My 82' Mk1 Project

Okaaaaay….so, it's been ages since I've updated this build thread of mine. I guess it's due to the fact that I started a new job about a month ago. Updating has been slow, but the build itself has actually got moving.

What have I been up to?

Well, to start things off, we finally got to rebuilding the 8v, serviced some parts, replaced ALL bearings, new piston rings, new sump, new connecting rods and bolts, new gaskets, new cylinder head bolts and so on…

Apologies for the quality of pics but i've lost the charger for my SLR and these are taken with my iPhone.

Servicing the pistons



Getting the pistons back in.



After 2 days of cleaning and re-assembling this is the end product…

So…now that the engine was pretty much complete, it was time to bring the Mk1 over to Chai's place to put it back in. So, called my friend Azam over to help me transport the shell

Loading her up. She looks good under the sun…Hmm, suddenly those rims look okay…what if they were black? Polished? Matte?



The bay before the engine went in. I think I need a new exhaust system.  If anyone has a suggestion, im all ears (that is of course, affordable,..)



Just before the engine went in, I decided to do a gear shift rebuild. New bushing everywhere, plus new gear linkages.

This is what I found…
Bottom of the selector rod. There was no pin or clip in sight.


Yuck. 27 years of build up…definitely needed a rebuild.



This is how they do things here in Asia. "If we don't have replacements for it, modify it!" This is how scarce parts are here in Brunei.



Here it is with the engine back in..







We Still have lots to do!
- Relocation of the battery
- Reconnect all electric parts (lights, etc)
Interior refurbish (This is going to be mad $$$$!)
- Source for new seat foam/sponge/whatever
- Reupholster centre parts on seats
- Rewrap inner plastic before refurbishing the doorcards

- Oh my god, it's depressing having to list everything. There's still a whole load more to do. AAAArrrgh.

But…at least we're getting somewhere. Apologies again for the crappy photos. Still using iphone. Its hard using an iphone with grubby hands. Still looking for my SLR charger.

Soon : Getting the engine started.

On another note, i had these rims machined so they're straight again. Found out they are Enkei's. Old school. Gonna get em painted and Hopefully they'll look ok on the car. Don't really have the budget for a sexy pair of BBSs. Wishlist!

tyko said

by the way which part of Brunei are you? got a friend in Kampung sungai akar.

Hey Tyko,

Sorry for not responding…really really busy. I'm from Lambak, BSB. Not far from where ur friend lives. Nowhere is really far here in Brunei.

WeeTony said

keep moving mate, fresh white, you can't beat it….


You saving for a massive set of BBS RMs, with more chrome than you can shake a stick at??

Cheers. And, i sooooo wish I could get a set of BBS RMs… They're impossible to find here in Asia, and getting a set from Europe wud be a little pricey i think, unless someone wanted to sell em for cheap (highly unlikely). 1quid = BND$2.30 *ouch!*

How much wud a set be anyways?

rabid_rabbit said

The process of bodywork and painting has finally begun…

I went out and bought the paint I wanted. I also got epoxy primer, grey primer, lacquer and undercoat as well.

All in I spent BND $387 which is equivalent to GBP ?176, according to Yahoo!

Here's what I got, the best stuff you can get arnd these here parts…



The software they use to mix the colour. Gave em the paint code and result!



Here's what you need to mix to make Pastel White…



Look at all the colours! Mixing it up…





After the paint shop, I went to the Bodyshop to give Thien the paint etc and see what they've been up to…



Nice to see a rust-less arch….all arches are good…



Doors off! Well, one at least….



We then got to work removing the windows…
Rear windows and tailgate window came out ok but….

We cracked the windscreen. AAAAAARRRRGH! The previous owner had glued down the rubber seals. Now i've got to add that to the shopping list. Finding one here is going to be impossible.

Well…with the windows off, we could really see the worst of the damage on the body.

I've got rust holes on the tailgate and scuttle panel.

Tailgate rusthole



Scuttle panel rustholes…




So, that's pretty much it for now. Hopefully, there's not too much cutting involved in fixing the scuttle panel and tailgate. We'll see Thien work his magic…

I just hope we can fix all the leak-potential areas and ensure the body stays in the best condition after the repaint.

Now, to search for a new windscreen….sigh

Nice work! Where's this paint shop bro?

How's this going?  Glad to see you've cracked on again!!!

Okaaaay….I got so confused cos someone reposted one of my older posts with all the pictures and everything. I really thought I had some pages taken out..

So….what's been going on so far? Well, the engine is in, and we've pieced everything together, and we're only 1 step away from turning the key. I've been soooooo damn busy lately with work that this thread is suffering from neglect. I have a bit of time now cos I've been itching to update this thread.

Here's how it looks now.


We put in a bigger brake servo n master cylinder from a Mk2 and had initial problems with the pipe from the airbox to the Injection manifold. But….Chai came through and made the pipe u see in the picture above. Awesome!

This is the only thing we need to complete the engine and breath life into the engine again. I believe it's called a Check valve. The one that is located in between the injection manifold and the crank cover. I seriously have no idea where to get one. Does anyone have any ideas? Help! As u can see, the previous owner has "modified" this part…



Here's what we've done for the relocation of the battery. I think it's a pretty neat job. Thing is, I think I have to make something to cover it so it doesn't get wet when or if water comes through.



In terms of parts, I'm waiting for the new rear window and sunroof seals from Crazyquiff. Can't wait!

More updates coming soon.

After so long, I finally have some things to update. Woohoo!.

