Corrado Chronicle: a two year project has entered the final stretch.

[88Redroc]

Ya know, I really have to give a big shout out and "Thank You" to a lot of folks on the Tex for all the help and advice you folks have given to me in the last couple years. I have been lurking around in the background laughing at yer jokes, enduring your flames (yeah I asked a dreaded sunroof question) and even posted questions about topics I didn't search for because I was in a pinch. But I never got so stuck that one of you guys didn't come through with an answer or suggestion. Big thanks to Sr. Karmman (the 4 day bay), Burninator, Dogger, DUBZAK, crisvr6, Sdezego, eurosportgti, Redyellowwhite (the Cyprus guy) and to many others I can't think of off the top of my head!

I heeded your advice and the results speak for themselves. Thanks again ya'll!

Okay, this is my first real “build” thread. It’s also the first post of several and is gonna be the “boring” one…more words than pictures for the moment. But I have a story to tell and besides, there is a scroll bar on the right hand side of your screen and a back button in the upper left that you are more than welcome to use at anytime the narration gets to be too much of a bother.

After 29 months of work and more money spent than I care to talk about, here is where the story begins. I had a couple pictures sneak out already but this thread is the one where I finally show off my little girl.

I will preface the post by saying that the first Corrado I ever laid eyes on was in the spring of 1990, the year I graduated. I happened to be at the local VW dealership with my old man who was collecting his 86 Golf diesel from the maintenance department for its second heater core recall (the car later became mine as a belated graduation present and is, to this day, the most dependable vehicle I have ever owned). Anyhow as we walked around to the storage yard to get my Dad’s car we just happened to catch a Tornado Red G60 being backed out of a service bay. Some skinny kid was prepping the car for display on the show room floor. I just had to see what this thing was. I was a causal car guy back then. No time or money to invest in vehicles. But what I do remember thinking is that VW had really stepped out of their boxy little rut and took a bold step forward. The Corrado was a curvy, stylish little coupe…and then we saw the sticker price. My Dad and I shook our heads and wished the kid (and VW) luck. What a shame. It really was a sexy little car. I never saw many on the road--the south east isn’t exactly a hot bed of VW enthusiasm—so the little Corrado became a dim and faded memory.

Jump ahead to late fall 2004. I am six years on the other side of a divorce. I am living in a newly renovated home which I had completed earlier in the year and I am itching for a project. I think of all the things I liked about my relationship with my ex-wife and my thoughts go back to her little faded Tornado Pink Scirocco. As much trouble as that car gave us (coolant leaks, failing master cylinder, dodgy second gear, etc.) the one thing I remember most was how damn fun that thing was to drive. So I cruise the web and search Ebay and find a perfect little 1988 16V Scirocco to fix up. It’s about 4 hours away in a VW shop in Jacksonville Florida. So I rent a tow dolly, take my current girlfriend’s son along for the ride and we pick up this:



Two years later (also more money than I care to talk about) I transformed her into this:



My first “restoration”. I was proud of her like a new dad. There were a lot of “upgrades” that I look back on as questionable though. You see I took a lot of advice from younger fella’s on the Tex. I installed heavy duty shocks with lowering springs and a big throaty exhaust. I got a Momo steering wheel and upgraded to a heavy front sway bar. Granted she took off like a scalded cat and handled like she was on rails, but the ride was loud and harsh and as a daily driver there was a lot to be desired. After a 12 hour shift at the plant, with my head still buzzing with the sounds of heavy equipment and alarms, the Scirocco was more of a chore to drive than a pleasure.

Still for a weekend runner I couldn’t knock her. But after a couple years of driving the little Red Rocco around my mind started to think “what would my next project be?” The work I did with the Scirocco boosted my confidence. I was hungry for another challenge. That’s when I thought of the kid detailing that shiny new Corrado on the dealer lot.

That’s when I decided: my next project car was going to be a Corrado.

