MK4 van tidy up/project

[GaryVaux]

Right, big update. Been busy with this lately (really should update this as i go )

Anyway, got my eibach sports fitted,
Before (monster arch gaps):


Straight after: (and it has settled a bit more now, around -45mm)


Stained the rear board with green cuprinol (just because there was a spare tin there) I also cut notches out for the tie-down eyelets (which were covered before)

[GaryVaux]

The rear wiper parked squint, i tried getting arms off scrap cars but they seize in (alloy-steel, so corrodes)


So i took a few measurements, and made a puller:


Worked a treat

Melv kindly donated an amp to the project, so i got my sisters old sub out (had to repair a rip in the cone. sika flex on the front, and a thin skin of fibreglass filler on the rear)

Too big for here


So i got the std sub box from the nova (as i made a moulded one) from the loft (also sprayed the sika flex grey)


Made an aluminium bracket to keep it from moving about:

[DarrenF]

More pics after springs have settled please I have bilstien b6 shortened shocks and the sportline springs... but after how low the gsi use to be dont want it too high

[GaryVaux]

Modified some mudflaps i had spare (after replaced on the nova a while back), and fitted them to the rear (no pics)

Random pics:




My paint and spoiler arrived, So last saturday, i went down to mickys, and we got the following parts painted white:
Door handles
Rear bumper
Boot handle
Mirror covers
Side skirts
Estate tailgate trim
Tailgate spoiler

and primed the rub strips.

Had alot of set backs, a few reactions which had to be flatted out and ended up having to rush the job A run on the spoiler and tailgate trim (but they will flat out)
No pics of all this though....

Rub strips Flatted and ready for satin black (to break up the white a bit, matches the plastic of the mirrors/grill/window seals etc)


Fitted (you can see the c/coded door handle and mirror cover)

[GaryVaux]

Back to the "ice" lol. The std front door speakers on there own werent up to much, so spotted some 6" fly speakers going cheap on here:


So not wanting to cut the door, i set about making some mdf mounting rings for them (using the std speaker as a template) Alot of trial and error, but eventually came up with a solution, which i painted with some metalic black paint it had)


Solved the annoying memory problem on the H/U (or lack of memory, turned out to a a simple case of swapping the red and yellow on the jvc iso adapter)
Then fitted it in the lower slot (like ive done on my sri, less dazzling at night, and easier to reach )

[GaryVaux]

Todays job, was fitting a backbox This came off a corsa b my mate kennybarbour was breaking. I reckoned it would be ideal for the van.

One manky looking backbox


Make some hangers and pipework, then a quick blast of paint:


And fitted (note the c/coded bumper, tailgate handle etc)


Rear bumper is still only held on with a few screws, and back mudflaps havent been re-fitted yet.

Got my replacement genuine front wings (current ones look to be pattern pannels), so once these are on, the skirts will be fitted

[GaryVaux]

More pics after springs have settled please I have bilstien b6 shortened shocks and the sportline springs... but after how low the gsi use to be dont want it too high

It looks MUCH lower in the flesh, the black wheels dont really show up, and the white inner arches makes the arch gaps look big!!

pm sent

[M/PORT]

Then fitted it in the lower slot (like ive done on my sri, less dazzling at night, and easier to reach )

How easy is it to fit the radio into the lower slot, And does the lower pocket fit where the radio was ???

[neil105]

Looking smart liking the pipe

[GaryVaux]

How easy is it to fit the radio into the lower slot, And does the lower pocket fit where the radio was ???

Straight forward mate, loom has plenty of length. You have to remove a rectangular brace fron the h/u's std location, then fit the pocket in upside down(otherwise it doesnt locate properly) Then using a sharp blade, trim the "dimple" off the underside of the rubber mat. I put a strip of double sided tape on it to keep it in place

Looking smart liking the pipe

Cheers neil, its taking shape now, dont really need to buy any more parts apart from some recaro type front seats. Its just time, which i dont have a great deal of this month.

[Melv]

amp working OK? It was sitting in the loft for years so apologies if not.

[GaryVaux]

amp working OK? It was sitting in the loft for years so apologies if not.

Yep works great, Thanks again Although its FAR too underpowered for the sub.(300W max amp and a 1200W max sub) Will probably use it for some rear speakers once i get some and ditch the sub. Its below the passenger seat at the moment

[Melv]

lmao I suppose it was fairly powerful when I was 18 lmao

Van is looking good Gary. Fancy running down to Heathrow with some urgent airfreight for me? lmao

[GaryVaux]

lmao I suppose it was fairly powerful when I was 18 lmao

Van is looking good Gary. Fancy running down to Heathrow with some urgent airfreight for me? lmao

depends what it is and how much £££ is involved lmao

[Melv]

38kg - radioactives............ maybe not eh? lmao

[Lugy]

The amazing standard van....

Oh wait!

[GaryVaux]

38kg - radioactives............ maybe not eh? lmao

Think ill pass this timelmao

The amazing standard van....

Oh wait!

lmaoStd - no, but im managing to keep mods cheap'ish/sensible, well so far anyway

[Lugy]

Think ill pass this timelmao



lmaoStd - no, but im managing to keep mods cheap'ish/sensible, well so far anyway

That's until we find a cheap 3.0V6 CDTI

[18_roach_88]

Very tidy van, i really love the mk4/5 astravans, so whats the plans for it's future then ???

[Fow16v]

looking good now, i love how such simple things can make all the difference with these vans.

[GaryVaux]

That's until we find a cheap 3.0V6 CDTI

Very tidy van, i really love the mk4/5 astravans, so whats the plans for it's future then ???

Plans are:
Fit my genuine front wings
Skirts back on
Properly attach rear bumper
Tailgate spoiler and estate tailgate trim on
Fit my new number plates
Fit 6x9's
Get some recaro type front seats.
Tint the back window.
Ohh and paint the front bumper (ive another one lined up, but different to the std and gsi ones)

Thats about it, hopefully have it done by end of the month

looking good now, i love how such simple things can make all the difference with these vans.

Cheers ryan, certainly looks 10 times better than when i got it.

[GaryVaux]

Well won a pair of JBL 6x9 speakers on ebay for £14 posted

Arrived like this (mid/tweeter had come off the mount, and wires broken)


Contacted the seller as they were complete in the pic, and described as "excellent working order"
Expecting nothing back, i soldered the wires back on, and re-glued the mid/tweeted back onto its bracket. Good as new..

2 days later i was refunded £10 from the seller, no hastle. Which in this day and age quite surprised me, there are still some genuine people about.

I removed the front seats, got some cardboard and made a template to cut the mdf.


Cut it to suit the speakers, and covered with some speaker cloth that i had spare:


I then ran the wires to the amp, located under the passenger seat (you can see the speaker pannel fixed in place here):


Ive taken the sub out now as; the amplified 6x9's work really well, and it keeps the load area free

[GaryVaux]

My genuine front wings in glacier white arrived, with the front bumper and wings removed, i waxoiled the whole front end (inside the chassis etc) and the sills.
Re-fitted everything including my side skirts:

Gave the whole van a polish/wax on fri afternoon, but by the time i had finnished it was getting too dark for pics. So i took some today (even though it was raining and the van is filthy again )

[GaryVaux]

[dave_gsi]

looking good mate. what a big deference the colour coding does.