Mk1 Golf Cabriolet Full Restoration
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(In Topic #206024)
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Learn as I learn, as I take on my first ever rebuild.
On 04.07.16 She was purchased & was driven home.
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I began by stripping out the interior in order to uncover any rust/erosion. So far, such rust is none existent other than some very mild surface rust ! The front seats were simple to remove… as was the rear bench. All was going well until my joy was interrupted, byproduct of a stubborn bolt. This frustration was soon dampened by the sip of a hot cup of tea. Although such a bru appeared a tad too milky, the image I got of my ol' man sitting on the Mk1's recently stripped interior, was delightful.
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Old Timer
What's your plans?
Matt
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Thanks Matt!pazwaa said
Nice looking project What's your plans?
Matt
My intentions are to strip it down entirely, carry out all of the necessary body work, full respray and then build back up to a show car quality. The original Motor will be getting removed, cleaned up and refitted. I must mention that although the Cab does run, it does tend to cut out sometimes but more on this later.
As I'm sure you're aware, intentions change over time and so I cannot guarantee the future of this Cab, but there are definitely some ideas in the pipeline. Exciting stuff!
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Golf GTI Campaign 1983 Mars Red, Ford S-Max 2015, Audi TT 180 quattro 2003, Fiat 500C 2013, Golf GTE MK7.5
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Thats very interesting Richard. Having a couple colour ways to chose between definitely makes for a more interesting process. Thanks for your input!RichardHall said
I remember seeing a couple of these back in the 80s. Wasn't a popular colour but I really like it. Both the ones I remember came with cream coloured roofs, one had steel wheels and chrome hubcaps, the other tarantula alloys, This was a time when VW changed the specs of their cars on a regular basis, I remember that in 82 they only did Golfs with cream roofs, then a few months later only brown/Gold shades of paint just to confuse matters, then add in the number of personal imports and getting your car back to how it would look new will give you a few options!
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The condition of the Cab is really solid other than some corrosion on the boot trim and on the lower end of the rear end near the exhaust tip. I will most likely have an entirely new rear end welded on in due course.
A few hidden clues behind door cards and dashboards leads me to believe that the initial owner of this Cab was a woman with young children at the time. Interesting! I wonder where they are now and to think that the children would be quite a bit older than me is almost surreal. Please note the orange juice being dated 'best before 17.11.90'; four years before my birth!
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Keep that Brown interior bits safe - you can't get hold of replacements for love nor money..
I have the same seats and interior in my car. With my seats, the vinyl is pretty good, so I'm going to send them off to have the material replaced and new foam. Still got to find someone round my way to do this work (Poole).
One of the biggest problems I found with restoring a car is dealing with all the bits as you strip the car down!!
VW Heritage is great for a lot of replacement components - if you need to replace wings, spend the money and get genuine parts..
Good luck!
Dave
David
Poole, Dorset
Mk1 GL Cabriolet, 1457cc Manual, Papyrus Green: Long term restoration of a car that's been in the family since new: Project DEL BOY
Mk1 Golf GLS Cabriolet, 1457cc Auto, Yellow/Light Blue: Breaking for spares (anyone need a shell?): Breaking Mk1 Golf Cabriolet 1457cc, GLS (Dorset)
Poole, Dorset
Mk1 GL Cabriolet, 1457cc Manual, Papyrus Green: Long term restoration of a car that's been in the family since new: Project DEL BOY
Mk1 Golf GLS Cabriolet, 1457cc Auto, Yellow/Light Blue: Breaking for spares (anyone need a shell?): Breaking Mk1 Golf Cabriolet 1457cc, GLS (Dorset)
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Scamparelli said
Good luck with the restoration!
Keep that Brown interior bits safe - you can't get hold of replacements for love nor money..
I have the same seats and interior in my car. With my seats, the vinyl is pretty good, so I'm going to send them off to have the material replaced and new foam. Still got to find someone round my way to do this work (Poole).
One of the biggest problems I found with restoring a car is dealing with all the bits as you strip the car down!!
VW Heritage is great for a lot of replacement components - if you need to replace wings, spend the money and get genuine parts..
Good luck!
