Daily - VW Golf '77 GLS

No big updates really. Hired a rug doctor from Morisons today and done the interior, the filth that came out was amazing! Pebbles was very little help as she basked in the sun.



Fitted a more period radio, I'm going to relocate a modern headunit with Aux/MP3 in the glove box at a later date.



Usual car park shot.



Still being driven daily, regardless of weather.



Another car park shot….



She really has been good fun to drive.

I bought some 16x6.5 ET49 renault steels to go on with the vision of spacing them out a bit. I didn't account for the natural camber when the coilovers go down, so its not exactly lowered a lot. This is something I'm currently pondering, do I go for 30mm spacers and lower the car or go for different wheels?

I really want some Tramonts, but this won't happen for a while as I'm saving up for a body shop bill as I now have all the repair panels necessary to tidy her up.

Looking for OEM Chrome wing mirrors and a parcel shelf in this odd colour. 

ET49 is very high anyway. you will probably need spacers anyway.

Yeah I'd bought 15mm spacers, but could really of done with upping that as I want the car to sit a little lower, however, for now, it'll do.

Took the mk1 up to early edition on Sunday, she didn't skip a beat the whole 300 mile round trip. 

I'm beginning to think there maybe a carb based issue though, as after being run for a while, at around 3k it gets lumpy but is then fine above or below 3k.


 Anyway… 







Had a really good day out, although it was a tad cold, will definitely be making the trip up next year and for the full show.

Steering racks gone!

Ordered a new one, plus track rod ends etc…

Should hopefully be here next week.

Also considering an engine conversion over the winter, pre-paint. AAZ or ABF, realistically on a day to day basis a AAZ will be more frugal, but in a tin top MK1 I don't want it rattling the cabin like crazy. 

Heart breakingly its been off the road a month tomorrow.

Note to other series 1 owners, there are two different variations of the MK1 golf steering rack. The later type, which can be bought from the likes of VW Heritage, and the one mounted to my car, which I've had to get refurbished in the end as I couldn't find it off the shelf anywhere.

Light is at the end of the tunnel, three racks later, loads of running around chasing parts and the light is getting ever more present. Gear linkage to do tomorrow afternoon after my night shift and we will be back in business. Thank fudge!

I've settled on an ABF conversion over the winter, on original management, 5 speed box with slightly updated fusebox and wiring, CE1 etc… This forum has proven to be a valuable resource as usual.

Glad you're getting things sorted Lee  

The gear linkage needs adjusting, but we're there. She's been pushed back into daily duties and has lapped up the miles. I'm still accumulating the parts for paint over the winter, I need to get a drivers side A pillar section and start looking into remortgaging the house to buy window chrome ive been tapping the knowledge of rubjohnny via another forum and I'm looking to upgrade the loom to ce1/2 when it comes off the road in September too, supporting a new engine. It's all just type and digits at the moment, but I'm getting there slowly. For now the main aim is to attend shows and enjoy it over the summer.

😋

I am envious!, I used to own a 77 GLS 3 door from 18mths old, loved it, had to part with it when the family got bigger in 83.

Coincidence that the number plates are girls names, Mine was Dot. My Avatar.

Dot looks lovely Malcolm! Must be a completely different experience driving a brand new one.

At the time the photo was taken Dot was about 3 and a half years old, I had to let her go about a year later.

She should have been an "R" reg, but was given a "W" reg when I imported her from Germany.

My current project "GarytheGolf" is an attempt to replicate my first Golf, unfortunately the 2 door version of the GL / GLS was not available in UK so noy many of them about.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing more of your project on-going.

I'm parts hoarding for the paint shop over winter. I'm struggling with a few odds and ends if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

Window rubber and chrome trim. VWheritage/ crazy quiffs - is the reproduction stuff up to the task?

Chrome wing mirrors - the last OEM set went for £200, reproduction likely to last?

Drivers side A pillar cut out. I've got a nice bit of filleted rot that needs addressing.

Once the winter overhaul is done it'll be pushed straight back into daily duties, so being garaged/overly pampered isnt on the cards.

Enough rambling from me  

It's not that I don't frequent the site or the many other car forums I lurk on, but with the MK1 coming off the road at the end of September, I had little to use as an update apart from boxes taking up plenty of space in the dinning room.

