I almost hate this car. A project thread. [I have 56k, hope you don't..]

[ModernDayThorns]

So I bought this car in April of 08.
I've been honored to have this car. I love it so much.
I almost hate it too, it's got a lot of strange things with it.
So far I haven't changed much since I bought it.

One of the previous owners has painted it the weird gray that it is. I've found parts on it that are all different colors. black fenders, red quarter panel. But when the grey chips off it chips nugget yellow mostly. Phil and a few others have seen what I'm talking about.
I want to do a lot of body work and spray it nugget yellow again.

The biggest problem I've run into is the half done 5x100 swap. It has hybrid axles and since the axles like to break, I'm switching back to 4x100. This has been my battle since April 09.
So now, January 2010 is here and I'm making it a point to get this thing driveable. Even though it's freezing cold out. Let's see where this goes.

I really don't like the 17 inch wheels that are up there, so I'm trying to get away from them.
You can go way lower with 15 inch wheels.

I've run into a few minor problems. I've found rust in the rear passenger wheel well. Which led to a fried seatbelt relays and a burning smell in the car for 2 months, even though I removed the relay and covered the hole that day.

Also the passenger window would short and roll down when you opened the door all the way. It would blow a fuse and the window would be stuck open. I fixed that, it was an exposed with that shorted out.

So, now that I really think about it, I'm sorta tired of fixing things on it all the time. And due to school I didn't have time to drive it and fix it. I'm gonna do better with it.
I have to go for now, I'll write more later, I'll be thinking of all the problems it has while I drive my moms Mazda Tribute..

*
**
*

So, while driving the Mazda, it's a real sailboat by the way.. =/
I remembered a lot of problems my Corrado has.
I'm sure this list will grow when I begin working on the car again.

- One of the wheels are cracked and bent. Instead of repairing wheels I don't really like, I've decided to go to 4 lug and get away from 17 inch wheels at the same time. Two birds, one stone.

- Oil Pressure sensor is bad, leaks oil and makes the car sound like an alarm clock at low driving speeds sometimes. *beep beep beep beep*
Easy fix, just haven't felt like doing it.

- Sunroof is broken. It tilts but doesn't roll back. It'll roll straight back though. Who has a working sunroof anyway?..

- The spoiler doesn't work. I'll just leave it up until I find another motor.

- NA Seatbelts suck, so one of the previous owners removed them and installed Simpson Racing harnessed. They're a pain in the butt.

- The fogs are blown. I have SLC fogs but no turns yet. I'll be switching over to SLC fogs and turns hopefully.
I want to HID them.
I may shave the bumper when it gets paint and body work.
Who knows.

- Stock wipers suck, I'm putting a scirocco mono wiper in there.

- NA headlights are broken and you can't adjust them. As if NA headlights alone weren't bad enough...

It looked like this when I bought it. It's just a bit lower in this pic and I spray painted the ugly cracked fogs.

These are the wheels that I'll be running. They're 15x8 ET0.
It's a really bad pic, but we'll see what it looks like when I'm finished.



Modified by ModernDayThorns at 10:36 PM 1-1-2010

[VpfinnersW]

Josh, we all know these cars are a pain in the ass, but it looks like you're keeping a positive and optimistic attitude.

Can't wait to see the corrado back in its prior nugget yellow glory. Goodluck with the rest of your electrical issues and 4 x100 axle swap

[ModernDayThorns]

Well, you saw the results of wire nesting season on the mk2 Jetta I got from Robert.
He got tired of it and pretty much gave it to me.
I look at the Corrado as off the showroom fresh compared to that.
That Jetta still isn't running by the way. I'm rather frustrated with that car.

There's just more cost involved with the Corrado.
The local parts stores wanted $100 each for rotors.
Crazy stuff, I'm just trying to take things slow and jump on deals as I see them.
And that's the cheapest I found them.
If I end up paying retail for stuff, I'm going OEM bestpricecarparts.com and such for parts.

