205 GTI Fore16ver
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205 GTI Fore16ver
A daydream coming true
On a sunny February day in 2012, I accidentally stumbled upon this 1993 Miami Blue 205 GTI 1.9 for sale.
It was no stranger to me, as I'd known the car and its history since it was imported more than 10 years ago.
I've always lusted for a late Miami Blue 205 GTI, so a deal was struck for the car without its wheels. It was
in a really bad condition but rather cheap and perfect for what I initially wanted it for - a Ph2 parts donor
for my old Ph1.5 Silver 205 GTI.
Sadly, the original late DKZ 122 bhp CAT engine had been replaced by a DFZ 102 bhp unit in the past.
Also, the head was clapping and it was overfueling due to still using the original (now incorrect) engine
management. Not that it had mattered much to me as I was not interested in its engine anyway.
It had also been fitted by a crude BRC LPG system that I've had no interest in whatsoever and just
wanted it off of the car.
As this late model 205 GTI was assembled in Spain, it's got some odd parts, such as Ph2 cloth seats
(hiding under those seat covers) - pretty knackered of course. And the worst condition steering wheel
I've ever seen!
The horror doesn't stop there - the ventilation knobs are all broken, as is the center console, while the main
dash part was molested too :-(. And for a complete experience - how about a third of a gear knob? Interior
door handles and some other parts have been deformed too.
To be continued...
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver
A daydream coming true
On a sunny February day in 2012, I accidentally stumbled upon this 1993 Miami Blue 205 GTI 1.9 for sale.
It was no stranger to me, as I'd known the car and its history since it was imported more than 10 years ago.
I've always lusted for a late Miami Blue 205 GTI, so a deal was struck for the car without its wheels. It was
in a really bad condition but rather cheap and perfect for what I initially wanted it for - a Ph2 parts donor
for my old Ph1.5 Silver 205 GTI.
Sadly, the original late DKZ 122 bhp CAT engine had been replaced by a DFZ 102 bhp unit in the past.
Also, the head was clapping and it was overfueling due to still using the original (now incorrect) engine
management. Not that it had mattered much to me as I was not interested in its engine anyway.
It had also been fitted by a crude BRC LPG system that I've had no interest in whatsoever and just
wanted it off of the car.
As this late model 205 GTI was assembled in Spain, it's got some odd parts, such as Ph2 cloth seats
(hiding under those seat covers) - pretty knackered of course. And the worst condition steering wheel
I've ever seen!
The horror doesn't stop there - the ventilation knobs are all broken, as is the center console, while the main
dash part was molested too :-(. And for a complete experience - how about a third of a gear knob? Interior
door handles and some other parts have been deformed too.
To be continued...
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver
Episode 2:...and it gets worse!
As the car's registration had been running out that day, I put my wheels on it, given it a quick wash
and took it for a technical test, to see what else is wrong with it, while I still could. Needless to say,
wishbones, engine mounts and track rod ends were all dead.
Brakes were all worn out, but surprisingly completely functional and well balanced, while the rear beam
seemed fine, save for dead shock absorbers. It may look much better now than before the wash, but make
no mistake - the bodywork is in the same bad condition as the interior and mechanics.
An ugly-looking whirl, caused by a recent bump, starting to rust where the paintwork had peeled off.
Also, some weird unexpected rust on the nearby passenger door.
Problems with lacquer, as on many late model 205 GTI's. However, holes in the tailgate, where an aftermarket
spoiler used to sit many years ago, posed a much bigger problem, as the water was going through them and
soaking the boot liner underlay, trapped under this gigantic gas bottle, which lead to boot floor being
infected by rot.
Other than that and the usual rusty patches under the rear seats, the floor and sills seemed fine. At least
on first sight. If you thought this was all, then I'll have to disappoint you! Driver's side front end of
the car is completely rotten, as a result of a front end impact that the car suffered many years ago.
I was aware of it though, so I was prepared to find something like this.
To be continued...
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver
As the car's registration had been running out that day, I put my wheels on it, given it a quick wash
and took it for a technical test, to see what else is wrong with it, while I still could. Needless to say,
wishbones, engine mounts and track rod ends were all dead.
