Fixed Height Column Mod - Parts List?

[davidwort 0]

I feel silly asking and it may have been said before, but can you get a replacement adjustable column from the dealers or somewhere? Then nothing else would need to be fiddled with, ideally.

 

they may still be available new from VAG, but sit down when they quote the price.

 

Jim, I don't see why we couldn't use my 8v covers if you think it's worth doing price-wise although the plastic finish and colour wouldn't be critical on a copy it's not going to be easy or cheap to do I don't reckon, worth asking what cost they would estimate, I's have thought the tooling would be rather steep.

[Tekara 0]

Jim add me to the list of interested parties, trying to locate the cowlings with my friendly local dealer, but not holding my breath. Thought id start sourcing the difficult parts before starting this job.

[dukest 0]

i'm up for this too

[Dr. Robotnik 0]

Same. It's the only thing holding me back really.

[Jim 1]

Cool - well meeting up with David to do the fixed height mod to my car this weekend anyway. Hopefully can purloin the cowling from him then and can set the ball rolling.

 

Can I gauge what sort of prices people would be willing to pay for the pair of cowls? I honestly have no idea how good reproduction plastics can be but these guys talk a good game and sound very confident in what they do so has to be worth a shot.

[dukest 0]

resisting the spurious answers :), i guess £30 or perhaps £40 would seem "fair", but then if its the only game in town...

[herisites 0]

The VAG ones were only a fiver each :lol: when available :(

[Jim 1]

Doubt we'll be able to get them made that cheaply! :(

[Dr. Robotnik 0]

Ideally no more than say... £30? But then again, I guess it's needs must and all that.

[OllieVR6 0]

I've been watching this thread with interest (and I'm sure others have) so if you do go down this route I'd be interested in a cowling for when I DO decide to do the mod.

[Jim 1]

The chap from the company said that a moulding / tooling is only good for a run of 20-25 anyway before they need to be redone... so they do only really work to limited volumes which is ideal for us. They said previously when I was enquiring about the window rollers that for simple one off copies prices can be prohibitive but once you get to 10's of orders, things become more than acceptable.

 

We won't know a price until they can analyse the existing trim and take some measurements but I'd be staggered if they come in at more than the sorts of price £30'ish people are expecting to pay.

[Dr. Robotnik 0]

The chap from the company said that a moulding / tooling is only good for a run of 20-25 anyway before they need to be redone... so they do only really work to limited volumes which is ideal for us. They said previously when I was enquiring about the window rollers that for simple one off copies prices can be prohibitive but once you get to 10's of orders, things become more than acceptable.

 

We won't know a price until they can analyse the existing trim and take some measurements but I'd be staggered if they come in at more than the sorts of price £30'ish people are expecting to pay.

 

Sounds good then!

When the group buy is ready I'll put my name down :)

As long as they don't make the fixed height tubes obsolete as well..

[davidwort 0]

you could always go for the mk4 height/reach adjustable column :wink:

[Dr. Robotnik 0]

you could always go for the mk4 height/reach adjustable column :wink:

Wut.

[mort1414 0]

i would be in for this.

[davidwort 0]

you could always go for the mk4 height/reach adjustable column :wink:

Wut.

May still be a thread somewhere on the forum, I vaguely remember somone fitting a mk4 column complete with mk4 stalks etc, the whole caboodle, by welding the side brackets from the Corrado tube to a mk4 column tube.

 

Pretty neat bit of work and the sturdy design and reach adjustment on the mk4 column would make for a perfect driving position.

sorry/cheeky to get your hopes up but it's not just a 5min bolt in :)

[Dan_Storm 0]

I think you were just very lucky Dan_Storm and your local had them hidden away somewhere.

 

I think I must be! I had no luck finding a fixed column tube so tried ordering one at the dealers last week. It went to back order. I got a call today to say that it is now ready for collection :)

 

No idea why I am having luck with getting supposedly obsolete parts, i'm not complaining though :D

[Dr. Robotnik 0]

you could always go for the mk4 height/reach adjustable column :wink:

Wut.

May still be a thread somewhere on the forum, I vaguely remember somone fitting a mk4 column complete with mk4 stalks etc, the whole caboodle, by welding the side brackets from the Corrado tube to a mk4 column tube.

