1600 GTi re-build

Hairyarse said

Good work Tom, looks strong and you've done loads! How much have you got left to do?

Andy

Looking good so far
Are you gonna run twin carbs then?
If so are you doimg any work in the engine bay

Stu78golf said

Hairyarse said

Good work Tom, looks strong and you've done loads! How much have you got left to do?

Andy

Looking good so far
Are you gonna run twin carbs then?
If so are you doimg any work in the engine bay

cheers guys.  the plan is to get the bodywork 100% done (exept the top coat), then get the brakes etc done so that it is mot'able, and finally ill be able to drive it to the body shop where it will be finished.

bodywork wise i have got a complete new front panel to go on and i'll be replacing the scuttle panel, then just prep work.  As for getting the rest done, the front will be poly bushed, coilovers, new solid brake lines throughout and flexi's.  then get the engine running.  it hasn't ran for at least 5/6 years but im pretty confident that it'll go.

i got the carbs when i got my new daily.  needed the old car off the drive and a mate of mine needed a car so i just did a straight swap with him.  1990 polo for a set of twin 40's. 8)  don't really no wot to do with them now though to be honest.  was thinking about a 2L 16 valver but it has been done a lot already so i'm open to ideas.

thanks for the support
Tom

Its a MK1 - it will start no problem :wink:

right then, bit of an update.  today i have managed to get the old front panel off and the one on, however there are issues as will be explained…




the new one in place with 2 plug welds either side



all the gaps on this side are spot on and i'm really happy with how it turned out



but on this side its not quite right.  



just under the light the front panel is set back from the wing but at the bottom the wing is set back from the front panel. :?  i think this could be down to two things.

1. dodgy aftermarket panel
2. i noticed that the inner wing has been replaced from the front of the shock tower forwards and could have not been done properly.  i noticed that this wing didn't fit properly to start with, so i think that the front is on as it was before.

I was thinking about shimming out the panel from the inner wing with thin strips of metal but there are small creases in the wing anyway and it does look really poor quality.

what should i do  :dontknow: HELP!!

i've got some more done earlier. the front panel is now fully welded in place and both wings are fitting as they should. think i'm still going to get a genuine wing for the drivers side at some point though.  also got the dash out so that i can replace the scuttle tomorrow, then thats all the welding done! :mrgreen:  

anyway heres some pics of todays work and what i've got in store for tomorrow.

got the floor painted.  needs another coat or 2.



dash out











looks like fun.  i'll let you know how i get on.
Tom

Make sure you take time with the scuttle, don't want it too high up or low once repaired.

got the scuttle in yesterday which means i've only got 1 last bit of welding to do now  :mrgreen: then its time to get it ready for an mot!

found plenty of filler on the old one.



and some rust lurking behind the a pillar



sorted



bit more rot replaced



and some on the other side as well



then to fit the scuttle itself.  made sure it lined up with the wings first.







then got everything welded up





and all in place.  note no lhd wiper recesses.



now all thats left to do is this thin strip at the back of the dash.



the aim is to have it mot'd by mid may then find out how much insurance is going to be for an 18 yr old

Tom

Keep up the good work Tom :wink:

You've tackled some tricky repairs so far, and done a good job.

I think its good to set some sort of deadline otherwise they can go on and on.

Even if you miss the deadline, you won't be far off.

Whats the next job?

Pete.

Top work  :clap:

Makes me feel very very lazy…..

How do you reckon untill the MOT.

thanks for the kind words guys.
deadline wise i'm planning on it being mot'd by the end april by which time i'll hopefully have everything sorted.  its just the wiring that i'm not looking forward to.  then ill be working flat out to save for the re-spray as i don't want to do this myself.  

my list of things left to do is this:

welding plate between dash/scuttle
inner wings cleaned, resealed and painted
polybush front suspension
make + fit new brake lines
new fuel pump/accumulator (pump ordered)
get engine running
windows in for mot
windows back out for prep + re-spray
interior cleaned and in
DRIVE!

probably missed some stuff out but you get the idea.  want to be using it as my daily by june.  this will give me time to sort any problems that crop up and hopefully ill have bought everything that i need by then.  i just wana drive it now though!


