Not much updating going on recently, but I've been busy! I shall show my saga in photo form...
The magnificent taurus popped round one early morning with a drill and got to work on the offending stuck brake disk. Only minutes later...
It's off!! Hallelujah! I'm absolutely not putting any retaining screws back in! Thanks so much for helping out taurus, really really appreciate you getting up super early to come over!
I've also spent about 15-20 hours reconditioning my old rims - I was still stuck with the brakes so at least wanted to stay productive, plus keeping it all original was always the plan (while saving some cash and learning a new skill).
They were pretty damn scabby though, and this was AFTER a pressure hosing and hot soapy bath...
2/3 hours of sanding and wire brushing each one gave fairly promising results...
There were also some pretty nasty gouges and scuffs, especially the nearside front.
Enter SUPER STEEL!
2 part super strength fixer of all. Gaps and scrapes filled and the whole rims sanded with 1200 grit.
Which means ready for 2 coats of anti-rust grey primer!
Not too shabby. Cue another 4 hours of 1800 wet and dry, washing again and rubbing down with paint prep solution.
And we're ready for some top coat!
Colour is ford sea grey, not too far off the colour of the bumper/door handle trim. Came out much darker than expected, but should look better than before...until I dropped one before the paint had cured
Cue more 80 grit, 1200 grit, prime, 1800 grit, topcoat, and we finally get...
Not the best photo, but I'm properly chuffed at the result. I'm leaving them 24 hours to cure, then hitting again with 1800 grit and giving them 2 good coats of lacquer to give them some shine and protection. Add black VW logo centrecaps with these and some clean Continentals and I reckon I'm on to a winner!
However, wheels not the only thing I've been pushing forward...
After MUCH hunting, finally ordered some new disks, pads and a caliper repair kit, which took aaggeeess to arrive.
All good, expect pads...totally wrong ones!
Cue much more hunting for the right pads, tens of websites, multiple calls to various 'experts' and some hunts in some local autofactors. Finally (today after spending my whole lunch break driving around town) found one set of Mk1 golf pads left, matched them up with the old, and BINGO!
A snug fit, but they're in!
I also had arrive today my brake caliper repair kit, all looked correct from sight - an absolute pig ordering though, was pretty much pot luck.
Old versus new. All seemed to fit, to I got some wet and dry and a metal scourer and cleaned up the 2 pistons (they're a weird double piston caliper, but both pistons are in the same cylinder, as shown 2 photos below).
Hmm. Not sure this looks great! Will give the new seals a go and see if that helps! What a git they were to get in though!
After a good hour of wrestling slippery (brake fluid as lube) pistons and rubber, my c-clamp just would not get the pistons back in. At this point I was pretty sure I'd got the wrong seals, so I whacked one with a hammer, and it popped right in. Cue some gentle hammering onto a wooden block on the piston, and in she pops!
Then some delicate work with needle pliers and a screw driver, I eased the SERIOUSLY springy dust seals and retaining pins on both ends.
What an annoying job that was! But, as shown below, much success was had eventually!
So out come the heavier duty tools and copper grease...
And half hour later we have 2 fully restored front brakes with new disks, pads, seals, dust boots and hoses!
I'm rather chuffed with my progress tonight I must say!
Tomorrow I shall rub down the rims again and lacquer them, possibly bake them in the over so I can drop them off to the tyre shop to get tyres ordered.
Saturday my girlfriend is visiting, so seems the perfect opportunity to get some brake fluid in the system and bleed the brakes. Fingers crossed the new seals work and I get enough pressure for them to work (and also that I've put everything back together properly!)
Hopefully, once it's bled and I get tyres back on the car, she will DRIVEEE!!!!
Then, I will just need to figure out why reverse gear moves the car forward...
