[car_overhaul] Yet Another Laser Green 1.9! Photo Heavy

[AndyCrom 64]

well I opted to buy both new synchros for 1/2 and 3/4 this weekend after finding out that my local pug dealer had them both in old new stock and only wanted £67 a piece and haggled on a full set of seals (less diff ones) and gearbox leaver bushes to total it at £200, just finished cleaning the box this weekend and going to re-build it tonight hopefully its all nice and smooth now as the synchro was crunching a lot.

 

All money that could have gone towards the new leather for the interior but at least its another job done!

[AndyCrom 64]

Well its about that time again for a small update

 

So after getting some more new parts, new boot seal (Renault Megane Estate same size) synchros, gb seals, clutch bushes, gb inspection covers, clutch cable, dizzy cover, hub nuts, etc

 

the gearbox came out and went back in within a weekend, would have been quicker but couldn't get it right under cover

 

oh and I got myself this non pug item>

​

 

plan is to strip it right out and turn into a hill climber as its got an Oselli longman fully ported head'd stage 2 balanced engine, not bad for £100 as the engine is worth £1,500 at least

 

anyhu, back to the GTi

I had been slowly getting infuriated with the state of the wiring in the front and altho I make a living with auto-elec, the last thing anyone wants it to work that living outside the working week, but looking at the 7 pin multiplug and other ill-designed connectors, needs must!

 

 

So I dug through a box of work goodies and gathered some of the required parts

 

so anyway if anyone else wanted to change this...

 

to this...

As such I have made a small guide on ow to change your connectors should, and most probably, if you want to

 

 

1, First ascertain the connector you wish to change and order up a new version for its type.

eg, the one on the airflow sensor is a 5 pin junior power timer connector like this> http://www.polevolt.co.uk/acatalog/info_10656.html you will come to see that most of the Pug ones are junior timer ones, just make sure you order the waterproof ones to save any other future works, and dont forget a suitable rubber cable boot!

 

2. now you have your nice new connector, make a note, or better still take a photo of the connector and the colour wires and where each is connected, ensure that you remember with female connectors Pin 1 is the one on the left as you look into the connector face, like the image directly below (or on the right if you are looking from the back/wire side)

 

3. now to remove a pre 1998 JPT connector there should be one locating tab which holds the wire and crimp into the plastic housing, I usually use a straightened paperclip or a short piece of welding wire to release them, simply insert the paperclip into the channel above the metal connector as in the image below, and with firm pressure push in the paperclip whilst withdrawing the wire on the rear

 

4. once the wire is out, continue until all the wires are out of the connector.

 

5. Now as you have a new connector and it should have also come with new crimp terminals, there's no sense in cutting a corner and just re-using the old ones, after all the reason you want to change them is to ensure a good electrical connection, is it not?

So go ahead and cut off the old terminal from the wire, but ensure you leave as much wire as possible!

 

6. you will now notice that the new terminals should have 2 sets of tabs unlike the ones you have just removed....

 

and new ones...

 

7. before you start connecting all the new crimp terminals, make sure you have slid on the new cable boot (the right way round) and the rubber wire seals, one per wire,

Note* the rubber wire seals have an orientation!

Once all the rubber parts are on, go ahead and crimp them all up

 

8. now looking back at the notes/photo you made before, just slide each connector into the housing in its correct position, dont worry if you slide it into the wrong place, just release it the same as the old one but using two paperclips (one above and below)

 

9. once all the terminals are pushed home and have clicked, check they will not come out by gently tugging on them and if all is ok then press each cable gland into the housing using a small flat screwdriver

 

10. Now finish it off by sliding up the big cable boot and tape the bottom up to the wires with either self amalgamating or cloth tape,

 

if you really want, you can even use heat shrink, but if you choose to heat wrap them, plat the wires for a few cm before inserting the terminals into the housing, that way the wires can still freely flex and move whilst inside the heat wrap n.b if you dont know how to plat, ask the missus as that would make an ideal photo op to prove she can work on a car herself

 

Thats it all done and now you have some new waterproof connectors that actually work!

For those who are wondering what about the 7 pin connector, if you look in the background of the photo below, you will see I used a 4 pin and a 3 pin superseal connector,

(link http://www.polevolt.co.uk/acatalog/Small_Superseal_Connectors.html )

 

This option is IMO is much better than all 7 in one, this way you can have the 4 wires for the front of the engine block alternator/starter/oil switch/oil pressure on one terminal and the rear 3 on another separate connector and the 4 way one can even live under the inlet manifold, so only the 3 way is by the battery

 

 

Oh and heres some work Ive been doing recently, old school!

 

 

Edited February 26, 2013 by AndyCrom

[feb 47]

I've just spotted this thread, hats off to you for having the patience and persistence to doing this. You are very skilled.

 

Great attention to detail and "how to" guides with photos, keep up the good work!

