[Car_Restoration] My 1989 205 1.9 Gti Restoration Project

[jackherer 543]

That's good, I think 205s with grey plastics should have grey seats and 205s with black plastics should have black seats but Peugeot made some G plate cars with early plastics and late seats which look mismatched from the factory.

[Tom Fenton 1,525]

Peugeot made some G plate cars with early plastics and late seats which look mismatched from the factory.

 

Either there must have been quite a few of these cars, or I have just happened to acquire them, I've had three like this, early rear lights, grey dash and plastic, but red/black check seats.

[jackherer 543]

According to http://www.205gtidrivers.com/info/history.html the new seats were introduced in August 1989 and the lights and plastics in September 1990 so that's over a year and covers the entirety of the G registration! Paul's must have been registered late I guess?

 

I suspect they were running out of the earlier upholstery so they were forced to introduce the new style before they got the other changes ready. I think this also explains the limited editions with full leather that were made at around the same time.

[mrfirepro 127 1 Cars]

the production date on mine was Oct 16th 1989, with registration being 3rd Nov 1989.

 

Sort of nerdy I know but would be good to see if we could nail a date where they ran out of the old style seat .

 

I'll start...

 

Latest production date with old style seats 16th October 1989

 

Earliest production date with new style seats XX XXX 19XX

 

anyone wanna play....or is this a really dumb idea...(perhaps new thread)

 

sort of top trumps for 205 seats...

Edited February 2, 2015 by mrfirepro

[jackherer 543]

Somebody could have changed the seats in your car at some point over the years... I know of at least one or two examples of this happening because people thought they had the wrong seats fitted.

 

Does it have a BE1 or BE3 gearbox? And was the exhaust one or two piece? Both of these could be changed from original as well I suppose, particularly the exhaust.

[Anthony 1,000]

I'll double check the date of it later, but my early 1990/G is one of the changeover cars - early seats and wing mounted coil, but with the later BE3 gearbox.

 

I've never yet seen an original '89/G car with the later parts on, so I'm assuming that they had a fair number of older parts to use up after the claimed changeover date. From what I've seen based on cars I've owned etc, the actual changeover is Q1 1990 and certainly Q2 1990 cars I've owned have been the later so-called Phase 1.75 spec with late seats, inlet mounted coil and BE3 gearbox.

 

Edit: Checked the VIN and V5 and it comes up as build date of 7th November 1989 and registration date of 31st January 1990.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Anthony
Added build/registration dates

[mrfirepro 127 1 Cars]

mine - Oct 1989, early seats, early lights, Grey interior, wing coil and BE3.

 

so does that mean there hybrids as well perhaps late seats, wing coil, BE3 and early lights or were they all changed at the same stage.

 

I was always under the impression that the new seats were only installed in P2 cars with late lights and black interiors.

 

No wonder folk get confused that's nearly a year after the supposed changeover

[welshpug 1,622]

So being pre 90 you'll still have a clevis pin clutch pedal even with the BE3 box.

 

My G plater is April 89 build, standard 1.9 so grey trim half leather grey seats with the two tones of grey cloth, BE1 with lift up reverse, non remote Central locking and a sunroof, wing mounted coil, two brown plugs and the brown plug of doom in the engine bay.

[mrfirepro 127 1 Cars]

It's nearly a months since the last update so here goes.

 

Finishing the interior still eludes me, as I'm waiting for some NFP clips and still haven't been able to find a set of A pillar trims (plenty of broken ones.. )

 

Also when installing the rear pocket trims this happened...

 

 

There are three fixings on that top section (have already removed the first one) also I had already replaced the top right hand fixing.

 

Managed to recover some fixings from a knackered trim and super glued them on (worked really well), as of today they are still holding. This is the other side where the middle LH fixing was replaced.

 

 

The main success this month was that I have found a trimmer.... (thanks for your suggestion Kieran, they were helpful and a great price but couldn't start until the end of May)

 

I've stripped the seats down, so I could refurb the frames whilst the trimmer works on the seat.

 

As you can see they runners have seen better days

 

 

The initial plan was to retain the central fabric piece and replace everything else, there was a lot of discussion about cleaning the fabric and the risks of shrinkage, so we decided to try a section with a cold handwash (with stain remover) several times until the water was clear and then a machine wash for delicates.

 

This was the second, hand wash.. (got a bit excited and forgot to take a before shot...Ooopps)

 

 

After the first wash the water was like mud

 

This was before the machine wash

 

 

And this was after

 

 

All in all it came our pretty clean, but no amount of washing would get rid of the fading. So the next plan was to deconstruct another 2 full sets of seats and pick the best fabric from the three sets..

 

however I found this company online

 

http://www.ctai-sellerie-collection.com/?page=205%20gti

 

After a bit of a google translate and me talking very L O U D A N D S L O W... down the phone (why do we do that there not deaf, they just don't speak English) in some form of old english, I managed to order their Ramier fabric. (not arrived yet, but will update when I get it) so I don't have to deconstruct the sets of seats.