Dave
I assume by the 'Brown interior bits' you mean the cardboard moulds for the dash and door cards etc?
In regards to your comment about safe-keeping of small bits and pieces when in the midst of restoration, I have been using plastic sealable bags.
Thank you for your comment Dave. Do you have a build thread of your own?
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Now lets get back to the Cab; I managed to successfully remove the dash, exposing all of the wiring behind:
So I began by removing the steering wheel in order to allow for more accessibility; remember to work smart, never hard . I managed to remove the lower dash section relatively easy although some screws were definitely playing hard to get. When removing the upper dash section, I realised the majority of the screws were already removed. My lucky day?
The wiring needs some drastic attention as most of the dash lights didn't work, including the air vents. Exposing the wires and having no experience in the field of auto-election-ing is definitely intimidating. Any help would be fabulous.
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Old Timer
Matt
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Thanks again Matt! I am glad you like the Corsa!pazwaa said
Nice looking corsa. And good job with the strip down Matt
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Please note that before trying to remove the front half of the interior carpet, you will need to detach a series of clips located under/behind the dash. I have taken the time out to indicate where these clips are located in the images below. Please see white circular markings as reference.
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Old Timer
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I appreciate the feedback Matt!pazwaa said
Some good photos and useful info, good job
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I then took to the interior again… removing everything standing between me and the shell.
I previously mentioned that the car does tend to cut out, especially when the accelerator isn't depressed. My guess is that the carburetor needs replacing. I removed the Peirburg 1b Manual choke which is currently fitted in an attempt to replace it with the Pierburg 2e2 Auto choke. It appears that in order to fit the 2e2, I would also need to replace the manifold and so I have decided to scrap both Pierburgs and go with the highly thought of 'Weber 36 TLP'. If anybody knows where to source one, please do get in touch as I have searched high and low .
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After a few months on the search, I managed to source a new-old stock Weber 36tlp Manual choke carb alllll the way from Italy, to replace the original pierburg 1b auto choke carb.
I am desperately in search for a unit so I can begin removing the remaining panels (i.e doors, boot, bonnet, roof & all other so called 'water retentive' elements) and engine/electrics.
Having a home for my build should also mean more progress will be made at a quicker rate thus more regular build thread updates.
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Are you thinking of ditching the old bumpers? If so, I may be interested - could you e-mail me some images of them?
I'm looking for big bumpers with chrome strips with little rust on the metal supports!
See what mine look like on my build (so far) here: https://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=your-mk1-golfs_2%2Fproject-del-boy
Just moved house and built a new home for the car (which is still at the paint shop), so back to it over the Winter..
All the best.
David
Poole, Dorset
Mk1 GL Cabriolet, 1457cc Manual, Papyrus Green: Long term restoration of a car that's been in the family since new: Project DEL BOY
Mk1 Golf GLS Cabriolet, 1457cc Auto, Yellow/Light Blue: Breaking for spares (anyone need a shell?): Breaking Mk1 Golf Cabriolet 1457cc, GLS (Dorset)
Poole, Dorset
Mk1 GL Cabriolet, 1457cc Manual, Papyrus Green: Long term restoration of a car that's been in the family since new: Project DEL BOY
Mk1 Golf GLS Cabriolet, 1457cc Auto, Yellow/Light Blue: Breaking for spares (anyone need a shell?): Breaking Mk1 Golf Cabriolet 1457cc, GLS (Dorset)
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Hi ScamparelliScamparelli said
Hope you find a dry place to work - not much fun as we head into Winter!
Are you thinking of ditching the old bumpers? If so, I may be interested - could you e-mail me some images of them?
I'm looking for big bumpers with chrome strips with little rust on the metal supports!
See what mine look like on my build (so far) here: https://vwgolfmk1.org.uk/forum/index.php?page=topicview&id=your-mk1-golfs_2%2Fproject-del-boy
Just moved house and built a new home for the car (which is still at the paint shop), so back to it over the Winter..
All the best.
It doesnt seem to make much difference which time of year it is up in Manchester as it rains consistently throughout the year lol. My cab is like a swimming pool!
Yes I will be selling the bumpers.
I will take a look at your link now.
Thanks
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