saw the car today down at the sprayers. two new doors are on and fitted and itl be ready for paint next week. really starting to miss it.
it the meantime though iv been gathering supplies for when i get it back. iv got the old grill off the gti that i painted ready for the new red stripe and then itl go onto the gti as its grill is looking a little tired. going to try and demist the spots too. also have the other slam painted painted (poorly) so i think some black hammerite might be order of the day so replace the gtis one. also doing the same with the fresh starter motor thats going onto it. ill get some photos up once theyre painted.
itching to get it back now! sick of the fiat!
cheers man.
got the grill finished today, so the next thing is getting the spots demisted and thatl be the front end done.
before -
after -
so this morning got a wee run into ballymena in search of paint. got some of the orange i was looking for nixed up but now iv seen it i dont think i like it. its coverage is pretty poor too so ill need at least another tin to cover it properly and its not cheap.
once it dries ill get a photo up and see what folk think but i think red might be better. iv got a big tin of it too which helps.
made my own wee paint booth -
seems to do the trick
so, this is the orange.
it looks better now its dried but im pretty sure i dont like it. looks too stock car and cheap, so i went red.
not the best photo in the world but it gives you an idea. this rustoleum paint is great. doesnt react with anything, great coverage and best of all its a primer, final coat and rust inhibitor all in one. iv loads of it left from the other golf so i thought what the hell.
im impressed with how its turned out just need the back done and looking forward to getting it on the car now!
this mornings effort. got the springs put into the proper shocks for them, theyre G60 40/60mm by supersport. they were fitted to the 1.3 before hand but theyre going into the gti now. might give them a tidy before though as they could really do with it. dont want everything to be red though as its the only colour iv got an the moment!
as for the slam panel, i got the back painted today as well so its more or less ready to into the car now, might just need one more coat. really pleased with how its turned out.
This has been copied across from the old forum so there may be some confusing bits in places!
Ebay is an awful website. Temptation in the form of a computer! Stuck a bid on this (alcohol may have been involved) and won!
Its a 1991 8v GTI with no mods. Its nearly totally original except for the tow ball on the back. Although its got 160k on it, it drives really well and looks not too bad. drove it 250miles from were i picked it up outside leeds in batley and drove it to scotland and on the boat. Let the photos do the talking.
The g60s!
Sunroof!
All in all the cars not bad does have a few things that nee sorted. theres rust bubbling along the bottom of the drivers door so thatl need rubbed down and sorted but the rest is mechanical.
The engine temperature sensor doesnt work so iv no temperature on the clocks and its the same with the oil temperature on the mfa. it also needs a wheel bearing on the drivers side and the backbox looked at as its blowing a little. Finally, the gearbox linakge needs replaced i think as 5th gear is hard to find and theres a lot of play in the gears in general.
theyre all wee things and with a little tlc i think i can turn this car around. this is all iv planned for now other than my cd player and sub, want to keep it oem for a while and see what happens.
opinions and suggestions please!
iv had a shopping bonanza for parts the last few days. iv got a meguars clay kit to try and shine the bodywork back up and deswirl it, a new thermostat and oil temp sender, a gear linkage repair kit and today its going to try to egt a new backbox as the one on it is too loud and i think there might be a wee bit of rot starting to set into it. to be honest half the racket is likely it blowing.
also got the heater replaced the other day. the new one was from a scrappy and squealed something shocking so a good dose of gearbox oil and gt45 solved that. iv got nice warm air now. my cd player went into it too so iv got a head unit that looks modern now. going to see if i can get the wheel bearing sorted in it tonight if i can use my neighbours ramps and have a good look underneath it.
im still really pleased with the wee car. handles like its on rails and still turns a few heads (not sure if thats good or bad though). the only thing i dont like is more frequent visits to the pump. going from the TDI to the petrol is a big change after years of really good mpg (50ish to 30ish)
ill get some more photos up after its been clayed
had a few wee things done over the past few days.
got a new exhaust on it. the backbox and front box were clean rotten lol which his maybe why it sounded the way it did. also got the led side lights in tonight. theres some difference in them
hope to get some of the chrome trim onto it to see how it looks. hopefully itl have chrome wiper arms and proper chrome inserts in the door handles to try and brighten it up slightly. also looking at the getting the rust on the drivers door sorted professionally for the show season.
