Lewis583's MK2 20v build thread

Lewis583

Active Member
VCDS Map User
Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
954
Reaction score
93
Points
28
First of all apologies for lack of pictures during the early stages.

Well it all started on 21/06/2011. After months of searching I finally found the Golf on eBay. After exchanging phone calls and e-mails and almost losing it we settled on a price and we went to Coventry to fetch it. The car had barely turned a wheel since 2007 so the hand brakes were stuck on and it didn’t start which made maneuvering it in line with the recovery truck fun.

Couple of pics when we got it home.
img0201mr.jpg
img0202ep.jpg


Some temporary wheel dolleys were made to make shoving the Golf around easier.
img0207xg.jpg


Attention then turned to getting it running to assess the condition of the engine. After putting an old battery we had lying around and dropping some oil in the bores, I soon found out the starter was seized solid. A second hand starter was sourced and fitted, it then fired up flick of the key on christ-knows-how-old fuel.

However the oil pressure light refused to go out, which was sorted with a new FRAM oil filter and some oil my Dad got from work. Upon restarting and after a combination of holding fast idle/natural idle for a while the engine kept rattling and smoking.
My options were; rebuild the 8v or go for something with a bit more power. Naturally power won[:$] So after researching the choices I settled on the 20v conversion, over VR6/ABF/2.0TFSI, due to the combination of tunability and also ease of fitting.

A donor car(1998 Audi A3 1.8T) was found on The Bay and the tear down began.
After getting the engine back home in the garage, i removed the turbo to inspect for signs of wear before putting it in the golf. What i found was Crack-tastic[8(]
img0245kfg.jpg
img0248drn.jpg

Plus there were unacceptable(sp) levels play of in the shaft so the tiny K03 was destined for the box under the workbench.

Now considering the K03 is unserviceable i toyed with the idea of fitting a K04/Garrett item. I found though that generally for a secondhand and potentially damaged K04 the prices, in my opinion, were too much and Garrett's, in either GT28RS/GT30 form, secondhand were rare as rocking horse sheit and too expensive to buy brand new.

So, long story short, I found Jonrandom's build thread on another forum and settled on a TD05 16g6 10.5T from a Mitsi Lancer Evolution 8 if i remember correctly. With a manifold/downpipe to be fabricated by myself.

With the increase in power in mind, i decided that upgraded internals were essential. Having spoke to Bill@Badger5, some Brute rifle drilled rods and shells were bought and the engine strip down began.
img0263nv.jpg


Off with it's head!
img0264zw.jpg

img0262ha.jpg


Quick inspection of the head and all seemed okay so it was sent off for a skim/pressure test and to also have the valve guides and seals replaced. Work then began on removing the pistons ready to swap the Brutes in.
Another nasty surprise was waiting for me when piston #2 was removed.[8(]
img0276rl.jpg

Then end of compression ring 2 had broken off, but thankfully there were no marks/scratches on the cylinder wall:thumbup:
img0275w.jpg


A new set of piston rings were bought. With the bores honed and the rings gapped, I set about swapping the rods over. Annoyingly i can't find any in progress pictures.

Well here they are in their new home
img0408vu.jpg
img0407fc.jpg


The engine was then put back together with new timing belt&tensioner kit/new water pump/new thermostat&housing/new oil pump&pick up/new coolant flange for the N/S of the head/new camshaft seal/new cam chain tensioner gasket&half moon.
Also while the inlet manifold was off i flatted back the plenum and gave it a couple of coats of high temp black spray. Didn't turn out too bad i don't think.
img0290xe.jpg


Fitted to the engine
img0406pc.jpg


While the above was happening a TD05 was sourced & collected from a chap on eBay
Sitting next to the K03
img0430qm.jpg


A twin scroll turbo flange and a 1.8T exhaust manifold flange were bought from JBS and i began to start mocking how the turbo will sit on the engine. Flanges have been tacked together with some scrap rod just until i can fit the engine in the car and check clearances etc.
As it currently sits
img0571xr.jpg


That's as far as i have got on the engine at the moment, an ABF flywheel and VR6 are going to be bought as soon as time allows me to get to GSF/ECP.

While work on the engine has been progressing/waiting for parts i gave the front suspension/brakes/engine bay a mini overhaul.
Pictures of many stages on the front end are lacking due to me forgetting mainly :thumbd:


  • The front subframe removed and cleaned up with a wire brush(not fun) then paint with some good ole Hammerite Smooth Black
  • I bought some new bottom arms and balljoints from GSF. The rear bushes in the arms lasted all of 30mins before they were pressed out and new genuine R32 bushes pressed in their place.
  • I found some old but new Eibach front & rear roll bars on eBay for a nice saving, so they were duly snapped up and fitted along with new drop links and Powerflex top bushes
  • The steering rack was sent away for a refurb/check over and refitted with new track rods ends.
  • Knowing the standard 239mm brake weren't going to be much use with the up in power, I bought some 16v hubs/calipers/carriers from Hotgolf. However wanting more braking power i bought a 280mm setup from D4LFR.
  • Cleaned the engine bay and gave it a lick of paint to freshen it up a touch.
  • Ford focus master cylinder fitted along with Corrado pedal box and clutch master cylinder. Also replaced all engine bay brake pipes and now re-organized the pipe work so that i have a T-piece either side of the bay. To finish off front end brakes i fitted new Goodridge braided lines.
  • I cut all the old loom wrap stuff, as it looked **** and had gone hard, and have re-wrapped the loom in some cloth tape
  • I do have some coilovers waiting to go on, but the higher suspension makes underneath access easier.

img0533lp.jpg

img0534gd.jpg

img0537gu.jpg

p1010966lx.jpg

p1010967l.jpg


Front wheels back on
p1010969g.jpg


Started on the back end.
p1010970x.jpg


The rear axle currently has been sent away for blasting/powdercoating. When it comes back I will fit the rear antiroll bar and also fit the polybushes. I will also be upgrading to the Polo stub axles and will be fitting MK4 calipers off of the donor A3.

Should hopefully have some updates this Thursday when i fetch the stub axles.

Cheers for reading and sorry for dragging on lol
 
Belated update:

Received the axle back from being blasted/powder coated so it now looks nice and clean. Whilst it was away i picked a complete rear axle from a 6N2 Polo Gti for £100. Far cheaper than £100 per stub axle plus wheel bearings etc.

Having stripped the Polo axle the back plates were looking a bit flakey and wire brushing takes forever so my Dad helped me build a small media blasting cabinet.
p1020020w.jpg


Backing plate before:
p1020015c.jpg
p1020014o.jpg


And after
p1020019u.jpg
p1020018y.jpg


Ive got a couple of other brackets/caliper carriers to blast an paint, but i have to be wary of when the compressor is used as it's so sodding loud, then i can put the axle back on and pipe it in.

Quick pic of the axle and hubs before they got bolted on.
p1020023f.jpg
 
Update time.

I've been doing some little bits here and there since last update.

Repaired all dodgy solder work behind the dash (from previous person who fitted immobiliser/alarm/did a p*ss poor job of fitting a radio), then re-wrapped.. all dash looms with some cloth loom tape.

Went from this
1intbef.jpg


To this
1intaft.jpg
1intafte.jpg


I've now refitted the rear axle and piped it in (new Powerflex bushes, Goodgridge conversion hoses, made new brake pipes, 6n2 stubs and hubs, new Pagid discs and pads, mk4 calipers)
2rearaxle.jpg
2rearaxle2.jpg


To finish off the brakes I mounted the Ford reservoir with some stainless plate I had lying around, which I had to bend and file the rounded edges by hand. In hind sight i may have to elongate the suspension tower mount holes to raise the reservoir up a tad. The hose is from an E9X BMW 3 series that i got from work.
2zbrakeresg.jpg
2zbrakerese.jpg


Finished off the main parts of the engine,sump back on with new windage tray ( I took the old one to previous workplace to clean and has since vanished, lol) new genuine rear main seal flange, genuine ABF flywheel with a LUK VR6 clutch kit, finally . Also bought a new sandwich plate that goes between the block and gearbox (the old one was deformed, I'm guessing from previous clutch replacement, and it was also corroded)
3engrear.jpg


I wanted to retain the 20v's M12 starter bolts so had to source some new longer bolts to do the job. My dad got hold of some allen head bolts with a 12.9 strength rating(cutting them down took forever), which meant i had to cut the old captive nuts off the Corrado front mount. Some lock nuts are used in their place. The gearbox mount went on straightforward enough however the support arm required some brackets removing and some modification to clear the gear tower.

The engine and box was then dropped on its mounts. I must say pushing the engine crane up a slight incline while guiding the engine and box into place, on my own, was a challenge but i got there in the end with no paint damage:thumbup:

Some pics
4bay1.jpg


Engine in :D
4bay2.jpg


Clearance with the Focus/Ibiza master cylinder
4bay3.jpg


Tried the turbo on to check clearances etc
4bay4.jpg


With how I have clocked the turbo CHRA and hot side/compressor housing the compressor housing outlet pipe from the Evo fits and is angled pretty much perfectly to where the boost pipe will run. Plus it already has the outlet on the pipe ready for a boost gauge:thumbup:
4bay5.jpg
 
Some pictures of the manifold progress.

Firstly the tools i had available
p1020227s.jpg


Anyway, having tacked the flanges in a rough position with the engine out of the car, then trial fitted once the engine was in. I could begin making the manifold. So for starters i had to brace the 2 flanges in position and break the two pieces of rod off.
img0660yx.jpg


I notched the angle iron that bolts to the turbo flange so i could clearly see in the twin scroll port
img0662wn.jpg


I started with runner 2, no reason just did lol
p1020223r.jpg


Work then began on the final runner and after breaking cylinder 4 runner off and starting again with it
Moved onto runner for cylinder 1
img0673jo.jpg


Once runners 1 & 2 were done, i began on cylinder 4 runner, which turned out to be an awkward sod when it came to getting 1 & 4 runner to merge at the turbo flange. I got there in the end after lots of slow grinding and trial fitting then grinding again haha
p1020228vx.jpg

p1020230o.jpg


I then started on the final runner and after breaking cylinder 1 runner apart and starting again i got it finished, or so i thought.
p1020232pg.jpg


Upon tacking it all together and then fitting the manifold on the car the route the downpipe would have had to make would have been very tight and close to brake/clutch master cylinders. At that point I called it a day and went inside to watch tele. Unfortunately no pics of when test fitting as i was kinda p****ed off and fed up.

Anyway today, I weighed up my options of either run the downpipe the awkward way or break cylinder 1 runner off and re-route it a different way. I decided on the start again option( this meant cylinder 1 was on version 3 lol). Lots of careful measuring (read judging by eye haha) i eventually got it done and trial fitted on the engine.
p1020246y.jpg

p1020248o.jpg

p1020249p.jpg

With the V2 runner the rear engine bracket was not as visible
p1020238g.jpg

A comparison pic of V2 and V3 (I kept V2 in one piece incase i had to refit it)
p1020250z.jpg


I now await the turbo outlet flange and some mandrel bends to arrive from JBS so i can start work on the downpipe. I also need to source 2x lambda boss and a boss for the EGT. I plan on the 2 lambda hole so 1 is for ECU and the other will be for Gauge/when it gets mapped.

Thoughts/comments welcome:thumbup:
 
Looking good James I must say you have come on miles since I last popped round, looking forward to the finished product with that turbo its going to be ballistic.

Keep up the good word dude. :respekt:


Chris.
 
Cheers Chris. The manifold took about a weeks worth of late night playing lol

My downpipe stainless should arrive sometime this week then i can crack on with that. Got one week off left so I'm hoping to start on wiring the AGU management in :happy:
 
Evening all, well after receiving my flange and 2.5" bends I decided to upgrade to 3" downpipe/exhaust system :lol: I'm going to try and use the 2.5" on the intercooler pipe work somewhere

Anyway ordered 2 316L stainless ISO(1.5D) 90deg bends from JBS and found a company on eBay that sells the 316L 1D 90deg bends. Also bought a 2.5" to 3" stainless cone off him too.
img0706hh.jpg

Made a start
img0707hg.jpg

img0708ro.jpg

Checking clearances etc, fits like a glove
img0709xu.jpg

Alignment underneath the car (I also gave the rust spot a poke and it's solid which is a relief)
img0711sm.jpg

The system off the car
img0714e.jpg


Ignore the tape on the manifold-turbo flange, the sodding gasket kept falling off and was doing my head in having to keep reaching under the car lol

Quite pleased with progress up to yet, now to start on the wastegate pipe and order the boss' for the lambda etc. I also plan to add some gussets from the turbo flange to downpipe to add some extra strength.

Thanks for looking
 
Looking good fella, makes me sad though as i have just sold my 16v Mk 2 for £350, it had been stood for 6yrs on axle stands, awaiting cash and time, the time came but the cash didnt unfortunately, so it had to go.

Keep up the good work, fair play to ya
 
Shame about the MK2 Ruffrida, I don't think i could sell mine. I'd never get my money back :laugh:

Cheers Westy :icon_thumright:
 
No progress on the downpipe today, went down Essex way to fetch some shiny new wheels:yahoo:

15x8 BBS RM splits

They need a good clean up and the dishes need a polishing but I'm pleased with them
img0718t.jpg
 
Small update.

Spent today working on the wheels. Me and my dad came up with a way of mounting the wheels for polishing.
p1020876mn.jpg

It involves a drum brake from a MK3 Golf Estate, some box section and the motor from my Dad's cement mixer lol Wheel mounts on the drum then a belt from an old compressor goes round the wheel to the motor, switch it on and easy polishing

The wheels themselves are straight and true, however they have at some point been washed with acid so the finish on the lips was "foggy"/stained. There were also some minor kerb marks aswell
Before
p1020887m.jpg

p1020890p.jpg

p1020894u.jpg


During
p1020895t.jpg


After all wet sanding was complete, I wiped the wheel down with a wet rag to asses how they were doing
p1020896k.jpg


How they look after a polish with some Autosol Metal Polish
p1020898ah.jpg

p1020899l.jpg


I managed to get 3 done today so will crack on with the other tomorrow.
Also out of all 120 bolts that I removed sodding 1 snapped off, so i will have to split the wheels, then drill the bolt out without damaging the threads in the rim. Then I'm going to send the barrels off for painting and then they can be rebuilt.
 
Shame about the MK2 Ruffrida, I don't think i could sell mine. I'd never get my money back :laugh:

Cheers Westy :icon_thumright:

It was far from recovery for the funds i have, but it went to a good home, a bloke who already had 4 and enough parts to build another 3, so was made up with that.

The wheels are looking well, i bet that took some patience, worth it though
 
Ahh, well hopefully it will be rebuilt and put back on the road.

It's not too bad tbh, getting the kerb marks out takes the longest and you get covered in Ali shavings
 
Cool build thread, enjoying it so far. Will be ace when it's done!

Good luck fella.
 
That's what he said he is doing with it, it was on a F so the first of the 16v, couldnt believe that he had it running as soon as he got it home, glad it went to a good home though.

Good luck with the build bud, looking well, hats of to ya dedication
 
Update time:

Since last time I've polished all 4 lips on the RM's and had the centres refurbed/powder coated. Annoyingly BBS don't share the paint code used for the original paint so had to guesstimate the closest match the out of the colours available.

I drilled the broken bolt out of the wheel but didn't manage to save the thread so a thread repair kit was bought in readiness for the barrels return from paint. The thread repair kit I used was the Wurth Time-sert kit. I chose that over Heli-coils as, in my opinion, the Time-serts are of a far better design than the Heli-coils. Instead of being a "spring" type insert the Time-serts are a solid sleeve design with a thread on the outside and inside. I have used them on an engine block on a severely overheated E39 523i, in which the threads pulled out of the head bolts holes, and they held allowing the head to be torqued down so figured they will be more than up to the job.

I documented the process for anyone else looking at using the kit.

Take one damaged thread
img0727iia.jpg


The kit used
img0729wb.jpg


Inside the box, with part numbers on show for anyone interested
img0730ed.jpg


The tools lay side by side. From left to right. Drill bit||Counter sinking bit||Tap||Time-sert insert||Inserting tool
img0731cd.jpg


The thread repair inserts closer up
img0740us.jpg

img0741po.jpg


Step 1: Use supplied drill bit to drill out damaged threads.
img0733qr.jpg


Step 2: Use counter sinking bit. It will not go any further than needed due to design.
img0734jz.jpg

img0736kf.jpg


Step 3: Use tap and cut a thread into the countersunk hole. Make sure to keep the tap as parallel to the countersunk hole as possible.
[No image due to gash iPhone camera not focusing correctly]

Step 4: Apply a small amount of oil to the end of the Inserting tool. Wind an insert onto the Inserting tool by hand as far as it will go. Then wind the Insert&Inserting tool into the threaded hole. When the insert bottoms out in the countersink you will need to use a tap wrench and continue turning the inserting tool clockwise. This process "flares" the bottom of the Insert enabling it to bite into wheel/work piece and thus securing it in place. Then remove the inserting tool and clean off any swarf and stand back and admire your work.
img0744jh.jpg


This wheel had 5 inserts put in it[8(]
p1030308y.jpg


I bought some new stainless steel bolts from a company in Germany for an eye-watering amount. It had to be done though, the old bolts were only chrome plated mild steel and had started to corrode, plus I had gone to the effort of giving them a full refurb so would be half-***** to fit the old ones back in. I polished each one individually by shoving it in a drill and attacking them with some Autosol metal polish.
img0746ds.jpg


Anyway after having to buy some more inserts from USA and repairing all damaged threads, approx. 8 over 4 wheels which isn't too bad, silicone sealant was applied to the lips and the wheels reassembled. I need to source some new BBS badges for the centres due to the old ones, the only way I can describe it is "separating", and moisture getting behind the clear plastic. I also need to get some stainless valves and I will refit the tyres.

p1030309b.jpg
 
Little bit more,

So with the main 3inch section of the downpipe work began on fabricating the section that will carry the wastegate gasses.

Now due to the size of the wastegate port on the flange I bought, I required a 3inch to 1.5inch cone reducer but that catch was it has to be relatively short in length. So after much searching the internet I was unable to find anything suitable, that meant I had to fabricate one myself. Now before you see the pictures, I acknowledge that it maybe isn't pretty, however it will do the job :thumbup:

After attempting to "wing it" and just try and guess the cuts required, and the subsequent failure I figured I will do it properly.
So after some quick maths that, I thought I would never use ("When will I ever need to work out the circumference of a circle?" lol), I worked out the length of the required segments and began cutting. It was then tacked into position on the flange and a section of mandrel bend i had left over from the manifold tacked into place. It was then tried onto the car to double check the route it will take before going further.

Initial route I tried would have put the wastegate runner on a collision course with the clutch master cylinder, so it was rotated to make it run inside of the 3inch pipe
img0754gw.jpg

img0755t.jpg


Now happy with the route, I continued to make the rest of the wastegate runner.
img0762fa.jpg

img0761ar.jpg


With the runner complete, I had to drill the hole in the 3inch section and profile it to the correct shape. I began with a 13mm hole(the biggest drill I had) and after trying and failing to file the rest out by hand, I bought a Makita Die Grinder and Carbide Burr. Made it soo much easier and faster
img0760mo.jpg


It was then tried on the car one last time, and then I sent the manifold and downpipe away to be TIG welded.
Some pics after I received the manifold/downpipe back from the welders.
p1030304q.jpg

p1030305ra.jpg

p1030303k.jpg

p1030306si.jpg

p1030307w.jpg


Fitted to the car.
p1030302x.jpg


There has been some slight distortion/warping to the manifold-head flange so this will need to be sent away to be machined flat and in the mean time I will clean up some of the internal welds in the downpipe to make flow as smooth as possible without risking inducing weaknesses. I have the lambda bosses now so will decided on the best placement for them in the downpipe and drill the holes.

I am now also a member of the CGTI TIG welding club. Bought very late Monday evening and arrived today, so very happy with the service. It is only a basic welder and average powered but until I get the hang of TIG'ing itwill be fine.
p1030312zg.jpg

What came in the box
TIG lance || MMA welding lance || Earth cable || Argon gas regulator || Pipe from Reg to welder || Packet containing shrouds/2 rods/2 bosses for rods || 160amp DC welder
So not bad for a starter kit and hopefully will enable me to make the rest of the exhaust system/any little bit and pieces.
p1030310i.jpg
 
Cheers chaps, much appreciated.
 
Okay so managed to get a bit more done recently.

Popped down to Lister & Sons Ltd the other day and had them make me some custom lines for the turbo.
img0808yk.jpg

img0809yc.jpg


They're good quality and they even made them while I waited. The turbo oil feed pipe is a -4 size with a fixed 90 elbow at one end and the other end is 2-peice so that it wasn't critical which way the ends were fitted.
The turbo coolant feed/return I had made in -6 size. They did sell the adapters but they were made from Aluminium and with Ali being soft, I wasn't keen on the idea. I found a company on eBay where i got them from in the end, made from steel.

img0807mr.jpg


For anyone interested the thread sizes are as follows.

