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cRaig

[car_restoration] My Longwinded 1.9 Laser Project

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steve@cornwall

After all the effort gone into this, i think you would really regret not finishing it 100% as you intended even if you do sell it. Our tastes and priorities change throughout our lives and the beauty of the trusty 205 has been that it's been relatively affordable to change our cars along with this. With recent pricing of cars and parts this is becoming unrealistic for most now. Also, what a short while ago would have I been a terrific daily car could now seem to precious to use as such! But it isn't just a car, it's evolution has been a part of you for a long time and i reckon you would forever regret not completing it.

Of course if you get to a point you need the cash in hand it will be a no brainer.Many years ago i needs to sell my 1275gt for furniture purchase in a new house. Much as i loved that car (and it looked great with ribbons etc for my wedding) i never regretted the sale.

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cRaig

On the road again...

 

Decided that moaning and not doing anything wasnt really an option, so have found a (very) expensive garage to rent a 10min cycle from both my work and where I'm living, so the plan is to start pottering with it in evenings and weekends to get back some enthusiasm for it.

 

In fairness, it was nice to see it out in the sunshine today, still looks pretty damn good...

 

34015325836_dd1903b389_b.jpg

 

Will try and get all the broken links in this thread fixed soon, perhaps seeing the before/after images will help motivate me :)

Edited by cRaig
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pugdamo

Looks so good, but it would look better with all the wheels touching the road and the sun shining. Glad you are trying to find some motivation, I'm sure you will be happy when summers here.

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ALEX

I regret selling my Laser Gti.

Would be worth more than the £1600 I got for it 6 - 7 years ago even if I'd have left it outside in the rain.

 

edit:

 

Saying that my mate regrets scrapping 2 - Gti's and 3 Mi16 engines for £175 about 10 years ago!

 

I keep sending him ebay links of junk 205s just to wind him up.

Edited by ALEX
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cRaig

Well.. there goes another 18 months with very little in the way of progress..!

 

To be honest I've been more focused on getting life on an even keel, developing my career and sorting out a few personal/mental heath issues. Either way, very little in the way of direct progress!

 

Last time I updated this I was dragging the 205 down to the south coast. I got fed up paying a fortune for storage and still not having all the right parts/tools nearby to actually crack on, ended up by getting distracted by a side project to sort out the parents garage (with the ulterior motive that it would provide some long term (free!) storage!).

 

The existing garage was a reasonable size, a generous single, but it had a horrible lean to with a loo and utility area, which wasn't really fit for anything, the plan was to provide more general storage, a utility area to free up the garage for a work bench and obviously cars.

 

Don't want to turn this into a garage build thread, but a few pics to show why it's taken me so long to even get around to thinking about the 205! All of this has been done in evenings and long weekends over the last year and a half!

 

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The original garage, knackered up and over door, horrible lean to and iffy render. The oil tank was replaced with a buried LPG tank during the house refurb which I also tackled.

 

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Just over doubled the footprint of the garage, and had a plan to integrate a log store into the gable. Had some local guys dig the foundations and lay the blockwork, but I 'diy-ed' everything else; the roof structure,  cladding, roof slating, full re-wire, roller door etc.

 

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As the garden slopes away, I wanted to use some nice engineering brick for the plinth.  Cladding is untreated larch with natural slate on the roof- the savings from doing it myself meant we could upspec the materials a bit.

 

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Particularly pleased with how the log store has come out :) The plan is to put matching larch doors with hidden ironmongery on above, and use it as garden tools/shed storage. Makes really good use of the extra space acquired by the drop in levels.

 

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A place for everything and everything in it's place....

 

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So the new half provides storage (the loft is also full of 205 s*ite..) With a bulkhead above the external store providing space for stacking boxes. And general utility/work area, plus an outside loo and dog shower.

 

A lot of effort, but it has freed up the garage half..

 

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Took the cover off for the first time today for a long time, still looking suitably shiny :)

 

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So a few bits and pieces to finish off in the garage, then the plan is to sort out the TT (it needs the cam chain replacing, which is a bit of a mission of a job, with a view to selling it in the spring. It's been fun, and is undoubtedly an underrated car, but the novelty of low-to-mid 20s mpg has worn off.. ) Once that is finished, the plan is by Christmas time to start working on the 205 again. I've started making a list, and there really isn't very much left to do, most of the difficulty is going to be remembering what needs doing and how to do it.. Spring/summer 2019 would be nice to see it back on the road, but it hardly seems worth making anything in the way of a concrete statement with regards to dates!

 

I've also nearly finished sorting out all the broken image links in the previous 26(!) pages, which has also motivated me somewhat :) Long-winded indeed.

 

 

Edited by cRaig

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barneys66

Oh wow - what a beautiful building and incredible workspace.

