bit of resto

[james butler]

thought as i had some time i would refresh all the suspension and steering on my rocco.
8 years of almost flawless service from the car and the abuse i give it i thought i would treat it.
so got on to vw heritage to accumulate all the parts i would need.

1- new shock inserts for the old struts i still have.
2- eibach springs (because of the good feedback about them on here)
3- all new camber bolts and washers
4-new steering rack
5 new track rods with track rod ends
6 and the bug pack rack bush kit

and lots of hammerite!
RUST BE GONE!

[james butler]

here are some pics of the progress so far.
http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/james ... 20overhaul

[james butler]

i managed to strip the old rack down, it looks like corrosion had set in and the bush at the passenger side had worn away allowing slop in the rack.
it was quite simple to take apart though.
1st take the adjuster mech out of the back of the rack held on with two bolts, it is sprung loaded so be prepared to catch the bits.
2nd take the 2 screws out of the pinion assembly and pull hard, it will come out but the top bearing is a tight fit.
3rd slide the rack out of either end
like i said mine was well overdue for a change.
http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/james ... rip%20down

[Rusty dan]

Excellent work and makes for a better drive all fresh and ready for another 7 years!

[james butler]

Excellent work and makes for a better drive all fresh and ready for another 7 years!

Cheers rusty Dan,
I can't believe how bad the old rack was! Mot last year only ever mentioned "rough in motion" which I took as needs greasing.
Obviously not!

[james butler]

ahh i forgot to mention some pointers when changing the rack.
my Rocco is the 1.8 carb version, so probably one of the most common types around.
1-i didn't have to take the exhaust down pipe off there's plenty of room to navigate around it (however i did have the rear engine/gearbox mount off as it covers the mounting bolts for the passenger side of the rack.)
2-all the gear change linkages come off with a few nuts and bolts and didn't require setting back up after which is awesome.
3-the rack will not come out either side of the car through the holes the track rods pass through in the wheel arch, very annoying as it would make the job three times easier if it did.
i had to take the passenger side track rod off which allowed the rack to come out around the exhaust and the gearbox.
4- don't put the track-rods on before you fit the rack to the car , 1 because it wont go back on like I said above and 2 you need to centralize the rack then fit it and make sure the steering wheel is centralized too with the rack. ( i found the easiest way was to just fit the rack and make sure its centralized then take the steering wheel off and put it back on straight so it matches the rack then fit the tie rods).
5-most new racks don't come with the locking nut that locks against the tie rods, so if you have an exchange unit rack remember to remove them first as it seems these lock nut things are now obsolete.
6- there are specific measurements in the Haynes manual that you must go by if the rack is to be fitted correctly especially as the measurement point is different on the drivers side compared to the passenger side, mainly because of the aluminium housing on the drivers side which means you measure to the edge where the steering boot would but up to instead of where the rack housing starts

[Bill]

Superb job.

[james butler]

well i took the car to the local VW dealer to get the tracking and camber all set up properly at nearly £300
and to top that guess what they did to it while it was there!

[mark1gls]

£300 for tracking and camber and they did that to your car! I knew VW dealers are expensive for servicing etc but that is taking the p...
I had my tracking and camber done at a VW specialis with all the kit for £70 and I thought that was expensive....
Are they sorting out your paintwork?

[james butler]

Yeah they said they were goin to fix it but didn't say when.
I've been quoted elsewhere £90 for camber and tracking but could never get booked in. Wish I hard tried harder! Not only have I been ripped off My car was damaged in the process!
1st and last time I trust my car to the dealer.

[james butler]

i had forgotten about this thread on the green machine, time for an update me thinks.
quite a bit has been done since 2015.
first of which is i had my seats retrimmed in leather, something ive allways liked but not prepared to pay astronomical second hand prices.
found a great place willing to do a retrim with some minor mods.
M.B TRIM in redditch

[james butler]

the car has since gone to the Rocco Grotto for some over due beauty treatment.
hopefully its not too bad behind the body kit, pretty certain it wont be a bad as crusty but im looking forward to seeing it get some much needed attention.
over the years the amount of scratches and dents accumulated in the body work is unbelievable!
its been a great car the last 11 years and think it deserves the best chances for at least another 10 years to come.

[unknownmale]

Really like the interior! How much did that set you back if you don't mind me asking?

[james butler]

£1400 all in, the leather was £100 a hide and needed 5 hides to complete the job so labour works out about £900.