The hunt was on. For months I scoured the net. Watched the classifieds on the Tex and I waited. Finally I found a prospect--a Tornado Red Corrado G60 came up for auction on Ebay. It looked good and was close to home (two hours away in North Carolina). I bid the most I was willing to pay on the first day and I waited. For a solid week I was “Currently the highest bidder”. At any moment I was certain that I would be knocked off my perch, but as the auction counted down to the last day…she was mine! So my girlfriend and I took a trip to NC and retrieved my prize. The car was in a little worse shape than the Ebay pictures let on however. Mechanically she was sound. She started right up, shifted into each gear smoothly and the A/C actually worked. All the major mechanicals were in good order. (The bells, whistles and electronics were a different story however). The really bad part though was the body. The entire passenger side had been hit with a glancing blow by a police car—at least that’s the story given by the owner. Needless to say, the body was going to be a LOT of work. But I took her home and this is how she looked when I backed her into the driveway:







Soon after the process of stripping, photographing, bagging/boxing and storing parts began. I was already looking at a pretty long shopping list. The most worrisome was the body work. It really was worse than I had first thought and after a visit from my friend who did the body work on my Scirocco I knew that my best bet was to find a donor car that I could rob parts from. That's when fate stepped in and I picked up a second C from a Texer in Virginia. This is my "donor" car, and as it later turned out would actually be the foundation from which I based my entire rebuild:

[88Redroc]

Okay here is the next part of the Corrado's restoration. A collection of pictures that span the better part of 2008 and most of 2009. Last year was a scary year job wise and progress on the C slowed to a crawl. Most work was on the cleaning and refinishing of parts (body/interior/mechanical). There were a few compromises here and there. Old parts I wish I could have replaced, new parts I wish I could have gotten better, but in the long run waiting or saving up would have stretched the build deep into 2010 and 2011 and I just didn't want that much time dedicated to the project, especially with the possibility of a plant closing lurking around in the shadows. My target was my birthday, July 2010.

After gutting the donor car I realized what I had on my hands. A slightly dinged up C with an arrow straight body, only two small rust spots and a hand full of shallow dents, none of which broke the paint and were mostly "cosmetic". The stock paint was a tragedy however. Any clear coat on the upper surfaces (roof, hood, fenders) was gone. The color was gorgeous however in the places where the clear was still intact. So I decided I would have a go at prepping the body myself this time.

[88Redroc]

In the fall of 2009 with money tight and a driveway full of vehicles I decided that the only way to finish my C was to sell my Scirocco. I was torn about it, but I listed it on the Tex hoping someone who could appreciate her would be interested. And after a few weeks an interested VW enthusiast responded. Several correspondences and phone calls later we arranged for a pick-up and money exchange and I waved goodbye to my little Red Roc on December 15, 2009 (I only shed a single tear and it's because it was just plain cold out...at least that's the story I'm sticking too dammit).

Now the race was on. With the body prepped and my storage shed filled with freshly refinished parts I sent the car out to be painted. When she came out of the paint booth, this is how she looked:

[88Redroc]

Now begins the actual "rebuild" phase of my Corrado project. Parts come out of boxes and are re-installed, tested and tweaked when possible.

Donor and freshly painted patient face off for the first time:



Work begins ass-end forwards. The biggest headache is fitting all that crap into the rear hatch...only an evil genius could possibly squeeze so much junk into such a small area.







Next comes the interior. All new sound padding and a layer of eDead (dynamat alternative) on large areas of sheet metal. All electrical wiring has also been stripped of old outer wrap, tested for continuity, re-wrapped and reinstalled at this point.

[88Redroc]

Interior panels are pulled out of the attic and taken apart now to be reinforced with fiberglass resin and refitted with new padding in place of old foam. Since my intentions are to re-cover the seats in a combination of black fabric on black vinyl, I decided to dye the faded red-dot interior panels black to keep the black on black theme going on the inside.



















Oh and the old kick panel cubby holes for the since-removed auto trans and ABS control units makes an awesome hiding place for the front speaker crossovers!

[88Redroc]

The time frame now is late May 2010. My orginal Corrado has been gutted of all her vital organs and is merely an empty, battered shell. My last insult to her was when I was forced to smash the front windshield (it was already cracked when I bought her) to scavenge the trim pieces.



I do keep her one good fender and rear hatch though. I also manage to sell the driver side door to a neighbor of mine who himself has recently picked up a 1992 VR6 Corrado. All because he has been watching me work on my car for the last two years! The little Red Corrado has sadly been sold for scrap metal since and the funds used to continue the work on her sister. Her sacrifice was not in vain!

