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Topic: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White (Read 20181 times) previous topic - next topic

LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

October 07 2019

Just less than 3 years I'm back in a mk2 and I think I've found myself a bit of a peach for them money. Not perfect, but good in the right places (i.e. the shell and paint) which as we all know is the important bit these days.





I didn't set out for another white one, but I saw this one on eBay but initially dismissed it, for reasons I'll get to, but after the listing had ended unsold I spotted it in the comments of a Facebook post and recognised it, so decided to make contact with the seller and start a conversation.

It's registered August 91 and is a genuine factory Big Bumper CE2 model. A first for me, door mirrors are in the wrong place and the wipers go the wrong way but I guess I'll just have to get used to that.

Only 128,000 miles, but despite the roof aerial and rear tinted lights (they're FIFFT not Hella) it is in fact an 8v. Major gripe of mine, a bee-sting on an 8v but again a compromise I'll learn to live with.

It has a full Miltex exhaust, It's on coil-overs, I haven't determined the brand yet, but have seen the coils are blue but the gezzer said they more mid-range than budget and to be fair the ride is decent, a lot better than I was expecting so I guess he must be right.

And as for the ride, it's also on 17" wheels, which again has surprised me as I though it would be really harsh and crashy but it's not.... or maybe I've just got used to the MK5 GTI on stiff suspension, 18" wheels with 40 profile. Either-way, I'd say it's on a par with that.

Ultraviolet interior, with no holes...



bolster foam is weak, but I've stripped down and padded out late spec seats before so it's on the list of jobs.

Headlining is in good order...



and dry inside which is great.

Clean in the areas that often aren't...



Factory air fed central locks, which works everywhere apart from the boot.

And standard issues of heaterbox foam hits you in the face on full blow and blows cold as you'd expect.

Thermostat needs replacing, gear linkage bushes have been done but I think the alignment could do with a tweak as 5th isn't always achievable first try.

Apart from that it's just the deep dish OMP steering wheel, fake tow strap, hella stickers and over the top Wolfsburg accessories that need to be replaced...













also the door pins, but I forgot to photo those.
And just in case there wasn't enough Wolsburg inside...





and a couple of videos the seller sent me pre-purchase.

Walk around video
https://youtu.be/SHKuRs85UH4

Underside video from pit
https://youtu.be/GG3x0fdmf74

So that's about it. Apart from the reason I nearly passed it by. Well the first reason was asking price, it was originally listed much higher than I actually paid. And I think the reason it didn't sell at that price and why I was able to knock it down, it has an "accident" recorded against. If what I'm told is true the hand brake was left off and it rolled into a tree on the rear offside quarter. The result it it has been fixed and benefited from full paint, and since most cars of this age have had some work done I thought so what if it's had some metal work, if not from an accident most have had work through rust, rot and neglect.

I scrutinized it as much as I could, under the trims and internal carpets, and could see no obvious signs of repair so happy it's been done to a very high standard so based on that I took the plunge ...


October 08 2019

And so it begins...

Quick fix number one: fake tow strap removed:



Trimsports VW Motorsports gear knob removed and up for sale already, and fitted a decent condition original golf ball that I'd purposely kept back for such an occasion:



On retrieving it form the drawer I noticed how grubby it was so I'm sure I'll be taking an old toothbrush to it at some point along with the rest of the required deep clean.
Already much better, the Alloy one is smaller than stock and also cold to touch which I don't like.

Another quick swap over, a tinted interior light that I'd also wisely kept back in case my next one didn't have one:



and out with the old white plastic one:



Surprising how much this caught my attention every time I looked int he rear-view mirror. I guess knowing I had a tinted one in a drawer didn't help.

And just for good measure and to give a full an complete picture of the madness, here's the Wolfsburg branded billet plunger:



Can't promise an update everyday, and just to confirm, these 'fixes' were done this morning before work. But I'm certainly not going to guarantee a regular Breakfast project.

The original PAS wheel came with the car so I think in the first instance I'll fit that. The horn isn't plugged in on the OMP wheel anyway and the boss must be fitted wrong as the indicators cancel in the wrong place. Being deep dish the stalks are just out of fingers reach which is also annoying. That said the OMP is a nice wheel to handle even if the styling isn't to my liking.

October 10 2019

A bit of tinkering last night. First off did this satisfying little job:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU7kf_ZpFv0[/youtube]

Now this does leave me with Crystal clear headlights, spots, indicators and side repeaters.... at least they match  :sorry, what?:
Which I'm sure most peoples opinion will be to replace. But they work and I need to think about the costs so no immediate plans to replace them all, although I did fine a genuine set of orange side repeaters in my stash. Unfortunately I've only got early bumper front orange indicator lenses.