The reason the Corrado is still down is because my Golf always needs something.
So I try to keep a good cash reserve for it.
The paper mill, which is a major source of income to the people in my town, will soon be closing.
So, I don't know how much longer my job will last.
I'm trying to keep some money on hand to float on if I have to.

I'm waiting to have everything in place to buy everything at once to get it rolling.
So, if the Golf goes down I can drive the Corrado, instead of having parts I can't use.

I miss my Corrado though.

I have most of the stuff I need for the 4x100 swap. I have the balljoints, knuckles and all of that, I have the axles.
All I need now are 4x100 rotors, lugbolts, spacers and tires.
So I'm about $500 away I'd say. Not too bad.

A local guy, Eric, has agreed to help me pull my fenders and paint it.
I'm stoked, all his cars are awesome!

I'm gonna edit my post and list the problems my car has as of now.
I like to write out what's the matter and mark them off as I go to see my progress.
It keeps me encouraged.


Modified by ModernDayThorns at 10:18 PM 1-1-2010

[ModernDayThorns]

Yeah, I have 56k, I feel sorry for you if you do also..
Here are pics from when I first started with it building up to the last time I drove it.
Not a whole lot has changed.

Bay shots.

I wanted my car to look sorta like this car at one point.. Don't really know why. Corrado's are naturally beautiful.

So, I got an RS bumper..

Doesn't look quite right, it looks nose heavy..

I got sideskirts off a very common non VW car from 1990.
Does anyone remember what it was?

I ended up hitting a aminal and sliding off the road.
Stupid deer.
The bumper got smashed.

I'd say it's a good thing it got smashed..

Snow!!

More..

Some polishing. I hope to get around to the valve cover and other things also.

And a few more, this is how it was before it stopped driving it.

And, how it sits now. Minus the cover..



Modified by ModernDayThorns at 2:13 AM 1-2-2010

[zylinderkopf]

you should use some more lug bolts on those wheels.....

[RedYellowWhite]

Quote, originally posted by ModernDayThorns »

Some polishing. I hope to get around to the valve cover and other things also. Modified by ModernDayThorns at 2:13 AM 1-2-2010

Looks really good
What procedure/products did u use for polishing? I want to try that also...

[1broknrado]

i kinda like those white rims. more specs on those

[ModernDayThorns]

Quote, originally posted by zylinderkopf »

you should use some more lug bolts on those wheels.....

Just a test fit with all the 5x100 stuff still on.
The tires are 205-50R15, I'm gonna be running 195-45R15 if everything goes as planned. The locals want me to run 165-50R15.
Who knows what I'll do at this point.

Quote, originally posted by RedYellowWhite »

Looks really good What procedure/products did u use for polishing? I want to try that also...

Thanks! I sanded with 400 grit, then 600, 800, 1,000. I buffed it off with some Turtle Wax rubbing compound. I then sanded some more with 1,000. I was planning to keep taking the sanding up until I got to 2,000 grit. But, I was happy with the way it looked at 1,000. I buffed it with the rubbing compound and then followed that by Mothers aluminum polish.
You have to sand with 2,000 grit if you really want to see your face in it clearly.

Quote, originally posted by 1broknrado »

i kinda like those white rims. more specs on those

Thank you! Everyone else seems to hate them being white at all.
I'm going to colormatch the faces and leave the lips white.
The specs are 15x8 ET0 all the way around.

[TheBurninator]

what size tires are you running?

[1broknrado]

i would buy those from you lol. black face and polished lips would look great. almost like a borbet looking wheel.

[dpgreek]

Quote, originally posted by ModernDayThorns »

I almost hate it too, it's got a lot of strange things with it.

I feel your pain

[DougLoBue]

How do you post all those pictures with 56k????

If you have enough patience for that, you have enough patience to finish that car : )

best of luck man!

>Buy a wifi adapter and mooch off your neighbors!

also IMO stock bumper FTW

hows the G60 holding up? Do you have maintenance records on it?


