Hi guys, haver been meaning to start a thread on the restoration im currently doing so thought I finally would. After selling my daily black 8v gti a few years ago due to needing a work van, I have missed having one ever since, and decided it was time for a project to keep me occupied through lockdown. The car is a late 1990 3 door 8v gti, with rare air con and electric windows from factory. I found the car on a facebook group being sold as a rolling shell - no engine/ running gear and no seats but dash still there. The car was advertised as a 'superb rolling shell with no welding needed', but having owned a mk2 before as a daily for 4 years and knowing a thing or 2 about them, I knew this would probably not be the case. Anyhow I thought id take the risk and do a spontaneous buy before christmas. Luckily a mate had a space available at his garage for me to rent which was ideal as I have access to all the facilities needed. He is also a massive mk2 fan and is currently building an epic show mk2 Jetta, and Jade green type 19 16v conversion. In total we have 3 mk2 golfs and the jetta all being built so its a bit of a mk2 lovers heaven there atm. So I arranged a deal on the car for £1000 and had it brought from Milton Keynes down here to where I am based in Cornwall. Here is how it looked when it first arrived: IMG_8378 by Louis Falco, on Flickr First thing I did was remove all the plastics, then it was straight up onto the ramp for a full inspection. IMG_8386 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8424 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Removing the plastic trims immediately revealed this: IMG_8387 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And under the bonnet someone previously decided it was a good idea to rattle can paint the subframes and various other parts a hideous shade of blue, and the bay red, which was just flaking off as clearly had not even been prepped. IMG_8384 by Louis Falco, on Flickr After giving the underside a good look over, I found some rot holes near the front jacking points, and inside the rear inner arches / liners. Also some rust at the lower front of sills where they meet the floor pan. IMG_8463 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8804 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8803 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Feeling a bit pissed off but not surprised we rolled her into her new spot for the next few months (years?)... IMG_8388 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And then called it a day. The original goal was just to tidy it up and drop an engine in and get it road worthy. But after some thinking I decided to just go full resto. Its what I wanted to do on my old daily but didn't have the facilities or funds. So I thought screw it lets do it, these cars are only going up in value and getting rarer so deffo worth preserving. So I decided to buy a rotisserie from a guy selling universal ones on marketplace and strip her down completely. As soon as it arrived the strip down began. IMG_8426 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8427 by Louis Falco, on Flickr A couple of hours later she was mounted on the jig, which revealed that the jig needed some modification to correct the centre of gravity for rolling the car over. I also didn't have much confidence in the castor wheels that were supplied. I was right to worry as when moving the car for the first time one of them snapped, causing the car whole thing to almost fall over. IMG_8429 by Louis Falco, on Flickr we managed to support the car on tressels and remove the jig to modify it, I bought some new heavy duty castors and my mate welded up some arms to lower it so it turns safely. Also bolted on some timbers to make the whole thing more sturdy for moving around: IMG_8473 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8476 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8478 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Finally work on the underside could begin. The aim was to remove any damaged underseal patches and surface rust, then coat with electrox zinc etch primer. I wanted to keep the rest of the factory stonechip intact and spent ages neatly removing it. But this was in vain as fast forward a few months and now the welding is all complete, I have decided to strip the lot and raptor it all. This was a tough decision but at the same time also a no brainer, and some encouragement from people on this forum made up my mind for me. But anyway, here are some pics of any rusted areas being removed using flap discs, wire wheels and Bilthamber deox gel to get into pitted areas. Then panel wiped and coated in 2 good coats of electrox. IMG_8495 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8501 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8496 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8513 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8572 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8617 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8626 by Louis Falco, on Flickr I also opted to cut off these studs that dont have a use. They were put on all mk2 models for a wind deflector brace. But only a tiny handful of cars were fitted with the brace. In my eyes id rather them not there sticking out: IMG_8478 by Louis Falco, on Flickr
