Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989) (Read 16526 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #105 –
Was hoping to be driving Gordon this summer but progress has been painful.  Just about every connector on the engine harness had become brittle and had cracked; I see if I have some pictures.  Also I'm finding trivial surface rust everywhere I go.
Take these for example, steel with rubber gaskets may have been a good idea 30 years ago but they rust and it spreads under the underseal.



Pulled out the interior, cleaned off the rust, rust converted painted, fitted modern VAG grommets and sealed both sides.  That should stay rust free.



Quality does scrub up well  :D


Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #106 –
Keeping things going when every wee job turns into two, then four, then eight is draining... be well worth it in the end!

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #107 –
I'm not going to claim this is progress; I ran out of space to store parts.  4 lumps out of boxes:


Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #108 –
The troublesome engine bay harness.  Old repairs:



Just about every terminal brittle and insulation cracked.



Looked like it had been on fire:



Now; I think I got the right bits:




Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #109 –
Looks great, where did you get the connectors from?
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: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #110 –
Quote from: Monkey on
Looks great, where did you get the connectors from?
The connectors are original, the terminals, PVC tube, heat shrink splices (inside tubes now) correct colour coded wires, crimp tool and terminal extraction tool all came from eBay.  I can post the sellers later if that helps?

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #111 –
Ahh, no worries, i've already got the bits and pieces.
It just looked like you had new connectors on there.
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: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #112 –
Maybe got a roasting near the exhaust manifold?

Edd China has a new Youtube channel, think it was the episode before last where he showed how to renovate copper wiring that'd oxidized / lost it's conductivity by dipping them in bicarbonate or something similar, can't remember now but easily got - would be useful in some circumstances where replacing might not possible.

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #113 –
Quote from: Monkey on
Ahh, no worries, i've already got the bits and pieces.
It just looked like you had new connectors on there.

Scrubbed them in petrol with an old tooth brush.

Edit: that was the ones in the pictures, the really bad ones covered in grease and waxoyl were boiled in caustic soda.

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #114 –
scrubbed up well.
scs

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #115 –
All present and correct.  Never intended to touch the interior but with decomposed foam in my heater box and two 40mm floor pan grommets causing early floor pan rot there is not much that hasn't been out.

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #116 –
If I had to choose now, it's the interior that I least like working on - VW screwed it in too well.

Your hands must be torn to shreds after all those little clips and sharp edges but looks like new again, bet your pleased it's finished!

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #117 –
Quote from: L90E on
If I had to choose now, it's the interior that I least like working on - VW screwed it in too well.

Your hands must be torn to shreds after all those little clips and sharp edges but looks like new again, bet your pleased it's finished!

My least favorite is underseal, filthy awful job.  That is what I'm back to tomorrow.

The interior was not too bad, came apart easily, plastics scrubbed up nicely.  Treated all of the plastics to a Gtechniq W5 scrub then sealed with Gtechniq C4.  Old style plastic, before recycled plastics, responds really well to C4. 

Got a couple of pressing burr cuts when taking apart but they didn't get me a second time once I knew where to be careful.

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #118 –
Did I really intend to scrape off the aftermarket underseal nearly one month ago?  It is a horrible job that I didn't want to do.  I remember putting it on back in the 90s, it was Tetroseal and thinking one day you will regret this.  Every time a jacking point got damaged I just slapped some more on.

It was difficult getting it off but I'm pleased with the condition of the VAG underseal.  All of this area was thick with Tetroseal, some of the original damage can be seen where the VAG underseal has been scraped off years ago.



Surprisingly little rust, back with the wire wheels and rust converter this afternoon.

Re: Gordon the Golf (8v GTi 1989)

Reply #119 –
Certainly looks like it did the job though... everything's solid and as it should be.