792 replies to this topic

[JakeMcC]

After driving a 2004 PD100 Bora Highline (lovely car and had all the options, in LD5Q Shadow Blue and on only 100k, first owner - I still regret getting rid of it) for almost a year, borrowed off my dad's company, I bought my first car - a late 2002 Anthracite PD150 Golf. I bought it in September 2016 on 189k miles. I later found out it had been clocked by a whole 65756 miles (~66k) when it came over from England to Northern Ireland so it was actually on 255k when I bought it. The car stayed off the road for 16 months while I got it roadworthy and then the Bora was traded in through the scrappage scheme (RIP Borat) and the Golf became my daily. Bear in mind this is the first work I've ever done on cars, my philosophy is that the more that goes wrong the more I'll learn how to fix!

Beginning:



Current mod/work done list:





Suspension and Braking

Front Suspension:
Coilovers - BC Racing BR type (BC Racing)
Shock covers (Generic unbranded)
New shocks clamp bolts (OEM VW)
New top mounts and bearings (Febi-Bilstein)
Refurbished TT wishbones - cast (OEM Audi)
New wishbone bushes (front and rear)(Lemförder)
New ball joints (MOOG)
Refurbished TT knuckles (OEM Audi)
New wheel bearings (FAG)
New ABS sensors (OEM VW)
Refurbished subframe with bracing welded in (OEM VW)
New aluminium subframe bushes (Custom)
New subframe bolts (OEM VW)
Refurbished TT steering rack - 2.5 turn (OEM Audi)
New steering rack bush (Powerflex)
New TT anti roll bar (OEM Audi)
New anti roll bar bushes (Febi-Bilstein)
New anti roll bar drop links (Febi-Bilstein)
New drop link bolts (OEM VW)
New wheel bolts - tuner key (Unbranded)
New tyres (Michelin CrossClimate+)
New 15mm spacers (Demon Tweeks)

Front Brakes:
New discs - 312mm (Brembo)
New pads (Brembo)
Rebuilt calipers (Pistons, seals, bleed nipples, slide pins, slide pins bushes)(OEM VW)
New carrier mounting bolts (OEM VW)
Refurbished splash shields (OEM Audi)
New braided lines (HEL)

Rear Suspension:
New shocks (BC Racing)
New springs and adjusters (BC Racing)
Shock covers (Generic unbranded)
New spring top rubbers (Topran)
New rear beam bushes - Fabia VRS (Febi-Bilstein)
New rear beam bolts (OEM VW)
New 20mm spacers (Demon Tweeks)

Rear Brakes:
Used rear discs - 256mm vented (Pagid)
Used rear pads (Pagid)
Refurbished calipers and carriers (OEM VW)
New caliper bolts (Generic)

Engine and Transmission

Engine:
Mods:
GTB1756VK turbo with billet compressor wheel and cast manifold (Garrett)
Braided turbo oil feed and silicone return (XMan)
Custom map to ~180BHP (200+ with GTB turbo) (Custom)
Catch can (Mishimoto)
EGR delete (with all new hardware)(Darkside Developments)
N249 and N18 delete and modified N75 bracket (-)
Aluminium intercooler pipework kit (Darkside Developments)
Aluminium S3 intercooler (OEM Audi)
Refurbished inlet manifold (new gasket)(OEM VW)
Turbo back full stainless exhaust system, resonated (new gaskets, Mikalor clamps, and copper nuts)(Milltek)
Custom GTB downpipe (modified Milltek)

Replacements:
Replacement engine on 89k w/turbo (OEM VW)
New timing belt (Gates Powergrip)
New water pump (Febi)
New hydraulic damper (-)
New idler pulley (-)
New heavy duty camshaft (Lear Industries)
New camshaft oil seal (Topran)
New hydraulic lifters (INA)
New camshaft bearings (Kolbenschmidt)
New rocker bolts (OEM VW)
New camshaft carrier bolts (OEM VW)
New rocker cover gasket (Elring)
New sump (Unbranded)
New sump plug - magnetic (Unbranded)
New fuel lines - filter to engine (Unbranded)
Used fuel pump (VDO)
New fuel temperature sensor (OEM VW)
New coolant temperature sensor (OEM VW)
New thermostat (OEM VW)
New front exhaust mount (Unbranded)
New central exhaust mount (Unbranded)
Refurbished central exhaust brace (OEM VW)
New coolant reservoir (Topran)
New dog bone mount (Meyle)
New engine and gearbox mounts (Febi)

Transmission:
Short shifter (Unbranded)
Solid brass end link bushes (Custom made)
Refurbished drive shafts (OEM VW)
New outer CVs (J&R)

