106 GTi Track build - Breaking.
 

Hi all.



Been a while since I have done a thread on here!



A few things have happened over time since my China Blue 106 GTI build which having a baby and moving out forced me to sell.









I then bought back my old 53 plate VTR that some of you may remember and started a track build on this. Which then I also sold to fund a work van.











I then just had a couple of BMWs to drive between me and the Mrs daily.









I then split from the Mrs and decided that 2 BMWs wasn't much fun. So I decided to sell the E46 and buy a Golf GTI MK5 to track.







I then drove a friends 106 and instantly put the Golf up on the market too fund a 106. got offered a few 106 to swap with but then I got offered a swap for this...























1998 Blaze Yellow 106 GTI track car (may be recognised by some)



The spec I was sent

it's got a jp4 ported polished head with Newman ph3 cams

Unkown 421 manifold

Battery relocated to boot

Just did respray in engine bay

just had all new front suspension

2x lower arms

bilsten front shocks with stiffend standard height springs

new top mounts

new drop links

1 new drive shaft

Got a satchel engineering short shift very short throw

Had reckon beam about 6 months ago

just before I got it and had all welding done to car that it needs

I could keep going on but just thought I would tell you stuff you can't see as pics say allot and it needs a map to finish car off but all good for track just likes to stall at traffic lights because of cams and polished head



So I went for the swap, wasn't keen on the Blaze Yellow but had all the mods I wanted for a track toy etc.



When I went to meet the guy - Nick, to do the swap I must say is wasn't the cleanest at all and was a bit of a mess inside and out. The seats and harnesses needed to go straight away. But me just wanting a 106 like ASAP went for it.



Got it home and drove it about for a bit. All seemed ok.



First thing was to lose the seats and harnesses. Luckily my mates 106 is off the road at this point! So I borrowed his







Then had a nasty problem with lights doing what ever they wanted and battery dying. Firstly thought it was a battery issue, had a good spare 063 in the garage so put this on. Cured it for a day before dying again. Did some more checks, seems the alternator wasn't charging so a new belt was ordered. When fitting the new belt I could see that the tensioner bolt was missing. So chucked a spare on from the garage. Cured I thought! Nope, lights still dodgy. Earthing issue. So I checked all the wiring to the battery, there was 2 earth cables? One from battery to chassis and then another from battery all the way to gearbox. So I got rid of that and just went from box to chassis and cleaned the earth points, as someone had just fixed them to paint. Then looked at more of the loom in the bay, seems that someone had cut an earth and just taped it together!!

So I fixed that issue, Finally all the electrics were sorted



Never had a handbrake cable as they were "snapped". So I got a pair in from work, top then realise that someone had just laced on so much stone chip it had clogged the handbrake cables. Anyway cheap and easy fix.

Then I really wasn't happy about the "stiffend standard height springs". Which I knew that they were just standard springs. So I took a set of lowered springs off of a saxo I was breaking, until I bought some coilovers. So I started to strip down the front struts to fit the springs. Firstly I found a calliper slider bolt snapped and the other stripped thread! GREAT!!! As I have millions of spares I got that sorted. Upon removing my "bilsten front shocks" I found out they were GMAXX (I guess both being yellow it's an easy mistake to make?) So that was something else to change in the near future! (although the rear are Group N Tarmac shocks) Anyway, got it all back together and on the floor.







Bought some Bilstein Group N shocks on Facebook (one arrived broken) and lost my case on PayPal. So Now have 3 Group N shocks!



I finally enjoyed the car and went down to Cheddar Gorge for a blast, on the way back through the lanes I heard a nasty rattling and noticed the brakes felt very funny. Oil cooler line had perished and gone over tyres and brakes. This had to happen in a very dark lane and knew my Breakdown cover wouldn't find me, and that it was less than a mile to the nearest main road. I had to send it!











Got it recovered home, bought a new oil cooler and braided lines, discs and pads, oil, oil filter and cleaned everything up. Stripped the rockers and the sump just to make sure nothing was too damaged, all looked ok! So fired her up and a bit of a nasty rattle at first that slowly calmed down and became quiet again PHEW!!









Whilst it was off the road for a bit I wanted to get rid of the sunroof and blank it. Sadly, whilst doing this I had left the car with no sunroof in it over the weekend and a massive gazebo over it. Went and stayed at my mums for the weekend. Had a lovely rain storm and terrible winds. Came back home to find the gazebo had collapsed and turned my 106 into a swimming pool, And scratching panels all over. At this point I wasn't actually too fussed as I was never happy with the colour of the car and the "major welding" that had been patched so badly.



SO, the hunt for a new shell was on!



GTI or Rallye shell non-sunroof. Spent a little time hunting but came across a Bianca white GTI sell on Facebook genuine non sunroof and "rust free". So as soon as I knew this I started to strip the blaze.















So the journey from Bath to North Wales to collect began! To only be presented with a white 106 shell with a whole in the boot and many panels very shitty. I was annoyed to say the least. However, I've just travelled near enough 4 hours to collect so I was hoping to get some money off, £75 off was offered. Wasn't very happy but with the rental of the truck and fuel etc I was gonna be out of pocket either way. So I took it.











I then got all the 106s down to the unit I had started renting to strip the blaze and start the build of the bianca.









I will leave things here and update later with pictures etc.



Thanks for taking the time to read!



Shannon.

Quality read mate fair play for having the patience look forward to seeing some updates

Cheers man. I'll be down the unit tomorrow and over the weekend. So hopefully more updates!

Fair play to you, id of given up by now haha, nice to see some 106 people coming over to use the forum now 106owners is gone , look forward to seeing progress bud

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Yeah I’ve been tempted dude trust me. But if I sell up and buy another it’ll only be just as shit so it’s a tricky one. I’ve been on here years, just be good to see the forum being used a bit more.


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So, a bit of an update. Wouldn’t say progress tho... which some of you would of seen on Facebook.

I got the shell on a rollover jig





Pictures before I started wire wheeling





















Then I started wire wheeling...





















So now I’m in a dilemma? Do I try and find another shell?
If I find another shell Is it going to need work doing anyway?
Do I just cut as much I can from the blaze shell?

Decisions [emoji848]


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Well you have now put all the time and effort into this shell seems madness to just scrap it and start again it’s not that bad if your handy with a welder

The key question here is can you weld? There's a fair bit to do, but it's doable if you can weld and if you can put the time into it. If you need to pay someone to weld it at normal rates then it's going to be expensive to get that sorted out but if you can do it yourself then you only have the cost of sheet metal and gas really, which won't come to much.

I've just finished doing the rear arches on mine and they were quite a bit worse than yours, though I seem to be better off in some of the other areas. If you do have a welder and can weld, the best thing you can do is make a start on a couple of areas and see how you feel.

Best of luck,
Craig

Why not go and do an evening course for welding at a college?
It's a skill you'll benefit from and use again and again.

I can weld yes. I did it at college.

Sadly I have found even more rot today when I started to cut it out.

I am being sent pictures tomorrow of another shell. All this will be used for now is the roof off of it.


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So, deposit has been put on a MK5 Golf GTI.

I'm selling up all 106 parts. Most has already sold.

I know its a blast from the past with this post but i came across it from a google search and i think it just literally sums up owning a 106. Has a Golf, sells for a 106, spends god only knows how much time money and effort on doing up 106 to then buy a Golf as was obviously sick as a chip. Sir i salute you