[project] Silver 1.9 Gti 16v Project (now Gti-6)

[DaveW 6]

nooo fat arsed XM seats

[DrSeuss 0]

Yeah, xm seats though lovely for comfort just aren't supportive enough through the bends. Proper buttock clenchers. But sooooooo nice to sit on.

[taylorspug 7]

Yeah i can see the XM seats making my motorway journeys a pleasant experience after sitting in them!

 

Right, whats new? Well ive cleared all the little spots of rust off the entire floorpan, as well as the surface rust inside the quarters, all of which has been red oxided and seam sealer applied in the quarter panels where it meets the inner arch. Not shown in the pictures (because i havent taken them yet) is the entire floorpan of the car has had a coat of stonechip to protect it from further rusty moments.

 

As you can see im currently working in a large EZ-Up due to not having any garage space to paint the car in, so this will have to do. Its ok, and il pick a reasonable day for painting (not too damp), and combined with some big off heaters, i should have a good enough spray booth! I swear my neighbours think ive lost it with this thing on the drive...

 

The replacement passenger wing was an early (non side repeater) type- i say WAS, seeing as ive now sat there for a couple of hours and created an exact replica hole for the repeater. Ok just boring a hole and glueing it in would have worked, but its the little details that count- right?! Just used a hole cutter and some small files to do it.

 

Ive got a fair way flatting down the body now, but i will get some pictures of that tomorrow, i seem to have forgotten about the camera alot as im so keen to get it all done!

 

Anyway, updated pics are HERE

[GLPoomobile 958]

I'm so jealous - but at the same time, good on you mate, it's looking great.

 

God I wish I could do something like this.

 

One day, one day....

[taylorspug 7]

Thanks, im dead pleased with it so far as you can probably tell! You think this is a big enough project, wait until this is done and il get up pics of my next build...mmm racing car!

[Edd-XS 0]

somehow ive managed to miss this entire topic until now! looks awesome dude, wish i had the time/skills/ability to do something similar! doesnt look like ill be able to make it this weekend either as ive got to work, but my mate should still be coming up. Hes safe as houses but doesnt know an awful lot about cars so you'll have to excuse him! wish i could come see your project though! arse...

Edd

[taylorspug 7]

Yeah thats cool bout the weekend mate, just give me a text or something tomorrow to confirm hes coming.

 

Car will be done in a couple of weeks, so il come down your way or something and you can have a look/ride then.

 

As mentioned above, my next little project will knock spots off of this one, although its not a Pug...

[taylorspug 7]

No pictures as i keep forgetting to take some. But anyway the car is being sprayed Sunday. Done a few bits of priming already and just finishing off smoothing out the 3/4 panels and passenger door.

 

Also started spraying the trim with Halfords flexible Vinyl Paint, looks good!

 

Happy days.

[A18_RYU 0]

please can u get some pics fo the trim with the halfrauds vinyl paint please??? pretty please!

[taylorspug 7]

Christ i havent updated this for a while! TBH i havent been taking any pictures, so i will have to get some tomorrow (including the trim for you Ryan!).

 

As a sort of mini update the car is now resprayed and im putting it back together. Dash and carpet is in, windscreen is in, rear quarter windows are in. Also ive layed cabling through the car under the carpet and moved the battery to the boot so ive got space to build an airbox. Plus it evens up the weight distribution a touch.

 

Will finish wiring in the fan tomorrow (fan is now completely switched from inside the car), and possibly make the trick little switch panel for it.

 

Anyway, all is good!

[credowan 15 1 Cars]

Hows things on the project going mate? well i hope, just wondering if there was any news or more pics

 

 

hope all`s well

 

Gary

[sorrentopocketrocket 1]

I was just looking at Bens gallery and saw all your hard work and i know whats involved (did it all myself not so long ago), but one things for sure your going to have a really quick and tidy motor when your finished.

You get a real sense of joy looking at it, people commenting on it and knowing that you did it all yourself.

Great job and goodluck with it!

[taylorspug 7]

Ok, following in Dreamweavers footsteps with his 'a few months later' update, thought i may aswell do the same.

 

My car has now seen around 9-10 months of use since it flew through its MOT (not suprising as 90% of the car was new or rebuilt!)

 

TBH its been pretty good, the car never lets me down, always starts (after a fashion), and runs largely without fault. Main problems so far have been:

 

- The rear brakes started sticking on shortly after the MOT, eventually traced this to the servo rod needing adjustment due to the different (405 MI-16) M/C that i ended up using.

 

- The exhaust fell apart, was welded up, then properly fell apart properly the second time. It was a Scorpion full stainless system, which fitted well but turned out to be a bit thin so kept cracking around the centrebox join. I replaced it with a brand new SBC group n item i picked up from smckeown, which seemed to give the car alot more midrange grunt, and it sounded better. All good.

 

- Rear wheels were fouling on the front of the rear arches from day 1, due to the bumpstops which were cut down by the previous owner. Im sure on a normal GTI beam this wouldnt have been a problem, but im running a 309 GTI item, so it rubbed to buggery. Eventually solved by fitting Powerflex bumpstops, not heard a scrape since.