[AndyCrom 64]

I've just spotted this thread, hats off to you for having the patience and persistence to doing this. You are very skilled.

 

Great attention to detail and "how to" guides with photos, keep up the good work!

 

thanks, to be honest there has been times when I just looked at the work required and thought meh what's the point, then I realise why when I get on the local roads like this

[AndyCrom 64]

mini update,

 

only took one photo but I got these from of t 'bay and set about removing both door rubs and replacing various where required

​

 

other things done in the last week or so:

new rear discs pads etc for a pending MOT, swapped out AGAIN both outer CV boots (is anyone else having issues with stretchy outer boots?), and an original air canister and full pipework!, the paint on it is not too bad, however it will be going off for a fresh powdercoat when I go to rebuild the rear beam in a few months as I plan to re-raise the suspension back to normal height, this is more of a forced decision as the councils seem to refuse to repair roads near the in-laws (South Cheshire and the M6 corridor J14-J22) with their crater sized holes everywhere.

[welshpug 1,621]

I hate stretch boots, always go for o.e type and do the job properly

[AndyCrom 64]

I hate stretch boots, always go for o.e type and do the job properly

 

budget

*shoestring*

 

also all the local factors had for the outers were stretch type

[welshpug 1,621]

proper ones dont cost that much more, knackered CV's from leaky stretch boots I bet cost more than the decent boots

 

 

so what if they only had stretch type in stock, ask them to order the right ones !

[AndyCrom 64]

proper ones dont cost that much more, knackered CV's from leaky stretch boots I bet cost more than the decent boots

 

 

so what if they only had stretch type in stock, ask them to order the right ones !

 

...and for tomorrows performance, I shall get them to split the atom using a bolster and a 8lb lump hammer

 

tbh I do try to order most things from Unipart or Pug when I visit civilisation but alas my trips there are not as frequent as other 22 yr old parts drop off the car.

 

Q. for a mix of road and hard use on lane, whats the best choice to go for regarding rear beam and front subframe to chassis bushes/mounts, I noticed that mine are coming apart and was going to change them all out, am I best going for original 205 ones from direct from Pug or get some solid ones (bearing in mind i plan to lift the car in a few months back to standard ride height)

[AndyCrom 64]

Another small update,

 

Added a set of solid Group A Baker BM rear mounts and bushes new baker bm top hat oil breather pipe, also had a little care package from Denmark arrive on Saturday

 

within the package was a full set of Griffe vert seatbelts and also a Griffe gearknob that cost me just 300 kroner, (or £35)

 

 

​

 

this will be going in asap once the leather arrives to start the interior rebuild on the seats, steering wheel/gatiors etc

[AndyCrom 64]

oh and also the reason for the slower than usual progress was due to being unable to move the car for 5 days!

 

 

 

the next time someone says get winter tyres I think I may throttle them!

 

If Massey Ferguson cant get out with its 600's tires I doubt Michelin's finest on a low slung 205 will either

Edited April 2, 2013 by AndyCrom

[AndyCrom 64]

Righto, So this weekend I got some hide to start the retrim of the car and finished Sunday off nicely by completing the Gear gatier and the steering wheel.

 

some nappa

 

off came the old cover (the dog was happy with its new toy)

 

then I cleaned up the wheel with 2k paint thinners and cut in the tuck and seam grooves I would need later on

 

with the B side (rough side) facing up I marked out the area required for the wheel, this was 16cm x 114cm (this was over but better to have it fit right than cut corners, no pun intended)

 

Now depending on the quality of the hide it should have a certain degree of "stretch". As I had mentioned before, the length was 114cm, this is the diameter of the wheel in its raw substrate form, but as the leather will stretch (and you want it to be stretchy) the hide will probably end up getting cut about 110/111cm you will have to judge this for yourself, now fold this back on itself so only the B side is facing out and you will have to sew it together like so

 

once its done, cut off the excess and hammer flat the edges

 

so it looks like

 

once thats done turn it the right way round and check the seam isnt visible, if it is the stich wasnt tight enough and WILL need redoing

[AndyCrom 64]

next was to offer it upto the wheel, as you will notice there is a significant cut in the top centre of the wheel, this is to accommodate the stitching foldback

 

Pull it all around the wheel

 

and even up the edges to ensure the grip is centred all around the wheel

 

now as the leather should be a very tight fit it should look a little like this

 

now using copious amounts of contact adhesive

 

smeer loads of glue all around the outer edge of the rim where the substrate meets the b side of the hide

[AndyCrom 64]

now tightly fold in the hide all around the the wheel

 

and with a very sharp craft knife cut the hide along the mould seam line on the inside edge of the wheel and spokes

 

once thats done, repeat the process on the other side

 

this time before cutting, use a blunt edge to mark out where the two hides touch

 

then as before cut off the excess and it should look a little like this

 

 

now your almost ready to sew it, dont worry too much if you have a few mm gap in the centre, this can actually help you as the intention during sowing is to pull the two edges together, all thats really important is to make sure the cuts are straight and contain no wavy points

 

now to mark out the holes use this high tech tool to ensure your spacings remain constant

 

like so

 

then i used a sharp masonry nail ground to a fine point to hole ready for the sowing, am important tip is to remember to have an equal amount of holes on each side per section otherwise the cross stitch wont be a cross!

