Mk1 GTI Cabby.The Project So Far... NOW SOLD :( !

Thanks.
New servo arrived today!
Thanks to kangaroo on this forum… Top guy, a man if his word!
Given the new servo a coat of paint today. Couple more coats tomorrow and I can put it back in and get the brakes bled.
Been a bit slack on the photos lately, will get more posted soon.

Got this for christmas…

Top notch car cover (for inside and outside)



Thanks bruv!

Picked up this bargain today too. Halfords end of line. Alpine head unit…£50!!! Only popped in for some jubilee clips!

Engine and bay looks amazing mate.

Reminds me of last winter when i did the same thing. Well worth the time and effort when it's all done  

Bargain CD Player!!

I know!

Couldn't believe my luck!

Going to be a while before I can get music going through it though…

Engine finished for now. Running…needs a tune up and the exhaust adjusting, but all good to go.

Still trying to figure out my dim green light on the dash…argh!

Anyway, next on the list is the roof. Aim is to strip the old one off the car, remove the mechanisms, clean them up and paint whilst the car is having its respray.

Started taking the front seal off. It's amazing how much sticky stuff it's fitted with. Will need to get me some of that when I come to re-fit.

Front seal starting to come away…



Couple of sneaky rivets I had to drill out… :twisted:



Seal coming away…



and off…no rust…good news!



Took the rear screen out next…how many staples!!?



Next to put the roof fully open…



Ah…didn't have enough clearance due to the steel girder! DOH!  :redfaced:  :redfaced:



Will have to lower the axle stands tomorrow and try again….

looking great,the bay is awsome  8)
great thread  :wink:

Thanks!

Managed to drop the axle stands this weekend and the roof opened! Nearly broke the strip light in the process but caught it just in time. Phew!

Roof opened…



1st thing to remove was the front & rear seals. All went ok but need a couple of new square screw fixings when I put it back together.

Took plenty of pictures, but the hood replacement guide on here will do a better job of explaining how to do things than me.

front seals off…



Rear seals off…



Disconnected the straps from the interliner and main roof skin…





Disconnected the hood tensioning cables and springs…







Remove the front securing bar of the roof skin…





Pulled the roof skin from the frame where it was glued. This roof hadn't been on for long and whoever did it last did it proper. So much glue… it was a nightmare to remove but got there in the end.

With the roof skin loose I could undo the rear tension cable…



Now it could come off…







I remove the roof very carefully. It's in perfect condition I would say. No rips, tears and just need a clean up. It's vinyl but like I say isn't that old. It never leaked a drop either.

It's going up for sale if enyone is interested? Not sure how much to ask but £60 posted will be the starting price. (next day delivery)

With the roof skin off I could see what the interliner and pad condition were like.

OMG. They were both completely cream crackered! Good job I bought a new one from Chortle…it needs it! That'll explain my lumpy, bumpy roof.









The interliner and pad were easy to remove. 1st was a whole load of staples along the rear of the frame.



All removed and interliner folded back towards the front of the car…





Then removed the 2 x fixing location mounts in the rear quarters which holds the headliner tight. Once removed the headliner just starts to hang…



The front of the inteliner was held with a central support tie and lots of spiked prongs which held a supporting rod in position. I bent the prongs back, removed the rod and the lot came off.

Front tie fixing…



Metal prong fixings…



Interliner off!



The headliner was wrapped around the roof frame supporting bars, glued and fixed with a couple of screws…



Screws removed…



The rear 2 bars had these fixings. The front was fixed next to the roof handles with a rivet which was removed…

Rear 2 fixings…



Front rivet fixings. The headliner was also glued all along the front rail which just peeled off…



With all that done, the headliner just fell out…



Roof off…





I was going to completely remove the roof frame and clean it up, but there is only a small area of rust which I can treat and re-paint in place.

This it it!…



The rear roof lip above the boot has no rust either which is a bonus. I think this car has been well looked after and garaged regular in its past judging by the great bodywork condition.

Rear lip…no rust!…





She's all stripped now and nearly ready to go for paint. Just a few small bits to attend to first.



To do:

Bleed brakes
Wheels on
Electric windows removed
Wheels on
Bonnet on
Front wings prepped and undersealed
Roof treated and painted
Bumpers temporary fixed
Front seat back in
Get the engine tuned up properly
Fit new battery terminals

Should get it ready by next weekend. The it's off to the body shop!

