Rams

are you saying you have just used the other screws to sescure the liner? What about the gap at the top where you cant secure it? Just seal it up?

Now my front arches have been rolled, im wondering what people do with the inner arch? Obviously you loose the fixing points but do people secure as much as possible and extend the plastic some how or just leave me out? I know I can have the belly protectors in, which I believe covers the bottom pully, thats my main concern as the arches will all be sealed properly and I believe its the plastic arches that retain the water and make the arches rusty in the first place? Rams

The rear arch has been pulled, its stage one of the process but it looks really good and will only need a light skim of filler. Front arches are rolled by the rolling machine. If I had done it again, I would have put some slits in the sides of the front arches to allow the movement, but as im pulling the lip out, any defects will be lost. Under the arch you have 1 small screw holding that corner on, I will have a few spot welds in place hidden behind it to keep it ultra secure. I know the pictures are in the rain but im board so see what you think. The rear arch has been cut to seperate the inner and outer arch, lip pulled back inside, lip on outside has been hammered and dollyed, inner lip foded back over and will be seam welded with more welds that it comes out of the factory and sealed properly. Its taking shap finally. Im not happy about a few bits, but they are being resolved. Where the new arch meets the lower part of the door, the gaps are different to the top and bottom. What happened was my welder liped the new panel over the exsiting lip that returns into the door as he said he didnt want to cut too much off initially. So whats happened is the extra metal that lips over steps out slightly reducing the gap. Its easily sorted by cutting that out again and behind that will be the exsisting lip and that can be welded to that, ground off, sanded and a skim of filler. It will then be in the exact position. Car now officially booked in for all paint prep to begin at the beginning of November. Between then I have to do the other rear arch and then smooth the rest to my ability then the pro can take over. Since the rear arch was hammered etc, nothing happened to the new arch which im please about so it must be solid. Since looking throught the, '' show us your best pic'' thread, I now want my aerial removed and smoothed. Can fit those internal aerials which I hear give a better reception? Also, removing the clifford leds from the door pins, they are too bright, my plan is to mount 2 of them into the front arch vent so at night, the vent pulses. It will be more subtle as the inside is black. It should look cool. I am also wondering if I should recess the slc bumper lights in a bit more... They stick out too much imo. The outer edge will be coloured coded, but it sort of goes against the smooth look. Its different and if they bug me, I'll get a new bumber. But will give them a shot. I might end up smoothing the exhaust recess to matched the shaved tow eye. ????

Rear Eibach anti roll bar and bulb holders from the America

New Eibach Anti Roll Bar, front and rear, just waiting for the rear ARB to arrive. I guess the rear is straight forward to install

Have now sourced all the OBD2 parts, they are gradually all turning up in the post. Ive been a bit trigger happy with my paypal account. Bought front and rear Eibach anti roll bars, new fitting kit from Venom. Have decided to go for some new GAZ coilovers fully adjustable ride and damper. I have been doing some of the prep work on the body work but Ive got tired of the slow progress and have booked the car into a friend of mine to rub the whole car down and get it paint ready, so it will all be smooth, flat and primed. Then it will go in for top coat . Im just making sure that the job is done to a quality standard and feel if I attempt it and it looks crap, I would have spent a chunck of cash for nothing. He is a very fussy guy and feel totally confident about his ability. My welder has been great at welding but the slop work has taken too long and he agrees, its not his strong point. But all bits that have been shaved are almost smooth, a bit of work will need to go into adjusting the drivers door so the gaps are all equal. The front arches are now rolled, the machine was a bit too severe but as I am getting rid of the lip line to make it one nice curved arch, any defect theres will be gone. The rears have been started, the sealant has been ground out so far and hopefully tomorrow the inner arch can be separated and the hammer will begin. Its the look I really like and gives it that extra show standard I always wanted. Its really swallowing up money like no tomorrow but it will be a matter of right first time and many years of nice paintwork. The guy thats going to rub it all down in a nice workshop is returning from holiday at the beginning of november, Id say he will rub it down and prime it over 3 or 4 weeks?? I dont want to leave it too long due to the cold weather, but should just be in time. He basically said he will re do all the filler work to make it perfect, incase any water has absorbed into the filler whilst its been outside, but it was alwys etched primered. Eitherway, I like the fact he mentioned it. The engine will have all the timing parts changed just before Peter the painter will begin the rub down. The Eibach arbs and suspension can also be fitted So no risk of it being scratched in my mechanic workshop. Then when shes painted, it should be a total transformation. I will go from being grumpy to very happy and can at least enjoy all this hard earned cash. Will be replacing the door frame rubbers to get that extra push when the door solenoid is popped, at the moment, I need to sometimes hold the button wich release the latch but doesnt give enough push to get your hand in to open the door. That should solve the issue, if not, helper springs / valve will need to be fitted. Alpine headunit fitted, looks great. Door card mounted Clifford LED alarm indicators, replaced the red dash one for blue but think its too much and very bright. With all 3 flashing ultra bright viper style leds. I have rilled the redundant door pins and mounted them in there so it can be removed or made switchable, or I will just make them all red which probably looks more subtle. I have to get out my polishing gear and start doing the new inlet manifold, heres a before pic to compare to the finished result. Once all the other bits arrive, I will get a nice picture of what people need if going OBD2.

