Hello, I have been around this forum for a while but I don't really post much. Mainly spending hours researching the exact information I require but never appear to find it. I just thought I would create a blog to see how far I have come over the last 7 years with my much loved golf. It was a local car to me originally bought in Henley. With 107k and a reasonable amount of history I managed to pick it up off eBay in June 2009 for 500. What was I letting myself in for? 2009/10: Started to gut it so see what the real condition and then thought oh Sh! Progress declined for a month or so but I managed to cut out the rot on the n/s arch & the boot. I then began to fibreglass (don't ask me why as I know I should have welded it now) , started the filling process & re-sprayed the two front wings. Bit Ratty. By this time the MOT & tax had run out. Luckily my best mate had just bought a flat with a garage he didnt use so he let me have it for a year and a half rent free. I owe him big time!! Off to the Garage: Once at the garage the Real work could begin. Countless hours moulding, sanding, masking and prepping ready for paint: Now the primer & paint: Lacquer & offering up of lights. Putting the Trim back on: The Whitey Pad: Once the bodywork was finished I gave it a good service including: - Spark Plugs - Oil - Oil Filter - New Rocker Cover Gasket - New Front Disks & Pads - Changed all of the brake hoses - New Thermostat - 15 Corsa Steels with 185/55 tyres with loads of tread left. D-Day = Time for MOT!! MOT = Failure. Doh! - Emissions - Hand Brake Cable Snapped It Could have been a lot worse but I left the car with the garage for a few days and got them to fit a new clutch too. So back to my house it went awaiting the installation of my birthday present from the girlfriend almost two years previously. A set of Hot Tuning Coilies and G60 Top mounts. As the free Corsa Steels were ET49 I bought 2 sets of 15mm hubcentric spacers & long bolts to bring them down to ET34. I then Sprayed the rear bumper in my back garden a few days after. A Bit of Spit and polish a couple of hours before Dubs in the Park: The wheels i started but got to lazy to finish:
2011/2012/2013: I drove it like this for around a year until I eventually gave into the wheels and decided to get them refurbed. Once they came back freshly powdercoated with new rubber and I fitted them I was as happy as a pig in sh*t. I was so happy with the look but my yearn for more power developed and I started to look for possible conversions. I decided on a Digi setup but to source everything without a donor car as I didnt have the time or space to break. December 2012: Aug 2013: Between the time above I made a few road trips all over the country with the misses & friends to start collecting the parts for the conversion. This is what I have ended up with & the places I have visited: Nottingham: Corrado G60 rear axle/discs Corrado G60 front ARB Corrado G60 carriers, calipers, pads and 280mm discs Corrado G60 wishbones Corrado G60 Hubs Frome: G60 rear engine mount Polybush gearbox mount Upper and Lower front strut brace upper rear strut brace 2.5" Cat back Exhuast System Rickmansworth: 16v Arch kit Beaconsfield: mk3 16v fuel tank Euro's: 22mm Master Cylinder Forums: 9" Brake servo ABF Engine with ECU & Transponder Ebay: mk3 fuel lines Breakers: Mk3 ABF wiring loom 20 So.. I started the conversion January/February 2014 and this was as far as I got as we found out we were due our first child. Things went a bit stagnant for a while. Well 2 years infact... July 2016: This is how she was left for almost 2.5 years. A good wash, the rest of the ancillerys removed from the bay and we were off again. All engine bay rust was then ground away with an angle grinder and metal attachment. It was then treated, etched and sprayed within my fabricated spray booth. I always wondered why halfords alpine white was a slightly different shade and a tad creamier. I always put it down to paint fade over 20 years but it turns out that its L90B and not L90E !! I am now ready to put the Brake servo/new master cylinder on but I need to get the wiring done first. I am in two minds whether to run some of the wiring through the chassis legs to keep it a tad cleaner as I have read that the indicators etc reach without needing to extend. I am looking for an aesthetic but functional for track look. I was trying to find a picture of a completed abf to mk2 ce2 loom but had no luck so I'll probably post up a picture of mine once I can confirm it is ok & complete. This is my current progress... Thanks for reading and hopefully I'll keep you all updated.
