Project Tubbs

[Claire_Rina]

After being around sciroccos for a long time, looking back, longer than I first realised. I decided to take the plunge and join in this merry band of people.

It had to be the right car and boy did we find a cracker, 1988 GTX that had been lovingly kept going for her 300k+ mile life so far. Tubbs, as she is now known, is my first adventure into older cars and car mechanics. After helping Tim_R with his projects, Jucy and various other vehicles, I seem to enjoy getting mucky and making brum brum noises!

Tubbs is an 8v 1.8l DX, with a k-jet fuel system. As she had been standing for at least 3 years prior to her changing into my ownership of September 2022, we didn't hear her run at all, bought sold as seen and are at present yet to drive her. We, well Tim, wisely decided that removing all the fuel and cleaning the tank would be a good idea to keep all injectors working as they should. Upon taking the back bench out and peering inside the fuel tank, this was the BEST idea. There is plenty of crud at the bottom just waiting to ruin an injector or four!

There is plenty to do on this car, to get her back running and in to tip top shape. I am looking forward to completing this adventure and documenting what I can on the way. I'm not an expert and will get some bits wrong, so a little help along the way will be much appreciated.

I hope to meet you all with Tubbs at some shows and meets ASAP.

[Flags]

Really hope you can save that sender unit as they are made out of unattainablum.
I’ve got the tank out of my 83 at the minute and it has no crud so it goes to show how leaving a car parked up for an extended time isn’t good and apparently even worse with E10 fuel.
Bodywork looks quite good for 300k what’s it like underneath?

[james butler]

looking forward to seeing this motor in the flesh
keep up the good work and pictures

[RussGLAuto]

Hello Claire, welcome. Looks good for 300k. Top marks for checking the tank before trying to start it. Also check the hard fuel lines that run under the drivers side, these can also be full of junk...

[mark1gls]

Welcome Claire and Tubbs, shout if need help or advice as we are always happy to help.
I’m sure Tim will be a great help anyway and your doing the right things and not rushing to get it started as the K-jet does not like crud and rust running through the system and finding or buying replacement parts is starting to harder now.

[Claire_Rina]

Thanks for all the hope and help that each reply brings.

Tubbs is still on axle stands while we* complete some maintenance on the underside while there is no fuel tank in the way. So far this has consisted of renewing both rear brake lines to the flexi and one line on the axel to the hub. Also, while the hub was off we changed the slave/wheel cylinders.

The fuel system still needs a little work and we are on the lookout for a 55l stainless filler neck - places that normally have them are currently all out.

The underside of the car is in pretty good nick, still some fluffy bits that need to be addressed but nothing to alarming for the age and mileage of the car.

I have taken apart the driver's seat as the foam was existing as dust under the bolsters. I have some repair work to do here, thankfully I can use a sewing machine to a fairly good standard. The previous owner had some repair work done to the seat, and it was welded in places. In my opinion, not all the places it needed to be! I'm just looking for some new bolster fabric as there are a few holes in the current drivers seat. If anyone knows where I can get some I will repay with food or beer!


*we, this is the royal we, Tim_R is so patient with me, helping me and pointing out seemingly simple things to the uninitiated (very) amateur mechanic in me!

whole chair back, with welds:

specific weld(!) spot:

chair fabric:

changing the wheel cylinders:

new lines:

[essextom]

Thanks for all the hope and help that each reply brings.

Tubbs is still on axle stands while we* complete some maintenance on the underside while there is no fuel tank in the way. So far this has consisted of renewing both rear brake lines to the flexi and one line on the axel to the hub. Also, while the hub was off we changed the slave/wheel cylinders.

The fuel system still needs a little work and we are on the lookout for a 55l stainless filler neck - places that normally have them are currently all out.

The underside of the car is in pretty good nick, still some fluffy bits that need to be addressed but nothing to alarming for the age and mileage of the car.

I have taken apart the driver's seat as the foam was existing as dust under the bolsters. I have some repair work to do here, thankfully I can use a sewing machine to a fairly good standard. The previous owner had some repair work done to the seat, and it was welded in places. In my opinion, not all the places it needed to be! I'm just looking for some new bolster fabric as there are a few holes in the current drivers seat. If anyone knows where I can get some I will repay with food or beer!


*we, this is the royal we, Tim_R is so patient with me, helping me and pointing out seemingly simple things to the uninitiated (very) amateur mechanic in me!

whole chair back, with welds:

specific weld(!) spot:

chair fabric:

changing the wheel cylinders:

new lines:

Hi Claire. i own Dreadnought, we should have stainless necks available in a few weeks.i believe im still the only supplier of these. you can still buy steel ones form heritage but i think they're about £500. i have some seat parts, send me a watts app message on 07917844456 i might have some stuff.

[Blueshark]

I have quite a load of parts for the Scirocco MK2 at:

https://scirocco-delen-eimers.nl/

If you can not find what you need just ask, I am still filling the site with the parts I have in stock, new, old, used, refurbished and so on..

Joost

[Claire_Rina]

Just a simple update - Tim has done a lot of work getting the car back together enough for a few test fires and - TUBBS LIVES! All be it only on two cylinders right now, but there is life!

[RussGLAuto]

Two out of four isn't bad!!

[Claire_Rina]

SHE RUNS!!

Tubbs has run under her own power up and down the driveway – you guys will be seeing me in some shows!

Oh my, I am so pleased, Tim has worked incredibly hard this week to get her running and it was so worth it. The issue with the two poorly cylinders was that the injectors were duff. A replacement of all 4 and boom, away she went. Tim had an ingenious way of replacing the injectors (they are on the back of the head, so hard to get too) He used a deep socket and small extension bar over the injector and a pry bar to use against the inlet manifold to pop them in.

Top on the list (it's a long one) of items to tackle now is the fuel leak above the rear beam, as well as both front to rear fuel lines. To fit a new radiator, as fitting a new header tank cap, to make it pressurised, has shown a weaker spot in cooling system! The farty noise from the exhaust, as there is a hole in the down pipe from the manifold, so we need to source one of these. The drive is a little baggy in places, as the top mounts are a deep as a pancake, so in time these will need to be replaced.


To get Tubbs running, we have:

Changed the fuel tank
Replaced the brake lines all round
Bled the brakes
Changed the plugs, and leads
Diagnose why the engine was lumpy....
Replaced the injectors
Cleaned out the MANKY cooling system – lumps came out of it!
Rerouted the clutch cable, throttle cable and spedo.
Seals, bushes and gaskets in random places that I can’t remember.



Once more –this is all down to the brilliance of Tim_R, he has worked so hard to get her running and helping me learn mechanics and how an engine works. Tubbs lives because of him!

[mark1gls]

Good to hear it’s alive and well done Tim, he’s a star

[james butler]

excellent news
look forward to seeing it in the flesh

[Claire_Rina]

Well she has only gone and got an MOT!



After a first failed attempt, on exhaust noises and a missing anti roll bar link, she is now road legal and has been out for a celebratory curry. Tubbs drives with a few rattles and clunks from places yet unknown. We have a lower front strut brace to add as well as some other new suspension parts; but nothing that must be done straight away.



Since the last post Tubbs has had:

Oli change, inc filter.

Cam belt change.

New stainless filler neck from Dreadnought Customs.

Cable tied the clutch cable into place, as it keeps falling out of the stupidly small plastic clip by the brake master cylinder.

Oh -she also had a bath!



There is still a list of items that needs to be done to make her just so, but for a 307k mile car, she is doing well.



This is all down to the persistence of Tim_R, he really has made this car come back to life.