going to spend the weekend putting parts across from the other golf and going to try and get some of the sensors replaced to try and fix some of the gauges on the dash. really pleased with this wee car so far except for the mpg
any reason why its sore on fuel? the mfa reads low 20s all the time but to be honest i think its more like 25ish looking at the rate i go through it. any idea why its so low?? iv been driving it real easy and not going over 60 but it seems to make no difference!
got some of the chrome trim on today. ignore the pure dirt on it!
not too sure if i like the wiper arms or not. what do you think of them?
the wee pup seems to like the gti interior
wednesday night is hopefully the big night for getting things sorted. might do the belts if i get time as id like them done sonner rather than later
In dash 3.5" (if door speaker are fitted this is a 1" dome tweeter in a 3.5" housing) In front doors 5.25" (if fitted) In rear parcel shelf supports 6"x4"
Throughout the production of the Golf/Jetta there were various special (and limited) editions released. This is a common marketing exerciser to boost sales and keep the range current.
Carat 1984-1986 Match 1985 Fun 1986 Flair 1986 Hit 1986 Memphis 1986-1990 Pikes Peak 1986-1987 Syncro 1986 Berlin Golf 1987 Bistro 1987 Special 1987-1991 Sky 1987 Tour 1987-1990 Flash 1988 G60 16V Limited 1988 Manhattan 1988-1992 Champion 1988 Swiss Champion (Syncro) 1988 One in 10 Million 1988 Öko Golf 1989-1992 Atlanta 1989 Boston 1986-1992 City Stromer 1989 Edition One 1989-1992 Edition Blue 1989-1992 Limited 1989 Rallye 1989 Black Line - Red Line 1989-1990 Country 1990 Country Allround 1990 Country Chrompaket 1990 Function 1990-1992 Fire and Ice 1990 Madison 1990-1991 Moda 1989-1990 Plus Ultra (CL) 1990 Quadriga 1990 G60 1990-1991 G60 Syncro 1991 Pasadena 1991 Function 1991 Barcelona 1991 Travelling ? Metropolitan ?
It's not out of the question for an individual dealership to create their own specification model from the accessories list and create localised 'editions' there's no real way of knowing much about these.
To check you car has the correct interior you need to check the code on the boot sticker. The trim isn't in the options it's listed to the right hand side of the paint code as two letters.
GTI 1983-85 JN Black/Silver
JP Black/Red
Early GL ZH
Mid CL Auto JM COLOR HAHNENTRITT
CM 1987-1990
Special - Function
Special - Manhattan
GTI 1985-87 UQ Black / Red Sometimes refereed to as candy stripe:
UN Black / Grey
UP Black / Green I don't believe this was ever available in the UK, only ever seen on import cars.
Grey / Red Stripe (early spec Recaro sports seat option)
GTI One In Ten Million 1988 49 Colour-stripe (Rainbow - same material but different seat shape to late spec 16v) These are early rainbow trim specific to One in Ten... cars. Note there is now horizontal stitch across the base of the seat and they have the smaller adjustment handle, not the big "Ejector" seat type.
The door cards to go with rainbow trim just have the grey lines and none of the red, green or blue so may look like the wrong ones at first glance.
Cloth upholstery GTI 16v late spec Colour-stripe cloth for 16v (Rainbow)
Sports Check Cloth for GTI late spec HY Grey / Blue
HZ Grey / Red
UA Grey / Red (same name but slightly different pattern hence unique code was available for later spec Recaro sports seat option)
Leather VC Black Leather YB Slate Leather YG Beige Leather
Cloth upholstery for Jetta GTI/GTI 16v late spec KV Slate KW Anthracite (this same cloth was also available for later spec Recaro sports seat option for Jetta)
GTI / GTI 16v / GTI G60 Run out spec
XT Ultraviolet (this same cloth was also available for later spec Recaro sports seat option)
XU Ultra-red
Leather upholstery for Jetta/Golf GTI/GTI 16v GTI G60 late sec TB Black Leather TF Slate Leather
The Tour was a special edition available in 5 metallic colours: Diamond Silver Metallic Red LA3Z Helios Blue Atlas Grey Cosmos Blue
The car had colour coded mirrors, and some text also says part painted bumpers although the brochure clearly shows it hasn't. Also states colour coded mirrors were not included on Atlas Grey or Helios Blue but I find that an odd thing to believe - surely it would be all or none?
