Strip down

Level 10 User Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 570

I am planning to book a weekend off work to give the car a proper clean up.

I would have all of Friday/Saturday/Sunday/Monday and half of Tuesday to do the following:

Remove the front seats from the rails and wire in my speakers properly and hoover the inside. Fit seats back in.

Remove front wings (if I can) and sort little bits of rust and clean it all up.

Remove the front, rear bumpers and the skirts to sort any rust that may be under there (never checked). Fit all back on.

Remove as many seals as I can and clean them al up and get all the grime and crap off the underneath of them and clean up the seals too.

Fit it all back on and be done within that amount of time.

Can it be done in that time space? I will have axle stands and a mate to help me on three of the days if he can.

Any ideas about what to look out for and what to give a clean up whilst those bits are off would be great.

Cheers

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

yes it can be done easily.

But I would have said the weathers against you! its pissing down all the time here!

Level 10 User Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 570

It's nice here, but that's now.

Might be crap on the weekend I book off, typical Evil or Very Mad

We have very shit small garage so that might help in some way might be able to stick the front end of the car in it Rolling Eyes

Anything to look out for whilst bits are off Chris? Bits that could do with a general clean up?

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

do the interior 1st.

tbh I woudl leave the wings etc on, remove the arch liners and clean it otu best you can that way.

Level 10 User Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 570

Looking at that progress report I am fearing the worst, but as the rest of the car is mint I am hopeing that it wont have much/any rust in those bumpers.

Level 10 User Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 570

Well atleast the bumpers and skirts at a minimum, I am just curious to see what is lurking beneath, might be nothing, but if there is i'd rather sort it. Wink

Site Subscriber Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 470

dont be shocked if you find some holes in the sill after you take off the sideskirts, another place to look is at the bottom of the inner wings under the arch linner, this place collects loads of crap from the road, get it cleaned out then underseal it, the worst place affected by rust is at the sill by the rear arch, check out my progress reports on projects executive and you will see what i mean Wink

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

its a ph2, whats more its white so it will be rusty! leave it be my son, leave it be.

Site Subscriber Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 470

if you like your valver then sort it, dont leave it or it will get a lot worse, if you not botherd then take chris's advice, but i would save it Smile

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

its a 1.4

Site Subscriber Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 470

mm

, sell it and get a valver Wink

Level 10 User Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 570

I have seen your prog report. That rear arch piece is fine, all the arches are mint too.

I am going to see if it needs saving first. I reckon if you saw it you'd be amazed by how mint it really is Wink

I will get some picutres of mine up when I do strip it and you can see how tidy it is.

I think the only place I am going to find some is on the passenger side under the skirt.

I have cleaned the shit out of the arch liners a few weeks ago with an alan key as I couldnt get that bastard star shaped french screw out of the bottom, got most of it saying that.

Site Subscriber Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 470

im not sure if the 1.4s came with sidskirts as standard, i think it will be fine,none of my 1.4's had any rust, its only the 1.8s that seem to be really bad, but the phase 1 are much better, a much stronger car, you can even feel the difference when your driving them.

Level 10 User Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 570

Might aswell stick a 16v engine in a 1.4 shell then you get the best of both worlds Wink

Chris - You will like this watch it all the way through Laughing

http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/5944/lights0ve3gh.gif

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

thats ages old!

16V shell is better. for a start its got the stronger front subframe, wider track etc etc

Site Subscriber Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 470

sticking a 16v engine in a 1.4 shell is a fare bit of work, engine, loom, suspension, exhaust, instrument panel, brakes, feul lines maybe, far better and probably cheaper to get a mint valver.

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

16V conversion just drop the engine in, change the fuel lines at the footwell join to 16V ones, change the pump and off you go.

Thats it running.

Site Subscriber Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 470

what about the exaust, brakes and so on, wouldn't like to drive that car for long.

Forum Moderator Joined: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 19978

well nothign was said abotu doign it properly. if it was to be done properly then it woudl essentially be re-shelled.

Level 10 User Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 570

Nah i'd get a proper valver, just less hassle and alot more to offer for less