James.

Having given the old girl around 8 weeks of running in, I thought I’d update the thread. I must admit that I was very nervous at first. Fully expectant of a breakdown (or two). I didn’t have to wait long before our first technical issue though. An all too obvious rumble emanating from the front corner meant that the wheel bearing was shot. I imagine that when I brushed the wing/wheel with the other car a while back, it opened up the bearing to the outside elements. Ordered a new SKF unit and had it pressed in c/o John at JJs garage Wigan. Surprisingly a pleasurable (and straightforward) experience when all the bolts/nuts are new (ish). Tightened up a few hoses to stop a few leaks, but continue to have issue with the gear selector. So far I’ve managed to get it in a position where I can get reverse and 5th, UNTIL the gearbox/engine gets warm and then I either lose reverse or release is difficult. I’ll persevere, either that or continue to push it out if parking spaces for the foreseeable. The last couple of weeks have sashayed more confidence into my Sunday afternoon sojourns. The unusually warm weather has seen us beginning to re-establish enjoyment of the big old lump. I have a local loop that extends through the country roads via Southport and back and as such opening up “the taps” and the sunroof. I re-built the sunroof fully back in 2009 but had issue with the sunroof frame fouling the rubber strip that retains the headlining. Not a problem, I’ll remove the strip and reassess. Fast forward a week and after a brief run in the warm weather, the headlining detached and opened up like a black parachute above my head. Hanging down like a sad old bin bag, I decided to take it all apart and make another go of improving the sunroof and its associated parts. First job was to drop the headling. I thought I’d done with taking the car apart by now 🙄. Peeled back (with relative ease) the old fabric. For the purpose of restoration rather than replacement I opted to clean it up. Safely stored all the other components away. Here’s what I‘d found the last time I repaired it. And whilst I made adjustments to allow it easier movement, the swage line in the frame seemed to be the offending element. Deciding the best course of action would be to reduce the height of the outer lip, I set about doing just that. I used a gauge to obtain a uniform thickness, but the two small rivets toward the front edge became the deciding factor in how much to remove (3mm if anyone’s interested). I used a microfibre cloth, moistened with a little white spirit to remove any sticky residue. Left overnight, I returned to the outdoors and re-connected the cleaned fabric to its structural support. The new profile once sanded, cleaned and re-upholstered. All back in and looking presentable once more. Oh, and the best bit… it rolls back and forth with little resistance. And that’s where we’re up to. Had a chat with the bodyshop to have the small paint issues corrected next month. Fingers crossed that todays warm weather carries on and I can get a drive chalked up later in the week. Sunroof rolled back of course 😎.

I’ve run Rainsports for about 10 years on the 8v. Last year changed to Vredsteins in a 205 45 16 variant on the rear of the 8v and am very happy with them ( will go the same way for the fronts in due course ). Toyo TR1 were fitted when I bought it 13 years ago and switched out as they were not only awful but downright dangerous.

Hopefully a job you won’t need to do again for a while. And the body colour looks great underneath. Kudos 🫡

I use Lancaster. Agreed value and about £160 a year.

Keen to hear if they’ll do a gear knob (also need the handbrake handle). Let us know what they say. Wheel looks brill 😎

Congrats on the pass. I swear that washing the car doubles as a rain dance round here. Every time 🙄. And mileage, meh. They’re fun to be around wether moving or stationary. I did 1506 miles since the last mot… 12 years ago.

Chalk me up for a set please (with the clips). I'll put them on the 8V in Autumn with new blades. PM me payment details.

Thanks. I've just added the magazine articles, but will add the write up to the opening page as well 🙂

Thanks for the info Dox. Looking over the GOV blog regarding the history of electronic access to MOTs, it appears 2015 was the first time the public were given open access to MOT history of any vehicle. Although the certification was digitised from 2005. So that ties in with the theory of it being laid up from before 2005. That'll be some good varnish in the fuel pipes by now 🙁. I did manage to locate a write up from Issue 1 of "The Sprinter":

Just a little bump for new information and a question. Recently read a thread on social media that an owner was approached by the "elusive Lady in Ipswich". Now, I know that it's believed she owns the ex Chris De Bono car. Its registration mark was K2 CKD. So I ran the number through the Gov MOT checker and the following info popped up. I'm confused. Could anyone offer any reason why this would show up as it is ? Here's the only picture I have of the car: I remember seeing an advert for the car in an old copy of "The Sprinter". Does anyone have a copy they'd care to share please ?