As with all of the 'specials' there was an decal on the rear quarters panels, this lead into full length pinstripes just above the swaige line.
The car was in luxury spec, similar to GL model. Available in 3 and 5 door
Interior equipment: Specific upholstery in blue / red fabric on a light gray background Height-adjustable headrests Plush carpet Passenger side vanity mirror "Imitation" leather gearshift gaiter and gear knob Plush carpeted parcel shelf and side shelves Sport steering wheel (is listed but from the brochure image I'm not sure, did they consider this 'sporty'?) Analog clock (digital LCD for 90hp, with rev counter), Center console with ashtray and cigar lighter Front door storage pockets Height-adjustable driver seats
Engines and gearboxes: 1.3 55 hp 4 speed (5 speed optional) 1.6 75 hp 5 speed (automatic optional) 1.8 90 hp 5 speed (automatic optional) 1.6D 54 hp 4 speed (5 speed or automatic optional) 1.6 TD 70 hp 5 speed
The standard tailgate struts, if original to the car will be getting on a bit now and you may find your tailgate doesn't lift all the way up, or drops down after a while. For anyone over about 5ft tall you'll have no doubt banged your head a few times. But don't fear there is a solution, either replace with new to the original spec or add some upgraded alternatives from another vehicle.
Below is the standard specs:
Mk2 Golf Original tailgate strut VW Part number 191 827 550 B
length: 500 mm colour: black housing diameter: 18 mm Piston rod diameter: 8 mm exhaust phase: 270 Newton lifting length: 200 mm
The following are suitable upgrades, they will lift the tailgate slightly higher and will lift with more force, handy if you have a heavy speaker loaded parcel shelf or aftermarket spoiler. Note the Newton value to compare how much addition force is applied.
Mk3 Golf VW Part number 1H6 827 550 A length: 500 mm colour: black housing diameter: 18 mm Piston rod diameter: 8 mm exhaust phase: 350 Newton lifting length: 205 mm
Mk4 Golf VW Part number 1J6 827 550 E length: 500 mm colour: black housing diameter: 18 mm Piston rod diameter: 8 mm exhaust phase: 500 Newton lifting length: 205 mm
VW Polo 4 (9N2) 2001- [BONNET LIFTER] VW Part number 6Q0 823 359 C length: 500 mm colour: black housing diameter: 20 mm Piston rod diameter: 8 mm exhaust phase: 310 Newton lifting length: 205 mm
VW Polo 4 (9N2) 2001- VW Part number 6Q6 827 550 length: 500 mm housing diameter: 18 mm Piston rod diameter: 8 mm exhaust phase: 380 Newton lifting length: 205 mm
Lupo > 2005 VW Part number 6E0 823 359 C ength: 500 mm housing diameter: 18 mm Piston rod diameter: 8 mm exhaust phase: 280 Newton lifting length: 205 mm
Lupo > 2005 (alternative) VW Part number 8L0 823 359 ength: 500 mm housing diameter: 18 mm Piston rod diameter: 8 mm exhaust phase: 320 Newton lifting length: 205 mm
There are other VAG models that may be useful but they seem to vary quite a lot across models so it's harder to confirm a good match from a specific car without listing specific part numbers, with so many choices above it's better to stick to on of those listed.
Mk3 Golf is probably the most suitable, with Mk4 being the choice if your tailgate needs to lift additional weight or if using a remote popper.
having issues with sticky or slow window regulator, try these links.
I did pull mine apart further a few years ago on drivers side, this week will try do the passnger side see if can free it up, the powers reaching regular as lights dim... but not moving glass. damp has set in to motor i reckon.
UPDATE Pulled door card off today, and managed to replace door lock mechanism, at the same time i did have a quick look at the window motor, i reached inside the runner and pulled/tugged on the wire cable and then loosened the securing bolts on the large runner pressed the window button, magic works... so basically just needed a hand to move, i then added white grease to the PTFE runners, and went up/down a few times, happy with quick fix. took 30mins to do 2 jobs...happy New Update passenger door window winder, froze again so thats it....replacing with repro model. jp group unit supplied, think was 40£ the power connection is 2 pins but different to oem, so i cut and joined up. now running up and down again.
