. I'm not after a perfect finish so for me i just opted for a big thick coating of black hammerite. Next week i will also under body seal the underside of the tray and chassis leg. At this point id un plugged the garage light so the pics ain't great but you get the idea. I will get a better shot next week.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00210.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00211.jpg)
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29 June 06
Right better late than never! Last weekend i got a few more jobs done. But 1st as promised some better quality pictures of the finished battery tray. Oh i also did the last bit of painting in the engine bay and did the bulk head. Looks alright doesent it? I haven't done the coil bracket yet but i will do!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00001.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00002.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00004.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00003.jpg)
While i was out with the paint i also decided to clean up my G60 calipers. So i stripped then using a wire wheel and painted them black too. They could do with another coat yet which i will do next weekend. Ive also got the carriers to do yet. And the rears.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00005.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00006.jpg)
I then had a go at adjusting my rear coil overs. It turns out that they are very very seized! I even tried using a breaker bar connected to the tool to adjust them but then the thread housing started to turn. So i welded the housing to the strut and tried again. This time they still didn't turn and the tool just started to bend. So i decided that id simply just have to leave the car at its current height for now. If once the stereo is in and its too low i will have another go. So i built the shockers back up with their new springs and installed them back on the car.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00007.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00024.jpg)
While i had the welder out again i decided now was a good time to weld on my new exhaust hangers and test fit the system. 1st i propped the box up on bricks to align it all up and see what i needed to do.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00008.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00009.jpg)
Because the box is SO big i had to cut off the original jack point so that there was no contact and knocking.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00011.jpg)
Now it was time to make up some new brackets. I re-used the original hanger but cut it down and re-located it to the side panel. Its hard to see in the pic but if you look at the burnt part you can see the hook. This will hold the box on one side.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00012.jpg)
Then using some steel rod i made a new bracket on the opposite side. I welded it to the underside of the spare wheel well like so. My welds here were not brilliant but none the less were strong and held no problem.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00013.jpg)
To add more strength and to stop the rod from bending i also welded in a bit of scrap steel i had to strengthen it all.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00022.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00023.jpg)
All that done the exhaust now hangs all by itself like so. Its a little too far to the right but once the whole system is fitted i can adjust this to suit properly.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00016.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00017.jpg)
As exhausts can be a real b!tch to fit i decided it would be a good idea to trial fit all the parts while off the car. By doing this you can bend and free up the joins making it allot easier when you come to put it on the car for real. I'm dead glad i did this as it was hard enough doing it off the car! But all is free and good now. It also looks cool. Also off the car it looks really long!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00018.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00019.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00020.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00021.jpg)
Then i started with some more under body seal. I did the inner wing and bottom of the new battery tray 1st. This stuff is great! You just splash it on nice and thick filling any holes.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00025.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00026.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00027.jpg)
When i did the opposite side i didn't remove the inner arch so decided to re-do it properly. After removing the inner arch my phone alarm went off which means its home time, so i had to pack up and go. So it will be finished next week.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00029.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00028.jpg)
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03 July 06
Sadly i have no pictures for you all this week as my phone died and is away being repaired. To be honest i think it was all the metal dust from grinding that killed it. Hopefully its totally shagged and i can get a new one. Anyway i still managed to get plenty done and very dirty black in the process.
First i removed the rear calipers and carriers. Then i cleaned them up with a wire wheel. This takes ages! Then i gave the front calipers another coat and give all the carriers and rear calipers there 1st coat in black. Hopefully they will only need 1 more coat which i will complete next week.
I then re installed the rear subframe, power steering rack and wishbones. I nearly had a major disaster with the captive nut. As some of you may know the nut often breaks free of its captives and ends up floating around inside. To fix this you have to cut a hole in your chassis, weld the nut back down and weld up the hole you created. Anyway i attempted to push the bolt up into the hole only to find that it would not tighten up. Before stopping to cry i decided i would clean up the threads on the bolt and see if that helped. BINGO! It caught the nut and tightened up no problem, result!
I cant see the point of fully stripping and re-painting the frame as its out of sight and will only get cacked up as soon as its driven again. So i simply cleaned all the surface cack off it and coated it all in under body sealant. Looks good really and will last forever.
While i was getting dirty with the under body seal i decided to make a start on the underside of the car. First i finished off the half finished drivers wheel arch and did the underside of the newly installed subframe and wishbones. Then it was time for the main underbody. Most of this is easy enough but as you get to the rear of the car it gets right fiddly and messy as you have to get round loads of bends and things like the fuel pump, rear axle and fuel tank etc. Anyway many hours later and 3 tins of the stuff later I'm pretty much done. I was covered in the stuff as i was just laid on my back underneath. NON DRIP MY ARSE!
So next week I'm hoping to finish off the underbody sealing. Apply another coat to the brakes and make a start on stripping and painting the gearbox.
Oh and good news. There was an attempted delivery on Friday. Fingers crossed it was my replacement cam. Its being re delivered today, so i can take it to the engine builders tomorrow and maybe have the engine back by the end of the week.
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06 July 06
Just a quick mid week update. The replacement cam did arrive on Monday which was a relief. I was kinda expecting to have loads of problems getting it replaced but gladly the German company i used from ebay were no problem and sent me a replacement as soon as they received my broken one. So i went to drop it off at the engine builders on Tuesday after work but he had left work early for a change. Not too much of a problem though because it gave me an oppertunity to speak to the the tuning companie over the road about getting the car setup once done. Id already heard allot of good things about them and it turns out they have a lot of experience with K-jet also. Plus they are getting a brand spanking Rolling Road very soon. Plus the price was reasonable so i guess i know where to take it now. Anyway i was off work on Wednesday cos the stupid buffet i ate on my training course was dodgy and gave me food poisining. So once i was feeling better i trecked back to the engine builders to drop off my cam. I was there for ages and had a good chat with the guys. Hopefully the motor will be ready soon. Fingers crossed!
