Dirtydubbers Resto Corner MK2 Jetta 8v GTI.

I think a lot of trial and error would be involved - doable but just so time consuming! This has lead me to another thought - what if I were to weld in a flat/flatter panel in place of this and then use some sort of mounting stud setup using threaded bar or bolts. I can't see why it wouldn't work and I can't see how it would not support the filler neck as well as the original? Infact mine was so knackered that it wouldn't actually have had any strength in it anyway.

Obviously this would leave the car non-original but that's not really something i'm too bothered about to be honest as I can't see myself ever selling it and besides all it would do would lower the value slightly but not enough to cause me any real concern,

Just a thought, would be loads quicker and i'm confident I could repair it more succesfully than trying to re-build the mounting point.

I am also replacing parts of the inner and outer wheel arch at the read and also the filler flap apeture.

This thread is really inspirational man. I've got a GTI exactly like the one here that i was gonna put a vr6 into and use as a track car but seeing this makes me wanna restore it properly (still with a VR6 though) and rebuild the interior. I was thinking i'd need a full respray too but seeing what you've done here makes me think i could just polish the shoot out of it You never know one day we could get mine and this one together at a show. Black big bumpered GTI's are the nicest of all Jettas

Jettafan will be very glad to hear that as hes got some plans for the shows this year . I am soooooo very sorry for the lack of updates but we will be sorting the computer issues very soon a new copy of windows 7 is being put on my rebuilt computer hopefully as we speak so i should be able to finally finish things off. If any of you are going to UD this weekend you may see it there as the last time i heard from Jettafan hes was going to be there?

WE'RE BAAAAAAAACK!!! So so so so sorry for how long its been but thanks to family and friends a have a working computer with all my old pics back woooooooooo hooooooooo!!!!!!!! Sorry just had to get that off my chest im well chuffed to say the least . Right, if there is anyone still out there that gives a crap i will continue as you have probably worked out by now Jettafan has taken his jetta back long ago so if you live near the watford area you have probably seen it floating about. its safe to say other than a couple of small running in issues the car has been very good and has to the best of my knowledge settle back into its daily life with relative ease. Anyway enough of that guff where were we?
After finding the unwanted but normal rust issues around and under the boot seal we decided that we would hold off the finishing process for the rear quater as we were going to have to blend the back end into it then colour sand and mop the hole lot! Oh yay . So we started with that rust around that boot seal, after a good grind out we used a rust gel over night to help keep it at bay, every little helps!.

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We also had a couple of small dents to remove and a hole host of chips to fill

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After the clean up we were left with some very thin metal around the boot seal area there was never going to be enough metal there for the boot seal to grip to so we carefully welded small replacement pieces of new tin in were it was thin then finished it with a very thin skim of metalix filler then a swipe of seam sealer for good measure.

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This left us with a back end that looked a little like this.

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Right im going to leave it there for the minute as it seems my photobucket account has got mega lag all of a sudden and i dont want to lose my uploads back soon promise.

Welcome back Alex! Hope all is well. Any joy with your search for a new workshop?

i have rust in exactly the same spots, only its rusted right the was through and it wasnt until i cleaned it back abit that i realised this. do you know of anywhere that i can find some replacement panels, its either that or i try and build it back up with weld and then shape it but i reckon that will most likely bend and buckle panel with the heat.
cant wait to she how she looks now> ;-)

See Robbies build thread for the rear pannel link

Still loving this thread!! So nice to see people doing proper work!

