Storm grey VR6 - A little update

[Rams 0]

Why not swap the badges from time to time, best of both worlds. I like both personally, front on shot, black looks tidy but when you see the side view with the wheels etc, the chrome looks nicer.

 

Also I like the door pods as the grills sit flush, mine stick out that little bit more because the grill is not flush but not sure overall how they compare. Ie how far do the stick out into the floor well.

 

It's nice to accomplish the electrical niggles and have everything working! Makes it all worth while. Good work.

 

Just make sure you hide the car keys from your son! Lol

[Nick 17 10]

This makes mine look poor in comparison...its like a constant game of catch up lol :)

Great progress.

[Portent 0]

Why not swap the badges from time to time, best of both worlds. I like both personally, front on shot, black looks tidy but when you see the side view with the wheels etc, the chrome looks nicer.

 

Also I like the door pods as the grills sit flush, mine stick out that little bit more because the grill is not flush but not sure overall how they compare. Ie how far do the stick out into the floor well.

 

It's nice to accomplish the electrical niggles and have everything working! Makes it all worth while. Good work.

 

Just make sure you hide the car keys from your son! Lol

 

He's totally car mad. Every time I leave the door open he's in the drivers seat. The grills probably sity flush because there aren't any speakers in them yet. Good idea about the badges. I do prefer the black but every now and then I see a picture of silver and get tempted to swap back.

 

 

This makes mine look poor in comparison...its like a constant game of catch up lol :)

Great progress.

 

Thanks. It still has a lot of rough edges and I look at other cars and think "I wish mine was as good as theirs". I think it's a bit like cooking; it always tastes better when someone else has cooked it :)

[Portent 0]

Today's work...

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]55505[/ATTACH]

 

+

 

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= aux belt replaced

 

 

Thanks to Jim's Sprinter article and a few others offering advice on here I took a try at it today and replaced my noisy aux belt. It's now lovely and quiet and no longer embarrasing sitting at traffic lights :)

 

It was incredibly simple to do and probably took around 20 to 30 mins and most of that was me double and triple checking everything. I'm very much a novice when it comes to mechanical work and spannering so I'm really quite chuffed I managed to do it and it gives me more confidence to tackle other things in the future. Previously I've always given my cars to a garage to fix.

 

 

Plans for the near future: Grease the spoiler as it has also started to make some noise and then turn my attention to getting the Audioscapes put in.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Portent

[Portent 0]

I finally fitted the mats and the Audioscapes. I had wanted to wait until I got some new 6.5" speakers before installing them. But I've had a few unexpected expenses recently so decided to just fit them anyway. I've made some adapter rings so so my old speakers could be re-used. Obviously I won't be getting the benefit of the bigger pods yet but I wanted to get them fitted rather than laying around in the garage.

 

As you can see the previous owner had screwed the speakers into the front of the OEM pods. It sounded fine but I was never happy with the ad-hoc look:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]58073[/ATTACH]

 

New pic with Audioscapes and the new mats. It doesn't look quite right yet because the old orange speakers still show through. But in a month or two I'll get around to buying some new speakers. I'm also thinking about refurbing the pods by filling some of the marks. But they are still acceptable condition as they are:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]58077[/ATTACH]

 

I'm finally getting happy with the interior.

 

I spent a few hours giving the car a good wash and polish following the trip to the AGM at the weekend and I think I'll soon turn my attention to a few bodywork marks that have been lower down on my list.

 

Oh and I lubed the spoiler a couple of weeks ago so that's nice and smooth/quiet now.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Portent

[Portent 0]

A few recent updates. Nothing big but little improvements here and there. Pretty boring stuff compared to some of the restorations going on out there but I just spent 10 mins putting the new rear wiper on so I thought I'd post some recent stuff:

 

Excuse the night shots.

 

I grabbed a new rear wiper when Pat_McCrotch was selling some near obsolete items so decided to swap my slightly aged one over. The plastic cap on the end had broken on mine and faded badly too. I managed to get hold of a spare old one recently so I sanded it, primed it and sprayed it. It looks much better now:

 

Refurbishing the spare cap (tired and faded left, refurbished right).

[ATTACH=CONFIG]59729[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]59733[/ATTACH]

 

Old wiper and cap (left) with new wiper and refurbished cap (right). The night shots don't really show the difference but it really tidies up the rear end.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]59721[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]59725[/ATTACH]

 

I also finally got around to replacing one of the dash blanks that still has an LED in it from an old, removed alarm. It annoyed the hell out of me that there was an unused LED in it so I replaced it. It's the little details that annoy me if they aren't right.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]59737[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]59741[/ATTACH]

 

And I've also refurbished a spare set of grab handles. Sorry no in-car pictures but you can see the difference it makes below to the repainted one:

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Strut caps and wiper motor cover now in place. That rusty bracket is annoying me so will probably get dealt with shortly.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]59757[/ATTACH]

 

And finally, a quick shot while parked at the hospital today. I'm having radiotherapy for the next couple of weeks so having to drive there daily. Not too serious, it's all under control and this is just preventative really. I wasn't happy taking the car out in the rain but my wife needed the Golf.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]59749[/ATTACH]

 

All fairly small updates but gradually making progress on the little niggly things.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Portent

[Abdul 0]

Cars looking great there mate, need some spacers for the back wheels IMO.