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10 July 06
OK guys and girls. Sorry but its a boring no pictures post again as i still haven't got my camera phone back from repair. Anyway i managed to get a few more jobs done and everything is starting to come together nicely. First on my list was to install the missing subframe bolt. Id got a brand new one from vw as it was origionally just welded together. I thought it would take all of 2 seconds to screw in and tighten up. Oh how wrong was i. It just would not catch! So i ended up taking the whole subframe off again in order to check that the rear captive nut was OK. Gladly with some fiddling later i got it to catch, so stated to re-fit the subframe. Again i had to be very carefull with the captive nuts but was OK and got it all fitted in the end. Hopefully it will never have to come off again!
That done i though id also re-try to disassemble my front suspension, as i failed miserably last time i tried. Again i was getting no where trying to free up that stupid special nut that holds the top mounts on as everything just turns. Drastic action was required! I got out my trusty angle grinder and got to work cutting the bottom plate off the old top mounts. Basically i cut the bottom metal plate off the mounts which either enables you to slide the mount clean off or at least grab the nut below it and remove it using that. Anyway i got them both off and stripped my coilovers down and gave them a good clean up and grease. I then re-assembled them with my brand new top mounts.
Next i wanted to split my driveshafts from the gearbox. Id already bought the special spline tool from GSF so for the most part things went OK. 2 ended up stripping and id already lost 3 or 4 previously and replaced them with standard bolts. So I'm going to buy all new driveshaft bolts and replace the old. When it comes to re-fitting I'm gonna use some thread lock as id previously suffered from them working loose and falling out. I don't want this happening when running the extra power!
In the process one of the driveshaft bearing joints had pulled apart so i also had to take this appart and re assemble with fresh grease. Was a little tricky but i got there in the end.
Now the gearbox was all on its own i set to work cleaning it ready for a coat of paint. I got most of it done but my wire wheel needed replacing and i didn't have a spare so that got left and i moved onto the next job.
Id avoided doing any painting all day as I'm getting a Little sick of it but thought i best get all the underbody seal done and dusted, at least i wont have to do any next week. Yey! So thats how i finished the day off, on my back again getting covered in the dirty stuff. Anyway its all done now and hopefully i wont ever have to do it again.
And thats it. A bit boring i know but hopefully i will have my camera back next week and will get loads of pictures for yall.
-
12 July 06
Just another quick mid week update. Got a call from the engine builders last night and the motor will be ready to pickup today. I wont be able to pick it up though as im in the mx5 but its not a problem as i cant do anything till the weekend anyway. So i will probably pick it up tomorow night. Hopefully i will get my phone back soon also so that i can take some pics!
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17 July 06
Right right right. Got my phone back so pictures will follow. I also got my engine! Just don't ask me what the final bill came to. Lets just say it was triple what i thought it would be! Ouch. :cry: So the credit card got a bashing, so much for clearing all my debts!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00011-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00012-1.jpg)
Here are a few quick pics showing work from the previous week. Subframe in. Under body seal complete. Gearbox half cleaned. Front coil-overs stripped and cleaned with new top mounts.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00013-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00014-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00015-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00016-1.jpg)
I'm now itching to get the engine back in but 1st Ive got to do a few jobs. Firstly i needed to re-install all the front suspension and hub etc.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00018-1.jpg)
I then cleaned up the ally heat shield and clipped it back on.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00017-1.jpg)
I also needed to install my new gear linkage bush. I bought the part a while back. Its real easy to fit. Simply drill out the rivets holding in the old bush. You can then replace new for old and bolt it all back together. Job done and re-installed back on the car.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00019-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00020-1.jpg)
Next i wanted to get the whole exhaust system back on the car including the manifold as its near impossible to get the manifold on once the engine is in. So first i needed to clean up the exhaust tip and finish off wrapping the manifold. Again i ran out of manifold wrap but if i do get some more i can finish it off under the car without too much problem.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00024-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00026-1.jpg)
So on the car it went. I was really glad id freed up the joins before attempting this! And i was very happy with the finished result. With the middle section installed the exhaust tip was pulled over nicely and is as solid as a rock! Result.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00029-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00028-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00027-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00033.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00032.jpg)
I finished off the day by cleaning the gearbox some more. It needs some more cleaning before painting which i will do next weekend hopefully.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00030.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00031.jpg)
-
24 July 06
Not allot to say this week really. Spent most of the time cleaning and painting parts ready to refit them next week. Hopefully the engine will be going in next week. So first up for a liberal coating of black hamerite was the front subframe. The subframe is made up of 2 parts which 1st needed to be separated. As always it wasn't that straight forward as one of the bolts had stripped its threads and was completely stuck. I also removed my front vibra technics mount which i later cleaned up with the wire wheel. It came up as good as new!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00043.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00044.jpg)
So i ended up just yanking the 2 parts apart pulling the bolt through. I then had to grind the old bolt off. I will need to order a replacement this week and i will probably have to weld the new nut back on.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00045.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00046.jpg)
With the 2 bits apart i set to work cleaning them with the wire wheel and painted them.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00047.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00048-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00051-1.jpg)
I then started with painting the gearbox and giving all the brake parts their final coat.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00042.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00041.jpg)
At this point the weather decided to go from very hot and sunny to absolutely chucking it down with rain soaking all my newly painted parts.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00052-1.jpg)
So once the rain stopped and the sun came back out and dried all the parts i gave everything another coat to hide the water marks. I got everything but one side of the subframe complete. So next weekend the motor should be going in! While it was raining i made a start at tidying up all the engine bay wires. Unfortunately i left my phone outside in the rain and it got soaked! It went a bit do-lally so i switched it off and let it dry out so don't have any more pics this week. But the phone is OK now so will have more next week.
