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Topic: Martins 1989 8v GTI Helios Blue, build thread (my old car) (Read 3047 times) previous topic - next topic

Martins 1989 8v GTI Helios Blue, build thread (my old car)

So this may be a long one as there is a lot to update! I am doing this thread for my friend Martin who bought the car off me, he doesn't do forums!

So I owned this G reg 89 8v Helios Blue GTI since 99 when it was 10 years old, I ran it as my daily for 8 years and parked it up in the garage, nothing wrong with it just was going through different cars.

So pulled it out in around 2015 to get it back on the road and gave it a clean, it's an original car, never welded or painted to my knowledge, FSH and technically 1 previous owner to me, I spent a lot on keeping it tip top but never really washed it lol.

So I had multiple offers monthly to buy the car as people saw it sitting but couldn't bring myself to sell it but didn't have the time myself to get it on the road, then my mate of many years wanted to buy it and I knew from his previous cars this was going to get the full treatment from him so sold it to him on the provision I get to buy it back if he ever wants to sell it, deal was done for mates rate and less than I had been offered by passers by.

This was pretty much after I pulled it out the garage and gave it a wash after about 7 years.



Everything is original except wheels, exhaust and I replaced the rear bumper about 18 years ago, also fitted a leather interior way back from a Passat VR6 but it never felt right and always fancied putting it back to totally original.

This is the day he picked it up, looking sorry for itself, it was just a bit dirty but still solid, started pretty much first turn and drove onto the trailer.



More to follow, lot's of pics incoming!

Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #1 –
So the idea was to keep it original paint and freshen it up in the engine bay, there was hardly any rust, just one spot around the windscreen which I had treated many years ago and turns out the inside of the front wings were a little crusty but not showing through, Martin started by wet and drying the bonnet and was coming up well until he went through the paint, so plans changed.




So onto the engine bay spruce up instead.



Came up quite well




New headliner

and leather wheel, correct I believe for non PAS



spruce up



Original interior acquired








Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #2 –
So a bit more info, more cleaning and sprucing up of parts......



The dreaded heater matrix, I bypassed this years ago after it dumped it's contents on my feet, I didn't envy Martin doing this as I had done one before and it was a pig, he did all the foams while in there....



Crusty wings on the inside so new ones were on the cards, tried to find original decent ones but they are hard to find in decent condition so new ones from Werk34 were ordered....





In the meantime the engine started to get cleaned up and detailed, 178k on it and ran sweet as a nut, it was a company car before I owned it so I think it had done about 80k in it's first 3 years up and down the motorway so had an easy life, I never had to do anything with it apart from service it so it's all original including gearbox but I did have the reconned many years ago......















Parcel shelf and sides had seen better days so Martin got replacements..



Looking a bit sorry for itself but more to come...



By the way the reason I am doing this build thread for him is Martin doesn't do forums but he wanted it documented and as I know the car inside and out and have spent many nights with him sourcing parts I got the job lol.

Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #3 –
So new parts started arriving...



Crusty but the discs had done no miles as I had replaced them and the calipers also were fairly new and done low miles but had sat for a long time but I had brand news ones he got with the car...



Cups got polished but things changed......



Coilies on and clean up on all corners started...



Rear bumper came off, this is one I replaced about 18 years ago but the stripe had faded and bar was rotten once side, also had a small scuff, front one was fine, so we searched for good originals to no avail so he ordered new ones from Werk34 as we had fitted Heritage ones to his old valver before and they were terrible......







Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #4 –
So as he was now going balls deep into it and the plan was to keep it original paint as much as possible he made the decision to go full bore and got it in for paint....



Strip down started....









New lower door hinge was fitted as it had worn....



Seems the quick repair I did to the scuttle had kept the rot from spreading so he was happy as he expected to have to replace the whole thing....





Bit crusty on the rear but nothing major...



New wings fitted for fettling...



Scuttle repaired...



While the trim was off Martin started renovating all the trim, it's all original and was in good condition...



Only other rusty bits of any concern were on both rear arches where water must have collected but nothing major.....





Repair panels were bought and cuts taken off and welded up...





Prepping for paint, tiny little dings got sorted and tbh you really had to look for them the car was very straight although prior to my ownership someone must have broken in with a screwdriver as the aperture by the door handle showed signs of it so looks worse than it was so there is only skim on the car....





Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #5 –
So into paint it goes and while it was being primered Martin started sourcing the Helios paint which sounds an easy task but turns out it isn't, every shade of samples was matched up to the filler cap and it wasn't right, Helios is a tough one as it has purple in it, after contacting a lot of paint shops he settled on the closest he could find.....

















Took a few weeks between primer and paint but it got hit with the main colour...











Paint match was pretty good, left new, right old..



There was a bit more purple than OE but it really pops in the sun but then again a new car with fresh paint may have popped as well....















As Martin does signwriting on commercials and applying wraps he bought all new stuff, door line, sills, swage line and rear tailgate etc and fitted them himself....







Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #6 –
So the car was back home and the nitty gritty started, more parts to find which for some parts took some time and some serious web ferreting!....



The metal parts of both the lower scrapers were rusted beyond use, the rubbers are easy to find but the metal part isn't....





Some shiny bits because well he could...



and the seat idea, cat was not included, these were bought and the plan was hatched, as I said before I had put leather in it as the drivers seat was done at the bottom, in hindsight I should have repaired it as the original interior wasn't a popular option and hard to find but as luck would have it Jonny another fellow Dubnut had took one out of his previous Golf when he put Recaros in and it was the same as the original so Martin got it with all door cards as my old ones had got a bit water damaged...



