Just How Far Do I Go?

[The Arch Bishop 0]

Well the trusty pug managed to get me to the church on time and look the part but it's gathering a number of issues that make me think it's time to spend a proper amount on restoration. The question is how far do I go with it?

 

The body work and paint are pretty tidy but also fairly ripply. The underside is showing quite a bit of rust (the rear bumper has parted company with the chassis on one side) and the engine bay and wheel-arches are showing deterioration in the seams. The engine is very strong but smoky meaning the valve seals are fairly shot. The clutch is not the best, I don't know when the cam belt was done and the gearbox is starting to weep oil. Also, the lower arms are extremely clunky and the brake pipes are bulging ever so slightly at the ends.

 

There are many other little things that need doing that I have no problem with baring in mind its 22 years old. Selling is not an option.

 

The (newly wedded) Missus reckons I should go the whole hog, (strip, renovate and repaint entirely as to new) but I'm aware that even a proper decent body repaint will be about £2500+ if I want it like new and that's before I begin the mechanical parts... Money is an issue but time is not so saving properly to get it right doesn't bother me but being without the car for 4 odd years is an issue!

 

So what should I do? Do the bits that need doing and have the car on the road quicker or do the full job on it and learn some patience?

[welshpug 1,657]

you can save a hell of a lot if you strip the car down yourself, its certainly the approach I'd take, then work on replacing the worn bits and cleaning stuff as it goes back together, i.e engine mounts, new brake lines and hoses throughout, fuel lines etc, none of them cost that much to do but you'll save a lot doing it yourself.

[Guest jammy205]

patience my friend

[swordfish210 20]

If in doubt...Flat out Just go for the whole thing, strip the car down to a bare shell and get it blasted and resprayed then build it all back up, cleaning and painting bits on the way and replacing any worn parts. You'll have an amazing finished product at the end and a good bit of eye candy for the rest of us with the blog

[Paulmac19 4]

The (newly wedded) Missus reckons I should go the whole hog, (strip, renovate and repaint entirely as to new) but I'm aware that even a proper decent body repaint will be about £2500+ if I want it like new and that's before I begin the mechanical parts... Money is an issue but time is not so saving properly to get it right doesn't bother me but being without the car for 4 odd years is an issue!

 

I would get that in writing before she finds out how much it will cost!

Yeah do it slowly do it right, and try and do as much yourself to save the dollars

you can do plenty bit by bit and still have a drivable car its only when you need to get it painted that you will be without it for any length of time (this is the stage i am at)

 

anyway what are you doing out of bed if your only married

[scotty 0]

I would say go all the way if you can i am planing to do the same with mine it has tax & mot to November so i plan to get another car to run round in and restore the gti hopefully over the winter but might take longer.

 

At the moment the back axle needs replacing but that's all i plan to do soon the rest of the work it needs will get sorted when i take it off the road.

[The Arch Bishop 0]

you can save a hell of a lot if you strip the car down yourself, its certainly the approach I'd take, then work on replacing the worn bits and cleaning stuff as it goes back together, i.e engine mounts, new brake lines and hoses throughout, fuel lines etc, none of them cost that much to do but you'll save a lot doing it yourself.

I'm not the best mechanic, but I am bloody stubborn! Five hours wrestling with seized wiper spindles has taught me that at least! I would be striping it myself and documenting very closely due to my terrible memory. I also love cleaning things to an almost perverse degree so it doesn't put me off.

 

patience my friend

Something I'm lacking but if it's worth the wait...

 

If in doubt...Flat out Just go for the whole thing, strip the car down to a bare shell and get it blasted and resprayed then build it all back up, cleaning and painting bits on the way and replacing any worn parts. You'll have an amazing finished product at the end and a good bit of eye candy for the rest of us with the blog

Yep, the restoration threads on the forum are a considerable incentive! It's probably not the best car to do a full resto on but it means a lot to me. Dragging the poor thing through an MOT (in no small thanks to taylorspug) after it hadn't turned a wheel in 5 years and then it turning out to be utterly dependable means I owe it something.

 

The (newly wedded) Missus reckons I should go the whole hog, (strip, renovate and repaint entirely as to new) but I'm aware that even a proper decent body repaint will be about £2500+ if I want it like new and that's before I begin the mechanical parts... Money is an issue but time is not so saving properly to get it right doesn't bother me but being without the car for 4 odd years is an issue!

 

I would get that in writing before she finds out how much it will cost!

Yeah do it slowly do it right, and try and do as much yourself to save the dollars

you can do plenty bit by bit and still have a drivable car its only when you need to get it painted that you will be without it for any length of time (this is the stage i am at)

 

anyway what are you doing out of bed if your only married

Don't! I just about survived the Honeymoon!

 

She is fully aware how much it'll cost in the long term but at the end of the day, she sees it as my hobby and has no problem with that. She was well worth marrying!

[blessed6383 0]

they say patience is a virtue

 

if you decided to go the whole 9 yards why not buy another half decent pug for a run around then you can take your time (if have the space) and do it as you go to your spec replacing everything or just the bits you want to?

[The Arch Bishop 0]

they say patience is a virtue

 

if you decided to go the whole 9 yards why not buy another half decent pug for a run around then you can take your time (if have the space) and do it as you go to your spec replacing everything or just the bits you want to?

Trust me, I have more than enough cars as it is! It's just the 205 that I'd miss! Another 'tide me by' GTI would just take up funds for the resto. And I'd probably end up getting stupidly attached to that as well....