 

Very, very nicely done.

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Anthony

Very nice Craig - looks like a night and day difference over what was there before :)

 

I wouldn't worry about the lack of 205 progress over the last 18 months - I'm sure that many/most of us have experienced life and its associated challenges getting in the way of our best laid plans, but the 205 will sit under that cover without deteriorating until you're in a position to finish it off and get it back on the road.

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mmt
1 hour ago, Anthony said:

Very nice Craig - looks like a night and day difference over what was there before :)

 

I wouldn't worry about the lack of 205 progress over the last 18 months - I'm sure that many/most of us have experienced life and its associated challenges getting in the way of our best laid plans, but the 205 will sit under that cover without deteriorating until you're in a position to finish it off and get it back on the road.

Well said. 

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cRaig

Thanks guys :) The garage was certainly more work than I anticipated, the actual shell went up quite quickly, but sorting the plumbing/work units/bathroom dragged it out a fair while. Does make a pretty decent work space (3 bar gas heater makes it quite civilised at the mo!)

 

As I mentioned, I'm currently vorsprung-ing the durch technik on the TT to get it all sorted for sale in the spring. The cam chain is a fairly involved job, so I figured the easiest way to get decent access would be to drop the engine out, which would give the opportunity to sort a few other age/mileage related jobs relatively easily.

 

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Trying to resist.. but I'm thinking this engine would make a great starting point for a project..! I think the engine would fit pretty well in a 309 GTi or a 405, as its surprisingly compact (certainly compared to the Peugeot 406 V6!) Plus 250bhp, DSG and 4x4would be a fun starting point in something lighter and Peugeot-y...  :D

Edited by cRaig
Photo relink

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welshpug

its a glorious strong old thing the VR lump, but I'm sure its a hefty old lump compared to the all aluminium ES9?

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cRaig

What does the ES9 engine weigh? I have vague memories from the failed Berlingo project that it wasn't exactly that light!

Google suggests the VR6 is circa 169kg including ancillaries minus the gearbox.  The problem is that the weight of the DSG box and transfer box is essentially another engine on it's own though!  :D

Edited by cRaig

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Telf

just read this through, brilliant build thread, brilliant car!

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cRaig

Where does the time go... Another year.. :blink::unsure:

 

Well, the 205 is still comfortably gathering dust, but enthusiasm is slowly returning. The first registration was August 1991, so I've set myself (the possibly achievable..) deadline of having it back on the road for it's 30th 'birthday'. I may check out an online VIN decoder and establish the actual build date, but I figure giving myself less time won't really help things.

 

The TT has now gone, replaced with an entirely bland (but very economical) Volvo C30 1.6 HDi. Need to either buy something more fun, or get the 205 back on the road.. 

 

Anyway, here's to 2021, cant be any worse, right...?

 

 

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AndyCrom
28 minutes ago, cRaig said:

Where does the time go... Another year.. :blink::unsure:

 

Well, the 205 is still comfortably gathering dust, but enthusiasm is slowly returning. The first registration was August 1991, so I've set myself (the possibly achievable..) deadline of having it back on the road for it's 30th 'birthday'. I may check out an online VIN decoder and establish the actual build date, but I figure giving myself less time won't really help things.

 

The TT has now gone, replaced with an entirely bland (but very economical) Volvo C30 1.6 HDi. Need to either buy something more fun, or get the 205 back on the road.. 

 

Anyway, here's to 2021, cant be any worse, right...?

 

 

Mine laser also turns 30 in a few months, my target however is to get it back in the right country after it being dry stored for the past 6 years!

 

My daily changed however from a 407V6 to admire modest 3008derv

Edited by AndyCrom

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cRaig
Posted (edited)

holy-thread-resurrection-batman.jpg

 

Well, here we are, another New Year, yet more excuses... in my defense, it's been a mixed bag: Not limited to;

 

As mentioned earlier; changing the cam chain & H.G on the TT VR6 (a fairly horrendous job... but stubborn/tight enough to not want to pay anyone..) I figured it was easier to lift the engine out, split the DSG box off (which basically weighs the same as the 205 engine lol) as in their infinite wisdom they chose to put the chain on the gearbox end, so trying to line stuff up via keyhole surgery seemed a bit risky.

Dragged the 205 back from Poole.

Finished off the 'coloring in between the lines' training (RIBA Part 3 Chartered Architect).

Changed jobs twice.

Bought a house (with a garage, naturally..) not that I've put the 205 in there yet, as its only a single and all my parts/tools are very thoughtfully with my parents for 'safekeeping'... B)

Tackled odds and sods of DIY to make the house more habitable/homely and fitted a new kitchen.

