Search the Community

Hi 205'ers, I have been meaning to do this for a while having gone through the same process with my old VW camper a couple of years ago ( http://forum.earlybay.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=69499 ), I found it a great way of recording what I'd achieved and the help and advice received made a huge difference! I always wanted a 205 when I was a 'yoof' in the early 1990's, but (working in a Ford dealership) tended toward the blue oval (RS1600i, 2 x S1 RS Turbo, Capri Mk2... wish I still had them, I'd be well off now!). Even then I knew the Pug was a better car than the Escort, but I wouldn't admit it, even to myself. So, I stumbled on a bit of a 205 project about a year ago, a chap had started the resto but needed space for other projects (RS2000 Mk2, De Tomaso Pantera,...). It was quite local and at a price I was happy with to get me into 205 land. Basically it was: A 1.6 phase 2 from 1991, 79k with no history. (However, looking at the condition of the interior, engine and gbx internals and the body I'm as sure as you can be this is genuine) It had had a bump in 2004 and was written off Cat C - the damage was minimal and limited to the o/s/r 1/4 panel and rear bumper. The tailgate fitted was non-GTI. Engine, front suspension and interior already stripped out. Engine had been stripped, vapour blasted, all new parts (cylinder liners, bearings, gaskets) were supplied. Crank had been checked/polished and the head fully rebuilt. Gearbox not touched. Rear beam (seized), also not touched. Front suspension had been overhauled with new brakes, wheel bearings and the subframe p/coated. The shell was in good condition, tiny bit of corrosion on the n/s inner wing and boot floor needed 2 x 5cm square patches. The guy had already wire-wheeled the underside - which i was very happy about! Here she is as bought...

Dear All, Well, it's taken me a while, but I have finally managed to lay my hands on a nice 'Cherry Red' (currently orange!), phase 2 GTI. She runs pretty nicely (although the idle is lumpy - nothing a good clean out won't sort), and she's just shy of 100,000 miles, so not bad! Unfortunately, she's been defiled by a baseball cap wearing boy racer, and has a few, less than original modifications. Namely: Stupid jet nozzle exhaust back box. Ridiculous myopic eye headlights. Perspex sunroof bubble! An abundance of carbon fibre effect vinyl, and to top it all off, An invincible class aircraft carrier ski jump spoiler, cunningly fashioned from foam rubber and sikaflexed onto the rear hatch (I curse you for that!) I now plan to strip her down (removing all of the abominations), give her a general tidy up. and get her a full respray. The only mods will be the triple air-horn and klaxon out of my now defunct GTX (god only knows where I'm going to put them!) and a modest CD player. Here's some pictures. She actually looks much tidier in these shots than up close (but it was an incredible day today!) Can anyone tell me the story behind this type of reflective boot trim? Obviously it's very different from the more common black slatted type, but does it have any significance? I can't decide whether I like it, and as the bloody stupid spoiler is going to be such a bitch to remove, I did wonder whether it would be easier just to switch the entire tailgate for another? Is this sacrilegious, opinions please!? And look at this abomination! There's a bit of rust forming around the rear passenger's wheel arch, which I need to get on top of in a hurry. This appears to be where the panel is coming away from the arch, and there's a bit of water getting in. Fortunately, I don't think it's gone too far yet, so I was planning just to clean it down to bare metal and treat it with rust killer. I was then going to re-attach the panel with tigerseal and clean-up, prime and paint. Would you agree that this is a suitable approach? Any advice is welcomed. Shot of the damage from inside. As I said, I think it's quite early on, so I should be able to kill it without chopping anything out! If you're reading this, and the below is your handiwork, my apologies, but you should be ashamed of yourself! And here's the noisemaker! All round I'm pretty chuffed, she's in pretty good nick. I've owned her for just over 24 hours, and already two people have tried to buy her from me! I have never been this cool! Any advice, tips or just comments on the above would be most welcome. Cheers, Mike