So after many hours of work on cold winter nights, the minor bits were finished... And now it was time for the welding to begin. I havent welded since school and decided now was not the best time to learn, and being that my mate is good at it I thought id leave it to him, whilst I do the fabricating to save time. First thing to do was to order a replacement rear ns outer arch panel and sill, which I got from Heritage parts centre. Once they arrived it was time to start cutting out the rust. Started with the arch: IMG_8577 by Louis Falco, on Flickr After removing the outer, the inner arch wasn't too bad and was repairable without needing a complete panel. So we fabbed up some metal and repaired it. We also made a piece to repair the mudflap bit. IMG_8579 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8586 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8588 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8594 by Louis Falco, on Flickr I then gave it a couple of coats of Upol weld through zinc primer, so we could crack on with the outer arch the next day. Then next we cut the new panel to the right shape and marked it onto the car. IMG_8592 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And tacked the new bit in. Took some fettling but in general the Klokkerholm repair panels fitted quite well. IMG_8600 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Then it was welded up,being careful not to warp the panel. And grinded smooth: IMG_8604 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8606 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8607 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Temporarily primered to stop any surface rust. IMG_8727 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Came out great, big props to my mate for that, he's been working at a restoration garage and is quickly mastering his craft. A bit of light filler work and will be good as new. Next bit to repair was that silly flap at the lower front of the rear arch which in my eyes is just a mud trap. So cut it out and made a plate without the horizontal bit that sticks out from factory. IMG_8610 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8615 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Welded from the front and seam at the back. IMG_8707 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8713 by Louis Falco, on Flickr So that was one corner of the car done... onto the next. Which was the jacking point panel area and sill. Started cutting out. IMG_8584 by Louis Falco, on Flickr This section is quite complex as it is made up of 3 skins. Luckily the middle skin wasn't bad and only needed one small repair. The jacking point itself was ok was just the part that meets the sill that was rotten so I opted to repair rather than buy an expensive replacement panel. IMG_8602 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Next we got the new section of sill in: IMG_8638 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8639 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Time to repair the jack point panel using some slightly thicker steel for strength. IMG_8625 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8710 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And coated with electrox. IMG_8711 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Looks better than the original panel I think. So thats 2 corners done, 2 to go.
Next up was to turn the car round and roll it round the other way. Then began on the drivers side sill / jacking area. This one was a bit worse than the other side and there was a nice hole in the edge of the floor pan too. By this point I was getting quite good at fabbing little awkward parts of metal Heres how it looked. If anyone is wondering what the black stuff is, its just rust converter I put on when the car first arrived, to stop it getting any worse. IMG_8474 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Ouch. And all rust removed, which is really satisfying. IMG_8821 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8835 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Then the middle skin repaired IMG_8839 by Louis Falco, on Flickr I had plenty of metal left over from the repair panels bought for the other side which was ideal. Was able to use a piece to repair the sill and floor pan... IMG_8820 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8824 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And in... IMG_8857 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Now the fiddly part, which required some surgical fabbing / welding. IMG_8886 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8895 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8899 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8901 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8904 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8905 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Next thing was to make a repair plate for the jack point using some nice thick steel... IMG_8906 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Weld through primered the back for some extra protection. Will all be cavity waxed at a later date. IMG_8908 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8913 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Temporary primed, Will be stripped back and electrox'd eventually. Didn't grind the welds back too far as it will all be covered with seam sealer. Chuffed with that. And good riddance to this: IMG_8989 by Louis Falco, on Flickr