Sold the Volvo c30, bought a MK2 TT 3..2 DSG (same...same... but different :D) A suitably tarty color combo.... (It seemed a fairly obvious choice as a newly qualified architect who can't afford to buy or indeed maintain a Boxter...) #firstworldproblems..

Titivated and sold the MK 2 TT when I had to surrender my driving license (for medical reasons not legal ones...) :blush:

 

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Life was ticking along on a fairly even keel, I would say I was summoning enthusiasm to 'finish off' the 205, but frankly that wouldn't quite be true..

 

Unfortunately after a few months of using male stubbornness and painkillers to manage, what with hindsight were fairly obvious symptoms (including left side weakness, occasional tremor, banging headaches and the odd visual symptom black/light spots) Around early May I had a full blown seizure which resulted in a blue light trip to A&E where they stuck me in an MRI. Initially a 'mass' they've settled on a primary brain tumor (A Grade 2 Astrocytoma) in the region of 75x35mm which sounds... big to me.. I think when your surgeon refers to the cancer in inches that's not a great sign lol.

 

  SPOILER ALERT: Post surgery photo..... :blink::lol:

 

But to be fair, the NHS have been fab and super supportive and pretty proactive. So I've had a craniotomy (removed very little % wise owing to its size and integration) followed by Radiotherapy (I genuinely don't know why that flies under the radar compared to the the reputation that Chemo has.... They just casually mentioned 'fatigue may build in the first few weeks' It turns out there is a world of difference between 'quite tired' and 'fatigue', I felt at times like I've been hit by a bus, or was wading through tar or treacle. I could sleep for 15-18 hours a day and still wake up completely knackered! Coupled with brain fog, confusion etc etc. so most of this year hasn't been very productive unfortunately, DIY was simply out of the question, but I didn't even have the attention span for daytime TV or light reading.

 

2/3rds of treatment down, now 'finishing up' with Tablet Chemo, which is a blessing because I don't have to go to the oncology dept (an hour each way of driving..) For circa 10mins of RT nuking..! So Its 5 days on, the rest of the month off and I'll be finishing up in around April I reckon.

 

So I had a festive brunch of quite a lot of tablets.. (I'm now up to 28 per day during the 'on days'...!!) 3 tablets are actually for the cancer treatment, the rest are 'support' medications to counteract the various side effects. Fortunately its essentially 5 days on chemo, followed by the rest of the month for recovery, my pre-Christmas stock-take certainly took me a little while to get my head around! biggrin But as I ran out of the anti-nausea meds last round, and decided to 'risk it'... I absolutely won't be making that mistake again...! :blink:

 

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A bit noddy/early retirement with the pill organiser... but at least I know what day it is...! :lol: Note the plastic pot for the 'cytotoxic' chemo meds, which apparently you should avoid touching.... Also comes with a warning for any sickness etc. those cleaning it up should be wearing gloves... It does beg the question what exactly is it doing to my insides...?!?

 

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Sorry its not a particularly 205-heavy update. but hopefully I'll have a 'Road to Damascus' moment when I'm firing on all cylinders in the early new year! I did debate putting it forward with the sob story to someone like CarSOS, but after a bit of research and you cant put forward your own car forward (or apparently set someone else up to do it for you....!) And its definitely off if they've already featured the same make/model you are unlikely to get picked (Series 6, D'oh!!), so that's definitively off the cards!! :rolleyes::lol:

 

All the best for 2024! Hopefully I'll be back with green and shiny updates in the not too distant future...

 

Cheers,

 

Craig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by cRaig
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pugdamo

I saw the name pop up and I thought wow some 205 progress but it really sounds like you've been and are still going through the mill, it sounds like you are on the road to recovery which is great news. 

All the best with the recovery and may this year be a good one for you.

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Leslie green
Posted (edited)

Wishing you a speedy recovery Craig your laser  thread has been an inspiration and a great reference when building my own laser .

Edited by Leslie green
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mrfirepro

Hi Craig,

 

I'm sorry to hear your troubles but not surprised your sense of humor is still in tact, you were a massive help to me over many years when I was building my 205. I'll keep an eye out for the green and shiny updates.

 

All the best mate

 

Paul

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cRaig

Thanks guys, really appreciate the support! Fortunately they haven't managed to hack out my sense of humor! ;):lol:

 

I'm up together and am doing a clean, tidy & audit of the garage so it will be good to go when I am..! (Feel a bit like James May polishing and organising my spanners... but there we go...! Its all 'Therapy'...!)  B)

 

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Well, a smidgen of positive news to start the New Year, from my Oncology Nurse, the MRI scan results are back and written up (considering it took place on NYE, I'm frankly amazed..! :lol:) but while the Nurse didn't feel qualified to comment or read any of the report out to me, she thought we'd want to know that the Consultant is pleased with progress and Trevor (the tumour..) seems to be on the decline.. We are speaking to the Consultant & Nurse in mid Jan so not long to wait. smile

 

I'm obviously trying not to get carried away and working on managing my expectations, but not long until I hear it from the horses' mouth and we will run through the scan results/prognosis. Fingers crossed and all that jazz...

