My T-Red Valver Daily - Mk2 ABF

Discussion in 'Members Gallery' started by mookie, May 26, 2008.

  1. sam-ski Forum Member

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    looks alot like my driver (in a good way) so i love it!

    i need to space my wheels out as i would like a wider stance, easiest way? and how much am i looking at paying?

    keep up the good work mookie
     
  2. mookie Forum Member

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    I'd like to space them, as I've seen a white Mk2 on steels spaced, and it looked ace. But I need to lower it a bit more first.
     
  3. Jolfa

    Jolfa Forum Junkie

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    I don't like small bumpers or G60 steelies, they both look bland as hell, even moreso when they're together, car looks proper wimpy compared now. Just my 2p though!
     
  4. mookie Forum Member

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    Ah right, I thought you meant the grille change lol

    I'm looking at new wheels tbh - I do like G60's but I know what you mean by them looking bland. Small bumpers however, I don't agree with you on.
     
  5. Jolfa

    Jolfa Forum Junkie

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    I prefer the 4 light :thumbup:

    I've never got my head round G60's, you can get some decent looking alloys for less than they cost [:[]
     
  6. mookie Forum Member

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    To be fair, I got them for just 120...
     
  7. Jolfa

    Jolfa Forum Junkie

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    My point exactly, I'll hush now [|)]
     
  8. mookie Forum Member

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    Oooh I should update this more often, laaazy.

    Last update was the Chrimbo head gasket that never was. Turned out to be just a blocked radiator over pressuring the system. Thank God.

    Won a set of flat silver centre caps on eBay for 99p as an alternative to the black 'uns.
    [​IMG]

    With my funds safe from the headskimming man and the garage, I decided to address my biggest niggle - the exhaust. Had an advisory on the MOT with a very corroded middle box, and the Magnex backbox just didn't suit the small bumpers. Went to Longlife in Leeds and they sorted me out with a full system built on the car - initially for a good price compared with a Jetex system, but then I had the bright idea for the backbox that looked gash, and ended up forking out another 50 getting it changed to twin pipes.

    Gash, small penis backbox:
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    Swapped for something more appropriate:
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    Twin pipes, slash cut sideways. Sounds awesome, quite enough not to irritate at 30mph, but sounds the business when booting it.

    Drove it around for exactly one weekend before the car decided it was going to be silly again. Clutch exploded and the car was laid up yet again. Decided to do the clutch myself - mistake!

    [​IMG]
    Clutch plate clearly decided to die in a painful fashion. Ripped out the box, whipped on a new 16v clutch kit and front engine mount, reassembled the car, and was greeted with a horrific grinding noise upon igintion. Grindy grindy. Some head scratching later, and I realised the box on the car was from an 8v. Big spline on 16v clutch plate + small splined shaft on gearbox = grindy grindy.

    Stuck it in the garage as I'd wasted my holiday doing this and had no time left. New clutch on, car A-OK. Ended up spending a fortune on the clutch after trying to save cash by doing it myself. Irony huh? Spent next couple of weekends undoing the meddling work of the garage with the mix/idle, and they also broke the speedo cable too. Grrrr.

    Got the car running sweet, and so rewarded it by putting on a 7-slat grille and inner crystal spotlamps. I know the preference for crystal lamps is swinging back in favour of Hellas, but it looks so much better with a full set of crystals if you ask me. Did this same setup on my old 8v, and think for an OEM looking car like mine, it's a great improvement.

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    The grille has like, one intact clip on it, but looks ace. So might look out for one with all clips intact...

    What is it about an empty car park, and feeling drawn towards the only other car there?
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    Brings me pretty much up to date. Spent the last couple of weekends replacing the temp senders on the head (one was an oil temp sender!), a new radiator, new clutch cable, new accelerator cable, fine tuned the timing, readjusted the mix/idle.

    Car runs ace, better than it has ever run. Puts the power down so smoothly and well since replacing the temp senders it's amazing to be honest.

    Hopefully new suspension end of the month to drop it a smidge more at the back, and giving it a proper mop too as the paintwork has been neglected recently with all my mechanical shenanigans.
     
  9. Deako Paid Member Paid Member

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    Prefer the 5 slat grille. Looks great though.
     
  10. Dan W

    Dan W CGTI Regional Host

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    you've sold all the best bits! looks way too plain now, just like someone's put a 16v in a driver, but hey, different strokes for different folks!
     
  11. mookie Forum Member

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    What? Like the big wheels that didn't fit, the pattern part big bumpers that didn't belong, the crappy knock off badgeless grill, the misted up innerspot lamps, the ill fitting Magnex exhaust? Have I missed something else?

    I didn't realise they came from the factory with all that **** fitted. Give me OEM over badboy any day matey.
     
  12. MUSH Forum Member

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    cant remember....?
    ^^ agreed, gota change back to black g60 centre caps tho, the flat caps look gash and make them look like the pony 14 inch alloys you got on 8vs...
     
  13. mookie Forum Member

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    Yeah they do. Only reason they're still on is because I've left the black ones in me mams shed in Gateshead. Doh!

    Hoping to add something like Borbet B's or something spokey in the near future. Those steels have been on way too long.
     
  14. Dan W

    Dan W CGTI Regional Host

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    I didn't mean to come across as slating it, I like the understated look it's just the before pic it looked pretty good, didn't know those probs you mentioned exsited, I have no doubt that it drives a million times better and looks a lot better in the flesh than it did when you bought it, on a different note i've got a nearly new set of gen. hella inner spots for sale if your still looking for any, only been on the car for 800 miles and look like new
     
  15. mookie Forum Member

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    Bought these:

    [​IMG]

    Just decided that for the price, they were worth the risk. I know they're ever controversial, but after some very trusted opinions were viewed, decided to give them a go as I'm not doing a massive drop.

