A little more progress...

[william]

the quality and man hours you put into your work is exceptional not even the production rally teams put this much effort in well done

[gldgti]

I am awed by your work. we are not worthy.

well done!

[roccodingo]

Great to see the attention to detail, that is what makes the difference in the finished result..( better reliability also !!)

Can I ask what type of paint you used for the underneath surfaces ??


Keep the pics coming, enjoying this immensely.
.

[Bluerex]

BLUSH!!
Aw c'mon guys this is embarrassing

I have used lots of POR15 in prepping the shell. This stuff is amazing but you need to be careful too. Once set (not dry) nothing moves this stuff (I have had grey spots for weeks) The finish is briliant but in the case of the Grey and Black - not UV stable. This is not really a problem under the car or inside the guards. The engine bay and floor of the cabin I did in WhiteCote over the POR15.

Time, and the impact of lots of little rocks, will tell how successful the paint job has been. The exterior has been painted in acrylic for easy touch-ups .

c

[phaeton]

Cool Shots

Thanks for posting

[DubSteve]

Bluerex everytime I see this car it amazes me, love your posts but love your detail to the car, looks so good then get sad to think that beauty will be dirty at the rally roads

[JP-009]

Bluerex,

The pics are fascinating and inspirational…

…and VERY scary – as I start to think that maybe, just maybe, I could do it too…

Then I wake up to myself

[Bluerex]

Bluerex,

The pics are fascinating and inspirational…

…and VERY scary – as I start to think that maybe, just maybe, I could do it too…

Then I wake up to myself

Don't be so hard on yourself. As long as you are not on too much of a time schedule - you would be amazed what you can do yourself. Yes, I have had to buy some tools (compressor and MIG were the main ones) and I have had to teach myself to use them, but apart from a few hard lessons (never use an angle-grinder when wearing track pants), with support from the likes of CVW, TTS, Gasweld, Auto Paints and Revolution Racegear (plus mucho understanding from wonder-wife Kelly) it has been a lot of fun.

Mk1 shells are getting rarer and rarer, I was lucky with my two. If you can find a rust-free* 2 door, grab it!!! Even if you do nothing with it for a couple of years.

C

[blackgti1.8]

Gee Charles, I know that a little time and patience goes a long way, but even so, it's an amazing job you've done there

It's an inspiration to the rest of us

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm certainly learning a lot from this...
All these little tricks are often learnt the hard way, so it's great to get them for free

[vwrally]

Hi Charles
Good to see your car taking shape. I heard a lot about it last year during The Silver Fern Rally in NZ from John Rawson. We where all travelling together as a group with Riseboroughs and Callinans.

Unfortunately our Golf had a DNF after we ripped the front corner off the car on a fence post. The car is now back together but had another DNF next time out when the adjustable Cam Pulley seperated and bent the valves. Good excuse to get a good head built for the car which should be soon.

John gave us a few extra pointers on where and how to strentghen the shell so we had this done after the incident with the fence post so should be all good for the future.

The car is now handling and braking really well, just need more horsepower and a looser nut behind the steering wheel.

One thing that we have done is got a Plate LSD from Bildon in the states. These are well worth it, up to 5 seconds a kilometre on twisty forest roads, just the extra acceleration out of the corner - highly recomended and getting cheaper all the time with the USD, they are a pain to fit though. Bildon also set them up for gravel use which is well worth it.

When do you hope to have the car mobile?

NB take the photos now because chances are it wont look that good again