corozin

Well as I said above the first step is do assess the state of things. By now even the latest subframes will be starting to show signs of wear and tear even on well maintained cars. As with many mechanical things there is no hard rule determining whether a piece needs to be swapped out as so much depends on the life the car has lead & how it's stored etc. My '93 car has lead a pretty hard life (including trackday work) and when it was in bits last summer I was pleasantly surprised to see how well it was holding up. That said it was showing signs of surface rust so I had it shotblasted and recoated as a replacement was not required. By contrast the subframe of a '95 car that I owned until 2005 was in a lot worse state corrosion wise than my current car's one was, despite the fact that (at that time) the car was effectively 4

It's really unfortuate to hear this happened to you but frankly I'm surprised we havn't seen more of this. We shouldn't forget that our cars really are getting pretty old now and the subframes on these cars are not the most corrosion resistant part of the car. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking things underside are 100% simply because the Corrado bodywork resists corrosion pretty well for a car of it's time. My recommendation to anyone who hasn't done this before is to check (or get fully checked) all the underside stuff when you next get an opportunity. Don't rely on the MOT station to tell you. Specifically you need to check the subframes, wishbones, suspension bushes, tank straps, brake lines, exhaust brackets and the state of the lower sections of the slam panel (that mounts the radiator and sits behind the front bumper). I'm not scare-mongering but you should be aware of the state of these items and if necessary make a plan to replace them over time in risk-order. Wishbones for example really aren't expensive (from GSF). Don't forget that the Corrado is a powerful car with a potential 150mph+ top end and in that sense should be maintained in a a similar way to as if you owned a Porsche. You really don't want anything to fall off when you're pressing on, as the OP has been fortunate to find out without injury. John

Well Vauxhall are adding chavvy bits of bodykit, skirts, gills, vents, wings and god-knows what to all VXR cars. It's interesting that you seem to miss these addenda, as VXR sales figures would indicate that new car buyers don't miss them at all. What is curious is that chav jewellery (in the form of carbon fibre roofs, funny bonnet scoops & vents etc) do seem to becoming popular on top German executive supersaloons such as the AMG Mercs and M-Bimmers. Seems your average exec increasingly wants a car worthy of poof-Daddy to park outside his executive 'crib' these days. All I can say is that having been a teenager during the 1980s when Koeing, Reiger and Mattig bodykits were all the rage, I really am pleased they're gone. I know the Japs re-invented the bodykit look for a few years during the late 90's & early 00's, but even those are now becoming a parody of themselves nowadays. Like Shoulder Pads and Kajagoogoo, some things are best left behind in the 1980s. Classic old skool styling, the clean euro-look and rat motors still endure and always will. Plastic bodykits are for girls and betwetters.

Well you're absolutely right Phil. If you look at the wheels which have clearly dug into the ground as it's been going over and just filled up with mud etc - now transplant that and imagine the A/B pillars taking that kind of impact side on instead of the wheels. Lucky almost isn't the word for it. The roof of the car is structurally quite strong provided you land on top of the roof structure. They're nowhere near as strong when soft verge digs into it and applies a massive force from a perpendicular direction. The more I look at those pictures the more I shudder thinking about it to be honest. John

I survived a similar accident (similar in that I rolled and ended up wrong way up in a field 57 yards from the road) in an MG Metro in 1984. If my accident was any guide that car has rolled at least three or four times before coming to a rest. All I can say is the driver (like me) has been very lucky indeed to even survive it, let alone walk away (as I also did). At the risk of tempting criticism the car had little to do with it - he was just bloody lucky that the manner in which it rolled meant he didn't get crushed. John

I don't think you've met Andy's wife. I bet she's been calling him "sad bastard" for three days now... hahaha (it's true isn't it Andy?)

Clarkson's DVDs are ok for what they are - Christmas fodder. After maybe the second viewing they're normally boring. At least he bent a Porsche on this one (and they put it into the DVD). Having said that, I do occasionally put his 2006 DVD on where he test drives the 750bhp Ford GT... that bit's good.

