[engine_work] White 205 Gti6 Conversion

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Since having the car back on the road after mapping, I have been making more use of it than ever before. In a sense I decided to needed to get my moneys worth and actually drive it as I would spend many an evening and weekend tinkering more than I would actually drive it. So I restricted myself to a few tarty changes like new pedal rubbers and window seals to stop rain pouring down inside my door and replacing anything inside that was marked which would visually frustrate.

 

But it's come off the road yet again

 

Test, MoT and Insurance are all due at the end of the month and I came to the decision that I wouldn't run it over the winter. I was going to renew the tax and test for the odd run, but I know I won't use it. Instead I have decided to do some more work on it so next spring I will happy with it's setup and can book a few trackdays and spend a good few months of driving it rather than constant tinkering. Currently it's tucked away in a garage keeping it out of the elements while I continue to source and prepare some bits to fit.

 

I sourced a roll cage a few months ago which I will look to have welded in before spring. I'll admit, I was initially reluctant to look at removing more 'originality' and having plates welded in etc where everything else to date is removable without much trace, but at the end of the day it's what I want out of the car, and considering I only use it for fast road and intentional track days next year I decided it was a sensible option for safety. I've had some bucket seats knocking about for a long while now so will house those also.

 

Going back to the suspension, I decided to go with a 309 GTi rear beam. Sourced and collected one recently so that can be built up when I get a chance and swapped straight over when ready. With that I bought some 309 GTi lower arms. Shafts will be sourced shortly. I think I have decided on bars for the beam, but no doubt I will ponder over that again when the time comes.

 

Experience from my day at Combe earlier in the year is something I have looked at a lot with the direction I have since taken. While I'm not particularly hung up on power figures, the car now feels much more alive with the bodies and more free revving so I'm interested to see how differently it goes around Combe. I would say I used gearing as my limit last time, being reluctant to enter 5th as I found myself comfortable using that as a point to slow down than quickly fling into 5th and out again. I would like to change my gearbox before the next outing as I don't feel the 1.9 unit will be ideally suited to it.

 

Bit more punch I felt it needed - Check

Suspension changes I felt were overdue - Check

 

I know my tyres will be the main let down now second to talent so I think I will need to invest in that area. Braking wise I had no qualms with my GTI6 setup last time, so I think I will see how they fair again now before changing. I bought a 406 MC to reduce travel. I do feel on the road the current travel reduces confidence after jumping in from my other cars. On track though requiring more constant heavy breaking it wasn't a concern.

 

So nearly a year on from my first drive of the old girl in any guise, what I intended to be a GTi6 conversion to make use of a spare engine on a budget to run for a few months and move on has turned into a fair investment. I need to think about a spot of paintwork really as there are a couple of bits I am not happy with. I've commited now.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Nice power that dan, certainly sounds like it anyway. (null)

 

It's all pinch of salt with figures, but what I can say is when I initially drove the car on the map the DTA came with I was impressed in the response and free revving. I then took it to Sandy and it was transformed once more. I couldn't really care if it was only 10bhp more than before, the drivability for me is the most important factor. Plus the noise, which I found myself going the long way everywhere for - if not somewhere with a tunnell :lol

[CaptainK 11]

178 ATW on the dyno, but I'm going to take it back to where I had it rolling roaded several months ago as a comparison more than anything.

Made more than mine with the same ECU and ITBs

[CaptainK 11]

I couldn't really care if it was only 10bhp more than before, the drivability for me is the most important factor. Plus the noise, which I found myself going the long way everywhere for - if not somewhere with a tunnell :lol

Same with me bud - I loved the driveability of it when it was mapped to the specific engine. And the noise..... I too took the long way

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

 

Made more than mine with the same ECU and ITBs

 

My engine felt stronger so decided to use that. Sandy said the map was improved a fair bit over the existing one, so the lack of Cat seems to have helped

[CaptainK 11]

My engine felt stronger so decided to use that. Sandy said the map was improved a fair bit over the existing one, so the lack of Cat seems to have helped

Yeah, I had a feeling that removing the CAT would help. But when I did mine I decided I wanted to be different and see what could be done with a CAT still attached. Good to hear you are making good power though, must be extra fun to drive

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

And the update is:

 

There isn't one

 

Had a lot to do lately with breaking my VTS and being offered another GTi6 to break, so the 205 has taken a back seat unfortunately. So in Storage it has sat since the start of October and to be honest I haven't even seen it since.