Hi guys many thanks for the warm welcome back! Dicko = Hope your well mate? Still on the hunt but i might be taking some time out soon to get some of my own projects done i figger it will make the move that bit quicker if they all drive lol! I might even do a build thread on the scirocco thats if i dont need to sweep it into a paper bag first!! Robbie = Ive been mutching round your thread it has to be said that it looks like you have a bit of work on your hands there bud, but it looks like a very nice jetta you have there definitely worth saving. My advise is this if it was my car i would cut out the rust and make small replacement pieces to just butt weld in this will keep the originality of the car plus in the long term save you cash replacing the complete back end will only solve a small amount of the rust issues you have. Its alot of work to still have the ones by the boot hinge point left to deal with afterwards (if that makes sence???) if your not that confident on the welder then you should be able to find someone that is and paying then to do it will cost you less in time and money in the long run plus as much as replacing the back panel feels like you are putting a large chunk of new stuff on, the truth of the matter is that pattern parts very very very rarely fit and will be made out of much much cheaper steel that your old original panel. Not meaning to sound like a know it all just speaking from experience its just very frustrating when you cut the back end off your car and you then find yourself wishing you hadn't . 07jettamk5 : Many thank chap any more treaks to your metal yet??? Ive been keeping an eye out what wheels are you running this sommer?

cheers for the tips! i was swinging towards patching in new metal rather than taking the whole arse end off(i saw it on re2 gt engineering thread and didnt much fancy the look of pulling it all off), i was thinking of getting a pattern panel but using it to donate rather than replace.
cant wait to see how jettafans jetta is looking.

welcome back fella! The awesomest thread continues

Robbie- i had more issues than just the boot seal , so my arse had to go

I am glad to be back i can tell you, computers are arse my next one will defo be a mac! Ive been keeping a eye on you too bud making lovely progress with yours mate dont let it slow now!!

Right back to the pain in my arse rear panel as ive said before i dont really do body work so i find this sort of thing a bit time consuming and a touch frustrating! Anyway here it is in primer after all the work with filler and stopper was over and done with.

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How it looked after a flat back and clean up.

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These shots where taken as soon as the smog settled!

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Then some close ups to try and show just how much paint i tryed to get on the old girl. We managed to get about three quarters of a litre on it over time but i had to stop as i was going to start running .

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And couple more just to bore even more.

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Due to some corrupted files i havent any completed shots which is nice But here are some of around the rear lights and the base of the rear window. Everything come out very good, the paint match was a bit off but as ive said before this is just to get the rust out, Jettafan will probably end up getting this repainted at a body shop at a later date.

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Sorry its a bit dull at the moment, im still trying to sort all the files out on my new computer and it seems i have lost a few pics along the way but im hoping this wont stop me finishing of this thread. Thats it for now i will be back soon. As always a great many thanks for all the kind words and thanks for your time.

Hi there peeps so very sorry for this thread slowing up so much. The computer issues have raised there ugly head again it turns out that i have lost alot more pics than i first thought so ive had to try and rescue what i have and get them on another computer so that i can go online and update the buildthread but that didnt go to plan as the other computer had a copy of AVG 2011 on it which decided it wanted to corrupted itself and stop the pc from connecting to the bt home hub i use, this meant i couldnt upload my pics to photobucket! its at this point i was close to shotting myself! if it wasnt for my better halfs laptop then i wouldnt be writting this!. Anyway next issue was (yes im not finished yet!) when i tryed to remove AVG from the second pc it wouldnt complete the uninstall program even if i tryed it in admin mode . So all of this means that i will be taking the remainder of the pics off the second PC and loading them on to my other halfs laptop then hopefully that will enable me to finish this thread once and for all!!!!! I am really very sorry for all the delays and i hope i can get you interested again. Be back soon I HOPE, Alex. Moral of the story is dont forget to back up like every month! and never ever use AVG free Edition Doh.

very nice job you're doing there !!
Hope to build my jetta from ground zero one day..

Cheers bud, Do it the more that get saved the better, Get a build thread up when you do.

Hi there everyone if there is still any of you left after all my messing about . I am going to try and put an end to this build tread over the next few weeks hopefully this will in some way make up for how crap i am with computers so if any of you are still interested here comes the next bit .

After the back panel had been mopped it was time to get the light clusters back in and refit the boot seal naturally these were passed through the dishwasher first. This is a great tip for anyone with leaks around there rear lights just pop them out and sling um through the dishwasher they will come out like new.

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Once we had mopped the rear light clusters and refitted them it was time to strip the tail gate and make sure there were no further surprises . But as with the rest of this jetta it was mint!

