Fitting roof probs! (And hello!)

Hey people! Well, it's been ages since I've been on here! My poor cabby has been in the garage since last november, with no roof and totally neglected!. Due to illness and renovation of my home I've had no time to tend to him but this week I'm finally back on track and have started putting the new blue roof on, using the fantastic guide on here.

Sadly, I haven't got very far..I'm still attaching the rear cable! I'm tightening and tightening but I can't get the blooming thing to push up into the lip. It's VERY packed in with roof material on the corners, and I just can't get it up and under. I've tried hitting it in with many things but this hasn't really worked and I'm scared of damaging the roof. As it's almost spring I want my baby boy up and running, HELP! Any advice?

Thanks in advance and, IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK!

Is it a vynal hood? If so you will need a heat gun to sofern the vynal.

Also on tv inside of the hood (vynal or mohair) trim the excess material off the back, start from tv middle working towards the corners, this is easy just fold the hood in to the gap and pop the cable in. then push the cable as far as you can with a drift. The hood should then be able to be pushed in to create the seem.

When you get to the corners just keep tucking and pushingvthe cable, it's not bad on mohair but a pig on vynal

Yeah it's vinyl. Looks like i'll be stealing the misses' hairdryer and giving that a go lol. I'm a bit worried because the roof seems too small for the car. The side flaps barely reach the frame  8O . It's a proper BSF International one too.

Thanks for the advice…I'll give it a whirl.  :mrgreen:

Finished off my one today, and they will stretch, you just need the heat to help.

I'm not 100% happy with the fit so it's coming off and being replaced by a mohair.

Well, I still haven't got the blighter on! Looks like I'm going to have to remove the rear cable (has taken me hours to get that on!) and cut the little bit of excess material inside the hood. What a b#tch! On the plus side the blue vinyl hood looks great with the white bodywork. Once this is done and the interior cleaned it'll be time to roll him out for the summer! Can't wait. Any more tips on fitting? I guess it would be best to do it outside on a sunny day so the hood warms and stretches?

I used a wooden spatula and a rubber mallet that made it a lot easier

Once you get it going in it seems to go in fairly easy maybe try some silicone spray on the lip :dontknow:

hi can someone give me the link to the guide on this…cannae find it
cheers

This is the link you are after for hood replacement http://www.vwgolfmk1.org.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=12313&highlight=hood+replacement+guide

It's on! IT'S ONLY BLOODY ON! Thanks for the advice about the excess material…. I took the rear cable off and started again. After cutting this material away it went on like a peach. I used the flat end of some pointed pliers and a hammer to get the cable in on the corners and the rest of it was actually a doddle. The front beading points downward nicely on the first try and all the side are tight and wave free. I'm SO pleased. I just have the daunting task of the rear window to go now, then I can get him for a long overdue service and on the road for the summer.

God bless this site and all that sail in her

And i've just bought myself a rather nice leather sports steering wheel out of a MK2 to go on aswell. I assume it will fit as my cabby is an '89 so would have the large spline? Can't wait to get rid of the horrid flat bottomed Momo, it's so tacky! My Gti is all coming together very nicely. Just need to get insurance sorted so I can tax and service him and get out in the sun.

Any insurance suggestions for a 25yr old who'll only be using this car at weekends from may until september?

all_whiteGTi said

Any insurance suggestions for a 25yr old who'll only be using this car at weekends from may until september?

Try giving Premium Choice a ring or you can submit an online form for a quote
They give a good discount for MK1 owners club membership (15%)  

Just done mine fully comp ?139  

Thanks Robbo; went with Bishop Calway in the end for a measely ?89!!

wow, how did u manage 89 quid on a GTI, im 37 & cost me 350 on a clipper cabrio

loubylou71 said

wow, how did u manage 89 quid on a GTI, im 37 & cost me 350 on a clipper cabrio

blimey I ain't much older and the quote I had last year was ?150.00, now gone up to ?189.00 That's for fully comp, legal expenses, agreed valuation, etc etc and with no years no claims bonus too  :dontknow:  will deffo check out some insurance firms. I know that some will give Discount if you are a member of the Club Too.

It was ?149 but when I pointed out that the car was infact now 20 years old they dropped the price to the ?89. This is garaged everynight and with a limited mileage of 3000 mind.....

Rang Bishop Calway, Good Deal and lovely people. As I had a bump last October It is coming in at ?105.80 otherwise I could of had it for ?89.00 too. I am insured with Adrian Flux who promised to beat the quote, so they did like for like for ?102.20 OK not exactly earth shattering, but decided to stick with Fluxy for another year. I was insured in the other car I had the bump in and they were really good. But will they be able to beat ?89.00 as a genereal rule??? Hopefully my premium should go down next year. Stupid Neighbour parked his car across and opposite the drive, I reversed out and hit his car, that's what you get for shouting at your Dorris to hurry up as you booked a romantic meal for 2 for her Birthday. I only got out the car and shouted up the stairs to her to hurry up and the idiot pulled up.Not ther 1 minute, next he is there, I should of looked when I reversed.  ops:  worse of all he has got space for 3 cars on his drive. GGGRRRRR :twisted:
Phew!!!!!feel better now… rant over….

