Project Cordy - My old 16v reborn

Icecavern

Active Member
Jun 12, 2001
6,214
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Berkshire, UK
www.icecavern.com
Well this thread is due a non update :lol:

In July last year we had a baby boy so the Cordy hasn't changed much due to time. I even considered selling the car as I couldn't complete it. Well I drove her to work one day and glanced back over the empty car park and fell in love again. :love:

So recently I've been collecting parts. So far the parts list covers...

Full Mk3 Cupra front end
Mk3 Cordoba rear lights & boot lid
Mk3 Cupra dash & door cards

Loads of work to do, and a long way to go but Project Cordy is well and truly back on track :D

Pete
 

Icecavern

Active Member
Jun 12, 2001
6,214
4
Berkshire, UK
www.icecavern.com
Well I missed an update to this thread from the weekend. The Mk2 dash is no more, currently in the shed. The carpet is now a black one from a Mk3 Cupra, and the dash is now a half fitted Mk3 Ibiza dash too. Loads of work on that one still to go. Haven't done much in the way of pics yet but there is one I need to upload with no dash in there at all :D

SX Driver - Yeah it's a rare colour full stop really, there's only a handful in this colour in the UK as far as I know.

Naz - Well everything is lining up for the Mk3 front end conversion to take place tomorrow. Pics will be posted, although the car will be slightly odd looking. The body panels are black & the bumper is new in grey primer on a Cantabrian Blue car :lol:

The rear change is NOT a simple swap. The wiring is different ( although I have sorted this ) and the Mk3 bumper doesn't fit a Mk2 car. The Mk3 boot doesn't have a number plate recess so I will need to add one to the bumper along with lights to stay legal. This will have to be done before the respray too.

Pete
 

andyj

There's no F in Quality..
The Mk2 towing eye had to be removed, as it fouled on the new front panel (with integrated towing fixing), which wasn't a major problem, just 5mins with a hacksaw saw it off ;)

The Mk3 headlamps fouled on the inner arch/brackets, so these had to be modified with a hacksaw (or 3!)

We knew from Ian (driveforward) that the Mk2 rad would need mounts/brackets fabricating, as the Mk3 front panel doesn't have the same mounting 'method' as the Mk2. So we used some 2mm sheet zintec to knock up some 'L' brackets, whish were then attached to the Mk3 front panel, and we used the bolts that hold the A/C rad to the main rad, to bolt the brackets to. This came out wuite well, but we only had time to fab up the 2 top brackets, due to the amount of time it took us to modify the inner wings to give clearance for the headlamps.

We gave up on the bonnet catch, as we were both exhaust from a day in the sun, and neither of us could concentrate on the task. So we gave up and packed up! :lol:

Other than that, the wings and bonnet bolted straight on, with only minor tweaking need to get uniform panel gaps.

Pete's now got the task of sorting out the wiring for the headlamps, and to also get the engine running after doing the dash-swap..... :lol:
 

Icecavern

Active Member
Jun 12, 2001
6,214
4
Berkshire, UK
www.icecavern.com
As Andy says it wasn't quite as "just bolts on" as everyone says. :lol:

The day didn't quite go to plan. m0rk couldn't make it because the Leon dropped some coil packs, then he got a puncture on top of that :(

First off the headlights don't fit as the inner arches are in the way. I might still tidy up our hacking away at the metal to give a bit more clearance at some point.

The Mk3 Rad is much bigger than the Mk2 one by the look of it so the Mk2 doesn't fit with out custom brackets. Only two holding it on right now but will sort out the other two soon.

For some bizarre reason the bonnet cable doesn't seem to be working the bonnet catch. It looks like it should work, but then when you try it nothing happens at the lock :confused:

As Andy says the wiring will now have to be sorted for the headlights, which is another awkward job to work out as I don't have any wiring diagrams :shrug:

Not a bad days work though for the two of us. The biggest problems were pure exhaustion from the heat after working outside all day. I thought I had burnt to hell but actually I didn't so I now have a good tan :D But I did manage to take a big chunk out of one of my front teeth when I bashed it on a bonnet edge, which the dentist has just finished sorting out for me.

Becky and Alex have been really ill all weekend so I haven't touched the car since Andy left. Need to get it mobile again as we're moving soon.

Pete
 

roly

midnightmotors.net
Jan 2, 2002
1,879
0
Midnight Motors Workshop
Pete

I'm pretty sure i've still got wiring diagrams somewhere from when i converted MK3 loom to MK2 headlights, i know i wrote it all down so i didn't mess it up

It'll be burried somewhere in my flat so if your not desperate i'll try and find it when i get a chance
 

Icecavern

Active Member
Jun 12, 2001
6,214
4
Berkshire, UK
www.icecavern.com
OK so mini update. Had to take the battery out to stick it on the charger so thought I'd have a look at the bonnet release. Figured that out, just needs the cable connections widening so that the cable moves the catch enough to release. All sorted, until I go to bolt the catch onto the front panel. Another nut thread that is striped on this damn panel. So that's two threads stripped and one missing bolt that should be welded on, and the rust on it too. Looks like I'll have to source a new panel... grrrr

Pete
 

Icecavern

Active Member
Jun 12, 2001
6,214
4
Berkshire, UK
www.icecavern.com
Monday morning update.

Battery back in, and she fired up as normal :thumbs:

Found some sacrificial bolts I could drive into the panel to hold the bonnet catch on. Doubt they'll come out without snapping but the panel needs changing anyway at some point. So the bonnet now closes and pops up properly. :)

Bolted up the front panel properly, fitted the crash bar and bolted the bumper in. There's no grilles as I don't want to mess up the new ones I have but everything is nice and solid.

Front indicator bulb holders between Mk2 & Mk3 have different wiring plugs but the mountings are the same. So I have indicators now as well. Just need to figure out the wiring for the headlights and she's road legal again :funk:

Pete