Now onto the final corner of the car! Which was the other rear arch. This one was annoying as the outer arch was fine but the inner heavily rotted. But the only way to get at the inner was to remove the outer. So 2 replacement panels were ordered for inner and outer. Only cost 50 quid for both from heritage which is great. Really rate their panels as they are galvanised rather than painted like other brands. More cutting out trying to remove as little good metal as possible.. IMG_8923 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Rust cut out from inner: IMG_8926 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8929 by Louis Falco, on Flickr ... And sections from the new panel going in... IMG_8936 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8937 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8947 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8946 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And primed. IMG_8954 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Excellent. Time to put the outer back, taking lots of time and using references to make sure it goes back exactly how it was. IMG_8962 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8963 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8965 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8967 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Job done. Nearly there now. Next up - the fuel filler neck bracket. Which was actually better than most. Again opted to repair rather than replace as I wanted to try not to damage the paint on the other side of the turret inside the car. Before: IMG_8951 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And repaired, with a captive nut welded in for the bolt. IMG_8979 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8987 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Now for the final piece of welding underneath. ( I am fully aware theres a chance I may find some more when I strip the remaining underseal, but fingers crossed) IMG_8980 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8983 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8988 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And there it is. That was just lastnight so brings us up to what stage the car is at today. Next job is to strip all the rest of the underseal from the underside and arches. I will then be coating it all with Electrox. And after lots of thought have decided to go with the tintable raptor kit which includes epoxy primer. If anyone has any thoughts on if using raptor is a good idea or not please let me know I have slowly been collecting parts over the past few months in preparation for the rebuild and pretty much everything will be new. Also all the subframes/ rear beam etc will be going off for shot blasting and powder coating in satin black soon. Iv also been busy refurbing various parts when not working on the car: IMG_8445 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8447 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Rack has now been electrox coated then silver top coat. IMG_8504 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8508 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8552 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8554 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8555 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Rear caliper carriers - I will be running these with new mk4 calipers. IMG_8558 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8559 by Louis Falco, on Flickr I removed the loose rust with a wire wheel then soaked them in Bilhamber Deox C which is great stuff. IMG_8569 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_8587 by Louis Falco, on Flickr These will be painted red to match calipers, and I have a kit of new sliders and rubber grommets for them. So yeah, thats pretty much where I am upto with the build. I have sent all the chassis bolts off to be yellow zinc coated like they were from factory so no nasty old bolts will be going back on. All the products I am using I have found through researching on this forum which has been a great help. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask. And if anyone has any input or advice, that would be much appreciated. Cheers
Good work there. I am presently doing the same resto to my 5dr 16v and my rot seems far worse than yours! I'd say your shell was pretty good. Mine is truly shot on the rear chassis rail and petrol cap turret area (there is no fuel pipe support left!). The only area completed is the engine bay which I stripped down and cleaned, section by section. Good luck with your car. BTW what are DEOX C and Electrox?
That's serious work and dedication, Louis. Well done. I've had a great 20 minutes reading through this.
Thanks pal. Your engine looks great. Shame you have some bad rot underneath but im sure its fixable! Electrox is a high zinc etch primer used in marine applications etc. and Deox c is a rust removing soak which will remove rust back to bare metal without damaging and good metal. Both are made by Bilthamber, worth checking out their range on their website!
Very impressive ! Looks really good! And other Bilt-Hamber fan I see, @rubjonny should try and get us a club discount, enough people on here use them )
Yes bilt hamber stuff seems to be great! thanks dude! And yes bilt hamber stuff seems to be great! There is a discount available if you buy from opie oils I think, on the checkout page it asks if you are a member of any clubs and Club GTI is on the list.
Thanks mate, but I cant take credit for the actual welding, just the fabricating and grinding back the welds. My mate did the welding as I haven't much welding experience. The welder is a Clarke mig220te turbo, its an absolute monster and weighs a tonne but a great machine. We were running it on the lowest setting for this work.
