1980 Mars Red GTI BRMotorsport 142

How come you have decided to change your wheels after all the effort of getting them?

I did like your car on the 14 inch  bbs  but I do prefer fifteens .Look forward to see how low you have it as i plan on putting on the gti spoiler onto mine and also running fifteens.

I guess it will be more practical on 15's ?

It's difficult to put my finger on it, but I think they stop me from driving it the way I want to.

If they don't sell, I'm not fussed, but thought I'd give someone else the chance to own and enjoy them.

I think I'll still buy some other wheels so that I can drive it harder again.

Before I do that though, I may just swap out the centres on the rear for 10mm more tuck under the arches, and also get a bit more camber on the front.

Here she is in her new home…

Just flicked through this thread start to finish.......AWESOME!!!!

Kedge said

Just flicked through this thread start to finish…….AWESOME!!!!

Thanks. Glad you appreciate it.

The KW's have turned up. They seem good…





It's time to get cracking on with this project now. I've got loads to do on houses, other cars and bikes that keep distracting me.

After some thoughts about swapping the wheels or getting them to fit the car better, I've got some actions to follow through with. I realise that I have the option of using the spare centres to build up another pair of wheels, but with the benefit of them having a BH 0mm, which means they will alter the mounting face of the wheel centre by bringing the whole wheel 10mm further inside the wheel arch. This will stop the rims from protruding so far out. This can only be done where you are running drums on the rear, as they will allow a flush fit against them. Rear disc calipers might interfere with them being so close. I will also pull the arch return lip out a little bit more so that the edge is pointing away from the tyre, rather than pointing to it. This way, any minor touching won't result in the tyre being dug into so much. But, as the tyre will be pulled in 10mm, there might not be an issue with this so much anymore.

As you can see from the pictures, the centres are just in etch primer to help protect them. I will send them off for stripping and painting this week.

The bolt holes on the 2 spare centres are straight forward drill holes without any lip or chamfer. I will have to get some big chamfered washer manufactured to accommodate the wheel bolts. Plus, it will help match the existing adapters for the original 4 wheels.




For the sceptics…





The flip side…



BH 0mm…




Just looking online at German websites to see where I can get some 14 inch inner and outer rims from, as I would rather build a fresh set of wheels.

I'll update soon.

The new home looks great, hopefully the reworking of the wheels will enable you to keep the wheels.

Slightly off topic looking back through your thread how wide was the lower trim decal that runs along the bottom of the tailgate and I know you repositioned it .Could you give me a measurement from the bottom of the tailgate.
  I had  the trim  decal with my rear screen decal but it looks too wide  :roll:

mark83 said

Slightly off topic looking back through your thread how wide was the lower trim decal that runs along the bottom of the tailgate and I know you repositioned it .Could you give me a measurement from the bottom of the tailgate.

Just under 9mm

I have read lots and lots of build threads, but have never felt the desire to read a build thread from the beginning more then once, until i saw this car. Amazing workmanship, an absolute thing of beauty!

I take my hat of to you for such an amazing vehicle  :notworthy:

benandemu said

mark83 said

Slightly off topic looking back through your thread how wide was the lower trim decal that runs along the bottom of the tailgate and I know you repositioned it .Could you give me a measurement from the bottom of the tailgate.

Just under 9mm

Thanks Ben ,and how wide is the trim decal ?

mark83 said

benandemu said

mark83 said

Slightly off topic looking back through your thread how wide was the lower trim decal that runs along the bottom of the tailgate and I know you repositioned it .Could you give me a measurement from the bottom of the tailgate.

Just under 9mm

Thanks Ben ,and how wide is the trim decal ?

Sorry, I didn't read your question right. The decal is 9mm, and I'll get back to you with the distance from the bottom of the tailgate.

EDIT: The stripe sits just over 2mm from the bottom edge of the tailgate.

Just a couple of pictures I took whilst measuring the inner arches and current wheel set up in advance of new wheels…

benandemu said

 The decal is 9mm, and I'll get back to you with the distance from the bottom of the tailgate.

EDIT: The stripe sits just over 2mm from the bottom edge of the tailgate.

Thanks Ben, it's a small detail but I wanted it right.

looks ace mate shame you are so far away i would like to see it in the flesh bring my s1 too  

Those of you with a series 1 mk1 Golf will no doubt understand the problems with the under-dash felt covers that hide all the unsightly mess.

They are made from compacted fabric which tend to lose their stiffness over the years and consequently flop down and lose their shape.

After a long period of time, a good friend and myself had a mint set between us that we had gathered from cars we'd owned. As we wanted a set each, and were concerned that the original ones would no doubt perish along with others of the same age, we set about making our own. The patterns are actually different between the years on series 1's too. These are moulds taken from original GTI ones.

Hope you like…

Drivers…



Passengers…




Also picked up a Volksport front lower strut brace from JonP on here (thanks Jon). From experience, these make the most significant change to the front of a mk1 for improved handling on the road. It needs a stripdown and powdercoat before fitting though.

Very nice.  How did you make these?  And can you make more?!!  I have the same problem with floppy and bobbly covers, they let down my interior a bit.

Thanks.
We made them in thin'ish semi flexible fibreglass and then covered in self adhesive acoustic cloth which is virtually identical in finish. The key to good ones is to have a good original one to mould from.
We have 2 moulds and could potentially make some more, but I haven't considered cost or time really. We also have some good earlier moulds too, including swallow tails.
Only thing I may have to alter is using a little black button head screw and captive washer above the pedal assembly as the original push fit grommit might not be up to it. A minor detail that I feel is worth the compromise.

Just fitted these up and they're fantastic. No photos though as it was too dark in the garage and I didn't pull the car out.

EDIT: picture added…

love those wheels!

What specs are you going for on the 047's?

I'm building a set of 8's and 8.5's at the moment and am a bit worried about how they will fit!

I was intending to have 8's all round, but I've steered away from RS 047's again. New wheels are ordered, and I'll keep them a surprise.

Look forward to seeing what you picked, are they new or secondhand, any clues?

Centre caps arrived for new wheels. These are the first set of caps. I've a second set on their way, but need to try both so I can see which I prefer.
There's another 6 week delay on the wheels as the wrong size outer rim was produced, and I have to wait for the next batch.