[Portent 0]

Thanks. Yes, agreed. They don't sit quite right. I'm just starting to look into wheels as I'm a complete noob on that. I'm tempted to go a touch larger at 17" but it will compromise comfort somewhat. But every time I start reading into it all I see is a jumble of meaningless letters and numbers :shrug:

[Abdul 0]

Give me a shout if you need a hand with offsets, widths and tyre sizes.

 

Id stick with 16's personally.

 

What size tyres are you running now?

[Portent 0]

Thanks Abdul. I'll get the details tomorrow as it's cold and dark out there and my bed is calling me now :)

[James. 9]

All important to the overall story of the car. I also painted the rear wiper cover, which made a difference. Small things that mount up to the bigger picture.

 

Kudos.

[Abdul 0]

I personally don't understand how you guys keep the rear wiper.

 

That along with stock rado ride height make the car pretty damn unatractive IMO lol.

[Portent 0]

I keep it so that I can wipe my rear window :) I needed it on Wednesday for example. I coudn't see out the back because the rain was so hard.

 

I also hate the look of a rubber bung in the hole. If I were to remove it then I'd have to get the hole smoothed over. But my rule is that I'm not going to do anything to the car that can't be esaily reversed (I appreciate you could always redrill the hole) though. So given a choice between a stock rear wiper and a rubber bung where there shouldnt be one then I prefer the wiper :)

[Portent 0]

Happy birthday L61 PWE. 18 today :dance:

[BILLCOR 1]

:new-bday::multi: :bday: :dance: :clap: :onfire: :bounce2: :icecream:

That is all

[4eyes2wheels 0]

Happy birthday L61 PWE. 18 today :dance:

 

Let's have a party on Sunday to celebrate!

[Portent 0]

Finally, I managed to get some time to drive to my brothers and he replaced all three engine/gearbox mounts for me. I'd bought replacement VAG items last year but never got around to having them fitted. So I drove up from Surrey to Norfolk yesterday, and back again today. Over hundreds of miles and many hours driving in extremely hot weather the car never missed a beat. Surprisingly It seems slightly more economical that my Golf 4mo once warmed up on a long run.

 

Right from buying the car I'd wanted to replace them as the engine appeared to have a bit of movement and I'd assumed that they would need replacing by now. I couldn't see any evidence in the service history of them being done previously. I suspect one had been. It looked in good condition still. But the other two were in terrible conition and clearly needed to be changed. The car does feel a lot better now, especially under acceleration and when taking your foot off the accelerator. There's much less jerking, less vibration and the gear change also seems to engage a little nicer too. So I'm very happy with that and it was certainly worth doing.

 

I'm lucky that my brother is very capable with anything mechanical and cars are his love. It's just a pity he's so far away but it does mean I get a nice road trip when I need some help, and a night out in Kings Lynn's bars :) The weather was superb for the last two days and perfect for a road trip through the lovely Norfolk countryside.

 

Interestingly I was flashed by a blue mk4 Golf yesterday (I guess another Corrado owner maybe - anyone here?) and a lovely early Escort today (showing the love for another older car I assume). But in over 350 miles I didn't see another Corrado. They really are starting to get rare.

 

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And while I'm updating the thread here's a couple of pics from the National Day at Brooklands last week:

 

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Next Sunday I will have owned the car for a year :smug:

Edited May 26, 2012 by Portent

[wy906 0]

Car's looking great still. :)

[Portent 0]

Thanks :) Any thoughts of returning to Corrado ownership yet?

[wy906 0]

Not yet; the Integra really suits my need. Funny I’ve spotted more Corrados on the road ever since I sold mine than during my 18-month Corrado ownership.

 

I’ve seen your pics from the Brooklands thread. SERIOUSLY cool. :D

[Portent 0]

Absolutely Exhausted

 

Righto, time for a quick update. I've been having exhaust nightmares recently after getting the cat put back on. I've taken it back once for an annoying knock but put it on the axle stands myself today and had a nose around. I think I've managed to iron out most of the knocks and it appears to be the exhaust expanding towards the back of the car and hitting the rear beam. I think I've fixed that. But it's early days, not yet perfect, and time will tell :) If nothing else, this car has taught me to get my hands dirty as I would never have done that with my previous cars.

 

However I've noticed the join between the cat and the rest of the exhaust isn't tight and it is blowing very slightly. So I'll take it back again for looking at. It's not too bad and I could live with it. But I want it done right and I was never really happy with how loud it was pre-cat. The cat has quietened it down a lot so I want it done properly.