The front seats were sent off to the trimmers with the original inner material and Martin sourced new bolster material for the Recaro bolsters, the rear seat are mint so nothing needed doing to them.


While the seats were away the crusties were dealt with, lots of POR and Schutz and I mean a lot, this car is not going to rust very soon!!











The Goodridge hoses I had for about 10 years finally found their way on!



Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread (pic heavy)

Reply #7 –
So on to the other bits, the exhaust was only fitted about 18 months before as I had it lying around, wasnt a fan of the upswept DTM but it was stainless and free and it sounded great but on inspection the guy that fitted it for me had welded it up!!

So off it came...



I found this one on the Book of Face for a good price and did the deal.....



Martin found something tasty to match it up to...



The original scuttle cover was a bit past it and Martin found a one piece but it needed some love...



Came out well...



Lots of trim bits ready to go on but before that the decals and things needed to go on...

















New rear number plate lamps, there was a break in the wiring through the rear hatch grommet that had been like it for so Martin fixed it.



At this stage he had done so well I was chuffed as I couldn't have done it so I bought him a little present, it's the little things...





Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #8 –
The rear badge wasn't great, few scuffs, so new badge and new GolfGTI badge on rear was bought also front GTI badge, the VW badge on the front is original black as was fine.



Finishing off the sunroof and winder cover to match the new headliner...









Interior clean up at rear...



As said before the rear bumper wasn't great but it was better than some and the front had worn it's years well but as Martin was this far in it had to be perfect so the Werk34 bumpers were offered up and they look excellent, if you are looking for bumpers I would go there, no offence to Heritage but these are another level, not perfect but very very good...









Complete new gear linkage as it was a bit sloppy but gearbox is good...

Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #9 –
As I had said before the cups were polished but Martin went to the darkside after being whispered in his ear, he had had RM's before on his previous 16v and I personally think they are done to death and prefer something different but he went there anyway, I had originally told him that I would burn it if he put BBS on but well you will see, enter side left, BBS RS001...



Cups were sold to a fellow dubber who wanted them off me a year before so they went to a good home, the BBS were blasted and sent off for powder coating, new lips were ordered.

While that was happening Martin decided as the exhaust had to be fitted from the manifold back then the engine was coming out and the bulkhead and other bits could be inspected and tidied up...



Engine out..



Not too bad in there either but the brake line job was the same guy that did the exhaust for me and it was crap so that needed sorting.

The steering rack looks grubby but I had replaced that myself as I wanted to poly bush it so it had less than 10k on it, not a refurb rack either but a new one that was available at the time, I had also fitted Bonrath poly bushes on the shocks which have been reused as they had little miles on also...



Subframe is in good order so painted up.



Engine cleaned up and painted at the back..





So while the engine was out it would be rude not to treat the surface rust in there, no welding was required, it's one solid car, Martin did a great job himself....










Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #10 –
Some new bits..



The original heatshield that channels heat to the airbox wasn't great but then again it wouldn't have fitted with the 4 branch so Martin modified it....







I missed this one so will add it here, battery side which is usually rotten was fine and painted up also...



The gearbox got the 'Martin' treatment and he replaces seals etc, also the rack got new arms and TRE's...





As the box was out would be rude not to put a complete new clutch in..



So onto to the seat saga, they had been at the trimmers a few months and he got a call to say one had been done but there was a problem, not enough bolster material to do both!!!

This was a problem as the material was from Heritage that a fellow dubber had spare and Heritage were out of stock so it came to a standstill, lots of frantic searching, we scoured the internet and came up empty, he eventually found some and got it ordered but when it arrived it was a different shade.

This raised a question on the stuff that Heritage supply, it wasn't actually correct as the stuff he sourced overseas was bang on OE colour near enough, as you can see in the pic it's off a bit, wouldn't have made a huge impact if both would match but they wouldn't.

He had to bite the bullet and get the trimmer to take off the material he had already done and retrim which put the seat back even further...





So with no seats he cracked on with the little things, although the headlights were Hella and in good shape Martin as you can guess by now wanted 'New', he found some NOS ones at a good price...



He then turned his attention to the spotlights, these were original and and bit cloudy so he went for new ones but a set on EBay that he found and we were watching went for over £250 which is crazy so he cleaned up the old ones, the front grill is the original one and in excellent shape, just cleaned up...





Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #11 –
So back to the engine bay clean up before the lump goes back in....







Engines back in...







Custom polished weighted shift rod I got years ago got polished up, I added this with a G60 rocker cover and polished ISV years ago...





New badges arrived and the hard to find scrapers eventually...







Exhaust was fitted but it didn't sit right so was fettled, then it hung too low so was fettled again...







Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #12 –
So it was on to the front stopper, standard disc size but a nice upgrade...







The speedo wasn't working due to sitting so a new cable and gear drive were fitted and while the clocks were out a new MFA was fitted as it had bleed...



The baskets came back and got new centre nuts and badges....





One thing that always bugged me and obviously Martin was the ISV bracket, you can't fit it in the same place with a G60 rocker cover so he made a bracket...





New front bumper went on with new indicator lenses and the front grill got fitted with the new lights and refreshed spots...









The new lips for the BBS arrived but as you can see all was not well!!



Rear badges went on and the original lights were polished up, along with new metal number plates...





The new BBS lips turned up and were fitted with new gold bolts, I have to say he did good (but I never said that ok)...





Exhaust got fettled and underside cleaned up, no rot again...



Ready to drop on the floor..



It's quite low!









Re: My old 8v Helios Blue, build thread

Reply #13 –
On the floor but no seats, all lights checked and rear number plate lights sorted so everything is working....





Getting the full detail by Martin...











That is one happy chap!!!

Then these arrived, OEM+, some people may look twice lol.