Then took the OG steering wheel that came with the car into the house.
Mixed up a paste of washing up liquid, bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar and got to work:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrdopi9_Jh0[/youtube]


It was pretty grim:


It came up great but even so I'm not 100% convinced all of the grime has gone, I might have another go.
I'll sort an after photo at some point.

I also did the golf ball gear knob but that might also need a bit more of a soak to get mint.

October 14 2019

Saturday night, while I waited for my daughter to get in from the Cinema I sat in front of the telly half watching Tron (the new one) with a bowl of soapy water and the infamous toothbrush again, and scrubbed the contents of a "Mk2 Spares" delivery that had previously arrived.



And true to tradition, I took said box of sparkly bits to work with me so I could sit in the car park on this drizzly lunchtime and complete this little task:




I also fitted the gear lever cover that Matt sent me, as mine was missing and changed over the fixed position grab handles for the flappy ones as they feel more GTI - even though I gather the fixed position ones were fitted at factory:




While I was climbing around the interior of the car I found a few other small interior trim bits that are missing, darn if I'd only looked properly I'm sure Matt would have included them into the box.

In other news, the name has now been chosen. Lucy
It just so happened to be the film that was on when we got home last Saturday after collecting her. I bounced it around as an idea for a while but needed some way to qualify the name. Also with the reg being PVC this sort of opened up other ideas ... then in came to me, not sure out of where, but the Lucy Liu scene from the Mel Gibson film of the 90s, Payback. Good film and if you remember it you'll know, if you haven't seen it and don't mind watch old stuff it's worth a look.

Here's one of the few Google images of that particular scene I found that was "work safe" enough to share




October 16 2019

Another quick fix this morning from something I had in my stash.





More to follow as I copy across form the old site.




Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #1
October 18 2019

Just as quickie this morning, a freshly painted satin black rear badge almost ready to be fitted



October 24 2019

Parts have been arriving this week, such as:


So the full list consists of:

Hella heater matrix
Febi expansion bottle
Febi thermostat and O-ring
Topran thermostat housing
Topran blue coolant cap
Topran heater matrix hoses
10L of ready mixed G12+ Coolant

Already in the stash from previous, a load of foam sheeting and high temp adhesive. So hoping to grab some time this weekend. Although with a broken washing machine potentially taking priority and my wife's birthday looming I might have to rethink that. Anyway, for whenever I get chance to get rounds to it I'll be ready.

And to give me a head start I stared by getting the lower dash panels and console out of the way.

I found a hidden switch, still to discover what it does but I'm not going to try it till I'm safe on my driveway at home. Don't want to get stranded at work.

Also found some retro ICE crossovers:


haven't checked out what speakers are fitted yet but a sneaky peak in the dash grills looks like some done tweets and for the first time ever I have a golf with door speakers.

There's obsolete wires in the boot so I'll be interested to see what else I find when I start digging.

And having done this before I'm getting organised this time round. Mapping screws so they go back in the right places.

As you may notice not all of these are the correct screws anyway.


Note:

Just adding this here for my own future reference after a bit of a google search.

Re: the hidden button. The alarm is a TOAD and if it ever gets stuck in servicing mode, potentially after battery removal I'll need to get it out of service override mode:
• turn the ignition to ON, and leave it on
• press the override button (now I know there is one)
• the siren will double chirp to confirm exit of service override mode.
• turn the ignition back to OFF


Decoded the options, nothing groundbreaking.

X2B - National sales program Great Britain
1AF - Power brake
3FB - Spoiler roof
5JI - ?
1C1 - Antifreeze up to -25 degree celsius tolerance up to -30 degree C
4KC - Side and rear windows in tint glass
4GF - Tint glass windshield
3NB - Rear seat bench/backrest, not split
1ME - Steering wheel GTI PAS
8J1 - Hand brake/low brake fluid level warning light without inscription
8K2 - ?
8M1 - Rear window wiper and washer system with intermittent control
8BK - (Something to do with lights)
8D7 - 6 speakers (passive)
3D1 - Center console
8TD - Rear fog light for driving on the left
8WD - With front fog light
8F2 - Side turn signal lights
8U0 - Without additional instruments for distance measurement
1TB - Fuel tank vent line with gravity valve and PVC breather hose
1H1 - Load-sensitive proportioning valve


Interior code XT which is Ultraviolet so that confirms the interior fitted is the original. Not that I was in doubt, but good to know. Maybe one day I'll find some Corrado Recaros.





Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #2
Quote from: Monkey
Ohh, Focals are excellent speakers!

