My MK1 Golf, Dilbert

Here's a quick run down of the polishing steps we are using on the aluminium components, polishing steel is similar but will use different mops and compounds:

1. Filing, Any casting marks and unwanted features such as lettering are carefully filed away.
2. Preparing, Sanded with 320 grit wet & dry to remove all surface irregularities and blemishes. We use a B&D mouse sander and sanding block depending on the area.
3. Burnishing, Bench grinder using grey compound with a sisal polishing mop.
4. Prepolishing, Bench grinder using green compound with a white close stitched polishing mop.
5. Polishing, Bench grinder using blue Compound with a loose G quality mop.
6. Finishing, Bench grinder using Menzerna P175 for super finishing with a loose WDR quality mop.
7. Post Finishing, hand polish with ultra-fine metal polish and ultra-soft micro fibre cloths.

As we didn't have P175 we made our own compound using a mixture of regular bathroom talc and 3-in-1 oil. Talc is one of the finest abrasives you can get (finest as in courseness), the oil is used as a carrier. A G quality mop could be used if you haven't a WDR. For the final hand polishing we use Zeppelin Prep and then Zeppelin Mirror Finish from English Custom Polish.

Unfortunately the mirror finish won't last forever when exposed to air which is why some turn to chroming. However a mirror polished surface is brighter than chrome, which has a slight blue tint to it. Initially we considered a standard clear coat but they tend to be too heavy and take the edge off of the shine. Eventually we came across a US product by Everbrite called Protect-a-Clear which doesn't affect the finish in any way being crystal clear. Neither will it yellow or crack over time, which is obviously important, and should last for at least 5 years.

Here's a run down of some safety guidelines you should bear in mind when sanding and buffering. All pretty much common sense.

Aluminum dust is poisonous so wear gloves, gogles and a respirator when sanding and buffing. A painters mask isn't sufficient, use the gas mask type with the twin filters. If you don't like wearing gloves whilst sanding then use a barrier cream.

Don't wear loose clothing or anything else that could be entangled in the bench grinder. Also make sure things like power cables are kept away from the grinder, preferably tied down.

Should any polishes or particles get into the eye, flush eyes well with water. DO NOT RUB!!! Contact your nearest hospital if irritation persists.

Treat the bench grinder with respect. Always wear riggers gloves or similar, goggles, a respirator, ear defenders and preferably a leather apron. A grinder will spit out a piece that slips out of your grasp at up to 80MPH and can cause serious injury.

Only use the part of the buffing wheel that is rotating away from the workpiece.

When buffing parts with sharp edges or hooks they should be offered to the wheel with the edge flowing away from the buffer so the part doesn't catch.

If you are using a hand drill to buff then secure either the drill or the component.

The first of the gold and chrome bits for the engine bay have arrived. A pair of bonnet catches, chrome with gold fittings and spring. Also a gold oil cap and gold screws and washers for the wings. Not a whole lot to say about them other than they look good. I'm sure you know what the bits look like so I'll leave photos until they're on the car.

The main bulk of the gold parts for the engine bay will be taken up with all the nuts, bolts and clips, we still need to draw up a complete list once we work out the sizes of everything, I can tell that's going to be a pain.

My new set of chromed pedals have arrived and look really good! Although we're not planning to do much to the interior in the initial stage it made sense to change the pedals now rather than messing around later. That's my excuse for buying them anyway!

Dilbert was in for a check-up today, mainly for the oil leak and knocking noise but also for a general once over before we start work on the project in earnest. The oil leak is from the camshaft oil seal and the knocking noise is from either the auxiliary drive belt pulley or shaft. So, as hoped, nothing major. Should have it back on Monday or Tuesday.

Update: The reason the cam seal failed was because it looks as though the cam had been dropped causing a bur on the end which killed the seal. Also a number of important bolts were missing, some of which explained the knocking noise.

Due to the cam seal failing, the belts had been covered in oil so they and the tensioners were replaced. I have the old receipt for the rebuild so at least I've learnt of a place to avoid and in the process found a very good, local mechanic who knows VW's inside out and also charges very reasonable rates. On the plus side he did say that, once it's remapped from it's current run-in mode, it should be a good engine. So, all in all, not massively bad news.

Whilst there to pick Dilbert up the mechanic and James managed to fix the heater that was only blowing out hot air. Turned out to be a jubilee clip was obstructing the linkage, so just needed moving around.

The plan for the engine and engine bay is to keep it fairly standard, not totally shaven like many show cars. The exception being the hidden wiring and relocated battery.

We'll be going with chrome/mirror polished components, everything except for the block, with gold plated highlight pieces, mainly fixings, in order to create, what should be, an extremely beautiful engine bay.

Initially we planned on just sticking to mirror polished components but that's pretty common these days. The addtion of gold plated highlights should, hopefully, lift it above the majority of engines. We'll be doing all the mirror polishing ourselves. I had considered trying my hand at gold plating but it's fairly pricey to get setup and so decided to leaves it to the experts.

First full day with our new project!

First thing was to pick up a set of locking wheel nuts. Strange they weren't already fitted, perhaps the previous owner was more trusting than I am. Also picked up a fire extinguisher, just in case. My brother, James, wasted no time in giving it a good wash and wax even though it had only cleaned it a few days ago!

The oil leak that, in theory, is the rocker cover gasket seems to have got a bit worse. I think it's more likely to be a seal. There's also a knocking noise coming from somewhere, might be the water pump or possibly just a pulley. But when the engine was rebuilt all ancillaries were replaced, so needs investigating.

The Webers really need to be properly set up, now that the engine has been run in as, not surpirsingly, it's running pretty rough on the run in mapping. But, as the engine is going to be stripped down, there's no point in doing that yet.

But, so far, minor things which don't sound complicated, read expensive, to sort out.

Been searching for parts to beautify the engine and engine bay, fortunately German eBay is awash with bits for Golf's. Haven't made up a shopping list yet but can see it's going to add up pretty quickly.

Never given a car a name before, never really had a project car, but this time thought why not. As the registration starts DLB I thought Dilbert. So say hello to Dilbert!

Here's how the engine and engine bay looked on delivery. Well, actually not quite, as the rocker cover had been painted black since this photo was taken.

It's been upgraded to a MK2 16v running Weber Alpha throttle bodies and Webcon ECU together with a Supersprint stainless steel manifold and exhaust system, a catch tank has also been added. The engine was rebuilt recently and all ancillaries were replaced.

Wiring has already been hidden and the battery relocated, saving some work. All in all neat and clean but not show quality. This will be the main focus of phase 1 of our project.

Here's a quick shot of the custom interior. Porsche Tombstone front seats and 944 rears all retrimmed in leather with alcantara centres. Matching door cards and parcel shelf have also been made. No major changes are planned for phase 1.

Here's a quick exterior of Dilbert. Unusually it's never been repaired or welded. The current build was fully documented and photographed.

The rear has been smoothed, the aerial and arch holes filled and the sill trim removed. Everything else is new including a new bonnet from Mexico and all topped off with the Audi Amulet red paint job.

The wheels are refurbished Porsche Cookie Cutters, the suspension KW V1's and the brakes have been upgraded to MK2 disks and Audi coupe calipers.

The headlights are smoked crosshairs and the rears are red Hella's.

Pretty good starting point!