Author Topic: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date  (Read 20604 times)

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #15 on: January 10, 2010, 09:51:02 pm »
2007 has now come around and the polo had not been used for a few months.   This hadn’t stopped me doing a few bits.  I’d started the job of changing back all the parts I had originally changed.   She attended a meet at the end of January with a few of the changes completed.  I had removed the mp3 radio and put it into the vento and I hadn’t fitted a replacement.  This also showed up a leaking washer bottle.  So the next few months was all about cleaning her up and trying to put everything back to the way she was.

Orange indicators back on



Rear lights turned back to early spec Mk3 lights



Original steering wheel fitted and WIP on removing some of the wiring I had fitted previously





Rear speaker pods in position and wiring re-routed into position


Standard parcel shelf without speaker holes fitted.




While I was sorting the washer bottle leak I took the opportunity to start cleaning up the bay a little.







Of course, while the washer bottle was out, I gave that a good clean too.  Once refitted:





Note the battery charger.  Due to the alarm, the battery drained very quickly.  The alarm siren has now actually packed up which is a pain!

While I was at it, I noticed a couple of more jobs to remember for the future.

Passenger side bump strip has been hanging off since day one





And the second job to do was the aerial base



However, on a better note, it was finally time to get some proper sounds in the car!









Still good to see the paint came up well again!



Offline breadman

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2010, 10:29:27 am »
Yet more excellent pics and reading Doug. IMO, one of the most interesting threads on here.
Superb job on the engine bay and general cleaning of everything.
IMO though, I think it looks better with the tinted rear lenses and clear front indicators. It makes it look a touch more modern without loosing the cars older character (just my opinion of course!)
Another definate improvement is the new stereo head unit. It's far more in keeping with the cars age than the shiny silver one you had before. It'd be nice if you could find a high spec mid 90's Blaupunkt head unit though - decent quality and even more suited to the G40's dark typically Germanic interior.
Looking forward to the next installment,
Cheers,
Richard.

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #17 on: January 23, 2010, 04:07:21 pm »
Thanks Richard.

Would have to agree with you on the lights, i do like the half smoked ones more, the front indicators i am undecided on, but thats not the point of the project.  My idea is to create a G40 as if it came out of the dealers in 1991.   The half smoked lights weren't available in 1991 and only came in a little later.

As for the radio, i've gone for that one as it was the nearest i could find to what the car would have come out of the factory with.  I have a Specification and equipment range for the G40 in 1991 and it suggests the car would have been fitted with Panasonic H05 Radio and the nearest i could find was a J05.   it'll do for now until i find a J05 lol

More reading material coming right up.  ;D

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #18 on: January 23, 2010, 04:09:33 pm »
So from here on out, not really much happened.   So now all the original items I had were back on the car, it was time to start saving for the real work to begin.  I still wanted the car useable however and I would still be taking it to shows.  March was one of her first proper outings to a local Vagingit meet, and an opportunity for a photoshoot.



















April came about, and Vagingit were creating a new part to the website and I had been asked if I would mind my car being the first member’s motors car.  I of course accepted and pulled out all the stops with the cleaning.













May came around and another opportunity came about.   I went to the Bluewater meet in the G40 and as it turned out, there were two other mk3s, both tornado red.  One was a very low GT, and the other a very low CL.   So a line up was formed in the hussle bussle of the meet and some more pictures were taken    













Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #19 on: January 23, 2010, 04:10:20 pm »
A good few months continued with trouble free motoring.  Not much time was spent working on the polo over the next few months.  I was coming to the end of my apprenticeship so had to knuckle down with work.  It was a tough few months and things weren’t going to get any better for me.  I found out I was going to become unemployed.   Due to restructuring and closures as my work, they wouldn’t be taking me on after I was qualified.   I had to concentrate on getting a job.   The weekend I became unemployed was the weekend of Edition 38, which of course, I attended….and pics were taken!





Around this time, I was lucky enough to acquire some space in a garage.  This would be perfect for my plans.   What I didn’t know was my life was going to be turned upside down.

After a couple of months of unemployment, I decided to move away.   At the time, I was seeing a girl from Devon.   We were getting on great, so we had decided to move in together.  But where?   Southampton.   It was right in the middle of where we both currently lived, so it made sense.  And what of the polo?   Well there was no way I was selling, but I would most likely have nowhere to put her as I didn’t want to use her as a daily.   It was decided that I would leave the Polo in the current garage until I was a little more set up and had somewhere to put her.   It was a hard decision.   I would hardly get to use her but I didn’t want to sell.   So I made sure I would get full use of her before it was time to tuck her up in the garage for the foreseeable future.  I did have a plan however, the car was going to stay MOT’d and taxed to make sure I could use it if I wanted.