I did a quick Google and the price tags look quite weighty on them, so I'll wait and see what's behind the grills in the front.
The original VW 6x4 are still clearly fitted in the parcel-shelf supports. But with the additional wiring in the boot I assume the boot contained a sub and most likely stealth shelf at some point - as the original one is uncut.

There was a rubbish media head unit fitted and as I'm not down with the kids I had no 'digital' media to connect to it, so bunged in my old Alpine, although not the CD muilt-changer yet and I have no tapes and the roof aerial is total rubbish :frustration: so on the odd occasion I get some FM reception the sound is pretty good (for a mk2).

I know we discussed on another thread a 'sensible' but adequate set up for Mk2 Audio would be nice to think I've been left with some useful goodies to keep the cost down.

This thing is in the centre console also



Although I'm sure it's useless/worthless without the hardware it was once connected to. But tells you a bit about the priorities of at least one of the POs.

October 25 2019

This all seems strangely familiar...


(Click here is you wanna see when I did this last time)

But I know it'll be worth it in the end to get rid of 28 years of grime and have a fresh clean heating system...


October 29 2019

Here's another job I've done before...

Last time's effort: http://www.vwgolfmk2.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=36328&p=253988&#p253988

But this time wanted to be a bit more OEM about it - or I didn't like it that last time I chose light grey foam (as that's all I had) and you could see it in the air vent. I didn't have anything darker till it dawned on me I could sacrifice a splash guard from the side of the heater box, as I had a spare and this one was a bit scruffy - there was also a chunk missing which wasn't there before so I think my dog has had a pop at it while I wasn't looking (note to self keep R A R E parts and soft furnishing out of reach - just remembered one of them eat some small bumper indicators previously, can't remember which dog 

Perfect


a bit crude but you get the idea, I binned this one and tried again:


like so:


And trimmed around:


Full set done:




And for good measure some little videos:

https://youtu.be/tTHlDlO0bzw

https://youtu.be/CnPtUb4l92E

https://youtu.be/zuU-aga_2aQ

All clean and fresh and ready for when I complete the heater system build and refresh the dash.

And as a side comment, after finding the crossovers I can confirm there are Focal tweeters.


These will be getting some dust removal.

Not removed the door speaker grills yet, trying to limit how many small parts I put the car in for the moment. Door cards to get attention later on.

I also forgot to post up the pics the other day but here goes...

from this:


to this:



And yes, bought myself a snowfoam lance when I got the mk5 as it seemed the right thing to do, so obligatory photo opportunity:


So happy with my driveway right now:






Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #3
November 04 2019

So, after doing some preliminary work during the previous weeks, removing the lower dash panels and vents etc on the weekend I went in deep and turned the car into a bomb site:



To liberate this:


And as expected:


The matrix was a Valeo one, date stamped 1991, the age of the car so fair to say it's the original so I'll be glad to get the new Hella one in there.

So all components hosed down to get rid of the worst parts of 28 years of dirt and debris before being taken inside for some attention:


Some arts and crafts time later, and making use of the currently empty conservatory, flaps and foam all sorted:


Meanwhile -

drain off this:


bin off this:


fit this and this:


In the process of trying to replace the thermostat the bolt for the housing sheared off:


Exactly what happened to me previously, and just like last time, after trying for a short while to remove the stump I decided it's much easier to just replace the whole water pump. Only £30 ish (think it was more like £20 last time) for a Febi one from B and B components. Should arrive tomorrow and I can continue.

I want to get it back together now, but I also want to continue stripping it to check it all out inside and get it all cleaned up properly. So I'm at the pivot point. Do I fix the heating/cooling and get it back together and deal with the interior later... or do I make a bigger job of it now and keep the car off the road for the coming weeks?

Well the Mk5 is technically Carole's car so I'm on the bike full time at the moment, and it's been a wet couple of weeks, so yes, the wise move will be put it back together asap and enjoy the effective heating system.

I will be using it this time of year, although I'm not afraid to get wet on the bike so I'll split the time equally. Both will be harmed by road salt so there's no winner solution really. I'm not in a position to be precious about it. It's a car, I'm going to be driving it. But I will try to keep it clean over winter. Which may well include a good jet-wash of the under-body and arches.

Oh yeah, and the other thing I forgot to mention, whilst under it I managed to check out the coilovers finally. Disappointingly I discovered they are JOM after-all, the guy suggested they were about £270 which I thought was close to FK or AP money so I was hoping for something a bit better. So he either got ripped off, or simply got his numbers confused as JOMs can be had for more like £170 I thought.

Anyway that said, for cheap coilovers on 17" wheels, and tbf with tyres that don't have a massive amount of life left I do think the ride and handling is very very good. Not really pushed it that hard yet, and I'm sure I'll find the limits, but for now I'm on no rush to change any of it.... it'll do.

