My 1983 GTI - progress to be made.

"DanChave" said

Great work so far m atey! I would have loved to have the opportunity to build a MK1 as my first car like you have!

Thanks Im really lucky to have indoor space to work on my car, unfortunately i probably wont be able to drive it for three or four years as of insurance. i always wanted a mk1 golf since i was 7 and was quite lucky to find this very cheap for the condition its in.

Thought id add something to the thread, progress is still being made on this project however i am at this stage where i am so close to being finished yet so far and its just a case of all them little bits in the bay that need doing as we would like this next coat to be the last black coat and after that just a coat of lacquer. But i need to get all the little bits done which takes so long and i have very little time during the week but hopefully will be done by chrishtmas.
All comments welcome
Thanks, Harry

has the suzuki got a 1.7 isuzu diesel engine? like the old cavalier and early vectra had?
Bert

Yeah me dad had one lying around when the standard one gave up so we went from there. tho is the 2nd one its had and think the head has gone on it

there usually a good engine.i had 2 cavalier TDs great cars,bit of turbo lag but good power when wound up  :wink:
Bert

Yeah I enjoy going off roading in it, it just pulls turbo seems good but never had it up too any speed really to notice any lag.

Been a while since i last updated, no worries though i'm still working on it. however i have been at the stage where it is so close to being finished yet so far. which in turn has meant us spending a lot of time on the smallest of places. the main problem has been in the corner where the chassis legs meet the front panel. This is because of the new front panel we fitted and as i want this car to look excellent and my dads lavel of perfection we have been hiding the welds etc. Because of my hatred with seam sealer we havent been using it therefore have been spending so much time on them.

However the car is now ready for its last coat of black paint (finger crossed) which will be going on next week (weather permiting) so should have some photos of it soon.
Thanks for looking and all comments welcome,
Harry

Hi been doing some work on this at the weekend.
As in previous post was supposed to paint it this weekend and then we were going to do in the bulk head at a later stage. But i decided that any problems caused when doing the bulk head will be easier to rectify while the engine bay is unfinished than it will if we sprayed it.
So ultimately due to my hatred for seam sealer i am now stripping it all from inside the bulkhead and man is it hard, but glad i did as i have found some rust    so quite lucky really. I would liked to have done more but not feeling too well.
Any way here are some pictures:-
By chassis legs-now been sanded so looks better


In the bulk head














I know there's a lot more to do but hopefully i should have it in a coat of black by Christmas. The plan is1 or 2cats of primer followed by 1 or2 coats of black just in the bulk head (depends how each coat comes out on how many it gets) then a coat of lacquer everywhere and then lacquer. wold like it ready o put back together before i go back to college in January.
By me doing this work now i means that i should be able to get it up and running before march as i will have a week off in February.

Bit of a big post i know,
All comments welcome
Thanks for reading Harry.

Mate this is cool! Coincidence or what- I have been working on my brothers Sammy 1.6 and now got a mk1! I am 16 now,the plan is to be driving it on April when I get my provisional on my 17th, can't wait! Yours is looking really good,  and a bargain!

I am quite tempted to strip the engine out just to give everything a really good clean (not a respray,  the paint is good).  How much work was it?
Cheers
Rob

Thanks mate
Stripping the bay wasn't that hard, 2 days work is all it takes so not hard. all i can recommend is taking photos of everything and labeling it so that you know where stuff goes.
Would love to have a mk1 golf as my first car but just cant get insured and me dads trader policy wont allow me on until i turn 18.
Cheers Harry

Thanks. Mines a 1.3, my dad's fleet will cost me £900 a year.

"r_chez_08" said

Thanks. Mines a 1.3, my dad's fleet will cost me £900 a year.

Wish i could insurance anywhere near that price, cheapest i have found is £3100 for a 1.0 polo.

Gutted. Better start saving!

Ok done a bit of work and found some work, it really is swings and roundabouts.
I have nearly finished inside the scuttle panel just nneed another smaller wire brush attachment for the drill so that i can get into all the small parts.
However as noted last i have the rust behind the wiper moter mount and i have discovered a rust bubblr on the corner of the windscreen ans i lifted the rubber up to have a look a look at it and it just fell through so think i have found a good few hours welding just because of the positions of the rust and our need for perfection.

Long time no progress,
basically i have no enthusiasm to get the car done through the thread i said the car was in good condition but i think it is quite bad really. i mean i think it needs a wheel tub, lower rear valance repairs, need a repair where the rear No. plate, i am dreading taking off the rear arch plastics, don't really want to look at the sills properly. So basically where MK1 Golfs often rot i am pretty scared to look at properly.
So my new plan of action is to finish off under the bonnet and then i am going to make a rollover jig and take the whole car to bits at which point i will strip what left of it off and then attack all the rot there is i am hoping to get the engine bay done for Easter now.

Hi mate, don't be scared to have a closer look, it's the only way to know what needs doing. You might be lucky and not need much doing, then again ………….

Cheers, Andy.

Also, for getting in to the awkward areas of your scuttle, try using a straight wire wheel like the one in the top left of this ebay pic

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wire-Wheel-Cup-Brush-Set-3pce-6mm-Shank-For-use-with-power-drills-/380548263554?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item589a71ae82.

Do not lose hope, EVERYTHING and ANYTHING can be fixed.

It's disheartening finding rust, but whichever way you attack it, whether you do the entire shell in one hit or a little bit at a time with the car on the road in between, it is always worth it when you get in the mk1 and drive away

Thanks guys,
Once i have finished in the bay i should have some enthusiasm back once there is some nice shiny paint its just doing it really. From there it should be pretty fast as the work is no where near as fiddly.

But no need to worry i am not going to sell there is no point at the end of the day it only cost £500 i would rather it sit in a container than sell it.

Andy i have a massive collection of wire brushes as well of all different shapes and sizes i am going to buy a dremel or something though just to get into the tightest corners as my air drill is just too big.

After basically doing bot all for months on this just bits and pieces here and there i still have it with no plan to get rid but have a week booked off work end of august and am just going to work on this flat out to get the engine bay finished off. Yes it has taken me a year just to paint the engine bay however it is going to be one immaculate engine bay.
Thanks Harry