Realistically I've probably gone a little over the top, but if your going to do it, you may as well just do it the once. The Mk1 is currently having some welding done, namely to some vicious areas which wern't obvious when looking over the car. The car is solid in the majority of areas, apart from one or two really horrid spots, namely the area underneath the fuel filler cap. It was cut out to weld in a new outter skin, to reveal plenty of foam and a bit of a bodge from some one some where in the cars history. It was a chore getting hold of a whole rear tub, but it gets delivered tomorrow all being well.

I'm having the whole exterior painted, plus the rust/rot issues addressed with fresh metal. Then when thats done I'm heading in to tackle the conversion, realistically after christmas now. Once its been dry built up, I'll take it all out again and get the bay done, then cracking on again in a vein attempt to get it done for the summer.

Thats enough rambling, heres some pictures of it in its depressive state.

You're doing it all properly, it's the best way

Well done on getting hold of the arch tub too - they seem to have become hard to get hold of lately.

blimey daily driver    

Where to begin, as with my previous entry, its not that I don't lurk, I'm just poor at posting. This time I have a valid excuse…..

So my car went in to the paint shop 2nd October 2015, with the work outlined that I wanted done. I know/knew the owner/guys whom ran the show very well, my best mate worked there. I'd been buying panels every month, buying new parts and stock pilling almost since I'd owned the car, with the intention of the car having a full external respray, with the thought that I'd have the bay done the following year when I done the engine conversion.

Throughout the process more work was found, but overall the car was pretty solid for a car of its age. Each part that was found I'd underlined that it didn't matter how much additional time, money, metal or panels it took, I wanted it done once and properly and just to put it on the bill at the end, or I'll pay as and when they wanted the money. Unfortunately for me, May 2016 rolls around and despite me visiting and having a serious conversion once a month since January, they we're served an eviction notice (apparently) and had to move unit in 30 days. Now at this point I'm still being lied too, they're maintaining the car has minimal work to complete and it'll get done in time.

A week before they're due to leave I recieve a message from my mate saying to pop in as he has to appologise. I'm essentially given the option to have them put my car back together and to take it away, or he will be finding another unit where he will finish the car. By this point I'm livid, I pull the car out and ditch it at my mums house on her drive way.

once the car is at my mums I have the time to go through it in the cold light of day. Of the original list of jobs that was supposed to be completed, they've done around 50% of the work in around 7 months, when it was originally quoted as the start of January at the latest.

Welding not finished, the sills had been tacked in.
Panels that had been put in have been put in badly, one is actually wonky and worse than the bloody original!
Incredibly poor prep work, primer thrown around with no attension or time taken.
The car hadn't been under sealed
Parts were scattered all over the place, the car was returned with no battery, and I'm not even sure if all the bits are actually there until I rebuild it.
New fuel lines hadn't been attached.

I've essentially recieved a car that needs more work doing to it than it needed in the first place. I'm out of pocket a nice chunk of change on labour, not to mention the panels they've put in badly. On top of all that a mate that I'd had since school has stitched me up good and proper. If it hadn't of been a mate I'd of pulled the car out months ago, but it adds an extra dynamic to the whole situation.

Theres so much more to the whole saga that my mind has pushed out of the way, but its been very stressful, for what was supposed to be easier on myself as I don't have a drive way/ space anywhere to do the work, so instead I worked extra and put the hours in at my work to pay someone else to do it.

Rant over.



This picture is how it sat after they'd recieved some more money off of me, was like this for about 7-8 weeks.

This is the current state of it. Realistically it needs a new rear panel as its not in straight and they've put it in over the old one "to make it safer". the passenger rear arch is tragic, the drivers side rear panel they've managed to warp and were planning on burying it in filler.

Step one is waiting on a unit to stash it in.
Step two is strip it down to a bare shell, storing all of the parts.
Step three is send it off to be welding with more new panels.
Step four is sent it off for paint.
Step five is build up the BAM and get that in.
Then hopefully drive it!

Sorry this has been a bit negative. It'll get there. 

Gutted for you mate…… what a nightmare you've been having, there is a few good garages/places out there which will be able to sort out the mess you have at the moment.
See if any one on this site near you has had any work done and recommends them?

Sounds like a terrible experience, feel for you  

But you still seem positive, good on you  

There are plenty of good garages out there, and people on this site are very helpful. Hope you have better luck from now on.

Matt

It'll get done, what was originally a freshen up has now spiralled into a full respray and conversion.

Thanks for your posts