Jon's 91' Mk2 ABF Digi GTI

[jmsheahan]

A very brief update without details but it runs and is back on the road! I'm also no longer a student and have graduated with a first so over the moon. Car back and degree in one day 

Car pulls like a train through the gears - 5th being the most surprising! I know I've missed a fair few steps out however will upload pics with proper update of whats been happening at a later date. However, engine wise all back together:



Happy days!

[SoundillusioN]

Nice one.. Congrats on both!

[jmsheahan]

Nice one.. Congrats on both!

Thanks mate 

Been tinkering about with the mk2 recently so thought I'd update with a little bit of progress. Backtracking a little, the engine conversion is now complete and running well. Few ups and downs through the process but was a relatively straight forward swap and a rewarding one at that. Although not lightening quick, it really has made the power delivery stronger and pulls well in any gear - 3rd and 5th just pull and pull! Really is effortless to drive, much more torque but still retains that GTI revvy characteristics. Exhaust downpipe is an unbelievably tight fit with the taller block but it just squeezes in there! A fair amount has been replaced under the bonnet to freshen the car up, some planned, some not 

As mentioned before, my few months old 'refurbished' head was basically scrap. Here is the valve after it was removed:





So, the original head was sent for refurbishment with new guides, stem seals, a slight skim and lick of paint. Parts replaced include a new Sachs clutch, all new 16v engine mounts, 2E dizzy, starter motor (the old one fell apart as it was removed!), power steering pump (finally found the damn intermittent leak!), new metal coolant pipe as the old one was rotten, every gasket you can think of, cambelt and tensioner etc etc. Unfortunately I don't really have many pics of it going back together as time was tight and I was busy with uni work. A few randoms:

How it was looking:



Back together and stored at my mates for a while (it was in good company)




Wind forward to the past week or so and it's been a case of sorting those jobs that have been on the back burner for ages. First job, clean 3 months of dirt, roadwork dust and garage soot from the car 

[jmsheahan]

Next get the tailgate that has been sat in my house awaiting replacement onto the car (sat gathering dust for the past year and a half  ). Cue an hour of undoing bolts, swapping components and pulling various bits of loom through with rope. A nice straight forward job, bar me slicing straight through my finger on the inner panel work of the boot.

Old one was a bit rotten around the usual areas:



Old one off:



Side by side:



New numberplate lamps and gaskets:



Finished macoy. Colour matches reasonably well however hoping to blend them in more with a polish.

[jmsheahan]

Next up, dig my Ronal's out of hiding now the 'summer' is here. I hate cleaning them and this is what I was greeted with:





I'm not a detailing fanatic particularly but thought I'd try some Poorboys wheel sealant in the hope that if I spent an hour waxing the wheels it would pay dividence when it came to cleaning them again. After nearly loosing my mind doing it, they look rather fresh  . Time will tell if the efforts were worth it!

Found the metal door inserts I've been meaning to pop on in the bottom of my toolbox. Taken from a poverty spec mk2 down the local scrappy, they fit a lot neater than the bent plastic ones that were on there before. May spray them black at some point. 30 second job for tart points.



Replacement of the leaky washer hose with mk3 items (always nice to have wipers again) and a super quick wipe down of the engine bay:



Realised the top of the throttle switch is catching the bonnet so will have to address that at some point. Couple of minor dents (just cosmetic under the bonnet though).

[jmsheahan]

Next up was sorting the low hanging Jetex. Fitment of the exhaust under the car is great however the height of the back box has always been poor looking like a kev saxo special.

How it hung:



How I wanted it to hang:



A friend cut and rewelded the hanger a little higher for me and I managed to fettle it a bit higher using a jubilee clip and a new exhaust mount. Sits much better now but needs a slightly smaller jubilee clip.

[jmsheahan]

Last but not least, rid the car of Tornado pink. The annual wax and polish.

9 hours later, claying, polish, 2 coats of red glaze, 2 coats of sealant, a coat of colly wax, numerous interior cleaning chemicals, a few cans of beer and a severely knackered arm we have a clean car

Flying the flag:

[jmsheahan]

New genuine Mk2 Golf floor mats:











Lastly, on the clubstand at the VW/Audi Trackday at Castle Coombe last Saturday (in the rain  ). Great day out and nice to put a few faces to user names.



If you are still awake that's pretty much up to date now. Hoping to finish wiring up the VDO's asap (another job that I never get around too), install the mocal oil cooler and get my Toad immobiliser wired in.

Thanks for reading.

[Wayne]

Excellent work

[thai-wronghorse]

This is really coming along rather nicely.