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First port of call was to protect the areas were the rear number plate tub had rubbed, we just added a good coat of waxoil. Thankfully it hadnt gone through to metal so to keep some more originality we opted to not send the boot lid for paint.

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Then to recondition the original number plate lights and lenses, like so many things on this car they came up like new.

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Fitted, with stainless steal screws of course .

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Here are the finished pics of the rear end minus the boot spoiler.

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It was about this point that we got a phone call from are paint man Russel @ Dukes motors in middleton to say that we could collect the bits from the jetta, if any of you are in need of paint work help then these are your guys the work they do is top quality and lasts. We have always been over the moon with what ever we have chucked at them in the past and this is no exception .

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We will get to the front wings later .
Here is the spoiler we had this painted as a bit of a freebie surprise to Jettafan as this wasnt on the list of to do's.

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The only issue we now had with the spoiler was that both the outside edge securing clips had broken beyond repair.

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After finding out that these clips were obsolete from VW it left us . We decided to chop them back so they sat flush.

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Then we stuck a strip of insulation tape over the holes, this gives a little ware protection to the edges of the mounting holes plus helps stop the spoiler from rubbing on the boot lid.

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We then used two rubber panel clip mounting socks (these are the same as the ones used to hold the side/door trims on).

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Cut the ends off.

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fitted them in the two outside holes on the boot lid.

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Then used two Rawplugs.

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Cut the ends off theses.

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Popped these inside the rubber socks.

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Last thing was replacing the none hardening putty thats fitted to the underside of the spoiler, this basically glues the spoiler down.

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Then refitted the spoiler using two stainless steel screws.

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Unfortunately ive lost the pics of it all finish and fitted but you can see it in the final shots of the car later on. Well thats it from me for now i will get back into the swing of things as quickly as i can many thanks for reading. DD.

Top work as always guys, I had the same when i fun and games when i refitted my spoiler don't lose the caps for the screws as they're obsolete from VW now

I've started to dribble again! I love your improvise, adapt and overcome approach to everything, absolutely cracking can't wait for more!

looking very good here !!

Thanks so much guys, its good to be back. Expect an update very soon im having to work long hours at the moment so its hard to get on here as much but i really will keep it going this time promise

Hi there guys I promised to try and keep the flow going and as the better half has to work today and I’m off it’s the perfect time to do an update. So here goes
It was about this time that I had a lovely visit from a very sound chap know as dicko120 on here, it turns out that jettafan had exchanged a bargain amount of money for these.

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More on these later but for a set of winter wheels they are perfect.
Anyway after a very long chat about all things VAG and life in general dicko was on his way (nice to finally meet mate) and we got on with rebuilding the front of the Jetta. First was the front bumper the original had taken a beating over the years and was none repairable so we used a second hand item and stripped it down for repaint. The first thing to paint was the bumper bar it was in very good condition so all that was needed was a quick de rust and a layer of primer, acid etch of course.

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After a good coat of paint.

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It was about this point the PC at home gave up so unfortunately I will have to string this together the best I can, but I’m afraid there wont be as much detail as the rest of the thread because I simply don’t have the pictures anymore .

Next was the bumper irons, I don’t have any pics of these but they were done the same as the bumper bar. The bumper we used was originally blue so it was in need of a repaint again I don’t have any pictures during the process but this was the skin after a blast of black.

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Now it was time for all the little bits and bobs that make up the bumper. First the fogs, these were stripped down completely this included unsealing the lenses cleaning the reflective backings in warm soapy water, popping the lenses through the dishwasher and replacing all the fixings for stainless items. Here they are built back up and ready for the bumper.

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Again I have lost the during pictures sorry. Next came the indicators these we were really happy with as they came up like new! We stripped um down then passed all the bits through the dishwasher, replaced the little rubber Orings around the bulb holders and polished the lenses with Autoglym. I promise these are the original indicators off the car!

