Author Topic: Peugeot 205 GTI Project (Read 1501 times)

alanw89 · « **on:** 09-Jan-2010, 20:35:50 »

As per title really, got my first car this week so now i have something to post about.

It's a 1989 peugeot 205 gti and its a non-runner. I got it cheap because theres a crack in the engine block thats letting all the coolant out.

Bought it without going to see it so wasnt sure what condition the body would be in, but have had a quick look round and it seems like theres very little rust and what rust there is is just surface rust.

I've still to come up with a complete list of what needs to be done but the first major thing will be finding a new engine. I was originally planning to try and rebuild the engine and learn along the way but looking at the prices of second hand engines it would be alot easier to buy one. I still want to strip down the current engine and rebuild it, but if i get the car running first then i can take my time.

This will probably be about the slowest project ever as a) I have no money as im still a student and b) i've just moved out of my parents house for the next 6 months so will only have the odd weekend to do any work.

Today i just attached the front grille to make it look a bit more respectable as itll be sitting in my parents drive for the forseeable future, really want to give it a good wash and polish to see how the paint comes up but it would be stupid to in this weather, and its to be like this for the next couple of weeks

ARMAN · « **Reply #1 on:** 09-Jan-2010, 21:15:59 »

Wow Pug Gti, always liked them and thought about getting one years ago

I'd buy "new" engine and use thisone for spare parts if possible or sell to lower the price of the "new" one you buy

Oh and congrats on a FIRST car, the one you'll never forget

wackary · « **Reply #2 on:** 09-Jan-2010, 21:39:09 »

Bravo!

Great little car mate

gucom · « **Reply #3 on:** 09-Jan-2010, 21:42:24 »

Nice car mate!

lol @ the timeline for the project

here's hoping you'll have her up and running reasonably soon!

yeckmohr · « **Reply #4 on:** 09-Jan-2010, 21:48:07 »

congrats alan, i drove with this GTI several times 10 years ago, it's such agreat car, good choice.

DMF · « **Reply #5 on:** 10-Jan-2010, 02:15:47 »

Congrats! Like Arman said, first car is the one you'll never forget.. and with all the work you're going to put in, I'm sure it will really be unforgettable. Good luck to your future build!

brembo · « **Reply #6 on:** 10-Jan-2010, 04:23:24 »

Congrats with your first car Alan...

Nice to see someone who want to get alittle dirty and not just buy a done car but actually learn by doing...

...respect for that mate

spanky · « **Reply #7 on:** 10-Jan-2010, 05:06:34 »

awesome buddy, nothing like working on your first car and fixing it up.

good luck and put up heaps of photo's as you go along!!

mrmojo77 · « **Reply #8 on:** 10-Jan-2010, 10:53:31 »

Legendary car. Congrats!

I'm with Arman in this one, buy another engine and get the car running.

alanw89 · « **Reply #9 on:** 10-Jan-2010, 15:29:00 »

Thanks for all the comments.

Was out having a closer look at the car again today and it looks like theres lots of small things that are going to need done. I want to take off the spoiler on the back but its drilled through the tailgate so will have to leave it for a while .

There are also drainage holes in the boot floor that have the plastic plugs missing so there completely open. Also a few bits of rust on the boot floor, i reckon this could be a good place to try and fix first as if i mess it up, it wont be seen anyway.

I think what i might do quite soon is remove the back seats and lift as much of the carpet as i can to get a look at the floor, i just want to make sure theres not going to be any major problems before i start spending money. The mechanicals im more confident working on and changing stuff over, but when it comes to bodywork thats something id prefer to get someone else to do properly.

Quote from: brembo on 10-Jan-2010, 04:23:24

Congrats with your first car Alan...

Nice to see someone who want to get alittle dirty and not just buy a done car but actually learn by doing... ...respect for that mate

Thats half of the reason i bought it, i can use my dads car to get about whenever im at home so dont actually need my own. Just wanted a cheap car i could use to learn with but still end up with something id want to keep at the end of it.