[88Redroc]

Now we are nearing the end. It is early June. The body, interior and (hopefully) the electrical systems are sorted out. Now comes the heavy metal--the motor and trans.



The transmission was in excellent working order so I drained her of gear oil, cleaned the casing and set her aside with a fresh fill of Mobil gear oil. But now I am faced with a dilemma with the power plant. I actually have two motors. The one that came with the Red Corrado is in good working order and put together. Compression is excellent in all cylinders (145+) and she ran very well before being dismantled. I have another motor from the donor car that I have torn down and is waiting for a rebuild, but time to my target its running short. I decide to replace all the seals in the original motor for the time being and clean it up. The charger has also been sent off and returned from a BBM rebuild and is in a box in my office. So The motor assembly begins.







The motor is in!!! It is early July. I am not gonna make my birthday target, but it will be close. I have been meticulous about storing parts so boxes come out and parts go on in quick order.

[88Redroc]

Here are a few shots of the other mechanicals that went in earlier in the build.

[deadcaddy]

nice thread man. Looks like it is coming along nicely. I'm kinda on the fence about the darkened red dot. I kinda like it and kinda don't, depending on which picture.

[88Redroc]

This is the final stretch. With most of the major mechanicals locked down. Brakes and clutch bled. Electricity seems to be present at all the right places, new battery... Early morning August 1 2010, the first attempt to start her. My step son is behind the wheel. I have reminded him that if it doesn't start it's all his fault. He turns the key, the starter spins up and...nothing. Okay. I scratch my head. Pull out the Bentley and review my notes. Everything is in order. So I loosen the distributor bolt, turn it slightly to the right and have my step son try it again. And this time...she starts! I turn the distributor a little more and she settles right in. She idles perfect. To good in fact. So good that I am scared.



Now it's a mad scramble. Where are the leaks gonna show up? What's the oil/coolant temperature? Is the radiator fan gonna kick in? To many things to go wrong at this point to ruin many months of work. But she doesn't overheat. She doesn't loose oil pressure, she just sits there idling and purring the radiator fan cycling on and off just like it should. Here she is just a week ago. Not long after her first start up and test drive around the neighborhood.

[NoCYet]

Very nice! I'm liking how you still see the red dot through the black. Is that Bourdeax Pearl C3Y?

[88Redroc]

Yes, Bordeaux Red Pearl. Colors are all a matter of personal taste, but to my eye it is one of the best colors that the C came in. I got lucky to find her. Otherwise I had a couple other colors in mind. Mostly in the red family including one I had seen on the new Scirocco called Salsa Red. I think it's on other models as well, but I saw it on the Scirocco and thought it fit the shape of it and would probably translate to the C well. It was a top contender all the way up until I sent her off for paint.

[sdezego]

Very nice work!!

[NoCYet]

Yes, Bordeaux Red Pearl. Colors are all a matter of personal taste, but to my eye it is one of the best colors that the C came in. I got lucky to find her. Otherwise I had a couple other colors in mind. Mostly in the red family including one I had seen on the new Scirocco called Salsa Red. I think it's on other models as well, but I saw it on the Scirocco and thought it fit the shape of it and would probably translate to the C well. It was a top contender all the way up until I sent her off for paint.

I ask because it's very close in appearance to one of my final two color options LE3P Red Mica Pearl. The other is Sherry Red Pearl C2U. I'm still on the fence.

[chrisd1891]

Clean. I could eat off of it.

[Sr. Karmann]

Nice quality build David

Car looks amazing

[88Redroc]

NoCYet both colors you have are very nice too. I don't think you can go wrong with either!

Thanks Chad! I told ya I'd throw up a build thread.

[Sr. Karmann]

Thanks Chad! I told ya I'd throw up a build thread.

Finally ...............

[dogger]

Very clean!

Rear quarter speakers are my only complaint and a huge one at that.

[88Redroc]

Very nice work!!

Thanks sdezego!

[88Redroc]

Very clean!

Rear quarter speakers are my only complaint and a huge one at that.

