1995 Sherry Pearl 8V

[James. 7]

I thought it best to not leave it another six years for a thread update. So here’s some words and pictures of where I’m up to with the 8v.

For the last couple of years, the car had become a real steamy beast.

Having decided to investigate how bad the rot was, the next step was to remove all the carpets, trim etc.

I’d noticed that the drivers footwell was becoming ever more damp as time progressed, and it was at this point I found that the passenger footwell was feeling left out and decided to do the same.

Once the carpets, seats and trim were out, it became all too easy to see all the rusty problems that needed repairing:

- Rain getting in under the windscreen on the passenger side.

- Hole in the rear passenger footwell.

- Two big holes on the drivers footwell and one in the rear.

- Drivers door hinge had dropped to the point that rain was creeping in below the A post.

- Hole in rear passenger side suspension turret.

- Hole in drivers side wheel arch.

- Entire rear drivers section, up to the fuel tank (behind the bumper).

- Most of the passenger side as well.

- Front bumper supports (both sides).

After I gave it a good going over with various picks to check for more, the next job was to have the windscreen removed.

 

Guess what we found.

Yep. More rust.

- Windscreen frame rotted out on both sides.

 

Which meant:

 

- Drivers and passenger front sills rotted out.

- Bottom of both front wings falling apart.

- Rear sills rotted out (both sides , because they all do that eventually !)

 

So seeing as it wasn’t that bad (Ha !) , I thought I’d better carry on.

I’ve got basic welding skills, but this was far too much for me to take on.

So after getting some advice,  the car went over to a nice chap who runs an auto welding workshop (and has a link with Wigan classic car club). That was funny, driving it there in the rain with no screen.

That took about two weeks, and once back with me I spent time picking up parts and stripping the paint  (some of it was ten layers thick in places). Even had to break out the angle grinder with a 40 grit disc to make an impact on the bonnet.

After a bad experience experimenting with two pack paint, I sent it off to someone who knows what they’re doing.

And that’s where it is now, with the same lads who painted the Campaign twelve years ago.

They’re crazy busy, but it should be back before Christmas.

Drop of sherry for santa ? Here’s hoping.

 

 

[seanl82 23]

Hats off to you James, that's a huge amount of work that I think very few would have been prepared to undertake! 👍

[James. 7]

Cheers. It’s a great running car (and my favourite factory colour), so would upset me too much for it to be split.

 

[1xshaunx1 27]

No wonder the paint had cracks in it, that must be some thickness of paint.  I haven’t seen as many paint layers as that before when rubbing down. That’s just lazy. There’s more layers than you think. Base coated and then lacquered every time, I count 14 layers inc. primers. Well done that man for cracking on and saving it. 

[Keyo 47]

Thats commitment for you right there and also a good guide of the common rot points. 

I noticed this the other day it could be an option for roof rot and at the same time deleting the problematic sunroof. Slicktop roof OE roof panel . 

https://www.volkswagen-classic-parts.com/catalog/en_global/part/535817021?ct=3&q=corrado roof

 

[James. 7]

Madness isn’t it. The roof resembled one of those gobstoppers with all the layers melted away.

Thanks for the heads up on the slick top conversion. I like to use the sunroof as much as possible (rain or shine). But installed a glass Passat version about five years ago, after the OE one packed up.

 

[fla 9]

James your posts are inspirational, no other word for it.  Like many others, i look forward to your updates and pics.  And i agree its probably one of the best colours for the corrado, with a  nice cream leather interior

[James. 7]

On 11/9/2021 at 9:55 AM, fla said:

with a  nice cream leather interior

Thanks Hasan. Would love a cream interior, but it already has grey leather. And to be honest that's better suited to the hard work I put my cars through.

Maybe one day.

First saw the colour on a VR6 in the late 90's. Owned by an old boy who had involvement at Prescott Hill Climb. Always stayed with me seeing it on a warm, bright summers day. Been my favourite since.

 

 

Was hoping to get it back around Christmas. Anyway that came and went due to staffing issues and generally how everyones business is affected at the moment. So that leaves us to where we are now.

Fingers crossed, the car will be back from the bodyshop on Friday. Here's some shots from when I called in earlier in the week and then again yesterday:

 

Monday:

 

 

Wednesday:

It was getting painted yesterday afternoon, so I may have more photos of the finished paint by the weekend.

Exciting times.

Edited February 10, 2022 by James.

[James. 7]

And back to the fold it returns. To say I'm happy is an understatement. There's a couple of "corrections" to be completed. But these will be done when it goes back for a machine polish. Apologies for the indoor pictures (the sunlight makes the pearl "pop") but we rolled it back in as the weather looked like it was on the turn.

Picking the bumpers up in the morning, rang the screen people to come and fit a new one, and then having the other bits dropped off on Monday. Great half term project for Oscar and I to bond/fall out over.

Really want a cream interior, fancy wheels and a gentle lowering kit. 

Must resist temptation...

Edited February 11, 2022 by James.

[Dox 22]

Looks nice, it's come a long way

[fla 9]

That certainly looks good James. Rims look good - Borbets are they? I would stick with them but, like you say, lower it a few inches

[James. 7]

Cheers. It has indeed come a very long way.