November 08 2019

Well yesterday was an odd day. Bike broke down on the way to work, so when I got home I decided to sack off the day as an impromptu day off and as it was dry and bright get the car back together.

This thing of beauty had arrived earlier in the week so I had everything I needed


Fitted:
New Febi water pump
Tested Febi Thermostat - worked as expected so fitted with new topran housing
Fully refurbished heater box back in
New topran hoses to do away with the bypass valve
Dash back in with cleaned air pipes, refurbished vents etc.
System filled up and tested
Original steering wheel fitted back on, fairly certain the OMP deep dish wheel is fake
Carpets vacuumed as I created a big mess with all the dead foam

Sorry lack of photos, but I was busy getting it all done. But I did take these




The late spec carpets are rubbish, but at least the lack of pile makes them easy to clean.

I did a few other jobs, and still have plenty left to complete but at least I have warmth in the car and transport for work again.


Quote from: rickygolf83
Excellent progress

Did the old thermostat housing remain in one piece? Always good practice to have one on standby as you did; i didnt when i changed one in 2010 lol

From previous experience I treat the housing as a single use item, if nothing else they warp so re-use is not an option. Especially with PAS in the mix, not a job I want to do too many times. It’s a right pain getting that out the way, especially as the pas pump is low down and gets all the grime, water and all the bolts seize up. Happy to report appears to be leak  free first time this time and no air lock.

Although I should have followed my previous experience and bought the new water pump to start with too.

November 19 2019

Thanks, been away for a few days - took in the Haynes and Beaulieu Motor Museums (been sticking loads of pics on my Insta @akaeddypeck) so no further updates but using the car for work and I can report it's toastie hot inside.

A little bit too much condensation building up though so I need to work back through my own guide to make sure I'm 100% dry inside as right now I fear I'm not. There will be more to follow.

November 25 2019

Few small jobs over the weekend tweaks

First, the roof areal is rubbish but looking for a quick win I bought an FM amplifier of eBay for a fiver.


It made things better, I could pick up Radio 1 outside of work, but still had a couple of miles of radio black-out on the M5.

Needless to say i didn't use the red scotch block, I crimp fitted a bullet and plugged it into the radios blue accessory feed so it only comes on when the stereo is on.

I also bought a new (Genuine NOS Alpine) CD changer lead, since even though I kept the retro Alpine, I left the old lead in the old car as I'd trapped it under the carpet behind the heater box and was too lazy to free it.


So the CD changer is currently in temporary residence in the first aid box caddy to testing.


I say temporary, because although this ended up being the permanent location in the old car. The old car didn't have stupid low profile tyres on 17" rims with cheap coil-overs! so although I've actually be surprised how smooth the ride is, it actually must be a lot more "crashy" than I realise as it's certainly not smooth enough to play a CD for long without skipping. Luckily I do a lot of motorway miles where it's mostly OK as long as I don't hit a cat's eye too hard changing lanes.

So with the heater-box complete, and now I've finished playing with the front end of the audio I finally refitted the lower dash panels and tucked away all of the alarm wiring and crossovers etc that I discovered.

Milestone, the car's just rolled over to 130k miles last week.

I also bought an adapter ring so I could fit my Italvalonti VW Motorsport wheel to the large spline momo 'type' boss. Since the original boss is small spine and I didn't want to mess around removing the large spline adapter - in case I wanted to revert back to the OE wheel.


It wasn't cheap  :eh:





However I discovered the horn didn't work. Which made me suspicious as it used to in the old car, but since the horn didn't work on the fake OMP wheel that was on there when I got the car this got me to thinking....

But it wasn't till yesterday afternoon when I was sitting in the passenger seat as I was letting my 16 year old daughter have a drive round a local disused car park that I caught a glimpse of something from an angle I wouldn't normally have.

The cheapo eBay boss that came with the car sits about 5 mm away from the horn contact.



So now I'm on the look out for a genuine large spline momo boss for not too much money. I have a spare small spline one I might need to pop up for sale to fund said purchase.

Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #4
December 08 2019

The aftermarket boss has its own horn ring but it’s very poor quality. It’s very short since it was fitted with a deep dish wheel. so with a flat wheel and even with the adapter ring it’s still short and too close to the stalks. the mfa switch on the stalk could do with a bit more clearance.

I had one of these adaptor rings before to convert a momo boss when I bought a nardi wheel, that did bring it forward. Most difficult thing is it put the stalks at a further reach.

Anyway, Turned out the spare boss I have is for a bmw e30. I guess I should get that on eBay.

A decent momo boss should sort me when I get round to getting one.

I did a few other jobs this weekend that were on the list.