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02 August 06
Ive been needing to make a trip to the local scrap yards to get a few odds and ends but i usually only have Saturdays to do this and they are always closed. But as i was working on the car on a Tuesday this week it was an ideal opportunity. I managed to get some of the stuff i wanted.
New rear seatbelt to replace the one i busted a while back. £3
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00138-1.jpg)
A working throttle position sensor as mine stopped clicking a long time ago. Usually these are about £60 but i managed to convince the scrap yard guy to let me buy this for £20 as at 1st he wasn't willing to let me take parts from the complete engine.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00136-1.jpg)
A level sensor plug for the new header tank. £1
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00137-1.jpg)
I also got a replacement bolt for the stripped one i took off the front subframe. Here's a pic of it all painted, its not yet back together but there's no rush as it will be one of the last things to go back on.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00139-1.jpg)
At this point of the build i never know what to start with when i get to the garage. So i started simple and put the coil bracket back on. Ive had to slide the coil as far as possible to the right as the red wire is a little tight since i tidied up all the loom.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00140.jpg)
I then started re-assembling all the brakes. All i can say is i hate brake lines! They are never easy and i ended up having to replace one line on the front. I also discovered another possible issue. The new back box is pretty huge and sticks out into the rear wheel arch quite a bit. This may clash with my wide Porsche wheels. But i wont know that till the wheels are on and the car is back on the ground. If they do then i will stick the G60 steels on for now and get the exhaust changed by powerflow.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00141.jpg)
The dent in the backbox shows where the last owner did a DIY mod job to fit his wheels.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00142.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00143.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00144.jpg)
Front Before and after Shots
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00145.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00146-1.jpg)
The new line i had to make up.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00148-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00149-1.jpg)
Next up i dropped the gearbox back in and connected up the drive shafts. When i removed the engine side drive shaft it all kinda fell apart so i had to re assemble it. It turns out i re assembled it back to front which meant that it didn't bend and twist like it should. So i had to pull it apart and do it again properly. Once done i was good to bolt the driveshafts back on. In the past i have suffered from the drive shaft bolts working loose and falling out. So i bought all new bolts and used thread lock on them when re assembling. Job done now.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00150-1.jpg)
Engine side.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00151-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00155-1.jpg)
Passenger side. A little restricted for access but not too bad with a long reach socket.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00153-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00154-1.jpg)
And that was it for this week. I didn't really get much done cos i could only work till 5 and my morning was taken by the scrap yard trips. I was going to fill and bleed the brakes but realized that Ive bought 2 lots of gearbox oil instead of some brake fluid. Never mind i will get some for next weekend. So if you need any gearbox oil give me a shout.
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07 Aug 06
Well Ive got plenty to update on this week! 1st i made a trip to Halfords on Friday night. I bought a 17mm Alen key tool to drain the gearbox. Some brake fluid. And a Meguirs Quick clay bar kit thingy.
So first job i did on Saturday was to fill my brakes and bleed the system. This took all of 10 Min's and no problems were encountered.
Next i drained my gearbox which again was straight forward and no problems were encountered. I was amazed at how much oil came out, i thought most of it had spilled out while i was painting it. No wonder it was heavy! As yet i haven't re-filled it because a. i didn't have a funnel and b. i wanted it sat properly with the engine in place before doing so, so that i can get the level correct.
I then put the front subframe back together. When i took it apart i had a threaded bolt which needed replacing. I got a replacement while i was at the scrappy last week. I thought i might have to use a new nut too but I was able to straighten up the damaged one and re-tap it.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00163-1.jpg)
I then set to work putting stuff back on the engine. Cam cover and Timing belt cover.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00164-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00165-1.jpg)
Rear engine mount and drive shaft heat shield.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00166-1.jpg)
Oil cooler
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00168-1.jpg)
Oil breather housing
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00169.jpg)
Then my mate arrived just in time to help me lift the engine into the bay. 2 trolley jacks a trusty skateboard and nearly a broken foot later it was in. At this point i wished i had a crane but we got there with allot of grunting and sweating. Ta Da! I also dropped the battery in place and popped the LPG mixer onto its bracket.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00170.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00171.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00172.jpg)
I also bolted the WUR back on.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00173.jpg)
I bolted the gearbox on and put the starter motor and front engine mount on.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00174.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00175-1.jpg)
At this point you may be wondering why i haven't taken the time to clean and paint things like the starter motor. Well to cut a long story short my mate would like his garage back and my wife is getting seriously pissed off with all the time i spend working on the car. So i simply don't have the time anymore. Its a bit of a shame but at the end of the day i wasn't wanting a show looking engine, just a fast one!
You may also wonder why I'm still supporting the engine with a trolley jack and haven't installed the front subframe. This is because i need 1 exhaust manifold stud which i will order up this week along with a whole list of other missing or broken bolts needed. Because of this i will need to drop the engine forward a bit next week to get the new stud in.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00196.jpg)
Next to go on was the water pump.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00195.jpg)
While messing with the water pump i decided it was a good time to install the new thermostat. To do this you have to take the plastic elbow on the underside of the pump off.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00181.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00183-1.jpg)
-
cont......
