mk1 resto!

hi, all
today i have just started to strip down my golf c for a complete strip down/rebuild 8O (completely removed the interior today) and was wondering how easy is it to replace the rear valance, i know crazyquiff does them but i would like to know how/what its like to change. also when replacing the rear arches how does the valance fit to them and the rear of the body, 1 last thing theres a nice big hole in the r/h/r inner arch is this easy to repair or is it worth changing that aswell :dontknow: .
any info/advice would be greatly appreciated,
thanks in advance



p.s dont wanna sound stupid but this is the first time i have ever really rebuilt a car so please could you talk in the more simpler terms  as this is a very steep learning curve for me and hope that i can make a really good go of it. hopefully i can get some pics on tomorrow to show you what im dealing with.
regards

levy

Hi there, haven't done the rear panel myself, but looks straight forward. Crazyquiff sells the entire rear panel which includes the area where the lights are mounted and the bootlid slam panel. The rear valance itself its technically the lower part of this, which is avialable as a pattern panel if the rear light area is salvable.

You can see where the rear panel is attached to the rear quarters (which the rears arches are part of) as a groove running downm the outer sides of the rear lights. You'll also need to attach it to the bootfloor, the chassis legs and the bottom of the bootlid pillars.

Pattern rear arches include some 15-20 cm of the metal that runs around the arch, this includes the lower part of the rear quarter that butts up against the rear panel.

When you say inner arch, do you mean the side of the arch that is attatched to the boot floor and has the rear struts mounted through it or part the runs donw behind the outer arch which the filler neck exits through? You can buy the second area as a pattern panel, but the side atthached to the boot floor is easier to let metal as it is more complex construction and holds the tops of the shocks. Hope that makes sense :?

If its any help have a look at some the pics of my rear arch restoration

Cheers

hi yea sorry thats what i meant the whole of the rear end :mrgreen:  i can picture the groove but it looks to me like there is no way of seperating (how is it seperated????) also the inner arch is gone where the sill is so you can see into the sill at least i think thats part of the inner arch. just going back to the rear panel where is it attached and how do ya unattach it. :dontknow:
thanks for the reply


levy

hi all again forgot to mention that my brake line are dead/disintigrated and was wondering how easy it is to replace them i can get the materials (pipe male/female connectors) cheap enough so was just enquiring really

regards


levy

The grooves will have paint and sealer in them. This hides where the flanges of the rear quarter and rear panel meet. From what I have seen they appear to be tacked, most most of the welded strength will be in the join at the bootfloor and bootlid pillars. To an extent you have to be brave and get stuck in. As long as you are confident of grinding, cutting and welding the specifics of a reassembly will become evident a as you cut the old stuff away.

From what you say about the arch sounds like the panel pictured below is what you need.

These are spot welded around the flange running around the outside of the panel when constructed. Then the outer rear quarter panel is then welded over the top, preventing access to the spots welds and the option of drilling them out. I resorted to cutting the arch area out with an angle grinder and metal shears. I then ground and chisselled off the remaining scraps of metal around the flange leaving it as below (looking forward into rear r/h arch area).

hi markwon i will put up some pics tomorrow to show you what i mean then hopefully i can pluck up the courage and get stuck in :mrgreen:


levy

Replacement copper brake line kits are available from http://www.automec.co.uk/ for about ?55. About to order a kit myself, a number of people on the forum have tried and recommend them. Alternatively you can make up your own lines, most motor factors should sell the parts needed. You also need a flaring tool to fit the unions/connectors.

Cheers

Look forward to the pics - I find some grim fascination in looking at rust :twisted:

hi the website looks good (is it american?) and also i have seen the braided brake hoses for sale  ???? quite alot are they worth investing in.


levy

Panel is easy to do - cut the majority of it out by cutting around the points where the panel is joined to the car - i.e. the rear chasis legs - the strip along the boot floor and move about 2" in from each quarter panel - just think about it and look twice cut once.

i had mine cut out in about 2 hours with breaks in between as it was such a nice day and i had the car outside on her side!

here is a picture showing the major part of the panel removed and the parts that you cannot cut out as behind these lie the main body of the car - the bits that remain you have to clean away the sealer from the inside with a drill and wire brush attachment this will show you where the welds are the the simplest method is grinding the welds from the outside - simply grind the outer panel away very gently then you will see the metal change colour when you reach the second skin STOP there and move to the next



I left in the section which holds the lock catch mechanism simply for some ridgidity when it was on its side - this just grinds out when your ready to offer up the new panel.

hi all, thanks for all the feedback this is really helping me along and also appreciate all the pics been put up to help, will try to get some pics on later on today.
regards


levy

im having a bit of trouble putting up the pics (well alot of trouble) could some one please tell me how its done.
regards


levy

1st off, need to sign up to a host site like www.photobucket.com and then you can upload your pics from your computer onto you account. Then post the links into this box when you type and hey presto! Your pics will be shown. If you right click on a pic shown by another user, you can view what needs to be pasted to post a pic.

hi heres the pics (hopefully)

spare wheel tray.


heres the hole in the inner arch i was talking about,


and heres the outside of the arch,


here's the passenger side arch,


heres the passenger side corner of the valance,


this is the drivers corner of the valance, as you can see its a bit nasty,


passenger side rear footwell thing (theres was water here underneath the carpet when i pulled it out yesterday)


and this is the drivers side rear footwell thing (dry as a bone)


here's a couple of pics of the back of the beast

p.s sorry about the quality of the pics and the size (bit big aren't they) the camera isnt too good,
hope they help you to help me lol :mrgreen:

Looks like lots of fun  

I have some used wheel wells that i can slice up into pizza slices to repair yours if you like.  Also got new rear panels if you ned one.

Keep the pics of the progress coming  

Cheers

Rich

hi rich thanks for the comment how much would you want for the "slices of pizza"
will keep the pics coming.


levy

The shell looks not too bad - rust is in all the usual spots and there are panels available to repair it all! Your on a winner! 8)

a nice new rear panel is hard to beat though instead of just a lower section - give Crazyquiff a PM…

Looks like you got good project there. The rot in the rear inner arch looks like it crosses into the bottom of the rear inner wing/boot floor (the seam betwen the two is the line running up from the middle of the hole). This should be easy enough to patch up once you have removed the inner arch. What are the rear axle mounts/chassis legs like?

Cheers

hi markwon not sure what the mount or legs are like yet, ive been marking up and shaping the new arches today, will get a look tomorrow and let ya know hopefully get some pics

regards



levy