JIMMI

Hi dudes some of you may be able to help me out a little, im after a winter car to run about in as both my M3 and Corrado will be put away in my garage for the winter in the next few weeks, i live on a farm and it gets really muddy up here when its wet and i get sick of trying to keep my motors clean its enough of a battle trying to keep the salt off from the roads never mind the mud i also have to contend with so i always just put them away about this time of year. My vito van is my daily driver but ive piled a load of miles on it recently, 40k in 13 months ! and it cost too much money and is far too nice to run into the ground. i was going to try and use it only when i need it and not use it as a car and rn about in it empty because it never does any more than 20mpg no matter how i drive it so it costs a fortune to use every day. Im after something i can use to run about in doin work stuff picking parts, paint etc up during the day, then use it for the gym, nights out on a night etc. i'd like it to be pretty reliable, tidy looking and german. ive found two cars, one is a 97P plate Golf GTI 2.0 8v its done 94k with history etc its nice inside but has a few scratches dents and stuff on the outside but looks tidy enough it even has a bit of tax on it, it does drive okay, though not perfect and if i do a tiny bit paint on it it should return a profit @ the end of the winter. The other is an Audi Coupe 2.0 16v its a 93 L plate with 96k on the clock, it has Full audi history which is a bonus, (or forged !!) its really straight, the inside is mint but the red paint has oxidised to pink quite badly which i can sort out easily enough, it drives perfectly and needs zero work but has no tax on it. Both cars are the same money, but i wondered what you think would be the better car, im swaying towards the audi, it has the bigger boot to get more work gear in, it only really wants machine polishing & taxing then its ready to roll. or am i wrong and should i buy the golf because its newer ????????????? Anyone who has had either what sort of mpg would either of them return ????????? Anyone have any other suggestions ???????????????????? Cheers jimmi...................................

Mtc32 Wrote Was the Evo M3 you drove running on all cylinders ? im on my 3rd M3 now which is an E46 Cab, previously i had a E36 Evo coupe and before that i had a E36 non evo coupe. The evo coupe i had was the fastest of all 3 of them, it was only a tiny bit faster than the E46 which i put down to the 1/2 tonne weight difference or so, but it was a good chunk faster than the 3.0 M3 i had, the extra gear in the gearbox and extra 42 horse power was the obvious reason !! As VR6Storm wrote, E36's are soo cheap @ the minute its unreal i struggled to get £8500 in part ex for my 1999 EVO coupe 62k miler & it had the right spec, (estoril blue, vader seats etc) and that was against a 30k car ! The non Evo cars are a much better car to be bought cheaply tho, the twin VANOS system on the EVO cars is very unreliable, i had to change mine @ 40k and it cost £1400-00 in parts to do it myself, it was rattling when i part exed the car again so needed changing again !! Imagine if that happned on a "bargain" 4k car you had just bought !!!! Funnily enough my first M3 was also a left hooker altho it was a silver one, i bought mine in 1999, a LHD drive one was about 4k cheaper @ the time and it was all i could afford. Never could get used to sitting on the wrong side tho !!!! Jimmi...........................

Another update guys, In my last post in my gallery i said it was the final update and i was going to be letting the corrado go to its new owner, well i was wrong and the corrado is taking a turn for the better !!! As many of you will have seen reading thru my thread i have spent the last 6 months sorting out the chassis and the exterior of the car, these are now finished and the only thing i could do to improve either now is a set of huge brakes which will be coming soon !! I had decided it was time to give the corrado some more go back in July and bought a Vortech stage II supercharger from NS racing, i wanted to fit it but i was far too busy @ work and i knew i would have to take the car somewhere miles away to be set up which i really didnt have time for !! The appeal of the supercarger faded so i left it in my garage in its box, i bought a newer M3 as my everyday car and i seriously thought about selling the rado until however an EIP turbo kit from the states came up for sale on this forum, i instantly liked the idea of it !! A deal was made and i took delivery of the kit, it was brand new and as descriped so i was really happy, it is a wonderful looking piece of kit and the engineering is fantastic. I set aside 2 days this week to get to grips with fitting it which was when the headaches started !! The kit is designed for a LHD motor which meant there wasnt any clearance for the steering column which sucked !! After a lot of thinking, working out and diagram drawing i have found a local firm who are going to make me a bespoke manifold tho fit the car which is a result. I will have this in 2 weeks so im not that far away from having a turbo charged VR6 !! While im waithing for the manifold to be made ive done a few other jobs on the engine bay, ive removed the inlet manifold, rocker cover, sump, and loads of other brackets etc and took them to be powder coated satin black, all the intercooler & turbo pipes have been sent to be chrome plated. i have also steam cleaned the chassis legs to remove the horrible (but purposeful) factory wax on them, they have came up like new and the engine bay is heading the right way to looking something special !! I am planning on pulling the lump out of the car on monday to freshen it up a little as well as lower the CR ratio, i have today ordered from my local friendly main stealers: piston rings, shells, valve stem seals, timing chain these should fetch the motor up to full strength ready to have the boost wound up !!!!! I think the Eip kit should be able to run the car up to 450-500hp but im not gonna run that much power, i would like around 375 ish but try and keep it driveable !! we'll see how it goes !!!! Ive put some pictures below of the way the car is looking @ the minute !! Jimmi.......................

