MK 1 Storm - The Money Pit

[81GTi]

just been through your pics again bud. awesome stuff.

[jimmy h]

Just got my original steering wheel back from the chap that does that sort of stuff. My old leather binding was so old and rotten it fell off circa 1995.



Also doing a MK 4 Golf wiper motor conversion.

[mark1gls]

Steering wheel looks good...
I found fitting a newer wiper motor to my car make alot of differance but most of the time my car doesn't see much rain...

[ianaudia4]

That steering wheel loks fantastic, do you mind if I ask how much it cost and where from, my Storm wheel could do with a refresh?

[jimmy h]

Ian, PM sent mate.

Wiper motor conversion is nearly complete and I have been making a new parcel shelf (pictures to follow) later this week.

Just received a kit for restoring my leather seats (furniture Clinic Newcastle) just watched their Youtube tutorials and I'm chomping at the bit to get started
You even get an Air Brush in the kit for colour application!!!

[Nate]

Has the steering wheel been done with a slightly fatter rim?

[jimmy h]

Has the steering wheel been done with a slightly fatter rim?

Evening Nate,

First of all can I just say how impressed I am with the commitment to your project, I know it must have given you a few times where you thought - am I doing the right thing here?
I know I did!!! Trust me it will be worth it in the end - I've not for one minute regretted what I've done with mine. If you are a dyed in the wool MK1 fanatic it never leaves you.
Ant is doing a wonderful job on it and I too look forward to his updates

I know the wheel looks fatter but it is just Leather over the standard rim, I'm sure with time it will loose its 'newness' and creases. I gave the chap who was doing it the remains of the old leather binding to use as a guide to form a pattern.

[Nate]

Thanks dude :) although at this point all the credit should go to ant. Oh, maybe a bit to the accountant who got me the tax refund that's paying for it too! And yes, there have been many times I've thought I should just cut my losses and send it off to China. Usually after I had got the welder out, and then been found in the corner of a dark room, lying in the fetal position, gently sobbing.

and having seen the enthusiasm that ant has for chopping out scarily big structural sections, I've found him some more rust to play with too! More of that in a few weeks time though

I am looking to get my wheel retrimmed too. I've found a guy to do it (he's done several for a mate of mine) but I do want mine a bit fatter. Not keen on skinny wheels!

[jimmy h]

So my 'second' parcel/speaker shelf which I bought from the classifieds on here, it was OK but way too heavy and ended up breaking the little clips it pivoted on.
Below.


So I made a lighter one out of 6mm MDF.



I robbed the support bars of an old parcel shelf I had, rubbed 'em down and sprayed with satin black and rollered the MDF with satin black. The material on top is acoustic cloth. The aluminium trim that carries the speaker wires is some I bought from B&Q, I wanted to bury the wires in a rebated groove and fill but ran out of patience.
The refurbed MK4 Polo wiper job is now finished and fitted, works very well too.

So next job is sorting out the leather on the front seats, they are not too bad now, but I reckon they could be much better!

[mark1gls]

Tidy job! You do need LOUD speakers in a Mk1
Keep us updated.....

[mark83]

Another excellent update, those leather repair kits work wonders on tired leather .Look forward to seeing the results .

[jimmy h]

So...... 20 years just rolls by, I was approaching 21, I'd been left a small sum of money from a relative. Oasis had just released Definately Maybe, I was also listening to Portishead Dummy - depending what I was smoking. I had a really crap job ~ £129 a week. I was big into Volkswagen Audi Car Magazine. This one came up for sale, I jumped on a train and travelled all the way to Kent to have a look.

[jimmy h]

I turned it down.

I'd already tasted automotive finery with this: '79 Mini Special with a Cooper 13 hundred lump up front - WHAT a shed!

[jimmy h]

Eventually common sense prevailed, the Mini was sold, and I bought my GLS.


I still hankered after a Storm, a few weeks after the Kent trip "BUY" turned up for sale in Somerset, so I was on my travels again. I guess there was something subliminal in the number plate that made me think this was the one - 20 years later!

[81GTi]