Hi Guys, thanks for taking a look, this will be my first time doing a rebuild that requires this much work so bear with me and if you have any tips or advise please feel free to comment, there are no wrong answers!

a bit of back ground; this is my second VRS, I should never have go rid of my other one but I needed the money to pay for my wedding that then never happened! but I digress. I have kept my eyes open for a cheap one that needs a bit of work as I have just bought a new Fiat 500 abarth so funds are short!

This is what I got:

unfortunately;

lol

obviously this is the only way I could get another VRS just now! but I needed a new project to keep me busy.

it's completely standard apart from the obvious damage, covered 130k which everyone says it too high! but to be honest I'm well aware of the fact these VAG engines are brilliant and solid and will do another 130k IF it's well looked after so I'm not too fussed plus I can drop another one in if there is any problems. ps the there is a full skoda service history last service was 3 moths ago, so the lassie looked after it..... kinda! lol

first things first, the car cost me 500 note and I threw in a 51 plate seat leon 1.8 I had lying around (wasn't a fan of the car just took it as px for an Disastra I previously had,)

the chap that sold the car owned the recovery agency that picked it up, so after going and seeing it I was back with cash and he even delivered it to the shed and took the leon.

the car was stuck in 3rd, the cooling system (intercooler/radiator and ac) was smashed as was one of the alloys and both front wings, bonnet, grill, passenger headlight slam bar, crash bar and the plastic tray for the front end was beyond salvage.as well as a few bits of meal pipework.

not all bad tho, like I said it has a brilliant service history and once I started to strip it down I noticed that there is lot of new parts on it!

i.e new callipers and pads on the front, anti roll bars are new, alternator and Sump are brand new, new shocks and springs the egr has either just been cleaned or is new as it's spotless and the interior is like new, (my previous one had done 90k and the seats showed it, this one has done 40k more and the seats are like new! no sagging, she obviously looked after the car, I just don't think the insurance company wanted to pay for the rebuild.

After stripping down the damaged parts, most of it is beyond repair, was stuck in 3rd as the fan was pushed back into the bay and blocking the metal (thingy) once the fan and radiator was out, I got a chance to check the gear selection and she feel perfect, so that is a huge weight off my mind.

then set about the entire engine bay checking as much of it as I possibly could, spent 6 hours, checking! bear in mind, this car is not just a quick fix then sell it on, this is going to be my baby and will become a hybrid at the end of 2014, first priority is to get it back on the road and get it looking like it should have out the factory, i.e dropped, plastic trim off, tinted lights and windows and wrap the grill. then we'll work on the power mods, one step at a time tho!

After it was stripped there wasn't much of her left! and I noticed some damage to one of the pulleys at the bottom of the block.

do you think this is worth trying to bend it back or just replace the whole unit??????

it had also taken out the lower intercooler pipes but doesn't go any further back,

sadly the chassis legs were slight off so I used my persuading bar and got them bent back.... After slipping out the leg and hitting myself in the ribs breaking 3 of them things went a wee bit slower over the next couple of days! but I managed to pick up a new slam bar, crash bar and plastic surround for £36 from my local breakers i used this as a rough guide to get it to line up, but wasn't happy with it so I have had the car put on my mates dads jig and i'm much happier with the results!

That doesn't look like the right plastic surround tho does it! lol guess I should have asked them to take it off another tdi one, but never mind, for the price I paid for the whole front I'm sure I could stretch to another couple of quid for the right one!

next step is to pick up a set of wings and a bonnet wings are £15 each and the bonnet will be £30 the breakers obviously don't have any VRS's so I'm on the hunt for a front bumper! but I will get the this lot first just so I can get it all aligned before I go building the rest.

I will try and update this as much as possible, but I work offshore and onshore plus I have my wee boy at the weekend so this limits me to evenings (provided I'm onshore :S )

but please let m know if there is anything you would check or replace while there is plenty of space to get in about.

Would be good to find a silver rear-ender in the same colour.

 

I would replace that pulley!  Don't take risks with the car in any form, especially something rotating at several thousand RPM.  You want that perfectly balances.

Good write up so far and good luck with the restoration. You do need to sign up to freedom though before you can sell anything

Would be good to find a silver rear-ender in the same colour.

 

I would replace that pulley!  Don't take risks with the car in any form, especially something rotating at several thousand RPM.  You want that perfectly balances. I've looked for one, to no prevail, but my local breakers do have about 3 or 4 mk1 Fabia's so there are plenty of parts just no bumpers, and my mate is a spayer  

I've looked for one, but there is nothing local, plus there fast enough that you probably don't get much rear damaged ones! lol my local breakers are very reasonable and they have about 3 or 4 in the yard so parts aren't scarce, I would have been getting my mate to paint them anyways.

 

cool, I will look at getting the whole part replaced, am I right in thinking that if I take the tension off the belt, as long as I don't move any of the components I wouldn't have to re time it?

I think I'd be doing a full cambelt change, just in case.  Do you know the history of it?

Actually, just realised that's not the toothed belt, its the auxilliary belt.  Fine to just slacken off the tensioner to change.

