Grahams81-Leon 4wd, Big Turbo - Back in the saddle :-)

[t0m]

Where's the 'like' button? Love it, looks like a complete car in a couple of those shots

Good work buddy.

 

[DanBoram]

Wide shot of the car please!

Oh, and don't black the B pillars

Second that, not keen on the black pillars but can't wait yo see this finished

 

[Stuieuieuieo]

this car is bonkers! love it though

 

[grahams81]

Thanks for all the comments guys, there much appreciated.

And M0rk i'm gonna wait and see what the car looks like from the side before i decide on the B-Pillars.

No wide side shots as the cars in the garage on chassis dolly's - it's a nightmare pulling the car out the garage as i have a step to get over (i need to jack up the dollys as they pass over the step) so they won't be any full shots of the car until it's done and rolling on its rims

Todays Update

I spent all day in the garage without much to show for it other than more work than i started with

Anyhow i decided to build up the boot so i put on all the buffers / plates / gas struts... unfortunately i seem to have misplaced the lower clips that holds the balls in the gas struts

After that i decided to start lining the boot up...... about 2 hours later i was still struggling to get it sitting nice. What ever i did i could get it right.

The clearance between the boot and the body was tight about 1-2mm.... i remember thinking how tight it was last time the boot was fitted prior to painting...... i'm kicking myself that i forgot and did nothing about it before painting the boot.
I wasn't sure if the gap was too tight because i cut the back of the car out or maybe it's cos the car is on dollys and not on it's wheels.

Gap or lack of it -

So i decided to "tease" the gap open a bit with a massive bit of wood and a jack, i know i know i'm ghetto but whatever

The car flexed loads but then as soon as the jack was released it would spring back.... so after pulling it open quite a bit it was about 1mm further open. I didn't have the bottle to go any further as it was already creaking and cracking noises.

I though ok just line it up so spent another hour getting the boot square in the middle. unfortunately i managed to chip a couple of bits of paint from the boot side edges before i covered it all in masking tape. When i was done i then removed the masking tape and managed to pull a rather large chunk of paint off the boot

To say i wasn't best pleased is an understatement, i nearly torched the fecking thing

I'm guessing there was maybe a little grease of a maybe a finger print there as i can see the surface of the primer looks well keyed... the paint is still quite soft mind which wouldn't help.

Anyhow after a breather i decided that the gap still wasn't big enough and i was sick of trying to wedge the back end open so i decided as i need to do some touching up of the boot paint anyway i may as well file the edges down to give another couple of mm clearance.

I didn't take any pics of the finished job, i'll take some tomorrow before i touch the paintwork up.

Thanks as always, Graham.

 

[Mark D]

You have balls making this in the first place but wood on a jack....i wouldn't even dream of that.

thought of jacking it out like you have then making a strut across the C pillars like the roll cage?

 

[grahams81]

You have balls making this in the first place but wood on a jack....i wouldn't even dream of that.

thought of jacking it out like you have then making a strut across the C pillars like the roll cage?

Yeh i did think of using a strut brace across the c-pillars but i want to run an interior and i wouldn't be able to use the plastics inside the boot..... anyway it should be sorted now as i've shaved a bit off the boot on both sides.

 

[Mark D]

Love to see this at a show when its done.

Biggest build I've seen on here well done mate

 

[t0m]

Nice work with the jack lol

 

[grahams81]

Love to see this at a show when its done.

Biggest build I've seen on here well done mate

Cheers Mate

Nice work with the jack lol

Thought you might like that
I might be slow but I'm rough as well

I'm gonna mix up some primer and top coat tomorrow then touch up the edges with a brush. I'm just gonna brush on some top coat too... I know it'll be rough but i'll flatten it and polish once dried, it'll also be under the rear spoiler so you'll not notice once fitted.

Never mind.

 

[joehirth]

Nice Graham, coming together now

I had a paint issue when I removed some tape after getting the windows refitted, though I think mine was lack of key.

 

[L14M H]

Wow. What a great project. Will be keeping an eye on this one.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[gdjohny]

Graham -fancy doing 4x4 conversion on my Cupra TDI ?