[MerlinGTI 3]

Unless you have 10k stashed up and a big garage you can write off for at least a year I would advise against stripping it to a shell tomorrow

 

Its a massive (costly) job to undertake, Theres a reason theres so many 'unfinished projects' for sale.

 

In my opinion you are better off (this is assuming your an average skint joe like me) focusing on an area at a time. For example...

 

Job #1 Engine

Buy engine of choice

Rebuild

Fit

Throw old engine away

 

Job #2 Beam.....

 

Cars kept on the road 98% of the time this way so you can continue to enjoy it which will give you the enthusiasm to continue.

 

Body work is the last job

[The Arch Bishop 0]

Unless you have 10k stashed up and a big garage you can write off for at least a year I would advise against stripping it to a shell tomorrow

 

Its a massive (costly) job to undertake, Theres a reason theres so many 'unfinished projects' for sale.

 

In my opinion you are better off (this is assuming your an average skint joe like me) focusing on an area at a time. For example...

 

Job #1 Engine

Buy engine of choice

Rebuild

Fit

Throw old engine away

 

Job #2 Beam.....

 

Cars kept on the road 98% of the time this way so you can continue to enjoy it which will give you the enthusiasm to continue.

 

Body work is the last job

This makes sense to me in many ways. So many cars end up as cheap projects on eBay that it is obvious that if you don't get to drive it, you start thinking 'I'm bored now,why bother?'

 

The hang up with that is that the body-work is the major problem with it. I've spent two years making it nicer to drive (and in truth, it drives pretty well now) and have had a year of hooning around in it making sure I like it enough to spend some money on it. 90% of the mechanicals on it are pretty tight so some tinkering with the oily bits seems worth it.

 

But to do the bodywork right means stripping it surely?

[welshpug 1,657]

indeed, bodywork to be done well needs as much as possible removed, they can be stripped totally bare without making it difficult to move them around, a few strapping lads can shift a 205 shell by hand easily enough

 

as you do have other means of transport I'd use it till the tax or MOT runs out then crack on with stripping it apart, and whilst the shell is away being sorted you can crack on with cleaning all the parts, rebuilding beams engines gearboxes etc.

[Redtop 14 2 Cars]

as you do have other means of transport I'd use it till the tax or MOT runs out then crack on with stripping it apart, and whilst the shell is away being sorted you can crack on with cleaning all the parts, rebuilding beams engines gearboxes etc.

 

I'd agree with this. Bodywork is going to be the hardest part and take the longest to do if done right. If you have other transport then you might as well strip it and break it up into sections. While the shell is away to be painted you can then take your time doing the other parts labeling them up, plenty of pictures and have them sitting ready to bolt onto the car. Thats what ive always done. That way when the shell comes back you have the stuff sitting ready to 'bolt on' once it's piped. If you are really dedicated to doing it then i'd advise stripping it when the weather is abit good like now. The winter nights do not appeal to venture out and do the work and this is where people get fed up and give up! Set a deadline for certain things to be done as well or else it will end up a very long term thing. Those are all the things I learnt whilst building my 205's .

[The Arch Bishop 0]

Yep, plenty of other cars to use. The GTI is a hobby and not everyday transport so it can take as long as it needs to. I'll need some strapping blokes to move the shell as I'm frankly a racing snake shape! I've got a month until the insurance needs renewing so a blast to Goodwood next week will be a fitting send-off for the old girl!

[blue_haddock 2]

if your not too worried about it being away for a while nad have other transport find a decent friendly bodyshop and ask them to do it on a fill in basis.

 

basically if they have a spare hour or two between normal jobs they can work on the 205 at a reduced rate so it gets done but takes a while to get finished. It will give you more time to do all the other jobs such as recon-ing the beam and more time to save to pay foir the bodywork

[The Arch Bishop 0]

That sounds like a good plan also. I guess the first job is to evaluate just how bad the tin worm is. For the most part it's very clean but under the rear bumper is shot away and where you find rust there's usually more! I did originally plan to tidy it myself but I think there's too many bad bits now!

[maturin23 10]

I'd offer some advice from personal experience - pregnancy/young babies don't combine well with spending lots of time fixing cars

 

Not sure about your plans on that front, but it might be worth bearing in mind!

[MerlinGTI 3]

But to do the bodywork right means stripping it surely?

 

Sure does, but how much you need to take off is relative to how mad your going. A restoration to me is bare shell every nut and bolt. A respray however only requires exterior trim removal.

 

Either way, taking bits off is quick and easy, dismantling and rebuilding these items is costly and time consuming.

Edited June 27, 2010 by MerlinGTI

[The Arch Bishop 0]

I'd offer some advice from personal experience - pregnancy/young babies don't combine well with spending lots of time fixing cars

 

Not sure about your plans on that front, but it might be worth bearing in mind!

Already have a daughter but more may be on the cards! I still seem to get a fair amount of free time so it doesn't worry me unduly!

 

Sure does, but how much you need to take off is relative to how mad your going. A restoration to me is bare shell every nut and bolt. A respray however only requires exterior trim removal.

 

Either way, taking bits off is quick and easy, dismantling and rebuilding these items is costly and time consuming.

Yep, I may have over-used the term restoration. But ideally, I'd have the shell done to the best degree as repairing mechanical parts is easier than battling the rust.

 

The majority of the oily bits are in fine fettle and the engine really only needs a top end refresh, belt and water-pump etc. I'm happy to tackle that myself. For the most part, bits need cleaning and painting only (the beam being the exception as it's still in good shape but I'd rather refurb it before it fails).