Jade green Mk2 Golf GTI 16v - project
Discussion
As title, I've recently acquired a Mk2 Golf GTI 16v project. Car is a Jade Green late model small bumper 16v. I haven't got the original engine but the project came with a choice of two. I've got a 9A 2.0 16v engine from a Corrado and an ABF 2.0 16v engine from a Mk3 Golf. I'm pretty certain I'm going with the ABF engine but that decision is a long way off. Before then the car will need inner and outer sills, floor pans, inner and outer wings, front and rear valances plus all the usual bodywork repairs. In the olden days this project would have been uneconomical but the values of these are only going up and I'm looking to keep this long term anyway, so any talk of this being a fools errand will be swiftly ignored. Just don't tell my wife how bad it is, she never looks in the garage so is under the impression I've bought an actual useable car!
Updates won't come thick and fast as I'm also refurbishing our new house. It's a long term project, I'm looking to do as much of the work myself as I can. I'm not the worlds best welder, but I'm not the worlds worst. I've got a lot of the new panels already but they're cheap enough that I'll just buy as many as I can find. It's probably going to need them all!
I owned a Mk2 back in the day but I'm certainly no expert so will definitely be reaching out for advice on every single aspect of this project.
And yes, the towbar is going in the recycling bin! But, it has proved handy for jacking the entire rear of the car up to swing it sideways.
Updates won't come thick and fast as I'm also refurbishing our new house. It's a long term project, I'm looking to do as much of the work myself as I can. I'm not the worlds best welder, but I'm not the worlds worst. I've got a lot of the new panels already but they're cheap enough that I'll just buy as many as I can find. It's probably going to need them all!
I owned a Mk2 back in the day but I'm certainly no expert so will definitely be reaching out for advice on every single aspect of this project.
And yes, the towbar is going in the recycling bin! But, it has proved handy for jacking the entire rear of the car up to swing it sideways.
I did a bit of disassembling over the weekend. The pictures do the talking really.
I was expecting it to be worse. I've got new sills and floor panels already. Going to buy a set of wings plus inner and outer rear arches and see if I can find some A pillar repair panels but I might have to just make a repair for the top of the A pillar behind the wing myself.
Thinking about it though, if I wait 7 years it won't need an MOT so I might just leave it all!
I was expecting it to be worse. I've got new sills and floor panels already. Going to buy a set of wings plus inner and outer rear arches and see if I can find some A pillar repair panels but I might have to just make a repair for the top of the A pillar behind the wing myself.
Thinking about it though, if I wait 7 years it won't need an MOT so I might just leave it all!
5harp3y said:
Good to see another mk2 build on here. Have you done welding repairs before?
Yeah I've done little bits and bobs but this will be my biggest project so far. I'm not rushing it and I'm quite prepared to keep digging further and further in to it to make sure I get it done properly. I bought the project from a pal who restores old VW's so if I get out of my depth he's getting roped right in for advice/expertise.I don't suppose anyone knows of a decent rollover jig do they? There's one on eBay that seems quite popular at £250. I think having it on a jig will make the work so much easier, downside is I guess I need to strip the car back to a total shell to keep the weight down.
Little bit of degreasing and wire wheeling ready to tackle the chassis legs.
I've got the new battery tray ready to go in, just got to drill the spot welds out and then chisel the panel out, easy right?
The chassis leg has rust too, not sure if this can be chopped out and repaired or if I'll need a total leg. Any ideas?
I've got the new battery tray ready to go in, just got to drill the spot welds out and then chisel the panel out, easy right?
The chassis leg has rust too, not sure if this can be chopped out and repaired or if I'll need a total leg. Any ideas?
Edited by SHutchinson on Thursday 2nd September 13:19
My aim for this weekend is to get the battery tray/nearside chassis leg closing plate off. I want to check right at the back to see if there's any rust where it meets the bulkhead. From my initial poke around it looks like there's none/minimal so far but I want to get the underseal off to check.
I also need to repair the chassis leg as the bottom of it has a hole rusted through. Might break out the cardboard and start making a template.
I also need to repair the chassis leg as the bottom of it has a hole rusted through. Might break out the cardboard and start making a template.
Took the rear window out and exposed the rust around the frame. It just looks to have been caused by water sitting against the trim clip. Thinking about buying a rear door from a 5 door and chopping that bit of metal out ready to weld in. Or, I might make a new piece, should be pretty simple with two easy bends.
martin mrt said:
Great thread, I’m bookmarking this.
My now late father gave me one of these for nothing around 18 years ago, I was completely broke and had to sell it, a decision I regret hugely.
If mine ends up looking as nice as that I'll be happy. Shame you had to sell it, but at the time it probably seemed like a sensible decision.My now late father gave me one of these for nothing around 18 years ago, I was completely broke and had to sell it, a decision I regret hugely.
Wait until your (3rd) mid life crisis kicks in like mine and buy another.
gary71 said:
You’ve got your(welding) hands full with that one. I’ve had a few Mk2 of various flavours back in the day and a lot of great memories.
What’s panel availability like?
Virtually all of the panels are available, some better quality than others. Loads of things are becoming hard to find, like the roof gutter rubbers etc. In terms of panels a lot came with the project but I've added a couple more. It's certainly going to be a bit of a learning experience.What’s panel availability like?
I've already upgraded welders ready for the bigger jobs. A lady nearby was selling a load of Clarke gear that was virtually unused. I was a bit suspicious as it seemed incongruous but it turned out her dad had been restoring a classic Triumph and sadly passed away before he finished it. I walked away with a 1 ton engine crane, an engine stand and a Clarke 151te mig welder for £200, I bet the engine crane had never even lifted an engine and the stand has certainly never seen any use.
I can’t seem to find a repair panel for this piece so I guess it’s good old cardboard templates and a sheet of 1.2mm steel time. That’s not a bad start I reckon. Bit more work with that and I should have something decent to weld in place.
Repairing the hole around the drain tube might take some creativity.
Repairing the hole around the drain tube might take some creativity.
gary71 said:
Ugly… guess the usual rules apply.
Power wire brush everything so you can see what’s going on.
Unpick slowly keeping all the bits you cut off for reference and making cardboard templates and lots of photos.
Fabricate new metal layer by layer and dry build until you are happy before any welding.
What’s the other side look like l?
Yep, just mocking some cardboard and metal templates up now. I'll hit it with the wire wheel when I've got that drain tube pulled out. I've taken the A pillar trim out of the inside but can't immediately see how to get the tube out, I suspect I may need to take the headliner out (it's got to come out anyway, it's drooped, obviously! Power wire brush everything so you can see what’s going on.
Unpick slowly keeping all the bits you cut off for reference and making cardboard templates and lots of photos.
Fabricate new metal layer by layer and dry build until you are happy before any welding.
What’s the other side look like l?
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