Hey, still bombing around in the vw, had a few mishaps, and fixed a few bits,
but mostly just been enjoying her.. love the sounds from the sporty sounding
(from longlife.co.uk) exhaust system. had someone ask me the other day if
i'd stuck a v8 in her!
also very reliable, has started easily even when left for a couple of months, and
even in snow. liking the convenience of a slightly younger classic
( but i'm still keeping the cortina for summer fun :-) )
1st off, some unknown van driver bashed into the door and wing when
I was parked at work, only slightly dented, but the side trim was dead so..
pulled off the other side trims:
made the panels straight again (or my handy mate phil did):
also removed (stupidly) the corroded chrome surround to the windscreen
leading to water leaks and handy swimming pool features in the footwells.
removing the carpets to dry led to discovering holes where floor should be
and patching attempts by previous owners using household expanding foam.
also the sills appeared not to be joined to the floor along most of the car (eek!)
decided this was a bit much for my first experiments with welding so
sent it off to ian taylor's bodyshop for some much needed structural improvements:
didn't get the paint sorted yet on the door or sills (primer and underseal only at the mo)
as i'm waiting till i've got the cash to sort out the rear arches, and peeling paint on the
bonnet at the same time, so she's looking a bit patchy at the moment:
bonus cheapskate upgrade #1
cardboard stereo blanking plate to replace a hole full of wires
(run an ipod / and cheap ebay amp in the boot combo)
bonus cheapskate upgrade #2
fixed my previous removal of the windscreen spreader strip (replacement unavailable)
with a random audio lead I had in a drawer (pushed in with a bit of wd40 and some pliers)
looks pretty stock, and I think it's a bit wider than the original so hopefully might help
even if the rubbers shrunk a bit as I'm not sure you can get new rubbers either.
future plans involve painting the floor in something rustproof and putting the carpets
back in once i'm sure the leaks are gone, sorting the questionable fuel filler area in the boot
and the rear arches, then possibly a respray in a slightly more vibrant blue, and lowering
by about another inch somehow.