G135EPB 8v GTI

Topic: G135EPB 8v GTI (Read 11112 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #15 – December 21, 2021, 11:11:15 PM

The bonnet was in really poor condition and was letting the car down, it had crazed badly and had obviously seen paint previously

A chap called Vosswagen supplied me a replacement which again was too much effort to swap over. Vosswagen was miles away but was a good excuse to take the golf on it 1st proper run which was a success. Also i was relieved to find out a mk2 bonnet fits in the back with the seats folded down

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #16 – December 22, 2021, 11:48:32 AM

Good turn around , very rewarding as well

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #17 – December 22, 2021, 12:10:16 PM

The heater isn't basic stuff and neither is correcting the emissions. I would say both are more complex than the brake pipes.
Nice car, cleaned up well.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #18 – December 22, 2021, 12:10:32 PM

If you've got the room and it's in good condition, I'd hang on to the bonnet.
You never know when you'll need another in a pinch and they're getting harder to get hold of.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #19 – December 22, 2021, 01:51:57 PM

Quote from: PWardy on December 22, 2021, 12:10:16 PM

The heater isn't basic stuff and neither is correcting the emissions. I would say both are more complex than the brake pipes.
Nice car, cleaned up well.

Brake pipes on a gravel driveway didnt appeal much either, wish i had gave them ago now.

Quote from: Monkey on December 22, 2021, 12:10:32 PM

If you've got the room and it's in good condition, I'd hang on to the bonnet.
You never know when you'll need another in a pinch and they're getting harder to get hold of.

I am posting this all retrospectively from the photos on my hard drive (i'm in 2016 i think) Sadly the bonnet was in the way. I couldn't give it away for free so it ended up at the scrap yard

In hindsight i really should of kept it as i seem to be hoarding spares these days.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #20 – December 22, 2021, 09:19:38 PM

The suspension was extremely harsh and was taking some of the fun away from using the car everyday. FK coilovers were removed by a lad at work for new oe shocks, springs, bump stops, top mounts etc. - massively disappointed with the way it sat and it didn't settle.

Turns outs the front springs were wrong. I decided to have ago myself this time at work on a Saturday morning, another job that was a lot easier than i imagined. Got the correct springs fitted and it looked more sensible. Although it was great over speed bumps and pot holes i was beginning to think a decent set of lowering springs would be a decent compromise.

Decided to go for Bilstein B4 shocks and Eibach springs this time. This felt like perfect setup between OE and coilovers.

Also got my sebrings back from the powder coaters

Temporary fitted the old tyres as they had some life left until i saved for some semi slicks. Risked using the tyre machine myself... safe to say its not for me. I'm not strong enough!

At least it gave the lads in the workshop a laugh. Centre caps were painted but not a perfect match to the powder coat sadly, doubt i'll notice when they're dirty

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #21 – December 22, 2021, 09:49:30 PM

Drivers seat had the usual bolster wear so managed to source a good condition passenger seat to transfer the covers over. Stuck it through the washing machine with the other seat covers. Worst job to date but quite rewarding afterwards results.

The rear badges were looking tatty so a bit of black paint seemed sensible to tidy them

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #22 – December 22, 2021, 10:28:07 PM

In July 2018 i came across a meet that I had seen mentioned on Facebook at Curborough which is about an hour from my house. It was the mk2 National meet!

I was absolutely in my element, massively enjoyed the Saturday and chatted to a lot of owners, an even got some passenger rides round the sprint track

Rufus took me round in his blue/orange mk2- fantastic driver and car. Alistair took me round in his r32 engined mk2 which was incredible, a couple of 20vs that were insane in a straight line especially but the car that really impressed me was Barry's abf,

I also bumped into Henry that day, he has become a good friend and played a huge part helping me with my golf.

I left that day knowing that i would 100% not miss the next one. There was some fantastic cars there that day. Also made me want to try and improve my own car for the next one and try and get involved on the track.

Only photo i think i took was on my way out

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #23 – December 22, 2021, 10:58:32 PM

My rocker gasket had been leaking so a powder coated cover was fitted when i change the gasket.

Also developed a water leak which was making dimisting the car a nightmare. After checking the usual places I took the screen out to find some scabby bits that had become porous. Put some rust eater on and sealed until i have funds to see a bodyshop for welding and paint. Refitting the screen defeated me

due to the new seal i had bought but friend sorted it for me the following day

I bought a refurbed gearbox to remedy my crunchy 2nd gear. This turned out to be a nightmare as the "recon" box was definitely not! Again out of my capabilities it was given to a friend to sort. My original box was sent away for a complete rebuild in the end. Massive expense due to someones dishonesty

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #24 – December 22, 2021, 11:31:03 PM

One thing that had really impressed me was g60 brakes that i had experienced at Curborough on some of the cars. This seemed like a sensible thing to spend money on as did a gas n gears linkage and relay ball.

I started to clean up the calipers myself and removed the old seized pistons. I decided to get them shot blasted and powder coated for a better finish and a big red rebuild kit was used when building them back up. Also bought some new flexi hoses and a larger 16v master cylinder to reduce pedal travel, new bearings for the 16v hubs, 280mm discs and some 16mm pads which i was led to believe would allow my to still use my ra's.

I had neglected to offer the parts up to one another before trying to fit with Henry and Jim as we discovered the carriers weren't actually g60 but 16v. This meant swapping everything back until I could get hold of some g60 carriers

All got sorted in the end but another lesson learnt. They only just clear the ra's! Also worth mentioning the linkage kit is fantastic

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #25 – December 23, 2021, 02:52:39 AM

Interesting story, enjoying the read thank you.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #26 – December 23, 2021, 09:57:58 AM

That's a great update, though it took ages for my computer to load up the photos.
I knew RAs would run close to G60s, but didn't know they were that close!

That rocker cover looks soo good!
I was going to paint mine, but may have to go down the powder coat route for that too!

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #27 – December 23, 2021, 11:17:43 AM

Quote from: Monkey on December 23, 2021, 09:57:58 AM

That's a great update, though it took ages for my computer to load up the photos.
I knew RAs would run close to G60s, but didn't know they were that close!

That rocker cover looks soo good!
I was going to paint mine, but may have to go down the powder coat route for that too!

I though it was just my antique laptop at fault!

I did buy some 3mm spacers for the front but they seem to make my wheels feel unbalanced. I got terrible vibration at 60mph. I've ran them with that small gap and no spacers with no issues.

On second thoughts i actually think this was a NOS rocker cover someone kindly sold to me. A little later down the line I did however end up with a powder coated rocker cover and i wouldn't recommend it. I think you need to be careful with what they do to the internal side on the cover. I have read about powder/shot blast swarf coming lose and contaminating the oil causing big engine issues?

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #28 – December 23, 2021, 12:50:07 PM

Hmmm, I may sand blast it myself and just be super careful with the masking.

You have to be a little careful with spacers, as the wheels are designed to fit on the spigots.
Thin spacers (usually less than 15mm) do not include the spigot, so the wheels end up only being held by the bolts.
It's not like your wheels will fall off, but it might explain your wobble.

Re: G135EPB 8v GTI

Reply #29 – December 24, 2021, 09:18:06 PM

Found the photo of my calipers ready to be fitted

No more update before the 2019 national meet at Curborough. I managed to get a track pass for the Saturday, I had so much fun! Very envious of some of the cars and has made me want to improve mine.

Some amazing cars on the track