Brakes were all worn out, but surprisingly completely functional and well balanced, while the rear beam
seemed fine, save for dead shock absorbers. It may look much better now than before the wash, but make
no mistake - the bodywork is in the same bad condition as the interior and mechanics.
An ugly-looking whirl, caused by a recent bump, starting to rust where the paintwork had peeled off.
Also, some weird unexpected rust on the nearby passenger door.
Problems with lacquer, as on many late model 205 GTI's. However, holes in the tailgate, where an aftermarket
spoiler used to sit many years ago, posed a much bigger problem, as the water was going through them and
soaking the boot liner underlay, trapped under this gigantic gas bottle, which lead to boot floor being
infected by rot.
Other than that and the usual rusty patches under the rear seats, the floor and sills seemed fine. At least
on first sight. If you thought this was all, then I'll have to disappoint you! Driver's side front end of
the car is completely rotten, as a result of a front end impact that the car suffered many years ago.
I was aware of it though, so I was prepared to find something like this.
To be continued...
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver
Episode 3:The decision
Three 205's (with four engines :-)) but unfortunately one too many. Since I was just about to start
restoring my full stock Ph1.5 Silver 205 GTI 1.9 (aka 205 GTI 999), it was a very difficult choice,
made even harder as Ph2 Miami Blue with 16v engine was a receipt for my "dream spec" 205.
Helped by the fact that I would end up with a free Miami Blue rolling shell by selling the parts
I don't need off of it and also already having most of the parts I will need for the build just
laying around doing nothing for a number of years - I decided the only sensible option would be
to sell the Silver one and build the Miami just as I want it.
[i]Hopefully this explains why am I going to put up rebuilding a car in such bad condition to start with.
Furthermore, as a bonus, the Silver 205 is in good hands, so the future is looking bright for it as well.[/i]
Since I decided I was going to keep the Miami Blue 205, it was bugging me that the car had original
remote central locking but the key with the remote had been long lost. Then I remembered I've had
this pair of RCL module with the matching remote sitting in my parts stash.
The replacement RCL module fitted straight in the place of the original one, so I crossed that
off the list (one job down - 465 left to do). It made me feel better about my decision as well.
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=2
Three 205's (with four engines :-)) but unfortunately one too many. Since I was just about to start
restoring my full stock Ph1.5 Silver 205 GTI 1.9 (aka 205 GTI 999), it was a very difficult choice,
made even harder as Ph2 Miami Blue with 16v engine was a receipt for my "dream spec" 205.
Helped by the fact that I would end up with a free Miami Blue rolling shell by selling the parts
I don't need off of it and also already having most of the parts I will need for the build just
laying around doing nothing for a number of years - I decided the only sensible option would be
to sell the Silver one and build the Miami just as I want it.
[i]Hopefully this explains why am I going to put up rebuilding a car in such bad condition to start with.
Furthermore, as a bonus, the Silver 205 is in good hands, so the future is looking bright for it as well.[/i]
Since I decided I was going to keep the Miami Blue 205, it was bugging me that the car had original
remote central locking but the key with the remote had been long lost. Then I remembered I've had
this pair of RCL module with the matching remote sitting in my parts stash.
The replacement RCL module fitted straight in the place of the original one, so I crossed that
off the list (one job down - 465 left to do). It made me feel better about my decision as well.
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=2
Episode 4:Shock and horror - continued
Just as I was going to start the work on the car, I stumbled across a XU10J4RS engine for sale.
It wasn't really looking nice to begin with but since this type of engine is extremely rare where I live,
I just had to buy it. A plan of a modern-engined 205 with ABS and A/C was quickly formed :-).
Since I had to inspect and refresh the engine prior to using it, I started taking it apart. Wiring had
all been cut and injector plugs all broken and glued on (!), so it wasn't looking good, but I was
hoping the internals would be fine at least.
No such luck though - someone had been "playing" with it, crudely enlarging the valve pocket cut-outs
in the pistons. At this point I thought I would still be able to make a good engine out of it, by replacing
the pistons and giving it a full rebuild.