  

Nice work mate, sit down when you get your insurance quote though :wink:

Crazyquiff does original spec brakeline kits if any help, should cut the work down a lot.  Seen a kit on ebay too for ?40. It's cheaper but not the original pipe, don't know how much work involved in it either

Cheers
Andy

yeah, think i'll have a bottle of something strong to hand when i phone up lol.  by the time its done i wont be too far away from my 2nd year ncb so hopefully it will go down a little bit afterwards.
i was thinking about getting them from crazyquiff but i have all of the kit at home to make my own.  plus im only working 3 or 4 days a week at the moment so i have more time than money to be honest.  ?40 should get me a good 2nd hand dash hopefully!  
thanks for the heads up though.

Tom

where did you get that scuttle from mate?

scott

got it from crazyquiffs a few months ago. can't remember how much i paid for it now but it was a much better fit than any of the repair panels i have used so well worth it.

awesome work there mate, one things for sure you will beat me to finishing!

Keep on plodding on!

smillsey said

awesome work there mate, one things for sure you will beat me to finishing.

cheers, not sure about that though.  you making real quick progress with yours!
however i have managed to get a little bit more done this week.  not had as much time as i would have liked on it coz i had to do the engine mounts in my mk3 but oh well…

first off, got that gap between the scuttle and the dash sorted.



then i had some rust under the gutter to sort.







then took the wishbones off to seam weld and polly bush them.



started to clean the passanger inner wing





my new friend hidding in the caliper lol



then just as i was about to pack the welder away for a while i find this  







right where the bulkhead meets the inner wing.  don't think it should be too much of a problem but it slows progress down a bit.  think i should be able to tackle it without having to take the engine to pieces.  

should have more for you next week.  enjoy…

nice work there fella, just started  a 79 resto, don't supposed you live in kent.. :dontknow: never done a stroke of welding in my life. so should be fun.

'fraid not mate, worcester.  i had never picked up a welding torch before i started doing this.  i just went down to a local engeneering company, got some scrap of them and started joining it together lol.  theres loads of stuff in the internet as well so a quick look on google should turn you into a pro in no time! :wink:
good luck with it bud. don't forget to let us no how it goes.

evileye said

'fraid not mate, worcester.  i had never picked up a welding torch before i started doing this.  i just went down to a local engeneering company, got some scrap of them and started joining it together lol.  theres loads of stuff in the internet as well so a quick look on google should turn you into a pro in no time! :wink:
good luck with it bud. don't forget to let us no how it goes.

thank you, will defo keep all posted, started a thread "pulling apart a 79"
getting back on it  at 9 when me mate gets here with his spot weld remover. plan on getting the shell stripped right down bare and start from scratch. thats a nice T25 you got there, had a devon for a while, which was fun!!
        almost forgot to ask, is this a custom resto or are you going original, as i'm in two minds on which route to go..will probably go original but parts are increasingly hard to find, and there not cheap.
   :roll:

nah, this isn't going to be anything custom/boy racer lol.  i love the way they came out of the factory so this is going to be all standary trim outside, stripes, arches, splitter, wing etc. but maybe a bit lower with some new wheels.  alrite maybe a lot lower but im undecided on the wheels yet.  was thinking rota rb's or some banded steelies?

will be looking pretty standard inside as well but with leather door cards, roof linning, A, B and C pillar trim (maybe suede) as i have a mate who is a trimmer for Morgan to help me out.  i've got the standard rde stripe seats to go back in and i'll be looking out for a wolfsburg wheel neerer the time.
i can't wait.  feels like im so close now that its starting to look like a car again. :mrgreen: