Mk1 Golf 2.0 16v ABF build

Hello all, Well where do I start? Ive wanted a mk1 golf for as long as I can possibly remember, somewhat a childhood dream to own one some day, So when one came along amongst a fellow friend needless to say I snapped his arm off and took it off his hands.
After looking at the car, I soon realised it was a Citi and was slightly put off the idea. Weeks went by and I decided to buy it and see what it was like. After passing its first mot with me, I drove it for a couple of months and realised the dated / incredibly overfueled engine could do with some work.. As in the majority of cases a "small smart up" turned into a full blown project.
I have a background of mechanics but Im no super fabricator, welder nor sprayer so hopefully this will inspire people either working on a golf to building an Abf'd mk1 and possibly change some minds on the Citi Golfs at the same time.
Here is how it looked after some time buffing it up, and a month or two of work:



With this dirty little engine inside



Starting the tear down:





Then cut the crazy rotted and ugly front end off:



Rear arches inner and outer solid:


So about now was the time I had been dreading, Finding the extent of the rot. Being an import they never really treated the car how it should have been, Dribs and drabs had been done where ever they thought was necessary but nothing great.

Inner lowers rotted, Pretty standard on the Mk1's.













Rot Rot Rot





At least its straight !



After a chat with a friend of mine, he quickly set my mind in stone and picked up this



And here is how it stood for a good few weeks until the harsh weather passed ( Is that even possible in the UK? ) I found loads of rot had just been hid from eyes sight, Filler in every rusted out point and seam sealer generously pasted over every available point to hide its rust.




Back to work again.. Made a start on the rear axle / beam. In great shape but needed a good smart up.








Cracked out the grinders and made a start at de seaming and cleaning the engine bay up





Dusted with some acid etch

Got a nice window to get some work done at the weekend, so decided to crack the weldier out and get creative with some steel.











Lower chassis leg




Got the screen out and made a crack on with the scuttle piece








Sorry, dont have picture of finished weld !





Nearside was a challenging one, but not too much of a problem, Damn pattern parts !







And the fresh Early mk1 front end fitted :





I then went round the back to see that the Mrs' had completely degreased and Por15'd the engine. Heres the winning shot:



Ill get some more pictures of progress and parts soon, My garage is like a parts warehouse at the moment!… Oh, And this arrived yesterday:




Thats all for now !

Cool! Have you any more pics of the inner wing repair?

Sure, heres a couple more:







Okay so a little more progress today, managed to clean & build the lower inlet manifold and injector rail with new seals today and a few other little bits. Got most of the last few bits of welding done until I hit the brick wall and ran out of gas.



Couple of new bits and pieces:





Making a start on the bay filling



Beam all fresh








Manifold arrived this week from Dubpower. Firstly id like to thank Peter from Dubpower, FANTASTIC customer service if only every company was as friendly and professional as these guys. Quality is unreal, The welding clearly shows their fabrication skills. More than impressed.

Looking good! How much background do you have in welding?

Only a handfull of hours really, I fabbed up an exhaust for a friends 205 gti years back and done dribs and draps here and there ever since but nothing major.