Still, at least she had a decent coat of polish on :) Of course, I had to put some beading shots up didn’t I?







And the final time she was used before she was put away was the Vagingit meet on Sunday 21st October 2007.



I moved down to Southampton and started my new job in the November of 2007.  In the December of the same year, my Girlfriend left me.  I was on my own so there was no hope of the polo making it down to me, but I was determined not to sell.

Offline MartinB

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #20 on: January 25, 2010, 09:06:04 pm »
I have a Panasonic tape player that cam out of a 1993 Genesis. Will see what model number it is. PM me over the weekend as i'll be back home and i'll see what i can do!

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #21 on: January 26, 2010, 07:36:13 am »
I have a Panasonic tape player that cam out of a 1993 Genesis. Will see what model number it is. PM me over the weekend as i'll be back home and i'll see what i can do!

That'll be great martin, thanks.   The car i got this one out of was a 1993 boulavard so it could be the same as mine, but i guess we'll have to wait and see :)

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #22 on: January 26, 2010, 07:41:53 am »
2008.   Christmas had come and gone, I was just about surviving on my own.   A trip home in late January meant a just to give the polo a run.  She hadn’t been run since that October but started with no trouble at all.   I had missed that wine from the charger.   The G40 always sounded so different to any other car I’d heard.   She was something unique.  Which became apparent when I attended the UK-Polos Southeast meet.  The only G40 there, infact, the only mk3 there.  But I made sure I enjoyed the drive :)









If I’m honest, 2008 was a very quiet year for the G40.   But I still wouldn’t sell up.   My dad was kind enough to keep an eye on her.  She was started and run every now and then, and she passed her MOT with flying colours.   It wasn’t until October when I decided to use her for a week while I was back in Kent.  The Vento had seriously changed during the year so my focus had changed slightly.  I still enjoyed using the G40 though.  But the mile count for this year was only around the 150 mark.

2009 saw the G40 used even less.   The mileage count for this year was less than 70miles.  However, after getting a new battery, the G passed her MOT with flying colours yet again.   Of course, with this lack of use, came a lack of photos.

Picture taken just after first run with new battery


Picture when she was taken out of the garage just before her MOT.  Note my brothers camp wave! Apparently it drove quite well and the clutch was “surprisingly light for an old car”



In September of 2009 I did have the opportunity to get both my cars together for some pictures.   I’d had the polo 4 and a half years, and the vento just over 3 years so it was about time! :)



































Back down in  Hampshire I had now moved.  I no longer had a flat with a garage.   So you’d think this would make it even more impossible for me to get the G40 closer to me.   However, things would be looking up.

And it all kicked off January of 2010.

Offline LeonL

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #23 on: January 26, 2010, 05:31:43 pm »
Amazing topic! Well done...

The car down with you yet? If it is a photoshoot with moi and you is in order tbh ;)

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #24 on: January 27, 2010, 12:16:00 pm »
The car is now down in hampshire yeah!   But i will get to that bit soon!  ;D

We will have to sort out a photoshoot soon, she is a bit grubby at the moment so give me a bit of time to get her all sorted and we'll arrange something  :P

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #25 on: January 29, 2010, 08:57:27 pm »
The date was the 15th of January 2010.  I was on my way back to Kent, in a Clio of all things.  But why?  If all went to plan, I wouldn’t be driving the Clio back, that was a job for the Girlfriend.   I would be driving the car I always wanted since I was a little boy, back to her new home in Hampshire.   A garage had been acquired and the G had reserved her place.  However, I wouldn’t be happy taking her down as she was, work was required.

It was time to look at that charger.   Not fully, I wanted to check the charger timing belt was in good condition.   For anyone who doesn’t know G-laders, if this belt snaps, that’s game over for the charger and they aren’t cheap to replace.   It would be too difficult to have the charger refurbed while the car was at my parents, I needed her down with me so I could do it properly.  I acquired a suitable replacement belt but when it came to changing the belt, I had underestimated the job substantially.  Baring in mind I hadn’t had a proper look at the charger for nearly two years, I imagined you could change the belt while it was on the car.   2 minutes after popping the bonnet, I realised this wasn’t going to happen.   The charger needed to come off.   As I had thought the job wasn’t too big, I hadn’t started too early, it was Sunday 17th January and it was the only day I would have my dad’s knowledge and knowhow and tooling to do the job.  So we got stuck in, not knowing exactly what we were up to, but we are both mechanically minded so we worked on and after quite a little time, we’d managed to remove the charger.









