The Bandit

[wassell]

Any more updates on this jim?

[Mr Funk]

Was saving it until there was something interesting to put down.

This summer's been a really mixed bag, the terrible weather, MIL suffering a near fatal heart attack and various other things conspired against me. Saying that the Nationals and Action were as superb as always, the gearbox exploding on the way to players not so.

So there's some changes over the winter and a more normal interior is going in. I still absolutely love the sparco, stripped loadout but fancied a bit of a change and in buying two much needed doorcards also got me a really good nick dark blue check interior so I've been quietly been squirrelling the rest of the stuff away. The biggest problem will be that I removed the rear shelf supports when I stripped everything out but fitting some removable mounts should be fairly easy. It's nearly all ready to go though (in fact, the car is fully insured and Mot'd, it'd just need ta) which is reassuring and as I;ve got extended mas holiday I'm tempted to have a play.

Plans for next year will be to run it as a slightly more subtle monster. I can picture it slammed as it is with the less lairy interior and it's really exciting. But come next winter everything'll change again. Mrs F bought herself boat last month and she stupidly agreed that it's pretty much the same as fitting a 20vt....

[wassell]

win! 20vt it is then haha.


could be worth having a look at the mk2 golf shelf supports, see if they fit in as they are removable.

i know the pain though, every now and then i get the inclination to strip my rocco, make it bastard light and enjoy it more. but then i think about the practical uses it has and not wanting to "ruin it" so it gets all boring and keeps looking the same.

i think this winter shall see either a full strip of the interior of mine, or absolutely nothing will change. id put money on the latter.

[Mr Funk]

I've played with the vt engine idea for years and it genuinely seems a good idea. It's a bullet proof, easily tunable engine that really holds it's own and, ironically, it'll probably give me much better MPG. Insurance will be minute as I'm old and have immense no claims. But I'm not getting too excited, the swap won;t be for at least a year as I want another summer with that mental, growling monster I've already installed.

[wassell]

sounds good. gives you time to find all the bits you'll need too.

you running the 8v on single/twin carbs or injection at the minute?

[oil_burner]

Well done for sticking with it, me and my friend have been keeping an eye on your progress (and set backs . ). It looks lovely, she ( Nicky) is well made up with what you have achieved and is "well please" that you have kept the car alive, running and looking so great.The car still brings back memories for her - good ones.. Looking forward to the next chapters..thank you doing what you have done and making her smile ....

[collo16v]

I know somebody who has an idea burning a hole in his wallet!! :)

[Mr Funk]

And so this is what comes next.
Don't hold your breath though, it won't be until next winter:

[Winston]

[mark1gls]

So was the blue Scirocco with that engine in no good, it did look a little crusty in the photos on the car for sale ad?

[wassell]

nice choice bud!

was that from the rocco with the skoda lump in it?

[Mr Funk]

So anyway.....

Bit of a joint update this time, bit of an update with the Bandit and a bit about the rather infamous Monza Blue monster we picked up just before christmas.

The car's been laid up at the barn over the winter, this is as much to do as the work I needed to do but also the lack of the tax and time. But with February fast approaching, my local meets starting again and me wanting to use the bastard thing again it's time to get it all moving again.

There's still a slight water leak somewhere, my guess is the water pump. But it's really minor and as log as I keep my eye on it I'll be fine, I'm heading to Holland i June so I need it tip top before I even think of taking it over there. And the gearing is still slightly out - I swapped the gear selector rods for some nice TSR ones and they properly setting up, something that's rather difficult on your own. But other than that it's a peach and started pretty much on the button yesterday even in the cold.
The installation of the interior isn't going quite as quickly as I'd like - The wiring for the amplified DAB airiel is now all in ad laid so I can put the panels back on and I've taken the opportunity to prep two sets - one for running rear seats, one without. It's a fairly simple job to swap everything and I had intended to "go original" but a problem fitting the front belts has cropped up so I'll have to run the Sparcos util I can strip everything down.
The roof lining also needs to come down, although hopefully only at the back when they fit the bee sting. There's a chance I can have a custom replacement made up (my mum's a very accomplished seamstress - she's retired but currently makes and repairs a lot of the dresses for the men in pointy hats at Canterbury Cathedral) and she's been playing with patterns. A selection of fabrics means I don't have to worry quite so much about more rips in the one that's already fitted.
MAde my ow panels again and backed them with foam.