 

[grahams81]

Nice Graham, coming together now

I had a paint issue when I removed some tape after getting the windows refitted, though I think mine was lack of key.

Cheers Joe, i feel like i'm at least getting somewhere now

Wow. What a great project. Will be keeping an eye on this one.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

Thanks Bud

Graham -fancy doing 4x4 conversion on my Cupra TDI ?

Hell NO !!! never again, to be fair if i did just the 4x4 conversion it would have been canny simple, the paint is the bit that has slowed the project down.

Todays Progress

After having a shite day yesterday i just got on with it rather than sulking. I started by filing a bit more from the boot to give me a decent gap on both sides of the boot.

Looking a bit better -

After that i decided to get cracking on the loom and pulled in the separate looms for each side of the boot -

All done (PS the rubber boots were as difficult to get in as they look )

As its been like a year and a half since i removed the loom i have totally forgot what goes where, most of it i've worked out but there seems to be some plugs missing from the back lights. I have connected one plug to the back lights fitted in the main body of the car but they are like 2 sockets free
I can't find any extra bits of the loom that i'm missing so i'm guessing they never had any wires to them.... maybe towing connections

If anybody could confirm how many plugs go to their back lights it would be appreciated.

Here's a picture of mine, with two free plugs -

I also made a start at the main body loom.... put in the joints for the boot connections -

And then i gave the ends of the boot a dab of primer before some topcoat to touch up -

Hopefully i'll get some topcoat on there tomorrow to finish the job off.

Thanks As always for any comments

 

[James23Parkin]

Looks like progress to me! It might be worth getting some 3M low-tac masking tape to avoid any further problems. That white masking tape is not great - too sticky in my experience. Just a thought

 

[grahams81]

Looks like progress to me! It might be worth getting some 3M low-tac masking tape to avoid any further problems. That white masking tape is not great - too sticky in my experience. Just a thought

Cheers James, the stupid thing is i've got some blue low tack stuff.... Im just lazy and i'll use the first thing to hand

I'm going to be move carful from now on thats for sure.

Todays Update

I sent emails for parts to 4 different parts departments and as i'm still waiting to hear back i thought screw it, i can't wait for some little plastic clips for the loom....
So i set about cable tying the loom in place in the roof, i also installed some plastic clips to hold on the A & B pillar covers on... The passenger side clips hold the loom in place.

I really couldn't remember which clips went where so i went back through my photobucket and found pictures of the strip down

Loom all tied up -

I really wanted to get that part done so i could start getting the interior back in.
Next i hoovered the LCR headlining i got of RGMRacer - Rob... It came up good as new.

I slipped it in though the front windscreen hole.....oh er missus !

Sorry about the shite images, its hard taking pics of black stuff in a very bright white garage.... Especially as my iphone died.... I used my ipadmini, god the camera is poor.

All handles / sunvisors etc bolted in

The Rollcage looks great against the black headliner

Next up i dug out the A & B pillars and stuck them on... I also stuck in the C pillar cover in on the drivers side

I'm very happy with todays progress, its starting to look very much like a car again

 

[IH786]

Looking like a car again Graham!

There is only 1 plug on the rear lights. God knows what the other connectors are for!

 

[Mark D]

Must be an easy connector for tow bar electrics. One way to find out test all the lights see if they work when its all wired up with power

look forward to the pics of the paint touch up see how it comes out

 

[cupra-barn]

Been a very long time since I looked on here, some awesome updates in here Graham!!

Such an awesome machine you're creating with care put into everything....a credit to you mate!

 

[gdjohny]

No sunroof???!!!

 

[Rgm racer]

Great to see some of that interior getting fitted Graham and the project now moving on at a decent rate.

Still would love to see/go in this in the flesh one day but maybe it will be a bad thing as I'm sure I'll end up wanting 700hp and 4wd!!

I'll be looking to get some trackdays in again this year from end of March/April having just done the only job needed this winter which was new discs up front [gone for 2 piece this time]. Dangerously I'm already considering whether to go for more power upgrades after this coming season. Current thinking is to probably keep it 2wd [at least for now] but aim for power at least the 500+ mark as anything less wouldn't be worth the effort, time and expense