Volkswagen Corrado G60
Discussion
Following a hectic week last week, I was owed a day off in lieu....cue a planned day of fettling pre-Le Mans Classic next month. A couple of jobs ticked off my 'to do' list, although there's more to do before I head over.
Firstly, the headlights - a known weakness of VWs of this era, the power from the batter takes an interesting route to the lights leading to a drop in voltage by the time it gets there. Aftermarket headlight looms are a lot more common than they used to be, but that also means that cheap shoddy ones are out there waiting to burn through relays like there's no tomorrow. Hopefully I've picked a good one....
The loom is going to be put in a sandwich box for extra waterproofing because I'm paranoid.
As I had the headlights out to make the installation easier, I also decided to replace the OS lense as it had picked up a stone chip a month or so back. I bought a pair of secondhand replacement lights hoping for a straight swap, but they weren't as good as I'd hoped, and the 'couple of clips' missing were both from the headlight I wanted to replace, so I had to swap the lense over. Still, I hope the reflector will come in useful, and having found the piece of chipped glass still in the unit, I might be able to glue it back in place - no idea if it would pass an MOT mind!
All working and fitted with new OSRAM Nightbreaker Plus bulbs:
So lights done, I had the other issue of the clock unit to tackle. I suspect that the printed circuit board at the back of my units is breaking down, as when it's hot the needles get twitchy, and eventually cause the display to do interesting things. No problem in the winter, but in the summer, like in France in July, knowing how fast I'm going would be handy.
I have a set of clocks which I got from Troy at JMR - the 'reset' is broken off and the lighting is red, but I can live with both of these things if I have a rev counter and a working speedo! This is mostly because having taken the front off to see if I could do anything about it, I found it beyond my talents:
|http://thumbsnap.com/WQ6xFCOd[/url]
The old:
out they come:
[url]
New ones in - a lower mileage unfortunately, but having just publicly posted this on a forum, its not like I'm trying to hide the fact:
Still got some issues with the stereo and so I'm off to the scrappy tomorrow for my shakedown run to see if the clocks work and to look for a replacement....
Cheers,
Tom
Firstly, the headlights - a known weakness of VWs of this era, the power from the batter takes an interesting route to the lights leading to a drop in voltage by the time it gets there. Aftermarket headlight looms are a lot more common than they used to be, but that also means that cheap shoddy ones are out there waiting to burn through relays like there's no tomorrow. Hopefully I've picked a good one....
The loom is going to be put in a sandwich box for extra waterproofing because I'm paranoid.
As I had the headlights out to make the installation easier, I also decided to replace the OS lense as it had picked up a stone chip a month or so back. I bought a pair of secondhand replacement lights hoping for a straight swap, but they weren't as good as I'd hoped, and the 'couple of clips' missing were both from the headlight I wanted to replace, so I had to swap the lense over. Still, I hope the reflector will come in useful, and having found the piece of chipped glass still in the unit, I might be able to glue it back in place - no idea if it would pass an MOT mind!
All working and fitted with new OSRAM Nightbreaker Plus bulbs:
So lights done, I had the other issue of the clock unit to tackle. I suspect that the printed circuit board at the back of my units is breaking down, as when it's hot the needles get twitchy, and eventually cause the display to do interesting things. No problem in the winter, but in the summer, like in France in July, knowing how fast I'm going would be handy.
I have a set of clocks which I got from Troy at JMR - the 'reset' is broken off and the lighting is red, but I can live with both of these things if I have a rev counter and a working speedo! This is mostly because having taken the front off to see if I could do anything about it, I found it beyond my talents:
|http://thumbsnap.com/WQ6xFCOd[/url]The old:
out they come:
[url]New ones in - a lower mileage unfortunately, but having just publicly posted this on a forum, its not like I'm trying to hide the fact:
Still got some issues with the stereo and so I'm off to the scrappy tomorrow for my shakedown run to see if the clocks work and to look for a replacement....
Cheers,
Tom
More fascinating Corrado updates ;-)
The shakedown run reveals that the new clocks work fine, the revs, speedo and MFA all read correctly, and I now have a fuel gauge that gives a more accurate indication of how much petrol is in the tank. A revolutionary idea.
I had removed the airbox cone on the grounds that doing so on my MK2 GTD made it sound better. That is very much not the case on the G60, giving a headache inducing drone at low revs, so I put it back again.