Ive been ummm ing rrr ing on what to do engine wise. My engine runs very well, clutch is great, polished manifold etc but showing signs of chain tap, but not major. The offered R32 seller has responded saying he would like to get the engine looked at first so he can sell it to me knowing what the issues are..... I offered the money he wanted but now says he would be irresponsible of him to sell it with out knowning whats wrong. So I thought, well, if hes going to take his time, I would explore making my VR turbo ready, do the obd2 and so on....... But I feel that the route im definately going to take is, replace my chain and timing components, do the OBD2 which I now have the inlet, loom, throttle body, just need he ecu but should have one sorted by next week and get my guy to put it all in and just enjoy a well running vr6. Start sourcing the r32/ r36 drive train and clutch and engine and once I have all the pieces, get it made into 4 wheel drive, r32/r36 with a nice cam, exhaust and then look at forced feeding. Im now looking at the awd set ups to learn whats required and what happens with the fuel tank etc. If the r32/r36 from this guy becomes good, the whole car is at my disposal as I have first refusal. Then i will have a obd2 vr6 with recent replaced chains and tensioners etc for sale which someone wanting to upgrade their 2.9 will have it all ready and waiting and should help me towards some of the r32/r36 stuff needed. So, on with getting chains done, getting the re spray finished and becoming OBD 2 for now. I feel happier now and know what I have to get on with.

Brilliant, Venom kindly told me that the rears are the same, the fronts are different on the VR so thanks for confirmation. That does mean that I will be keeping the front, sorry Kev. I purhcased mine for £80 plus what ever the rear ones goes for on ebay plus the fitting kit which are £75 for front and back, so I havent saved that much, maybe £35 or so pounds when a new kit from venom is £258. If I dont win the bid Kev, you have first dibbs on the ARB and I will buy a new complete kit. Would the fitting kit be different from Golf to VR as there are some ebay ones available as a knocked down price to new ones from Venom etc....

I cant find a number for Eibach direct..... the part number is EW85 02 320 HA for the MK2 Golf rear ARB, if anyone has a vr6 rear Eibach ARB, do you have the part number? Cheers for your reply

Hi all I've read some posts about the MK2 having a very similar rear beam, I recently purchased an eibach front ARB and have tried locating just a rear. You can only buy it as a kit meaning front and back, or if you just want the rear, you have to buy the front and rear fitting kit which is only a few pounds less that complete kit over all! Theres a couple on ebay the the moment and want to get the set so I can have it all fitted and see the difference. I thought it was always the front ARB that made the difference, but I learn its the rear from re searching this forum. If the mk2 doesnt fit, then I will be selling my front eibach arb and buying a new kit. So if anyone wants an Eiback ARB then mine might be available? Cheers

I really like the feel of the bmw 3 series sport / M3 steering wheel. I wondered if it could be made to fit? I have searched the net and couldnt find anything so im guessing its not possible? Cheers

I really dont feel alone with taking this on, great support as usual! I will be building the the idea in my head, getting everything thats required, once its all there, drop it all off to my mechanic and help where I can. I will be overseeing the whole lot and taking photos, you know all the hard stuf like making tea and coffee! Would my new chains and timing gear fit the r32? I have the MK4 tensioner and top pad....... Need to look into the manifolds now, the mocal can be sourced easily enough, the engine and required bits are available. I would like to send the loom to someone thats done it and knows what they are doing. Then it makes life easier for my mechanic. Thats also why I want everything to land on the mounts so he can go about keeping everything tidy and factory which he is superb for. Hes already had the engine out of my Avensis that I bought for my gfriend, stripped it all, spent 3 days on it, some till stupid oclock, like 3 and 4 am when I said to him, come on, lets call it a day! Had all the bottom end off, timing gear off, drive shafts out, automatic gearbox off, replaced the crank, bearings and con rod and put it all back together and charged me £300. So the R32 should be plug and play by the time I've sourced everything, £800 on engine, manifold? Wiring loom, read around £300, but might get my mechanic on it????? depends whats involved? £80 to £100 to remove it all from donor car and maybe another £150 to put it all in. Theres the mocal, couple of hundred pounds, slim line fan, Im guessing silmilar? Plus manifold, £3/400? And engine repair depending whats required. So a couple of thousand im guessing. My mechanic is super cheap, I always give him more than he asks. He keeps saying to me, '' You really love this car don't you''. I reply saying,'' one day...... it will fly'' lol! Any web sites I should be looking at for Manifold? Slim line fan and mocal? I have kept the funds aside for the purchase, as soon as I know its mine and in my mechanics workshop, the shopping will begin. Even if it takes me a month to get all the bits organised, so be it. I can keep driving the vr then once im ready, I can sell my current engine.