However, the head has had a similar kind of "mods" done to it and even one of the spark plug threads stripped.
At this point I decided not only to scrap this engine but also the whole idea of a "modernised 205" and just
"keep it simple".
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=2
Just as I was going to start the work on the car, I stumbled across a XU10J4RS engine for sale.
It wasn't really looking nice to begin with but since this type of engine is extremely rare where I live,
I just had to buy it. A plan of a modern-engined 205 with ABS and A/C was quickly formed :-).
Since I had to inspect and refresh the engine prior to using it, I started taking it apart. Wiring had
all been cut and injector plugs all broken and glued on (!), so it wasn't looking good, but I was
hoping the internals would be fine at least.
No such luck though - someone had been "playing" with it, crudely enlarging the valve pocket cut-outs
in the pistons. At this point I thought I would still be able to make a good engine out of it, by replacing
the pistons and giving it a full rebuild.
However, the head has had a similar kind of "mods" done to it and even one of the spark plug threads stripped.
At this point I decided not only to scrap this engine but also the whole idea of a "modernised 205" and just
"keep it simple".
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=2
Episode 5:The king... beheaded
After a failure with a GTI-6 engine idea, I continued the actual work on the car, by removing its
(non-)original engine. I've had a good idea of what I was doing (hint: a light bulb above my head) :-).
After some struggle with clumsy French engineering, the engine was beheaded. It turned out that
having had a swap for a DFZ 1.9 102 bhp engine in the past was a fortunate circumstance in this case,
as a friend was after such a head for an interesting project.
The next task was removing the engine internals (pistons with rods and then the crankshaft as well).
The pistons and rods have been sent away together with the head, while the crankshaft is hopefully
going to save a dead 205 GTI 1.9, sooner or later.
The last job for the day was to remove the front wings (easy, as they had been replaced in the past
and not resealed afterwards) and bumper (hard because all the bolts had been rusted up solid).
Removing the front wings has enabled me to get a clear view of a rotten inner wing, due to a known
incident from the past.
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=2
After a failure with a GTI-6 engine idea, I continued the actual work on the car, by removing its
(non-)original engine. I've had a good idea of what I was doing (hint: a light bulb above my head) :-).
After some struggle with clumsy French engineering, the engine was beheaded. It turned out that
having had a swap for a DFZ 1.9 102 bhp engine in the past was a fortunate circumstance in this case,
as a friend was after such a head for an interesting project.
The next task was removing the engine internals (pistons with rods and then the crankshaft as well).
The pistons and rods have been sent away together with the head, while the crankshaft is hopefully
going to save a dead 205 GTI 1.9, sooner or later.
The last job for the day was to remove the front wings (easy, as they had been replaced in the past
and not resealed afterwards) and bumper (hard because all the bolts had been rusted up solid).
Removing the front wings has enabled me to get a clear view of a rotten inner wing, due to a known
incident from the past.
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=2
Edited by cybernck on Friday 8th February 01:45
Episode 6:Winter sleep
With the weather turning for worse, the last thing I set out to do was removing the engine
block and gearbox to have the engine bay ready for better inspection.
With the only help being provided by two small hydraulic jacks, fighting the lack of space,
adverse weather conditions and unpleasant neighbors, I manage to successfully pull it all out.
This is the point where the front crumpling zone ends (and how far back will the chassis have to be
cut off and replaced), with the rest of the impact having been absorbed by the roof and the floor.
Everything packed up tightly and ready for winter sleep.
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=3
With the weather turning for worse, the last thing I set out to do was removing the engine
block and gearbox to have the engine bay ready for better inspection.
With the only help being provided by two small hydraulic jacks, fighting the lack of space,
adverse weather conditions and unpleasant neighbors, I manage to successfully pull it all out.
This is the point where the front crumpling zone ends (and how far back will the chassis have to be
cut off and replaced), with the rest of the impact having been absorbed by the roof and the floor.
Everything packed up tightly and ready for winter sleep.
Full size photos:http://photos.cybernck.com/205gtifore16ver?page=3
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