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We now had a complete front bumper but no wings on the car As you might have noticed earlier on we got two wings painted at the same time as the boot spoiler so all we needed to do was put it all back together again. The original wings from the car were shot and way to rusty to reuse so we took two mint genuine second hand 90 spec wings that we had in stock and sent them off for paint. It has to be said that this is where Russel worked his magic all the paintwork he did for us was superb it really was.

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Just look at the reflection on these wings even Mel seems impressed (Captions on a postcard please and sent to the usual address ).

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We had the inner sides of the wings stone chipped and colour coded for a extra level of protection.

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And we even ask that the wings be stone chipped to the same position up the wing as a factory small bumper wing, I know it’s a bit geeky but its all in the name of preservation .

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There was a bit of work to do before they could go on, first was the only area of rust under the front wings this is a common area for corrosion and can be very expensive to put right if left but it will come as no surprise that it wasn’t that bad on this car.

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Although awkward to get to we did manage to grind out all the rust without causing any more dismantling of the vehicle.

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We finished that off with a good coating of seam sealer. It was then time to move onto the front chassis legs and inner arch panels, before we left them clean but unprotected.

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But after a coat of waxoil we could start fitting the wings.

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I know its black not the factory clear waxoil but its easier to spot if you have missed a bit and we figured that if it starts to run out of any gaps in the body work it wont stick out so much because the car itself is black, well that was the plan anyway only time will tell. Anyway now the waxoil was done we could bond the wings back on, so to replace the old sealer that was lost in the removal of the wings we applied a very thick coating of new seam sealer to the inner wing panel before we mounted the wing.

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This was repeated the other side and walst the seam sealer was still wet the wings could be mounted . We used genuine wings as after market items are total rubbish they never fit plus they are never pressed to the right shape so are often to long or to short . Thankfully this paid off because are wings went straight on!

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Now that the wings were mounted we could really seal them in place! So it was time to fill over those panel bolts.

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I have a habit of getting a bit obsessed with seam sealer but a least you know that the water is never going to get in there. After the seam sealer comes a coat of paint just to add another layer of protection.

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Plus we refitted the original Ariel support as well.

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Then we sprayed a coat of clear waxoil over the hole lot its at this point even I think I’ve lost the plot!

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The offside as well.

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Then the splash guards one cleaned one not.

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Then to finish it all off some NOS side repeaters and seals.

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There are no finished pictures of it all fitted as they are some of the pics that have been lost in the tech battle but again you will be able to see all of that in the final pictures we took before jettafan took her home. Well I hope you liked the update I hope it wasn’t to long in the tooth I thought I owed you all a bigger update as its been so long A great many thanks for all the kind comments as always thanks for reading we will be back soon. Team DD.

This thread is just amazing, Alex (Is it OK if I call you that?) I think I might be calling on your vast experience to get my best-mate's Jetta back on the road.

Jedi has already offered his assistance (Which we are most grateful for) but I fear, it's going to be a "all hands of deck" type of job! And with hardly any money and tools (or know-how!) any help is welcome!

mental as always how has jf had the car back ?

ValiantSaint wrote:This thread is just amazing, Alex (Is it OK if I call you that?) I think I might be calling on your vast experience to get my best-mate's Jetta back on the road.

Jedi has already offered his assistance (Which we are most grateful for) but I fear, it's going to be a "all hands of deck" type of job! And with hardly any money and tools (or know-how!) any help is welcome!

Thank you very much, I havent had the chance to read your tread yet but from what I here it will be worth it in the end, Keep on ploding through it bud and never underestimate the power of books, I learnt everything I know about VAG's by reading old car restoration books and the old faithfull Haynes comics! It has to be said that getting yourself a hookie copy of Autodata and some good secondhand tools is a must even if you are on a very small budget you can pick up really cheap tools at market stands, car boots and ebay so dont make a job harder than it needs to be get some tools to help . Lets also not forget the wealth of knowledge you can tap into on the net in forums like this one but people may only drift on and off so getting answers can take time were as a book is there in front of you . That all said and done if I can help I will be glad to.