 

Cheers,

Craig

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pugdamo
Posted (edited)

That's good news, good luck for the next appointment. Also when you are cleaning your tools make sure to put all the spanners in the right way round, there's a wrong'un in there lol. 

 

Cheers

Edited by pugdamo
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cRaig

As I said.. its basically therapy, I'll get there in the end! :lol:;)

 

Cheers,

C

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AndyCrom

Your making me want to 'resurrect' my own Lazer thread again CW with some tool organization!

 

Also noted the same as pugdymo, I assume that incorrectly placed spanner is a well loved 13mm

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cRaig
Posted (edited)

A bit of a side project (I know.... just what I need right..!? :rolleyes::lol:) Unsure how familiar you guys are with Radiotherapy masks, but essentially they are looking to position you exactly in the same place each and every time and understandably they can't rely on facial features as frames of reference (other cancer treatment, breast, for example get a small marking tattoo to line up with the positioning laser), as they are obviously looking to target just the cancerous cells and not nuke any more brain matter than they absolutely have to..

 

So first you get the mask molded to your face (moderately unpleasant) then every day essentially pinned down by the face to the Linear Accelerator (very unpleasant..) But needs must and all that.. I suspect that's probably the closest I'll get to sitting in/on circa £2million of equipment...!! (and they have 5 of them..!):huh: The mask is so tight and restrictive, that you cant even blink or open your eyes, but you do sorta get used to it, and its much quieter than the MRI machine so if you relax you can almost doze off, plus in and out in 5 mins (or 10 with a positioning scan).

 

www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/treatment/types-of-treatment/radiotherapy/masks-for-radiotherapylive.staticflickr.com/65535/53502787325_02c947d266_z.jpg[/img]IMG_20240130_162328 by cRaig's205, on Flickr

 

(She looks far too happy given what she's just been through and what's frankly still to come... :lol:)

 

At the end of the course, they offer you the mask (some people "ring the bell"- I did not...:rolleyes::mellow:) but I did take the mask with me as a 'memento', But I've had a bit of a play and got my eye back in with a little light DIY.. (Fortunately you can't quite tell how much weight via the mask I've put on (Steroids also cause 'moon face' apparently....!)

 

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If in doubt... paint it copper..!

 

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Fortunately the corner of my living room already had a copper downlighter so I stuck a smart colour changing LED bulb and just leave it switched on and control it via the (pretty intuitive) app

 

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Quite pleased with the outcome, I mean, you've gotta own this "experience", right?

 

You obviously don't have to aim for brothel colours, but showing the range!

 

I may have got a bit carried away.... but in my defense they were 12quid down to circa 2! (I assume they are being wound down so stocking up seemed like a good idea!)

 

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Onwards and upwards!

 

Cheers,

Craig

Edited by cRaig
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Tom Fenton

Good to hear from you Craig, hard to know what to say, but I hope you are on the mend as much as possible.

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cRaig

Thanks chaps, really appreciate the support. Fear not, I've corrected the major oversight..:lol:;)

 

]53502811075_f3506a688d_z.jpg

 

 

#therapy #all lined up #next-stop organizing 13mm nuts and washers! -_-:D:blink: #workingonit

 

53502811100_bb6a9bdfd6_z.jpg

 

 

Christmas was a bit low-key and overrated but exactly as hoped & expected. The fatigue and tiredness was pretty horrendous and frankly mentally confusing. After a lack of balance, high-ish temperature and a bit of neck and head pain and discomfort I was called into the Chemo emergency ward on Wednesday night for assessment. No risk (as far as they can tell) of finding illness or the tumour has/had grown, but they've brought forward the Contrast MRI and the next phone conference has been brought forward face-to-face which was comforting and reassuring, but the white  blood counts have checked out, so that's good to go. We were aiming for 8 sessions but that may come down to 6 or 7 (5 on, rest of the month off.)

 

But I've put in a Subject Access Request https://www.wyevalley.nhs.uk/about-us/information-requests/subject-access-requests-sar-how-to-make-a-request.aspx so we'll have some similar scans on the same machines so that will be good to imagery to compare onions to onions and I've got a growing list of Radiotherapist reports, so that'll be a promising start! :)

 

 

53502787610_7ef107a304_z.jpg

 

Late night visit, which was fairly bleak in all honesty. There were more staff than patients in all honesty!!!

 

53501497552_0af8069e2e_z.jpg

 

53502383221_0c6de6818a_z.jpg

 

Cheers, Craig

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