[car_overhaul] 205 Rallye White

[Lowercase 56]

Right, about time I posted a project thread on my Rallye now that I have it running reasonably reliably.

 

Got it off a mate at work after pestering him to sell it to me for 7 and a half months... and now shes mine!

 

UK Spec 1.4 Rallye with Honda Fireblade bike carbs.

 

When I got it and and after a quick clean:

 

 

Unsure what else to do at the time, i started tidying up the tatty interior with a clean and some shockingly rubbish seat covers.

 

 

More to come

[Lowercase 56]

I wasn't happy with the cheapo seat covers as they were useless, so i took them back and got some better seat covers and set about applying them to the rear bench with a hog ring tool

 

before:

after:

 

This new looking rear bench never even made it into the car though, as I had other ideas for the Rallye - The Rear bench is now in my girlfriends GTI

[Lowercase 56]

After insuring the car with all mods for a great price, the modifying taps were undone and i knew what i wanted to do with the car.

 

 

i got a pair of FIA approved fiberglass seats brand new second hand with mounts for an utter steal

 

 

im still making some tweaks to the side mounts to get them sitting how i want.

loosing some metal off the top, and need to weld a small side tab on and weld in a second seat rail.

 

i also ordered up some TRS 4 point Magnum 3" FIA harness's

 

and got a fiberglass battery box second hand for cheaps, so ill sort that out after the seats are in.

 

The half roll cage that is in at the moment isnt welded in to my liking and i dont think the car really needs it, so, im cutting that out after work this week in favour of a simple harness bar.

 

and once all the weldings been done ill give the interior metalwork a splashing of alpine white before bolting everything down. ive already started treating the metalwork with a wire wheel and some hydrate 80 and a dusting of acid etch primer to keep the rust away while i get things sorted.

 

 

 

I'll start turning my attention to the exterior soon, I had some overheating issues as the fan wasn't kicking in, which ive cured, just need a new heater matrix now as the last one was leaking coolant into the cabin. plenty to keep me busy though, the bike carbs need balancing properly and the brakes will be upgraded to 206 gti calipers and ebc discs and pads.

 

I was going to find some s2 steel wheels, but i have 2 sets of pepper pots layinging around and by chance one set are speedlines, so im just going to have them done in white

 

thoughts and suggestions welcome.

[omega 82]

does it run right with those carbs? as the hoses look a bit of a bodge think running a cold air feed to them would help.

but it looks like you doing a good job.

[MiniGibbo 142]

great start dude, love the seats, they look like Recaro Pole positions.

[Lowercase 56]

does it run right with those carbs? as the hoses look a bit of a bodge think running a cold air feed to them would help.

but it looks like you doing a good job.

 

the last owner put them on over a few lunch breaks so they were a bit of a bodge. it idles a bit low and cuts out now and then at the lights, so got to get them balanced.

 

on the lookout for another engine at the moment so i can rebuild it and get it in lean health, and either fit the bike carbs properly or go for twin webbers.

 

paint work needs some mega treatment too, as its definitely showing its Rallye scars!

 

 

 

the seats are pretty yummy yea Matt i was just about to order some pole position replicas when i saw these come up for cheaper and i couldn't resist!

[Lowercase 56]

im not sure on some of the stickers either, too much going on, but im thinking of the T16 works stickers to help break up the white and hide some of the paint work, but its early days with regards to the exterior, interior and mechanicals to sort out first.

[MiniGibbo 142]

Is that the fat stickers..?

 

They look mint but you'd need the euro arches.

[Lowercase 56]

the front wing decals are the factory stickers, the others are just bits of vinyl the previous owner got hold of and had a go at himself.

[MiniGibbo 142]

Nah I meant the t16 stickers

[Lowercase 56]

ah, yea the T16 stickers are the 'works' style stickers,

like this, but with a nice number on the door (because i like racing stickers hehe)..

im undecided on the arches, i like the understated looks with no arches, but i also quite fancy the works livery with gloss black euro arches over the top, and black inserts on the rear quarters, im just looking to break up the white as much as i can.

 

[MiniGibbo 142]

White arches and those stickers would look awesome.

[omega 82]

i think its against the law to have raceing numbers on your doors.

