Another 1.6 GTI Restoration

Nice update!

I prefer to use OEM gaskets for peace of mind but I have used lately Wynns 'Gasket Maker' which is a cracking tube of stuff - seals everything!!

Looking good - amazing how different the outside of the car looks from the un-resprayed inside.

Btw, I bought some 1/2" to 3/8" to 1/4" converters from Halfords for ?5ish total - you can probably get them cheaper elsewhere, but they should have them in stock now if needs be…

HTH

Rich

@ Hairy - Thanks. Got some instant red gasket stuff - should do the trick.

@ mcscrew - Just got the halfords adaptors - ?3.99. Looks like the engine bay had a blow over with the engine still in! Gonna treat it and prime it for now until I get round to sorting the body work. Should stop the rust from spreading for now anyway.

Been busy sanding, rust converting and priming the bits of the bay I could get at with the head off… Done the underneath of the chassis leg which was pretty manky but again looks great all primed up.










Not the neatest spaying with a few runs but it looks a damn site better than the rust! Cleaned up the brake bar while I was at it. Need to get a few shims now to adjust the valve clearance and then get the old head gasket off the block and clean those piston tops up…

looking good

what did you use to clean up the head? it's looking like new now

PhillTMK1GTI said

looking good

what did you use to clean up the head? it's looking like new now

It is new! :wink: The only reason I took the head off was to put the flowed and ported one on. Hell it would take all the supply of gunk in the north to get it cleaned up like that! Or a good acid bath.

Right nightmare trying to get the old gasket off the block though. Guess a good heat gun should do the trick. Thought about using the missus hairdryer just to see the look on her face :twisted: but then again…

 ops: ahhhhhhh I see

was hoping you'd found a great product as I have a spare head that looks like your original

Well, got hold of some abrasive discs for cleaning up old gaskets. Worked a treat but got dust and crap everywhere . In all the water an oil channels in the block… Guess I will have to change the oil and get another new filter after a bit of running.

Rebuilt the head up with some shims from an old 1.8 head I had laying around. Just about got the right clearances although not checked when warm yet. Replaced 2 of the injectors with some old ones from the same 1.8 and ran Prowlers injector test again. Nice cones, no drips and pretty much identical amounts of fuel from each.

Put the head back on, got an oil baffle for the top of the cam, fitted the new adjustable camgear and new cambelt and spent ages trying to get the timing sorted to get it to start. Finally managed it tonight so I am officially a happy bunny! Runs rough as hell mind and won't tick over but if I keep gunning the throttle it runs. Will have a fiddle with the dizzy to try and smooth things out tomorrow.

Gave the engine bay a good pressure wash to get rid of years of grime and oil. Once it's allup and runnig properly I will get the good old Gunk onto it to clean it up properly. Couldn't beleive how much crap was on there - my drive looked like a tsunami had washed through it!

Just need to get a new lower belt cover (managed to smash the old one up trying to get it off - don't ask!) and then off to get the timing and mixture set up properly before going in for its MOT. Got to do it before the end of the month as I have been promising to sort our garden for the last 2 months… The car kinda took over!

Also fitted some internal door security plates that stop the lock pin being slim jimmed and fixed an exhaust leak where the backbox joins up with the rest of the system. Was getting a funny puddle of water that I couldn't work out at all - turned out to be that.

Tried to get rid of those horrible red seatbelts but they are the old style fixings - the ones where you push a bar down over the belt - and the replacement black ones I have are the more modern style so I need to get hold of some modern fixings before I can do that.

Still need to sort out the camber and tracking. I have one of those camber guages from frost that should make short work of that. Tracking might be a little more tricky though. Might just get the garage to do that for me. We'll see how close I can get it myself first though.

That's about it for now. Getting really close to being back on the road now. Can't wait either…  :wink:

Insurance sorted - Footman James. ?350 on a classic policy with 6000 miles limit. Pretty pleased with that. Adrian Flux came in with ?480, Brentacre ?650 (wouldn't do a classic policy) and neither would Carole Nash at ?780.

MOT booked for Wednesday afternoon…

:y: good luck with the MOT

Great stuff woZa!  :clap:

Looks like you are doing everythinng in a good order and mending stuff as you go rather than thinking "oh sod it, nobody will know that rust there there once the heads back on.." etc. The red rim bumpers look great and the paint looks very good (I know how flattering photos can be, mind). Good luck with the rest of it all. Did you sell those Momo wheels in the end?