 

- Exaust tunnel was getting very hot after prolonged use, mainly due to being in such close quarters with the downpipe i think. Anyway it was starting to make the stereo overheat and cut out so i foil taped the exhaust tunnel. Although some heat proof foil matting would have been better, this seemed to do the job.

 

- Bottom engine mount went within a month of the car going onto the road, the engine had managed to completely butcher it. So dont use random bottom mount rubbers with MI conversions, it doesnt matter if they are new even, they dont work! Ended up buying a full BBM mount set and spending half a day fitting the bottom mount with it still attached to the car as i couldnt be arsed to drop the driveshaft. These mounts certainly create a bit of vibration at idle, but once you are on your way its fine, and 205s arent meant to be comfortable! Also the service from Stew was exceptional, especially as i was in a rush to get the mounts, the car being used for my (at that time) commute to work 100 miles away!

 

- Not really the cars fault this one but the head unit packed up, and to make matters worse on the same day as the exhaust fell apart. So i had to drive from Bedford to Brighton with no stereo, and an MI with pretty much just a downpipe on it. Annoyed me so i bought a MiniDisc head unit a week later.

 

- More rear brake problems, this time on a 4-up journey to Plymouth. In fact i nearly crashed into part of Plymouth when one of the rear pads parted company, and brake pedal went to the floor. Found the pad however (!) and bodged it with cable ties so it would last the journey home (and what turned out to be a month after that aswell ).

 

- The front suspension top mounts and bearings needed doing in the summer which wasnt suprising as they got overlooked in the rebuild. Fitted the group n rubbers whilst i was there. Car certainly felt more positive on turn in after this was done.

 

- Next wasnt so much a problem, more me getting a bit bored when i had a few spare weeks. Decided to freshen the engine up by doing the mains, big ends, thrust washers, seals and fitting an uprated oil pump spring. The cambelt was also up for being done, so i took the engine out to make the work a bit easier to complete. All went well, i even picked up some Autosprint regrinds cheap so decided to add these whilst i was there, along with a slight fuel pressure tweak. Motor is now definately quicker, as various owners of 3.2 litre S-Line Audis, RX8s, muppets in Astra Coupe Turbos, and when i caught him by suprise a new WRX will testify. However it is slightly prone to pinking at high revs, even on Optimax. In the short term im thinking the injectors could do with being ASNU cleaned and tested, as a couple of pots are still showing up a touch weak, even with raised fuel pressure. In the long term (this could turn into the short term!) im thinking 'bodies, slightly worked head and plently of compression will see me right...

 

- Currently the car is having new tyres and Goodwood style wheels fitted, and im evaluating some interesting suspension ideas as part of my newly set up business, which may crop up for sale to the general public if they come to fruition.

 

Oh and I made some pansy in a brand spanking Audi RS4 look a bit silly down some back lanes, to the point where he felt the need to actually block my overtake on him. I guess to some superior corner speed is too hard a pill to swallow...

 

Pics will come when the wheels are back on the old girl!

 

Dan.

Edited December 8, 2006 by taylorspug

[cybernck 400 1 Cars]

hehe nice!

 

but didn't you put it up for sale (and nearly sold it) a few months ago?

[205007 12]

i remember this one, i desperatley wanted it but didnt have enough money at the time

[taylorspug 7]

Yep, i had a new car in mind, a S14 200sx. But then someone crashed into the 205 whilst it was parked, which took an age to sort out as the woman started dragging her heels with the claim (as they do ). Then i started my business, which meant building a 300hp Nissan wasnt on the cards. And finally the buyer i had agreed on everything until it came to handing money over, then decided to haggle. He was less than politely told where to go.

 

Fate im now thinking has come into play.

 

- the car likes life with me, it gets shiny new parts regularly, it wouldnt want to be sold.

 

- everyone i know thinks i would look weird in another car, and that its too cool to sell.

 

- so far be it from me to become a weirdo who sells cool cars against their wishes!

 

Anyway tbh im perfectly happy with it (always was really, just fancied a change), and il be even happier when the bodies go on!

Oh and i may be able to buy the Nissan to sit next to the 205 on the drive soon...

Edited December 8, 2006 by taylorspug

[taylorspug 7]

i remember this one, i desperatley wanted it but didnt have enough money at the time

 

Thats a nice compliment, especially seeing how lovely your Steel Grey looks in the for sale photos. Thanks!

[taylorspug 7]

Done a bit of work on the car recently, mainly centred around the engine bay and the rear suspension. Still havent fixed the dented bit from my sister crashing into it, although that will be done in the next week or two as the car is now SORN'ed.

 

Got a new aluminium radiator a while back for not alot of money, and decided to swap this for the one in the car. Only problem was it wouldnt fit in the cut down housing, even though it was just a std 205 gti rad- go figure! Anyway decided this was probably a good time to lower the rad, and build a proper mounting for the Mocal oil cooler. Also decided to convert to a rear mounted fan. Wasnt up for paying big money for one, so found a Citroen AX one which is pretty slim, the perfect size, and the perfect price-£5!

