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Feb 22, 2011 19:11:29 GMT
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Another place they rust is the battery tray. Remove the battery and the plastic scuttle cover and clean out all the crud and leaves that accumilate there. Check carefully for any rust around /behind the battery clamp bracket. Even a small hole here lets water run down into the front footwell and rots the floor out.
The breather tube behind the rear side trim isn't a MOT failure. Even on really very tidy cars they have often been found virtually disintegrated laying at the bottom of the rear quarter/inner wing space! Yours isn't bad at all, just get it drenched in Waxoyl to slow down any further rusting.
The sill and arch trims can be removed by drilling out the rivets. New rivets are easy to get and very cheap. It is worth taking the sill trims off to properly inspect the sills though. Like you say, you don't want to find out come MOT time.
Regardless of whether you paint or spray the car I'd keep it white. Inside mk2 Polos a lot of painted metalwork is on show and IMO it doesn't look very good if the body is a different colour. Also white is the best colour for covering imperfections in the panels and it looks good too against the black bumpers, arches and sill trims.
Looking at the pics I can see there are a couple of paint and rust issues - and I'm sure there are plenty I can't see too, but it doesn't look to be too bad at all. If it were mine and I didn't want to spend too much I'd give the entire car a thoroughly good clean, then treat the rust and just touch in the paint locally. Then give it a T cut and really good polish, I reckon you'll be surprised at just how good this could look for very little outlay.
It'd leave you with more money to spend on lowering the suspension (don't be tempted to get one of the cheap kits, they are reknowned for having an awful ride) and wheels/tyres that fit properly!
Good luck with what ever you decide. Cheers, Richard.
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Feb 22, 2011 19:20:51 GMT
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reverse light switch is on the gearbox, you don't need a reverse light for MOT so don't worry about it. Ahha, that's like having a toilet roll holder with no toilet paper!! It's probably just the wiring to the switch on the box, it can't be too much trouble to sort that out. Might as well make them work seeing as they're fitted. Sorting out little jobs like that can be very satisfying, or extremely annoying! ;D
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Feb 22, 2011 19:59:08 GMT
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Haha i didnt know you didnt need reverse lights for an MOT learn something new everyday, ill have a look for this switch on the gearbox though have to get under it again anyway as the exhaust is blowing Talking of MOT's is it ok to have a side exit exhaust for an MOT ? I had aside exit a few years ago on a Daihatsu charade and it failed But the garage was abit iffy Ill check the battery tray out tomorrow, while I'm round there. Ill definately sort out that breather pipe will go and buy some kurust stuff and some hammerite think i have some waxyoyl lying around in the garage. Ill pull off the sill covers tomorrow aswell and inspect everything, may have to bodge it so i can get an MOT on it for the time being if any welding needs doing as pretty strapped for cash at the minute and my mate doesnt want this polo inhis compound for much longer. Thats true about the interior now you mention it there is ALOT of painted metal on display. Ill ask Jade and see what she would want to do. Yeah it does look deceptively good in the pics ill get some more tomorrow of the body work, theres no really bad rust it just mostly big chips and scrapes that have rusted but some are quite pitted into the metal. Also anyway that is going to save cash is fine by me and Jade so that might well be the way to go for the time being. Suspension wise there is one thing that always confused me are chopped springs an MOT failure or not ? Can never get a definitive answer on the other forums I'm on As for suspension kits/springs what would people recomend ? I'm totally new to the Vw scene so not sure whats good and whats not. Or hat compatable ? Do mk3 springs for example fit on the Mk2 ? Hah don't worry soon as the ca gets MOT'd we'll probably sell the wheels and replace them with some 13"-14" max.
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Feb 25, 2011 22:11:50 GMT
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Rust always looks worse on a white car, usually worse than it really is. You're doing right by getting as much of it as you can now, it really looks quite good and I'd be more than happy with the condition of the bodywork you've got there.
Top work, you're dealing with all the tiny problems before they become much bigger problems, can't fault that approach at all.
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Feb 26, 2011 18:45:59 GMT
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Yeah its a pain having white cars it doies just seem to highlight any rust thats on the car. Thanks bud, I'm just doing my best to make sure it will last as long as possible Its been raining pretty much all day today, so i didnt do that much but i stuck back on the piece of parking strip that was missing on the front wing. Went over the waxoyl on the drivers side sill and riveted on the arch trim back on. Also tryed to seal up the exhaust as its blowing it abit better but still leaking, thats twice and it still blows i patch it in one place and it moves to another Also a friend of mine has said he'll show me how to weld up the sill tomorrow if its not raining so i bought some gas and some 0.6 mill tips today. Anyone have any welding tips for doing the sills and battery tray ?