The issue with the install lumbers on. I can't fit the doorcards because of a problem with the pods. There's a bit more to it all than that and it's a poxy situation but I don;t really want to go on about it until it's all sorted which should hopefully be today.

Other than that it's a fairly simple task of putting everything back together and driving it.

And so a week before christmas me and Mart picked up the Monza. As many of you are aware it's been up for sale for the best part of two years and the price has been dropping. Finally it got to a point that would have just been criminal to pass over so despite a massive accident in the Dartford crossing we travelled up to london to grab it.
We thought we knew what we were getting but to be honest we were a little cynical, people say a lot of things when they're trying to sell cars but we added everything up and even if I lost a couple of hundred quid I reckoned I'd still got a bargain.
It was clear fairly early on that the shell was a wreck, there were rust patches almost everywhere and the arches were properly crusty. But the sheer amount of high quality and usually one-off custom parts was astonishing.
If ever there was a clear case of putting a bow on a turd, this was it and before we'd even got the car home we were getting calls/texts and emails nabbing the stuff.

The long and short of it is that we got an absolute bargain. Not only have me made clear profit but the kit list we've both walked away with just baffles me - A complete 20vt with ko4 turbo, custom downpipe and Brahn Brenner mounts. Hydro clutch and cable gear change system, hundreds and hundreds of pounds worth of boost pipework and proper jubilee clips. Stainless steel filler neck, induction kits, custom fuel pipes, crazy quiff fuel pump cages, etc etc. You get the idea.
The icing on the cake for me for what could either be a Dubsport or Trimsport rear brace. I've been waiting 15 years for one of these bad boys, they're fugly and bulky but I absolutely love it.

So everyone wins. We got a steal and we know it. We've also worked damn hard in stripping it down and flogging what we can and it's just gone a bit mental. We've made sure everyone shares the same benefits we got, this has led to a mate getting a complete Koni set up with eibach ARBS and poly bushes all round for a frankly pornagraphic sum.

Whether or not I actually fit the lump is now the big question. I really want to but I know what I'm like. I generally drive like an old lady and the thought of having over 250bhp on tap instantly frightens the back end out of me.
But saying that it would improve my current mpg......

[Mr Funk]

I was hoping to bring the car home this weekend and really make the most of it but forces worked against me.

The original plan was to take it to where the Monza had been stored, strip that and put it on the lorry then give the engine and running gratin the Bandit the once over. It's fine and I know it but having not driven it since October/November and only driven it tens of miles since we replaced the gearbox I jus need to be sure.
But unfortunately things just didn't happen that way. I ended up being fairly wiped out after a trip t the dentist so couldn't drive it Friday and I had too much on today to get up there, bring it one only to take it back on Sunday.
Normally during the summer it'll live back at mine (it sounds like a divorced couple's child!) but just at the moment I'd rather it wasn't here. We've got work going on at the house and the drive up to the barn provides me with a nice break so it'll stay there until for another week or two.
It's also got something to do with the install. It is now allegedly sorted but will take two weeks to take care of so ill not get into it until everything is back with me one way or another. The problem is that I can't stick the interior fully back in until the ariel is done as they need to remove the headlining and they don't want to do that until the new head unit arrives blah blah blah.
Now believe it or not I can be desperately nice and this can occasionally lead to people trying to take advantage of me and I think this has lead to the absolute shambles we've found ourselves in. Eventually last Saturday I hope I put an end to it. I was very firm but I'd like to think perfectly fair, didn't raise my voice once and even explained that I'd happily wait until the showroom was closed as I didn't want to embarrass anyone. What I've got is a garauntee that everything'll be sorted within two weeks but I've heard this before but before anyone pipes up there is a perfectly valid reason for it taking two weeks. If that deadline lapses however I've been clear that I'll have no hesitation going very public and making mincemeat of their reputation before taking the matter further.
But anyway, back to the good stuff.....

The backing t the rear seats was a bit guff so I rebuilt it:

Some 3mm ply



Hoping to get to the barn tomorrow when I'll trial fit the rear floors. They're in two parts, this makes sure I can lift one to access the wheel well (not that I need it as the sub is in it) and provides a fixing mount if I decide to strip the rears again and go for space.

The monza also went today. Got to say the service from the removal company was absolutely brilliant.

More to follow....

[vwglasgow]

sweeeeeeet love the handles looks awsome an the willwoods

[Mr Funk]

Forgot. Fitted the rear panels to make sure they lined up. Pics below are with the "sport" setting with no back seats. Still also have the regular ones in fake vinyl: