Ant's budget MK2

[tony_ack]

Having spent probably more than I should have getting my daily valver to Very Good Condition, I somehow found myself the owner of this:







Me and my dad got the car a few months back as a joint project for £300 (£150 each). It needed a lot doing both on the inside and out, but my dad started on the interior. He needed to swap the dash and headlining, so stripped pretty much the whole interior except the carpets.

Meanwhile I started sourcing some of the parts we needed like doorcards and the P-slot centres. Because I live in Sheffield and my dad lives in Bury, near Manchester we didn't have much chance to work on it together.

Then he lost interest. With the tax and MOT about to run out, he needed to get it off the road, and decided to give it to me. So effectively it was mine for £150!

I've worked out that I spent £150 on parts before I took on my dad's share. So it's cost me £300 so far.

The pics were taken the day after I drove it to Sheffield, before I did any more work on it. The journey over was an adventure in itself, as when I arrived to collect the car, it was dark, the car hadn't been started for months, and there were no seats, switches or clocks in the car! I managed to rebuild enough to get me home though.

So my first job was to give it a wash, and I also fitted the alloy wheel centres:





She scrubs up okay. The shell is solid, but there are a few dents and some rust starting in places. The sills, arches and fuel filler are all perfect though.

[tony_ack]

So the plan for this is basically to tidy it up and sell it. I'd love to keep it, but I already have a MK2 as a daily, and my heart is set on a Corrado for a weekend car, so I can't justify it. I want to get it back to standard too - I think for the early MK2s, it's worth preserving the distinctive features like the GTI wing badges and 7-slat grille.

I really want to try and do this on a budget. I'm not really looking to make a profit out of it, but would be happy to break even as long as the car is restored and it goes to an enthusiast who will look after it!

In fact the grille was the first thing I changed:



MY next job is to get the rest of the carpets up. The car has been leaking for the last few months, and the carpets are sodden. I needed to get them up and see what the floorpan was like.

The rear ones weren't too bad, just a bit dirty, and a bit of surface rust on the passenger side...





But the passenger front looks a mess:



My heart sank when I say the rust (which was still 1" deep in water when I first got the carpets up). I tried poking my finger through the rust but couldn't, so I got out a screwdriver, and stabbed the rust to try to break through. Luckily it didn't go through and it sounds like the floor is still solid when I tap it. My next job is to get the wire brush drill on it to see how much metal is left.

[gti3_elston]

looking good mate, i had the same feeling when i saw my floor pan in my mk3, but again luckily its solid so its all gd lol. is your daily mk2 an 8v or 16v mate?

[messenjah]

if footwells are full of water  then its fine .... no holes

[tony_ack]

The daily MK2 is a 16v:



There is more info and pics on my project thread:

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=156881.0

I thought the same about the floorpans - if the water is being held in them they can't be too bad! Plus I guess that once it is all dry and protected, the car *shouldn't* leak any more, so the floors won't be exposed to any more water and won't rust quickly on the inside.

[Chris-White]

Hooray for early spec mk2's!

[SoundillusioN]

Hooray for early spec mk2's!

definitely

I want it already. that first grille was nasty.

[tony_ack]

Damn. There's a small 5p hole in the front passenger footwell. It's out of shot in the photos (it's in the back of the footwell near the sill). Still no disaster, but now I'll need to find a mobile welder to sort it out which just adds to the cost 

I've found a couple more pics as well from the other day...

I want it already

Don't tempt me...!

[lewis1641]

looks like it'll scrub up nicely.

i take it you are sorted for a dash? if not pm me - i have a spare that i doubt i'll ever use. i am not too far away from you either.

[Wayne]

Looks a good project.

Not many early ones left now.