P.S DONT FOLLOW MY WIRING, IVE MANAGED TO PUT IN REVERSE, SO AT SOME POINT WILL HAVE TO RECRIMP.. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Wolfsburg is a city in northern Germany. It's known as the headquarters for Volkswagen and for the Autostadt, an automobile-themed park with a classic-car museum and driving track. The AutoMuseum showcases Volkswagen models and prototypes.
The Wolfsburg Volkswagen Factory is the largest manufacturing plant in the world, in terms of area at just under 6.5 million m². It is the worldwide headquarters of the Volkswagen Group.
European and most worldwide Mk2 Golf & Jettas were built in Wolfsburg between 1983 and 1991.
VW in USA and Mexico produced their own Golfs/Rabbits.Wolfsburg
From factory all VW Golf 2 models were fitted with two front wipers and a single rear wiper, originally parked in the upright position. Single wiper conversions for the front were made popular in the 90's and many still sport this look now. For the purpose of this topic I'm only discussing original fitment and I'm only concerned with the wiper blades themselves.
FRONT FITMENT
On earlier cars from factory different size wiper blades were fitted to the front of the car dependent on spec. the choices were 400, 450 and 475mm regardless to the fact that all the windscreens and wiper arms were the same size. Later cars all seem to be listed as having 450mm blades.
Although the wiper blades differed on early and late, as all early cars had lhd wipers (with a smaller spline) regardless of the side of the steering wheel there is no difference (that I have found to date) in wiper blade size or fitment weather rhd/lhd or early/late.
Being European sizes are listed in mm, although here in Britain we're more used to buying wiper blades in inches. So for the benefit of completeness here's a chart:
400mm = 15.748" 450mm = 17.7165" 475mm = 18.7008"
1.05/1.3/1.6ltr were listed as 400mm all 1.8 and 1.6ltr GTD are listed as 450mm But there's also a 475mm listed
Some were listed as having a wear indicator, there are also mentions of the air deflector on later cars, earlier ones had the 'spoiler' fitted to the wiper arm itself.
There are multiple part numbers listed, and across the years some conflicting information so I gather the same part number was superseded, if your car oringally came with 161955427 in 1986 it would have been a 400mm blade but if you went back to VW in 1990 with that part number they'd give you a 450mm blade with a little spoiler.
The list below may not be complete, but it's a sample of what I have found. note the VALEO brand name listed.
Although part numbers are pretty much obsolete with wiper blades (excluding modern aero blades) being universal fit and just bough by length.
18" is the optimal fit for both sides. 19" will fit but will be very close to the windscreen rubber in park position and may lift a little at the edge due to the curvature of the screen. However if you have a, dare I say, type 19 it may be worth considering a 19" blade on the drivers side to give that tiny bit extra clearance in the top right hand corner of the screen.
REAR FITMENT
A single wiper is fitted to the rear. And fitment here is much simpler, 400mm (16") fit all.
With 2 OE part numbers listed. 161955425 wiper blade; 400MM 1 161955427 wiper blade with wear; indicator; 400MM VALEO 1
BRANDS
Bosch is the brand you'd tend to naturally associate with German cars and OE quality, however as noted above Valeo (a cheaper brand carried by Euro Car Parts, among others) is listed against the part numbers suggesting this was at one point at least the factory supplier. This is obviously just speculation as the apparent randomness of the VW parts bin is a well discussed topic. Take for example the fitment of VDO vs Motometer instrument clusters.
At time of writing I've read of 'fake' Bosch being sold cheap on eBay and general disappointment with the longevity of Bosch wipers.
Hella and Valeo are cheaper options and have both been reviewed favorable.
AFTERMARKET
Over the years there's been inventions such as double bladed wipers, wipers with extra ridges, spoilers and air lips etc shaped into the frame and the current standard seems to be the flat Aero type blades, which are available in universal 'retro' fit giving you loads of options. Whether the latest style blades suit a car of this age is totally down to the personal preference of the owner.
Who'd have thought there was so much to say about wiper blades?
Zender is an aftermarket styling and accessories company, famed for sports performance, aerodynamic design and body kits. Zender produced styling parts for VW.