Coolant feed for turbo at rear of engine - M14 x 1.5mm
Oil feed for turbo (in oil filter housing) - M12 x 1.5mm

Oil feed for turbo CHRA (TD05hr-16G6 10.5t) - M12 x 1.25mm
Coolant feed for turbo CHRA (TD05hr-16G6 10.5T) - M14 x 1.5mm

I then set about welding in the lambda bosses for the ECU & Stack wideband gauge. Thread size M18 x 1.5mm. Now bare in mind I'm very much a TIG welding noob lol and up to yet my practice consists of faffing at whatever stainless bits i had left over from the manifold lol
Enough of the excuses.

img0803ad.jpg

img0804j.jpg


Trial fitted it onto the car to see how the pipes would run/check clearance on lambda sensor against bulkhead.

img0805j.jpg

img0802se.jpg


I also managed to break the plastic cam on the throttle body where that the cables goes around. I bought another throttle body off eBay and when it arrived at a quick glance it looks identical to the old throttle body. However when trying to fit it I discovered the wiring connector is different[:x] I then got my soldering iron out and plastic welded the old plastic cam back together.

img0806hw.jpg


Seems strong enough and didn't budge after I grabbed it and gave it a pull :)
I'm slowly collecting some more stainless 3inch for the exhaust system. I know have a meter length of straight, a large bend radius 180 mandrel, tight bend radius 90 mandrel and a 3 x 6inch flexi. All bought from a fella on ASN, Cheers Welly:thumbup: I've also had 2 V-Band kits arrive today, so will buy more as & when I need them.

Cheers for reading :thumbup:
 
Hi james looking good mate nice progress on the wheels and well impressed with the pipework. Sorry couldn't chat at the petrol station, me and that chap behind were really ****** at the woman in front who decided to have a full blown conversation with the woman next to her, blocking both pumps and holding everybody up, just didn't want to do the same lol.
 
Right, thought I had better update this a bit although progress of late is a bit slow.

Managed to buy a MK3 Golf GTi fuel tank, pump & wiring connector, tank straps and all lines inc. filter bracket etc for the grand sum of £40 which wasn't too bad I don't think, from a local scrappie. Gave the tank a good blast off with the pressure washer and removed the intank pump and gave the inside a clean to remove/clear out 10+years worth of crap and dirt. The tank straps were looking a bit crusty aswell so they were media blasted and then gave a quick coat of Hammerite Smooth Black, they just need one final coat of paint and they are good to go on. Pics of the straps etc to come this weekend.

Well in preparation for the MK3 fuel tank I decided to strip the existing fuel tank off the MK2. But when undoing the fixings I heard the ominous sound of crunching rust, which filled me with dread as to what I was going to find beneath.

The usual filler neck panel had bit the dust, but more worryingly was the noises I heard when undoing the tank strap bolts.
img0812q.jpg

img0813er.jpg


I also took the opportunity to get a good look/poke around the filler hole inner skin. The results, while not too bad in the grand scheme, were not good.
img0814nb.jpg


So some patch work required, but nothing major:thumbup:

Set to work removing the old tank filler neck bracket with a spot weld drill and a 90degree adapter for the powerdrill.
Panel removed and the skin underneath was solid :D
img0815dol.jpg


I then ground back all but 2 of the spot welds, which will be used for alignment purposes, and also wire brushed the skin back to bare metal and applied to coats of Zinc 182 antirust primer. Not forgetting to ensure the panel was completely dry(heatgun) and clean prior to priming.
img0819g.jpg


The filler neck bracket off the car.
img0816cf.jpg


Old vs New with part number below for anyone interested.
img0817ld.jpg


I then transferred the alignment spot weld to the new panel and drilled some more holes for new spot welds.
img0822yq.jpg


The repair panel was then welded on and given 2 coats of Zinc182 for some protection, just needs some seam sealer applying and it's done. I have decided though that I am going to completely strip all original underseal/paint in both wheel arches and apply new primer, paint, seam sealer and underseal so at least then I know it is all solid.

I then started to look at the tank strap mounting points. Now as stated earlier, crunching noises were heard when undoing the bolts and I feared that I would have to cut sections out and patch them. But after attacking them with the wire wheel on the angle grinder they were solid, which was a huge relief. As with the wheel arches, while I have access I had chose to strip the original underseal,paint off and reapply new to freshen it up for peace of mind.

Prior to the above, I felt the need to give my bank card a beating so proceeded to buy some bits 'n' bobs :)

New Corrado VR6 radiator from GSF
img0823vu.jpg


Also bought the flange for the top. These are no longer available through the dealer network and VWHeritage are the cheapest place I could find that could get hold of them. I got 2 so I will have a spare.
img0826o.jpg


Sambo, off here, had a few gearbox's for sale/breaking. So I bought a later 02J shift tower, cable bracket and bottom cup from him. Great service and couldn't recommend him enough. Cheers bud :thumbup:
img0828ni.jpg


Got busy on eBay sourcing suitable lines/connectors for when I make up the oil return for the turbo. I bought a stainless -10 weld on fitting which, after cutting down the original K03 oil return, is now welded onto the original oil return pipe. The following hose & connectors were purchased from Torques_uk. They seem good quality and are bigger than what I had imagined lol
img0827i.jpg


A fuel pump to feed the engine from the surge tank I will be fabricating. I chose the Driven2Automotive DA-31. A fella on ASN is using one on his big turbo Audi S3 so I figured it should be more than man enough for my application. LINK TO DA-31.

Top tip, they are available from Driven2Automotive on eBay but if you buy direct you will save some money. Not a great deal but every little helps etc.
img0824pg.jpg


Got some exhaust silencers made to my specifications. Massive thanks to Richard MK2 for getting my the dimensions of the boxes. Thanks mate :thumbup:
They were made by a local company, Birchills Automotive who are affiliated with the MSA Britcar Endurance Series and are top quality. If anyone in the Midlands is making their own system, these guys are highly recommended.
img0829da.jpg

img0830fg.jpg

img0831s.jpg


The smaller of the 2 is a 3inch straight through box. The larger is a single 3inch in and a twin 2.5inch outlet. Both made to Jetex silencer sizes.

In other news, I have been recently doing some research into the ME3.8.3 engine management system. Information on the internet seems to be quite sparse in regards to both maps and IMMO. The research is purely out of interest, I have neither the confidence or equipment to event attempt modifying maps or desoldering chips etc.

I did decide to open up the ECU to see if I could recognise any of the chips on the board and inside I found something of interest. I think, not 100%, that there may already be some sort of chip already fitted to the ECU. I will contact Bill@Badger5 and Niki@R-Tech in the hope they can share some insight as to whether or not they are standard.

In the mean time, does anyone have any ideas as to what/where it came from?
img0834tb.jpg

img0841bv.jpg

img0837ms.jpg

img0840ct.jpg

img0838eq.jpg


Thanks for reading. Comments welcome
 
Hi james looking good mate nice progress on the wheels and well impressed with the pipework. Sorry couldn't chat at the petrol station, me and that chap behind were really ****** at the woman in front who decided to have a full blown conversation with the woman next to her, blocking both pumps and holding everybody up, just didn't want to do the same lol.

Haha, no problem Chris. Car is looking well by the way fella! :thumbsup:
 
Evening fellas & ladies,

Progress on the Golf until recently had all but came to a standstill due to me buying something big and made out of mortar and bricks. I am pleased to say that my house does have a garage with a pit in though :D. So as soon as the Golf has all wheels back on and is mobile I will be moving it to it's new home.

