I have decided to focus my efforts into getting the golf back on the road. Initially this was with the intention of selling it to free up some space and bring in some cash.
However after a visit from bri in his mk2 16v on Saturday and seeing a couple of nice ones at a local vw show at the weekend the mrs has started thinking about maybe using it for a bit until one of the other 'fun' cars is finished
Part of the recommissioning involved sorting a few scabby areas. First up, the rear valance.
It had had some bubbles and some filler in the past, but that's rarely a 'proper' fix. I had intended using a new panel to cut up and patch the old one. The further I dug the more convinced I was that it would be easier to bung the whole thing on.
I ordered a short panel which puts the join behind the bumper. No one does a full panel which goes all the way to the boot opening for the early cars, and I'm not a fan of disturbing any more of the original joints and welds than is necessary.
Turns out there's very little structural strength to the lower section, the row of spot welds along the upper recess tie the boot floor to the rear panel and sides, but below that there's a handful of spot welds down the side of the valance and a couple under the bumper mount holes. The vast majority of it is free to flap around in the breeze.
So my plan is to leave the original boot floor welds and sit the new panel into the recess, drilling through and welding to the original spot weld points. So I got choppy choppy.
And new bit trimmed to fit. It's going to be a neat solution which saves me having to butt weld the panel and run a bead of weld the entire length of the panel. A tiny smear of seam sealer which will be painted over, hidden behind the bumper will be the only visible signs.
As usual, one nasty uncovers more. Both corners behind the valance were crusty. As usual I forgot a before photo, but the left side was like this but worse with none of the return lipfor the lower few inches.
It would have been easy to cover in seam sealer as it sits behind the valance, but that's not a proper fix, so lots of cutting, bending, welding and grinding and the corner is rebuilt.
I'd spotted a crusty but once the old panel was removed which I would never have been able to get to with it in place, underseal scraped off, scab thoroughly wire brushed to bare metal with a spinning death wheel, before a brush with rust converter, and coat of etch primer. That one scab has snowballed somewhat an I'm now dropping the tank, removing and cleaning up the rear beam, and pretty much doing an entire underside restoration. If you're going to do it, do it right, do it once. Hopefully when I'm done it will be good for another 30+ years.
New brake hoses, compensator valve, backplates, tank straps etc etc all on the way, with probably much more to follow...
without any long-lasting harm and is blamed on a lousy air-oil separator. Stories of it happening at random roughly once a year to people. A bit unnerving nontheless, need to go back to Northway over a couple of minor things so shall mention it to them.