Having not yet found a working replacement stereo (a sign of the times that there is a single MK2 Golf in the scrapyard, when the last time I went for parts there were 4), I put the modern blue lit horror back, but found a manual that tells me how to activate the dimmer function.
I also replaced the door pins, which on the passenger side especially had led to the door not closing properly. A couple more items to address pre Le Mans Classic, but that's next weekend.
Out with the old:
In with the new (add Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 reference here)
Cheers,
Tom
The shakedown run reveals that the new clocks work fine, the revs, speedo and MFA all read correctly, and I now have a fuel gauge that gives a more accurate indication of how much petrol is in the tank. A revolutionary idea.
I had removed the airbox cone on the grounds that doing so on my MK2 GTD made it sound better. That is very much not the case on the G60, giving a headache inducing drone at low revs, so I put it back again.
Having not yet found a working replacement stereo (a sign of the times that there is a single MK2 Golf in the scrapyard, when the last time I went for parts there were 4), I put the modern blue lit horror back, but found a manual that tells me how to activate the dimmer function.
I also replaced the door pins, which on the passenger side especially had led to the door not closing properly. A couple more items to address pre Le Mans Classic, but that's next weekend.
Out with the old:
In with the new (add Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 reference here)
Cheers,
Tom
A quick update following a little trip down to Le Mans Classic...
The vacuum pipe at the back of the new clocks has not been properly connected (by me of course) leading to false MPG readings on the MFA - while the calculated MPG for the trip was around 30-33, the reading is down to 3 MPG. I'm not driving it THAT hard....
Also, the new clocks appear to have no lighting - I'm not sure I can live with this after all - I like to use the car after dark after all, and the answer to the question - 'Do you know how fast you were going sir' should probably not start with an explanation of not being able to read my clocks.... Time to hunt for more or see if I can take them out and replace the lights.
As to the trip itself, the oil cooler meant it eat up the 1100-odd mile round trip with no complaints despite the 35 degree heat outside. The oil temp sits at 90-92 degrees, reaching the heady heights of 102 degrees when heat soaking in Rouen on the way down.
A cracking time convoying down with a pair of bikes and my mate in a Mustang - so rather than any meaningful work on the car, here are some pics. We were parked next to a C63 AMG Estate with a PH Sticker in (a very dusty) Beausejours too!
The vacuum pipe at the back of the new clocks has not been properly connected (by me of course) leading to false MPG readings on the MFA - while the calculated MPG for the trip was around 30-33, the reading is down to 3 MPG. I'm not driving it THAT hard....
Also, the new clocks appear to have no lighting - I'm not sure I can live with this after all - I like to use the car after dark after all, and the answer to the question - 'Do you know how fast you were going sir' should probably not start with an explanation of not being able to read my clocks.... Time to hunt for more or see if I can take them out and replace the lights.
As to the trip itself, the oil cooler meant it eat up the 1100-odd mile round trip with no complaints despite the 35 degree heat outside. The oil temp sits at 90-92 degrees, reaching the heady heights of 102 degrees when heat soaking in Rouen on the way down.
A cracking time convoying down with a pair of bikes and my mate in a Mustang - so rather than any meaningful work on the car, here are some pics. We were parked next to a C63 AMG Estate with a PH Sticker in (a very dusty) Beausejours too!
I did thanks, it turns out that the first stereo I bought wasn't the best (no radio and would retain power after switch off), so I managed to bag another.
A Blaupunkt from a Polo of similar vintage is now in the dash, plays tapes, picks up the radio, and most importantly, looks correct
Now to transfer some CDs to tape!
Cheers,
Tom
A Blaupunkt from a Polo of similar vintage is now in the dash, plays tapes, picks up the radio, and most importantly, looks correct
Now to transfer some CDs to tape!
Cheers,
Tom
darkyoung1000 said:
I did thanks, it turns out that the first stereo I bought wasn't the best (no radio and would retain power after switch off), so I managed to bag another.
A Blaupunkt from a Polo of similar vintage is now in the dash, plays tapes, picks up the radio, and most importantly, looks correct
Now to transfer some CDs to tape!
Cheers,
Tom
Fantastic car! Although you need to sort your centre caps out.A Blaupunkt from a Polo of similar vintage is now in the dash, plays tapes, picks up the radio, and most importantly, looks correct
Now to transfer some CDs to tape!