Not much. You'll need a low range torque wrench. 7nm for the assembly to wiper shaft 15nm for the wiper arm to wiper shaft

Certainly will Thanks. It's been a long road. Damn right. Checked the Gov MOT site this morning and got all giddy. Busy with work over the next few days, so will pick it up early next week (once the radio and wiring behind the dashboard is all reverted to OE spec).

So after a false start, this happened... Very happy to say the least. 12 and a half years after I last drove it, It now has a full bill of health. The wiring for the radio is the last of the mechanical jobs to be completed in the next couple of days (for this year at least). Then there's all those knocks and scratches that have accumulated over the last 12 years to be rectified, and I'll be collecting air con parts for replacement over winter. But overall, it means I can head out and drive the damn thing. Which after all , is why we buy them in the first place 🙂.

🫡 My two say thanks in advance 😉

Never crossed my mind to be honest. Like you say, it does look a little better, but originality is key on that one. The 8v I’m not so precious about it being OE. They are different, both visually and mechanically. Because of the later, horizontal bars, the fins are mounted directly into the housing. Removing the need for a link strip. A-la pre August 92 interiors.

Good shout. Half of mine have fallen apart as well. Would think that 3D printing would be the way to go (limited producion and all that). So yeah, do some ground work and let us know how you get on 🙂

Thanks. Hopefully others can benefit from reading about the ECU fix. I seriously thought about throwing the keys in for a moment.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a challenge. But after 12 years I’m ready for a drive out.

Honestly, there’s been times when I never thought I’d get to this (albeit unfinished) position. It’s not complete yet by a long chalk, when are they ever ? (body touch ups/repairs, air con parts to source) but for the first time in twelve years, I think there’s a home straight to aim for. The first hurdle was to get it running, and yes other spanners have been thrown in my path, but once I’m confident it’s all running as intended we’ll be heading out to a few shows (not that I know what’s what in that world) Pulling out all the stops for the CCGB national day at RAF Cosford. Oops, have I jinxed it ?

Following on from my last update, the handful of you that still frequent these corridors may have read my thread regarding the ECU issues I’ve been having (The fuel pump relay would click repeatedly when fog, demister, brake lights and interior lights were operated). So after losing sleep, raising my anxiety and eventually finding a company that was capable of repairing the ECU, it was today installed and is now free from clicks when the cabin switchgear is operated (oh the joy).The highlights (as it’s been covered in the other thread) were that it was sent to ECU technologies in Staffordshire to be repaired and tested after what turns out that I’d reversed the polarity from the battery to the ECU at some point repairing the loom and fried the earth track. Four days, £250 and a two year warranty later, the VR now has a working ECU. Had a go at the old trick of grinding down the nodes on the wipers and now they wipe rather than smear. Backed it out on to the drive waiting for rain to test, but got snow instead. Hopefully not five months till the next update.

I’ll be treating it with absolute care an attention. And thanks for all your help/guidance. I have the utmost faith with the garage it’s currently with. Whilst there last time, a face from the VW scene dropped in for a chat:

For purposes of “the next person”. I thought it important to update this thread. 1, I contacted “ECU doctor”. They said they couldn’t help. 2. Sent the ECU to “ECU testing”. They opened it up and returned it as they couldn’t create a testing rig. 3. Sent to “ECU technologies”. Not expecting anything, they initially said that they’ve fixed them before and should be able to fix it. Received it back this morning (£250 lighter) and sealed up with a 2 year warranty. The main upside is that I wanted to know “why” it went faulty (to prevent it happening again). Looks like at some point I’ve reversed the polarity to the ECU and fried the earth track (the burnt components must have been a type of diode). Which isn’t surprising considering I spent so long tidying the wires under the dash. I’ll leave it with the garage on Monday and hopefully be able to update the main thread soon after. Although the first two companies couldn’t assist. They were good enough to get back to me promptly and not have me flailing in the wind. Thanks everyone for all the help you’ve offered up.

Sure these were on John Peel once 😉. I’ve had an interest in an early car. Silver, sans spoiler, a la prototype/original sketching. Could be one to watch. There’s a good video on youtube regarding the rear arm problems and their uprated parts.

Time. A commodity I have little of. But certainly food for thought. I’ve despatched the ecu to a repair specialist, so will have a clearer idea of next steps in a few days.

Is there a link as to what’s required ? I would imagine it’s a pretty big job as would have to change from dizzy to coilpack and the associated parts/engine plate etc ??? If nothing else it’ll give me some bed time reading material 😴