You will then be presented with the thermostat. I have no idea how it works but from what i can gather it moves and opens up the water channel to the radiator once the engine coolant reaches a certain temperature. Anyway it looks like so. The old one is the silver one.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00182-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00179-1.jpg)
When i was putting it back together 1 of the flippin bolts sheared off! So i took the pump off again and set to work getting the remaining thread out. To do so i carefully welded some blobs onto the bolt, then welded an old nut and bolt to that. Voila job done, only took me 10 Min's too.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00186-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00187-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00189-1.jpg)
So with the pump repaired and re installed i bolted on the alternator bracket and alternator.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00176-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00177-1.jpg)
I then replaced my radiator switch for the new 3 pole one. At the moment i don't have a twin speed fan setup so will end up just using it on the full speed connector setting for now.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00190-1.jpg)
I then bolted on the front water flange. By the way Ive been using all new seals and gaskets with some silicone for all these parts when re installing them.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00191-1.jpg)
Next up was the PAS pump. I had a right head ache trying to figure out how this went on. But once i figured out where this bracket bolted on things started to take shape.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00204-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00206-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00209.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00208-1.jpg)
I then fitted the dizzy and side water flange.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00194.jpg)
I finished the day off with a simple job. I replaced my faulty throttle position sensor. The new one is the silver one on top.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00214.jpg)
So all that done in now looks something like this. Even though on this pic the alternator isn't on.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00200-1.jpg)
While in the area i took a picture of one of the newly polished inlet ports on the head. Spot the difference.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00193.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00007-1.jpg)
Also a pic of my bargain vernier.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00199-1.jpg)
At the end of the day i was left with 2 parts. I couldn't figure out where they were supposed to go but after a big of investigation using the pics i took for reference when removing the engine and ETKA i have now found out where they go. So they will be the 1st to be installed next week. I might have to take some stuff back off to fit them but hey I'm sure they are there for a reason so i best do so.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00207-1.jpg)
At this rate i might be finished next week! :shocked:
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15th August 06
Ok. This weekend i had a bit of a night mare. I'm starting to fret as to wheather then engine will ever run again. I'm sure it will but i bet i doesent at first. Anyway, my first crappy job of the day was to install the parts that were left over last week. I found out that the thin shield looking part was indeed a shield that went in between the block and cam belt. I thought i might have to take take all the belt and pulleys off to put it on which i really didn't want to do as it had all been timed up exact by the engine builders. I know its not a major job and easy enough if you mark everything but none the less i didn't really want to do it. Luckily i didn't have to, i was able to gain enough room by pulling the plastic cover back. I did however have to take all the alternator and water pump back off again!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00244.jpg)
I had a right old night mare as i ended up dropping both the bolt and a rubber spacer i was wrongly using down into the bottom of the belts and cover. So after fishing them out with great difficulty i eventually got it bolted on and put the cam cover back on.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00243.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00245.jpg)
With that arse on finished i went to bolt on the other mystery piece which bolts to the front of the block just above the housing for the water pump. I figured that this was maybe something that was used when running a complete 9A engine but no longer needed on my conversion. How wrong i was! This part actually acts as a spacer for the shield that id just spent ages installing. Which meant i had to take it all off again and start over using this second mystery part as a spacer and not some home made spacer that i was wrongly using. At least its all done properly now.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00246.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00247.jpg)
That all done and dusted i was able to re install the water pump and alternator for about the 5th time. At this point i also installed the front subframe and engine mount.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00248.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00249.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00250.jpg)
As the engine was all now seated correctly and level i decided to fill the gearbox with its fresh new oil. I followed the procedure of filling it via the speedo drive hole till oil ran out of the side fill hole. Once full i cleaned up and re connected the speedo drive cable.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00251.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00252.jpg)
I then bolted up the 4 branch manifold up good and tight with new gaskets.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00242.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00275.jpg)
With this done i could now clamp up the exhaust with some sealant paste.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00254.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00255.jpg)
At this point my missus and baby arrived with some dinner. I made the mistake of leaving my phone out. So it was promptly grabbed and some action shots were taken. Here i was attaching the clutch cable. I look well scruffy. I'm not normally, honest!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00258.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00261.jpg)
I then started with the job that Ive been putting off. Re connecting all the wires! This took ages as some needed new spades soldering on and its never easy soldering to a rusted wire. I re connected the alternator, oil filter sensors, warm up regulator and the 3 temp sensors on the side of the head near the water flange. I also soldered on the new connector for the header tank.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00265.jpg)
I bought a new battery terminal which i wanted to use for the negative side. I didn't realize that the negative terminal was smaller than the positive one so i had to make up a shim to space it out. Ta da! The chunky cable is my new zero Gage earth.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00266.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00267.jpg)
I then connected the gearbox earth cable and main loom earth wire.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00268.jpg)
Other than putting the distributor on, that was about it for the day. I do However have 1 plug and 2 wires which i have no idea about where they go or plug into. Can anyone help? I figure the wire with a round end is an earth and the other wire goes to one of the head sensors (possibly the one on the back) but i have no idea where the plug goes. HELP!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00272.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00271.jpg)
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21st August 2006
I had a very productive weekend this week, I'm almost done!