Modified by DougLoBue at 1:26 PM 1-4-2010

[ModernDayThorns]

Quote, originally posted by TheBurninator »

what size tires are you running?

On the 17" wheels I have 205-40R17
The 15x8 white wheels have 205-50R15 on them.
They will probably get 195-45R15.

Quote, originally posted by 1broknrado »

i would buy those from you lol. black face and polished lips would look great. almost like a borbet looking wheel.

Well, these wheels are strange. They were painted a weird red color.
I stripped them expecting to find all aluminum wheel.
Nopee, the lips are steel and have been chromed.
The centers however are aluminum and chromed also.

Quote, originally posted by DougLoBue »

How do you post all those pictures with 56k???? If you have enough patience for that, you have enough patience to finish that car : ) best of luck man! >Buy a wifi adapter and mooch off your neighbors! also IMO stock bumper FTW hows the G60 holding up? Do you have maintenance records on it? Modified by DougLoBue at 1:26 PM 1-4-2010

I post them and just leave and wait for it to load.
I'm very patient, and I will have this car running when finances meet time.
The reason it's sat so long is because I'm not trying to break the bank.
It needs tires on the seventeens, an alignment, inspection a new CV axle and some other things.
The tires and mounting are gonna be more for the seventeens to pass inspection. It needs an aligment because of work I've done to it and after I do the CV joints. The CV axles have to be taken apart due to the hybrid axles of the 5 lug swap. It has VR6 outer CV joints and G60 shafts and inner joints. It's rather annoying to have to replace them. So, I figure I'll save myself time and money in the longrun by switching it to 4 lug again. So, doing things the way I'm doing them is really going to save me trouble in the long run. And doing it all at once will save me from spending more money than I have to.
I'm just waiting on the right stuff for the right price.
I don't want to do things halfway with this car. So, if it has to sit for everything to be done right, fine by me.

I live in the middle of no where. Highspeed internet and cable are not available to me.

Stock bumpers are great, I like them. I don't know why I wanted a bodykit to begin with.

The G60 charger is holding up very well. It was said by one of the previous owners to be rebuilt by a professional. It's boosting about 8-11 PSI I think when I last drove it.
I don't think I have the receipt for the charger rebuild.

[TheBurninator]

Quote, originally posted by ModernDayThorns »

On the 17" wheels I have 205-40R17 The 15x8 white wheels have 205-50R15 on them. They will probably get 195-45R15.

You should go for the 195/45's they won't be as balloony and will rub alot less

[DUBZAK]

x2 on the 195's.......
and those are ford taurus side skirts.

[ModernDayThorns]

Quote, originally posted by DUBZAK »

x2 on the 195's....... and those are ford taurus side skirts.

Yep Yep!!

I'm going for atleast 195's, if not 165's as said earlier.

[ModernDayThorns]

Update!


I sorta lost focus for a bit. And the Vortex has been having their non user friendly moments.
I bought a B3 wagon, but I had to do a bit of work to get it.
I parted a B3 Sedan for a family and did some work for them to help prepare for their cross country move.
It was fun and I made some friends. It wasn't all that easy, the drive one way was an hour.
I don't even know how many trips I made.

I got a ton of parts with the B3. Stuff that couldn't go to California went to my house.
Mk1, Mk3, B3 parts.

I was also given a mk2 parts car from one of my other friends in exchange for some work I did for him.

So, maybe I did lose focus a ton. But I'm back on track now.

I got some things done since I started this thread.
Nothing major. I installed new rotors, new balljoints, new tierod ends, new bearings, knuckles and the mono wiper.
The car is sitting on some Sebrings. Things are coming together.

I have a moonroof, Passat dual fans, and many other parts for my Corrado. My parts collection has grown in the past week a whole lot.



My next project.. The B3 VR6. I've always wanted a wagon.



Everyone seems to think if I had less cars, I'd be able to get more done.
That's not true, I'd be just as slow as I am now.

[Noobercorn]

car looks good bro, keep up the good work. honestly tho, does 56k still exist? lol, i am asking for real.

