A mass clean up of the engine started (sitting in a garage has not been kind to it). Replaced most of what I could with stainless bolts. Full kit was only around 35 quid. Bargainous. Off the top of my head - new coolant tank, new radiator hoses, new PS hoses, repainted manifold and rocker cover and all associated gaskets, oil cooler and seals, new alloy catch can, new battery and clamps, yada yada. Took a gamble on a repro slam panel. Mistake. Going to get the OEM one powder coated at some point. Arch re-bonded Front back on. Just in need of a damn good clean!
Next up was MOT and 4 wheel alignment. Being located somewhere new I did my homework what I thought was carefully. As you can see the car looked to be in good company and hands…lets just say this experience was not pleasant and leave it there. By the end of the day though the car had a fresh ticket. INTERS TIME! Great weekend! Cruised up early sat and met a really tidy Mk2 G60 with G60 plate on route. Didn't get chance to say hello but had a CGTI sticker in the window. Car felt great on the circuit Saturday - the KW’s and polybushing have transformed it. Slight slip of the clutch on one of the straights, couldn’t seem to keep up with the flywheel haha. Went out thinking I’d do 10 mins, before I knew it 30 mins had passed. Rockingham is a really nice circuit even if the Marshall there had ZERO CHILL with anyone AT ALL Some pics (mostly courtesy of Chuff @wellchuffedmedia). Had a chat with the owner of this. Real nice guy with a mk2 of real source of inspiration
Whilst the car survived Rockingham, it seemed to save all it’s teething issues up for one big party! Day after returning home I discovered a few litres of the finest G13 all over the floor. Investigation revealed this. New flange on without drama (pain in the arse as you have to take the entire manifold off to get to one bolt). Next up - odd knocking from OSF. Investigation revealed loose ARB bolts and ball joint bolt (4 wheel alignment gift that keeps on giving…). Also slight movement in upper top mount. Discovered I’d made an error when fitting spring plates so corrected that installed Mk3 style mounts whilst I was at it. Next - no indicators. Tracked to dodgy connector and suspect relay. Replaced and resolved. Next - dodgy starter. Really irritating issue where the starter doesn’t engage with the flywheel properly. Rock it back and forth in gear and it starts. Bench tests ok but probably time for a new one. That’s all for now, thanks for reading
Woah!! Are you based in or near Braunton now then? I wasn't sure if i've seen your Mk2 about recently, i'm based in Bideford about 15 miles from Braunton. There are a few decent garages dotted around your area, it's taken me years of trial and error to find one i trust, and even then it's only for MOTs! Back on topic though, you've got a great Mk2 there great work, keep it up
Thanks You may well have possibly seen me around that neck of the woods. Car lives and gets worked on at my folks (who live in the arse end of no-where lol). No doubt be MOT'd around that area again next year so if you have recommendations please shout!
Been reading this over a couple of nights. Awesome stuff and a credit to you persevering. Its a joy to see a mk2 improve
Had the car geo'd at the weekend to correct the last garage. Settings were way out. Quite aggressive camber on the front but it handles beautifully now. Like a different car!
Been a busy summer with the Golf. Whilst I haven’t got in as much track action as I would have liked, I’ve put some miles on it. The cars been driving great on the KW’s and the refurbed gearbox/flywheel have livened up the urgency of the car massively. Whilst changing out a ball joint I discovered a few crispy bits… undetectable unless you had the sill trim off. Mmmm cornflakes… Nothing too bad but nevertheless needed sorting. I can't weld for sh*t (need to learn - still in awe of cope's efforts recently ) so I had two new ends of the sill grafted in and Luke @KP garage did a brilliant job. I should have shares in Bilt Hamber with the amount I’ve bought lately. The products are great though - sill now treated with Electrox primer, Epoxy Mastic, tint-able UPOL raptor over the top (wicked stuff) and box sections with cavity wax. Upgrades for winter include some interior changes, a new set of wheels and rubber plus some TLC for the exhaust. Manifold has cracked in two places, not the best aroma in the cabin haha. Until next time
Not updated this in a while. Forum is quiet at the mo! Adore the Rallye interior however increasingly I'm finding it's not supportive enough, especially during any spirited driving! I looked for ages for something that might fit the bill but most aftermarket seats looked just that, aftermarket. The exception being Recaro Pole Postions but there's no way I can afford the price tag that goes with them. Then I discovered the Corbeau Clubsports at Autosport last year. A fraction of the cost but a similar look to the Recaros. Usually, you get what you pay for however these seem really good quality and still a reputable brand. OK not up to FIA spec but perfectly acceptable for my needs. This meant I'd also need some frames. Found a guy on FB of all places making Mk2 specific ones that looked amazing and utilise the stock seat mounts meaning no cutting or welding or messing the shell about. Excuse the potato photos but painted up: As mentioned earlier I love the Rallye seats so set about retrimming the internals (hats off to the gf here, she's a whizz on a sewing machine). One down, one to go! The only bit I wasn't enamelled with was the bolts to the seat rails so swapped those out for some proper load spreading ones: This little beaut turned up from Hotgolf too - it's the tower bushing for the gear selector (nothing wrong with my nylon bush but couldn't resist!).