Anyway, after going to GTi International, I had some renewed enthusiasm for the car. I began by stripping as much underseal as possible from under the rear of the car with an angle grinder with wire wheel attached. This was a horrid/time consuming job and as such have no progress pictures.

As I was stripping the underseal around the fuel tank strap bracket, that is fixed to the spare wheel well, I found a small amount of rust and subsequently the wire wheel made a hole. I could have patched up the small hole and welded a new bracket on. However when the bracket was removed the spare wheel well metal appeared to have wasted/pitting on the surface so it was cut out and I made a repair panel.

After the underseal was removed I treated the bare metal with Hammerite Kurust Anti-rust treatment. It's simple stuff. Brush on and when it has done it's thing the metal turns a dark blue/black colour. I then applied a couple coats of Zinc 182 to the entire area and allowed to dry.
7xbc.jpg


Followed by a couple coats of satin black paint.
y4v7.jpg


It has since been treated with 2 coats of 3M Underbody Schutz Sealant. I will get a picture soon to show. A note of caution if you intend to use this stuff under your car. Wear an old jacket/jumper and keep anything with hair covered (arms/head/beard) as when it's dry it's a B*****d to get off without it looking like you tried for a budget body waxing session lol.

With the underneath done I set about cutting out the rotten section of the inner fuel filler hole. Some PAD(Paper aided design) ensued and a repair panel made by myself. This was welded in and I stripped as much underseal from the wheel arch as possible. I followed the same process as above and I'm happy to say that it is now done and is ready for the fuel tank to be fitted.

I then started on finishing the exhaust system. It took a while and the rear axle area in particular was a pain but I got there. The hangers were made by myself out of 10mm diameter T304 Stainless rod. Bending and shaping the rod was a huge pain in the ring due to the sheer amount of force needed but with an application of heat and a big hammer I got them formed and tacked onto the silencers. I have used V-band fittings throughout to allow a small amount of adjustability.

Enough talking, a couple of pics of the system and some of my welds on the V-band flanges.
q4vd.jpg


rbxy.jpg


prx8.jpg


rww8.jpg


uf6q.jpg


I have since fitted the later 02J shift tower that I bought off Sambo along with some fresh gearbox oil. I also bought a Seat Ibiza Cupra shifter from another member, D4LFR, which I have also fitted. I have top mounted the shifter on the tunnel inside the car on some aluminium brackets that I made.

Next plans are to mount the fuel tank and route the feed/return pipes into the boot where they will connect to a surge tank. The fuel lines will then supply the DA-31 and then run back underneath the car and to the engine. I plan to try and seal off the spare wheel well area from the rest of the cabin along with some sort of fire proofing so that, should the worst happen, it should prevent/slow down any fire spreading. Going overboard maybe, but I'd rather not run the risk.

I have also bought a Forge adjustable turbo actuator to be used when the engine has been ran in and is ready to be mapped. It was originally destined for a Nissan 350Z which has a aftermarket turbo kit fitted. I chose this because it uses the newer piston designed actuator which offers a very similar amount of travel to the K03 actuator. It also comes without any sort of bracket/rods. This is a plus point in that I don't pay for a bracket that I wouldn't use. That being said it still cost a pretty penny :eek:

5e01.jpg


5e01.jpg


That's all for now, thanks for reading.
 
Evening all,

So I've done a bit more. With my plans to take the car on track when done I figured I would build a surge tank. So I hit eBay and bought some 4" x 4" x 9" aluminium box section and also some weld on AN fittings.

So having worked out the size and orientation, I cut the box section down to a length of 5". This gives me a capacity of 1.3litres which should be adequate. The end caps were cut out of aliminium sheet that I had lying around and filed all the sides square and I put a slight chamfer along the inside edges to ensure good weld penetration. The holes were then drilled to allow for the AN fittings. I don't have any "in progress" so you will have to make do with an "assembled" shot.

9ya3.jpg

rymj.jpg


That was all done last Sunday and I managed to get it over to Radtec to be welded up today. Needless to say, the welds are a work of art and I'm over the moon with the outcome.

Pound coin next to it is for size reference.
lo15.jpg

bmyx.jpg


A nice close up of the welds.
32lq.jpg


In hindsight I could maybe have bought a surge tank cheaper off eBay or the likes, but they mostly appeared to stand upright and because I want to hide it in the spare wheel they wouldn't have worked.
Since my last update I have mounted the fuel tank and soldered on the Mk3 fuel pump plug onto the Mk2 loom. I also bought some fittings and some teflon fuel hose so should hopefully make a start on mounting the surge tank and plumbing it in as soon as I get time.

Thanks for looking.
 
Evening all,

In the grand scheme of things didn't actually get much work done on the car today, my dad's X5 decided to spit it's headlamp washer jet out while driving along so had to fit a new one.

I did however have a tidy up in the Golf and return my tools to their rightful place. The Golf was slowly but surely becoming my second toolbox lol. I also began making up some of the teflon fuel hoses and documented the process for any one looking to make their own in future.

To begin with I will run through what is required/advised.

1x Length of Teflon fuel hose
1x Teflon fuel hose fitting
1x 19mm spanner (May vary depending upon brand of fitting (Earls/Aeroquip/Goodridge/Torques etc)
1x Vice (Preferably with soft jaw attachments, though not strictly necessary)
1x Method of cutting the hose ( I will go into this in a moment)

op6g.jpg

The Teflon core hose and teflon hose fitting side by side

y72e.jpg

A close up shot of the construction of the hose. From what I've read, the teflon core greatly reduces the fuel smell that you can get with rubber core braided hose.

l707.jpg

The fitting disassembled. From left to right. The Fitting | Fitting Olive | Fitting Collar

Next is the method of cutting the hose. There are few ways of doing this, each with varying results. With any method you should always wrap where you plan to cut with tape, this is to reduce/stop the braid from fraying when cutting.

040213230.jpg

Heavy duty cable cutters, available from Machine Mart/eBay/Amazon etc. Give a nice clean cut but can be expensive for a decent set.

66126.jpg

The good old hacksaw, though when cutting braided hose it is recommended to use a 32 TPI (Teeth per inch) hacksaw blade NOT the 24 pictured. Creates little mess though stands the highest chance of making the outer braid fray, which can make assembly a bit more work.

94740035c4035b86f710313750711910.jpg

Cut off saw with abrasive wheel. Fast, easy and will give a square cut. They do however create some mess that will need to be thoroughly cleaned from inside the hose. This method can cause some fraying to the outer braid.

Silverline%20Bolster%20Chisel%2057mm%2078307_enl.jpg

The brute force option. A sharpened bolster chisel and a hammer. This method gives a nice clean cut with no mess. Just make sure you've got good hand eye co-ordination as it requires a hefty blow. I went with this option but with added "bodge" lol

849e0886-b67c-4306-b69f-d281ef4be885.jpg

Yes that is a blade from a kitchen cleaver I found in one of my dads toolbox drawers. (Believe it or not, I still have all my fingers :thumbup:)

a8t2.jpg

So mark/tape where you want to cut.

ayqv.jpg

If you're going to use the brute force option, you will need something solid the rest the hose on for cutting. Place the chisel/knife blade onto the hose and deliver a good solid hit with the hammer. It may take 2 hits so keep at it.

