Back in 2020, I bought another G40. I got it from Nealpeal (a member on this forum) as it had been sat on his driveway for some time and he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to use it, so wanted to sell it to someone who wouldn't just break it.
I already knew the car as once being owned by Mark Hunter in the early-to-mid 2000s, he's a long-time member of this group.
When I first bought it, I spent a fair bit of time re-commissioning it, getting it back on the road and MOTd. Things like replacing belts, ignition parts, filters, charger service etc... After that I used the car for a couple of years, taking it to shows in the summer, SORNing in winter, the occasional run out on a Sunday. But it has always been my intention to get it properly restored.
It's had various owners over the years, it's had modifications done to it in the past including some strange paintwork (someone painted the roof, boot, bonnet and c-pillars black) and some DIY paintwork back to red. So it really needs properly stripping down and sorting out.
Last year I got talking to another member on here, Steve (sleag40), on our ClubG40 stand at tatton park, he said that he could take this work on. He later showed me the astounding level of restoration work he'd done to a mk2 Cavalier and he knows G40s too owning a very nice L-reg one himself. It seemed perfect.
So a few weeks ago I agreed a plan with him and the work has begun. I want to document progress in this thread.
My goal isn't going to be a full-on concourse level car at the end but a very nicely sorted, standard spec, G40 which will last another 30 years hopefully!
Firstly, some old pictures of it.
This is a photo I took at (if I remember correctly) VW Action 2004. Mark Hunter owned it at the time. The red 6n parked next to it was my car at the time!
This is it again some time after Mark sold it, the less said the better........
Then when I first got it home in 2020, I had to trailer it as it hadn't been on the road for quite a few years at that point,
Next, some repair work don't by myself which were necessary to get it back on the road but I always saw as being temporary:
Charger went off to PeteG40 for servicing, amazingly it had never been touched, no porting or anything which is good for me as it's keeps it original spec! The charger wouldn't be the same as the car had originally as Nealpeal put his engine into this shell when he had the car.
It had it's first MOT in about ten years:
At this point, I just used it. Went to some shows etc...
Pretty much the first meetup to happen after lockdown, cars&coffee manchester (which was ridiculously busy and we had to get there very early to get it):
And then Tatton Park VW Show 2022:
Which brings us to a couple of weeks ago when I booked two days off work to get it ready to take to Steve for the part of the restoration he will be handling since bodywork and paint aren't my forte:
Not bad for two day's work I don't think!
Then, Sunday just gone, I got it back on the trailer and took it to Steve's unit where we got it up on his spit:
So the first job Steve will do is getting all the underseal off down to the e coat. Then he'll do any welding that's needed and reseal it all, then it'll be off for paint. But this will all take a few months.
I got my first update photo last night from Steve:
Yes there is a hole cut in the inner wing, that's from it having a wing vent fitted I suspect, in it's euro-look-gone-wrong days. It'll be getting welded up.
Meanwhile I will be rebuilding/refreshing the engine (there's nothing wrong with it just needs making look nice and will be doing all seals etc.. while it's on a stand) and getting all the other parts made to look like new or replaced. New nuts and bolts all round too. I wont be putting any manky bits back on to this once I get the shell back.
Recent Posts