Do you have room for another?

Is that 1 slim line fan or 2? Id like to keep the engine mount as is, I have a new one ready for that to. 19 row mocal should suffice? Is that with the sandich plate? Cheers Kev,

Ok cool, then it means I dont need to buy the gearbox..... AWD isnt calling loudly at the moment, its just a future thought when I learn and progress more into the C. So 12V Gearbox, with the final 3.68 drive and new clutch r32 Engine R32 ECU R32 Loom and keys/clocks Manifold still to get Different radiators? Slim line? Mocal oil coller or use 12v cooler? If I use the mocal, I dont need to adjust the front engine mount? I want to get everything first so the job can be done. Then its just common sense......... hopefully

I did think about the entire car but im sure he would want to much money, the engine and loom stuff at 800 seems good, plus it will give me time as I will to fix the engine first, so if the conrod is bent then I can get forge ones and new competition bearings which are not expensive but the conrods will cost a fair bit. Its buying something unknown, but I have used any finance so far for any of the work and quite like working hard and buying bits when funds allow. Ive seen R32 lumps on ebay for 2 grand and dont come with all the bits im getting, even if I replaced the conrod with normal ones, thats only going to be a couple of hundred pounds plus lab. All my body work is being attended to as we speak, in the next couple of weeks, the car will be re sprayed, Ive got interest already on my vr engine and havent advertised yet. Ive been reading for like a week, streaming through pages and pages and for someone like me whos never read a book cover to cover, I happily sit there and take as much of it in a possible. Once some kind people have confirmed some of my questions, then bobs your uncle and you know who fanny is! I will ask the question for the overall cost, but only incase someone on here wants other bits or indeed the car minue and engine and look etc. I have been offered my old G60 back for spares or repairs, its nugget yellow, stage 4 supercharger, extensive head and engine work, Bilstine fully ajustable coilovers, deep dish wheels and gagues etc. Im really just after the suspension but he wants 1200 for the entire car. It needs body work sorting on it, but has a fully audio rockford install. If interested, let me know, again a Bournemouth car, but the coilovers are mine! lol

My vr is around 112,000 miles, oil changes at correct intervals, doesnt use oil or water and fires up and idles spot on. There is just the slight tap noise, very slight but thats why I bought the new timing stuff as it sounds like the tensioner pad. My main worry is the time its going to take for me to get the r32 in. If If im buying the engine and loom, I believe I can send it away with the r32 ecu or do you think its best to run a stand alone ecu? I am able to get the clocks and keys and any other bits I need, would that mean I dont need to get the software flashed? Advise would be great...... If I run the mocal oil cooler, can the r32 sit on the front oem mount? Some say to cut the rear mount by 15 / 20 mm, is this necessary? Is there not enough room to fit the r32 downpipe and marry with the c exhaust? Is that why people use the dubpower system and similar designs? Can I fit the mk4 r32 dials in the c dash? Can I use the R32 Acc pedal or does the fuse box foul the pedal arm? Am I opening up a can of worms by having the climate control along with the transplant? My car doesnt have air con now but the r32 being broken has it all. Once I'm confident with these answers, I can proceed and snap it all up. What work can I have done before I need to give the car to the mechanic, the wiring loom made up for the transplant, will he need my vr loom or could I just source another spare vr loom and send that with it? Basically, my mechanic is good at being tidy, very talented but isnt really a vw nutter, he likes his BMW's! I want to have all the fussy stuff done and present him with the r32 engine and help out where possible.

I have a plan..... Let me know what happens with your engine, my mechanic can do the transplant from mine into yours side by side. I dont mind my car being off the road. Its been off the road having all the body work done and taken quite a bit of time, so waiting a bit longer for my R32 lump to be fixed is no drama. My mechanic is primed to get the r32 engine out, im just waiting for a time and date to see the car. Hopefully tomorrow? If you want to pop over and take a drive in my car, just give me a shout.