 

Next it was onto the foam, which looked like this

 

 

 

 

 

The backs were in quite good nick, with quite a lot of substance to the foam and bolsters.

 

 

 

Originally I was just going to repair the bolsters which were not too bad, but they had lost quite a lot of there density when compared to the seat backs.

 

Decided to replace the bolsters and looked at the ones from 205gticovers, however I managed to get a set of complete bases for a smidgen more than the price of the bolsters alone, so was well chuffed with the find and a little worried as it was another French company.

 

I bought these

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mousse-dassise-neuve-front-seat-205-GTI-CTI-XS-Griffe-Rallye-/151599228824?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_71&hash=item234c04a798

 

they arrived the very next day

 

 

 

 

 

The quality is excellent, the density of the foam is very high and it also includes (already inserted) all the various rods and Velcro.

 

However in hindsight the main reason I'd buy these again is there is no need to cut the bases around and glue the side bolsters onto the existing foam as they are exactly like the OE ones.

 

and finally on the seat bases, now I can compare the old and new side by side. The old central foam section has lost a lot of it's springyness (don't know if that's even a word) which just replacing the bolsters alone would not improve.

 

Also got a set (front and rear) OE rubber mudflaps..

 

 

 

when fitted

 

 

I wasn't too sure to start with as there was a contrast between the grey of the trim and the black of the flaps, but when all 4 were done they actually looked quite good (I guess it won't be to everyone's taste)

 

Every since I had my wheels powder coated I've not been happy with the match, as it was more grey than silver, particularly noticeable when I installed the OE centre cap.

 

Really happy that they are now the same as the OE centre cap....

 

This is a sh1t photo as the new silver wheel is in the shadow and a good comparison can't be seen.

 

 

 

also got front rails powder coated

 

 

 

Hopefully the next update will see re-trimmed seats installed, MOT completed and hopefully back at the body shop to put right some of the restoration scars in the paintwork

 

Thanks for everyone's support and very kind words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eddie bullit 37]

Superb job! Its lovely to see 205s being restored to such high standards. Well done its a credit to you!

[Kane 34]

Excellent find on those seat bases Paul. I assume that ebay link price Is for a single unit and not the pair? Looking great as ever keep up the good work!

[acox99 71 1 Cars]

Looking fantastic. I'm glad you found a descent trimmer and those wheels look great re-done.

[jackherer 543]

(thanks for your suggestion Kieran, they were helpful and a great price but couldn't start until the end of May)

I'm not surprised they had a long waiting list but I am surprised their price was good, maybe they should charge a bit more and employ more staff

 

Those seat bases are a good find, I know what you mean about the middle bit losing its springiness, a lot of 205 seats don't seem to have any 'give' when you sit in them these days. Why do the originals have those holes in the middle? I've seen imprints of them before in full leather seats and wondered what was causing it.

 

[mrfirepro 127 1 Cars]

That company also do the back bolsters...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mousse-de-dossier-neuves-front-seat-205-GTI-CTI-XS-Griffe-Rallye-/151593260176?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_71&hash=item234ba99490

 

Fortunately mine were in great condition.

 

Kane, correct that price is for 1 seat base, they supplied 2 for £200 including shipping.

Edited March 1, 2015 by mrfirepro

[johnboy1984 5 1 Cars]

Loving these build threads... great inspiration for mine when I come to do mine... great work mate

[mrfirepro 127 1 Cars]

There is a certain irony about taking 3 months to find a trimmer and when I eventually find one, I then hold him up for nearly three weeks. I gave him all the spiel about quality and time, he must think I'm some kind of banker....

 

Anyway after nearly three weeks and some 15 emails the fabric finally arrived and I'm really please with how close to OE it actually is and I wasn't expecting it to come with the foam backer attached.

 

Here are some pics for you to judge for yourself.

 

Firstly a comparison between old (now faded) and new

 

 

close up of light grey

 

 

Close up of dark grey

 

 

My only issue (as you can see) is that the red line is thinner in the new fabric. The actual pitch of the threads looks very very close.

 

This is what you get for your money

 

 

and this is the backing

 

 

All in all I'm very pleased just hope the trimmers can do the new cloth justice.

 

Also refurbished the seat bases (not fully assembled here)

 

 

and runners (right PITA)

 

 

 

off to the trimmers tomorrow and should pick up the newly shod steering wheel

 

more to follow soon I hope...

 

 

[lightflow 59 1 Cars]

Fabulour work Paul. Getting close now - I'd love to see how your steering wheel comes out. I want to get mine done...

[Darrens205GTI 9]

Superb thread Paul,

 

Really looking forward to seeing how your seat's come out as I have been looking round for some time for a trimmer to do mine. Also now thinking that I will buy a pair of foam bases. The cost just keeps climbing LOL

 

Cheers,

Darren

[mrfirepro 127 1 Cars]

Darren,

 

Thanks for your comments. The trimmer is in Welling, Kent. I've got the steering wheel back and am pleased with his work, but I'm a little worried about the colour of the leather I've selected...

