[car_overhaul] The Cherry Red Project

[gti-si 0]

Up in Chorley. My mate has a lock up up there and there's a small body shop in the same place. Seen some of his work and itall seems pukka!

[Arahan 4]

Cool, will have to have a look after you've had it done and he may get some more business from me!

[gti-si 0]

She's gone! That's it now, she's in the capable hands of the body man, shold be getting her back a week on Monday. Will have all the rust holes welded up, sealed and painted, should look the t*ts, then it's time to rebuild her and put the engine in. Hoping to have it complete by the end of July.

 

Here's how she looked before I sent her off to be fixed

 

 

Keep yor fingers crossed!

Edited June 27, 2009 by gti-si

[gti-si 0]

Another quick update.

 

Whilst the car's been in the bodyshpp, I've been cracking on with the engine. Had various Job's I wanted to tackle. First was to strip off everything I didn't need. This is the form in which it arrived, looked nice and clean.

 

 

First I stripped it down and sorted out the top engine mount, shave off a few pounds.

 

 

Then, after a few arduous unecessary hours, got the gearbox off and replaced the clutch with a new Mi16 item.

 

 

After that was sorted it was time to put on a new belt and time her up. The crank pulley had slipped in usual fashion, set about locating a new pulley but decided to line up the crank in another fashion.

 

Old belt, pulley and tensioner off

 

 

New water pump on

 

 

Lined up the crank using a small FAQ I found on the 306 forum and had the flywheel locked with the screwdriver upon tensioning. Got the belt on, timed up, pulley back on then checked the pins and crank, all went in perfectly. Whoever has tipexed on timing marks appears to have been a tooth out :S. The pins go in perfectly but it appears the exhaust pulley has been put back on 120 degree's out of phase with the typex mark and the inlet doesn't line up...Had a strange slack point during a rotation between the pulleys on the old belt, don't think it was tensioned correctly...Disconcerting, still, everything lines up now and it feel's fine.

 

 

 

[gti-si 0]

With the timing belt sorted, I got the covers back on and made up a tensioner from the alternator. I couldn't decide whether to use an 8v alternator, actually ground the lugs on a spare I had so it fits on the '6 mount but decided against it, just modded an 8v tensioner and used that, works perfectly.

 

 

 

Managed to get time to sort the wiring out off the car so I then got the 205'6 loom back on then engine, shortly followed by the gearbox, and no it's just waiting to get dropped in. Managed to get hold some new body trim to go on too, should look pretty damn good..Had a look at the spray job on the doors and tailgate yesterday, looked awesome

 

 

Edited July 10, 2009 by gti-si

[gti-si 0]

I have the car back...

 

...It's lush, as a ponce might say

 

Really really happy, there's obviously some blemishes because I didn't pay top doller and prepped it myself, but 99% mint. It's got a glasslike finish and looks awesome so I'm really really happy. Only got one photo taken about 20 mins ago with a s*ite camera in the dark, but you can get the general jist of the gloss effect. I'll take some more tomorrow!

Edited July 12, 2009 by gti-si

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

Nice

 

I've had 2 cherry red 205's and have to say when they're RED not pink/orange its the nicest colour the 205 comes in.

 

Some pikey nick your doors?

[gti-si 0]

I'd have to agree

 

Haha, I'll get those on tomorrow, not looking forward to lining them up to be honest, shouldn't be too bad though

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

Dont scratch em

 

I was laughing my arse off today at my mate, he decided to redo his brake lines on his mk4 escort (because I did it on mine basically lol)

He got dot 4 in his eye grabbed the creep tray and started smashing it around the garage, went up the house to wash his eye out then when he came back down he said he was selling his car cos he'd had enough of it

 

Did you get hold of some trim clips?

Edited July 12, 2009 by paul_xiii

[gti-si 0]

Hahaha, I thought you were going to say he came back to the car, to find it covered in DOT 4....I'm going to pay someone else to bleed my brakes, f*ck spilling dot 4 on it, that's half the reason it got resprayed!

 

Not as yet no, but I'll get them from Pug later in the week, the trim doesn't need to go on yet, just need to get the doors back on and the sunroof, then drop the engine in.

 

Mind you, I've gotta respray the boot and inner wings yet, so much sodding work to do!

[gti-si 0]

Just thought I'd add a few new photo's I took yesterday. Just getting the seals back on and doors lined up, just got to re attach a few pins now. Still plenty to do but getting there!

 

 

 

 

 

[Lan 24 1 Cars]

nice work, paint came out great

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

Check out the shinyness!

[gti-si 0]

Right, moving alongwith this, it's ready for the engine now. Still need quite a few bits and bobs and I'm sure the list will continue to get bigger! Managed to get quite a bit done over the last few days, weather has sucked though, not really had a day without rain!

 

Had the inner wings welded up, so got to work dressing them down and giving them a lick of paint to match.

 

 

 

Car looking a bit more like, well, a car. The picture quality doesn't do it justice at all, really need to invest in a better phone or camera.

 

 

I'm aware the rear panel badges are on the piss, there not actually fixed on there . Anyway, my old man managed to get some scaffold from across the place from work and then brough a block n tackle home too, so we've rigged that up and I'll get the engine in later on today.