[wed3k]

so you did use rubbing compound? i just sand to 2k and then a metal polish.

[pug_nasty]

B3 do want!
Polish job looks great...gotta try that.

[g6raddo]

i trhink it looks good im diggn the color but if i were you i would take that vr6 out of the passit and put it in the raddo. and those whhels are styly too. you got somethin rolll with it...

[ModernDayThorns]

Thanks!

Yeahhh, 56k does still exist. I get all excited and start smiling when I use anything that loads a google image search faster than a minute.
I live out in the country, man. We don't have any fancy broadband or cable.
I'm happy my cell phone gets service. But don't expect yours to work unless you have Verizon also.

I use rubbing compound because I like it. It's just the way I choose to do it.

Yeahh, I've always wanted a B3. You should try the polishing. It makes the bay look so much better.

The Passat is keeping the VR6. Unless I find a 1.9 TDI swap for it.
The wagon is gonna be the beach ride while I restore my 4 door Mk2.

I've been debating on doing a nice full paint job in gray similar to this one, or just spray it the original yellow. I'm still undecided and a ways off from paint. I still have to make these wheels fit.
I went and picked up more parts yesterday. Some Girling 54's were in the shed. Thanks Oscar!
I'm gonna grind them down and paint them so that the 15x8 wheels will fit.

Here are the wheels painted. I don't really like them like this. What do you guys think?

[ModernDayThorns]

Yesterday was one of my project work days.
I put the finishing touches on the mono wiper. I had to cut the cowl panel to get the arm to clear, but I don't really care.
I installed the B3 moonroof. I used the motor from my Corrado sunroof.
It was fun.
I still use 35mm if you know what that is. My mom had the digital camera and was gone part of the day. So the pics are after the interior was taken apart.


Pics of the moonroof install.












I wish I would've thought to redo the headliner before I took it out. Oh well, my interior sucks anyway.




I'm not entirely happy with the moonroof fitment. I have one from a A3 GTI as well, I don't think it'll fit any better.

[ModernDayThorns]

I just realized I have an extra headliner.
I have to figure out what I'm gonna do with it. What kind of fabric and pattern..

[ModernDayThorns]

Everytime I do something to this car, I realize just how much fail it has.
Rear coils are stuck.
Hopefully PB Blaster will make them wanna go down. I want them down another inch.
I'm still not driving this failbox either.

The unknown wheels should be getting blasted and painted with real paint from a gun soon.
I can't decided on a color for the wheels. Well, I can't decide on a color for the car either.
I think the car will remain gray. I'm wishy washy sometimes. But yellow screams "Give me a ticket!!" around here.

[ModernDayThorns]

I worked on the car some more today.
I actually drove it!!!

I tried to get the car tracking straight. It needs an alignment pretty bad. The wheels were pointing outward in I pointed them as straight as I could. They're probably pointing inward a little. Camber's pretty even. The car still pulls to the left, though.

I installed a mk4 antenna and got rid of the broken stock antenna. I'm pretty surprised how well it works. I live in the middle of no where and it picks up stations just fine. I don't listen to the radio anyhow. A plea for Purging, As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red, Demon Hunter and My Children My Bride gets pumped out of my ipod all day long. =]

[ModernDayThorns]

I haven't had much time to do anything to this car lately. I just look at it everytime I hop in the mk2 to go to work.

I made some blanks to shave the sidemarker with. I'll panel bond them in and then use filler to make it even. They fit pretty flush. There will be less than 1/8th of an inch to fill.
I may do the whole soldering iron and weld them in to be on the safe side too.

Here's a pic of the sidemarker, the stencil I used to mark on my plastic and the cutout filler.




I just went out to the car with a piece of paper and rubbed a pencil around the edges of the light hole to mark the size of it.
I cut out the stencil from that outline and then cut my plastic.
Next I test fitted my plastic to the hole in the bumper. It was too big. So, I trimmed it until I could fit it in. Then I sanded all the rough edges off and it's ready to be grafted into the bumper.
Maybe someone will find some of this junk useful.