Previous owner had a set of Recaro seats fitted. He refitted ‘badly’ the originals before the sale. Unfortunately they we’re bolted straight through the floor. Meaning 4 holes on each side. At some point in the future I’ll weld the floor properly but for now I’ve put in some stainless coach bolts with large washers and coated in waxoil. The bolts were from some I bought to fit the beetle bumpers.

Also hooked up the seat mech and got the seats sliding back and forward as I said, fitted badly, so they weren’t previously free running. Need to get new plastic sliders and gummy bears to sort it fully though.

Undid the rear wiper lay flat mod, and put that back in it’s appropriate place.





Much better :thumbs:

And replaced the coolant flange on the side of the head. It started leaking after I did the heater matrix and stuff, presumably I upset it swapping the pipe work. The one I took off had been gunged up sealant.






Washer jets work now as well.

Had a look at the boot lock. As It doesn’t lock with the central locking. Wasn’t sure why, but with my son as a second pair of eyes at the back we were able to determine that the boot actuator isn’t functioning. So that’ll need further investigation.

Quote from: sly_gti
I expect the vacuum line has come disconnected somewhere. Pull the boots at the top of the tail gate for a quick inspection of the wires / air line.

My thoughts exactly but I checked the fitting onto the actuator, the end where it joins the pump and pulled back the rubber conduits at the tailgate hinges and no sign of damage.

I would have thought if there was a leak in the system then it would affect the whole lot???


I almost forgot to add, I also checked on the door speakers and can confirm they are also Focal components and the doors are lined with Dynomat. So looks like someone put some effort into the audio. I just need to sort out the rear end.

December 09 2019

Well as luck would have it a large spline Momo boss popped up on Facebook selling page today for not too much money so I should have the steering wheel sitting nicely soon, as I said in it's current stat the stalks are too close and managed to turn the wipers on going round a bend today :lol:


Thanks both, yes I followed the CL vac line down to the T-piece near the n/s rear light cluster. The hose was firmly seated, to the extend I couldn't easily disconnect it so I decided not to disturb it. I was thinking if I disconnected I could suck and blow and see what happens ??

There's nothing obvious so like I said one for further investigation. It's a shame the house move never went ahead as I missed out on the much coveted double garage/workshop that I was due to be getting. Would be handy this time of year to get some of these jobs done rather than just be restricted to a couple hours on the weekend .... providing it's not raining.


Quote from: big F
Could it be the actuator that has failed.

That’s my guess, but need time to look into it. My plan is to pop off the hose and blow/suck, that should hopefully identify either a leak or as I expect a failed diaphragm inside the actual unit. I’m just sure if there was a leak in the system it would effect the rest of the locking but that all seems really responsive.

I’ve also been wondering if I can get a remote module to hook I to the toad alarm and trigger the master on the drivers door.

Plenty of things to tinker with and thankfully (dare I tempt fate) nothing too heavy duty so far.

December 13 2019



Genuine Momo, large spline boss has arrived. Will be a bit deeper by the time I've added the ATWIE/Italvolanti adapter on it but should be better than the eBay Scheiße on there now.

December 14 2019

After a couple of starting failures I bought a new starter motor from Mark Carter of Classic-VW.

Cheaper than ECP and no surcharge so didn’t need to fuss about returning the old one.

Nice easy job but while I was at it messing with battery cables etc I thought it was ideal opportunity to fit the mk3* battery cables I picked up years ago for the old car but never got round to it.

Another easy job and they look so much better. Cable is beefier and clamps are very neat.

*its been so long they may be mk4 ones, either way good upgrade.







December 18 2019

So, genuine MOMO boss now fitted, complete with ATWIE adapter ring:



You can see it's a fair bit deeper than the old one, more so with the extra ring on the back. So stalks are now at finger tips but not too far away and I won't keep clipping the MFA switch. The boss also seats better and the brass ring now reaches the horn - didn't test it, I was in the works car park and there were a few people going back and forward to the sandwich van.

Also looks like I'll be sticking with the 17" wheels for a while. Just ordered 4 new tyres. Tried to get some on the weekend and found out that 195/40 17 is a non stock size nearly everywhere and got quoted high prices to get some in.

So started looking for alternative wheels, thinking it would just be easier to replace the wheels and would make future tyre purchases a bit easier/cheaper. But needs must and need to be legal/safe so ordered 17s online - Went for Hankooks, not a premium tyre but general reviews seemed to be OK and they we're too expensive so that'll have to do... it's not like I track it, it's mostly a straight run along the M5.