First off, the rims i got awhile back have been refurbished (sort of) and painted. Here they are.



I'm hoping they look OK on the car, u know…just to start things off before I get a hold of some BBSs or something similar (high hopes).


As for the beauty, here is how she's looking right now. She does put a smile on my face. :-)






Engine updates!

After a few hiccups, we finally got the old blower started. The biggest problem was the starter itself.

The old, tired and alien starter.


 :dontknow:

We took it out to find the one that came with the car didn't actually belong on there. It was a bosch item and it fit (kinda of) but when we serviced it, we found the previous mechanic had made some "modifications". Hah! Luckily, I had a starter lying around which was supposed to be for the Mk2 so we used that and voila!, she started up with less grief. In my opinion, for a car that is 27 years and with 220K on the clock, she sounds awesome.

Check this link out to see a short video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv6JDNor1Cs

I think it sounds a bit funny, but that's probably because of the exhaust manifold. There's a small hole where the four points meet so I'm working to get some ker-ching together to get meself an aftermarket item.

Unfortunately there's still a bit more to spend on.

Here's an idea:-
- Bushings all around
- Reupholster seats
- Another Handbrake cable (turns out there's supposed to be 2. There were none on the car when I got it. Only bought 1 so far)
- Shock absorbers (and all other suspension tidbits)
- New Tires
- Exhaust system!
- Much more…

Ahh, the fun you can have in a restoration. The ups and downs, and the things you look forward to. It's what keeps me going really.

Apologies for such a dead thread. There WILL be more updates soon (I hope).
Till then, thanks for watching!

Q that's brilliant stuff and it looks stunning with the paint sorted. You'll need to get it tuned when it's all ready mate.  Mine still needs doing so I'll get it done before the MOT in summer.  Really chuffed with how this has come along!!!  Well done so far mate… nearly there  

looks pretty sweet mate white was a good move  

Spudfingers said

Q that's brilliant stuff and it looks stunning with the paint sorted. You'll need to get it tuned when it's all ready mate.  Mine still needs doing so I'll get it done before the MOT in summer.  Really chuffed with how this has come along!!!  Well done so far mate… nearly there  

Cheers mate! I'm trying my best to get her on the road as soon as possible. As for the tuning, I can only do that once I've sorted out the exhaust manifold. I've got a few ideas I'm currently exploring so will definitely update you on that. I hope to see a video of your car starting up soon. :-)

Among other things I really have to get a new driveshaft. Do you have any idea where I can get a brand new one? Or would I have to source that from VW? Help! Oh oh, I also have a leak on the rear brake drum and I think the nipple (?) needs replacing. I've got the get the car rolling around to check for other things I need to replace. Wheel bearings maybe?

We're so close I can taste it. Aaaaargh!

So, I was just reviewing this little build thread of mine and the last thing I said was "We're so close I can taste it…" Well, obviously that was just a load of crap. In all honesty, I have not been working on the Mk1 for the past 3-4 months mainly due to the lack of funds (isn't this usually the case with doing your own builds?) and also the lack of replacement parts.

Well, I've just recently decided to rebuild the rear end since I found out JSeaman released an awesome DIY. Before I read that thread, I seriously didn't know where to start. The first thing I didn't really know about was which parts I should buy, and of course the second thing is how to tackle it all.

So…with a bit of ker-ching that I've saved up, I've just bought a couple of new parts like a brake drum rebuild kit from eBay (54.98squids delivered to an address in London, not bad!) and 2 brand new wheel cylinders from GSF (just below 20quid, shipped to Brunei). Just waiting for those parts to arrive from UK. I hope I have everything I need. EEeeeee….I can't wait to be holding new shiny new parts.

Just for good measure, I had a look at the rear drums, just to see what I'd be working with, and the pic below just says it all. 27 years of build up. Eeeeyuck!



Hopefully I'll be working on this over the next few months and have some updates for all you readers (if anyone really does pay any attention to this thread).

Wish me luck!

working hard there.  good luck!

Wow!… i'm speechless, you are doing such a great job, respect to you my friend!

Yes! I finally have some updates! Woohoo!

Thanks to eBay, and a whole lot of patience I have a rear brake drum kit. Instead of trying to salvage the old parts, I just went with new items instead.

I was happy to find a rear brake drum kit on eBay for 55 quid shipped. Great that my in-laws are based in London so I can send stuff there cos sending it over here through the mail would've been heavy! on my wallet! The kit Includes the drums, shoes and wheel bearings. Well chuffed.

Also got a few other things as well like new door mirrors (the manual type ones), some pedal rubber and also new wheel cylinders from GSF. Doesn't sound like much, but when ur in my position, where the time between buying new stuff is aaaages, these things are precious.

Yay! New stuff!  



I've downloaded the rear end rebuild Guide uploaded by JSeaman so I'm going to try and attempt to rebuild the entire rear end but then, there may be other parts that I need but don't have yet. I'm thinking I should just do everything in one go, so I don't have to come back later and do it again like getting the rear subframe out and anti-rusting it. I DO still have to get new suspension parts and new bushing all around. AARGH, but I'm so excited and motivated to start.

Maybe I should just be patient, get everything I need first, and then do it.

I'm also considering getting the exhaust manifold from TSR performance which costs 150quid. My gut tells me it's worth it. My stock manifold is F'd cos there's a hole making it very difficult to tune the engine.

Money, money, money….damn you. Why do we need you so much.

Guess that's it for now!

what happened with this car today?

Just read through the whole build, you were doing so well, I hope that you carried on and have loads of updates for us when you get back on here!!