Cheers,
Tom
Anyway, feel like revisiting the 90ies?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-AUDIO-TAPE-CASSETTE-...
Ahhh, the centre caps. A yellowish tinge when I bought the car, I sprayed then with a silver wheel paint just to make them look less rubbish, but know more work is need.
I plan to get the wheels refurbed, and the centre caps with them....but not until the tyres are due replacement. I'd really like that to be soon as the Toyos on there have poor wet weather grip, but suspect there's at least 6 months left in them. Maybe a track day to speed things up is in order!
On stereo matters, I have the cassette to 3.5mm jack...but my phone is now playing up on the music front, so tapes it is for now :-D
Cheers,
Tom
I plan to get the wheels refurbed, and the centre caps with them....but not until the tyres are due replacement. I'd really like that to be soon as the Toyos on there have poor wet weather grip, but suspect there's at least 6 months left in them. Maybe a track day to speed things up is in order!
On stereo matters, I have the cassette to 3.5mm jack...but my phone is now playing up on the music front, so tapes it is for now :-D
Cheers,
Tom
Edited by darkyoung1000 on Tuesday 9th August 22:11
Ah...MOT time, the bane of the old VW owner. On this occasion, I was aware that it would definitely fail on the OSF brake pipe, which I knew needed replacing, and that I wanted to fix the OSF steering gaiter which was also perished.
Aside from that, I wasn't aware of any show stoppers, having had a good look around when the tracking was done in mid-July.
So up it went onto axle stands, and off with the front wheels to reveal the culprit:
Hmmm....on closer inspections, better do the small length of pipe between the hose and the caliper as well....
All formed up and ready to be flared and installed:
Upon closer inspection (and cleaning off the dirt) I found three separate bulges in the brake hose, better replace that too as well! Glad that didn't go under braking....
Had to cut the bloody thing off with a hacksaw, but as I was replacing both pipe and line, brute force won out where plus gas and the correct 11mm brake spanner had failed.
The Steering gaiter was a PITA - access to remove it is over the wishbone and subframe. Access to put the new one on is the same... The view of where it is from the rear of the car over the suspension - no real access for getting it on and crimped up, but some skinned knuckles and hands later, it had been done from the wheel arch. This is the view from the underside:
In case anyone needs to do it, the procedure is simple:
Remove the nut from the bottom of the track rod end connection to the wishbone.
Tape up with insulation tape or similar where the track rod end is on the track rod.
Hold the track rod end with one spanner and undo the locking nut from the back. Punching yourself in the face with an adjustable spanner is remarkable easy at this point....
Pull the old boot off (remarkably easy if the old one is only secured with a cable tie).
Apply some black Li-moly grease to the steering gear.
Attempt for half an hour to coax the new boot onto the steering rack using a combination of bad language, threats of violence, pleas and access that isn't quite good enough.
Having finally installed it, then attempt to put the supplied clamp in the correct place and clamp it using a tool with inadequate leverage through a gap with which a small child would struggle.
Decide that while not fully clamped, it's no worse (hell it's better....) than the previous cable tied solution which hadn't come loose, and leave it alone rather than fiddle and dislodge it.
Having done all this, I bled the brakes and tested the new pipes for leaks (there were none), then realised that in using my cunning gizmo to prevent an excess of air getting into the system, I had nearly flattened the battery as I didn't disconnect it....
Battery charged and car placed on driveway ready to go, I pushed off to Snetterton on a motorbike to behave like a hooligan.
One chewed tyre later and an awful lot of fun having been had, I took it down to the MOT only place today where it received a years ticket with two advisories.....both on brake pipes. One front to back, and one of the other small connecting pipes on the NSF.
Time to break out the cunifer and flaring tool again over winter....
Cheers,
Tom
Aside from that, I wasn't aware of any show stoppers, having had a good look around when the tracking was done in mid-July.
So up it went onto axle stands, and off with the front wheels to reveal the culprit:
Hmmm....on closer inspections, better do the small length of pipe between the hose and the caliper as well....
All formed up and ready to be flared and installed:
Upon closer inspection (and cleaning off the dirt) I found three separate bulges in the brake hose, better replace that too as well! Glad that didn't go under braking....