I started off by plugging in the mystery wires into the right places which always helps. Again i had to solder some new spade connectors onto the rusty old wires. I'm an expert at soldering to rusty wires now. I also screwed on a new oil filter. To complete the run in process i need 3 lots of filters and oil! Have a read of the following like, makes interesting reading regarding running an engine in.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00302.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00295.jpg)
I then connected up the 3 earth wires to the earth clamp on the distributor.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00296.jpg)
Next up i finished off connecting all the power wires and my new 0 Gage amp wire and massive in line fuse. I bought another battery terminal to do so.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00293.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00294.jpg)
With the important parts of the electrics finished i decided to test a few things. All except my side repeaters in the wings worked. So i took the inner wing plastic off and check the cables. All was fine so i followed the cable into the engine bay where i found the cause. Id forgot to connect the 2 black plugs which live behind the header tank. The white plug with the brown wires near it is the connector for my fogs which i also wired in. I had to make a new loom for this as the original was none existent. I suspect the bodyshop removed it when they installed my fogs for some bizare reason as they had them wired to my main beam :laugh:
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00301.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00300.jpg)
While the trusty soldering iron was out and i was working on the whole lights system i decided to bolt the slam panel on and get my head lamps up and running also. So again i corrected a previous bodge where the side lights were both getting their power from the 1 side. And installed my uprated headlight loom. It turns out one of my bulbs had blown which had me baffled for a while. Also when i tested my lights the relays for the uprated loom kinda fizzed and gave off a little smoke which had me worried but i think it was just some moisture as it soon stopped and everything was OK. I ran the whole loom as neatly as possible out of sight and hid the relays down the side of the battery. I was very happy with the finished result.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00303.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00304.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00305.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00306.jpg)
I then installed the header tank and washer bottle and plugged them in.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00308.jpg)
I then installed the LPG mixer, wired it in and connected the gas feed. Its the bit by the washer bottle.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00309.jpg)
Then i bolted on the intake manifolds and throttle body. Connected up the 5th injector and the Idle controll valve. Dropped in the airbox and metering head and connected up the fuel lines.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00310.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00311.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00312.jpg)
So there really isn't much left to do now. During the day i had 2 mishaps though. When i wanted to test the electrics i turned the ignition on not thinking that the fuel pump would prime. As a result petrol went everywhere. No big deal though as it just wiped up, at least i didn't have a fire like Lewy did. Then when connecting up the vacuum line on the deceleration valve (bit on back/bottom of airbox) i managed to snap the connector. So i need a replacement. New from VAG they cost £50 so I'm looking for a used one. :cry:
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29 August 06
Well i managed to get hold of a second hand deceleration valve from somebody breaking a 16v on ebay. So this weekend i was able to get finished at last! But don't get too exited as i ran into 1 little problem which prevented me from starting it.
First i set to work getting the injectors seated. A little grease round the rings always helps here! :grin: Anyway 1 of the rings needed replacing, luckily i have a few spares so with a little persuasion and a pair of circlip pliers i managed to stretch the new one on and roll it into place.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00366.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00367.jpg)
I then filled up with the special running in oil. Took about 4 litres to get it full. I also filled up with pink coolant. I must have had a leak on every bloody hose! So with some new jubilee clips and a bit of adjusting i think Ive sorted them all. No doubt when i run it for the 1st time i will have leaks all over, but will cross that bridge when i come to it!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00368.jpg)
I then finished off connecting up all the intake, idle controll and LPG feed pipes.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00369.jpg)
And thats the engine done! Just need to put the bumper and grill etc back on now. I had a bit of a nightmare getting the bolts for the bumper to line up but got there in the end. This pic shows inside the chassis leg where the bumper bracket goes.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00372.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00371.jpg)
Then my new chrome slat grill was fitted. I wasn't overly impressed with the quality or fit, especially for the price but hey its on and looks good.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00373.jpg)
I then finished off connecting up my indicators and fog lights.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00374.jpg)
All that was left to do now was put the wheels on and turn the key, i was getting pretty nervous at this point. The wheels needed a good scrub 1st though as they were all salted up and really dull as i hadn't cleaned them before packing them away. I wire Brillo pad soon brought them up nice though. They still need a polish but for now they look good enough. I was worried about the new back box getting in the way as its pretty huge but i was worrying for nothing as it fit no problem.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00375.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00376.jpg)
With all the wheels back on it was time to bring it down off the axle stands and put my top suspension caps on the front. I couldn't get over how low it was once off the axle stands. Looked real cool!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00377.jpg)
Again all had gone OK till this point. But as we rolled it out the garage i caught the door on the pillar chipping the paint and bending the corner a little. Its nothing major and you cant tell unless you look real closely but its still a bugger. I'm not that bothered though as that door already had a chip and needed attention. Then the big moment of truth came! We hooked up the jump leads to my mates civic and turned the key. There were a couple of coughs and splutters but it didn't seem to want to start. It turned over freely enough though. So i checked the usual spark fuel etc. It was real low on fuel so i popped to the garage and filled a couple of cans. My spark was also very weak and my old plugs had seen better days. But more importantly one of the wires to the hall sender plug was only hanging on by a thread and when i moved it, it snapped off completely. So I'm going to solder a new plug on, get new spark plugs, rotor arm, cap and leads for next week and fingers crossed!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00380.jpg)
At this point i was a little disappointed and it was getting late so i gave it a quick wash down and rolled it back into the garage. I put the battery on a 24hr charge also as it had drained completely. To be continued...........
