My Mk1 Golf project - slow build thread

[Jace]

Sounds like you're going to be doing what I wish I could with my/a different MK1.

Preeny, can you bring in replacement panels?

Short of finding a Cabby shell for patch-panels... big new replacement bits would be a good choice!

Good luck with it!

[sports racer]

Has anyone here ever tackled rust like this (even if only to make me feel a little better about my car)? I'm thinking that I should perhaps strip the car down and find all the problem areas.

Mone has a lot of rust in the floor, see my thread for pictures (Got it now what do I do with it). Rego said I should scrap the car but it's a MK1 2 door and I'm kinda attached to them. Also, I know someone with rust free 2 door shell for $1000 if I can't get mine sorted.

[Peter Jones]

It's fixable, but you're going to have to get handy with a welder.

Take a look at the rust repairs I did here

http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/forums/f55/another-wreck-another-race-car-23140-15.html

that should answer a few of your questions, if not just ask.

Pete

[madglf3]

Thanks for the comments guys, it's encouraging to see that other people reckon they're worth saving too.

I've seen the welding you did in your car Paul, good work and might need a bit of that kind of attention on my floors too. I definitely will need to get handy with a welder Pete. Thanks for the link too, your threads are always a good read. I will probably ask you a few questions in the future when I get a bit further on with the car.

So next weekend I will start the strip down and find out just how much rust there really is. I'll be sure to post pics after.

[cdogg]

there isnt much that cant be repaired it just depends, if you can be stuffed.
as you see with pete jones' threads, almost anything is possible
good luck

[Water Boy]

Dang thats a lot of rust. I hoep the car didnt cost ya too much... Id be a little concerned if the previous owner said it was rust free.

[madglf3]

Nah, the PO didn't say it would be rust free. I'm obviously not happy about the amount of rust, but you've got to learn this stuff some time.

I've taken some more pictures of the strip down progress, I'm just having some drama getting the front seats out. They seem like they look different to all the other pictures of the rail fronts I've found. They don't have a bold right at the front of the rail (that I can see).

Any ideas? Do 76ers have different seats?

[Gipson]

should be the same system, there is a little screw under the front locking part of the seatbase that you unscrew and take out the metal clip that it holds down, then it should slide all the way back

[madglf3]

Thank you heaps Dan - I tried that yesterday arvo and it worked like a charm, seats are out and rusty floors exposed.

[madglf3]

So I've pulled the hatch off, removed the seat belts, taken out the front and back seats, and removed all the carpet and foam padding and newspaper from Golf so as to check out the state of the floors.

After I took Dan's advice and removed the little screw from the tab the front seats slid right out and I was set.











And some good news finally, no rust in the front driver's side quarter (from first looks)



And a big thank you goes to my two friends:



Noob question:
Also, I've highlighted some stuff in the photo below - I think it looks like some type of tape or fibreglass from the factory over some random holes. Anyone seen this before and have you removed this stuff and replaced it with something?

[Peter Jones]

It's just tape. I'd replace it with race tape or aluminium tape.

[Jace]

Or weld the holes shut? Are they only for the small amount of rust proofing/cavity waxing from factory?

[madglf3]

I was thinking that might be a good move, once I've taken the fuel tank out obviously

Another random question I have is about my car not having the little circular cover found where the back seats usually are, directly behind the driver's side seat. I'm assuming this is something fuel related - I've seen it on pretty much every other car but mine.

[Peter Jones]

Another random question I have is about my car not having the little circular cover found where the back seats usually are, directly behind the driver's side seat. I'm assuming this is something fuel related

You've just got an early MK1. The cars you've seen are later.

On the late cars this plate accesses the fuel level sender.

On your car the fuel sender is in the side of the tank, on the drivers side I think and is accessed from under the car.

[madglf3]

Ah okay, that's good to know Pete. I think I'd even seen other 76ers with this panel so I wasn't sure. Congrats on the B1 being featured in VWMA too!