Interior

ColorMFA (self-installed)(Autopilot, colormfa.ru)
Custom clocks with custom needles (Self built)
Recaro Trendline bucket seats (with folding added to passenger side)(Recaro)
Seat frames for Recaros (Custom made from OEM brackets)
RCN210 Bluetooth head unit (OEM VW)
Vent mounted digital boost gauge (Ardiuno, self built)
Bora lay-flat vents (OEM VW)
Carbon skinned dash end panels (Custom)
Mk7 GTI gear knob (OEM VW)
Carpet floor mats (OEM VW)
Two mini fire extinguishers (UKFiremaster)
Black headliner and associated hardware (OEM VW/Seat)
Black sunglasses holder (Unbranded)
Inverted climate control display (Custom)
Netoptic trim sandblasted and coated in clear lacquer (OEM VW, custom)
Anniversary pedal covers (OEM VW)
Leather door cards (OEM VW)
Door bin (OEM Skoda)

Exterior

FULL early Votex kit - front valance, early skirts, rear valance, and early hatch spoiler (Votex)
Oz Superleggera wheels 17x7J ET48 (Oz Racing)
Ispiri WRC1 wheels 18"x7.5J ET42 (Ispiri)
Mk5 handle cutout welded into Mk4 boot lid (OEM VW)
Mk6 boot lid handle/badge (OEM VW)
US GTI tails (OEM VW)
Celis “angel eye” headlights (with Philips Racing Vision high beams and Morimoto XB35 Xenon low beams)(Hella)
Bumper vents (FK)
Smoked indicators (Hella)
Mk7 LED rear plate lights (OEM VW)
Pressed steel registration plates (Pressed_Number_Plates)
New style shark fin aerial (Unbranded)
Tow loop cover (OEM VW)
Sharptone horns (Hella)

Software etc.

Needle staging (sweep on startup)
Lit needles
Cruise lamp mod
Windows up/down from fob
Beep on lock
Auto lock doors over 10mph, auto unlock when keys removed
Bora (1C0) CCM for boot pop


Plenty of bits still to be fitted – Brembo 4 pots and LCR 323mm discs, etc.
Jake

Edited by JakeMcC, 07 June 2020 - 11:32 PM.

[JakeMcC]

I continued driving the Bora hoping to tidy the Golf up a little before getting it on the road before 2017, so first off I removed the majority of the interior to try and fix any rattles, get out any hidden dirt (the car had an odd smell to it which seems to have disappeared with the rear seats), and generally fix up anything which needed to be fixed. I found a wire to the boot which must've been for a sub, and the stereo loom had been hacked up. I got that tidied up and some fresh loom tape over the top to make it look like it was never touched, and also removed the wire for the sub and resealed the grommet to the engine bay with some silicone sealant.

 

 

 

The previous owner told me that the front ARB bushes needed replaced, and sure enough there was a knocking when steering or going over slight bumps. I had wanted to go on coilovers anyway so some suspension work was in order. New ARB bushes, drop links, top mounts and top mount bearings, as well as all of the associated bolts were ordered.

 

 

The need for shiny parts got to me and I ended up ordering an EGR delete kit from Darkside the next day.   This sat for ages but was finally fitted after a day long wrestle with an exhaust manifold bolt. 

 

 

 

Also cleaned the intake manifold and an alarming amount of oil out of the turbo intake pipe. While I was at it I did the vac line simplification to delete the N249 and N18, and modified the valve bracket to hold just the N75. Around the same time I fitted a short shifter and machined my own solid end link bushes.

 

 

 

Then Christmas came along and I opened up this from my parents. My dad had been offered them a few weeks before at a good price and I said I'd buy them, but he went ahead and got them for me for Christmas. They're BC Racing BR series coilovers with adjustable damping and all, to say I was pleased would be an understatement  

 

 

My dad and uncle own a 2 post lift which is at my uncle's workshop, I organised a slot for me to get the Golf up and in the meantime fitted a new coolant reservoir and cleaned the washer fluid reservoir just to tidy up the engine bay a little. I also fitted a cheap eBay special shark fin aerial, I had a stubby aerial on the Bora but had always preferred the more modern type - keen to see if it actually works.

 

 

Finally got the car up on the lift a couple of weeks ago, and this was the first time I'd seen the underside of the car properly and it wasn't particularly pretty... Intercooler pipes dripping oil, horribly dented sills with patches welded over them (I had noticed this before but didn't realise just how bad it was), and the passenger side front brake was in some state. I took the opportunity to remove the stock suspension and have now got the front discs off.