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00378.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00379.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00381.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00382.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00385.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00386.jpg)
P.S Oh i also had a little play with some of that quick clay. Cant say i was very impressed really as it left lots of surface scratches where i had rubbed. Yeah it made the paint feel like glass but id rather have it feel rough without scratches! I took a pic to try and capture the scratches but you cant really see. You can see a little in the bottom right.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00384.jpg)
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11 Sep 06
Well i didn't get a chance to do any work on the car last week but this week i got it finished! I managed to get the plug i needed from a local scrappy and the kind guy said i could just have it. I also ordered a whole load of ignition parts just to be sure. I got new 4 prong spark plugs, a set of HT leads, dizzy cap and rotor arm. So the 1st job of the day was to get the new parts installed and the new plug soldered on. The old rotor arm didn't want to come off at all so a hammer and screw driver later it was off and in pieces.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00399.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00398.jpg)
The old spark plugs had seen better days. They had a thick coating on them from the LPG and were very black. The new ones should work a treat.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00400.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00401.jpg)
Next up i installed the new HT leads which seem real good quality but a little shorter than the originals.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00402.jpg)
I then soldered on the new plug and decided it was time to give it another go. I tried starting it again but had no joy. With a bit of head scratching i came to the conclusion that i may have made quite a school boy error and got the HT leads the wrong way round. So i checked the Haynes which was no use at all. I checked the MX5 but it didn't have a conventional distributor. So i waited for my mate to come home so i could check the order on his Honda. While i waited i clayed the roof and gave it a polish.
When he returned it was clear that i had got the leads the wrong way round, hence the popping but non starting. So a quick re order later looked like so. The leads fitted much better now they were on in the correct order.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00403.jpg)
So i tried again. Still no joy at 1st but after tinkering with the metering head flap it fired up! Sounded a bit ropey at 1st but got better as the oil circulated. So i let it warm up as i franticly ran round checking oil water temps radiator fan sensors etc etc. All seemed OK really. Then the manifold heat wrap started to smoke. Lewy wasn't kidding! This stuff smokes loads at 1st! Filled the whole garage even though the doors were open. These pics were taken after the smoke started to die down.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00404.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00405.jpg)
So the last job was to re connect the speedo cable to the clocks. This time i used some thread lock as it has a bad habit of coming loose. I was going to do a write up but only ended up taking this pic.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00406.jpg)
Then i took it for a few tootles round the block. You can tell it needs setting up badly but it wasn't too bad really. All seemed OK so it was time to head out for the 1st stage of the run in process.
So i had a bit of a play on some back roads while my mate followed in case i broke down. There were a couple of minor hickups but nothing major. My gear selector weighted shift rod kept popping off because i need some new bushes. Also half way up the road i remembered i hadn't fully nipped up the wheel bolts. Also there was a bit of a bang and the sound of something falling off. At 1st i thought one of the whiney belts had snapped. It couldn't have been the timing belt though as the engine was still running. But all belts were fine. So i walked back down the road and found a large bolt which was a bit mangled. We headed back to the garage to sort everything out and check everything over. I looked everywhere but couldn't see where this bolt could have came from. I came to the conclusion that id just ran over it and was being paranoid. Time will tell, fingers crossed!
Anyway we did approx 30 miles and headed back to do an oil and filter change. All seems OK and the exhaust sounds like a jet fighter! Even got a few flames pop out the back. So Ive got it booked in for a RR tune up at motorscope in Northallerton on the 23rd. Just need to get it insured and finish running it in now. I'm picking up the gear link bushes tonight also.
Ive got some high quality pictures and video clips which i will get posted tomorrow.
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12 Sep 06
First i will explain why i didnt manage to do any work on the car the other weekend, i was kinda worse for wear. I really didnt think i had drunk that much! I couldent even speak! Never felt that ill before!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00395.jpg)
I picked up the new gear linkage bushes last night. They are genuine VW ones and far better quality than the cheapo ones i got in the linkage repair kit i bought.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00407.jpg)
I also fogot to mention that i replaced my bulbs for these new ones as an element had gone in one of the bulbs. I was going to upgrade to a xenon kit but didnt like the fact that you can only have either the main beam or dipped beam running xenon and the other a standard bulb which is likely to blow. You can get all xenon high and low beam kits but they are about £600 so scrap that idea!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00413.jpg)
Also while my mate was sat in the car helping me with pumping the brakes he decided to have a play. I hadnt told him that the sunroof catches and not to use it. So one opening and closing later i had a nice scratch on the sunroof. Bugger!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00422.jpg)
Last but not least the mystery bolt that may have fallen off. Personally i dont think it was ever on the car or engine. What do you all think?
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00408.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00410.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00411.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00412.jpg)
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13 September 06
Well some of you liked the photo of me ill so i thought id show you the night before. I went to a fancy dress party to raise cash for breast cancer. Was a good night!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01732.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01733.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01736.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01740.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01751.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01755.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01757.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01765.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01771.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01791.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01815.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01843.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01824.jpg)
Baby Recaro's?
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC01941.jpg)
Took the car to get 2 new front tires last night. £120 for 2 good quality directionals wasn't bad really. I also got my insurance sorted by Martin B on here who works for HIC for a good price. Many thanks Martin. So Ive just got to get my tax today and check if i need an MOT.
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14 September 06
Well i dug out my MOT certificate last night and that has also expired. So thats Tax Test Insurance and tyres ive got to pay for all at once this month to get the car back on the road. My wallet is bleeding!
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18 September 06
MOT today! I think it may fail on emisions, fingers crossed. Only thing i did on the golf this week end was install a new rear seatbelt for the MOT. I had my wifes car to work on this week as the exhaust had fallen off and it needed new brakes and a service. All im gonna say is i HATE drum brakes! Why the hell do they need so many springs and clips! :angry:
Anyway got a couple of daft pictures for yall. 1st up my little girl did an exorcist stye sick all over her teddy. I though it looked funny the way it has its hands up like "I surrender!"