 

 

 

[gti-si 0]

Wheeeeeeeeey, finally. Got the engine in and ready to run, just got a flat battery! Not enough juice to crank over. Fuel pump primed though and the starter turned slowly, just hope I've got a spark and injection to match, haven't checked but I think it'll be OK.

 

Clearance seems a little tighter around the master cylinder but I think it'l be fine with some fettling. Decided to go on standard mounts with a slightly extended fork for now, but I think I'll get hold of another manifold a cut and weld it, just don't have the time atm, need a car!

 

 

 

 

Gonna get her running and sort the exhaust manifold tomorrow, see how she sounds with that!

 

Right, I think I've earned the night off, time for a few bevvies I believe

Edited July 17, 2009 by gti-si

[eddie bullit 37]

lookin good Si! Wouldn't mind a nosey when y' done..

Keep up the top work mate!!

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

Nice , any problems mate ask i'll try and help ya out.

Edited July 18, 2009 by paul_xiii

[gti-si 0]

Cheers guy's.

 

Right, no pictures but made some more progress today. Got the engine in it's final position, driveshafts in, all the suspension mounted properly after removing it and got the brakes back on.

 

Annnnd, got her started! Sounds bloody lovely, took a while...was jacked up on axel stands and wouldn't catch properly, thought there was enough fuel in, but lowering it down meant the engine lasted for a couple of seconds, obviously fuel...DOH! Anyway, got some fuel in and she run's lovely.

 

Managed to get the lambda boss welded into a section of downpipe about 1inch and 1/2 down from the flange, hope that will be ok. Got to finish up welding the downpipe, for which I need a fire ring as I've lost mine, then I will have an exhaust! Just got to bleed the brakes, plumb the cooling, put the trim back on and were pretty much done

Edited July 18, 2009 by gti-si

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

D'OH!

[gti-si 0]

Just realised I've not updated this for a while. Cars nearing completion now. Just ordered all the rear bumper bits and bobs so I can get that on by the end of the week. Got various coolant hoses to sort but I've got some in the post which should aid me with that one. Then i've just got to connect up an air filter, fill and bleed the coolant, change the oil and fit a new exhaust.

 

Will have to get the tyres changed over and have the wheels balanced, was going to wait until I put up my 309 beam but I will be renewing that with Phosphor Bronze bushes before putting it on.

 

 

 

[GLPoomobile 958]

Shameless plug, but are you in need of an air filter, or are you sorted already? Only I've got an unused metal mesh filter that I bought from Car Builder Solutions. It's the same as M@tt and Dan Taylor have previously used on GTI6 conversions, and a few other people I think. No good to me, and would sell it for something like £15.

 

Shell is looking nice and red now anyway But sort that tailgate trim out. Plasticare (not to be confused with Platikote) from eBay is good stuff. Using it to restore my trim at the moment.

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

I've got a indicator bracket, looks like your missing it.

 

Any chance of those side repeators mate?

[gti-si 0]

There with Royal Bail now Paul. The idiot's have provisionally lost what you sent me, they left a card as I was out and now they're waiting for it to arrive back at the sorting office, useless. Should get it tomorrow though

 

I've actually got plenty of brackets Paul, I'd lost the capheads for the headlight mount so hadn't bolted it up, got that all sorted now, just need to get them attatched.

 

Steve, cheers for the offer of the filter but I sorted it the other day! I was looking for one of those Metal Mesh ones but had no look around here, got a nice pipercross Jobbie from the scrappie for £15. Ended up having to buy a 70mm to 76mm straight reducer from merlin aswell so it's ended up quite expensive...and I'm still not sure it's going to fit! I'm gonna head over to the scrapyard again and try and sort out a top radiator hose, I have one but I need to make it clear the air filter pipe.

 

I've still got some AutoGlymm bumper snot, which I used on the rest of the trim to excellent results but that tailgate trim seems abit far gone, whats the plasticare like? I need it actually turning black rather than greasing up

[GLPoomobile 958]

It should turn it black, as it's a dye. I can't remember if anyone has used the black dye on faded early (grey) trim, but I know somebody on here treated their seriously faded early trim with the grey dye, and it worked a treat (turned it a proper dark grey colour). Once my trim was rubbed back with Scotch pads and cleaned off, it was greyish (not as bad as that tailgate trim though) and it's all gone nicely black now. The only minor niggle I've had is some patchy coverage where mine isn't properly clean (mine has been previously painted, and without rubbing it so hard that I scratch the textured finish, it's impossible to get it all off ). It's still covered and gone black, but you can faintly see the difference in the shade/reflectiveness where there is old paint underneath.

 

Anyway, it's only a tenner. Comes in a tiny bottle, but you hardly need any. I've probably used 1/10 of the bottle just doing my arches and side trims with 2 coats each, and somebody else said they'd done all the exterior and interior trim with some left over. Leaves a nice matt finish, which you can then make darker and shinier with bumper snot if you prefer.

Edited July 29, 2009 by GLPoomobile

[Paul_13 212 1 Cars]

Cheers Si they're in front of me now.

 

The postman dropped off about 8 parcels for me I couldn't remember ordering that much lol