Had to cut the bloody thing off with a hacksaw, but as I was replacing both pipe and line, brute force won out where plus gas and the correct 11mm brake spanner had failed.
The Steering gaiter was a PITA - access to remove it is over the wishbone and subframe. Access to put the new one on is the same... The view of where it is from the rear of the car over the suspension - no real access for getting it on and crimped up, but some skinned knuckles and hands later, it had been done from the wheel arch. This is the view from the underside:
In case anyone needs to do it, the procedure is simple:
Remove the nut from the bottom of the track rod end connection to the wishbone.
Tape up with insulation tape or similar where the track rod end is on the track rod.
Hold the track rod end with one spanner and undo the locking nut from the back. Punching yourself in the face with an adjustable spanner is remarkable easy at this point....
Pull the old boot off (remarkably easy if the old one is only secured with a cable tie).
Apply some black Li-moly grease to the steering gear.
Attempt for half an hour to coax the new boot onto the steering rack using a combination of bad language, threats of violence, pleas and access that isn't quite good enough.
Having finally installed it, then attempt to put the supplied clamp in the correct place and clamp it using a tool with inadequate leverage through a gap with which a small child would struggle.
Decide that while not fully clamped, it's no worse (hell it's better....) than the previous cable tied solution which hadn't come loose, and leave it alone rather than fiddle and dislodge it.
Having done all this, I bled the brakes and tested the new pipes for leaks (there were none), then realised that in using my cunning gizmo to prevent an excess of air getting into the system, I had nearly flattened the battery as I didn't disconnect it....
Battery charged and car placed on driveway ready to go, I pushed off to Snetterton on a motorbike to behave like a hooligan.
One chewed tyre later and an awful lot of fun having been had, I took it down to the MOT only place today where it received a years ticket with two advisories.....both on brake pipes. One front to back, and one of the other small connecting pipes on the NSF.
Time to break out the cunifer and flaring tool again over winter....
Cheers,
Tom
andymac47 said:
Loving your work Tom
Well done Sir
Most kind, thank you.Well done Sir
It's been a quiet time in Corrado land recently, most of my time has been spent on 2 wheels or fixing 2 wheels more accurately. I have been putting together my winter plans of underseal and a few other things though.
I have bought some new old stock front brake disk splash guards to fit and more importantly, found a place that could repair my original clocks. They have apparently fixed the PCB although I have yet to swap them back out again. Putting the originals back in is important for a number of reasons...
1 - No matter how legitimate the reason, 'losing' 20,000-odd miles still seems a little suspect.
2 - With the replacement clocks, driving in the dark is complete guesswork, some of the PCB is missing and the lights don't work on the bit that is there.
3 - The replacement clocks are now exhibiting the same signs as the old ones. Dial flicker is back thereby rendering the swap pointless even if I could live with the above!
4 - I might have not connected the MFA vacuum hose up properly last time and a theoretical 3mpg while impressive, is annoying.
I also need to get that track day sorted, time for some leave to arrange all this I think!
No progress on booking the track day, although I know what the price of an open pit lane session at Cadwell is now, so one step closer....
However, this will have to wait until the clocks finally get sorted.
I had the chance to remove the replacements to put the 'fixed' original ones back in. Oh dear. The dial flicker is still there and now instantaneous - the rev needle was dipping as soon as I started the car. Even more annoyingly however, neither the fuel or temperature gauges still work, neither do the indicator lights, and the temperature warning light now flashes constantly.
The PCB specialist has in fact made them worse than they were before - blast. I've emailed them and will be sending the clocks back as they are under warranty.
The only positive thing to come out the weekend Corrado wise was I washed it, then drove it last night and this morning in a spirited manner (pre-clock swap) around some of Yorkshire's nicer B-roads. The Bolton-on-Swale to Northallerton road is a good one and for that reason alone, here's a random photo.
Cheers,
Tom
However, this will have to wait until the clocks finally get sorted.
I had the chance to remove the replacements to put the 'fixed' original ones back in. Oh dear. The dial flicker is still there and now instantaneous - the rev needle was dipping as soon as I started the car. Even more annoyingly however, neither the fuel or temperature gauges still work, neither do the indicator lights, and the temperature warning light now flashes constantly.
The PCB specialist has in fact made them worse than they were before - blast. I've emailed them and will be sending the clocks back as they are under warranty.