[ModernDayThorns]

I'm driving this thing again.
I have to find some SLC turns and paint the 15x8 wheels.

Paint is next on the list.

[ModernDayThorns]

I've been daily driving my Corrado. It's been a blast driving it. I started a new job about a month ago working for Lowe's.
My first week working there I passed a state trooper sitting on the side of my road. He was sitting where one of our old country stores used to be, running radar. I was doing the speed limit, and the truck ahead of me had to be doing about 70 in a 55.
I passed the cop, and made my turn down the backroad I normally take to go into the city where I work.
I'm driving like I normally do. Driving the speedlimit and not slowing down for curves much at all. Next thing I know, I see the cop behind me. He's doing his best to keep up with me, so I started slowing down for the curves so I'd look like a normal person and he wouldn't say I'm driving recklessly.
I made a turn onto another road and he kept following me. Now he's coming up closer to me and starting to ride my bumper (I felt like brake checking him and letting him rearend me) he was following way too close.
So, I make my next turn and the blue lights go on and I pull over.
He comes up and asks for my license and registration and where I lived. He goes back to his car and takes forever to write my tickets out.
He finally comes out to my car and says "Do you know why I stopped you?" I said, "No sir, I don't know." His reply was, "Well when you went past me at the store back there, I saw that your car was extremely low. Then I heard you have aftermarket exhaust, that's illegal in the state of Virginia. When I got behind you I saw that your inspection's expired." I tried to say something about how I hadn't driven my car in forever and just started driving it, and I was cut off. "Your tickets are for illegal exhaust and expired inspection. You can change your exhaust and the judge may throw it out or just pay the ticket. I see that your car is set up for offroad racing use or whatever. You guys normally like to keep your exhaust."
After all of this, I replied, "I'll fix the exhaust, thank you, sir."
Then he said, "Since your inspection expired nearly 2 years ago, I don't know what the judge will do about that."
I tried telling him about how I just started driving the car again and he said it's not really his problem.
I said, "Okay, that's fine. Thank you." and I left. He followed me for the next 15 minutes into town.

When I got off work, I went and got my car inspected. It passed with flying colors and comments of how nice my mono wiper is.

Thanks to this ticket I've been saving my money to pay for any fines in case I lose in court.

I had a resonator installed yesterday by a reputable shop yesterday.
And you know what? The car sounds exactly how it sounded ever since I first bought it.
Atleast I have some paper to prove that I "fixed" my exhaust "problem" in court.

In other news, we had a white Christmas in my part of Virginia. I used my front lip as a snowplow.
So, my car's in winter mode with 4x4 status suspension and stock Sebrings so I can Ken Block it over all the bumps of snow and ice.

[ModernDayThorns]

Today's a wet cold day. The mileage on the odo right now is 201,080.
I went out and changed my oil. I put some Valvoline 10w 30 with K&N oil filter.
That should give me 5 extra horsepower, right?

Next is to figure out where to install my backup camera and monitor without it being noticeable.
It's hard to see out of the rear window at night sometimes when I'm backing down my driveway.
I think prepping the car for paint would be much more fun, though...

[VvirginW]

Budget Building at its finest lololol

[ModernDayThorns]

That's for sure. It's my car, I build it up at my own pace.
It'll all come together eventualy. I'm in no rush with this car.

[jarski]

August Burns Red

I heart this band

Great car too, wish I had one. Not yours, a different one.

[ModernDayThorns]

August Burns Red is so beast. I caught one of their shows this past spring. They're killer live.

Haha, you don't want my car, for sure. Haha. It's getting there, though. The Corrado is a fun car to drive and to own.
I'm happy that I own one. I just need to get rid of a few of my cars so I can really have fun.

[ModernDayThorns]

I won my court case for my exhaust ticket. The judge still made me pay court cost. But it's better than paying the full ticket.

-HIDs are going in soon.

-Coils are going down.

-Wheels are being prepped for paint.

I hate this car a whole lot less.