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00435.jpg)
It was dark by the time i finished on the wifes car so tried to capture some pics of my lights inside and out. There not brilliant but you get the idea.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00436.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00437.jpg)
And last but not least the garage that ive been using for the last 6 months. When i started it was imaculately clean and never been used. Now its kinda grimey. Sorry Kev.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00438.jpg)
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20 Sep 06
I took the car for an MOT after work the other night. All went well apart from the fact that my lights are LHD! Im dam sure i paid for RHD ones! I will have to dig out the receipt. Anyway the nice MOT man said i could pop over to Halfords, get some of them stick on deflectors and he would pass it for me. So i set off realizing i didnt know where Halfords was! So about an hour later after running all over the place i had the stickers and got back to the mot station to find them closing! Grrrrrr so i had to go back the next day. But hey ive now got a pice of paper which means i can now get my tax.
While looking for halfords the engine developed a bit of a squeel which worried me. It seems to be coming from the cams which cant be good! I checked the oil and everything but couldent find anything. Ive come to the conclusion that its an air leak whistle as it doesent change pitch with revs. I thought it might be the idle screw but tried fiddling with that and it made no change. I also wiggled the injectors which made no change. Anyway its been like that for 2 days now and ive covered about 100 miles and all has been fine. Maybe the tuners will know what it could be on Saturday. Fingers crossed it doesent blow up before then!
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22 Sep 06
Good News or Bad news 1st?
Bad 1st. On my way to work yesterday this happened!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00446.jpg)
I was already suspicious of that hose but it seemed to be OK till now. It burst just by Middlesbrough Football Stadium so i had to walk into middlesbrough and get the bus home. Can you believe how much the bus costs now a days! The same journey used to cost me 50p when i was young and its not £3.30! Anyway i nicked the wifes car and went to the breakers yard where i knew there was a valver. He let me have the hose for £1 which i though was a bargain! It turned out that it was a little shorter than the original so a bit of copper pipe was needed. Thankfully i had come prepared and brought some with me! So a new hose and some new pink coolant later all was fixed. Only cost about £7 in total.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00440.jpg)
Oh by the way its the coolant hose that comes off the side of the head and goes to the heater matrix.
Because i needed to get it fixed i took the day off work, i don't know how thats going to work cos i don't have any holidays left! Hopefully they will just forget about it. So with the rest of the day free i decided to get some more jobs done and had quite a productive day. 1st i checked that i had the correct adaptors on each wheel as i though i may have put 30s on the front instead of 25's, but it turns out all of them are 30's, so thats OK then.
I then got side tracked a little when i found a bit of usefull looking hose that fell off the wifes rover. It was the cold air feed but its mine now! Ha ha! I cut a bit off the airbox and secured the hose in place like so.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00441.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00442.jpg)
And at the front i used another bit of hose thingy i had in my bits box to create the intake.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00443.jpg)
I thought it was a bit flimsy and looked a bit scew if so used some more plastic hosing i had to create an insert. So it all now looks like so.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00445.jpg)
With that done i can now re attach the side part of the airbox to quieten down things a bit. Ive kinda gone off the whole induction roar noise. Just makes me feel like a chav.
Next up i decided to have another bash at setting the ignition timing. At 1st i didn't really have a clue what to do, i didn't understand all this 6 degrees nonsense. After asking a few questions i realized that 6 degrees was the big notch cut into the flywheel. So i found some white touch up paint in my bits draw and marked up the flywheel groove for another go. I ran the engine at idle with the ecu vacuum pipe disconnected then shone the timing light into the hole. No matter where i rotated the dizzy the marks where no where to be seen. The bolts for the dizzy can go in 1 of 2 holes to allow for more rotation in either direction so i moved the bolts into the other 2 holes. This allowed me to rotate the dizzy some more. So i shone the light in again and rotated some more. Then voila! the marks appeared and lined up! As soon as the marks lined up the engine started to idle much higher so i adjusted the idle screw to match. Now the engine revs soo much free'er and has allot more power. The timing must have been a mile out! So I'm dead chuffed now, cant wait till tomorrow to get it RR tuned!
Now that i was on a roll i started looking for the cause of the squeal. Burnt fingers n ear later i found it to be the gasket between the lower and upper intake manifold. So i happy with that, it will just need splitting and re sealing with some silicone. Gonna do this tonight.
I also plumbed up all my LPG system which I'm going to test this lunch time so that the tuners can set up the LPG properly for me.
Even though i hurt my back doing all of this I'm much happier with the car now and a smile is returning back to my face. :wink:
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26 Sep 06
I got the car Rolling Road tuned at the weekend. All went well. The only thing not quite right was the fact that id put the dizzy cap on upside down. Hey its an easy mistake! What bhp is it i hear you scream? Well i don't really know, because the road is as old as the hills and cannot give power graphs or bhp readouts at the flywheel. Also with it being a new engine and only done 400 miles still running on the run in oil he didn't want to take it past 5k revs as the run in oil will not provide enough lube after this point. They are buying a new road in December so will no doubt have to make a visit then. I do have some figures but i doubt they are a true reflection of the power. Running my 16" wheels i got 110bhp at 5k revs. I have however driven the car all the way to the red line a couple of times and there is much more power on tap after 5k. All in all I'm happy with the results, i may have lost a little bottom end torque but have gained a hell of allot of extra top end power. Its no boost monster but its certainly no slouch!