The only positive thing to come out the weekend Corrado wise was I washed it, then drove it last night and this morning in a spirited manner (pre-clock swap) around some of Yorkshire's nicer B-roads. The Bolton-on-Swale to Northallerton road is a good one and for that reason alone, here's a random photo.
Cheers,
Tom
I take it back - while the PCB specialist hasn't fixed the clocks, the needle flicker is still very apparent, they haven't made them worse.
I made them worse....by not quite seating the connector at the back of the clocks in correctly. That having been realised when I took them out to send them back later this week, so I shall email them and apologise for my mistake....but still ask them to fix the initial issue.
It's no good stopping at 1 mistake either, while you're on a roll, you might as well keep going, so I checked the orientation of the previously installed LED units in the back of the clock and with a 180 degree turn of the light and bit of a wiggle, I had SOME illumination to the clocks. It required some slight bending but, I now have enough illumination to use the car at night, although the background presence of needle flicker on these clocks remains on my mind. The LED units btw were unmarked apart from T5-S1 on the back, so I'll away to the web to see if I can source some brighter ones. The rest of the dials will remain dark at the top at least though due to the absence of a Printed Circuit Board strip in the correct place.
The best thing about it was the test drive to fill up though - 3rd gear will never stop making me smile when making progress.
Supercharging - it's the gift that keeps on giving.
Cheers,
Tom
I made them worse....by not quite seating the connector at the back of the clocks in correctly. That having been realised when I took them out to send them back later this week, so I shall email them and apologise for my mistake....but still ask them to fix the initial issue.
It's no good stopping at 1 mistake either, while you're on a roll, you might as well keep going, so I checked the orientation of the previously installed LED units in the back of the clock and with a 180 degree turn of the light and bit of a wiggle, I had SOME illumination to the clocks. It required some slight bending but, I now have enough illumination to use the car at night, although the background presence of needle flicker on these clocks remains on my mind. The LED units btw were unmarked apart from T5-S1 on the back, so I'll away to the web to see if I can source some brighter ones. The rest of the dials will remain dark at the top at least though due to the absence of a Printed Circuit Board strip in the correct place.
The best thing about it was the test drive to fill up though - 3rd gear will never stop making me smile when making progress.
Supercharging - it's the gift that keeps on giving.
Cheers,
Tom
In the words of Sean Bean's character in a series I've never seen, " Winter's coming." While it's not my daily driver (I'm that most hated of PH creatures, the cyclist), I'm not planning on stopping using it, and so it was time to get down and dirty.
I wanted to take the opportunity to swap the wheels front to back to get more even wear as, unsurprisingly, the front tyres had less tread than the rears. Really annoyingly, given how much I'm looking forward to replacing the tyres that are on it, there's still a good 4-5mm of tread on the tyres that were at the back, and 3mm on the ones that were at the front. That track day will also have to wait as there are other projects to be finished (the charging fault on the bike is back...deep joy).
More importantly however, while the wheels were off and it was in its undignified state on the driveway, it was time to take some of this:
and using a sponge to clean up the arches and underside, and paintbrush to put more on, get myself covered in the filthy tar.
In all honesty, the existing underseal wasn't too bad in most places, it had been comprehensively done at some point in its history, and then got a spray on anti corrosion coating to the underside when it was at JMR. That was nearly two years ago though, so I got stuck in.
This is typically what it was like after clean up and before underseal:
These are the fascinating after shots:
While I was under there though, I did find where one of the fastenings for the heat shield had come loose which was (I suspect) causing an annoying rattle at about 2000rpm, so I fixed that up too, although I'll have to wait for a test drive after the underseal has gone off, to check it.
On the subject of test drives, while out yesterday, I ended up in a splendid play with an orange 2016 GT86 in front, and a red 2015 Golf R behind at probably my favourite point on the York Ring Road - the Hopgrove Roundabout.
There are times when the lane you are in is empty apart from like minded people that want to play, and the lights just work in your favour. I had an excellent time trying to hang onto the GT86 all the way around, and while I'm sure that my VW is no match for one 23 years younger with 4 wheel drive and nearly twice the horsepower, I hope the Golf R behind me also had fun
Cheers,
Tom
I wanted to take the opportunity to swap the wheels front to back to get more even wear as, unsurprisingly, the front tyres had less tread than the rears. Really annoyingly, given how much I'm looking forward to replacing the tyres that are on it, there's still a good 4-5mm of tread on the tyres that were at the back, and 3mm on the ones that were at the front. That track day will also have to wait as there are other projects to be finished (the charging fault on the bike is back...deep joy).