Extract taken (and edited) from Zender website: http://www.zendergroup.com/en/ I don't think the German to English translation is it's best but I'm sure you get the idea.
At the start of the seventies, Zender had become a reference point in the sector of automotive design, and in 1974 Ford Werke AG and Volkswagen AG became Zender clients, thanks to new development technologies that permitted the production of aerodynamic parts for car bodies, made of the highest quality PUR-RIM and ABS materials.
Zender grew over the years and refined its production of accessories for automobiles. A large distribution network, which in 1977 covered more than 40 countries worldwide. A brand synonymous with quality and ingenuity, expressed in prototype cars, futuristic design and innovative technology.
Zender Industrieprodukte GmbH was founded in 1987, capable of meeting the increasing demands from the major car manufacturers. Everyone searching for a part that could make them stand out, everyone certain of finding in Zender that musician capable of making the strings of every instrument vibrate.
Over the years Zender has always had an eye for collaboration with car manufacturers, choosing locations close to them as bases for his own modification centres. For inexpensive and eco-friendly logistical support.
The OSV is founded in 2000, the same year as the Adam Opel AG. The company is located in Rüsselsheim and Bochum, the same site as the Opel factory where special gas vehicles are manufactured. Six years later Zender sells its own shares to the Adam Opel AG.
Zender was partner and shareholder of Opel until 2006, keeping a fruitful collaboration ongoing and providing jobs to 250 employees.
A common term used in Germanic car culture, a Youngtimer is a well kept car that is of the age between 20-30 years old. These are usually future classics/limited production imports to foreign countries, most commonly associated with European built vehicles.
Unlike an Oldtimer car of the 50's, 60's and 70's, Youngtimers often attract those who grew up with these cars new on the road between the 80's and 90's.
The youngtimer label easily applies to VW Golf mk2 and Jetta and is a useful term to search for if looking for cars, parts or accessories on European websites such as eBay.de
called in this morning to see the beetle and its getting on. all the replacement panels arrived towards the end of last week, the rotten floor pans have been cut out leaving not a huge pile.
the new floor pans have then been trial fitted. there is a little needed in the way of alternation and 'massage' to get them to fit but hopefully they will be in over the course of today.
the fly in the ointment is the frame head and front beam. it looks rough in the photos because it is rough!! the new frame head came and needs fitted but it cant go on until the floors are at least tacked in.
this is another problem. i had hoped to simply collect the axle, take it away, get it powder coated and then renew all the bushed but it seems that now isnt possible as its rotten!
ill need to get a replacement one and reasonably quickly so that once the frame head and all is ready then the axle can go back on.
got a new front beam today and spent a few hours taking off the paint and surface rust.
Going to get rust inhibitor treated and then coated with stuff specific for restorations, metaflux zinc spray. meant to be the dogs.
the embodiment of persistence!! The small metal bush that secured the bottom of the shock to the trailing arm that got left behind when the old shocks were taken off and refused to budge!
the finished beam! still need to get it on the car all the same but for now im feeling rather accomplished!
if it doesnt kill me first!!
frame head came off today! it was repair over repair over repair. the bottom was one big plate that had been welded on the cover it all with a collar that slipped back over the chassis. took them nearly a day to get it off but after loads of cutting and prying it popped off.
theres not a huge amount to them once you start to take them apart.
with some luck the new frame head and floors should be going on over the coming days.
floors being lined up ready to be welded on, shouldnt be long now. been thinking, which did hurt a little, and im going to make a few changes whilst the car is being stripped down this far, namely a possible a colour change as well a few other potential aesthetic changes.
on another note, the beetle now has a floor! the heater channels arent ready just yeat but the frame head has been tacked on for first fit, the floors either side are the same and now everything lines up!
only issue is the heater channels are fouling on the jacking arms so they may go, need to have a look at that.
getting very excited at this stage. theres still loads to do, theres a quite a lot of work needing done around the base of the bulkhead and the likes but its getting there.
once the shell is welded up and the new heater channels are fitted then itl come off again and get media blasted. this bit makes me very nervous as you can imagine. the might not be much left.
some movement over the past two weeks. body off to help get the floors lined up
dash out along with everything else. loom out and away to be duplicated so ill have a new one.