Well overdue an update here. Iv been super busy over the past few weeks putting in the hours every evening and weekend removing all the factory underseal and re-coating the underside. To anyone thinking of attempting this, make sure you have lots of time and patience, as it really does get tedious by the end. Removing the bulk of it is not so bad, its all the awkward bits, nooks and crannies that really make it drag on. I used a selection of knot wheels on the grinder for the large areas, then a drill and dremel with wire wheel attachments for all the awkward bits. Once it was all gone, I removed the residue by scrubbing with thinners. Here are some pics of the stripping process: IMG_9012 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9016 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9025 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9030 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9033 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Getting there... IMG_9037 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Once I had removed it all there was still a layer of residue. So I went over it with thinners several times which removed all the rest and left it gleaming: IMG_9099 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9073 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Luckily I didn't find anything bad other than a couple of bits of surface rust, and 2 small bits than needed welding. So sorted those: IMG_9088 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9095 by Louis Falco, on Flickr The infamous fuel filler area was actually much better than most, but did need a repair IMG_9094 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9096 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Not the neatest, but access is a pain and it will never be seen so... With all this done, it was time to move it over to the paint booth to prep for primer.
The original plan was to strip the entire thing to bare metal then coat with Electrox zinc coating. But I decided it was a bit of a waste of time doing this as it would have take hours and hours, so I decided to go the Epoxy primer route. First job was the sand the entire car by hand with 120 grit, which took a full day. Then blew off the dust and panel wiped everything. I then masked all the openings: IMG_9106 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9115 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9111 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Then masked the rest of the car ready for primer. IMG_9109 by Louis Falco, on Flickr I forgot to add, I also removed the shift tower bracket when removing the underseal, as I will be mounting the mk4 cable shifter to go with the 1.8t conversion. The mk2 gear linkage setup absolutely sucks so should be a good improvement. IMG_9072 by Louis Falco, on Flickr So finally ready for primer. I bought a 4l Raptor tintable kit from Heritage for £145, this came with 1 litre of epoxy primer included but I decided to buy an extra litre to get nice thick coverage. Heres how it looked after a few good coats: IMG_9120 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9125 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9126 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9127 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9122 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Went on really nice, would deffo recommend this product. Used a spray gun for the most part but I used a brush to get it on nice and thick in the awkward spots like inside the arch lips etc. Next up was seam sealing, which is a job I really underestimated! Took ages and really messy. I decided to use masking tape in visible areas. The seam sealer I used was Starchem PU sealer as thats what my local paint shop sold. Cost about £5 a tube and ended up using nearly 5 of them, but I did put it on quite thick for maximum protection: IMG_9123 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9140 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9139 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9156 by Louis Falco, on Flickr All done. Finally ready for Raptor! Another benefit of the primer is that you have up to 7 days to overcoat it without sanding and still get a chemical bond. Managed to get the raptor on on the 5th day. The kit I bought came with 4 litres but I bought an extra one so had 5l in total. Also bought a litre of Pearl Grey LA7U basecoat which was the right amount to tint 5l: IMG_9174 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Time to raptor, first time using the stuff but it went on really nicely and was able to get good coverage and texture. IMG_9157 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9181 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9179 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9161 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Only thing I wasnt happy with was the colour, I think with the tintable stuff works better with block colour and not so much with metallics. Kind of just looked matt black when it dried. So decided to give it a coat of basecoat and then clear coat over the top. This made it look epic, the pics dont do it justice. IMG_9177 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9180 by Louis Falco, on Flickr IMG_9183 by Louis Falco, on Flickr And there we are, a big milestone reached. Im tempted to give it another layer of protection once its all back together such as Bilthamber Dynax UC. Does anyone know if this is suitable/ is a good idea or not? So thats where im upto now, enjoying a few days off the car to recharge. Next il be sending all the subframes off for blasting and powder coating and buying the rest of the parts I need to get it back on wheels. Also had all the chassis bolts etc back from the platers. IMG_9121 by Louis Falco, on Flickr Will update again as soon as everything's back together. Let me know your thoughts! Cheers
Love it. Can't wait to see this finished but it sure takes a long time. If you cut corners you only regret it later
Looking good mate have just got passed this stage. Lot lest rust than mine so lucky and as you say they are only going up in price My project is on here to https://www.clubgti.com/forums/index.php?threads/mk2-golf-vr6-turbo-build.290526/page-8#post-2497631