Yeah, it was actually a harder decision to tear into them than you might think. The original car had a burn/tear in the passenger side card fabric that I couldn't repair. The donor car had a grey interior so little to no interior pieces were of any use to me--worse than that the sunroof on the donor car had a piece of ply board over the sunroof hole, so much of the fabric/press board in the car was green with mold. Second, the 6.5 inch infinity speakers were actually in the original car and with my tight budget I wasn't gonna toss them... So I compromised (one of many) and hand cut and covered the speaker frames and integrated them into the rear panels. I tried to be as tasteful as possible.

If it helps any, they sound great!

[Krazee]

Looks like you built yourself a brand new G60.

Looks fabulous.

[88Redroc]

Looks like you built yourself a brand new G60.

Looks fabulous.

Thank you. It's the closest I will come to actually owning a new Corrado in my life time. .

[SlowVRT]

[sdezego]

I failed to mention that I liked the SII as well. Corrado is the natural progression from the Scirocco

...mine from waaaay back in the day.

[EnIgMa '06]

Wow. That is simply impressive.

Where the heck did you get the new sound deadening? It looks like OEM VW stuff!

[Noobercorn]

Wow. That is simply impressive.

Where the heck did you get the new sound deadening? It looks like OEM VW stuff!

home depot

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthrea...1#post56054737

[DUBZAK]

Very clean work sir. I applaud you.

[Sr. Karmann]

Thank you. It's the closest I will come to actually owning a new Corrado in my life time. .

You haven't heard about the new Corrado?

[88Redroc]

I failed to mention that I liked the SII as well. Corrado is the natural progression from the Scirocco

...mine from waaaay back in the day.

Oh yeah man, that ride you had there is sweet! The Scirocco II was a very cool car, the Corrado was a pretty big jump technically, esp the VR6. I would love to get my hands on the wheel of a new Scirocco though with it's turbo 2.0 ltr. Scirocco was a worthy nameplate to bring back and to be honest VW could easily alternate the Corrado and Scirocco name between future generations of the sport coupe and it wouldn't bother me a bit.

[88Redroc]

[QUOTE=Sr. Karmann;67004688]You haven't heard about the new Corrado?

. Yeah man, I am holding onto my shares of Enron stocks so I can sell them off and pay for the new C in cold hard cash!

[Sr. Karmann]

. Yeah man, I am holding onto my shares of Enron stocks so I can sell them off and pay for the new C in cold hard cash!

[88Redroc]

Wow. That is simply impressive.

Where the heck did you get the new sound deadening? It looks like OEM VW stuff!

Well, you can go with the roofing material in rolls at Home De-Pot as a panel deadener, but I picked up a roll of material from a place called Elemental Designs (http://www.edesignaudio.com/index.php). If you are patient and sign up for their news letter they will run specials from time to time on their products. I picked up 80sq ft for about $85 dollars shipped. It covered the doors, floors, roof, firewall and some of the trunk. You don't have to cover every square inch of sheet metal, it won't absorb sound, just keep it from resonating on metal panels. The real sound deadener came from a home brew composite of three layers of material. A layer of 1/4 inch carpet jute, 1/2 inch of closed cell foam and a top layer of 1/8 inch thick mass loaded vinyl. All are available from differnt sources on the net. Shop around for the best deal and use your stock pads as templates. All three layers are bonded together with heavy duty 3M 90 spray adhesive. When I have access to a better computer (at work at the moment) I will send you a image of what the "pad" looks like in a cut-away. By far the hardest pad to recreate was the fire wall blanket. What a mess of holes and splits and curves!

[Sr. Karmann]

(at work at the moment)

Youz a crazy werkin ninja

[RedYellowWhite]

Wow, awesome build thread man
Really like that colour (stands out from the usual red/black/white etc) and that is really a very clean, tidy, like new G60 you have build

Mad props on your skillz

...Big thanks to Sr. Karmman (the 4 day bay), Burninator, Dogger, DUBZAK, crisvr6, Sdezego, eurosportgti, Redyellowwhite (the Cyprus guy) and to many others I can't think of off the top of my head!

I heeded your advice and the results speak for themselves. Thanks again ya'll! [/B][/I]

Oh, and LOL'd ^^