 

 

I can See The Light!

 

While I happened to be in a car mood I had a look at how to install the uprated headlight loom that I've had since before I bought the car. It looked simple enough and before I knew it I'd thrown caution to the wind and installed it. I also mounted the relays inside a splashproof container and wrapped most of the new wires and connections in loom tape for longevity. It was all quite simple really. And MY GOD WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES. I've no idea what bulbs the previous owner put in there but I'm absolutely loving it :) Not only can I see in the dark now but the lights look white rather than yellow.

 

Quite aside from the minor exhaust leak, which I will fix shortly, the car is feeling great. It had developed a few issues recently and for a while it hadn't been quite such a joy to drive. But I'm gradually sorting them out and I'm back to completely loving it again. I collected a 'new' splitter the other day and after a 2 hour round trip I arrived home still grinning and still wanting to take the long route.The recent engine and gearbox mount replacement has paid dividends and even the gear change is lovely now (I'm pleasantly surprised how much nicer changing gear is).

 

It might not be worth much and it might not be as modern and smooth/quiet as something more modern. But I chuffing love this car :) I've owned some nice cars in the past but nothing makes me smile inside like this does.

 

 

Questions

 

Now onto a couple of questions:

 

1) I want to swap over my slam panel with a spare I have that U'm going to get sprayed up soon (old one has a small annoying dent). I'm assuming it's not a simple job. But does anyone have any pointers or cautionary tales? I won't be doing it for a few months I expect.

 

2) How do I remove the passenger side rear door card? There is a most annoying tap/rattle/knock behind there and I want to fix it.

 

 

 

 

EDIT: And a special note for a very special artist: RIP Mary Fedden (14 August 1915 – 22 June 2012)

Edited June 25, 2012 by Portent

[VWVW 1]

I did this to mine. Its not too difficult once you have taken the bumper bolts off. If I remember correctly. This is is what I did to take the slam panel off.

1. Support the engine from underneath

2. Bumper will need to come off – held on by 4x bolt (two on each side). The bumber is heavy get someone else to help before sliding it out once bolt is removed.

3. Loosen the bonnet cable at the trumpet end and thread it out

4. Remove all the bolts holding the slam panel in place. It will be obvious where they are. There are 2 bolts that you cant get to without taking the bumper off first.

5. After resprayed may be an idea to spray some cavity wax on it for protection.

 

 

You will probably need a few trim bits like

1. The white trim where the bonnet support clips into. A new one makes a lot of difference. The old one will probably be yellowed up.

2. Be carefull removing the three black trims held on by rivets so that you can reuse them. The centre one is no available from the dealers. The ones on either side of this is still available.

 

Optional.

Maybe an idea to powder coat the Radiator L brakets aswell or check the condition of the metal bits of the bumber whilst its off or have it resprayed aswell??

clean out the headlight unit trim.

Edited June 25, 2012 by VWVW

[fla 9]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]64225[/ATTACH]

 

 

And while I'm updating the thread here's a couple of pics from the National Day at Brooklands last week:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]64229[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]64233[/ATTACH]

 

Never thought you could get that many corrados together for a photoshoot. I thought it was a photochop. very nice though. How many from the forum?

[Rams 0]

A tip regarding the slam panel is to have it stripped, powder coated and then painted. They always seems to rust and this will help for longevity. I'm doing the Sam when I find another slam.

 

I did have mine painted and after only 6 months its starting to rust. The painter recommended the above to me.

 

Rams

[Portent 0]

I can't believe I haven't updated the thread in so many months. So a brief update:

 

I finally fitted better speakers to the Audioscape door pods. I'm not entirely happy with the condition of the vinyl on the pods though. So I may get them retrimmed at some point. But the sound quality is now much better and I will probably remove the sub soon. I've never been a fan of them and although it does sound great with the sub, I want my boot space back!

 

A couple of recent pictures of the car, taken at the Pistonheads Sunday Service at Silverstone today:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]72409[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]72410[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]72413[/ATTACH]

 

As mentioned in the Pistonheads event thread, that last picture is Nigel Bridgeton who, along with Richard Dawson, were in the product marketing department at VW during the 90's. They influenced the trim and interiors that went on sale in the UK. I also love the way that in the first picture you can see how much modern cars have grown in size. The Corrado is small and nimble in comparison.

 

 

After getting back home I had a few spare hours so replaced the oil and filter (142,188 miles):

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]72411[/ATTACH]

 

And while I had the car in the air I took the opportunity to swap the cracked front splitter with another that I bought a few months ago. It's a used item but in very good condition with no cracks at all. I wonder how long it will last though because I usually scrape it getting out of my road. I'd wanted to flush and renew the coolant and replace the plugs but I was running out of light so that will have to wait for another day.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]72412[/ATTACH]

 

I think my next priority is to tidy up the front bodywork. So I will get a few quotes and start saving soon.

Edited February 17, 2013 by Portent