I think I agree about the aircon. It's nice to be able to leave that set "on" ready for when you demist it using the remote start Andy fitted to it! Nice warm defrosted car awaits you sir... I can remember the first time Andy showed that to me, and seven years on I've just managed to get my own car fitted up the same way... luxury!

I have a chum down in Bournemouth with a supercharged 4Motion and it pretty much slays everything on the road. 320bhp... And unlike an R32 it's a street sleeper. You'd never guess when it's parked up that it's anything other than a smart, debadged silver MkIV Golf even though it's on 18" BBS LMs.

I'll be interested to see how you make the switch over to early grille & bumper, haha. Alternatively paint the wheels black, change the body to aqua blue, put a dent in the drivers door and don't wash it for 6 months. It'll be the perfect Corrado then. :wink:

Oh dear Andy, you have been getting bored haven't you?

If your chains are shagged but you're handy mechanically you might want to look through this : http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1264409 John

Yes a MkII one will fit (onto a VR6) but the clearances are tight. I have a Trimsport MkII Golf one myself.

If you want reliability you need to think "Honda" or "Toyota". A Seat isn't the first thing that comes to my mind when I ponder low running costs. Fact : Honda have never had to replace a 1.8 VTEC engine under warranty.

Blimey, nice to see that car is still about. Here's a little Christmas present for you; a collection of photos of the car circa 2000-2001 when it was registered with the immortal "G60 GO" numberplate.

Battery : Leaving a trickle charger running for 12 months seems excessive to me unless you want to keep the alarm running. Suggest you just disconnect it while it's laid up. Wheels : As well as the suggestions above you can buy special wheel dollies that cradle the tyres and prevent them flatspotting. See here : http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/products/ ... e=SEAWS454 General : 1) I would try and make the effort to pop over to the car at least every other month and fire it up and warm the engine and transmission up to operating temperature. This will stop a lot of things sticking and possibly seizing. Run the fan motors, wipers and sunroof. Make sure the sunroof is freshly greased up before you lay it up. 2) If the garage isn't completely weather proof, consider leaving a small tea-tray or oven dish on the back shelf, filled with salt to a depth of maybe 5mm. This will help absorb any excess humidity in the car and stop it stinking. Make sure the windows and doors are shut tight and the ventilators all closed up. 3) If you can, get the car out of the garage and back it up & down a few times. This will keep the axles and hubs all freed up nicely. 4) If you have one, use a car cover. Even though it's in a garage. HTH John

No problem. It's good to know you found the info you wanted. Noticed you're not to far away from me & Chazrad as well - presume you'll come out to play when we all meet up again next year? John

Thank you John that was kind of you to help me.

I think the Alfa 8C got there first, and did the job better to boot.

If all else fails : https://erwin.volkswagen.de/erwin/showHome.do

I'm not disagreeing with you at all in fact. The point is that this is not a car for the inexperienced as so much has been changed. It's a big credit to James that he sorted all the electrics out to MkIV etc but at the same time that is no guarantee of simplicity. For example the car has a Corrado fuel pump, but the float has had to be modified so that it talks to the TT dashboard fuel meter. It's a great car but if ever there was a case of "Caveat emptor" then this is one of them.