When I purchased this car, I convinced myself that I wanted all the mod cons with a newer car in a corrado shell. Thats the bit that keeps me coming back to Corrados. I want to be able to lock and unlock the car with the later style key / built in fob which I could do if I take on the r32? Use features like Auto dimming rear view mirror Smoother gear shift 240 standard BHP's Off the top of my head, different drive shafts are needed and certian engine mount configurations and so forth. Seeing as the r32 is a 2003, 6 speed manual with climate control, that can all go in, plus the extra benefit of stronger newer componets kind of calculates my theory. The 12V Turbo, would be epic, no doubt, but as it is, before I boot my car, I make sure everything is warm, turn the headunit down and listen and watch gague readings, so with the 12v Turbo, I would be constantly paranoid about it. If I was planning on selling this car sooner or later, the 12v Turbo would probably be what I would choose. Whilst they are a popluar choice due to power and fun, they should demand a premium. The r32 seems more like a buy to let, the investment will be in the length its kept for. Also, the Corrado will keep rising in value, especially when they inherrit the classic status. Its only been offered to me in terms of cost today, the car is local, hes a good pal, my mechanic is happy and all for £800. Also with climate control etc, seems worth it to me. We can then strip the engine and see whats damaged and fix as necessary. Then run it for a while and save up for a supercharger which I think could be sick. If anything major is wrong with the egine, it can always be fixed, time will be on my side as the engine work can be done on the bench whilst im still driving round in my 12v. Then its a good excuse to upgrade the engine further. My previous plan was to make a strong 12 v engine but doing lots of different mods to the engine. I have a nice vr with a polished manifold and it drives so well and looks nice, but to open the bonnet and see the r32 lump would make a bigger sense of achievement or satisfaction. Had the offer not been on the table at good value, my decision would be more difficult and probably a game of what comes along first that is on the list,i.e 2.8 or 3.2. Once I know all of the above is achievable, then im going to snap it up asap and pull out of buying the D90's unless someone else wants them. See pic in my members gallery, more storm maintenance. for the record, they are 8 on the rears and 7 on the fronts, with conti contacts sports with all meaty tread and in immaculate condition. Adaptors required. Heres a pic of the car anyway......

Ive been offered the engine, wiring, ecu, clocks and gearbox for £800, so if anyone else wants to get any parts, let me know and I will be the non profit making middleman. You can discuss the prices with him directly should you wish, or let me know and can get back to you. I have asked for some pics to be sent, but 800 sounds reasonable. My own mechanic said the chances of a conrod being bent or worse case seniro a scored piston, depends if its been cranked over afterwards?? But he said usually, its just a bent conrod. Ive just bought all the new timing parts for my VR and wonder if TPS will take it back? Its all new, sealed and has the later mk4 upgrades. Unless someone on here wants to buy them and I can pass on the 10% discount I received. i can upgrade the r32 conrods to some forge ones and then get everything ready for the lump to go in. Someone hold my hand on this.... Should I go for it? My vr doesnt miss a beat, could benefit from doing the new chains etc being installed which I can do with photos and then sell my 12 vr6 engine. Going to re read the 24v transplant threads

You were correct mate, the rears are 8 and the fronts are 7. They also come with conti contact sports rather than Toyos. He said they are still quite a rare wheel as most dont have the staggered offsets like the 6 and 7's sizes. Well spotted!

I might buy them, like you say, can always sell them on. Re read his text and it definately says 7.5s on the front. As im now pulling the arches he said I can get different thickness to suit the arch. He recently painted them and like all his stuff, its always done to an excellent standard. I do need new wheels, really wanted a set of bbs splits, but maybe this way is a good way to change the bbs solitudes, as im board with them now and use the D90's till I can afford the BBS Splits I always wanted. Now need to buy good adaptors and read up about them. As long as they are entirley safe?

It sucked in some water aparantly.... Hes an old fiend that I dont see often, but hes an honest guy. He said maybe a bent conrod? but hasnt stripped it down yet. My guy is ready to strip it down depending on the cost. I just like the sound of my vr and would like to hear that along with some extra spice.

Removed the red flashing bulb for the alarm and replaced with a new blue led bulb, made an hole in the door pins and mounted the led inside flush. The door pins are not connected so they dont unlock the car if pulled up. Gives a nice bright flash, ordered them from the states and should look good at night. Hopefully it will just deter people when they are driving round eyeing up cars to break into. The doors have had some more sanding and are almost there. The bumper iron has been sanded down and rust treated and will be sprayed to make it all look tidy - matt black I have also booked my guy in to do the arch mods. One of my friends will help me roll the arches with a roller, then the rear arches will be cut and pulled and re welded. The front should dolly out, then some slop and rubbing down and I should have neat curved arches. Another mate called me today saying he has some D90 rims with Toyos on his clio for sale at £300.... They are mint condition, with meaty Toyos and a nice stretch. Ive liked these wheels in the past and just not sure if I like them on the rado so im going to have a look at others members car with them on. They are sprayed a darker anthracite grey with gold porsche centre badges. What do you think? 9 on the rear and 7.5 on the front

I have asked him for a price for the bits I need, happy to put you in touch with him if your after the shell. I should hear back from him, the engine is hydrolic locked and need to see if it can be fixed, or if I can just get the crank and other bits and make a strong engine out of my vr and do the shaved pistons etc.