James.

It doesn’t paint Corrados as well does it ? Thanks, I’ll add it to the post paint list.

So after much swearing, cleaning, prodding, soaking and faffing, I’ve got the ABS module ready to be refit. Thing is, I can’t find a dickie bird in Bentley about which brake pipes fit in which port on the controller. The shape and general seating of them kind of suggests where they go. Obviously I’d rather not work with “general locations” when it comes to brakes. Could some kind soul have a look at theirs and let me know which pipe locates where please ?

Is that like warp drive ? The Recaros look fit in grey by the way.

I’ve used building visqueen dpm left over from a job before today. Whats the butyl stuff ? Looks like a 5mm bead in a roll ? That the gear that sticks to my hands and transfers to EVERTHING when I’m behind the cards ?

They look great. Have you a part number / model for them ? The originals wear along the plastic pin. Eventually they catch on the metal casing and stick. The rubber boot is a bonus and looks neater. I’ll get some for the 8v when it sees the road again.

Cheers. Strange day today though. After finding the source of the leak on Saturday, I decided to jump in the old thing and let the welder know there’s more work in the pipeline, so leave the rest of the week free. I get 50 meters down the lane and realise the damn screen has an A6 sized crack in the corner. Without any assistance from me as well. Hadn’t pocked, prodded or been near it to cause any damage. It’s not terrible news as the insurance will cover it. But blow me down if this car isn’t psychic.

Holy moly, you really did. Poor thing looks like it’s been run over. Think you can save it ? (not like they’re available off the shelf).

I did this last month, using a heat gun and melting a 5p size dot in the process. Looks like you did alright. All the nodes look intact as well, so kudos to you.

Thanks Cressa, Dox, and Keyo. I’ve seen them cutters before, so would have been weighing one up, but I also heard the screens are a pain to remove. So may review my plan. So thanks for the honest heads up. It’s destroying the (NLA) trim around the edge that bothers me. Cheers Cressa. Hold that thought, as I may take you up on it yet. Keyo. Yep I think at any other time you’re right. Thing is the car owes me nothing. It has more than paid back the initial outlay from nearly 10 years ago. It’s going to cost about £800 to have all he welding done properly. And I (me and the boy) plan to paint it myself (ourself) learning along the way. At the very earliest I’ll only be back in work in September, so I have the time. Mechanically the car runs sweet as a nut. I tidied up all the cabin wiring this week after a poorly installed alarm led to a dashboard fire a few years ago. So it comes down to either: 1. Sell the car as is. 2. Break it. 3. Cut out the rot, paint it and use it for the forseeable future. The only value I can see in the car is the interior (which needs work), switches and moon roof. I don’t want to break it as I’m not prepared to invest my time/effort into breaking a car that doesn’t have much value. Have it sat on the drive for the next 6 months looking terrible and still be left with a shell to dispose of. Which leaves me with repairing. After welding, paint and new floor insulation, I reckon I’ll be into it for somewhere around £1500. I know it’s much lorded as the least desirable model, but unless they are preserved, there won’t be any left for the next wave of enthusiasts ( this is where I start off about us being custodians rather than owners). If I can run it for another 5 years then at least there will be some value in it further down the line. Although Oscar has expressed an interest about having it when he’s old enough to drive (and I’d already promised him the Campaign). At least that’s how I look at it. Or have I gone completely nuts. Answers on the back of a postcard to the usual address please ...

As title suggests. I’ve stripped out the 8v in advance of all the welding work and found the insulation/felt in the front footwells to be damp and rotten. Turns out the door has dropped on the drivers side. Causing water ingress along the lower part of the seal. Put my thumb through the floor where it’s been leaking in for some time. That’s the least of my concerns though. Passenger footwell had half an inch of water there as well. Must be the foliage seal. Replaced and felt pretty chuffed. Until I got up this morning and found the water had returned. Stripped out the glovebox and air vent to investigate. All the felt on the bulkhead was damp and rotten. Removed the A pillar trim to see the metal frame/sealant split and beading water. After pulling the window bead, there’s rust a hole on either side. So that explains the terrible rot in the sills then. The water is running down the window, onto the bulkhead, down behind the ABS ecu and into the footwell. So it looks like the windscreen is coming out as well. God damn car’s rustier than a fishermans bucket. I’ve got cover on the insurance but will do it myself if it’s straight forward. So has anyone done this ?

Ecu relay can develop hairline cracks where the pins meet the pcb at the soldered joint. Leading to intermittent starting. Re-flow the joint. Certainly a cheap fix to start with.

Ecu relay ?

8v owner here. Summed up perfectly above. Great car, engine/running gear parts easy to source, frugal to run (33 mpg commute for 6 miles and 45 mpg on the motorway). And yes I’ve got the flack jacket ready, a better standard drive through twisty country lanes than VR6. Easy to work on and lots of space around the engine bay (hence why they take an age for the temp to raise when driven). I wouldn’t worry too much about the steering (I’ve bolted mine) as it makes a huge difference to driver “feel”, along with pleasing the MOT tester. And can be adjusted to suit quite easily (once you have your preferred seating rake then you tend not to deviate). The alternative is the (fixed) polo method. Two engine choices: 2E (94) and ADY (95). Both from the mark 3/3.5 golf. Both incredibly reliable and capable of impressive mileage (though get used to people getting a buzz off asking “is it a VR6” ? viewing their disappointment when you say no, but desperately attempt to extoll the virtues of an 8v ) As with any car this age, the bits you can see, get most of the attention. Poke around underneath with a pick/inspection lamp and check the notorious grot spots (lower arches, sills ) Otherwise you could be in the same position as mine (check my current 8v thread). And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. These cars require you to get involved and learn their traits/foibles. It’s half the fun. Or half the pain. Depends if your a half glass full person or not. Best of luck, whatever you decide.