7zsn.jpg

After cutting you will find the hose has lost it's round shape. Use some pliers to reshape the hose back round.

jbvv.jpg

Next slide the Fitting Collar over the end, BEFORE removing the tape.

kzna.jpg

Then remove the tape and gently open up the braid a bit with a small screwdriver. It doesn't need to be opened up much, just enough so that the Olive can go on.

mmu0.jpg

Push the Olive onto the Teflon core. There is a small stop inside the Olive so it will only go so far in.

z1tl.jpg

Next place the Fitting into the vice but make sure to wrap the Fitting in some tape before to protect it from scratches/damage. Then push the Olive & hose onto the tail of the Fitting.

eggf.jpg

With the hose pushed all the way onto the Fitting. Slide the Collar up over the Olive while rotating it to engage the threads.

yje7.jpg

Tighten the collar up and et voila you have finished assembly. Rinse and repeat for other joints and job done.

I've managed to make the fuel tank > surge tank hose; and the surge tank > high pressure pump hose. So will make some more when I get time. Not much of an update I know, but thanks for reading anyway.
 
Liking the shines bling bling hoses Jim, I wouldn't mind changing my catch can hoses to braided. I didn't know you went to inters our pub lot all camped over the 3 days drunken fun though lol, did you camp or just go up for the day
 
Cheers Chris. Yeah they turned out pretty good considering it was my first attempt. If you need a hand making up the lines mate just give me a shout. :thumbsup:

Only went up for the Sunday. I did see your motor on the pitch though, looking very tidy bud.
 
Evening all.

Been doing some bits and bobs recently so thought I would update the thread.

Following on from last time. I have now finished making and routing all the fuel pipes throughout the car.
IMG_0926.jpg


The black body that is fitted to the fuel pump is a billet aluminium bodied fuel filter. I chose this for a couple reasons, A; It's looks sweet and B; It allows a neater installation of the filter system so additional brackets etc aren't needed.
All that's left to do regarding the fueling now is to secure the surge tank and fuel pump in the spare wheel well and fit some cable ties so the pipework is neater. Oh and give a damn good clean, haha.

I bought an Toyosport Type B intercooler from eBay, this in other circles is known as the "Wellycooler" and is proven to be effective at 400hp+ so will be good enough for my needs. It's a bargain too when you compare it to other "known brand" intercoolers. The core measure 600mm x 300mm x 76mm, with an overall length of 790mm. I had my reservations as to whether it was going to actually fit between the chassis legs but thankfully it does, just. I've had to mount it upside down so the in/outlet are at the top for boost pipework routing purposes. Link to the intercooler >> LINK

255d27a7-1315-4330-be56-cb95a33946ad.jpg


The above is pre-mounted to I can assure you it sits straight and level now, lol. The areas (poorly) circled in red are areas that required some modification to the slam panel. The one to left is to give the outlet boost pipe clearance otherwise the hose would have been distorted. The section in the middle of the panel required some material grinding out so that the cooler would sit vertical and give some clearance for the radiator behind.

IMG_0923.jpg


The cooler mounted and grill refitted. I did think at first I would have to lose the spot lights but was very happy when I learned they could stay. There should be enough room to have them electrically reconnected too which is a bonus. The mounting brackets I made/bent myself out of sheet 5mm sheet aluminium, so will be nice and strong/secure. I'm very tempted to spray the intercooler black for some added stealth but that can be done at a later date.

IMG_0922.jpg

IMG_0924.jpg


With the cooler mounted I could then work out a suitable position for the VR6 rad to fit. I used one of the OE mounting holes on the nearside of the crossmember but had to make a bracket myself for the offside radiator leg to sit in. With the position decided I made some brackets for the top of the rad to hold in position. The old alarm system horn mounting bracket gave it's life for these :).
I plumbed the rad in with various silicon bends and stainless pipe, which I had to weld beads onto the ends to prevent pipes popping off. The top/part of the bottom hoses can be seen in the above. Last of all was to fit a method of cooling the rad. This was achieved by use of a universal slimline fan bought from eBay, which fits lovely. I may buy another smaller fan to fit at the side for extra airflow.

IMG_0925.jpg

IMG_0921.jpg


Finally to finish the rad/cooler setup is the charge pipework. The intercooler has 76mm in/outlets on it so some 76>63mm 90 degree reducers were sourced and used. The rest of the pipework is all in 63mm using various bends with stainless joiner pipes. Again I had to weld beads on these to prevent them popping off when under boost. On the longer straight piece of stainless pipe I have welded the original DV take off from the K03 charge pipe which you can just make out in one of the pictures.

IMG_0927.jpg

IMG_0928.jpg


The wheels now have the tyres refitted to them with some rather nice valves fitted that I bought from eBay (You spotted a pattern yet). They are Team Dynamics aluminium valves which I chose because I didn't want ugly black rubber valves fitted and they also fit more flush with the wheel lips so there is no chance of them being caught by anything and damaging them. To check pressure you have to remove the "flat head" blank plug and fit an adapter, simple but smart idea I thought.

IMG_0929.jpg


Couldn't resist test fitting one whilst I was moving them around. :)

Finally, I have bought some 550cc injectors from USRT which should have me covered for when the car is being mapped. They were a good deal even when delivery and import tax was factored into the equation. 4 injectors and loom adapters + delivery and taxes came in at roughly 275£. Which when you consider some UK companies want £99 + VAT each injector then £20 + VAT for a loom adapter means I made quite a saving.

I would love to have got them from a UK company but when I could save a large chunk of cash, I had no other option I'm afraid.

Main things next on the list are;
Top mounts for the coilovers and they can then be fitted which will finish off the suspension.
Some exhaust tips need to be sourced so that I can finish off the exhaust system.
I need to finish making the braces for the turbo/manifold.
Fabricate a turbo TIP and source a suitable filter.
Fabricate a waste gate actuator bracket.
Mount the header tank and source and adapter for the turbo coolant feed pipe.
Finish off the wiring for ECU and wrap loom.
Relocate the battery behind where the passenger seat will be.
GIVE IT A CLEAN OUT!! lol

Thanks for reading.
 
Evening fellas,

Been having a play with electrical stuff today. Namely ECU's :eek:. Now following on from previous posts/insight from Eddie, I purchased a 06A 906 018 CG ecu. This now meant I had a spare "Chipped" ECU. Ideally I would like to use this for running in purposes, as it SHOULD have increased fueling which should be a bit safer than running stock fueling. This left me with the prospect of having 2 ECU's IMMO defeated each at a quoted cost of ~£100. [8(]

Now the chipped ECU would only be used for running in and the CG ECU swapped over for mapping so I couldn't see the point in effectively throwing £100 down the toilet. This put some thoughts through my head and I figured I would have a bash as IMMO defeating myself. A lot of research later and I had a rough idea of what needed reading/editing/writing etc and the task began.


c8971ee6-35f0-4f83-9fbd-f5ff7731e185.jpg

4034b577-b7a6-40ff-89b2-390de2a01b73.jpg

I bought a cheap generic EEPROM reader/programmer off eBay. A KEEPROG USB reader/programmer. Note: These photo's were taken after an incident with the soldering iron and the USB cable resting on it hence the bodge repair to the cable, lol.

c22e3947-573c-4793-8fbd-7f01f1303971.jpg

Along with the reader I bought some DIP8 > SOIC8 adapter boards and some PCB headers.