 

 

 

I've ordered new front discs and pads, and decided since I'm replacing them both and the calipers aren't in the best shape - I may as well do the 312mm front brake upgrade while I'm at it.

 

So the other day while removing the stock suspension and brakes I noticed this...

 

 

The front of the subframe where the wishbone attaches has taken a hit and has folded in on itself. The wishbone on this side sits slightly differently to the one on the other side. Does this need replaced or is it ok providing I can get it aligned to spec?

 

The next headache is the boost issue which I'd known about since I'd first driven the car - The car would limp up to about 2k RPM and then the turbo would kick in very hard. I wasn't sure if this was just how PD150s were, with the bigger turbo than the PD100 which I am used to. After many hours of trawling on this and other forums I decided it might be a bad remap, so I ordered a clone MPPS tool off AliExpress and downloaded the map off the ECU. This revealed that the car had in fact been remapped, and the map was (according to VAG EDC Suite, the mapping software I am using) looking to squeeze 225BHP out of the PD150 on the stock turbo... Here's a picture of the boost target map, which probably doesn't show much but is dramatically different to the stock one. If anyone is clued up about TDI remapping and wants to give me some advice I'd love to chat ​ I have a standard map ready to flash as soon as the car is roadworthy again.

 

 

 

So, if you've got his far without falling asleep, thanks! If anyone has any suggestions or comments etc. I'd love to hear them! Apologies for the sheer amount of text and pictures - I wanted to start a thread mostly to keep track of what I've been doing and there's the possibility that someone might be interested  

 

Thanks!

Jake

Edited by JakeMcC, 30 April 2018 - 04:48 PM.

[Sky28]

Dam dude you know a heck of a lot about cars. Any plans for alloys, lights valances??? 

[JakeMcC]

Dam dude you know a heck of a lot about cars. Any plans for alloys, lights valances???

6 months ago I knew nothing - I'm slowly learning

I'm swapping the BBS CH reps I have on the Bora onto the Golf, they're in pretty bad condition but they have good tyres so they'll do until I find something I like. Looking for some 18" MG ZT Hairpins but can't find any locally.

Lights - I'd love a set of R32 xenons but the scene tax is a killer... And for the valance I'm hoping to find a Votex set and smooth the front and rear rub strips, they're so expensive though so they're low on the list of priorities for now! Hoping to match that with a set of anniversary skirts and probably won't do much else to the exterior. I've got some stuff planned for the interior though - subject to funds of course 

 

Cheers for the comment

Jake

[losvre]

Very nice writing and inspiring to others.

I like that you do subtle changes with good quality parts and taking after the car not just mods.

All the best

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

[adam-]

Hold out for bargains. I got a set of R32 xenons from a breakers for £40! I love this colour, obviously.

[AshOHFK]

Good work, looks tidy for 200k

[JakeMcC]

Very nice writing and inspiring to others.

I like that you do subtle changes with good quality parts and taking after the car not just mods.

All the best

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

 

Inspiring! I'm flattered haha  Thanks!

 

I'm trying to get the car sorted to a reasonable standard before I spend any serious money modifying it, but I probably won't do anything too drastic - as you said, I'd rather do fewer mods with good parts than lots of mods with lower quality parts.

 

Hold out for bargains. I got a set of R32 xenons from a breakers for £40! I love this colour, obviously.

 

Ha, the breakers across the road from me were looking for £60 for a tattered old subframe  I've got a few bargains on interior parts from eBay though 

 

Definitely the best colour! By the way, thanks for all your help over FB Messenger, it's much appreciated!

 

Good work, looks tidy for 200k

 

Thanks 

[AshOHFK]

Im breaking a low mileage pd130 too if your looking for any little bits and peices, got a good subframe, but postage may be tricky


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[JakeMcC]

Im breaking a low mileage pd130 too if your looking for any little bits and peices, got a good subframe, but postage may be tricky


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Postage will probably be tricky for something that big unfortunately, I'll keep looking for one over here, there's another breakers a 40 minute drive away and they always have loads of Golfs in.

 

I'll keep you in mind though when I inevitably need more parts! Cheers 

[JakeMcC]

 

New pads and discs arrived today. Went for OEM 312mm discs and Brembo pads. Just need to wait for caliper carriers then I can fit them 

 

Also got new Meyle rear top mounts (one of the old ones was seized to the rear shock), and some high temp black paint and I'll give the edges and centres of the discs a coat of paint to inhibit rust.

 

Some more interior pieces arrived today as well, starting to get quite a collection now!

[TspencerJ]

Looks good mate, keep up the good work. Love the colour!

[JakeMcC]

Looks good mate, keep up the good work. Love the colour!

 

Thanks! 