Reminds me how much fun the resto was on my Lhasa - I'll be getting the last few bits done shortly  :mrgreen:

Hopefully see you at Gaydon,

o

o said

Great stuff woZa!  :clap:

Looks like you are doing everythinng in a good order and mending stuff as you go rather than thinking "oh sod it, nobody will know that rust there there once the heads back on.." etc. The red rim bumpers look great and the paint looks very good (I know how flattering photos can be, mind). Good luck with the rest of it all. Did you sell those Momo wheels in the end?

Reminds me how much fun the resto was on my Lhasa - I'll be getting the last few bits done shortly  :mrgreen:

Hopefully see you at Gaydon,

o

Cheers o… Might as well do it properly if you're going to bother doing it at all! Photos are a bit flattering whe it comes to the paint work. Will be getting it fully resprayed at some point… No idea when though. Just want to use it for a while first! No, haven't sold those momos yet. Might keep them for track days or similar or I might sell them. Not sure yet.

PhillTMK1GTI said

:y: good luck with the MOT

Cheers Phil. Found a bit of structural rust in the near side box section at the rear around the hole that is supposed to let the water out. Think it might need a new section from Hadrians. The other side isn't too bad. Cleaned them both up with the wire brush and then rust treated and primed to stop anything spreading too far for now. Don't know whether it will fail the MOT because of it… We'll see!






Spent all weekend trying to clean off the old underseal to get at the rust beneath. What a fun job that is! :evil:

Hot air paint stripper works well . Be carefull !

Looking good mate


Cheers…………

chudd said

Hot air paint stripper works well . Be carefull !

Looking good mate


Cheers…………

Cheers Chudd. Will get a cheap one and have a go with that…

For underseal stripping, I used a wire brush on the end of a drill.

It took a while, but it did the job.

HTH

Rich

mcscrew said

For underseal stripping, I used a wire brush on the end of a drill.

It took a while, but it did the job.

HTH

Rich

Yeah, I've been using a palette knife, wire brush and wire brush drill attachment. Slow going is the nicest way to describe it! Took most of the afternoon just to get it off the rear box sections, nevermind anywhere else. All the dust goes in your nose, mouth and eyes (even with goggles on?!)…

Lying updside down underneath the rear, with all sorts of dirt and grime constantly falling into my eyes… Those were the days!

(NOT!!!)

mcscrew said

Lying updside down underneath the rear, with all sorts of dirt and grime constantly falling into my eyes… Those were the days!

(NOT!!!)

That's the one! Still if I do it right now that's it for another 20 years with any luck!

Failed its MOT :evil:
Nothing too major

Dipped beam not working on either side - side lights and main beam fine… Could it be the switch? Any other ideas as to what it might be?

Offside front brake hose not secured properly - rubber grommet come out of clip on strut. How am I going to fix that one???!!! :wink:

Excessive corrosion around offside rear seatbelt mounting point - hadn't even noticed that when I had the rear seats out. Will have to get it welded up though

Advisory - slight corrosion around nearside rear chassis leg - I knew that need attention anyways.

Still, got the engine tuned up. The guy said that it was running sweetest at 1.25% CO so that is where he has left it. Idle is a bit lumpy with the Kent GS2 cam in it but not too bad. Might invest in a diesel rear engine mount though to help stop the manifold cracking. Was driving it back from the test centre giving it a bit of stick and it started kangarooing then spluttered and died about a mile from home. Wouldn't start up again. Thought I might have run out of fuel so ran to the petrol station just around the corner, filled up a jerrycan and tried again. Nothing. Called out the brakedown people. 30 mins later guy turned up - checked spark. OK. Took off the air inlet and sprayed in some Bradex and she fired up. So he reckoned the fuel pump might have gone.

When it stops peeing down with rain I will go and short the fuel relay and see if it primes. If not it's a new pump for me.

The joys of classic motoring! Watch this space…

Well… Been out and tried to start it again. No joy. Pulled the fuel pump relay and shorted the pump and it fired up. Tried to start the car and off she went. So it's the relay that has gone I thought. Put it back in to check and it started again.

So… either the car did run out of fuel and wouldn't prime up after the new fuel put in and after leaving it it has cleared. Or the fuel pump is intermittantly working - do they do this? Would have thought it would be either on or off… Or the relay is intermittant. Again would have thought it would either work or not. Anyone got anything to add to this?

Any way, she seems to be up and running again

Now to fix the dipped headlamps… Any input greatly appreciated!

Hmmm. Have searched the forums and seems like the relays can be intermittant. Guess it won't hurt to get hold of another one. Heard they cost an arm and a leg from VAG? GSF ?16.50+VAT, ECP website playing silly buggers so can't see their price. Any major differences anyone know of between the main dealer relays and they GSF ones? Cheers…