Honestly, I think I’ll wait till the tyres need switching out before having a change of wheel (which may be some time with the little mileage I do). But there’s a company near by that refurb wheels to a high standard, so I’ll call in and see what they’re talking to have them done.

And yes, Borbet C is the model.

I know people baulk at the ride height, but it’s so comfortable, I’d be sick to the back teeth if lowering it spoiled it. 

Again, I not long ago (mileage wise) replaced the shocks with Bilstein OE spec units, so might as well get some more value out of them. But i’d still like to have a little more knowledge on the matter:

If anyone has a good recommendation for a small drop and smooth ride for an 8v then I’m all ears.

Edited February 12, 2022 by James.

[James. 7]

As is the way when new paint arrives, it makes all the other parts look a little... meh ! So it’s set to have the door handles and scuttle trim painted black by the bodyshop.

New windscreen fitted last week and that all went well.

Had the wheels refurbed by a company in Burscough called Spectrum coatings. They had the lathe remove the ten years of  curbing and finished them with new coats of paint and lacquer. The service was superb.

Whilst with them, they fitted some new Vredstein Ultracs in a 205 45 16 for the front pair. I’ve been a long time user/fan of Uniroyal rainsports, but fancied a change. The Ultracs have a better energy rating and a lower DB figure.

Talking of noise reduction, I’ve wanted to add an acoustic treatment for a few years, but it never made sense and couldn’t warrant it time wise till now.

With this in mind, I used a combination of 2mm deadening sheets and 10mm insulation foam from Silent coat. Trouble is, it’s that long since I drove the car, I can’t remember exactly what it was like before 🙄. Sure it’ll be great.

Riveted the NOS bonnet pin shrouds to the slam panel and set about adjusting the cable. What an ordeal 😳. Took me the best part of a morning to get right. And just as I did ... SNAP. The clip retaining the outer housing broke. Crumbs, I’d better fashion a bracket up or else I’m stuffed. Turns out one off a Landy fits. Ah well, you get so used to parts being obsolete, I tend to not even look for them anymore🙄.

Lastly was the sunroof. It’s a glass unit from a Passat, it’s performed faultlessly over the time I’ve had it, but the seal has lost its fur. As you can imagine a new seal is unavailable. It’s at that point I remembered a job I completed a number of years ago (but on a small tray/coin holder for piece of furniture). Flocking. I bought a small flock kit and after some trial and error gave the old seal a new lease of life. It’s come out rather well I thought 🙂.

Booked in for an MOT on the 4th. Just enough time to free off the rear brakes and fit the rear qtr windows. I hope...

[fla 9]

great stuff there James, the flocking really does look nice. Is it easy to do?

By the way, i used some cycle brake cable and fittings for the bonnet cable - it means the cable itself doesnt rub on the support bracket.  Only a few pounds and will last as long as the car.

 

WRT soundproofing, if you can, try and put a layer of sound barrier (a mass layer) on top of the foam - i hope i've understood what you did correctly, so apologies if i've got it back to front!

Essentially the ideal structure should be:

1.panel

2. panel damper (damplifier, dynamat etc), only about 25-30% coverage needed

3. closed cell foam decoupler (4-5mm thickness is fine)

4. (dense open cell foam, sound absorber, usually insufficient space for this tbh)

5. mass loaded vinyl top layer (2-3mm is ok)

[James. 7]

22 minutes ago, fla said:

great stuff there James, the flocking really does look nice. Is it easy to do?

By the way, i used some cycle brake cable and fittings for the bonnet cable - it means the cable itself doesnt rub on the support bracket.  Only a few pounds and will last as long as the car.

 

WRT soundproofing, if you can, try and put a layer of sound barrier (a mass layer) on top of the foam - i hope i've understood what you did correctly, so apologies if i've got it back to front!

Essentially the ideal structure should be:

1.panel

2. panel damper (damplifier, dynamat etc), only about 25-30% coverage needed

3. closed cell foam decoupler (4-5mm thickness is fine)

4. (dense open cell foam, sound absorber, usually insufficient space for this tbh)

5. mass loaded vinyl top layer (2-3mm is ok)

Cheers Hasan. I have to tip my cap in your general direction regarding the soundproofing.

Yes, I've used a panel damplifier @ about 50% coverage. But also added it to any items that have a "tinniness" to them. Then added a decoupler @ 10mm thickness. Followed by some open cell foam where space allows. Because of the thickness and weight, the only space I could get the perfect situation was the floors. But I have the door / rear cards off to see if there's opportunity to load them up on the reverse. The doors certainly close with a thud rather than clunk now 😎.

The flocking is pretty straightforward in principal, but very frustrating if you were to follow the supplied instructions. It's not a large open piece (like a dashboard) so wasn't too precious about the result. First time I did it, I followed the instructions to the letter, and the glue ended up drying before I had chance to get round the piece. Lesson learned, but I put a thick coating on the second time and went round twice with the flock "puffer". I then left it in the potting shed where it's warm and not likely to be interfered with. After a couple of days, I went back to it and removed the low tack masking tape:

 

I'll get a shot of the wheels this afternoon in the sun (very happy with them) as I'm going to adjust the handbrake cable.

The bike brake cable fitting is a great idea. I'm going to revisit the bracket sooner rather than later, as I'm not happy with the cable fouling it. Was it a bicycle brake adjuster like this :

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by James.

[fla 9]

I'm with you on the tinniness! Using pieces strategically in my son's yaris, tbh it just makes for a nicer feel overall.

 

Here are some pics of what i used when my bonnet cable snapped.  The alloy collar at the end was just an insurance against the cable trumpet failing and slipping off

[James. 7]

That's a great idea, and thanks for the images. What's the small anchor/nut/bolt behind the trumpet referred to (Belt and braces is not a bad thing in Corrado world) ? Also the piece of wood. Am I missing a tensioning trick ?

[fla 9]

Good question, i cant remember!  I went into the bike shop and they had a box of bits, so i asked for one of those.  Not really sure what its called though, sorry.  Maybe some cycling enthusiasts can advise us?

The wood was for tensioning the cable and to maintain the correct distance as i was using the trumpet the other way around to allow me to use that locking collar thingy

[James. 7]

8 hours ago, fla said:

Good question, i cant remember!  I went into the bike shop and they had a box of bits, so i asked for one of those.  Not really sure what its called though, sorry.  Maybe some cycling enthusiasts can advise us?

The wood was for tensioning the cable and to maintain the correct distance as i was using the trumpet the other way around to allow me to use that locking collar thingy

It’s okay, I worked in the bike industry for 14 years, so am au fait with the nic knackery of “the cycle game”. Terminology gets lost in translation sometimes.

 

The piece wood cracked me up though. All this money we spend on cars, and a piece of timber solves a problem. Genius.

I’ll shoot some pictures in the sun tomorrow (weather permitting). Just itching to get the rear qtr windows in !

[James. 7]

Before and after on the wheels. Slight difference 🙂.

Landed some of my favourite Harley wax this week, so thought it prudent to try it on for size.

Sun was shining today, so after leaving it in the sun to get soft ‘n’ sticky, I finished up fitting the last of the acoustic “treatment”. 

Finished off adjusting the moonroof and taking a few shots for the folder. Has to go back once it has an MOT for corrections but lovely to see it coming together.

Next up, interior 😎

Edited March 26, 2022 by James.

[fla 9]

James your results never fail to impress! I'm stalled on sorting my seized passenger window regulator...one of my most hated jobs on the car..

Look forward to the cabin updates

[Keyo 47]

Thats one lucky corrado hats off to you . 

[James. 7]

Spent the last week working on/off the interior. Had to order some rear door card clips as most of them were missing/broke. But the main issue was the condition of the cards themselves. The coverings had become separated and the corners/other edges were beat up and broke. Decided to have a go at using some fibreglass matting and resin to help return some strength.

I used some resin based wood glue to fix the broken pieces, left them for 48 hours to dry, then mixed up some resin for the matting. When I was happy it was cured, trimmed the edges with the dremmel and used contact adhesive to re-fix the cover. There's no hiding the fact that the interior has had a tough existence, but hopefully it'll last for a few more years.

 

Carried on with the front cards in a similar vein and then set to work making up some new door membranes. Ordered a sheet of DPM/visqueen from screwfix and some butyl tape from amazon.

Took most of the morning (mainly because the weather kept changing it's mind, sun, hail, rain, sun etc !) to make up a template to make the final left/right versions, but was very happy with the results. Made the inner pocket/cover by cutting a 100mm square piece and using a hot glue gun to secure it in place.

 

Because the door cards have been off a few times over the years, the plastic locating tabs have opened up and won't accept a mounting screw, so opted for a slightly larger thread (I used the same black self tappers as used one the outer arch liners). They're not OE, but they look pretty good. Also still not sure how an interior can have so many missing clips screws missing, but I guess that's how it is.

After all the messing about trying to get hold of a foil gun on the third attempt (ebay one didn't arrive, screwfix sent the wrong one, Amazon order arrived the next day) I fitted the rear windows. Used a primer and gunned a nice thick slug of a adhesive bead. Held them in place with a glass suction cup overnight.

 

I had the unfortunate luck of cracking a fog light before the car came off the road, so had the idea to make some clear protectors. They've taken a bit of work to get the size shape right, but again, happy with how they came out. They use a removable screw top suction cup (makes cleaning easier). I thought some others may be interested in a set, so I've sent the artwork over to a local company to price up a quantity if anyone is interested ?

 

Just awaiting a crank position sensor to arrive (a job I'm not looking forward to at all) because right on cue before the MOT, it stopped working 🙄. Typical !

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by James.

[fla 9]

you just continually shift the bar higher James!  

Thats a good tip on the rear door cards - mine have also have a snapped (but still attached) corner piece.  I've never used fiberglass before, is it difficult to use?

 

Hasan

[1xshaunx1 27]

It’s definitely moving in the right direction. Just in time for the improving weather, good stuff