 

Just paid for a set of calipers and carriers from a V5 170 so that should be brakes sorted. I know I just need carriers but the seller wanted £30 for carriers alone or £30 for both so the choice was easy 

[JakeMcC]

 

Got playing with the sand blaster the other day - cleaned up the carriers for the 288mm disks just for fun.

 

 

Suspension delete y0

 

Splash guards were falling off so I finished the job. Only ones I can find online were ~£23 each so I think I'll just leave them off, anyone see a problem about that?

 

 

Got the rear coilover adjusters on, sent front and rear springs off to get powdercoated last week and haven't got them back yet so that was all I could do

[patchrico]

Enjoy following the forum Anthracite threads ..... good work 

[JakeMcC]

Enjoy following the forum Anthracite threads ..... good work

Cheers!

Love your car by the way, it inspired me to get an anthracite one! Had your build thread bookmarked for ages

[patchrico]

Cheers man ..... yeah Anthracite is a great colour. 

[rainbird]

Car is looking great mate, strong work. Good to see another decent thread popping up too, keep it up.

As you've seen with my LCR, these things are great cars to learn on as they're modern enough to have a bit of tech to help diagnostics, but old enough that it's mostly still mechanical systems that are pretty straightforward to get your head around (Y)

 

Splash guards were falling off so I finished the job. Only ones I can find online were ~£23 each so I think I'll just leave them off, anyone see a problem about that?

 

They do have a tendency to deteriorate but that's largely due to the fact that they're exposed to so much crap from the roads (water, salt), brakes (pad dust, heat) etc. Bear in mind that without the guards fitted, there's no longer a physical barrier there between the brakes and the balljoints etc. Unlikely to be a major issue, at least in the short term, but probably best to have a set on there. Hang on for a second hand set/find someone breaking a car and you should be able to pick a set up for a tenner

[JakeMcC]

Car is looking great mate, strong work. Good to see another decent thread popping up too, keep it up.

As you've seen with my LCR, these things are great cars to learn on as they're modern enough to have a bit of tech to help diagnostics, but old enough that it's mostly still mechanical systems that are pretty straightforward to get your head around (Y)

 

 

They do have a tendency to deteriorate but that's largely due to the fact that they're exposed to so much crap from the roads (water, salt), brakes (pad dust, heat) etc. Bear in mind that without the guards fitted, there's no longer a physical barrier there between the brakes and the balljoints etc. Unlikely to be a major issue, at least in the short term, but probably best to have a set on there. Hang on for a second hand set/find someone breaking a car and you should be able to pick a set up for a tenner

 

Thanks for the comment Definitely great cars to learn on, I've been really surprised at the amount I've been able to learn in the past few months! It's nice having fairly simple mechanical and electrical systems, I have quite a few projects I'm working on at the minute which I haven't seen done before and with a lot of the complex systems it's surprisingly easy to integrate your own electronics (for example the clocks), it's so much nicer than having absolutely everything controlled by proprietary microcontrollers. I've also surprised myself with just how much can be done with just a laptop and a few cheap cables off the internet - everything from diagnostics to a full remap!

 

Good point on the heat from the brakes affecting the ball joints, I hadn't thought about that. I'm sure they'll be fine for a short while as you said, but I'll keep an eye out for some intact ones

[rainbird]

I had a pd150 before my LCR - remapped it on the drive prior to one of my biggest Royal Navy qualification exams and was nearly late as a result

[JakeMcC]

Bet you got there quick though

[Aaronb1985]

Lovely thread, damn good read!


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[JakeMcC]

Lovely thread, damn good read!

Thanks!

[JakeMcC]

A few more bits arrived this week, managed to get a set of black interior monitoring lights, black grab handles and one black sun visor for a fairly good price on eBay. One problem is they're from a Cupra R which doesn't seem to turn the vanity lights on when the sun visor is pulled down, so I'll need to figure something out there.



Also found a set of Anniversary pedal covers for sale, they were a massive £15 for the set but I decided to splash out I much prefer these to the TT ones I have, so if anyone's looking a set of TT pedal covers let me know, if not I'll stick them on eBay.

Also got the coilover springs back from the powdercoaters and they've done a nice job. Went to fit them but got held up by missing nuts for the rear struts (got that sorted now) and there's little point fitting the fronts yet if I'm going to drop the subframe anyway.



Speaking of subframes, I went to the other breakers and got a subframe, wishbones, and ARB together for £20, much better than the £60 for the subframe alone from the other place! Now it's just new bushes and new stretch bolts for the subframe and I can start getting things together.

[elektrikbanana]

This is coming along great mate well done

[JakeMcC]

This is coming along great mate well done

Cheers!