 

I quite wrongly thought I'd have a little break knowing I had a good few months to get bits done. As always I hang on and on until it dawns on me that I have little time left.

 

There is a track day at Combe on March the 8th - which I am very much doubting I will make, I will at least aim for a March completion.

 

I have been buying a few bits and bobs, and while I suppose there's little/no physical developments I have at least more of a plan of what I want doing and how long it should take.

 

I very rarely put pen to paper or actually plan anything, yet I did write a bloody long list of each job I knew I had to do when I did my conversion and assigned each against a week commencing date so I could move things about. Remarkably that came in relatively close to the deadline, so hopefully if I get jotting I will soon see how realistic any schedule will be.

 

I'll leave it for this year and after Christmas/New year is out of the way I intend to get out to the car and remove the interior ready for the cage to go in. Have that welded in and sort my beams out. I am in two minds whether to get the car up in the air and remove the suspension and running gear and have it effectively stranded while I take an age to get that part finished with the cage welding being postponed or have the cage done and the car back so I can take my time with the rest.

Edited December 17, 2012 by chipstick

[Wes 86 1 Cars]

pull your finger out! get the suspension done ready for the combe trackday, the cage can be done anytime.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I need it all done and dusted in one go personally otherwise I'll never get round to the cage.

 

It's been in my kitchen since July - it needs a new home. The 205 will be the ideal place to store it

[stef205 91 1 Cars]

got worried when i saw a update on here thought you might of done something but i knew that would be to good to be true! as i said to you i dont mind welding the cage in for you.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

After 4 months of tucking the car away but instead gradually collecting bits, I thought I'd best check on the car itself and get things moving.

 

 

I put it away in the first week of October yet it actually fired in to life. So I set about removing the interior.

 

 

The floor itself is actually in much better condition that I was expecting. Is a small area where someone has jacked the car up and bent the floor and cracked the underseal.

 

 

I checked my seat mountings over and they are actually extremely good

 

 

I will retain the existing rear underlay as its in good order, but the front has cracked where I've moved it out to check. I will look in to a recommended type to use.

 

Dry fit of the cage over the next few days hopefully and then it's off for paint.

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Pulled some underlay out of a 306 I have in and found the footwells are actually a brilliant fit. Not sure I will bother using it though, as it isn't deep enough so I'd need to remove the 306 rear underlay and cut it down to fill the gap.

 

 

For reference the front 205 underlay is 4.5kg alone. Probably about the same again for the back. I was going to leave the rear half untouched - but I will pull it out anyway to check the floor condition and replace the whole underlay in one go. I will be retaining a carpet.

 

There is a touch of corrosion in the usual area in the corner of the fuel tank well. This is in the area the cage mounts will be welded, so this can be treated at the same time. Can just about see what I mean here:

 

 

I suppose in effect I have been quite lucky to find and 'catch' it. It's still in one piece and hasn't let moisture in yet, but I imagine another year or so and there soon would have been 2 holes there and water would have soon collected in the rear footwells and inside the quarter panels. Was a bit disheartening when I came across it - but it will be sorted and that's that.

Edited February 7, 2013 by chipstick

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Nice workshop Dan, Better than working on the driveway!

 

I love 205 owners attitude towards rust, we get so sad at the slightest bit of rust, if that was a old ford the owner would have thought his birthday and Christmas came at once!

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Once it's out the bodyshop it will be back on the drive again. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other really . I personally much prefer the odd couple of hours of an evening at home outside if it's dry to do this and that with everything I need around me , than to go away to the car a few evenings a week to suddenly start a job and realise the boxes of tools I lugged with me don't contain a such and such. I then end up wasting time picking at things feeling I need to be doing something while I am there.