love old stickers
more rot
so the plan is now to get the remainder of the floor pan welded in on the drivers side, get the heater channel welded into the shell and then the shell will go off to the blasters. teh heater channel needs to go in prior as there will be lots of it getting blown out by the blaster. its clean rotten down the drivers side.
on a positive note, the petrol tank is getting refurbed so at least something is being done! also picked a new colour, it wont be orange any longer.
work is getting rightly, now all the seam welding to hold the floors in has been done so the floorpan is now complete! Next the shell is up.
currently this is holding the shell together!
but it was held long enough together to get this done and trial fit a door. the metal work at the front arch bottom has since bene finished.
this is the bottom of the quarter behind the door, totally rotten so after hacking through the isopon to get at the metal, this was the result. fresh metal has since been welded in
so all in all the drivers side, which is the worst of the two by far, is coming on rightly, a lot of it has been done.
the scuttle was next of the hit list and its really not great.
ive had to buy a replacement panel but as they dont seem to make this part, not for my year anyways, ive had to buy a body cut from a scrap car. dreading to dee the state it arrives in but hopefully itll be ok.
at home then in the garage ive been making up brake pipes to replace the rotten ones that feed the master cylinder from the reservoir. its no wonder i had trouble stopping the car. this was under all the rust.
the rest wernt great, so they have been replaced. the top two that sat up under the reservoir were in great shape and cleaned up well so im going to keep them i think.
also been cleaning up the petrol tank, back to bare metal and then cleaned and brought up again using por15 petrol tank treatment on the inside and their top finish paint for the outside.
finish doesnt look great here because it still wet but the paint settled well and its lovely and smooth now.
just waiting on the tank hardening on the inside now before it get wrapped up and put away until its needed.
hard to think its taken nearly three years to get to this stage!!
next on the list - car is going to the media blasters to have the rot blown out of the shell. cross all the fingers and toes that it doesnt come back in a bag!
Copied across from the old forum so hopefully ti reads properly!!
And it begins again! after speaking to a friend who knew i was looking for a beetle i was put onto a 1200 in, what im assured is, Phoenix Red. The car is a northern ireland car from new, being sold in O'Hare's in Armagh which is now long closed. Its totally unmolested, still on its original steels, original radio, interior etc etc and comes with its original service book stamped all up to 1986.
It does need work down the passenger sill were it needs patching and possibly a little in the floor too but aside from that its ready to go. plans are simple at this stage - get it repaired and then MOT'd! Ill get photos on later, having problems with photobucket at the moment. itching to get it home but having to wait until saturday! seems like a lifetime away!
some photos -
absolutely dying to get at this!!!
Today is beetle day!! going to collect it after lunch and thoroughly excited. Rang the insurance company earlier and got it insured on my multi-car policy for only £50! genuinely chuffed at that, limited mileage to 3k and valued at 2.5k. once it gets all the tarting up treatment well about getting that upped. have also been going through the owners history folder and whilst there isnt a mass of old invoices, theres quite a few for the past 5 or 6 years with there having been thousands spent on it.
love this - the old service book, stamped to 1986 and tucked inside the cover were two documents. a 12 month warranty and then a certificate of conformity, not seen that before unless its an air cooled thing? also the original green tax book, havent seen one of those for years.
also theres old mots going back to 2003 which is nice, someone seems to have taken a lot of care with ti over the years. also, as far as i can see, im the fourth owner, the third being the fella i bought it from who has only had it for about 6 months.
once its home ill get some photos up if its still light outside.
Quote from: 8v_chris
well got some better photos this morning
The powerhouse that is the 1200
All in all im happy with it and figured this morning would be an opportunity to get a really good look around it.
first thing was to try and sort the headlight main beam. pulling back on the stalk just flashes the lights, the main beam wont engage. after doing some reading and speaking to a few people it would seem that the relay is at fault and figuring i cant make it worse i took it apart. seems to be pretty cheap to be honest, a non genuine generic part.
this is the mystery panel. It has three different switches, one a plunger type, a pull out switch that brings a light on and the other a light switch type.
the plunger type is for the windscreen washers. the other two though im not sure. The pull out one that brings a light on is, im guessing, for the rear window demister as i cant see a switch for it anywhere else. the flick switch i have no idea. ive tried to track it into the fuse box theres over spray over all the wires running to the back of the fuse box and they are all orange so the search stops there for now. the wires are one black and one yellow and red.