For now I’m quite happy to keep the crystal clear headlights, spotlights and front and side indicators. They don’t offend me too much and the work. Although I do have a set of mint OE orange side repeaters I recently found in the garage. Happy that the car is generally tidy I’m not too fussed about it being OEM, but I know it wouldn’t take much to make it so further along.

Styling isn’t really a concern, priority it making it as good as I can So fixing little niggly bits and making sure everything works as it should.

December 20 2019

Getting close to 3 months of ownership now so thought I'd do a quick summary of what I've done so far:

Removed 'bling':
- Hella spotlight cover stickers
- Fake towing strap
Replaced Wolfsburg accessories for stock:
- door pins,
- window winders
- mirror adjusters
Replaced Trimpsorts VWMS gear knob with proper GTI golf ball
Replaced Wolfsburg rear emblem with genuine VW badge (painted satin black)
Replaced ash tray due to large stick on phone magnet
Cleaned and fitted OE steering wheel - see later item *
Swapped fixed grad handles with fold up ones
Fitted smoked interior delay light
Fitted missing handbrake cover
Replaced switch blank with old LED hole for good one
Plugged 8x bolt holes in floor from PO's aftermarket seats
Rebuilt bodged up seat controls for forward/back motion
Fitted retro Alpine head unit with mutli-changer
Added FM aerial booster (with little effect)
Removed unnecessary wiring and old sub controller from PO's old I.C.E set up
Reconditioned heater box with new foam and new Matrix
Cleaned and refurbished full heating pipework, new foam joints and seals on blower vent flaps
Replaced matrix hoses and removed bypass valve
New water pump
Thermostat and housing
Side coolant flange
New expansion bottle and late type cap
Fresh pre-mixed G12 coolant
New Starter motor
Fitted Mk3 battery cables
Reversed the lay-flat wiper mod to put rear wiper back in correct place
* Swapped OE steering wheel with my old VWMS Italvolanti, using new large spline Momo boss and ATWIE adapter ring
Fixed horn by doing the above as the PO's boss was rubbish
Fixed front washer jets

Jobs for Christmas break:
New tyres have been ordered online 195/40 17s are a non-stock item, will have these fitted and balanced when the arrive
Will continue to investigate central locking issue on tailgate
Maybe some cleaning and general tinkering











Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #5
January 10 2020

It's Friday, it's sunny, it's lunchtime and today I'm in the mk2 not on the bike so thought I'd pop down the road to the local scrap yard - like the good old days.

They don't tend to have much that is that old anymore, or if they get in a 'classic' they leave it out front to sell as a project car - I guess they know the value now. Still a few Mk3s though.

I already have a weighted shift rod so no use for those and it seems everyone knows the usefulness of a 99 relay so those are always gone first. However I spotted a MK3.5 (a Mk3 Cabby in a Mk4 frock) obviously the vultures weren't away of the similarity so the fusebox hadn't been raided yet - managed to bag myself a 99 relay at last. Funny to think how many I'd lifted and passed on over the years to eventually find myself needing one again.

Also grabbed the springs off the seat mech as some of mine were missing.

While I was at it I also picked up a temp sensor, along with the plug and a length of wire as I was reading elsewhere the mk3 sensor can be used as a single unit to replace the separate gauge and ecu sensors on the mk2 - thought it might be handy to have.

Not a great deal more to report at the moment. Looking forward to better weather.

January 15 2020

Quick fix today.

After overhauling the coolant system I knew everything was fine but the temp gauge has continued to read low.

So if fitted a mk3 4 pin temp sender and patched in the plug. At a later date if I need to I can patch I the other 2 wires for the ECU but with no current issues I decided not to do that now.






January 16 2020

Quote from: Monkey
That reminds me, I must get a 99 relay myself!

Unfortunately the 99 relay I picked up was toast, so still on the to find/do list.

Meanwhile another little job ticked off...


Also took a look at the sticky throttle, the rubber bung which sly suggested may had been the issue looked good.



But then I noticed the alignment was a bit off for the lever arm, it looked to be too close to the heater splash guard and the cable was coming out at an angled, preventing a clean return. A quick bend and adjust and the cable lines up with the opening ... I’ll pop out later for a test drive, hopefully that’s sorted it.

I wanted to give it a clean today but the weather has other ideas.


Yep. Sticky throttle now sorted


Quote from: big F
Might be changing my job soon and theres a scrap metal yard at the end of the road. They deal with cars and builders scrap mostly.

Worked near there before and that yard has no idea of classics. In the past (3 years ago) they crushed a 5 door cl that was better nick than mine, it was in there because it wouldn't start. The excuse, its not  a GTI so not worth anything.............

I did offer a few hundred but the preferred to cube it they cubed a bay bus also that was far from a basket case.


