Mk2 Golf Revival - Blog just coz

[aka_kerrly]

Khumbu-r2nhm said:

Thanks! And thanks to you all for your encouraging and warm words. Tis a little scary posting on a forum for the first time!!

Thank you for good content. Based on the additional pictures and details of your journey with the Golf , carry on posting more!!!

I've got a mk2 Golf 16v that is mid restoration (I've had it coming up 6 years) where it's spent most of it's time since either up in the air having it's belly welded, nearly half a Golfs worth of new panels attached to it and there is still a boot full of new engine & trick 80s OEM bits to go on - the result of hoarding Golf parts for over a decade!!

It's these kind of topics that act as a reminder to get my ass in gear an get it prepped for paint & driving again as there is still a lot of love for mk2s.

On a different note - check the Facebook videos of the London Cartel Mk2 meet OMG mk2 Heaven.

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

So as you can see, I got the dreaded phone call to tell me there is some unexpected rot. those cheeky grey plastic arch trims have been keeping the moisture and the salt it. After I got over the inflated sense of worry after the phone call with my man at the bodyshop, I went down there to have a closer look. Considering the car is almost 30 years old, I now consider myself quite lucky to have so little rot, especially when I think back to the many winter months the car saw salty roads. Its only the rear arches and its not all the way round.

I breifly considered cheaping out and not doing it properly but remembered that I want to keep this car for life, so whats a few extra quid to do it right!

There is however a hole coming up from the sill into the rear arch - Turns out it was caused by the palstic clip that holds the arch trim to the sill being missing. clearly water and all sorts of gunk got up there and caused problems - My advise to anyone with a mk2, just have a quick look at the front of the arch trim where it joins the sill (under the car) and make sure your plastic clip is there - if it isnt, stuff will go up the hole and start to rot the floor and the wheel arch from inside the car! When I took of the rear door card I could see a hole through the floor and another hole into the rear wheel arch area - BEWARE!

Plan is to cut the bad bits out and weld some plates in the floor and inside the arch - Feels very strange cutting into my baby, but I know it's for the greater good!







Front arches seem pretty good under the trim:

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

So the great thing about these cars is that parts are so reasonable priced - Left and right repair panels for the rear arches are £23 each delivered. (see link below).

Rear arch Repair panels
https://www.vwheritage.com/191809834-rear-wheel-ar...

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Replacement front bumper arrived yesterday!! My old bumper has got "the sag", as the sliders have broken on both sides (thanks to some Parisian parking when I left him overnight in the centre of Paris - clearly the locals make use of their bumpers to get into tight spots)

I've decided to go for a replacement one with the chrome trim.....But not sure now if that was a good idea....Will it work on my car? Have I lost its original factory look, which is what I was going for?

£70 on ebay Delivered, proper OEM part

[Msportman]

Here my MK2 GTI 16v



Owned since 1996

2 litre (9a balanced)
Schrick Cams
Dave Crissel Head
4 Branch manifold
Quaiffe
4.25 FD
G60 brakes
200bhp/160lbs 1.1kilos
Well preserved

[Msportman]

Here’s another pic



Car was featured in VW Driver many years ago when I built its current spec at Tim Stiles Racing.
I was going to sell although I can’t part with it!

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Msportman said:

Here’s another pic


Car was featured in VW Driver many years ago when I built its current spec at Tim Stiles Racing.
I was going to sell although I can’t part with it!

It's so great to see other people holding on to them! you must be pretty attached to yours after 22 years!!

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Things are progressing nicely.....the cancerous rust has been chopped out or ground away in prep for the repair panels. I'm in awe of how "simple" it is to just cut out and put back in. My man doesnt seem phased by it in the slightness whereas I have all these questions running thorough my head - how do you get the cuts accurate,what if you mess it up, how do you get it to look good after there are weld line, what will it look like afterwards?! Maybe I worry too much.....the results are impressive (well at least to me as a newbie to bodywork)

Here's what it looked like after the cutting out/grinding....

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

New arch repair panels



I dont think these would have passed VW's original stamping quality checks. But at £46 for the pair, plus the fact that the arch trim will cover, who I am to complain

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Now for the bit that completely blows my mind....(and my budget!)









And just like that, the arches are good as new

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Now for the roof:

This was possible the most obviously poor bit of bodywork on the car - it was creased and dented like mad. this means that it needed BARE filler (bare is slang for stloads of). Im told this is huge amount of filler spread across the whole surface is needed to prevent "pooling" of the filler in the various dents etc

This was a whole day's work to get right. Its hard to tell from photos, but believe you me, it is an enormous improvement





And the final product, ready for Primer

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

So the rear Window is out.....





The good news is, I had already bought replacement windows and seals for the rear because back in 2009 some scumbag scratched grafitti into it! O well, this window wont have the original etching of the number plate, but such is life.

I managed to get two rear windows (second hand OEM parts) and seals for £25 on ebay, delivered to the door a couple of years ago. BARGAIN

[darkyoung1000]

I do like a MK2 Golf (I had a GTD), and especially nice to see one with such history getting restored...in time for another historic moment!
Keep up the good work!
Tom

[pits]

Khumbu-r2nhm said:

So the rear Window is out.....





The good news is, I had already bought replacement windows and seals for the rear because back in 2009 some scumbag scratched grafitti into it! O well, this window wont have the original etching of the number plate, but such is life.

I managed to get two rear windows (second hand OEM parts) and seals for £25 on ebay, delivered to the door a couple of years ago. BARGAIN

You can get them etched if needs be

[bmthnick1981]

Great cars the mk2 Golf , keep up the good work

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

The saga continues.....Decided that the inner arch needs replacing on the passengers side. Replacement part on order £21.30 delivered on ebay (VW Hertiage store). That should arrive on Monday...

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Lesson Learned and advice for anyone undertaking work like this....The arch rot was unexpected and therefore not included in the quote for work. I have agreed to pay an extra £300 for this unexpected labour. thankfully I currently have enough cash to absorb this extra cost, but in hindsight, if there were any such surprises and I didnt have any contingency money, I would be in a very sticky Situation.

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Onto the Bonnet and the driver's door. Both of these have needed to be replaced: the bonnet had a few big dents in from when my mates younger brother who was 6foot 6 and about 100kg decided to pose on the bonnet for a photo (suffice to say I flipped out pretty hard at the time). The drivers door just has too much rot unfortunately.

Sourced replacement parts from Volksmagic for £180 for both. And the bonnet had the nice addition of a sound deadening lining, which I intend to re-use.

Here's the befores, durings and Afters:

DOOR







A hole has been discovered in the replacement Door :-( - A bit more unexpexcted repair work - but that's life



BONNET



Bit of cheeky NVH material




And now back to bare metal

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

Meanwhile....I've decided to keep the look completely original, because (and please no-one take offence) there are a hell of a lot modified and customied Golfs out there, Very few are restored to be completely original....and even fewer NON-GTI's are resprayed and kept original. My view is, if I want a Golf mk2 to modify, I'll buy another one. So a lot of words, but in summary I have got my wheels ready for refurb. The original 14 inch Steels the car came with. I also have another set of spare steels and a set of 14" alloys (as per some of the pics) - no idea what to do with the spares but the plan is the give these four a good sand blasting and nice silver lick of paint.

(totally up for suggestions with what whacky ideas I could do with the other wheels - like Chrome perhaps? or powerdercoated Grey? )

Took them down to Kwik fit to get the tyres removed, which the guy kindly offered to do for free. he was in fact so nice and helpful that felt it was only right to slip him a tenner. (still way cheaper than getting other places to do it)





And de-tyred - they look so dinky without their tyres, almost like Toy wheels!

[Khumbu-r2nhm]

darkyoung1000 said:

I do like a MK2 Golf (I had a GTD), and especially nice to see one with such history getting restored...in time for another historic moment!
Keep up the good work!
Tom

Thanks for kind words Tom. Yeah I guess it will be a very historic moment in my life!! SCARY when I think about it. But I love having the continuity of the same car since my teenage years, never gonna get rid EVER.