Diesel Monte's 2001 Skoda Fabia "Project vRSDI"

[AnnoyingPentium]

JAYSUS... and aw that. The pillar rust isn't too bad, IMO. Mine is a good few years behind that one, but beginning to rust in similar places.

[DieselMonte]

Maybe you can't see it in the photo but it looks to me like it's bubbling along where the glass meets the a pillar.

Which would be a **** to sort properly imo.

I don't really want to half ass fixing that car to get it to pass an mot only to have it all show up again a few months later 

Definitely intend on getting the vrs going properly before I decide what to do with it.

I wouldn't say I have big plans but I want to ""build"" a mk1 that will last, I think these cars are too old to be messing about half fixing things. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

I mean, you could go mad and strip back the both to nothing, respray the shell, and then fit with some sort of engine. However, that would cost a fortune. Would look amazing though.

[HeavyMetalRich]

"Whatever wheels are on it, they sit very wide on the car, no spacers here. They have vw caps on them and the guy I got it off reckons they are vw wheels but I don't think they are. If anyone knows what they are I'd love to know."

 

They look like the wheels off a MK4 Golf R32 I would say. Are they 18"?

[DieselMonte]

39 minutes ago, HeavyMetalRich said:

"Whatever wheels are on it, they sit very wide on the car, no spacers here. They have vw caps on them and the guy I got it off reckons they are vw wheels but I don't think they are. If anyone knows what they are I'd love to know."

 

They look like the wheels off a MK4 Golf R32 I would say. Are they 18"?

No 17s

I've sussed out they are O.Z wheels

Most likely O.Z Superturismo GTs 

8x17", ET35 offset.

 

[DieselMonte]

Polished the headlights

Came up well

Intake manifolds a bit grimy

Will clean it up before it all goes back.

Also got a Parcel Shelf and passengers wing.

And the turbo has been sent off to be reconditioned. Should be done before the weeks out.

[AnnoyingPentium]

4 minutes ago, DieselMonte said:

Also got a Parcel Shelf and passengers wing.

 

Is it a parcel shelf with the netting on the underside?

[DieselMonte]

11 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

Is it a parcel shelf with the netting on the underside?

Didn't take that close of a look at it. Looked like any other parcel shelf to me.

Why are ones with netting rare?

[AnnoyingPentium]

25 minutes ago, DieselMonte said:

Didn't take that close of a look at it. Looked like any other parcel shelf to me.

Why are ones with netting rare?

 

Came on the higher spec ones (vRS, maybe, but definitely Elegance) and I've been looking for one for a while. A bit like this one, but not a billion miles away.

[DieselMonte]

Keeping busy while waiting for the turbo to come back.

First, pics of the wing and parcel shelf.

Not one with netting unfortunately.

Cleaned out the intercooler and piping to get all the dead turbo out

Lots and lots of oil

Everything's sitting drying now.

Cleaned the intake manifold best I could.

Lastly gave the front calipers a wire brush and paint.

Rears need doing too.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Good work here.

[DieselMonte]

Bit of cleaning of the absolutely manky inside of it.

The centre console and glovebox were full of spilled scuzz.

Have only put the drivers seat back in it at the minute.

Turbo is done should be back tomorrow.

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Excellent progress. You're a braver man than me taking all that apart.

 

Just as an aside, is the floor carpet in the vRS black or grey?

[HeavyMetalRich]

38 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Just as an aside, is the floor carpet in the vRS black or grey?

 

Yes.😂

[AnnoyingPentium]

6 minutes ago, HeavyMetalRich said:

 

Yes.😂

 

Same as my ambiente then? It's a grey/black carpet but I was hoping there was a proper black one. 😂

[DieselMonte]

Are they not all black?

This looks the same colour as my sdi just this carpet has the clips to hold in the vrs floor mats.

The ones in it were/are feral especially the drivers one so probably won't put em back in.

[AnnoyingPentium]

11 minutes ago, DieselMonte said:

Are they not all black?

This looks the same colour as my sdi just this carpet has the clips to hold in the vrs floor mats.

The ones in it were/are feral especially the drivers one so probably won't put em back in.

 

I'll post a photograph of mine when I'm back from Glasgow.

[DieselMonte]

Turbo is back.

Thought it would come with gaskets (for the price of it) but nope, ordered what I need and they'll be here Tuesday.

Have this bundle of stuff too, oil and filters. 

Pushed it off the pit to check out a few things on the Monte.

Not much more I can do until I get the gaskets.

[HeavyMetalRich]

14 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

Same as my ambiente then? It's a grey/black carpet but I was hoping there was a proper black one. 😂

 

I think all the carpets in the Fabias were the same colour, just the head lining in the vRS was dark possibly making the carpet look darker.

[AnnoyingPentium]

11 minutes ago, HeavyMetalRich said:

 

I think all the carpets in the Fabias were the same colour, just the head lining in the vRS was dark possibly making the carpet look darker.

 

Yeah that could be the case. Just for some additional geekery, I think the vRS headlining was a bit inconsistent on the older/pre-FL models, with some having the grey headlining that us 'bog standard Fabia peasants' had to live with.

[DieselMonte]

This one's got the black headlining 

Was looking through the reams of service history and its had a lot of money spent on it through the years.

Unfortunately no invoices or anything on the mods that were done. Was hoping to atleast see a dyno printout or something.

[HeavyMetalRich]

13 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

 

Yeah that could be the case. Just for some additional geekery, I think the vRS headlining was a bit inconsistent on the older/pre-FL models, with some having the grey headlining that us 'bog standard Fabia peasants' had to live with.

 

I don't know, maybe with the very earliest ones? But I remember one of the first ones locally to come in for its first MoT at the station I was working at and the first thing I noticed was the darkness inside quickly followed by the dark head lining. And that was an early 04 plate.

[DieselMonte]

Few more odds and ends done when I have not much else to do.

Changed the crunched wing

Also did some Rust Proofing, ish.

Was high build primed and quickly painted over with some silver left over.

Intended on getting the correct red mixed up and then forgot.

Also changed the Fuel and Oil Filters ahead of firing it up again.

Oil filter was definitely old, no chunks of metal hiding in it happily. Needed a breaker bar to free the oil filter housing cap off, weird considering these only need to be snug.

Fuel filter was swapped easily, only took a few minutes. 

Same as the oil filter it seems pretty old. This is what I drained out of it. 

 

[DieselMonte]

Also swapped the grille

And because I was really bored I took the cable ends of the shifter off the car to clean and fill with urethane. They were very soft in fairness. 

Messy as ever. Also did a spare gearbox mount as I noticed the vrs is sitting low on the gearbox side.

 

Since that was all off it only made sense to strip and regrease the rest of it. No pictures but it feels a lot smoother now.

[DieselMonte]

Fitted my diy shifter bushes.

Feel great and if I'm honest they're a nicer job than what I did to the Monte with tigerseal. Got them adjusted, 6th is a bit stiff but other than that I'm very happy.

Gaskets came in all genuine from the dealership.

Turbo on, easy enough to hang the gasket on the studs.

Intake manifold was a bit tricky because it doesn't have studs to mount the gasket on, so used zip ties to hold it in place temporarily. 

Took a snap down one of the intake ports, looks good considering the miles and having recently had blown turbo oil chucked down it.

Left it at this for tonight.

Most likely will get it running tomorrow.

 

Edited 27 September, 2022 by DieselMonte