So whats next now i have finished the engine rebuild? Well my wife and child deserve my full attention from now on at a weekend. So its going to be slow going from here on in. Ive still got lots i want to do but this will happen slowly over the years. The paint needs attention in a few areas which will get sorted when i save up the funds. But mainly the next item on the agenda is the In Car Entertainment (ICE). This has already been purchased and started so here is what you will be see'ing for the foreseeable future.
Basically I'm installing a PC in my car for music, DVDs, sat nav and hands free phone controll as well as other bits and pieces like web browsing and CD ripping. It will be touch screen controlled and linked to my amps via a head unit which I'm keeping simply for the radio. Ive already fitten the 7" touch screen in the lower center console like so.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/Car%20Stuff/DSC00383.jpg)
Ive also ran the main 0 Gage wire from the battery to the rear of the car.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00293.jpg)
Then the other night i made a start at mounting the main brains and power supply of the PC in the dash undertray. Basically Ive got to fit this lot.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00013-2.jpg)
In here
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00014-2.jpg)
Plenty of cutting and adjustments later its in!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00016-2.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00017-2.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00018-2.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00019-2.jpg)
If your thinking I'm dead clever doing all of this well I'm not really. The clever one is Ally who is kindly doing all the software side of things for me. Thanks. Ally used to frequent this forum but has recently moved over to the dark side of the Dub Marines. Apparently you need to be special to be a member! Yeah, special as in licks the window at the back of the bus me thinks! :grin:
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28 Sep 06
BOLLOX! PAS pump died on me last night. I was driving when i heard a steam train kinda noise. Then i noticed smoke pouring out the rear of the car. Me 1st thoughts were that the new engine had gone but all seemed ok in that department and the motor was idling fine. So i stopped at my parents house which i was passing and had a look. It looks like a seal or bearing has gone on the pas pump and all the fluid has drained away causing it to grind and bind up smoking as it hit the exhaust. It sounds really rough now as if the fluid has been replaced by grit. I had noticed that the steering seemed heavier than usual after the rebuild but just put it down to being used to the newer mx5 ive been driving. Anyhow its not the end of the world and an easy part to replace. Hopefully the local scrappy with the valver in ive been using will let me have the pump at a good price. A job for the weekend! As well as fitting a handbrake cable on the wifes car. Then its party time saturday night, im gonna be a pirate. Yarrrrrrrrrrr!
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03 Oct 06
Well it turns out that the PAS pump dying may have been a blessing in disguise! I was holding back on buying my road tax as there was only a week left in the month and there was no way i was paying for a months worth of tax i wouldn't get. As the golf was broken i used the MX5 to go to work in. Low and behold on my way home there was a tax camera van and about 4 police cars at the next junction pulling all the tax evaders over! How lucky was that! :laugh:
Anyway i managed to get a PAS pump from a local independent VW specialist who were breaking their 8v loan car for £35. It came off without any major problems. Mine however had a seized hydraulic line which took a bit of persuading but i got there in the end. 1 bonus was that the new pump had an extra bracket that i was missing to secure the pump and I'm allot happier with its fit now. But i think i may have dropped a Bullock! I think Ive put gearbox oil in by mistake. Ive got that many bottles of stuff since the rebuild its easy to get confused. I knew the fluid was in a round bottle and was green in colour. But i put the round green bottle of fluid in without thinking. I think the fluid was green also. To be honest it seems fine but i will flush it and re fill with the correct fluid anyway. I did also take some pics but my phone is totally buggered since my little girl sucked it to death and i cant get the pictures off. Oh hold on ill try bluetoothing them!
Ta DA!
Bare pump
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00001-1.jpg)
Extra bracket that i didn't have.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00002-1.jpg)
The bracket hold either side of this mount.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00003-1.jpg)
The pressure line i had problems getting off. In the end i got the larger nut undone and span the whole pump to remove it. I had to remove the other brackets in order to spin the pump.
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00004-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00006-1.jpg)
It was well and truly seized!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00005-1.jpg)
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05 Oct 06
I'm not having much luck with my PAS lately. Last night the belt snapped! Fortunately i had an old 1 in my bits box. So while there i though i better check what the fluid i filled up with was. Turns out it is actually power steering fluid just not VW's own. I must have bought it months ago when i bought all the gaskets n stuff from GSF. But as Ive been advised to use only the VW stuff as other stuff can kill the pump i decided to flush it out and fill up with the genuine stuff. Easy job really, just undo the the jubilee clip holding the bottom hose. Drop the hose into a bucket then turn the pump by hand to pump all the fluid out.
The VW stuff is on the left in the white bottle
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00056-2.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00055-1.jpg)
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12 October 2006
More woes! Things are not going very well for me this month, after finding out that I'm being made redundant in December things have just gone from bad to worse. Then to top it all off i had another break down this morning on the way to work. No biggie but still annoying as i had to turn round and head back home to my parents and pick up the mx5 to use meaning i had to sit in the same traffic jam twice. Anyway it was just the alternator securing bolt had worked loose and dropped off meaning the alternator dropped and stopped spinning. Easy fix once i get the replacement parts. It will be going on with lock tight glue this time! I guess its time i gave the whole motor a check over for loose bolts n stuff. Oh Ive also done 1k miles now so will be dumping the run in oil for some syntha silver and a new filter. Once done I'm gonna be taking it to the red line to see what it can do!
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00078-1.jpg)
(http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y68/judderi/DSC00077-1.jpg)
Maybe the mystery bolt that fell off in the beginning was this bolt?