 

Here are the mounts i made for the bottom of the radiator, i also incorporated the rubber gromets from the original mountings:

 

Mountings

 

Here is the AX fan, the mounting had to be slightly modified to clear the oil filler pipe and to sit it nicely between the filler pipe and the bellhousing, but nothing a little cutting and welding didnt fix! The straps that mount it onto the top and bottom of the rad were added by me, i glued a piece of rubber to the underside of the right hand mounting to stop it chaffing the rad, and to lift the fan clear of fouling the top and bottom edges.

 

AX fan 1

 

AX fan 2

 

And with a lick of paint

 

The next picture is the oil cooler mounting brackets. Ive mounted the cooler directly in the airflow in the valance apeture, the brackets attach at the top to the radiator. Just these 2 brackets alone feel a little flimsy though, so i may add a lower bracket aswell.

 

Oil cooler brackets

 

Here is the rad, fan and oil cooler fitted up. As you can see space is VERY tight, but its all in there with a little room to spare! This has opened up a 6 inch gap between the slam panel and rad, which makes the front end of the engine suprisingly accessable now! The rad doesnt sit any lower than the lower bar that the original radiator mountings sit on, i didnt want to go too low for fear of clipping the rad on high speedbumps etc. However it is still a decent amount lower, mainly due to the extreme angle that it is mounted at, with the top edge of the rad in front of the headlamp panel. Doing this made the whole radiator/fan combo alot easier to package, and it doesnt make it a tight squeeze to get the small breather pipe on the end of the radiator.

 

Fitted 1

 

Oil cooler nicely in airflow

 

Bit tight then...

 

Lower mounts

 

Nice big gap now

 

Only thing left to do is put a couple of strengthening ribs in the slam panel, as it is now too flexible to allow the bonnet to catch down!

 

Will have another update in a couple of days with a nice rear suspension development!

[Edp 67 3 Cars]

Tasty Dan, I like to see little fabricated parts. I must do something like this for my Mi. Is it a ax gt fan?

Edited February 21, 2007 by Edp

[taylorspug 7]

I just got it off of a run of the mill AX, wasnt a GT. If you like that then you will probably like the next couple of one off fabricated parts ive got coming up aswell! I just got to thinking the other night and came up with a couple of nice ideas...

 

If you want to do a similar thing Ed, i can quite easily knock up another set of brackets/modified fan assembly to make the job easier. Maybe i should offer it up as a kit for the whole forum?!

 

Ive now got the right thermoswitch for the fan, so wired that all in yesterday and cut out the slow speed resistor. Pleased to report that the fan works perfectly well (i was slightly concerned it wouldnt be up to the job, as it came from a 1 litre AX! ). With the bonnet shut and the heater off, ran the car up at 2.5k until the fan kicked in. Temp never went past 90 on the gauge (BX dials), and fan turned off after a few minutes, having cooled the motor back down to its normal running temperature.

 

Also the problem with the flimsy oil cooler brackets is sorted. The brackets themselves were plenty strong enough to hold the cooler unit, but with the tight confines of the front valance i was slightly worried it might move a little and contact the bumper. So to safeguard against this ive just added a couple of cable ties to the bottom of the cooler and looped them around the cooler pipes, which are quite rigid and wont allow any contact.

 

A support bracket at the bottom could have been fab'ed up, but i figured why complicate things when its not necessary, plus its one less hole to drill in my car!

Edited February 22, 2007 by taylorspug

[Edp 67 3 Cars]

If you want to do a similar thing Ed, i can quite easily knock up another set of brackets/modified fan assembly to make the job easier.

 

 

Now that is a pucker idea Dan. I want to do something similar for my Sorrento project which is about to start. I totally forgot about the slatted rear panel. I will dig it out this week and check it over and PM you as soon as i've found/checked it.

 

Ed

[taylorspug 7]

Ok thats cool mate, im not in a mega rush for it, would just like to start getting the car back to A1 shape body wise!

 

Will chat to you at some point about the rad mounts.

[taylorspug 7]

The next stage of the project is documented HERE ive got hold of some Citroen ZX rear arms which have a degree of negative camber and zero toe. My aim here is to make the car a little more willing to turn in initially, but also provide a bit more stability at the limit. Im also wanting to run a slightly softer damping setup on the rear, so will use this development to cancel out any handling imbalance the softer dampers throw up.

 

The other thing ive done is knock up a nice cheap adjustable ARB with a couple of stiffer settings over std. Had doing this in the back of my mind for a while now, so figured i may aswell give it a go. Will report back on how it works when ive re-MOT'd the car and played with the three settings.

 

Also a couple of shots of the whole car, poor thing has been in the dusty workshop far too long now...

[Robsbc 0 1 Cars]

Hi Dan,

 

Have ypu put any ribs into your slam panel yet? Would be interested as I need to do the same with mine.

 

Rob

[taylorspug 7]

Oh yes, forgot to get some pictures of that. It needs to come off to be painted so i will take some then. What ive done seems to work fine though.