My pleasure. Bank holiday job ready and waiting !

Ohh I love these. First picture is the captive nut from the brake compensator spring. Is there a prize ?

Cheers for the advice all. What it boils down to is that I don’t want to break a car that is mechanically running very well and I thoroughly enjoy driving. So I spent a few hours peeling away the loose underseal and using the pick to find the trouble spots (and there’s many). Both the front sills are rotted out so they’ll have to be replaced (left side has rusted through the inner floor). Bumper guide supports are rotten and rear section around the tow eye is non existent. The way I look at it, the car owes me nothing. I planned to paint the car myself (learning and all that jazz), so I’ll see what the welding works out at and take it from there.

Stay with me... It’s fair to say I’ve wrung every pennies worth of enjoyment out of the old 8v. It’s been an incredibly faithful servant to the family. Taking us on holiday, being used as a daily driver and over the past few years as a work horse whilst I restored an old house. So this week, with the other Corrado finally out of the garage, and an extra few hours on my hands, I backed the 8v in, with a view to hopefully breathing new life into the ageing paintwork. Remembering how the 8v required a small amount of welding for the previous three or so MOTs, I thought it prudent to check the underside before any top half work is carried out. I started with the rear drivers arch as this had an amount of grot that required priority attention. The next two hours removing the rear bumper should have been a warning. First three bolts withdrew with relative ease. The fourth crumbled like flakey pastry. After half an hour with the grinder and another half with the drill, the bolt head gave way. Upon removal, the rear apron was found to be heavily rusted around the mouth of the bumper mounts. I worked my way around the car. Stopping at the holes along the fuel lines. The fuel line mounts that have rusted loose and the front cill that contained half a cup of grit and dirt. Wanting to gain clarity on the cill, I became ever more frustrated at being unable to remove the front bumper bolts, and therefore the front wing. The final straw was finding that the mud collecting in the inner fold of the filler neck was acting as structural. Admitting defeat, I retired indoors. So what am I getting at ? The answer is I don’t know. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh at all the joy we’ve had together, or become upset at thinking is this the end for the 8v ? Values have risen to the point where the car may be worth saving. I desperately want to keep it and not break it, but the welding bill alone could reach four figures (my welding equipment is in storage, where I can’t get access). Anyone been in this situation ? Any advice is warmly welcomed. .

Nice VDO stereo. Looks period correct.

That's real kind of you. I'm going to get the car running first, and tackle the air con at the end of the year. But I'll keep the offer in mind if that's okay. Few more pictures from this weeks jobs. Cleaned and treated/de-rusted the rear/underneath of the slam panel. Removed the bonnet springs and treated them to attention from the wire wheel and half a dozen coats of coats of brush on POR15. Then black satin Hammerite (super happy as to how it came out. Brush stroke free and ends up real smooth). Found my 10 year old, NOS of slam panel fittings for the bonnet pin locators (had to order black rivets as VW only had silver at the time). Oscar thought the rivet gun was brilliant, but disappointed he didn't have the hand strength to "pop". He did laugh at the fact that new bits were nearly as old as him. Washed and cleaned the rear of the front bumper. Sprayed with primer and clear coated to match the rear bumper and floor pan. Rear Received this weeks order of self tappers and speed clips, so switched out all the old fog and light fittings. Fitted the original dealer plate and found a NOS 90mm spoiler in storage (along with other bits I'd forgotten about).. The more attentive among you, may have by now noticed that there's a distinct lack of car (where the bumper now sits). That's because it's in the local garage having the brakes bled (and a new rear brake pipe fitted). Fingers crossed it'll fire up next week and then next job MOT. First time it's seen the sunshine for nine years. Nice to be able to see the hard work in better detail (rather than the six inches from the end of my nose crawl space).

Thanks for keeping me in mind, but after Cressa advised me what I need, I’m only about £150 from being done (new). It’s a complicated and time consuming to remove every trace of air-con from a Corrado. I would imagine that a buyer would want every part if they were to retrofit (and know what was/wasn’t working). Otherwise they’d pull their hair out looking for all those missing bits. I’d be like Keyo. For what it’s worth, stick hold of it and then it’s there if you ever sell, or bung it on ebay/similar and get what you can (but be prepared for all those stupid ass questions). NB: The compressor will be dear to post as they are HEAVY.

Another customer/fan of Biggred here. £250 all in for the four corners, and they come back as new. Their customer service and finished product is next level.

If you could, that would be great.

Thanks for that. Really helpful. I found a couple of other parts from VW classic Germany, so I'll add them to the wish list. It's the drivers outer window scraper seal that I need. I remember Vintage Rubber in the states were making noise about putting them into production. Just have to sit tight and see what happens. And that is EXACTLY what I needed someone to do. I'll add stripping the brackets off the old one to the jobs list. Oh they will indeed ! Those connections on the replacement condenser look much better than the ones I have. The neck and connector on the one I have are copper and literally peeled away like an old plaster when I removed them. Is your install a Diavia system from the dealer, or did you install it yourself ?

The C looks great, but please don't rub it in !