Oakie-dokey!

Look what landed at my house this weekend!

Never mind yer barnfinds, this is my shedfind!

89 8v Mk2 GTi, oak green, electric windows, central locking and power steering.

Big thanks to Tommy Power for letting me get my hands on her....this is a keeper!





Watch this space!

Interior Fit-out Begins IN Child Labour Scandal Shock!

OK so, making progress finally on the weekend mini campervan project...

Whipped off the roof-bars to find major rot where the roof had been drilled - major thanks to Alan Robinson (Robbo) for his chopping/welding/filling skills - free plug for a seriously sound chap!

Started to cover the rear panels with flash-band for sound-deadening - it makes a lot of difference..just got the sides done over the weekend - took 10metres in all; will complete the inner roof this week.

Cheap child labour - ya can't beat it! Is it sad that my son's more excited about this project than any other car that's passed through my hands?


Other side...


Also started the insulation - using 'Thermawrap' roll -very easy to work with, although the foil tape is a pain in the arse!


More updates as the interior fit-out continues during the week...

Mmmmmmm...Dishy!

So, here's a couple of teaser pics for the wheel plan for 'Project Inca-pacitated'...

Can't get much more old-skool, deep-dished goodness than OZ Turbos...thanks to my good mate, Cian!

Trial fitted one last night to see what the poke would be like, to be honest I was worried they'd be a bit 'Ben Hur' and a risk to passing cyclists! But, they turned out to fit quite nicely, thank you very much!

Next will be a full part-out, refurb and rebuild...colour to be confirmed as soon as I decide what colour the van's gonna end up.

This pic even show's my son Dylan's approval! HAHA!

 

And this was just a random pic while she was jacked up...

In the meantime we just threw the RA's from the shed on, as the tyres had a bit of meat still on them and a set of wind deflectors to keep the 'soft' Irish rain out when driving, plus Robbo's done a great job cutting all the rot outta the roof and sealing her up weather-tight, ready for the woodwork to start in the rear!.

Other updates of note:
Roof-bar holes and associated rust have been cut out and fresh new steel welded in;
Body-trim ordered from Lar in the local SEAT dealer - good man, Lar;
Timber and screws for rear camper fit-out currently sitting in the shed until this fuckin' rain stops;
MK3 GTi seats sourced and collected from all-round good guy Ronan;
New interior trim to be collected this weekend from a crashed 2002 VW Caddy.

That lots gonna keep me and Dylan busy for a few weeks!

Added to this is the news that something very tasty is gonna be dropped off at our house tomorrow eve...left hand drive, Oak Green barn-find! Can't wait!

check in soon for more news..and probably lots of swearing as we fit out and fix up this van!

Later,
RV.

Inca-pacitated

So, you know the way things go - plans change, ideas get abandoned...and new plans take over!

I've been looking at car-derived vans for a while, but they seemed never to come up for decent enough money, unless they've been beaten to shit and beyond as a builder's hack!

They've become fairly popular as customisable little wagons of late, and have that extra element of usefulness by being able to carry a shitload of your stuff in the back!

I spotted this less-than-beautiful little beauty on our local VAG forum, and knew Paudie, the seller, to be a stand-up decent guy...a few text messages were exchanged, photos were viewed, and I made him an offer he couldn't refuse!

Danny, good mate, general all-round good guy and fellow committee member of VAGE (our little club here in Ireland - check us out on www.vage.ie) was on the lookout for a diesel runabout, so we struck a deal on Patsy the Passat, and he then drove me onwards west to pick up this little SEAT Inca van.

Yes, she's a little worse-for-wear, and showing signs of having had a tough time....but as they used to say at the start of 'The Six Million Dollar Man'...''we can rebuild her......''.

Watch this space, as this one gonna be a lot of fun! Tear out, refit, lowered, old school classic rims, and a redneck paint job done on the driveway...man, the neighbours are gonna be pissed!

Some corrado updates

The ever popular...or unpopular... joey modded headlights, or how to spruce up your lamps while still being a cheap bastard who can't afford new smoked ones!

Step one - remove lights from car...

Step two - clean all the tiger seal off the lamps that some previous knuckle-dragging mouth-breathing owner used....to fit his grille spoiler!

Step 3 - remove lamp lenses...CAREFULLY! If you're a ham-fisted Neanderthal, best let someone with a bit of finesse do this for you...hammer NOT required for this task! Prise lens clips away from glass with a flat screwdriver, levering against the back of the lamp, not the lens!

Step four - clean up lens with wire wool to remove two decades of gunk, then polish with glass cleaner of your choice...DON'T DROP THE FUCKIN' THING!

Step five - Get your trusty tin of smooth hammerite and a fine artists brush, and brace yourself...here comes the tricky bit.....steady now!

Step five-and-a-half...to steady your nerves, have a refreshing cool beverage...here's mine being delivered to the workbench...thanks darlin'!

Step six - lay the paint on evenly, taking your time around the edges of the reflector bowls...here's how it should end up...

Step seven - repeat for the other lamp...

Step eight - re-assemble the lamps once the paint has dried and pat yourself on the back, job well done.

 I don't have a pic of them on the car yet, as its still in eleventy million pieces on the driveway.....patience, all will be done soon!

Later folks,

RV.

Fuck performance! Gimme economy anyday...!

So, with the Hench gone, twas time to find a cheap 'n' cheerful daily plodder to get me around while the rest of the projects are being worked on...

A quick call to Geo uncovered a 1995 Passat TDi 90bhp sitting in his yard, looking for a new home and some tlc.

50mpg and 2 years test sealed the deal, along with a criminally low price...'Patsy the Passat' was on her way home to us!

Check out the horrible SEAT wheel trims on 14'' steels, and the ride height high enough to give you altitude sickness!

But, on the plus side, a dry engine, cheap and cheerful super-dee-duper Aldi MP3 head-unit and Mk3 Golf GTi bucket front seats...not bad for the price of a months petrol in the Hench, eh?

I swore I wasn't gonna do any thing to her, just fuel and drive...but then there'd be no fun it that, now would there?

Some wheels, a B3 passat duckbill spoiler, one hell of a clean, detail and paint correction and a serious shlap of the lowering shtick should make her a fun runaround and general load-lugger!!

Plans are underway for her transformation, so keep checking in for updates soon.

Later,

RV.

Mel's Corrado G60

So, while I'm fuckin' around with old diesel plodders, my better half decides she wants a slice of the action!

And what better way to do it than with a supercharger fitted!

'Jessie the G60' is one of current projects...

The day we found her...

Yes, she looked a little sorry for herself, but with only 67k miles on the clock, and a healthy charger, we couldn't really leave her sitting in the shed where we found her...

paintwork definitely showing its age, but mechanically she's 100%, so this should be a light restoration with only a bit of tidying and a shitload of elbow grease needed!

There's plenty of progress going on, so watch out for plenty of updates coming soon...

Take it easy,

RV.