Cheers for that kev, the oil feed is simple enough to connect then i can copy the parts from the vortech kit abut make the oil intake longer and the oil return shorter !! I have had a bit more mess about this morning and i have had the turbo fully piped up both exhaust and inlet and im 100% happy with the fit, i have removed everything now so i can get the manifold modded to suit, i have taken a foto below, this is exactly where the turbo needs to be sitting on the manifold but as you can see they dont match up, the flange needs to be sitting 50mm further back. The intake for the turbo is offset rather than central which is the reason ive had the problems with space. i need to have the manifold adapted now so it lines up. But i think that should be a rather straight forward job and i dont think it will slow the install down too far. Cheers..........Jimmi..............

Hi guys, here goes the first of my questions with the install of this EIP turbo kit, First of all i have trial fitted the turbo and ancillaries to the manifold which wasnt hard @ all but then i tried to fit the complete item to the car and there was no way i could get it in so i built it up one part @ time on the car which is where ive hit my first problem, the kit isnt going to work with a RHD car ! the compressor on the turbo is fouling on the steering column by a good 2 inches or so, ive left only one bolt holding the turbo to the manifold so i can twist it to get on the car but it looks like an awful lot of work is going to be needed to get it fit, it looks as though i may have to modify the bulkhead as well as there doesnt seem to be enough clearance there either ! Ive took some foto's below so you can see what i mean. To me it looks like the car will have to go to an exhaust specialist to have a custom downpipe and manifold made which is a bit of a pi$$er as i asked if the kit was for a RHD car before i bought it and it was supposed to be, if anyone has any other ideas it would be appreciated. Also im a long way off this @ the minute but i can only see one place on the turbo unit for an oil entry/oil exit point, obviously there will need to be both !! any ideas on that as well ??? Cheers Jimmi..............................

Well this is gonna be the final update in my members gallery, i am going to be selling the corrado soon. I have good reason though as there is something much better en route !! The corrado was always my second car as per my sig, a 98 M3 Evo was my main car, the GF has been using and abusing it for the past 8 mths and i havent been in it much. But she has recently changed jobs and is covering 400 miles a week and its costing a fortune in fuel in the M3, last week we bought a 2004 BM 320cd cabriolet for her to use, which means i have been given back the M3, it wasnt the same car after the wheels have been kerbed to death and the inside is covered in makeup etc so ive part ex changed it for a 2004 Phoenix yellow E46 M3 cabriolet which i collect on saturday, the car is gorgeous and to me is a worthy replacement ! Which leaves the corrado, i have really enjoyed owning and driving it but i have barely covered 1000 miles in it since march which is a shame and now it is going to be a 3rd car i honestly cannot really see it being used at all so i have decided to let the car go to a new home. I have some pictures of the car as it stands today, the car is now 100% sorted and looks stunning as you can see by the foto's, the bodywork is A1 in every way, it has no chips, scratches or dents on it anywhere, the paint is all original bar the front panel, bonnet and bumper which have been replaced and painted, and as the foto's show there is zero fading on the red paint and it is as shiney as a new car. the black kendo rims suit the car perfectly and i doubt you will see them on another corrado after the game i had getting them to fit !! The car has had every bush, balljoint, track rod etc changed so it drives the way it should, the engine is in perfect order and still pulls very strong. its really quiet and uses no oil or water, and it has the most comprehensive service history i have ever had with a car, which is confirmed by looking at and driving the car. The worst thing about selling the corrado now is that i bought a Vortech Stage 2 charger a month or so ago and i have never fitted it as ive never had any time. I now know it wont ever be fitted by me which is a bit of a bummer. Im still unsure whether to sell the charger with the car or sell it seperate. i'd like to find the time to fit it as it would then make the car very desirable and i would be able to hear what a charged VR sounds like !! [align=center]Below is the spec of the car as it stands today................................... Exterior mods 90mm chin spoiler, De seamed & smoothed US spec bumper, New Foglamps, New headlight lenses & flash red detailing on reflectors, 17" Wolfrace kendo black rims with custom spacers & bolts, Smoked side repeaters, Colour coded handles, Stubby Aerial, Fk Red / Clear rear lenses, Colour coded Number plate surround 6 x 4 Magnex SS System Chassis Mods Eibach Front ARB, Eibach Rear ARB, Eibach Lowering springs, Engine Mods, K & N Induction Kit, (removed because of warm weather) Vortech staqe 2 Supercharger kit (Brand new and never fitted) Interior & ICE, Pioneer 8600 CD Tuner, Pioneer Front & Rear custom fit speakers, VIBE 8" Sub & Box, JVC 4 Channel 800w Amplifier, Blue Dash light conversion,[/align] I have a load more pictures of every inch of the car, i will list it in the cars for sale section in the next day or two, but in the mean time ill let you guys comment on the car !!!!! Cheers Jimmi..........................................