the main issue that the car has is rust. it wouldnt a 41 year old beetle without but there is quite a lot, compared to the mk2 anyway.
the entire floor pan is unsupported from the bottom of the a pillar to the c pillar along the sill and actually moves up and down if you wiggle it. had a poke with the screw driver, as you do, to see the extent to which it stretches and im not that happy to be honest. i knew it needed work but its pretty serious i think. also, the heater channel appears to loaded to the gills with expanding foam? you can see all white patches in the photos. my guess is that a previous owner found some rot and figured that would keep it bay, who knows! eitehr way it will need to be rectified and what concerns me is wether it can be repaired properly or not without separating the floor pan from the body. its going to the body shop on saturday so this has the potential to be very expensive.
my goal is to try and get it an mot before the new year, or even by the end of january but i think the limiting factor here will be my bank balance haha
just a quick photo of the sacrilege! Ford parts in the beetle!
tempted to try and remove all that and stick a standard washer bottle back in and get the washers running off the stalk again, want rid of the buttons up above.
when i got in from work i had to and have a fiddle so got the passenger seat out and was able to have a proper dig at the floor. as expected there was more rust but the good news is ive found where it stops, i think, and its right to the seat runner and runs right along the car. also, the running board was sounding pretty crunchy so i took it off and surprise, its rotten too.
you cant really see it the photos but you could pretty much fold it lengthways. the drivers is in far better shape but its still not great so both need to be replaced. also there was a litle rot in the sill on the runner side so thatl need sorted too.
had a proper head in hands moment again but itl be grand! well get there in the end!
this is the only photo i got when i was taking the beetle apart, was busy photographing the different electrical connections.
we now have the wings off (all four), bumpers off, interior out, petrol tank out, any bolts that were still in the floor have been undone and removed along with the bolts holding the body to chassis in the arches and in the front. in terms of surprise rot ive been very lucky. there doesnt seem to have been too much else found that i didnt know about already but theres been a few oddities. firstly, there are no bolts and the 'u' bend style washers down the drivers side. the bolt holes where they would ordinarily be arent there and i get the impression theyve been smoothed over. the whole drivers side has been extensively patched and im thinking it might be worth doing the drivers floor too. its solid but whilst the body is off i think it should be repaired properly and not left, we'll see how we get on. what really worries me is that if the bolts arent there, how has the floor been held on and once we get in behind and get a look i bet its been welded, ive just got that feeling. the other issue was the sill in behind the running board wasnt great either, but nothing serious. behind the arches themselves there were one or two bolts that just sat and spun as the captive nut had given up on the inside so they need put right too. all in all a little more work than i first thought but nothing terrifying either.
ok so little has really happened over christmas and the last month or so. the bug is in the body repair shop still and hasnt been touched, im currently waiting behind a mk4 escort of all things, but i suppose its better sitting there rather than in my driveway in the elements. with little going on at this end i started to get the interior ready.
after some looking around online i found a crowd in england who made mail order interiors for vws. there was some email ping pong and three weeks or so later, these appeared.
although the photos look blue, theyre dark grey vinyl with ivory piping and stitching with matching door cards. really, really impressed with these and cant wait to get them into the car.
ive also started to get the kick boards made up as the original ones are in poor shape
threw a few layers of outdoor varnish on them too to protect them. the rear side of the door cards will get the same treatment before they go into the car.
lastly, this is the carpet sample of anthracite that will see the kick boards covered and the floors of the beetle covered once the sound deadening goes in.
hopefully, it all comes together nicely. the next job on the list is to order that carpet and then to get the seat pads replaced. managed to source the pads needed for a later base spec car so once they arrive the seats will hopefully be sorted.
FINALLY!! we have movement!! The beetle actually feels like its getting somewhere!
firstly though, this. this really made me laugh. good value for money must be code for heartache and frustration!
the current view of the floor
the drivers side
the passenger side
the overall body
basically the shopping list consists of complete floor pans x2, heater channels and closing panels x2, complete frame head, nose and then other assorted bits and pieces. thats just the obvious stuff but there will be more. really happy to finally see some movement though. the floor should be out by the end of today and then once the front suspension is off the frame head can come out too!