@redsamuraidragon If you're based in the USA or Canada (as I assume you are) you might want to consider contacting Bildon Motorsport as they can source you not only a wide range of piston sets (including Wossner's new 13:1 compression ABV pistons) but also all the piston/ring sizes up to 83.5mm. I'm running the 12:1 set and the quality of the componants is top-shelf (see pic) In addition they can also advise you (and provide service) on all the other things you need to do depending on what type of rebuild you're planning, and can provide the head/porting service you seek. Regarding the rebore the AAA/ABV block is 100% safe to 83.5mm and that conversion has been around for ages. I'd actually be wary of anyone who tells you that it's not. Ditto the 10.5:1 advice provided you use decent octane fuel and get your ECU mapped properly. There are guys who've gone out as far as 85mm but this requires the throw to be shortened to avoid things smacking into each other at the bottom of the vee (if you open the engine block up you'll quickly see the issue). What I would say (based on recent experience) is that what you're planning is not necessarily the most cost effective way to replace a failing AAA block with a big power replacement. A 24v lump makes more sense financially, but if (like me) you're attached to the 12v experience and want to do something really unusual then it's worth considering. Certainly I'm not regretting it (yet). Hope this helps John

So it's moving on again is it? Ok before you buy the car have a really big think about what you're doing and make 100% sure you know what you're up to. I know James well and saw this car evolve at close hand from when he first bought it in 2001. Thoughts : (a) This is a massively modified car. Make sure you read James' (huge) thread on it and understand it. I don't think it would be far wrong to assume that just about every aspect of the car, be it cosmetic, interior, mechanical or electrical was modified, renewed or replaced during the time that James had it. This is a very serious point as there is no "instruction book" for this car, and although the engine will plug into normal VAG diagnostics (and will show as a Mk4 4Motion) you should assume that maintenance will require a lot of skill, knowledge and improvisation. (b) Don't buy the car simply on the romantic notion that it used to be James' show car. He hasn't owned the thing for over two years now. You need to buy on the basis of the current owner's stewardship - not your memory (or anyone else's) of James' time with the car. © I'm sure the owner is probably asking for a chunk of cash for this car because I know what James sold it for. Bear in mind that only a month ago decent, low mileage, FSH Corrado Storms were going on the Autotrader for just over £4k. Think about that. (d) Don't be under any illusion that if you buy the car you'll spend the rest of your life as the "owner of James' old project car". It won't be yours, it will always be "his". Everyone will just be interested in asking you about the modifications HE did to it. They won't be interested in you unless you damage it or blow it up (in which case you'll be 'that knobhead who trashed James' old project car'). The only way to get out of that will be to tear the car apart (as James did) and rebuild it completely different, at least changing all the dash, interior and body colour out to make it "yours". At this point refer to point © above all over again. Don't get me wrong; it used to be a terrific car when I knew it and if you guys had any concept at all of how many hours James spent working on it you'd know what a labour of love it was for him. But equally don't let any of the history cloud your judgement if you're in the position of actually considering buying it. That decision has to be a sober, informed and commercial one. Good luck, John p.s. if you do buy the car you might want to re-register your nick as "24Virgin" but don't be surprised if the boys suddenly start offering you flowers and chocolates luv. XXX.

You're right. The race was a bloody long way from being staged in any form, even if the pre-amble involving the build of the car did include the usual Marx brothers cocking about. There were obviously a few liberties taken with the truth in the race (eg can anyone believe that Hammond really didn't know the layout at Silverstone?) but what you couldn't forge was the fact that everyone else there was in a serious competitive race. I have to say I tip my hat to the TG guys for taking this on as thier first "proper" motor race. Taking on a 24h is not a great way to get started IMHO, and unlike the 24h Citroen 2CV race that Hammond had done before the speeds (and differentials) between the cars are great, as was the chance of getting badly hurt if it all goes wrong. Clearly the Britcar guys were happy to accomodate the TG team (with all the associated publicity) but equally they were clearly shown no quarter on the track. It really was a baptism of fire. Merely the fact that the drivers and team finished the race on thier first attempt is worthy of a bit of applause, as most teams don't manage that first time out and with apparently little testing in advance. I think the programme did an excellent job of balancing the usual ratings-grabbing horseplay with an interesting behind the scenes piece on the Britcar scene and the amount of work that goes into taking on 24h racing. One of the better TG episodes IMHO.

It's certainly on eDonkey. You can find a link through the "Running / Returning Series" forum on sharethefiles.org