I was a little unsure about posting this up, particularly after reading all the way through PAB's "Difficult 3rd project" thread, which was just bloody amazing and maybe gave me some encouragement when faced with what is a pretty basic task by comparison, but also made me realise what a huge FAIL this could turn out to be. Dont know why really but I was looking through the Mk2s available on eBay when this poor neglected car tugged at my heart strings ( I genuinely felt sorry for it ). Anyway, 100 BiN later and here we are with a huge project ( for me ) about to start. What makes matters worse is the only kind of work Ive ever done on a car is to maybe change some filters and plugs and mess with the stereo wires years ago. Looks like Im going to become well acquainted with Mr Haynes the Manual.
blimey that a hell of a project to find looks like it has not moved in decades! good luck with it, your gunna need it! john
Crikey - 10/10 for determination Personally my first task would be to check all the rot spots to make sure it's worth saving... looks pretty solid from the outside, though. Assuming it's not a complete rot box, it should look a million times better after a damned good wash, cut and wax.. which will hopefully reinforce your drive to get it on the road again. Good luck - keep us updated
Ive had a go already with some Turtlewax Bug shifter. Just 15 minutes too. The reflection in this one is my arm and watch so the paint is pretty good underneath.
Good man! You've jumped right in at the deep end lol. You've got two things on your side though, one - golfs are a doodle to work on and two - there's a wealth of info on this very site to see you through
Stick in over the weekend and you should be able to get it taxed by Monday lunchtime, giving you time for the MOT in the morning! Fingers crossed it is just surface moss and algae growing on it and no serious rust. Now crack on.
I bet that cleans up really well.....white ones always seem to Get a second hand engine and gbox, throw it in, and should be sorted
From what Iv'e seen of the underside and having a good look around the body, there's very little surface rust ( the worst bit is on the bottom edge of the tailgate ). The car has been SORN since 2004 and acording to the old MOT's, has covered just 130k. I won't be doing anything to it for a week or 2 as Iv'e got to organise transport from Bristol. I'm planning on a Tranny Luton with a tail lift ( it will just fit ) as there's no front running gear connected or even the cross member / sub frame. I'm actually getting quite excited.
OMG, errr good luck with that one. Look forward to the rebuild pics and the wailing and gnashing of teeth when you find that xx part is obsolete/unavailable/prohibitively expensive. Alloys look good mind
Hats off to you and I hope you get it finished. Hahaha presumably you don't have a wife or girlfriend????? Look forward to seeing the gleaming machine at the end of it. May take you ages or years but I am sure you will find it well worth the effort. Time and money does not come into it.
On the contrary, my wife is very understanding and knows that compared to going out to buy a shirt and buying a 23k Alfa instead, this 100 Gem is a breeze. Although I haven't had many 10pm's scratching my head and scuffing my knuckles yet.
From what I can see things look promising. The fuel filler flap area looks solid, the front chassis looks pretty dam healthy on that air filter side. You need to check under the wings where the bonnet hinges bolt and where the fuel filler neck screws to the inner rear arch. Get the arch trim and bumpers off and fingers crossed it might well be pretty good. It looks like it has been sat on slabs which is always good. My Mk2 that I got for 50 was sat on grass and pine needle had blocked the drainage channels. It is a mess compared to this but I will still save it. It's all a matter of what you would consider being a wreck. My mate is into Triumphs, you should see the kind of state that these are saved from. Ten small reels of welding wire he used on his Herald! Here's mine.. http://www.clubgti.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204620&highlight=mk2+golf http://www.clubgti.com/forum/showthread.php?t=218811&highlight=Mk2 Good luck
That looks in brilliant nick! The body looks very very solid, no nasty looking bits I can see in the picture. i assume the underneath is the same? In that case you've got a great little project there. I have just got round the getting first layer of primer on my engine bay after doing lots of de-rusting and tidying up! Looks like you can give it a good wash and clean out inside and then bang the rest of it back together. Look forward to seeing the progress
OMFG!!! Are you going to fix that engine or source another (ABF, VR6, 20VT)? If you're going to that much trouble you may as well get the correct number of valves Other than that the rest should be easy, apart from the moss it looks fairly solid, and its usually easy to spot the rust on white. Fair play though you really have jumped in at the deep end.
Ha Haaaa Thanks for your comments guys, i hope it's as good as it looks. The Luton Tail lift is in fact a bit short but I intend shifting the body like a wheelbarrow with levers stuck in the front chassis members and the engine in the back to counteract the weight. Sounds bizarre I know but Iv'e checked dimensions of the internal capacity of the box van and I reckon it'll work. A Dolly or Beavertail won't work as there's no front suspension or wheels. Jaundice, there's no hope for you mate, it's in our family gene's.
It already looks miles better!!! If it needs brakes and everything you could re shell a mk3 into it. I never said it was mint, I said it was solid but tatty. I said 'I fancy a mint one' which wasn't that one, penis