027a04b8-db9e-49bb-b929-7bd57e1b030b.jpg

One "chipped" ECU

c5b9801f-6c87-491e-8b2c-f73469413b22.jpg

244156e8-6619-473b-acfc-791af281bf74.jpg

The IMMO 24C02 chip and the location on the board. This was desoldered after a lot of fiddling/struggling lol

270672a0-66df-48cf-bec6-b898423d0d17.jpg

The adapter board and header assembled.

e0ad3c9e-e8e0-47d7-802f-2c6eab11ec8d.jpg

Above is how they sit on the programmer. Those 2 were part of 3 failed attempts at getting a good consistent data dump from the 24C02 chip. The issue I encountered was that the pins of the header legs wouldn't go completely into the socket on the programmer. This meant that having all the leg heights the same was very important to ensure a good connection. However I just couldn't achieve this and kept getting odd data dumps. I then tried soldering wires directly to the IMMO chip itself and pushing them into the sockets. This again yielded poor connections and odd data.

By this point I was getting rather fed up/annoyed and almost threw it all on the floor in anger lol.

534249cb-69d4-46ea-9ccd-e54b2a8227d5.jpg

One last ditch attempt was made and I came up with the above. The jumper wire was added much later, I will explain the reason in a moment.

c4e09489-2767-4ba3-b2b4-70ac7022b728.jpg

How it sat on the board. Now while this solution worked and allowed good consistent data dumps. As above with the jumper wire.

f0365e52-ae58-456f-8350-c1ff98e9722a.jpg

Then hooked up to the laptop for play time. The drivers for the programmer took some work to install but eventually they installed.

Keeprogsoftware1.jpg

The software for the programmer. First step was to hit "READ" followed by "VIEW BUFFER". View buffer opens a small window where you can verify what you have just read from the chip. If all looks good then you hit "SAVE FILE" and choose a name location to save the .BIN file to.

d1045b43-d74e-4bd6-a825-96377711e2de.png

Open up your preferred hex editor then promptly poo yourself when faced with the above.

3fe8a2e7-6780-4d1d-82f1-63946a66a271.png

Make the necessary changes to the coding and recalculate the checksums (hopefully correctly lol). Save the file and prepare to write it to the IMMO chip.

KeeprogsoftwareWrite.jpg

Back to the programmer software. Hit "OPEN FILE" and navigate to you modified .BIN file. Ordinarily you would now hit "WRITE" and be greeted with a successful message. This however wasn't the case for me. I kept getting an "write address error message". A lot of google-ing later revealed that there is a Write Protect pin on the 24C02 chip which needs to be earthed out and enable writing to the chip.

Now I knew for definite that my connection to the socket was now good. So I was left with either and programmer issue or I've knackered the chip with copious amounts of soldering. It was at this point that I fitted the jumper wire I mentioned earlier. This bridges pins 7 (write protect) and pin 4 (chip ground) together. I retried writing my modified .BIN file and SUCCESS. I was greeted by a success dialogue box. I then re-read the chip to confirm it had been wrote correctly.

All that is left now is to resolder the IMMO chip back onto the ECU and test it. I can't actually try and run the engine at the moment so I can only temporarily wire it in and see if any immbiliser codes are stored but it is looking good :thumbup:.

In other news, I have made a panel for the spare wheel well to mount the surge tank and fuel pump to. Original plan was to use sheet steel but I couldn't help but think it would either A: Be light but flimsy or B: Heavy but strong. So I opted to cut it out of a sheet of left over perspex from the blasting cabinet we made. The perspex is approx 5/6mm thick so fairly rigid but also still quite light.

I've also took delivery of some more silicon hoses/reducers so I can pipe in the Forge Diverter valve and continue with TIP fabrication. Also picked up some new SKF rear suspension top mounts ready for coilover fitting.

The above is by no means meant as guide, just merely documenting the process I went through.

Thanks for reading.

James
 
  • Like
Reactions: AdamL and Westy
Okay so update time.

The ECU IMMO delete didn't go to plan unfortunately. While the EEPROM chip accepted the code okay and I recalculated the checksums, upon reconnecting the ECU and turning on the ignition I was greeted with nothing. No fuel pumps priming, nothing.

I quickly checked the feeds and earths to the ECU. While the feeds were showing a solid system voltage reading I found the ECU earth was showing too high resistance. This led to me completely re-doing the loom making sure that all solder joints were good. So happy now happy that the loom was perfect, I reconnected the ECU and tried the ignition again. Still nothing. As a test I plugged in my standard, none messed with, ecu and tried the ignition. Fuel pumps primed as expected so this meant that my attempt turned into a spectacular failure :thumbd:. I can only surmise that when I resoldered the chip back onto the board that I damaged one of the tracks and hence bricked the ECU.

With my failure in mind, I drove down to R-Tech Power and paid the pro's to do it for me. I was expecting to drop it off and come fetch it a couple days later, however the fella said if I could hang around an or so they would do it while I waited. :thumbup: Got home and tried the ECU on the car. All works :D. Temporarily connected VCDS to the ECU and checked for faults. Aside from some faults for disconnected sensors there was no "Engine start blocked by immobiliser" fault code; happy days.

The Fuel system is now completely finished with both the surge tank and DA-31 both mounted to a perspex sheet in the spare wheel well and all wired in. Did turn out to have a slight issue with the in tank fuel pump which I will explain a bit later on.

I bought some MK3 front top mounts and all associated nuts etc. I ended up getting them from TPS as the prices weren't too bad plus quality of part is guaranteed to be good. The rears, as mentioned in my previous post, are some SKF items purchased from the local Eurocar parts. I set about fitting the coilovers on a day off from work and love the outcome. Haven't gone too low as I want to car to be practical.

IMG_0988.jpg

IMG_0987.jpg

I actually quite like how it looks even with the sh*tty Wolfraces on [:$]

IMG_0984.jpg

IMG_0986.jpg

IMG_0985.jpg

Well I couldn't resist. I HAD to try on the BBS [8D]

I the set about sorting out my gauge arrangement. I chose to mount them in the centre console in the area where the ashtray/cigarette lighter was. I purchased the gauge surround from Awesome GTi and it is I believe a NewSouth item. After plenty of die-grinder abuse the opening was created and I slotted the gauges into their new home.
IMG_0966.jpg

The surround looks okay, not a perfect match to the console but close enough for me.

The next job for the centre console was how it is going to mounted in the car. Because I have "top mounted" the 02J shifter mech I had to profile the centre console to allow both to be fitted. This took quite some time as I wanted it to look at least a bit presentable.

20140504_185309.jpg

The shifter and console together, this gives a rough idea of how it will look. The shifter got attacked with the die grinder to remove some of the "fins" and neaten it up a bit.

20140504_185336.jpg

I tried to keep the power/lighting/earth loom for the gauges as neat and simple as possible. This meant cutting the 12v socket loom off the cigarette lighter socket and splicing it onto the loom I made for the gauges. This way it means that it is neater and also means that it will be much quicker to disconnect should i need to remove the console.

ae61e08f-c554-4824-bb47-aa4afa47774b.jpg

I cut a small hole in the storage area to mount 3 blade fuse holders for the gauges. Easy to access incase of any issues. Also cut a hole at the rear for the gear cables to pass through.