More importantly however, while the wheels were off and it was in its undignified state on the driveway, it was time to take some of this:
and using a sponge to clean up the arches and underside, and paintbrush to put more on, get myself covered in the filthy tar.
In all honesty, the existing underseal wasn't too bad in most places, it had been comprehensively done at some point in its history, and then got a spray on anti corrosion coating to the underside when it was at JMR. That was nearly two years ago though, so I got stuck in.
This is typically what it was like after clean up and before underseal:
These are the fascinating after shots:
While I was under there though, I did find where one of the fastenings for the heat shield had come loose which was (I suspect) causing an annoying rattle at about 2000rpm, so I fixed that up too, although I'll have to wait for a test drive after the underseal has gone off, to check it.
On the subject of test drives, while out yesterday, I ended up in a splendid play with an orange 2016 GT86 in front, and a red 2015 Golf R behind at probably my favourite point on the York Ring Road - the Hopgrove Roundabout.
There are times when the lane you are in is empty apart from like minded people that want to play, and the lights just work in your favour. I had an excellent time trying to hang onto the GT86 all the way around, and while I'm sure that my VW is no match for one 23 years younger with 4 wheel drive and nearly twice the horsepower, I hope the Golf R behind me also had fun
Cheers,
Tom
gforceg said:
That looks like a proper job, all round. My eyes might be playing tricks but is there no aux belt on the visible pulley?
Thanks, she's getting there, although I think that I'm going to end up paying someone else to do the cam belt and clutch for me - there are some things that are beyond my capability, and some that are just beyond my will. Doing the clutch falls into the latter category. While it doesn't NEED doing yet, I have a VR6 item that is compatible, that will hopefully remove the slight shunt that she suffers that I think are the first signs of failure.In terms of the aux belt, there are two running off the crank, one feeds the alternator, water pump and supercharger, the other the power steering. Not the easiest things to see however. It's slightly different on A/C models but thankfully, I don't have that!
Cheers,
Tom
No additional work since the last post (too busy trying to fix the bike....broken idler gear but that's another story), however, as the forecast was rubbish, the Corrado was pressed into duty to take me to Edinburgh this weekend to see mates.
It performed faultlessly, all the way up the A19, then up the A697 & A68 on Friday, and the reverse today. A couple of observations regarding the driving and handling:
The charger pull at its strongest above 4-5K and if you're serious about making an overtake in a short length of road, changing down is a good idea. The charger adds punch through the rev range, but its better at full howl!
3rd/4th make for excellent progress on the tighter A roads - save 5th for when progress isn't possible or motorways.
The Toyos on it must go. They really must - combined steering/acceleration in third lead to the front end feeling like it was heading towards grip limits, and this is not a over-powered torque steering monster. I turned off the radio, and went into full motorbike levels of concentration for most of the twistier sections on the way back!
Filling up on the A19 on the way back had a nice brief chat with the chap in the 350/370z waiting behind me at the pump about whether or not it's for sale. He has some cool stuff (205, Mk1 Golf) and was thinking about a G60 - always good to meet an enthusiast (and someone that didn't mind that I was taking an extra minute to clean my headlights.
Filthy then, worse by the time I got so I treated it to a jet wash:
Cheers,
Tom
It performed faultlessly, all the way up the A19, then up the A697 & A68 on Friday, and the reverse today. A couple of observations regarding the driving and handling:
The charger pull at its strongest above 4-5K and if you're serious about making an overtake in a short length of road, changing down is a good idea. The charger adds punch through the rev range, but its better at full howl!
3rd/4th make for excellent progress on the tighter A roads - save 5th for when progress isn't possible or motorways.
The Toyos on it must go. They really must - combined steering/acceleration in third lead to the front end feeling like it was heading towards grip limits, and this is not a over-powered torque steering monster. I turned off the radio, and went into full motorbike levels of concentration for most of the twistier sections on the way back!
