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Topic: "Helga" the 1988 8v GTI (Read 3875 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #15 –
Quote from: Damien.wrl on
Where did you get the red side stripes from they are mega hens teeth
I found someone local to me that was breaking a stolen recovered 88 3 door Golf that had been in a police impound yard for at least 10 years and these were still intact!!  I basically stripped the stripes, ISV, alternator, rear turret carpets, sun visor clips, wiper motor plus linkages & arms as well as loads of other little bits for £30.  I went back a couple of weeks later to grab an unmolested CE1 loom, uncracked dash with every switch, full set of P-slots (not my thing but got them anyway) and anything else I could strip as my cousin was after some bits too :D 
1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #16 –
Another year goes by and the man from the ministry deems it worthy of another 12 months on the road with no advisories!!
1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #18 –
Just realised that it is nearly 7 years since I rescued her from a 10 year sleep in a garage and just over 4 years since she was put back on the road so thought I would do a then and now shot.................


She's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I was never out for perfection as I wanted something I could really enjoy without being unduly worried about the odd mark here and there!

Now here's my dilemma.  This is a car that I will never get rid of so she should really have a name and I am kind of stuck on one that would be suitable.

It is kind of strange as I never intended to buy her and it was just luck that a random conversation with a work colleague made me finally sell the Mk3 Triumph Spitfire that was slowly disintegrating in my garage (still got nearly a grand for it) and replace it with the Golf.

There she sat for 3 long years while I kind of faffed about adding some of the nice stuff like a new interior without thinking about whether she would actually ever be roadworthy.  All of a sudden, life went on hold when I got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and the car was the furthest thing from my mind but it came back into sharp focus in a really strange way.  I was in the 4th week of radiotherapy and was feeling pretty rubbish so went down to the garage just to try and take my mind off things and for some reason decided then that I would ask my mechanic brother-in-law if he would give the car a once over and let me know what it would cost to make road legal.  He agreed so I gave him the garage keys and some cash and then left him to it with the expectation that he would tell me that I needed a second mortgage to even get close to an MoT but a week later I got a call and was told "you have change and the MoT is done".

I was so surprised that I put the car back in the garage but was immediately collared by the wife who said "what's the point of getting the MoT done if you aren't going to use it?  Get the bloody thing taxed and insured".  That is exactly what I did and within 2 hours I had a car that was 100% road legal so I took it for a quick spin as it seemed rude not to do so and I can honestly say that despite how physically and mentally drained I was feeling, it put the the biggest smile on my face that I had had in a long time 8) .

So, back to the dilemma of what I could call her so I will take "advice" from the wife and kids and then update my thread with whatever we agree.
1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #19 –
Was looking at your tax disc for inspiration (dealer name etc.) and noticed the way F422 has been hand written makes it look like 'FUZZ' at first glance?

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #20 –
I usually name a car after it’s type, “Adolph” Audi, Patrick Porcshe , Vincent Van Golf.. from your number plate I can see Fazz and (c) Kojak ... having watched an episode of “allo allo” the other day you could consider some of those names? ie General Von Klinkerhoffen , Herr Flick or Grueber?

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #21 –
Quote from: Damien.wrl on
I usually name a car after it’s type, “Adolph” Audi, Patrick Porcshe , Vincent Van Golf.. from your number plate I can see Fazz and (c) Kojak ... having watched an episode of “allo allo” the other day you could consider some of those names? ie General Von Klinkerhoffen , Herr Flick or Grueber?
That's a good shout.  Car is definitely a she so it would probably be Helga as it has a very naughty side  :))

On a side note and showing my age, I went to see the Allo Allo stage show in 1987.....................
1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #22 –
Quote from: L90E on
Was looking at your tax disc for inspiration (dealer name etc.) and noticed the way F422 has been hand written makes it look like 'FUZZ' at first glance?

That's a really good spot and I hadn't even noticed that!!  If my wife gets her way it will be called "what have you bought for it now???"
1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #23 –
She now sports a rather splendid Alpine cassette player with a CD multi changer courtesy of @Eddypeck and it suits the car a million times better than the modern Sony X-Plod that I put in there originally.

Sometimes the simple things make a massive difference  ;D  ;D

Biggest decision is green or orange as I have front panels for both colour?
1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #24 –
Nice...I've got one of those too.
Bit of a 8u993r that the CD changer I have (which matched an older Alpine) uses a different connector...although I do need to replace it because it was draining my battery.
You just need an Allsop3 to keep the cassette head and rollers clean 😂
1991 Tornado Red BB 8v GTI Moredoor
2008 Skoda Octy Scout aka dirty diesel
 

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #25 –
Green fo me... the back lights for the heater contols are an identical brightness / shade, have you new bulbs in?

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #26 –
Quote from: L90E on
Green fo me... the back lights for the heater contols are an identical brightness / shade, have you new bulbs in?
. The bulb was no good so I put an LED in there.  Bit of a faff but looks decent.
1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #27 –
Forgot I even had this!!!!  Not sure if I have any mini-discs left but hopefully can use that tape adapter......................

1988 8v GTI, 3 door in black.  It's a bit like me, doesn't look too bad from a distance but up close.......:D

Re: 1988 8v GTI

Reply #28 –
Quote from: AndyBa on
Nice...I've got one of those too.
Bit of a 8u993r that the CD changer I have (which matched an older Alpine) uses a different connector...although I do need to replace it because it was draining my battery.
You just need an Allsop3 to keep the cassette head and rollers clean 😂

This uses the older M-bus CD connection that uses an 8 pin din, the later type uses Alpine's own Ai-net connector. The 8 pin din are quite handy as they're just a universal connector so in theory you can find the left and right sound channels and make a aux patch lead. I did consider trying this on a switch so I could still have the changer in the boot but switch between Aux, but 1. it was one project too far, I have so many other ideas in my head and 2. I don't have any music stored on my phone so was kind of pointless.

But you can get M-bus to Ai adapter so if you have an old M-bus headunit and a newer Ai-net changer you can still use them together. https://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/SingleView/KCA-130B

I'm fairly certain you can also use the remote control https://www.alpine.co.uk/p/Products/remote-controls59/rue-4360 with these head units, just in case you think the stereo is too far away from you.