Bumper will square up quite easily, i only think you will need the tow eye cover. Remove the full bumper and strip the splitter etc from it, heat the bumper up with boiling water (from the inside) then it should return to its original shape with minor pursuasion, do the same with the splitter to line it up as well. Jimmi....................................................

Yeah i sold the car to a guy called will, he lived in sunderland grangetown i think !! that was in about 1999 i think. I saw it a few times after but not seen it for a good 5 year or so now. I cought it from carrs of hexham in about 95/96 it only had about 35k on it i sold it with 68ish on, what miles has it done now? I might have some pictures of it ill see if i can dig them out, i took it to the nurburgring not long before i sold it, should have some pictures from then !! Post a picture up of what it looks like now if you can, Jimmi.....................................

purpley-corrado-dude I think you have one of my old vr6's a bramble boloured one reg. no. was L690PBD i owned that years ago when it was pretty new, has it still got the Momo M1 wheels on ?? whats it like now?? it was only a couple of years old when i bought, it was as new then !!!! Toon vw wrote Not that rare mate, im only in sunderland and ive got a red VR6 im in newcastle quite a bit as well so you may see it about !! Jimmi..........................................

Cool, i think every petrolhead is into RC cars as well !!!! My first ever RC car was a Tamiya Hotshot, bought by the old man for me, it had a Kyosho LE-MANS 640E motor in it, was a fast thing in the day !! Im still a big kid @ heart i have raced RC cars since i was a kid, ive even raced in big events in the states and europe when i was younger and had more time on my hands. still do some racing now when i have time, i have a Team Asocciated RC10TC4 On road car running an 8 turn motor and an XRAY XB8 Rallycross car, youve set me off now so i might dig one of them out for a bit play !!!!!!!! In fact as a bit of Corrado related info, a british kid called David Spashett won the world on road RC championships in 1996, his sponsor, Trinity Racing bought him a dragon green Storm as a "bonus" for winning !!!! Ive got a few old school cars which i have bought from ebay, i have 2 hotshots, one is still new in the box and never been built another is rough and looks like the one i had as a kid, i also have a Tamiya Bigwig which is as new, take a look @ http://www.tamiyaclub.com there is loads of things on there to relive your youth with !!!!!!!!!!! Can we have an RC forum ?????? Jimmi.............................

I have done a search and have found plenty of threads but none really answer my questions! Right then guys ive pretty much got my corrado looking the way i want ive only got a few little things left to do to it (eyebrow spoiler & plate transfer). The chassis has been fully sorted with all new bushes, koni coilies, eibach ARB's so it is handling and driving perfect. I have used the car for over 1500 miles to prove its reliable enough and to sort any niggles out. I now need to move on to the engine, i am however in a bit of a dilemma i dont know whether to supercharge the original motor in the car or fit an R32 lump in it. i like the sound of the high 200hp's and the noise a supercharger i would get with a Vortech charger but on the other hand i really like the idea of a more modern (dare i say more reliable) 24v motor and the things you can fit along side the lump. the likes of coxxylad and jayrenshaws cars with the cruise control/air con units from the golf fitted into a corrado sounds excellent. I have a breakers licence so getting a hold of a cat B (spares only) R32 wont be too hard and i could do the work myself. However im far too busy with work and either fitting a charger or an R32 conversion would have to wait until the winter when i have a lot more time on my hands. My problem is that i would like to give the car more punch now so was thinking of fitting a Nos kit to it, my reasons behind this are simple, 1. it will give the car the extra kick im looking for. 2. it will fit into the future plans for the car whether i go down the charger or 24v route, i will probably buy a wizards of nos kit as ive got one on my M3 and ive found it to be fine. I had an NX kit on a VR6 i had years ago and it worked well, only had 35hp jets in but gave it the right kick, however the bottle wasnt road legal as it was a US kit. I removed it when i sold the car, my mate fitted it to his 320i but didnt connect the extra fuel supply, car burnt a valve out in about 10miles!!! then blamed me!! What do you guys think ????? Nitrous......................or.....................Wait til the winter for more speed ???????????????????? Also what sort of money are you paying to refill bottles now? the one on my M3 has been empty for over a year as the GF uses it 99% of the time and the last thing she needs is more speed............it would only make her kerb the wheels at higher speed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jimmi...................................

Just need to find a Corrado registered after september 1999.................................Good luck !!!!!! Jimmi............

im a new VR owner and wanted to do the same as you so ve just changed the following on my VR [align=center] All front bushes Bottom Arms Top mounts Balljoints Track rod ends Drop links Braided hoses & fluid change 4 X Discs & pads Koni coilovers F&R Eibach ARB's[/align] There was nothing really wrong with the suspension on my car but it had one knock on the passenger side. I changed everything on the car as i hate messing on with cars fixing things one @ a time so i decided i would do all of them at once, @ the end of the day the car is 12 years old so they will want doin . I fitted all VAG parts apart from the drop links and the difference is unbelievable it is much tighter and feels like a new car. Goin to fit 2 strut braces now. Definatly worth doing, whats the point in spending money on wheels/stickers etc for a car if it drives like a monster !!!! Jimmi..............................................

Hey dude ill mail you those pictures of the speedlines 2moro, Sorry PHIL K I didnt mean to jump on anyones toes but i thought the other wheels where goin to be too expensive so i offered mine. Jimmi.............................

If the vehicle is REPAIRED by an the insurance company @ their cost it WONT be recorded as a cat C/D or similar as they have agreed to repair the value of the repair is meaningless. The car will however be recorded as a cat C or D if you take a cash settlement (allow them to write the car off and take it away) where they will either pay you an agreed value for the car or they can pay you a percentage of the agreed value and allow you to keep the car in its current state (salvage retention). I know how all this works, i deal in insurance salvaged motorbikes and work with insurers everyday. What i would suggest if i where in your position would be the second option above where you are given a cash settlement and allowed to keep the car to do whatever you like with. If i can be of anymore help let me know,......................

hi mate ive got a good set of speedlines, they are in real good nick and have 2 Continental Sport contacts & 2 Pirelli P 6000 tyres im looking for £150 for them inc. post. PM me your email address and ill send you a pic of each wheel and ill tell you how much tread depth is on each. Jimmi.............................................

you have a PM mate.

Cheers for the comments guys The magnex exhaust isnt that loud, but it is a good 20 - 40 % louder than a standard one which isnt too bad i suppose. i would of bought a new VAG system but they where far too much money the magnex was less than 1/2 th price so i guess the noise is probably worth it. Jimmi...............................................................

After a full day on my car yesterday i am slowly getting it looking and driving the way i want. Ive posted a couple of pictures below, car is pretty dirty and foto's arent the best but i'll put some better ones up when ive cleaned it properly ! First thing i attacked was the chassis, ive fitted a set of koni coilovers, eibach anti roll bars, new balljoints, track rod ends, all front bushes, drop links & top mounts i need to wind the coiles down a bit as i guessed when i built it up !! I have replaced the exhaust which was blowing a little with a magnex system which seems ok if a little loud ! the wheels are also on they where a nightmare to fit as i had to have custom spacers machined and one off bolts made up, but they are on now and the hassle i had fitting them means they may stay a little exclusive on a corrado. I have colour coded the number plate surround and fitted the FK lights which have freshened the back of it up. an FK badgeless grille has been fitted but im undecided as to fit an eyebrow spoiler, what do you lot think ?? I still need to paint the door handles & brake calipers but that will be a job for another day. The car has only covered 63k so the interior came up like new with a valet, i repalced the gear knob with a brand new one and i managed to get some genuine overmats from the local dealers. I have also fitted a stealthy ICE install which is all pioneer kit. its made up of custom fit speakers in the shelf supports, dash & doors, removable 10" sub box, 4 channel amp hidden under the boot floor. A leather/alcantra retrim may be on the cards after the engine is sorted. The engine is standard its just had the engine bay polished & painted in places but a vortech supercharger kit is definately planned in the next few weeks. i know a few guys on here live local to me and they have charged VR's so i might try and catch up with them and see what a charger is all about. The car has been transformed from what it was when i bought it and it will get better with time. Im quite enjoying the car @ the minute and it is taking the edge off the fact that i never get to drive my M3 because the GF's always using it !! Ill post a load more pictures up when ive wound the coilies down and given it a good clean. Jimmi............................................................

Bike needs to be pretty complete to be jigged. its only ducati's that can be aligned with a bare frame. The rear wheel, swingarm and motor need to be left in the bike to be jigged. send me some foto's of the frame if you want. Jimmi............................................

Hey dude nice tits !!! :D :D :D I repair accident damaged bikes for a living up in sunderland, i have a motoliner bike jig so repairing that frame aint a problem. ill probably be able to sort out an R1 front end for you as well. give me a shout or pm me if you need any help/advice. Jimmi................................

Hey dudes ive bought one of these bonnet lifters from ebay and i need some help http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8068469372&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1 It arrived this morning and contained only one strut and no instructions but when i re read the listing it is a "single strut kit". i cannot for the life of me work out how it fits so ive foned the seller and he has emailed me the fitting instructions they are below. Fitting instruction for hoodlift VW Corrado Please read fitting instructions carefully Cylinder is under pressure Do not open or heat When temperatures are low the lifting power will be reduced Fit cylinder face up Content of the kit: Hoodlift Fitting kit Tools needed_ Combination wrench 10mm Combination wrench 13mm Drilling machine with drill 6,5mm Fitting The hoodlift has to be srewed to the OE hood-. The joint has to be fitted to the OE lock carrier Please do the fitting with the assistance of a second person 1. open the hood of your car 2. First fit the hoodlift with the ball and socket joint to the front lock carrier. There is already a drilling (OE) 3. Stick the screw of the ball together with the washer through the drilling.Fix the screw with a washer and the supplied nut. Use the combination wrench 13mm for fixing. 4. Now fix the supplied black flat steelto the alu frame of the hoodlift. Use combination wrench 10mm. 5. Afterhaving fixed the black frame you can locate the two holes which have to be drilled. 6. The upper part of the black frame has to be aligned with the crimp of the hood amplification. The lower part is situated in the inner plate of the hood. 7. This is the position where you have to carefully drill the two holes (6,5mm). Tipp: put a cover above the drill to avoid that the drill will be pushed too deep into the outer body shell. 8. Now you use the supplied screws and nuts to fix the hoodlit to the hood. 9. Finally you can dismantle the OE hood bar from the front lock carrier. Attention: Please take care that you work carefully and correct in order to avoid damage. I am even more confused now and i cannot work it out at all !! anyone got one of these and managed to fit it ????????? or should i just return it......................... cheers...................................

Yeah mate they are all pretty much the same round here as well we are a well hated bunch !! I only go trail riding once a month now, start doin enduros & hare & hounds mate no hassle there !! Jimmi......................................

Was8v wrote Easy mate i bought two second hand bumpers that where said to be good but where scrap and only fit for the skip. So i straightened up the original one best i could so it fit the car correctly then chopped the bit out of the centre that was badly buckled. i chopped a donor piece out of one of the poor 2nd hand bumpers i had bought and plastic welded it in. It is unable to tell apart from the crease in the bumper that runs all the way round it (just above the no. plate) has been smoothed out all the way round. I paint motorbikes so you can imagine i get a lot of practice welding plastics up with the state some fairings get into !!!!! billinjah wrote Good one this, while me and my pals where trail riding @ the lake district a month or so ago the ktm in the picture broke an engine cover with the help of a flying rock it was pissing oil everywhere so we called into a farm to try and borrow some oil so we could ride it back to the van only stuff he had was hydraulic fluid so we chucked that in as we thought it would be better than nothing, the bike made it back to the van and i fixed the oil leak using the limited tools we had (a rock and a screwdriver from my van toolkit) but we had to drain out the hydraulic fluid to change it to something proper. There was no way we could get the sump plug out with the now snapped screwdriver and rock we had so i had the bright idea of tipping it upside down so the oil would come out of the fill hole !!! It worked and the bike ran fine for the rest of the weekend !! Jimmi......................................

Cheers for the comments guys, Mtc 32 wrote I replaced the bonnet with a brand new VAG one, Secondhand front panel, Brand new Drivers light, Grille indicator and foglight. Bumper was repaired. bcstudent wrote yeah mate i tinted the inside of the lights with the exact shade of tornado red as the car. Jimmi...............................