Blimey, what a kerfuffle!

Bishop Calway bargain prices strike again. Just need to finish off my rear window and get my chrome handle inserts in (oh and a service, even though it's only done 400 miles since an engine rebuild 2 years ago!) and we're away! I sat in him like a kid this weekend. I couldn't take him anywhere so I sat in the back seat and had a bit of a day dream…how sad

all_whiteGTi said

Blimey, what a kerfuffle!

Bishop Calway bargain prices strike again. Just need to finish off my rear window and get my chrome handle inserts in (oh and a service, even though it's only done 400 miles since an engine rebuild 2 years ago!) and we're away! I sat in him like a kid this weekend. I couldn't take him anywhere so I sat in the back seat and had a bit of a day dream…how sad

Crikey Bud feel sorry for you in the sense you not drivin her around. Not really sad though, I was dreamin for years ever getting a Cabby, just think later on, roof down, wind in your hair etc etc…..(bit of a waynes world moment there)..Woop Woop, tunes up loud, big smiles   

I filled in a online qoute too for fluxy, despite my ringing for renewal…. ?625.00 WHAT!!!!!! I rang them up knowing that I had a proper agreed price.. Couldn't really give me a reason why, I told the bloke that with sending out quotes like that they won't get much business, especially from the savvy people from the owners clubs!!!!!!!!!!
spent today on the cabby, fitted the knee bar cover, took some time to suss it out. After putting the clips in place, it was proving impossible to push the pins that spread the prongs that hold it in place, so with the seats out and lying down I could reach underneath the dash. Simple really instead of putting the clips in from the front, being fouled by the dash, with the torch on full tilt I put them in from behind the actuall knee bar. SIMPLES… some of them are easily manipulated into place from the front on the drivers side form underneath, but passenger side tricky.. Aqua vacced the rear seats and the carpet, replaced carpet clips, and because the carpet has never fitted since day one tackled that. Strips of double sided carpet tape and new underlay to bring the carpet to the right height. Washed, waxed, wheels cillit banged, tryes cleaned and shined, all the plastics done with bumper stuff, (used this on the dash etc It came up a treat)  Then took my Dorris out for a quick OJ in the Cabby with the roof down (must look at getting a wind blocker). What a day!!!!!

I hope you out in yours soon all white….

What was up with your Knee Bar?!

I need to sort my interior too actually. I've got some fabric cleaner for the seats which are in good nick but covered in faint brown patches courtesy of the leaky roof. As usual my carpet has come away slightly in the front corners of the doors so I either need to re-underlay it or buy some matching carpet and amend it. My head liner also needs a scrub so i'll do that when the seats are out. I've already scrubbed and 'vanished' all the door cards / rear panels and they look like new. Oh and I need to replace the dash surround as it has a small crack above the stereo, and I need to fix the dash lights. A wire fell out and I don't know which two contacts it connects! I was very lucky with the interior on my car to be honest. A little more costly to do will be the alloys… they're the original silver and white ones so no doubt I'll be charged a fortune for them to be redone with the same two-tone affect. They'll have to wait ACtually one of my rear 6x9's must have perished in the garage too as it now sounds blown. I'll replace the fronts first with a nice set of 4x6 JBLs as you can't hear the rears with the roof down on top of them anyway!

So:
Clean headlining
Clean seats
Fix carpet
Replace dash surround and wire in dash lighting with new switch (purchased)
Replace front speakers
Fit chrome door handle inserts (purchased)
Alloys refurb
Rust repair under windscreen

And then my boy is all done! I'll have to leave some of the non essentials for now as he needs a service and sadly I don't have a money tree

Cut the hole for the rear window at the weekend…..and then NOOOO! MY staple gun wouldn't work as the staples are too long! Typically it was sunday so all the shops were shut so now he's sat there with a bl00dy great hole in the back and I'm worried!

It always happens at the critical moment, sounds like your doing a good job though mate.

My inteiror was ditched, same water staining as yours. problem is folks take out the underlay as this gets soggy and holds the water, this then goes stagnant and smells/mouldy etc. putting new underlay in and checking that the carpet clips that fit over the cill still have the tiny prongs in place. I got some off funkstar. Double sided carpet tape worked a treat. my knee bar had been forcibly removed before I bought her. so it kept flopping down. there was also chunks cut out of it too :dontknow:
I would deffo hire a aqua vac cleaner to do the seats as it sucks the muck out as you go, i took the seats out of mine to do them and get to the carpet. (have you put new foam gaskets in place on the upper seal retaining mtal strips) it's common for this to be the major problem for leaks, let alone a duff roof. I had to adjust my windows too to get a decent seal between them and the roof rubbers.
was reccomended to use swarfega on the headliner as it is gel like and won't drip on you as you work. I would have an old towel in hand to absorb the muck, as i found that using other cloths just spread the muck about.
replacing the dash surround is easy mate, as to the wiring just ask on the electrical forum, you will deffo get an answer to that one, I allways ask for a piccy to so you know whatb you looking for and at.
I have got a set of original BBS wheels to do also, but someone owes me a favour,so have called that in. He's doinsome other ones at the mo so got to wait.

keep up the good work.