To add to my post above - I've been toying with the idea of the full TT setup at the front (cast wishbones, ARB, and hubs), it's just convincing myself that the extra £200ish is worth it for better handling... The BC coilovers have the attachment point for the TT drop links.

Also, does anyone have experience with poly steering rack bushes and front subframe bushes? While the subframe is off I think I may as well do all of these things.

[rainbird]

Spot on mate, looking like good progress.

 

With regards to the TT front end, I've always found it to make a significant difference. Swapped it all across on my old Leon and also more recently on a friend's Mk4 (as you may have seen in my thread on e38) and he's been really happy with the change, although we weren't able to do the rack at the time then which'd complete the package. Rack bush makes a very small difference, but is cheap so if you're in the area and the original bush looks a little old then there's no harm in throwing one in there.

 

I've not done the subframe bushes myself, though I'm keen to do them in the near future if possible as they're the only place I don't currently have polybushes - I'll likely go for solid bushes. That said, I may have another plan for that down the line.

 

I've an LCR subframe, wishbones and hubs spare in the garage that you'd be more than welcome to, but I suspect getting them across to you in NI might make life somewhat more difficult/expensive

[JakeMcC]

Spot on mate, looking like good progress.

With regards to the TT front end, I've always found it to make a significant difference. Swapped it all across on my old Leon and also more recently on a friend's Mk4 (as you may have seen in my thread on e38) and he's been really happy with the change, although we weren't able to do the rack at the time then which'd complete the package. Rack bush makes a very small difference, but is cheap so if you're in the area and the original bush looks a little old then there's no harm in throwing one in there.

Thanks!

I've been thinking about it for a while but seeing it in your thread reminded me about it, and seeing how easy it all looked to swap over kind of made my mind up, it's just the cost of the while thing which is the killer... Although doing it all now and getting an alignment done once rather than doing it at a later stage and having to get another alignment done would be cheaper!

Do you think a poly steering rack mount would feel any different to a new OEM one? I was thinking of just sticking with the standard rack just because of the cost of the quick racks, maybe some day I'll upgrade it

I've not done the subframe bushes myself, though I'm keen to do them in the near future if possible as they're the only place I don't currently have polybushes - I'll likely go for solid bushes. That said, I may have another plan for that down the line.

I would be tempted to just machine a set of solid bushes, although I'm worried about them being too harsh for a daily. Don't want to go to the effort of making them then end up chucking them out! I've heard good things about the R32 ones (which are the same as the stock LCR ones am I right?), so if they're not too expensive from the dealer I'll pick a set of those up.

I've an LCR subframe, wishbones and hubs spare in the garage that you'd be more than welcome to, but I suspect getting them across to you in NI might make life somewhat more difficult/expensive

I'll PM you about that!

[rainbird]

In all honesty, I'm not sure how much difference the steering rack bush would make as I did the whole lot together. To quote R Kelly, my mind's telling me no, but my body is telling me yes. Things were firm, but I don't think that bush alone would make a massive difference either way. If there's a little room in the budget get one in there, but if things are a little tighter sack that off and stick with the stock one 

 

If you've access to a lathe make it happen - I had hoped to do something similar whilst I had workshop access on base but deployed before I had a chance to churn a set out. Would be worth checking the sizing as I can't for the life of me remember where I got the figures from, but I've had this stowed away for bloody ages. Might be of some use to you - if it works out well sling me a set yeah?!

 

 

My longer term plans are more along these lines. A long, long way off if it ever happens though, may never take it any further.

 

[JakeMcC]

In all honesty, I'm not sure how much difference the steering rack bush would make as I did the whole lot together. To quote R Kelly, my mind's telling me no, but my body is telling me yes. Things were firm, but I don't think that bush alone would make a massive difference either way. If there's a little room in the budget get one in there, but if things are a little tighter sack that off and stick with the stock one

The budget is getting tighter and tighter the more I spend on interior parts which I don't actually need yet and I still need seats... I think I'll just pick one up, if anything it'll make a psychological difference!

If you've access to a lathe make it happen - I had hoped to do something similar whilst I had workshop access on base but deployed before I had a chance to churn a set out. Would be worth checking the sizing as I can't for the life of me remember where I got the figures from, but I've had this stowed away for bloody ages. Might be of some use to you - if it works out well sling me a set yeah?!

I have a mini lathe in the shed, it doesn't get much use, I made some solid shifter end link bushes a while ago though

I'd need to get the right sized stock, probably brass yeah? I have some nylon in the shed I could try, not sure how durable that'd be though. If I'm making some I'll make two sets and send you one - mightn't be for a while though!

YES!