[Lowercase 56]

ah, thats a shame. ah well, the exterior wont get much attention for a while other than a wash and polish, and before i do anything ill be taking all the current decals off and blank canvas it first.

[backroadpug 12]

Yea having numbers on your car or bike is illegal but just put a bit of electrical tape crossed over the number.

[McDude 33]

i think its against the law to have raceing numbers on your doors.

It is, but if you live in London you'll notice Foxton's Estate Agents driving around in stickered up Minis with race style numbers on the doors - if they can get away with it...

[Lowercase 56]

righto, crappy update, busted my wrist so work on getting the seats in has halted for now. so i started removing some of the extra stickers that i didn't much care for. and i also fitted a sunstrip! mostly to hide the fact that my rear view mirror keeps falling off with all the jiggling about that the engine does, time for new mounts? and partly because inside im just a big kid who likes 'race cars!'

 

its a bit low atm but for £2 its not a bad way to see if i like it or not.

 

 

im slowly managing to get the front valance back to white after all the coolant and muck and dirt thats been on it. couple more goes and it will be up to scratch

 

also had some new goodies arrive: water temp guage:

 

my TRS harness's

 

and i dug out the mint omp steering wheel i got for my gti6 but i think once the seats are in the driving position might mean i need the extra reach of an aftermarket boss, so ill keep this on the side for now

 

Edited July 31, 2012 by DaSneakyGit

[MiniGibbo 142]

Shame about your wrist dude but the cars looking tidy..!

 

what size is the wheel looks around 300..?

[Lowercase 56]

measures about 325-330mm depending where you have the tape measure.

 

bit smaller than i'd ideally like, although i'd prefer to keep the original in place but i'll have to wait and see if that's possible - long legs short arms unfortunately.

 

im on the look out for a new drivers front wing and door as there's a few creases in mine which are bugging me.

 

also whilst your snooping around matt, do you experience any rubbing with the s2 rallye steels on yours?

 

i was going to have my speedline pepperpots powdercoated white, but for that price i could by four s2 steels new - either way i'd need new tyres so its a bit of a no brainer i think, and just save my speedlines for track use.

[MiniGibbo 142]

Guy i bought it off was a tool, ive got s1 wheels dude.

 

yeah ive got a 350 and think its a bit big, 330 is ideal for me i think.. few lads i know have had 280's and they dont last long lol..

[Lowercase 56]

the s1 wheels were 5.5 wide werent they ? the peperpots on mine at the moment are really snug and are 5.5, i cant get my fingers down the backs of the rear wheels though.

[MiniGibbo 142]

Something like that, it seems to be down as fact that you'd rub with s2's..

 

I've got 185's on mine and that's plenty off meat for a 205 IMO.. No need for wider rubber.

[Lowercase 56]

ill leave as is for now then, cant be buggered to faff about with spacers and longer bolts to fit wider wheels.

[NDJN 6]

the s1 wheels were 5.5 wide werent they ? the peperpots on mine at the moment are really snug and are 5.5, i cant get my fingers down the backs of the rear wheels though.

Same with mine mate. looking at it theres about a 1/4inch gap .. not good at all when theres a slight bit of weight in the back haha

[Lowercase 56]

well, the future of the rallye is a bit uncertain at the moment.

 

The mrs is telling me that i have to sell it, and go back to driving my gti6 as, well... the rallye is old, overheats, the manual choke makes cold starts a lumpy bugger that means restarting the engine a few times before i even get out of my road. and the stupid back box is so damn loud i want to cut my head off after 30 mins in the car.

 

most of these problems can be fixed, but it means a lot more £££ and titting about with the damn thing.

 

as good and fast and comfortable as the gti6 is, i get the feeling that ill be kicking myself the minute i hand over the keys to the rallye as its such a rare car and a non sunroof model. and i think that if i do put in a few weekends hard graft then it will reward me with a slightly more usable car.

 

ive been talking to a mate who builds a lot of the s1 106 rallyes about my options for better cooling, and to loose the bike cards and switch to injection which should make it better at cold starts and dare i say it, give me a bit more power.

 

which ever i sell, the rallye or the gti6, the money will be spent on the remaining car.

 

need some knowledgable realistic opinions and advice please cheers guys