Roof skin now for sale in exterior items for sale section.

Looks likes its coming along!

Quick question, do you think you could still remove the hood and interliner etc whilst the roof is off the car fairly easily? Or would be worth remounting the roof onto the car to do it?

Oh and I love the seats!

Thanks!

Should be able to remove when the whole roof is off the car.

The complete removal process only took a couple of hours.

May be a bit easier with it still on the car as you can open and close it easier to get to the bits you need to.

If its easy to reattach the roof to the car, I'd probably pop it on.

Is the outer skin, headliner and interliner still attached?

Yeah, I removed the roof as a whole as wanted to check the lip where the back cable sits for rust, now that it is off I want to replace it all, bad order or doing it I know.

I think I will put it back on like you said, it is a good little guide you have put on, I am sure it will help.

Good stuff!

Any probs, drop me a message.

Good luck!

Hu Russ,
You dont need to un do the rear strap from the corner bodies unless your taking the frame off completely.

The headliner is just glued and stapled at the rear foam pads.

Also the tensioning rod holds the front of the interliner in place being trapped by the spikes. You need to save the rod as you will need it to fit the new interliner.

The disc I supplied, it's inside the top pad package roll in the middle, open at the ends and fish it out and have a watch a few times to familiarise yourself with the task. I think I supplied  you all the rivets and back washers too inc the hood and headliner install, so have a check before you go out buying any more. If they are not there PM me and I will send you some out. The disc guide, should cover all the installations. The guide on here recomends no glue at the front pocket, which needs to be glued and you need to apply sealant into the very front seam to the corner edges.

Also when removing the rubber seals, prise up from the centre first and slide inwards either side or you will run the risk of  snapping the plastic holders off.

After putting the foam gaskets on, you need to apply sillicone around the screw hole at the front first screw hole before you screw the holder down and refit the rubber seal.

It also doesn't mention that you need to apply sealant to the frame opening before you install the rear window glass and seal.

Another point is once you have fitted and glued the 2 rear flaps and are happy with there position, fit the rubber seal holders this will stop the hood from moving it's positon during the rest of the install and whilst the glue is going off.

I would also put a strip of masking tape across the rear and mark out the boot tab positions and it will remind you not to forget to put them on the new cable before you tighten it up. Plus put some in line with the body line so you can keep the hood in line whilst you fit it, so it goes on straight and you don't twist it.

Also don't forget the releif cut on the hood before you fit it.

Foxster.

Extremely difficult and I doubt you would get a good fit trying to redo the hood with the frame off the car.

As Russ say's put the frame on the car so you can do a proper job.

If you need acsess to the cable channel then udoing the rear cable should give you enough to lift the fabric out so you can have a look see.

You doing a full refurb of the top, inc headliner, interliner, top pad and hood?

cheers

chortle

Thanks Carl,

I'll get the DVD out and have a look.

Think I'm going to take the whole roof off now as I need something to refurb while the car is getting sprayed up!

Do you know where I can get any of the small square plastic  fixings from that the side seals fix through? A couple broke when I tried removing them.

The washers etc were in the pack you sent thanks!

The plastic plugs are NLA from vw I had the last 20, but have used them up on other peoples roofs.
I will have a hunt around for you. Need the part numbers for them though, my ETKA is no good now.
You had the new kit that long you probably forgot what was in there.

Cheers

Chortle

Yeah Chortle I simply meant in order to remove the existing hood from the roof frame. I jave decided that when I need the new one fitting after the car has been painted etc, I will entice you with money, skittles and a 1st class train ticket to come to the North East and fit it for me      :redfaced:

Thanks chortle.

Sorry. What does Etka mean?

Where will I fiind part numbers on such a small item??

clip is 155 871 439 i think, if so its still available at 2.37+VAT

herr chortle, if you want etka again drop me a pm

Hi Russ and Johnny,

those aren't the clips I am afraid, they were pence when I bought them last.
I rang my VW dealer and they told me NLA for a few years.

Still looking for you though.

Johnny pmed re the etka.

If I have some luck Russ wii give you a shout.

its the only thing that looks liek the clip in the picture, could be unlisted i suppose. just cos it costs more doesnt mean its not the part, vw could have raised the prices