There are a few scrap metal merchants that are just about crushed metal and the weight for £. I think the place that Shelly works at might be like that. I guess if they don't have the land hoarding cars isn't as cost effective. There are some other 'new' style yards that strip the cars so you don't go past the front counter and just buy off the shelf. Where I go is just down the road form where I work so easy to pop out on a lunch time - although I'm not always suitability dresses and have brought in oil on my shoes across the work carpet occasionally  :oops:

This one has been there 85 years - so the sign outside says - and is a proper old school scrappy, like they used to be. It's great.

Quote from: big F
Some where i have a box of 99 relays, i went through a “stage” of going to the scrappies every weekend and made a point of pulling 99 relays.

Same, 99 relays and weighted shift rods, and any cross vehicle bits and bobs - they haven't had a mk2 in for years, but the door handles, boot lock and number plate lamps etc are the same for Polos and other variants. Even the occasional old Audi. I used to have a good stash of these which could be sold off for a few quid profit to top up the build costs.


Anyway, I was excited for my drive into work this morning, with my drivers seat that didn't rock and my throttle pedal that didn't stick - I'm really loving this car.

I think gear linkage might be a job to tackle soon. I found receipts for it done in 2003 so it's not original, but could benefit from being done again. I need to try and find some solid bars again and maybe have a go at making a short shifter link. If anyone has one I'd be happy to know the measurements. Otherwise it'll just be trial and error I guess - but it's more fun than buying one.


Quote from: tabbie
Reading your updates makes me want to start tinkering with my mk2 Eddy but it's definitely to cold.
Great to see you back in a mk2 mate.

Great to be back in one mate.

The thing is filthy as it's on daily duty - but it was made to be used not stored in a museum is how I see it, and it's just too wet to use the bike right now

January 18 2020

Bit of cleaning done today.








February 10 2020

Latest job done, the old classic - gear linkage!

The stack of bills that came with the car show it was done in 2003, and putting that in perceptive it's still 17 years since it was done.

So some of the bits were still ok, the ball was still very much in place however the top and bottom bushes were nowhere to be found giving this effect:

[youtube]https://youtu.be/6BTRoL1Msrk[/youtube]

I wonder if they were fitted the wrong way round in the first place and dropped out the bottom?

Needless to say I bought the full kit from good old B&B components and also got myself another set of the solid bars that I put on the old one.

The usual suspect the orange bush was quite knackered:



Easy to push in place with my 6 tonne press, a bit overkill maybe but did the job in seconds  :confused:

The end result:





And for the alignment, because I'm tight... I would have 3D printed if I had one, but I don't so I made an alignment tool from cardboard

I did a test run with paper to check the fit:



Then layered up some card:



And it just about held up to get everything tightened up in the right place:



Gear selection is very slick now.



March 09 2020

Not a massive update and a month since the last one.
Over 4000 miles now clocked, with an average MPG in the mid 30s.

Everything behaving as it should.

Washed it quite intensely last week and afterwards spotted this


Haven't had any issues with damp from the rain but I know it's not 100% dry as I get a little bit of internal condensation. This was obviously a result of rigorous pressure washing, but first look will be the bonnet release cable grommet.

Also did the world a favor and finally got rid of the unnecessary marketing




after:



and this cliche



but forgot the after photo.

I did however add this little fellow



My daughter bought me the sticker along with some other bits and pieces from Bristol Volksfest about 4 or 5 years ago, never got round to (didn't really want to  :roll:  ) put it on the old car but it feels like it's a little step towards making the car mine (and my family's).

C L E A N . . .



And for the first time in history I was first to arrive at the Bristol Meet, was also the only VW



But with the clock changing this month hope April onwards might pick up again.


Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #6
May 06 2020

6 months of ownership and I finally have a boot that locks. It wasn’t anything I’ve publicised before as I didn’t want to advertise the fact.

I had mentioned the CL wasn’t working on the boot. But they key also wouldn’t turn.


I removed and dismantled the lock, but the aluminium barrel was so badly corroded it was fixed solids. Over 2 hours in the ultrasonic bath and things started to look hopeful but still jammed.





I pumped it full of maintenance spray then add heat. I thought I might be able to boil the oil out and clear out some of the crud but the barrel was so badly corroded it basically crumbled.


Thankfully I picked up a spare a while back, and had already managed to retumble the lock to match my key. It’s just not a CL one.

So now at least I can lock the boot with a key.

I tested the CL, the actuator is fine so there must be a break in the tube. No rush to resolve as I’d need to find a new CL boot lock but at least I’ve diagnosed and glad I didn’t rush into buying a new actuator when I thought it was that.


Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #8
And bringing things up to date since lockdown began.