 

once the wheel has been holed all around you can start sowing (allow 2 hours if you are slow at sowing)

to measure the thread out I figured you need 4.5 wheel diameters worth of thread for each lower 2 smaller sections and roughly 12.5 wheel diameters worth for the main top section.

 

To start the sew, pull half the thread through the first two horizontal holes, use one half of that and sew one direction, then use the other half and spin the wheel around to sow back down the opposite diagonal to form the X

 

tie the ends off with no less than 3 regular knots and glue the thread ends and all sections of the wheel

 

Next is to trim the excess from each spoke about 3mm past the cuts/grooves you did before, apply more glue and using a blunt tool tuck the edges in

 

and thats it your done!

 

 

[AndyCrom 64]

oh and on a final note, if the leather is looking baggy or wrinkly, get a decent digital heat gun, set it to about 450'c and heat the leather to dry and shrink the areas out, but do this before you sew it up as the heat will melt the thread!

Edited April 10, 2013 by AndyCrom

[Anthony 1,000]

Another excellent guide, and the finished result looks great!

 

I'll likely convert this into a "how to" article, just like the heater blower motor guide you did a few weeks back

[AndyCrom 64]

by all means please do, however as I rush typed it im sure it may require some degree of "finesse"

[cRaig 265 1 Cars]

Great work on the steering wheel! It looks ace! Its something I will brave on mine at somepoint in order to get the green stitching, and this will come in very handy

Edited April 10, 2013 by cRaig

[AndyCrom 64]

Just make sure you get .20 grade wax coated thread and watch for pull throughs along the way, if you do pull the thread sideways through the leather and cut a slit from hole to hide edge undo a few loops backwards and loctite the cut back together, rehole and carry on as per.

 

Good luck with it and whatever happens just carry on and stick with it

[GLPoomobile 958]

That steering wheel looks the absolute dogs bollocks

 

I wondered how you go about covering a steering wheel, and now I know (and it actually doesn't look too complicated either)

[M@tt 77]

Nice work!

 

I remember seeing on an American Pimp My Ride or something like that, the Mexican dude that did all the upholstering showed you how to retrim seats, and one of his "tricks" on how to shrink the wrinkles out of leather was to pour some water on a towel and microwave it for a minute or so until the towel was steaming and then lay that on the leather for a short period then remove it. It caused the leather to shrink and removed al wrinkles and tightened everything up.

 

in fact I might try that on the missus!!

Edited April 11, 2013 by M@tt

[cRaig 265 1 Cars]

Just make sure you get .20 grade wax coated thread and watch for pull throughs along the way, if you do pull the thread sideways through the leather and cut a slit from hole to hide edge undo a few loops backwards and loctite the cut back together, rehole and carry on as per.

 

Good luck with it and whatever happens just carry on and stick with it

 

Can I ask where you got the thread from? Is it a common needlework-type shop find? Ive had a quick google/ebay of what you suggested above and I cant see anything relevant. Cheers

[AndyCrom 64]

 

Can I ask where you got the thread from? Is it a common needlework-type shop find? Ive had a quick google/ebay of what you suggested above and I cant see anything relevant. Cheers

Depending on what colour you need I can send some your way

[AndyCrom 64]

I wondered how you go about covering a steering wheel, and now I know (and it actually doesn't look too complicated either)

Don't be fooled tho, if you go into it expecting it to be an easy 20 min job, it was claimed that when I was back at Bentley it was one of the hardest things to trim, well that and the toilet seat, also a seasoned wheel trimmer would be expected to have 1 1/2 or 2 wheels trimmed a day, and they charged £3,000 for a standard rim and an extra £1,500 if you wanted it with colourized thread!

 

Also I did a friend one for his skyline a while back, a local trimmers wanted £450 for just the wheel, I did his the same as mine with nappa and only asked £180 the most expense is in the leather, decent unmarked skived nappa leather can cost upto £250 as ive just paid out £1,300 for the 205's 6 hides for the interior as trying to get true green check cloth is impossible I'm going for full leather now and even adding heated front seat panels from a Mercedes and I'm still toying with the idea of fully cross stitching all the seats and even the sub box to boot!

[GLPoomobile 958]

I wouldn't expect it to be easy, as I realise it's still a skilled job, but what I meant was the steps involved don't look particularly complicated. It's not something I have any reason to attempt myself, but I have at times wondered how it was done. Seeing a guide is really interesting.