 

Pretty neat bit of work and the sturdy design and reach adjustment on the mk4 column would make for a perfect driving position.

sorry/cheeky to get your hopes up but it's not just a 5min bolt in :)

 

Hah yeah, still a good idea though, and I wouldn't mind if it took a day of welding and modifying , though I thought about just like welding the dodgy UJ up but, it's not generally accepted to weld steering bits it seems :/

Though then you use the mk4 cowling or what? How does it work, like the reach adjustment, cuz the corrado just aint made for it :) On a plus side, my mk4s steering is very tight and responsive

[Kevin Bacon 5]

But MK4s have zero steering feedback, so if it's adjustable column is responsible for that, you want to put it on a Corrado?? :cuckoo: :lol:

 

And you lot can keep your grubby mits off my cowlings. They're mint and I want to keep them that way :D

 

A manual steering rack is my next project, and yes, I know it will be heavy, but I eat 3 shredded wheat for breakfast, so I can handle it :D

 

It's just that all the steering components on the VR6 are stupid money. £500 for the column, £500 for the rack, £250 for the pump. After 115K, I'm on my 3rd rack and 2nd pump. Costs I can do without.

 

My long term plan is to simplify the car as much as poss by replacing powered parts with manual parts. Windows, sunroof, steering etc etc. VW just take the p1ss with their prices of motors and such like.

 

How can I make the wipers manual though? :lol:

[davidwort 0]

But MK4s have zero steering feedback, so if it's adjustable column is responsible for that, you want to put it on a Corrado?? :cuckoo: :lol:

mk 4 column is a lovely bit of engineering, 120K on mine now and solid as it was at 20K, it's all the rest of the mk4 running gear that's the problem.

It's a shame the polo adjustable column is too low to work in a corrado (their dash is higher), because the polo height adjuster moves the entire column so no UJ as an adjuster as on the C and therefore much more rigid.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

But what bits of the drivetrain though? The steering rack is mounted to a subframe like the Corrado and the subframe is bolted to the floor, also like the corrado. Similar wishbones and hubs etc. Same top mounts. So where between the rack the steering wheel is all the feel going if not the column?

 

The only significant difference the MK4 has is 4 more degrees of caster, but that doesn't ruin feel usually.

 

Is the MK4's rack rubber mounted at both ends? The Corrado's is only soft mounted at one end.

[davidwort 0]

the rack has different input shaft and angle to it and the subframe and engine mountings are all quite different, so are all the roll bar drop links etc, much more of a change than the small steps made in the mk2 and 3 variations over the years, I guess in the 'progress' made on noise isolation they also managed to isolate vibration and feel to the driver. Oh and not to mention mk4's have much bigger wheel and tyre sidewall size than mk2 and 3 chassis cars, all those little changes add up, much like the wear does to feel on worn out Corrado running gear.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Engine mounts don't govern steering feel and yep, I realise the rear subframe mounts are slightly different. Neither would kill steering feel imo.

But I agree about the soggier tyre sidewalls, that can soften off the feel. That said, I've driven a mate's MK4 on coilovers, lowered, stiffer tyres and lighter wheels and it did nothing to improve the steering feel. Still vague about the centre and no feel at all unless you're almost at full lock. By comparison the Corrado has a tonne of feel and much stronger self centering, despite running less caster :scratch:

[davidwort 0]

I think the rack has a lot to do with it, the first time I drove a mk4 based car was a 1.6 octavia, couldn't believe how easy it was to drive, but also how dull, obviously engineered to get from a to b comfortably driven be a week and weedy driver rather than to give any driving pleasure.

But then I had gone from manual rack mk1 based cars and a heavy steering corrado to that.

You should try a B2 passat estate with manual steering, even with a truck sized steering wheel that was a bugger to park anywhere.

[davidwort 0]

as we discovered today :roll: there are two different fixed columns for the Corrado :?

I've updated my original how-to thread to cover the alternate part numbers. HERE

you need to match the correct column to the correct bottom bearing as there are two different diameter columns

 

If you have a complete polo steering column to cannabalise you will be OK and have the right bits, but if you buy the column separate make sure you make a note of the correct bearing to match.