Im going back to my flat tonight and will probably wait until all the snow has gone before i come back to do anything more with the car. Atleast it gives me a chance to make up a rough plan of what im going to do.

wackary · « **Reply #10 on:** 10-Jan-2010, 17:49:27 »

Sounds like a lot of fun to me Alan! I love working on stuff, cars, bikes, whatever. You picked a really cool little car to work with. Keep us posted on your progress!

danidmas · « **Reply #11 on:** 11-Jan-2010, 13:21:24 »

Fantastic first car dude!! It's the 1.6 GTI, right? You should try to find a 1.9 engine, since those were the real good ones

I love all these french hot hatches of the 80s and 90s: the 306 GTI, the 205 Rallye, the 106, the Clio Williams, the GT Turbo... it was a great era. Too bad Peugeot only sells boring and crappy econoboxes these days...

Phobo · « **Reply #12 on:** 11-Jan-2010, 21:29:20 »

thats a nice pocket rocket and a great first car.

a little tip for the engineblock: clean the crack and try one of these liquid metal 2 compontent glues.

You said you dont have much money and so I would just give it a try.
Ive heard from some people they they managed to fix engine parts with that kind of stuff. Of course this
is not the proper way to fix it but hey if it does not work you only have lost 10euros and you can still rebuild it.

alanw89 · « **Reply #13 on:** 19-Jan-2010, 19:29:36 »

Bit of an update today as im back home to see the dentist (6th time in about a month

)

Decided to lift the boot carpet and start sanding down some of the rust to see how bad it was, there was one bit that was a bit worse than i thought it was but i think it should sand down alright with a bit of elbow grease.

While i was doing that i thought it might be easier if i took the back seats out, so out they come and one thing leads to another. While doing that i noticed that the rear footwells were quite wet, especially the drivers side. Earlier in the day id noticed the drivers window was down a little bit due to the winder being a bit dodgy, so i put a bit of tape on it to hold it up for the time being, thinking that might be the cause of the soggy carpet.

Then i notice that water which i thought was on the top of the sunroof was actually on the inside, open it and see that theres lots of water around the seals. Time for a bodge job so i find some bathroom sealant in the garage and put it round the sunroof, it looks a mess but if it keeps the water out im not bothered right now.

Back to the carpet, seeing as it was pretty soggy i started thinking what it might look like underneath, so unbolt the drivers seatbelts and lift up a bit of the carpet and soundproofing and find quite a lot of what looks like tinworm.

Not quite sure what to do with this, a quick search round some forums and it seems this is a popular place for the 205 to rot, saw a few pictures but none look as bad as mine.

I was planning to try and get the car running tomorrow and patch up the crack using some metal epoxy putty like phobo suggested, but after this ive decided to take out the front seats,remove the carpet and soundproofing and get some pictures of the floor.

ARMAN · « **Reply #14 on:** 19-Jan-2010, 19:48:33 »

oh yea a swimming pool under your feet is a common thing in old cars

alanw89 · « **Reply #15 on:** 20-Jan-2010, 14:41:21 »

After getting a better look under the carpet i found this, no idea what it is but get the feeling its not going to be good.

some more pictures here
http://img44.imageshack.us/g/jpeg0002.jpg/

Saadie · « **Reply #16 on:** 20-Jan-2010, 14:58:15 »

this probably is rusted parts covered and painted .. hmm

alanw89 · « **Reply #17 on:** 20-Jan-2010, 16:05:02 »

After a bit more research and looking more closely at pictures of other cars it appears to be seam sealer and perfectly normal

alanw89 · « **Reply #18 on:** 30-Jan-2010, 16:35:07 »

Got some work done today.

Finished sanding down the bits of rust in the boot, ended up sanding every small bit i could see just to be sure. After that i used some Hammerite Kurust to treat all the patches and waited for it to set, sanded it down lightly and cleaned the boot area with paint preparation wipes. Then i did a couple of coats of Zinc primer and then a couple of coats of red primer. I'm going to let that all set and dry properly then sand it down smooth and spray on some top coat and lacquer.

Before:

After

sentra_dude · « **Reply #19 on:** 30-Jan-2010, 23:33:47 »

Congrats on your first car man. That's some nice work right there.^