Back in October last year my circumstances changed and I found I no longer needed my Vito van.....so it went! Now I could have got myself a faceless eurobox to use but decided I'd get myself a Mk2 Scirocco. My first (and only previous one!) was way back in 88 but someone decided they liked it more than me and borrowed it, without my permission, and i never got it back - basically it was nicked - gutted was an understatement. Anyway back to the present and after afew months searching I found one which seemed to be pretty much what I was looking for. All the previous MOTs, loads of history, not full but it was 20 years old! Rolling back the years as I like to put it - mid life crisis my Mrs tells me but anyway I bought it and the love(?) affair started all over again...
Cosmetically it looked pretty decent with the exception of the yellow calipers and drums, yellow rocker cover, a chipped/cracked windscreen and wear on the drivers seat. The dash also had cracks like the Grand Canyon but that would have to wait. A replacement interior was found & bought (ready for when i got the car) and fitted along with a replacement windscreen. Bigger problems were only around the corner however.
Now the main man in all of this and the guy who takes all the credit for the work done is a man by the name of Col. On the cars first main trip the gearbox gave out. Reaching our destination, courtesy of the RAC, Col sourced a replacement box and fitted it. Another major headache then came along by way of a pot hole from hell which completely knackered the front suspension - the wing was sitting on the tyre by a good 3/4 of an inch. The repair qoutes were silly and then someone (Col) mentioned coilovers. Ooooops!!. A phone call to Venom Motorsport near Preston saw a set purchased and once again Col was getting intimate with the Rocco.
Running problems were never far away.....the previous owners induction kit was removed and a replacement carb was fitted. That seemed to sort things short term but the problems came back...the dreaded filler neck....a good second hand one was sourced and fitted, the tank drained etc and once again the car was sweet - again cheers Col. Also huge thanks to MarkH who needs a mention here for all the advice given
. He can also testify to the running problems from the one (or maybe more!) panic phone call to him on my way over to pick up an immaculate replacement dash off him one weekend. When the engine is idling close to the redline it makes for interesting approaches to roundabouts 
Perhaps i should have been taking photos of all this work from the start but I never thought it would progress this way.
It wasn't long before a couple of oil leaks appeared which needed attention. A conversation with Col about them and he (honest!!) decided the best way forward was to strip and rebuild the engine so.....out came the camera along with the engine, gearbox.....
Some 'before' piccies:
So Col set to work and started to work his magic...
Outcame the engine and box....
Now it was at this point that while pressure washing the engine we noticed another problem...a piece had been welded on the back of the block
Once again thanks to MarkH who just happened to have, as you do, an engine and box to hand and to Col for collecting them
Now when Col said he'd strip the engine he really meant strip....
and then....
and the 'after' piccies
The main problem with the interior was the wear on the drivers seat. However, I managed to find a pretty much immaculate replacement before I got the car so in it went! As I said earlier the camera wasn't out at that time but this is how it looks now:
and the dash....
The original parcel shelf had had the usual butchers knive taken to it for 6x9s and although they had given it the 'stealth' treatment having to look at the holes left every time the boot was opened didn't make for a pretty sight so yet another part that MarkH knew about that was for sale resulted in this.......
Also felt that the boot carpet let the car down and also the card backing on the rear seat. Wandering around a local autojumble at Hemswell came across a chap selling some 'proper' carpet - not the usual 'acoustic' stuff for the sub boxes. At £10 for roughly 2m x 2m it was worth a punt to see how it looked. Some 6mm mdf and 3/4 inch foam cut to shape (cheers Bill!), using the old carpet as a rough template, forms a really solid base for the carpet while the seat back is transformed...
The wheel centres were looking extremely tired so had a quick word with some local signage people who made up some 57mm diameter stickers and the wheels are transformed. The yellow caliper paint has been banished and replaced with silver which I think also helps the look of the wheel.
So, engine rebuilt, windscreen replaced, interior relpaced, dash replaced, boot carpet sorted along with rear seat back, wheels tidied, coilovers fitted, black mast aerial fitted, upgraded speakers (still 6x4 but 2 way front and 4 way rear) this is how HOH is looking at the mo.....The side windows have had a light smoke tint on the front and a medium smoke on the back. Still trying to find somewhere willing to take on tinting the tailgate window though!
Once agin a huge thanks to Col for all his time, effort and patience...I swear I'm on his call barred list and rumour has it he has a party everytime the car turns up without orange flashing lights and the sound of a winch going...
Whats next? Well I don't like the way the tail lights are different shades - the nearside appears lighter than the offside. Should be on with that this weekend so will post some images as soon as...
Long term.....well so long as things stay sound mechanically then a respray might be the order of the day early next year along with getting the wheels refurbed...oh and doing something to tidy the sunroof.......but don't tell the Mrs...
