My MK1 - updates

[foc64]

Most of the work/upgrades are being done out of necessity, the front left hand ball joint had 1/2" or more of play in it so needed replacing so I thourght I might as well replace all the bushes and tie rod ends as well. As it happened the place I bought the parts from had cheap wheel bearing kits so I got these at the same time (SKF kits complete with all new bolts & circlips). I was fortunate in that I had the brake calipers and new Magna discs in the garage that were intended for a different project (now sold) and as luck would have it they fit on the Golf with out too much work.

Chris

[foc64]

Small update, front end now installed with new brakes



Next job is an engine transplant........more pics soon.

Chris

[16v_kid]

This is going to be a good ride! Keep it up buddy.

[Jarred]

Looking good!

have you driven it yet with the new brakes?

[foc64]

Looking good!

have you driven it yet with the new brakes?

Given that the car has been sitting in parts for a few months and it's only just about to be sat back on the ground in preparation for an engine transplant (current motor is FUBAR), the answer is no, I haven't driven it with the new brakes just yet. Once I have the beat going I'll report my results - good or bad.

Chris

[foc64]

Update time - just finished my lower stress bar so here’s a few photos on how I made mine,
First I used a spare section of MDF as a work surface and marked out the dimensions (needs to be 683mm between mounting centre holes) I also decided to build mine with a bend in the bar to give a little clearance.

Materials used were 50x50x5 mm mild steel angle and 20NB medium black pipe (NB stands for nominal bore in pipe talk – measures around 27mm outside dimensions),



I ended up cutting the angle iron in to 2 pieces at around 38mm wide by 38mm deep as this was a better size for the brace. I then measured and cut 2 x sections of pipe at 155mm and welded them to the end of the angle iron brackets after I’d drilled a 12.5mm hole in the brackets for mounting the completed strut brace.



Next step is to mount the end pieces to the MDF work surface and check that your short pipe pieces are parallel and equally spaced (both need to be in the same relative position so the main section of pipe has the correct orientation once welded to the two end sections – the key is to tack weld every thing and check then re-check BEFORE final welding, it’s easier to cut a tack weld and reposition rather than cut a completed weld because the bracket is in the wrong position (trust me I’ve done this in the past!).



Once you have checked all your dimensions and checked that all the strut brace components are lined up correctly you can fully weld up the brace. With that done you can clean up the welds (if you need to) and paint it what ever colour suits your car.


Cheers

Chris

[Jarred]

Nice one. Good to see a bit of DIY going on.