The car then got put on hold again for a while due to me doing this to the Audi.

8c89e004-cbbb-4a06-8e7f-2dbca0250866.jpg

Damage didn't look that bad in my opinion, but alas after being dicked around by the repairers and the insurance company it got wrote off [8(]. At the time I was more concerned about the car than myself, but the car did it's job and I walked away without even a scratch/bruise. Airbags didn't even go off so the impact wasn't too bad which annoyed me even more that it was wrote off.

So after driving round in a *****ty Peugeot 208 diesel thing for a couple of weeks, I figured I'd get something I'd been hankering after for while.
IMG_1019.jpg

A 2008 BMW E92 335i M-sport with a manual gearbox :thumbup:. None of that automatic malarkey here thankyou very much lol. As yet I have carried out a full KDS wheel alignment at work and very soon will be looking to give it a full service. Oil/air/fuel/cabin/spark plugs/brake fluid change, the full works. May even look at using works walnut blaster and giving the inlet valves a tickle.

Right back to the Golf. Rather foolishly with the car under a cover I decided to leave the windows open slightly to allow some air to circulate through the car, to prevent mould etc, but little did I know that the water proofing on the car cover had "worn" off (for want of a cleverer term) and allowed water into the cabin. :thumbd:

So all carpets were removed and the felting underneath squeezed out and left to dry. Bare in mind it was only the NSF felting that need hanging to dry. Come a week or so later, I came to put all the carpets back in and I couldn't find the sodding felt anywhere [:x]. This led to me buying a complete felt kit from Newton Commercials, very quick turn around by the way for anyone looking to purchase from them :thumbup:.

The under lay has as of tonight been fitted and all carpets back in the car. Now I did take pictures to document to process however I can't find the cable to my damn camera so they will be posted up as soon as I can.

Comments welcome :thumbup:

Thanks for reading.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rhubarb4
Really interesting read, will always love Mk2s and this makes me miss mine haha! Jealous of your abilities/confidence! Look forward to seeing this finished, good luck!
 
Done some more today, mainly power related.

Firstly, I'm afraid the photos I took of the underlay installation have been lost :thumbd:. But long and short, I went to install the rear underlay and had a little poke at the floor pan blanking plugs. I heard a bit of crunching and decided while access was easy that I would amputate the rust before it set in. Luckily it had only started the spread approx 10mm around the blanking plugs which meant I didn't have to remove a lot.

So with new metal cut and shaped I welded it in on both sides, primed with some Zinc182 and then applied some black spray over the top just for some coverage. I re-applied some seam sealer underneath and then finished the underlay installation off. It's straightforward enough with only some very minor trimming needed here and there. That spray glue stuff is pretty potent though and I ended up with a big head ache afterwards and hands that were comparable to Chewbaca's. lol.

With carpets in I fitted my centre console/shifter. Was a bit of a pain to connect the cable and get it all bolted down but it went in with a bit of swearing.
IMG_1194.jpg

I'm pleased with the result :thumbup:

So onto the electric stuff done today.

Because of how my turbo intake pipe runs down towards the NSF headlamp this meant that the battery couldn't be installed in the usual position, behind the headlamp, and would need relocating inside the car. I did some research into small compact race batteries and then consulted the track car bible, Prawn's A3 Track car build thread lol, where I learned that I can indeed get a "race" battery for comparatively little money.

IMG_1196.jpg

IMG_1197.jpg

So I went shopping and came back with the above, a mobility scooter battery lol. Should do me just fine :thumbup:.

IMG_1198.jpg

IMG_1199.jpg

Compared to a standard battery.

Next was to make up some cable to relocate it to the back. Looking around the net some people were using 25mm2 cable and it serving them fine, however I decided that to ensure maximum voltage reaching the starter I opted to run 35mm2 hi-flex cable. My dad managed to get me some long lengths of the desired cable from a friend who works on articulated lorry trailers which no doubt saved a considerable amount.

I took some pictures of each stage of my process when fitting the terminals to the cable to help anyone else doing a DIY.

IMG_1208.jpg
IMG_1201.jpg

1) Right strip off a small section (~10mm is usually sufficient) of insulation on your cable. If you see nice shiny copper then happy days you can go straight ahead with crimping on some terminals. However if you find the copper darkened and dirty, as above, then the copper has oxidised and requires cleaning prior to continuing.

IMG_1200.jpg

2) Don't worry the above photo is right and not me having an early drinking session lol. There is a method I found on the internet that will remove the oxidisation and uses common stuff you have at home.

In the left glass there is a vinegar and salt solution. No specific amounts needed, just enough vinegar to submerge to exposed copper and pour some salt in and stir until it has dissolved. This will act as an acid to remove the oxidisation.

In the right glass there is bicarbonate of soda and water. Again no specific amounts needed, enough water to submerge to copper and add the soda until it no longer dissolves. This is an alkaline solution and is used to simply counter the acidic solution.

IMG_1202.jpg

3) So start by spreading out the copper strands slightly to allow full cleaning.

IMG_1203.jpg

4) Submerge to exposed copper into the acidic solution and stir. Around 2mins is sufficient though you can keep going until you're happy it is clean.

IMG_1204.jpg

After around a minute of stirring.

IMG_1205.jpg

Nice and clean.

IMG_1206.jpg

5) Next you submerge the now clean copper into the alkaline solution. This should be done straight after the acidic "bath" otherwise the copper will begin to corrode again. Stir for ~10seconds and that's it, you're now ready for crimping.

IMG_1210.jpg

6) Push the terminal onto the cable and while pushing/twisting the cable into the terminal as far a possible and gave the terminal a slight squeeze in a vice to keep it all in place.

IMG_1211.jpg
IMG_1212.jpg

7) The crimping tool I used for the terminals. There are quite a few different tools available on the market, from hydraulic ram type to long handle "plier" type etc. I chose the above, I'm not going to lie; mainly because it was the cheapest £23.83 versus £100's for the others, because it is simple to use. It can operated by sheer blunt force by striking the punch with a hammer or put in a vice sideways for a bit more control. I opted for the latter.

IMG_1213.jpg

8) Put your cable with terminal into the crimping tool and, if like me, put the crimping tool a vice sideways. Tighten the vice and that's it, crimped.

IMG_1214.jpg

9) Remove cable from the tool and et voila, done.

IMG_1215.jpg

10) Lastly wrap the end of the insulation/terminal with some electrical tape and you're there. You can put some heat shrink onto the cable at the start of the process if you wish for a more "professional" appearance but I didn't have any big enough and the tape will do me lol.

IMG_1195.jpg

I bought an electrical junction box and knocked up some cables for the starter and main feed from the battery. Also made some new earth cables too.

IMG_1191.jpg
IMG_1193.jpg

I bought some through panel electrical connectors and installed them in the above position.

IMG_1216.jpg
IMG_1217.jpg

Next I ran a cable to where the battery will sit. So I just have the positive cable to run, an isolator switch to install and then knock up a battery bracket.

IMG_1192.jpg

Unrelated, I piped in the clutch using a length of braided hose and stainless connectors I bought off eBay. Then wrapped it in some heat reflective tape and finally bled it up. Clutch feels lovely and I can get all gears with engine running.

Thanks for looking :thumbup: