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Alex_G60_Fanatic

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  1. Alex_G60_Fanatic
    In a driveway far far away....

    CORRADO
    WARS
     
     
    Chapter One: A New Hope
     
     
    got the car back from the garage with the intention of fixing the following things so i could test for an MOT:
     

    Rear cill needed welding
    Idle speed needing reducing
    Rad fan needing fixing

    I got my friend Ali-one to help with the welding and I have to say he did a GREAT job! The weld is strong with him...
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48759[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]48760[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]48761[/ATTACH]
     
    While he was prattling round the back of the car I went to have a look at fixing the fan... Turned out to be a dodgy earth so reconnected that and bingo! job done!
    Next the idle speed... I cleaned the ISV out and gave it a good scrub... Was still really high though so I may yet need a new one... hope not though, not at a tone each!
     
    When I had finished doing that I got a wink from Ali-one and he pointed out a problem...
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48762[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]48763[/ATTACH]
     
    Not good at all! no idea why they are rubbing but they are! against the inside of the tyre wall. Happily I had a simple fix in mind for this...
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48764[/ATTACH]
    BOOM 20mm spacers..... Weapon!
     
    Then Ali-one went home and I finished off the day by tidying up my bonnet
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48766[/ATTACH]
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48767[/ATTACH]
     
    And thus the first chapter ended...
     
     
     
    Chapter Two: The Engine-Fire Strikes Back
     
    The next day I decided to take the car round the block and get a feel for her and listen out for any noises... knocking, misfiring ect. There was a rubbing at the rear wheels... Looks like 20mm may have been a little optimistic without arch rolling!!
     
    So I decided to head back home but before I made it I got a nasty fright... Horrid burning smell from the engine bay, and then the car cut out. I had an engine fire!!! :suprised:
     
    Jumped out opened the bonnet... It was lucky I had recently wrapped my loom in new tape because i think that's all the stopped it going up in flames.
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48765[/ATTACH]
    That's the part of the loom that goes up to the ISV and stuff, gutted. It looks like it was sitting on that metal water pipe. I reckon after it got warm it was enough to slowly melt the plastic, cause a short and start a smouldering fire.
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48768[/ATTACH] SO I exposed the wiring loom and remade that loom with some new wire, re-connected the wires and then wrapped it back up. This time ensuring the wiring didn't go anywhere near that pipe!
     
     
    Now here's the fun part....
     
    Went to start the car to check the ISV and I saw (yet more!) smoke coming from the open bonnet and a sound like a loose fan belt... left the car running and went to have a look and I saw pools of molten plastic dripping off the fan belt! ARGGGGHHH! What! :suprised:
     
    stopped the car but by this point it was to late... For some reason the tensioner pulley had seized and the fan belt had melted it into a half moon shape... no way was I getting that to a garage now...
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]48769[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]48770[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]48771[/ATTACH]
     
    I'm so gutted... Thing is I don't think I'll get that pulley off without the tensioner coming off and the tensioner damper looks like It's about to fall off...
     
    Tried sourcing a new pulley and damper...
     
    037145299 - Belt tensioner damper - £81.65 + VAT
    074145278E - Tensioner roller pulley - £26.71 + VAT
    037145933B - Ribbed v-belt - £19.80 +VAT
     
    So that's £155 before I even get to the MOT centre.... And that's if I do the work myself! :( (if I could find a crying smile I'd be using it...)
     
    BTW... I've tried every VW garage for 50 miles no one will give me a discount... :(
  3. Alex_G60_Fanatic
    Howdy folks,
     
    Nice weather this weekend so I decided to take the time to remove the front of the car.
    There seems to be alot more wrong than I first envisaged... :(
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]46550[/ATTACH] started by removing the head lights and the fogs. The screws that hold the glass fogs in are fudged and so was the drives side head light centre screw so it took a while to get to the picture above. Ended putting a screw driver through the back of the drivers side head light in order to get it off... I've got a spare though so its all good! :)
     
    Anywho, next came the bumper revealing the problems that i already knew about.
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]46551[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]46552[/ATTACH]
    The pas pipes and and the radiator support panel are monkeyed, will need replacements.
    I have a spare power steering rack but the rad panel I have is from a early 16v. I think it will fit on to my front cross member but I don't think it has the holes for the pas pipes to fit through so I'll have to drill a few holes but that's no big deal. So long as the radiator and stuff fit I'm happy! (advice would be welcome!)
     
    Anywho, I carried on removing things....
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]46553[/ATTACH]
    The radiator is leaking badly so i'm getting a pattern replacement. I was going to buy a brand new one from VW classic parts but at £260 ish I could buy 2 pattern replacements for £100 each and still have money to spare! So who cares if it only lasts half as long! I'll get something sorted when it does!
    Regardless of the new radiator though I thought i had already diagnosed the reason for the radiator fan not working
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]46554[/ATTACH] very bad corroded connections. But in the process of removing the rad I saw something rather shocking...
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]46555[/ATTACH]
    It's difficult to see from this photo but i've highlighted the problem in a red circle. The fan is touching the fan cover preventing it from turning, after removing the radiator i find that this is because the fan cove has been bent, as if it's been pulled towards the fan at some point. Now... the fan worked when I first got the car and apart from this weekend the only time the radiator has been out was when my subframe collapsed and i had it fixed by my local garage. SOoo.. either it was damaged when the subframe broke and was never spotted OR they damaged it when removing the engine to repair the subframe. Either way, I'm not particularly chuffed.
     
    And to top it off when jacking up the car i noticed that the engine moved quite a bit... And here's why!
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]46556[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]46557[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]46558[/ATTACH]
    That's the front engine mount. :bonk:
     
    OH WELL! onwards and up wards!
  4. Alex_G60_Fanatic
    Hello all!
     
    Been quite productive the last few days :smug:
     
    First off I made a sandwich
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45973[/ATTACH]
    Chicken, cirozo, peperoni, hummus, cheddar cheese, lettice and peri peri sauce... FOR THE WIN! :thumbleft:
     
    Then I went about fixing my door card.
    With a little fiberglass I just applied it to the card backing and built up the layers a few at a time. from this:
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45974[/ATTACH] to this [ATTACH=CONFIG]45975[/ATTACH] to this [ATTACH=CONFIG]45976[/ATTACH]
     
    Doesn't look pretty but it is ALLOT stronger and will stop the card from getting any worse. It will also help i hope with my loose fitting door handle.
     
    Next here is an image of the sun i took on my iphone...
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45977[/ATTACH] pretty isn't it.
     
    Next job was to get the bumper cleaned up. I took it over to my mates garage and got the bumper iron off the plastic but it still needs a VERY good clean, re-weld and then sand blasting. Don't have any pictures of that so here is a picture of some ladies with loose morals...
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45978[/ATTACH]
     
    Another you say??? oh go on then...
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45982[/ATTACH]
     
    Nice...:afro:
     
    Finally, for those who have been reading the thread form earlier in the year you may remember that I got a very cheep sun roof from a chap in Aberdeen but he didn't know if it works or not.
     
    Well, the proof is in the pudding! Got a battery and some wire and tested her last night.
    closed [ATTACH=CONFIG]45979[/ATTACH]
    tilt[ATTACH=CONFIG]45980[/ATTACH]
    slide [ATTACH=CONFIG]45981[/ATTACH]
     
    Not bad for less than £10!!! :dance:
    And wait!!! One last thing, for those who care I got some custom centre caps made up for my wheels!!!
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45983[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]45984[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]45985[/ATTACH]
     
    gel overlays used on modern car badges (like Ford bonnet badges). Look the buisness and totally unique!
     
    Ciao for now!
    xx
  5. Alex_G60_Fanatic
    Hello all!
     
    Been quite productive the last few days :smug:
     
    First off I made a sandwich
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45973[/ATTACH]
    Chicken, cirozo, peperoni, hummus, cheddar cheese, lettice and peri peri sauce... FOR THE WIN! :thumbleft:
     
    Then I went about fixing my door card.
    With a little fiberglass I just applied it to the card backing and built up the layers a few at a time. from this:
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45974[/ATTACH] to this [ATTACH=CONFIG]45975[/ATTACH] to this [ATTACH=CONFIG]45976[/ATTACH]
     
    Doesn't look pretty but it is ALLOT stronger and will stop the card from getting any worse. It will also help i hope with my loose fitting door handle.
     
    Next here is an image of the sun i took on my iphone...
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45977[/ATTACH] pretty isn't it.
     
    Next job was to get the bumper cleaned up. I took it over to my mates garage and got the bumper iron off the plastic but it still needs a VERY good clean, re-weld and then sand blasting. Don't have any pictures of that so here is a picture of some ladies with loose morals...
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45978[/ATTACH]
     
    Another you say??? oh go on then...
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45982[/ATTACH]
     
    Nice...:afro:
     
    Finally, for those who have been reading the thread form earlier in the year you may remember that I got a very cheep sun roof from a chap in Aberdeen but he didn't know if it works or not.
     
    Well, the proof is in the pudding! Got a battery and some wire and tested her last night.
    closed [ATTACH=CONFIG]45979[/ATTACH]
    tilt[ATTACH=CONFIG]45980[/ATTACH]
    slide [ATTACH=CONFIG]45981[/ATTACH]
     
    Not bad for less than £10!!! :dance:
    And wait!!! One last thing, for those who care I got some custom centre caps made up for my wheels!!!
     
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]45983[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]45984[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]45985[/ATTACH]
     
    gel overlays used on modern car badges (like Ford bonnet badges). Look the buisness and totally unique!
     
    Ciao for now!
    xx
  6. Alex_G60_Fanatic

    A history....

    By Alex_G60_Fanatic,

    Hello all!
     
    I became a member here almost Two years ago now, most of you know me but for those who don't here is a shortened version of my History with C's.
     
    As with most inexperienced young men who want one of these I kinda got diddled buying her. Completely Std charged G60 with Tax and MOT (but with nothing left on the brakes) and 160k on the clock for £1800 Whooops! :lol:
     
    I had my heart set on her though and I couldn't find anything similar to her within 150 miles so i bit the bullet and bought her...
     
     
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34331&d=1246273571
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34332&d=1246273615
     
    There was rust everywhere but at the time i saw it as minor, Fox alloys ( Blugh!) were scuffed and almost dead but again who cares... they where cheep alloys anyway!. Also, the boy I bought it off had a receipt from G-works for the charger being ported and with a new 68mm pulley about 20k miles previously so i had a good 15k before i had to worry about that but otherwise it was all standard, which was fine. At the time i was looking for a car to concourse so i didn't mind she was standard.
     
    But then some bad news...
     
    Driving her home from work i noticed she was pulling to the right, so on a quiet bit on a B road i "jiggled" the steering from side to side to try and gage the problem... The problem soon became apparent when my OS tyre collapsed and I flew off into the hedge. Subframe had been completely torn and the wheel had just shot straight up into the wheel arch. :cry:.
     
    I seriously considered saying Bu**er to the G60 dream and scrapping her there and then when i stumbled across this forum. With all you happy chaps talking about what a shame it was to loose a rado as they aren't that common. And at the same time i came into possession of a shed!
     
    So, AGAIN i said poopoo to expense and scrapped the EARTH trying to get a new subframe, wish bones and anti-roll bar. Finally managed to get some in Perth second hand from a I-plate rado (R.I.P.) and got them fitted for me.. £300 notes later I now have a Corrado with the same problems as before but at least she could be driven without a tow rope!
     
    Anywho, that was 12 months ago when i finally found a GOOD subframe and had it fitted. Since then I have been concentrating on the body work as i decided to get a second car for when i started working on the C (l.4L Polo that i later crashed :( ) so i wasn't really well off. Also, a shed is one thing but i needed a dry place to work on her out of the rain, and until 4 weeks ago when i got a shot of my GF's garage she was just sitting on the drive.
     
    This is what she looked like back in 2009 after sanding some of the bubble rust off...
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34267&d=1246039861
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34266&d=1246039715
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34268&d=1246039892
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34270&d=1246039964
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34269&d=1246039926
     
    and to top it off i went and found this on the OS rear wheel arch
    http://the-corrado.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34271&d=1246040012
     
    pooop as the French say...
     
    So, I sanded the arches, bonnet and cills, then get in there with some Krust (or something!) before patching up the hole with fibreglass and smoothing off that and the rest of the car with some isopon P38. I then went off too do my alloys. You may have noticed one of the alloys has the bolt cover missing. That's because im currently respraying the alloys (the one with the missing cover has been done) while also experimenting with replacing the FOX badge with a G60 one. Dont know how best to proceed though. Might have to be HAND PAINTED, but then i DO have a GCSE in art you know!
     
    Anywho... That was two years ago almost. Now she's not much improved. Have fixed the starter motor and other things but otherwise she hasn't moved much for a year almost. Am in two minds about fixing her at all but I do love her and I vaguely remember the driving experience before the suspension packed in (see my other post for a full list of required fixes). The smell of the car and everything about her is just lovely.
     
    The big thing thou is that I've recently been made aware that my Job is not as secure as i first thought, The future of my car (as with most people running a C as a second car) depends on getting money to fix her. I can only hope that things improve for me and my Rado in that front sooner rather than later...
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