Filling up on the A19 on the way back had a nice brief chat with the chap in the 350/370z waiting behind me at the pump about whether or not it's for sale
. He has some cool stuff (205, Mk1 Golf) and was thinking about a G60 - always good to meet an enthusiast (and someone that didn't mind that I was taking an extra minute to clean my headlights.Filthy then, worse by the time I got so I treated it to a jet wash:
Cheers,
Tom
That's it, enough of the rubbish tyres, I don't care how much tread is on them, I've had enough!
Good job these got delivered today then....
Always liked a T1R on my Corrados, not just because of the tread pattern!
The wheel refurb is also booked in, so they can put the new tyres on when they're done.
As it's just before Christmas, its also therefore the perfect time to get a VR6 clutch installed and the cambelt and water pump changed.
I'd do these myself but it's December, I need to use the car to travel over Christmas, and the warmer dry spot in the garage that I need to not make the whole experience miserable, is currently occupied by other vehicles which need so much work they're not going to move any time soon. There are some things its worth paying someone else to do.
Last weekend though, I investigated why the passenger window doesn't close properly. Having taken the doorcard off and had a good poke around, I now have another window regulator on its way to me, as I suspect the existing one is sagging, leading to a slack cable...
When it arrives, it's time to drill out the rivets holding the existing one in place, and swap it out.
I also managed to put the returned 'fixed' clocks back in...only to take them straight out again. There is no improvement, they are just a knackered as ever, which according to the repair shop, means they are terminal. Blast. Time to keep my eyes peeled for an even less knackered set than my replacement ones. On the plus side though, I did add more capless bulbs, so they are now better illuminated!
Hope to get to a bit more on the Corrado the weekend after this one - if that is I can get the bike to start and clear that from the jobs list!
Cheers,
Tom
Good job these got delivered today then....
Always liked a T1R on my Corrados, not just because of the tread pattern!
The wheel refurb is also booked in, so they can put the new tyres on when they're done.
As it's just before Christmas, its also therefore the perfect time to get a VR6 clutch installed and the cambelt and water pump changed.
I'd do these myself but it's December, I need to use the car to travel over Christmas, and the warmer dry spot in the garage that I need to not make the whole experience miserable, is currently occupied by other vehicles which need so much work they're not going to move any time soon. There are some things its worth paying someone else to do.
Last weekend though, I investigated why the passenger window doesn't close properly. Having taken the doorcard off and had a good poke around, I now have another window regulator on its way to me, as I suspect the existing one is sagging, leading to a slack cable...
When it arrives, it's time to drill out the rivets holding the existing one in place, and swap it out.
I also managed to put the returned 'fixed' clocks back in...only to take them straight out again. There is no improvement, they are just a knackered as ever, which according to the repair shop, means they are terminal. Blast. Time to keep my eyes peeled for an even less knackered set than my replacement ones. On the plus side though, I did add more capless bulbs, so they are now better illuminated!
Hope to get to a bit more on the Corrado the weekend after this one - if that is I can get the bike to start and clear that from the jobs list!
Cheers,
Tom
Good work, I have exactly the same problem with the window not going fully up on one of my Corrados (luckily the one that is a garage queen)
Door card is off, mechanism stripped and just need to refit it now to see if it's done the job.
With your proposed clutch change, have you thought about a lightened flywheel??
Door card is off, mechanism stripped and just need to refit it now to see if it's done the job.
With your proposed clutch change, have you thought about a lightened flywheel??
@f1ten - thanks very much, I can heartily recommend it, I've kept the G60 longer than any of my other Corrados and have no plans to get rid...
@aka_kerrly - get thee behind me Satan! I hadn't considered it until you mentioned it... Good luck with your window as well, my replacement regulator turned up to day but the car's in Pembrokeshire this weekend, so that will have to wait.
I should probably stay true to my original philosophy through which is small improvements such as the oil cooler to aid longevity, but keep most other things standard. It's a slippery slope when you start chasing performance gains.....although revving more quickly would be nice, the bike will always win on that front!
Cheers,
Tom
@aka_kerrly - get thee behind me Satan! I hadn't considered it until you mentioned it...
Good luck with your window as well, my replacement regulator turned up to day but the car's in Pembrokeshire this weekend, so that will have to wait.I should probably stay true to my original philosophy through which is small improvements such as the oil cooler to aid longevity, but keep most other things standard. It's a slippery slope when you start chasing performance gains.....although revving more quickly would be nice, the bike will always win on that front!
Cheers,
Tom
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