 

I've been doing a bit of work with a friends MK1 XR2 and as you say - some of us don't realise how lucky we are.

Edited February 8, 2013 by chipstick

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I intend to test fit the cage before painting/coating but thought I had best knock it together out of the car incase for any reason it doesn't go together. It was raining out so I decided to use the kitchen as a garage.

 

 

The sleeves were a bit tight, but a spot of lube and they slide on nicely. Picked up some new bolts for the sleeves and door bars etc.

[stef205 91 1 Cars]

What lube? Can you recommend any?

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

I personally used Fairy.

 

Some other bits I've been gathering:

 

Electric power steering pump

 

 

S16 mount to do away with a large chunk of unused mount and to create more room around the throttle bodies. Granted I could have chopped some bits off my existing mount, but we like to make work for ourselves. I can then tension the aux belt a better way than the existing cambelt tensioner setup I've got which I don't really like the idea of.

 

 

A steering wheel I had from a 306 breaker

 

 

Need to get a boss for it though. The 306 one will work but the body is to wide and I don't want to cut my cowling up so will find a 205 version.

Edited February 9, 2013 by chipstick

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Well the cage was test fitted yesterday and I suppose was a bit easier to get in than I expected. I'm glad the shell is originally a non sunroof version for the extra clearance moving the rear half back in to place.

 

 

 

Had better start cracking on with the rear beam build now.

Edited February 11, 2013 by chipstick

[stef205 91 1 Cars]

Had better start cracking on with the rear beam build now.

 

Yes we had!

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Big thanks to Stef for assisting with the 309 GTi beam disassembly. Dispite the fact it looked like it had been dredged from a canal, I had faith it would be OK and thought it was worth a punt. It actually came apart with ease and looks to have been done properly in the past with preventative measures to assist in this scenario.

 

 

Pretty happy with the inside of that.

 

 

Gave the tube a quick going over with a twisted knot wheel to see how much effort it would take. Was easy so will give it a decent going over when the bushes are drilled/beaten/melted out and then give it a nice lick of paint. Gathered some new nylocs and will clean the bolt heads so they don't look shabby in comparison. Nobody will see it, but will make me feel better knowing it went on looking pretty

Edited February 21, 2013 by chipstick

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

Ever since I bought my pair of red Cobra Monaco's I've had second thoughts about using them. While I thought they were fairly supportive, I knew they were an entry level seat and wouldn't be happy with them. Wes205mi knew I was after a new set so gave me a heads up about a pair of better seats a friend of his had available which had very little use.

 

 

 

 

As soon as you sit in it you appreciate a decent seat from a steel framed cheapy. They are a tight but comfy grip for my shape. I won't rattle around in these at all and they really hug me in areas I didn't realise being gripped would make the world of difference. They came with a pair of sidemounts too so hopefully I can get these lower.

 

The only downside is I am now quite limited to who can join me in the car But it's my car after all eh? Need to find some harnesses that take my fancy now. Think I will go for black 4 points.

 

It's going to be an interesting affair getting in and out of the car with these and door bars, but I am sure I can learn a technique or 2. Removeable steering wheel may be in order perhaps.

[Wes 86 1 Cars]

the screwdriver is still stuck in the beam then

Edited February 21, 2013 by wes205mi

[stef205 91 1 Cars]

That's nothing Wes did he tell you about his toffee hammer i had to use!

[allye 530 3 Cars]

Nice seats Dan! Are setting up the passenger seat for some one as equally lanky?

[chipstick 382 1 Cars]

the screwdriver is still stuck in the beam then

 

 

:lol:

 

Yes. I beat it in there and thats where it's stayed since. It's not my favourite one luckily so it's fine where it is.

 

I am quickly running out of hammers also, thanks a bunch Stef.

 

Ali - you'd still rattle around in the seat with your racing snake stature.