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Mar 12, 2011 23:37:38 GMT
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Little update for this Took it for an MOT and it failed But not on anything that has been done so far, which is good it failed on rust around the drainage hole on the passenger side front and abit of rust on the drivers rear. I've booked it in with the local garage to have this done as its structural and I'm not that confident with a welder yet Few little pics I didnt notice the rust as most was coverd by the extremely thick factory underseal, but pulled it all off for pics Rear drivers side Drain hole passenger side front The rest of the underneath look very clean and solid though so its worth saving I think Very messy exhaust bodge I tryed to get it to stopblowing about 3 time in the end lost my rag poured a load of putty onto some aluminium tape and wrapped it on Tank removed so the welding could be done. Local garage let me use their ramp to do this as it was a quiet day ;D Found out the fuel doesnt work I thought it would be practically empty as we only put about £12 in the car including driving it up and down and going to the MOT station, so thought there might be about 5 litre in it I was wrong out came 15 litres of fuel not including all the fuel that went down my sleeve My little helper for the day, she's a very scary guard dog as you can tell haha
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Last Edit: Mar 12, 2011 23:41:18 GMT by walsh123
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You might have a split on the flexipipe (the wibbly looking bit of the exhaust) that's causing the blow. On mine I had the wrong flexi fitted at some point, but a replacement was dirt cheap and stopped the blow. Looked like someone had ordered the wrong part and clamped it too tight so that it split leading to a progressively worsening blow in exactly the same place as you've repaired yours.
Adorable guard dog too, they're the ones that'll let theives in to steal stuff but they won't let them out once they have, they're cunning like that.
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Ill have a better look at the flexi today as I'm going round to fit the tank on again
Haha yeah that sounds about right if in the compound working on the car and the gates closed she gets really brave and barks at at people soon as it opens she runs away or if she knows the person leaps up and down to get them to stroke her haha
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Mar 14, 2011 17:56:27 GMT
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My baby car ;D Rust is allll welded... just needs fuel lines reconnecting and to go back in for MOT then we're sorted
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Bit of a blast from the past here. I never got around to updating this, but have been doing some work to it recently and thought id update it from were i left it. I had the points that had rusted away welded up properly, had to remove the fuel tank to do that so i also sanded down the tank and undersealed it. I then checked the battery tray and I'm sad to say we bodged this As we couldnt weld it there was a load of insulation behind it, so in true DIY style we removed the rust kurusted it and riveted a plate over the hole. Then used some of our special mix underseal stuff is about 8 years old mixed with all kind os stuff so it sets solid as a rock. covered up the rivets nicely Anyway to cut a very long story short, the little polo had MOT and just need tax but my girlfriend failed her test a few times on really wierd things ???But nevermind so it sat around for a long time. She recently wet off to uni and has decided its time to sell it, as she doesnt have the money or time for lessons. So me being the amazing boy friend i am Said ill get it all cleaned up. If you remember the state the paint was in dull as an a4 sheet. then check it out ;D Little vinyl i made, cost loads to buy :oso about 20p of vinyl and some time later Dash all cleaned up, with back to black Just a few to show the reflection Before After roof I'll be honest i was hoping she would change her mind when she saw how it came out, but sadly not. So she's selling it for £800 what do you guys think ? should she ask for me ? less ? I'm not really sure as I'm Honda through and through and don't know what these sell for on average Oh it also come with a new oil filter and oil also full cambelt kit and headgasket kit. Just spares
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At a different time I'd've snapped this one up. I plan to get myself a saloon to restore at some point in the future and this one would be ideal for the purpose, but I'm not in a situation to get a second car and won't be for a couple of years.
She might get £800 for it, definitely would for a coupé with MoT on it, I think it depends how the wind is blowing. Should get at least £500 if it's got MoT but don't be surprised if nobody wants to part with more than £350 for it :/ Such is how the prices seem to be at the moment.
I hope it finds a loving home.
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Haha i would have really liked to sell it to a forum member, then i would know it would be well looked after. I can honestly say never buy two cars iif they are both projects its an absolute pain. I have a 1989 civic track car and a 1984 civic Gt i've had the Gt nearly 5 months and havent driven or even worked on it. As i havent finished the other one Also don't have the money to fix the 3g. Although its nice to own two cars you have always wanted ;D But the Polo has sold now, she sold it to one of her friends for £800 she was happy and he was happy But he isnt really interested in cars so i don't know how long the little polo wil last, only time will tell
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