I'm working from home so suspected I wouldn't need the car so it was placed on SORN at the end of March to save me a few quid. But working from home meant no travel time, and with lighter evenings I was able to start a few tinker jobs.

I started by removing the seats to fix them. The foam was pretty bad but thankfully the cloth hadn't gone through.





but I've fixed seats like these before so wasn't put off.

Next bit was a clean, previously I stripped the covers and put them through the washing machine but I thought I'd go a bit gentler on these and opted for the paddling pool.



They came up OK.



With the seats out I decided I wanted to fit heated seat pads, so ordered a kit off Amazon.

Meanwhile, while I waited for the delivery I cracked on with the repair.

Starting with a steam clean of the foam.



I've seen this used on various TV shows to 'freshen' up old foam, so I cracked out the wallpaper stripper with the small attachment. I tried to do a video but didn't work well but it's fascinating. The foam expands and reforms to its original shape. Afterwards it feel much softer and more flexible.

Next was a case of stuffing the caping hole with foam bits and building up the surface. Last time I did this I used foam carpet underlay and it worked out great, I still had some so did the same again.







The backs were in better condition, but I still decided to cover the bolsters with some thin skrim foam, this time I turned to some foam back material I had left over from doing the headlining on the BMW e30.









And before the foam went back on the frame a did a little bit more to bulk up the bolster and reduce the chance of it tearing in future by protecting the metal rods.



By now the heat pads had arrived.











Before the seats went in it made sense to clean the carpets, and as the seats were already out it made sense to remove the carpets to do this.



Previously I've used my George Wet & Dry Vac, but I'd seen other people say a pressure worked well







Honest opinion, I think using a bit more effort and using the George would give better results, but they're clean.

Now, here's the thing. The previous owner had some other seats fitted at some point and had bolted them through the floor leaving holes in the carpet, 8 in total.



Trimming a bit of carpet from up behind the heater box I was able to get some donor material and started to cut out the damaged areas.



With a matching square of new carpet



and some tape on the back



I had a good enough fix that wouldn't be obvious at first glance



so I continued with the rest



Before long the cleaned carpets (and mats) were re-fitted, including the wiring loom for the heated seats







I was able to get a nice dash shot before the seats went in






Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #9
The loom for the heated seats was easy enough to follow the instructions and switch, although not OEM style, fits well in the aperture and with the seats on the number lights red









and the symbol lights with the dash illumination, although currently blue and on my switch the R doesn't illuminate. I've contacted the seller and have a new switch on the way, so when I have a spare I'll open it up and change the LEDs to green.




Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #10
Great write up... there's that much stuff being transferred over from the old site at the moment I'm missing the new posts among them.

Might give the heated seats a go on the daughters Citigo, look very professional... Keep us posted on how they work.

 

Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #11
How long do the seats take to warm up?
Mk2 Driver
Mk2 Silver 8v
Corrado G60 Turbo
Mk2 Red 8v
Mk2 Grey 16v
Mk2 BBM ABF
Bora 20vt
Mk2 Green VR6
Mk2 Green ABF
Mk2 BBM 20vt
3.2 TT Roadster
Mk2 Red 16v
225 TT Coup
3.2 TT Coup
Mk4 Anniversary
Mk7 Red GTI Performance
Mk2 Red GTI Restoration

Mk2 BBM R32
911 Carrera 4S

Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #12
Might have to wait for winter for the proper test results, but on a trial could feel it warming up pretty quick. I'd say they're as effective as the stock ones in my Mk5 although it's just the flats of the base and back, I think the stock set up on later cars includes the bolsters. I'm eager to find out how much control the 5 position roller switch has, I know a lot of these kits just have a high/low rocker.

 

Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #13
Nice seats Tim

I used a hosepipe to clean my sponge base and the "horsehair" seat back, amazing how much dirt came out. I forgot to use the steamer to plump the foam back up tho.
I note you have used duck-type tape to secure the foam, assume there aren't any problems with the glue melting in our roasting hot summers?

I need to finish the heated seat install in mine and will be putting new soundproofing under the carpet since some of it is missing after previous waterleaks into the car.
1991 Tornado Red BB 8v GTI Moredoor
2008 Skoda Octy Scout aka dirty diesel

Re: LUCY ‘91 Mk2 Golf GTI Alpine White

Reply #14
I used duct tape previous and seemed to work fine. The seats I fixed like this before went into JetpackJimmy's car which he had for a number of years. It's really just to hold everything in place during fitment. Once the covers are back on there's not really anywhere for anything to go. I just didn't want the foam peeling back as I pulled the covers on as it's quite a tight fit. For the heat pads I used a bit of very high temp upholstery spray to keep them in place, although that didn't stick very well on the horsehair back panel.