'85 Mk2 GTI - Votex special! Time to say goodbye :-(

looking very nice really really like this car glad you are keeping the grill and the tinted hella lights look much better than the 16v ones

 

The seat fabric and trims are in the UK now so I will collect them tomorrow.

Matt and I have been making shopping lists of mechanical parts to replace/refurbish and goodies we want for the Golfs. I haven't decided whether to do any tuning yet but the cosmetic bank balance is getting a hit.

The failing rooflining has been removed. Back seat passengers were tiring of looking like they were nuns. I'd love to retrim it in the same fabric as the seats but its highly unlikely I could find more.

We ordered two new gear lever gaiters today. Ours were brittle and cracked. I've used this company before and the quality is great. Black leather with blue stitching was the chosen spec.


The buzzer of doom issue continued. In vain I purchased the two oil pressure switches (lo and hi) to narrow down the problem. Neither solved it so further investigation leads me to believe it is the instrument panel at fault. I bypassed the cable to earth as a temporary fix and have checked the pressure. There's plenty

A friend has the same issue and when his buzzer kicks in his MFA dies. I want Digifiz - NOW!!!!!

A chance brainwave from Matt has led us to do a deal getting back his old Borbet B rims, of 15"x7J ET25 (is) flavour. They have been powdercoated but need cutting back and polishing now. Should look nice against the dark paint.



This is how they should look when finished


I'm not normally a fan of 'nutted' caps so here they are with the flat versions. I'm still debating which I like the most.


Opinions welcomed

 

Wheels are coming along. Main buffer Matt has been charged with the job as he needs to build up some muscle to yank his fat bumpered Mk2 around.





Seats are in my possession thanks to Chris from the Retro Rides forum who drove 2 hrs into Germany to collect them, drove them to the UK and wouldn't take a penny as thanks. Even gave us two bottles of German beer. Some people are so helpful.

Rear seat needs a clean, front centres are in good condition and very usable. Door card fabric are good but the front panels have suffered water damage at the bottom. Has anyone ever done a fabric transplant with these?

 

Interesting car and interesting build, will be keeping an eye on this.

Can I ask which company you got your gear gator from? Quality looks good.

 

Thanks. I'm enjoying the retro parts hunt and making the car a touch individual.

It's marmite for sure and I had my first haters today (non-vw folk) but many love the unique grille and retro look.

The gaiters are from Top Gaiters and the one I had for my van was well stitched and nice and thick.

 

I love the Gold Borbets and tinted headlights RW. Proper Retro!

 

I WILL choose some wheels yet.

I have fell out of lust with the Borbets before they have been finished so they are now up on Ebay with a number of other VW parts.

Today has been a mixed bag. The waterpump was showing a small leak which this morning became a proper dribble. I've ordered a replacement along with a gearshift and lever bush repair kit and new balljoints. Bad shifting, suspect handling and leaks aren't my idea of fun and GSF Nottingham (Glyn) are so helpful. Hopefully dry weather tomorrow will allow rectification.

The Hella tints came off again as you simply couldn't see any lights during the day. Also on Ebay!

I'd been looking for retro parts to adorn and enhance the car for the past few weeks and came to the conclusion that to do the car justice a time capsule on wheels was the concept and would suit the character of the age.

I'll collect retro gear from companies like Votex, Hella, Nothelle, GTI Engineering, Bilstein, Kamei who were the mainstay of styling in the 80's. These will be chosen to make the most of the Golf and create a bit of nostalgia.

I have a few bits incoming which will get me off to a start.


Blaupunkt Boston CC20 radio/cassette (Matt exchanged it for a CD player)


VW Motorsport Golfball gearknob (greedy having 2 VWMS style knobs but this will allow the other one to reside on the rally Golf)



Finally, a rare Nothelle twin headlight grille. These were originally modified from VW grilles and fitted with twin 7" lights. This one comes original and complete with the Nothelle logo on the eyebrow spoiler.

The original Votex grille- while funky isn't to everyones taste so I decided to mix it up a little. I won't sell it as it's integral to the car's history, but running something else for a while can't be harmful.

 

There's a guy over on VWVortex with some Votex wheels for sale

 

looks good mate loving the radio

 

Minor update

Got the Blaupunkt decoded and properly connected to the aerial so i now have a radio. At first it was one rear speaker, then Matt donated a pair of original Blaupunkt Mexico dash speakers. I found the fault at the back and now have a full set of four. retro never sounded so good. I still have to find a tape to try in it though

Continuing the theme I managed to bag a freebie off a mate in the form of an original Fischer C-Box. Somewhere cool to store those cassettes!


I have also fitted the rear bench fabric and door cards. the fabric does need minor attention to the grip tubes that hold it tight to the bench squab but other than that its in good condition. I'll get a sewing person to sort that at a later date.

 

I'm all for retro but tape is taking it too far I've got this retro pioneer with 12-cd changer in both my normal golfs:

 

I know what you mean but I have ordered one of these to connect to mobile.



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130639875740

It allows you to play music and works as a handsfree through the tape player.

I'll report back once I get it but for under a tenner it is worth a try.

 

Iv not seen these before i have a tape one for my ipod but not phone too seems a good idea

 

Just a small update (but with big consequences)

The Griffin tape to Ipod attachment came. Its great and apart froma little head cleaning/alignment required it was plucg and play. Bluetooth is alright and playback better than expected fro such an ancient setup. Great buy for under a tenner!

I was donated a batch of cassettes and am currently enjoying Dire Straits - Love Over Gold

Fitted the waterpump - problem solved. I have a constant issue with the exhaust - need to get some different rubbers as it drops off all the time. I hate the backbox anyway so they might get done when I swap it.

Still no wheel swap. Still undecided.

But here is the biggie. Matt had now fitted his 2E/PB hybrid with the big valve head and cam. Without the VWMS car and a tired 1.8 8v I am feeling a little left out. I pondered doing the same as Matt or building up an engine based around the stroker block I have in the shed but wasn't suitably excited.

What I need is some retro power - nothing mental as it is only a daily but something cool and yet still fun.

Last night saw a cheeky Ebay bid and I will soon be fitting something with more valves and labelled up like this:

 

You won't be disappointed.

 

another member of the 8VAS lost

 

Not at all. C67 will always be 8v

This one is only because its turd powered. TBH I would have had a TT 8v if it came along. This valver conversion was way too cheap to turn down.

 

Now running an early GTI grille. I'm mixing it up a bit and the Votex grille is bubblewarapped and stored safely in my roofspace for possible future use on another car

Here it is the other night:



Looks very 80's which is cool, but I like unique. The square lights were but opinions were divided. I'm hoping the Nothelle front will address that.

It's been a spend-fest this week.

-Had to repair the exhaust temporarily so its running a chav-ish twinpipe backbox for the moment.

-The soft suspension succumbed under a full passenger compliment. I have a cracked rear spring so some cheap TA coilovers were ordered. Expecting them Wednesday.

-I sourced a new unused Votex rear spoiler with brake light. I think this will be a tasteful upgrade on the stock GTI item. Not in your face, but still noticeably different.

-After giving myself a good talking to I am about to fit some BBS wheels. Much as it pains me the beebs will really suit this Mk2 and though funds are limited I have managed to bag a set of BMW E30 15" RZ's. Sure,, they're nor RM's but they give the same aesthetic and will be an easy living option in the same style for the time being.

Photoshop has outlined the way i am going with the car now. I have two ideas, both the same parts but with a colour difference. Chrome(silver) or Gold. Which will it be?

 

Lovin' the gold!