    Spent the remaining cash I had left over on a pair of tornado red doors (replaced one with lacquer peeling, and one with cracked DIY paintwork), and a mint passenger wing (replaces more DIY paintwork) - off funkydelicdubber. Not really looking forward to fitting them all, but it will make me fit my colour coded wing mirrors. The rest is going on either a leather steering wheel, or a 90 spec interior if I can find one. Now just want some red trimmed bumpers.

    Boshed on a new sunroof seal, and managed to break the mechanism on one side, so couldn't refit the rest of my electric sunroof kit. Which sucked, as it now lists to one side where the leaf spring clip is braced against fresh air.

    After 10months of ownership, I've finally lowered it properly.

    From this:
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    To this:
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    [​IMG]

    Took off the 40-50mm lowering springs and standard shocks (now for sale), and replaced them with the Ta Technix coilovers and new G60 top mounts.

    [​IMG]

    I've got 40mm left on the fronts, and 60mm left on the backs. It was sitting another 20mm lower from and back originally, but after catching my expensive exhaust on a speedbump, I decided it needed raised to preserve my bank balance :rolleyes: Not the lowest car in the world ever, but the lowest I've had one. There's some rubbing on the front arches on full lock (need to sort that) and the splitter hits the road every so often, usually when the camber is unfavorable and I'm turning to park etc.

    Can't get onto the g/f's driveway without reversing:
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    Really pleased with the coilovers. Considering they cost me 165 inc delivery from Germany, they are awesome. The ride is very comfortable, and not at all crashy as I feared. The car handles really well, with the expected lack of body roll or diving under braking. The only downside, which was to be expected I suppose, is because they are so firm they pick up every little bump and lump on the road - slow driving on a rough or badly maintained surface can be very... bouncy. But that's not a major point imho.
     
  16. theboymike Forum Junkie

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    Yay for unmolested G plate early spec Tornado red valvers with all the toys ;) :lol:

    Looks mint - not sure about the 7 slat grill but other than that love the understated look. Nothing makes me more irrationally angry that late spec bumpers hanging off early cars.

    Looks tidy on the steelies and love the ride height - good luck with that as I have problems getting mine onto the mrs's drive and out of the workshop onto the road.. and that's on std suspension. Are the coilies FKs?

    Tbh I think a late spec interior would spoil it (pleasantly surprised with how nice the earlier one looked when I bought mine tbh) but we'll never all agree on everything I suppose :p

    Fair play for all the work you've put in so far - certainly going the right way :thumbup:
     
  17. Richard Mk2

    Richard Mk2 Paid Member Paid Member

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    Looks ace mate. I love mint red MK2s. Reminds me of my old Red MK2 GTi.[:^(]

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    Looks So much better lowered too :thumbup:

    [​IMG]
     
  18. mookie Forum Member

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    Update isn't too major, but I've made progress with the cars styling. Swapped back to my old 5slat grill as I snapped up a 16v grill badge for a tenner (go for up to 40 on the Bay so quite pleased!). This pic makes me realise how badly I need to respray my grill metal strip.

    [​IMG]

    Also got a set of E30 BBS alloys for 50 as a home refurb project - never refurbed wheels before so would be a learning process for me and something to do on a boring evening. Ford Focus boot proves to be exactly the same width as four 7J alloys:

    [​IMG]

    Got the tyres pulled off and binned them. Look manky, cos they are! Nothing some vigorous sanding won't sort though:

    [​IMG]

    Want them to look like this:

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    First rim was really grotty and paint was very bubbly and soft... :-X

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    After some Nitromors and some wet and dry I ended up with really smooth rims/lips:

    [​IMG]

    Just got another three to do and then I can prep them for paint!

    Bought a Megs machine polisher and spent all day polishing up the car...

    [​IMG]

    But after all the work the end product was pretty ***. A look on Youtube and I realised I'd done it completely wrong - no where near long enough spent on it. I'll have another go in a couple of weeks. It looked alright, but I'd had it look better from polishing by hand in half the time. Ho hum, you live and learn!

    My red trimmed bumpers arrive and they looked ****. Both were sprayed with what looked like white house paint from someone using a roller nearby. Very disappointed after a totally different eBay description - the seller refunded me half the amount I paid, so I set about seeing what I could do with them.

    Paint specks covered each bumper from end to end:
    [​IMG]

    Started with the front bumper. Bought a pack of cotton pads and some nail polish remover from Tesco. Painstakingly went from one end to the other to clean off the paint, then washed it down with a heavy mix of Autoglym carbody shampoo/conditioner to get the muck off. Followed up with a couple of coats of boiled linseed oil:

    [​IMG]
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    Really pleased with the result. That picture has the front and back bumpers side by side. What a difference eh? It even darkens the red trim.

    Unfortunately the rear bumper is a write off. It looks like it's been reversed into something fairly hard as the bumper iron had a bulge in it, and the skin a fairly deep crease. So I binned the bumper but pulled off the red strip. Whipped off the black strip from my current rear bumper and fitted the red one in it's place:

    [​IMG]

    The bumper needs a clean and oil really, but couldn't be arsed...

    Stuck on the front bumper:

    [​IMG]

    Really like this picture:

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    Such a small detail, but after a year of looking I've finally got the bumpers I wanted! Really breaks up the black trim and just gives it that extra little touch. Love it.

    The photos do the paintwork a few favours though! Would love a respray but couldn't afford one lol!

    From this:
    [​IMG]

    ...a year later to this:
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    I know which version I prefer... ;D
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2009
  19. ihaveajetta Forum Member

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  20. RIP-MK3 Forum Addict

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    much better..... looking sweet. those wheels will look awesome too!!
     

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