[Body_Work] Puglet, A Tatty Silver 1.9

[welshpug 1,656]

Thought I'd show the work I have been helping a friend of a friend with over the past few weeks, I was asked to help as I know how 205's go together, and Anton likes the welding side of things, but hates working on pugs, he's a VW man at heart.

 

Antons current collection is Clyde, 2.0 8 valve high comp cammed Red mk2 Scirocco, which is about the 160 bhp mark.

 

A VW T4 transporter Synchro 2.5 TDI.

 

A Porshe Carrera 4.

 

A Sylva Striker RT kitcar (x2!...)

 

And last week he picked up a Saab 9-3 Hot Aero Estate, 250 bhp variant, for £500, its bloody quick, and very tidy, and only has 100k on the clock.

 

 

He's built a few vw's, mk3 running gear under a mk2 golf, the ubiquitous 20vT into something or other, resurrected a few bent Sciroccos and M3's.

 

 

 

 

onto the puglet as Anton affectionately calls this 88 Silver 1.9 gti, its a car he has been given TWICE, and sold to friends for £400 both times IIRC the most recent victim is Adam, who asked Anton to get it up to scratch mechanically, and weld up where necessary...

 

 

end of the first day...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we poked holes in it, thought "oh feck" then started at the front and removed the rusty bits after snapping pretty much every stud and bolt there was...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[welshpug 1,656]

Progress has been a little sporadic, getting a few days in wherever we both can, so its a bit of a catch up till we get up to date.

 

Inner wing rebuilding, consisting of quite sturdy VW doorskin sections, as that's what Anton had lying about...

 

 

 

 

 

it went back together quite well, other than having to separate the full front panel supplied by the local motorfactor, as the spot welders at maxi-car obviously haven't got an accurate jig, as there wasn't a hope in hell it would have fitted as it was!

 

similar story on the RHS, though the inner wing wasn't quite as bad, the same approach was taken, drill all spot welds and chop back to clean steel, make up sections to weld in until the new headlamp panel could be offered into place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TADA!

 

 

 

 

 

PUGLET HAS A FACE AGAIN!

 

it kind of all still fits in the right place

 

 

[welshpug 1,656]

Whilst Anton was ding the fabricating and sticking bits of metal together, I got on with stripping the seats and carpet out, as Goliath was after it due to it being a green check half leather and green carpet affair, so obviously not original!

 

I found more holes...

 

 

passenger side rear footwell...

 

 

 

 

drivers side rear footwell, someone has been here before...

 

 

 

 

under the rear seat bench above the rear edge of the fuel tank, both sides.

 

 

 

also these bits either side of the hump.

 

 

 

 

 

and also these two bits, which didn't look bad until poked...

 

[welshpug 1,656]

A few weeks ago Anton popped into one of our favourite establishments, Harry Bucklands, a breakers yard just outside Cheltenham, a kind of old school rows and rows of cars take off what you are looking for kind of place, no stacked cars, mostly tarmac or compacted gravel and some patches of concrete, and he found a 50k mile 205 Trio with very good floorpan and boot sections, as well as sills and quarters

 

(did I mention Puglet needs some sill and quarter panel repairs too? yeah, a bit worse than thought initially!)

 

so a few days later Anton has a new toy in his toolbox, an 18v Makita Angle grinder, to go with the Drill and impact driver and torch he already had

 

hence, piece of floor!

 

 

 

piece of sill!

 

 

 

 

 

and here's a piece of boot floor middle section, which happens to have an appropriate profile to make a repair section above the side rails.

 

[welshpug 1,656]

so, last weekend I popped over to give a hand, as Anton was busy stitching the rear patches in, he said I should just get brutal with the cutting disc and attack the floor...

 

 

 

 

 

 

hmm, that's the lip that the fuel tank sits on...

 

 

 

 

 

hello floor!

 

 

 

 

 

bugger, found more holes!

 

 

 

 

 

ah well, COP CHOP!

 

 

 

 

 

bit of metal bashing and a nice section was fabricated to go back in, and an odd position was adopted, and the section attached securely.

 

[welshpug 1,656]

And that's just about up to date, I think today Anton was planning to get those two sections of floor back in, the one above the fuel tank will be repaired along the lip, and the floor section replaced with the bit we chopped out of the poor little Trio.

 

my job once its welded back up is to get the timing belt and water pump done, fit a Magnex exhaust, tidy the engine loom and get it running nicely again, I've already done the rear wheel bearing and took apart the rear brakes, fitted them back on properly...

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

+5

[Jolly Green Monster 51 1 Cars]

nice work but would it not have been better to take the whole shell from the breakers

[mowflow 67]

Good stuff. It's like a further gone version of mine.

[welshpug 1,656]

nice work but would it not have been better to take the whole shell from the breakers

Not really, it wasnt a gti, and i doubt they would let us take it.

[Jolly Green Monster 51 1 Cars]

hairy muff

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

fair enough?

[Jolly Green Monster 51 1 Cars]

[GLPoomobile 958]

Got to ask, when was this car last on the road legally?

[welshpug 1,656]

I can't remember, but not that long ago!

 

It is quite surprising just how much the structural underseal hides, as well as the carpets, general road dirt, mud etc!

[calvinhorse 870]

If BL made 205 Gtis...

[Daviewonder 533 3 Cars]

If BL made 205 Gtis...

 

.... it would have been in this state 15 years ago

[welshpug 1,656]

and non existent today!

[welshpug 1,656]

Got to ask, when was this car last on the road legally?

 

Two years ago GLP floor and sills are completed, there's a 4" square blind man with an arc welder type patch where the Master cylinder usually dumps its brake fluid when they leak, which will be cut out and rectified properly, then it's off for paint, will add a few pics later.

[welshpug 1,656]

its alive!

a few catchup pics.

 

rear end of the sill and lower quarter repair.

 

 

floor section tidied up ready to be offered in place.

 

 

offered up after nibbling away at some bits.

 

 

left side stuck in.

 

 

 

Right side in and Anton poking the sill.

 

 

 

 

front all welded back on and painted a few weeks ago.

 

 

 

Jetwashed the engine and box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Engine went in last weekend, Anton fighting with the gearbox lower bolt:

 

 

 

On Friday Dan (DCC) came over to give a hand, we got it rolling then pushed it out into the sunshine so the interior could be re-assembled.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Was too busy doing stuff to get pics of the completed repairs, but its safe to say its a lot stiffer than it used to be, probably stiffer than a new shell

[roland rat 11]

Good work Mei!

[Rock Lobster 28]

Fair play boys! Top work! I would have stayed well away from all that hard work!

[Mac Crash 78 1 Cars]

Some good reference photos there.

[welshpug 1,656]

Thanks for the comments guys, certainly had opened my eyes a little bit and made me realise that there's so many cars out there that really can be saved without massive outlay really.

 

Adam's budget to get the car back in roadworthy condition was about £1500 in total, Anton and myself's bill have taken all that up but hopefully it will be good for many years to come, its just his shopping car after all as he runs a Discovery 4 and a 996 Carrera

 

 

 

Update since the last few pics is that it runs now, starts on the button after a replacement starter was fitted, but there seems to be a wiring issue causing drastic overfuelling, with the throttle stop screw set to factory setting and the air bypass screw wound right in it will idle near 2.5k clamp the SAD pipe and it comes down a couple of hundred RPM.

 

Doesn't help currently that it only has a 4 branch manifold on either we gave up and had a curry and then this past week Anton has been in Germany sightseeing and chasing ladies