Good write up so far and good luck with the restoration. You do need to sign up to freedom though before you can sell anything

I asked my missus if I could subscribe but she threw the dummy out the cot after spending 250 on my alloys at the weekend and missing the cut off time for my time sheet she wont let me spend any more money till Friday   lol  but I will be one by the end of the week I have been a member for long enough! lol.  

 

just trying to gauge interest, would rather let them go on here for folk that require 1. but in no rush as the wheel nuts are whora tight, and it's a struggle with broken ribs.   lol.

I think I'd be doing a full cambelt change, just in case.  Do you know the history of it?

Actually, just realised that's not the toothed belt, its the auxilliary belt.  Fine to just slacken off the tensioner to change.

I'm still waiting for the full history but the log book has ben stamped every year by skoda and twice a year since 2010, so I was going on the assumption that it had been done but whether this is he case, I've yet to confirm.

Question,

 

Will a standard fabia bumper fit on the VRS? struggling to get a hold of the vrs one but i can get a standard for getting it back on the road!?!?

Need different clips on the wing

i'm sourcing wings off a standard fabia so will i go straight on? just dont think i will manage to get one before feb unless i opt to buy a new one, even then it's £230 and thats before i buy the other parts and get it sprayed!

Can some one confirm, if this is a VRS bumper? doesn't look like the standard one!

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/skoda-fabia-2004-on-brand-new-front-bumper-primed/1043356565

It's not vRS - but if you have non vRS wings, the clips will most likely be for the non vRS bumper, so easy to go down that route.  I am not sure if the foglight connections are different, if the bumper you get has round / square fogs.

Always nice to see threads like this and watch the car come together.

 

Will keep an eye on it.

cool, thanks guys. I'm guessing there are a few different bumpers for the 6y then, i'll see how much he wants for it posted, but i'll probably be better off getting one locally.

if its not vRS or standard, then it could well be a sport bumper. if its the latter make sure it comes with all the grills as they they are like gold dust to get.

if its not vRS or standard, then it could well be a sport bumper. if its the latter make sure it comes with all the grills as they they are like gold dust to get.

Damn, there is always a catch! lol i'll spear them but i'm pretty sure the answer will be no, might have to be a custom mesh job, it's just to do till i can find a vrs one.

saw this, did the maths and i'm cheaper buying a new one and all the other parts then getting it sprayed than i am buying this! do you think it's worth trying to haggle with him? wouldn't pay more than 200 for it tbh!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SKODA-FABIA-VRS-01-07-FRONT-BUMPER-IN-BLACK-WITH-GRILLS-AND-FOGS-/181295686230?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a3610a256

That price does seem very steep, have you looked in the for sale section here. IIRC there is at least one Fabia vRS being broken for parts.

I had a look but could only find Jambo's one, which doesn't have, i've already got a list of parts for him that i'll be buying on friday. :-( just got off the phone with the guy who is selling the one on gumtree and he should have a VRS one aswell, just waiting to hear back!

I haven't updated in a while as the missus is chewing my ear about not seeing her, but have ordered my new wheels.

    

 

will look better in black i think, but will see how the bronze looks on the silver first, but pretty sure they will be going with the panels to get painted. Pretty sure i'll fit 312's under these!   

 

should also have the radiator, fans and SMIC being sent today, big thanks to Jambro and iipaul!

Also going to pick up the new panels at lunchtime, if i can get my old man to pick them up in his 4x4! lol   

 

Still looking for a front bumper, and will source all the replacement AC parts next week. will hopefully have enough pennies to put tyres on too but not holding my breath! :S 

Quick update:

 

New radiator, fans, AC panel and bonnet hinges arrived today, so will get these fitted tonight should hopefully have the engine running again this evening depending on time, but will update this evening with pics and list the progress. 

 

Huge thanks to jambro for the parts, can't rate him high enough!

Love the choice in wheels bud..! Looking foreward to seeing this come together..

cheers, need to go pick them up asap and see what they look like on her, but priority is still getting it put back together, finally got the engine running last night, and true to form, sounds like a tractor going full bore! lol

 

might put them on for a cheeky photo tho!

Haven't updated in a while.

 

Have been busy with the Fiat, True to form, will fix it again tomorrow!

 

But was out last night checked the ecu and only has 1 fault (map sensor) but i knew this would be the case as i haven't screwed it in yet! lol

 

Was also sitting in it last night (first time i've sat in the seat!) lol and have found out it has heated seats!!!! well chuffed with that! what with winter on the door step.

 

Going to pick the lights up shortly then i'll be splitting them and cleaning them up this weekend. will get some pictures up tonight of the progress so far, but it is all minor stuff now, like getting a bumper and Arch liners. will also have to save a few quid up to put rubbers on the wheels, but i have enough alloys to throw on it just now.

the facelift bumper and the vrs bumper use the same clips on the wings, its only non-facelift that has different ones

 

the "sport" bumper or "gt" bumper as people call it, is the non facelift bumper with an optional lower skirt. so would need diff clips to the vrs

 

 

if all that makes sense shame its silver i have a facelift bumper in black sat in my garage doing sod all aha

 

 

Luke