I wasn’t going to have time to clean up the area that remained, we were working to a time limit.   So here was the charger in all her dirty glory, the item which pretty much doubles the power of the potent polo!
 







As it turned out, there was a far easier way to get the charger off, with a slightly better tool we were able to remove the pulley (we’d tried on the car but failed) and then the casing hiding that all important belt.  With this all done, the charger would have popped straight out.   As it was, we’d undone the engine mounts and moved the engine over to get just a bit more room.

So onto that all important belt.





The old one looked in surprisingly good nick.  But it would be silly to leave it on there after all that time, so it was swapped out for a new one, which seemed to fit the pulleys far better than the original one…..



The light was started to go now, but I had a target, to get to the Vagingit meet that evening, it was due to start at 6 so we had our work cut out.  Now we understood the charger more, putting it back on was no problem at all, everything on the car was prept as best we could and the rebuild went very well, completing the job just a little bit before 7.







So only a little big late to the meet, but I felt more confident of driving the old girl a little harder.  It felt good to be behind the wheel of her again after what seemed like so long.

A day or so later and it was time to carry out another job.  One which had been on my mind for a long time, and which I believed was making my boot wet!  That aerial base!  So here is the old one;





Taking the aerial right off to do the job wasn’t going to happen just yet.   I’d looked at the roof lining and it was stuck strong and I didn’t want to rip it, so the way forward was to strip what I could of the old one





Put a little silicone sealant round the base and after warming it up, slide over the new seal.   Job done!



Wednesday 20th January 2010.  This was “the” day.   The day to take her down to her new home in Hampshire.  To be completely honest, I never thought this day would come.   After a final levels check, she was loaded up ready for the journey home.   I was carrying a few bits and bobs including a full set of wheels and adaptors for the Vento. :)




The journey would be interesting, weather wise.   I never thought I’d drive her in the snow again, but Mother Nature had other ideas.









But finally, we made it home, safe and sound.



The journey was so enjoyable.  It was great to have some decent power under my right foot, and those seats are so comfortable. Lol

So after unloading everything at the flat, she was moved to her new dry location.

My hope for this year isn’t so much about the restoration, but to actually use the car, perhaps take her to a couple of shows, but just generally enjoy having the car once again.  Its like having bought her all over again!

On 22nd January 2010, I had been the proud owner of J188 NEW for 5 whole years!  And I hope you agree, its been interesting.

To be continued………

Offline NeilG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #26 on: January 29, 2010, 10:08:03 pm »
One of the best topics on here, mine's been off the road sat in the garage for just a few months longer than you've owned yours.

I'm surprised you managed to disconnect the oil drain from the charger without removing the intercooler, when I took mine off at christmas I ended up having to take the cooler off which first meant taking the front chassis brace.

When you were removing the aerial grommet did you cut it first, it looks a bit like it in the pictures?

Offline MartinB

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #27 on: January 30, 2010, 12:36:22 am »
I only have a J05. Sorry Dude!

Offline SpikeyG40

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #28 on: February 04, 2010, 03:14:38 pm »
Thanks for the comments guys, really appreciate it.  Hopefully i will keep this more up to date now.

I'm surprised you managed to disconnect the oil drain from the charger without removing the intercooler, when I took mine off at christmas I ended up having to take the cooler off which first meant taking the front chassis brace.

yeah, it was certainly very tricky but my dad was on hand to assist.  with the grill off there was enough room for us to get it in place and wind it on.  It was difficult because it wouldn't reach with the charger fully pivoted up as the return line wasn't long enough.

When you were removing the aerial grommet did you cut it first, it looks a bit like it in the pictures?

the old grommit was pretty shagged, so i was able to peel some of it away and cut away the rest very carefully.  Annoyingly, i did catch part of the paintwork in the process.

I only have a J05. Sorry Dude!

No worries mate, really appreciate you looking though, top job!  ;)

Offline Varley

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Re: Doug's G40 - December 2004 to date
« Reply #29 on: February 04, 2010, 05:02:32 pm »
Another G is Southampton! and a beauty too... Where abouts are ya mate? I'm in Portswood.