 

It matched the existing leather colour but I forgot about trying to match the steering wheel and leather, so the colour is ever so slightly different to the grey of the trim..... I plan to live with it for a while and see what it looks like when the whole car is finished. I have compared the old leather of the seats and steering wheel and they are a little different, not sure if that is original or age related.

 

as soon as it's all done I'll post some pics,

[Darrens205GTI 9]

If it is Allen and Povey I have used them before and they done a really good job. Looking forward to seeing the end result

[mrfirepro 127 1 Cars]

It's been a momentous month receiving the interior back and passing the MOT...

 

all the photos for the last month are here http://s1238.photobucket.com/user/mrfirepro/slideshow/205%20projects/12%20apr%2015

 

the first part back from the trimmers was the steeringwheel, however the trimmer had used a Nappa leather instead of the same leather we had chosen for the seats, as the seat leather was too thick.

 

Here are some photos of the steering wheel.

 

 

and in the car

 

 

I'm also not sure how I feel about the stitching being very different to OE...

 

 

The colour of the leather looks very different because of the camera flash, in reality it is a lot closer looking in the flesh.

 

The next job was to treat the rust on the seat frames, there wasn't that much and what was there was surface rust, used hydrate 80 to kill the rust and then resprayed.

 

 

It was then off to the trimmers to drop off the frames and pick up the rear seat.

 

Here are the rear seats, with sand blasted and painted brackets

 

 

 

I am really pleased with the ramier fabric.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE : The supplier of the fabric supplies 4 equal lengths of fabric. Each length must do the upright or base of the front seat and the upright or base for the rear seat. It is was toooooo close to get a complete front seat from one length. The supplier did not tell us this. We were with in 1-2mm of not having enough.

 

Whilst waiting for the rest of the interior I assembled the refurbished seat runners

 

 

 

 

 

A week later the rest of the interior was ready for collection.....

 

Here are some photos of the seats before they were fitted into the car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

installed on base

 

 

 

rear panel

 

 

 

Now back to the car...

 

Fitted these

 

 

 

 

New rear water bottle

 

 

and thanks to information provided by Jackherer I was able to make the correct arrangement for the right hand binnacle fixing.

 

 

 

 

Hope I've got it right now...

 

So for the last three weekends I had planned to take my car to a local garage (where the owner is an enthusiast ) but on every occastion it was raining, so got up Saturday morning to bright sunshine..any way as you've probably guessed, the minute my car is out the garage it starts Pissing down....so at least I know my car doesn't have any leaks.

 

Got the car to the garage for the following works

 

MOT

Tuning and timing

Wheel alightment/tracking

Oil Change

Check torque setting on all crucial bolts

Change to new silver wheels instead of the grey ones (tyes on/off balance etc etc..)

and finally asked if he saw anything that needed attention or wasn't quite right feel free to let me know .... didn't expect 2 sides of A4 (in small print), but I did ask....

 

So started off with tuning, this made a massive difference as the car now idles and runs smoothly.....

 

 

but this did leave me with a couple of really stupid questions, well at least one particularly stupid question, which only occurred to me on the way back

 

1. The timing details from Haynes states 5 degrees BTDC......please don't laugh.......but the timing mark has TDC and BTDC, so I assume the 5 degrees is from the top dead centre mark, so whats the relevance of the BTDC mark or is this at 5 degrees....no name calling please...

 

2. The strobe (Snap on Device) were were using generated an RPM reading from a sensor on the HT lead, this showed a quite smooth 700RPM when the rev counter in the car was showing 1100-1200, is this normal? is there anything that can be done about it?

 

Anyway back to the MOT which was passed with flying colours.....he was even complimentary on the way I had set the lights up....

 

another pick of the engine bay as I've not posted a picture for a few threads...

 

 

This also caused a question from the MOT tester with regards to the apparent lack of fixing in the front left fixing of the slam panel, my immediate response was that there was no fixing there to start with, I would be interested to know if there should be a fixing in the apparent spare hole...?

 

proud MOT tester, the smile says it all... or perhaps he was fed up with me after 5 hours of my interfering.

 

 

the numbers mean nothing to me, but this seemed to be the lowest CO

 

 

We also changed the oil & filter as I'de done a whopping 50 miles, I was surprised to see the oil was quite dirty and there were filings on the magnetic sump plug.

 

Never got around to changing the wheels/tyres, so will have to wait until the weekend after next, when I can also fit the new BBM fuel lines.

 

Was really pleased with the way the car ran on the way back home.

 

Gave the car it's first clean on the sunday..

 

 

 

 

 

I have not posted any interior pictures as I'm still waiting for some clips for the NS quarter trim to finish the inside off.

 

Next it's back to the body shop to have some restoration marks sorted out..

 

Finally I hope to produce a series of before and after picture to end this epic adventure on.

 

thanks for reading....

 

 

 

 

 

[dobboy 231 2 Cars]

Amazing.... You deserve a medal for your efforts.

 

Well done!

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

erm...

 

What are these?

[farmer 327 1 Cars]

Anti bang springs

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Ah! ... let me go look in the bin for mine...