Project Gitanes - 1981 Mk1 GTi - last of the line, built to drive

[duggers]

Just lovely. Love the blinglessness (new word copyrighted!).
Properly purposeful without shouting, very nice work chaps.

[GTXTRA]

Gitanes spent some time the Phirm recently.

Mainly to check on the engine since the shim work - all in order - and to sort a couple of electrical bugs including sorting out a more MOT friendly rear fog light switch.

After the headlight switch fused on him Tim didn't like what he found behind the dash and decided to ............... make up a complete new loom...... the existing set up was a combo of mk2 fusebox and mk1 wiring and was showing signs of age.

This is the result.






Took advantage of a dash-off moment and had the missing ducting fitted to the inside of the dashboard.



Also a black dashboard insert to reflect the all black theme I want for the interior incorporating the immobiliser light in a neat solution by Tim.



I have a new rear fog switch on back order but in the meantime this one is a suitably rewired one from a Porsche 924/944 - oddly easier to track down than a VW Golf/Scirocco one.

A particularly pleasant drive back via the Surrey Hills and now investigating available slots at Rust Republic to give this one the paint job the rest of the car now deserves.

[GTXTRA]

Sorted.

[mark1gls]

That looks brand new?

[GTXTRA]

No, off an ebay seller Mark -some very slight imperfections but more than good enough for me.

[GTXTRA]

[GTXTRA]

How about this for a PM?!


I used to own your mk1 scirocco, and in fact it is my house it is outside in one of the photos where it is semi stripped.

I can give you some history on the car.....

I bought it in about 2002 from an asian guy in Rochdale, he had just had the car resprayed ( in its original Baikal blue), and in fact a lot of photos of the rebuild came with the car

At this point it was totally standard and had its original engine, interior etc, and had been painted quite well, anyhow a mate pestered me to sell it him, so at that point I only owned it for a week or too, it was last on the road at this point.

Fast forward a couple of years, and the mate had fallen on hard times and I was asked if I wanted to buy it back, he hated the colour and had removed all the glass etc to have a colour change on the car, but given up, So I bought it back with a view to getting it painted back into Baikal blue yet again!

Anyhow, it sat unattended in my garage for around six months, I decided to sell it on again and listed on eBay, at this point all the original blue interior was with the car, and it still ran, it sold and the guy and his mate towed it away with a rope behind a Corrado to Coventry, with no glass or lights! Until I googled the car the other day I never knew if they made it back or not!

Sadly it looks like they raped it for parts, ( having seen your photos of when you got it), so I'm happy to see you got her back together in the end.

In front of me I have the VW service history book, l'll be happy to post it to you!

Mick

[Rusty dan]

Amazing news mate, you must be really proud to bring this car up to a brilliant standard from what it was.

[GTXTRA]

Survived a series of flooded parts of the a25 on the way back from a successful MOT at the weekend - needed a tune up too, running very lean for some bizarre reason.

Latest addition - a headlamp wiring loom courtesy of Petegli - looking forward to a good nighttime drive to see the improvement.

Clever old Pete spotted these VW relays do the same job as the aftermarket ones normally fitted to loom upgrades.

[Mr Funk]

Should be a fun summer

[Rusty dan]

What a fine stable you are making sir! Love it

[GTXTRA]

Interior still needs some work - still mulling over adding black trim or leaving the tops of the doors blue, roof lining needs sorting and the drivers seat is crumbling inside - but think the all black theme has worked thus far.....





Using this quite a lot recently - any excuse tbh- in advance of an eventual return to Rust Republic for a full Ant-spec refresh.

[GTXTRA]

Took advantage of a post E38 day off and treated the Mk1 to some all too rare attendtion to the paint beyond the occaisional wash.
Car will get painted again at some point but the now 6 years old coat of 'temporary cellulose' to stop the primer from going off deserved a freshen up.

Collecting dust at back of garage....



Initial results




Most of the obvious weather/water based imperfections sorted for now and with properly polished glass Gitanes is now maybe a 10 footer instead of a 20 footer!

[mark1gls]

Looks very shiny in the pictures.
Good to see it's getting used, and by the sounds of it a lot

Cars are meant to be driven.

[GTXTRA]

Full day of TLC/Service/Tune-up at the Phirm on Friday.

Armed with a new MOT too - great blast back to town on my favourite A - Roads.

Never run better but do find ventilation a loose term compared to the Mk2's.

Need to talk to Ant about getting it painted.