In some ways a bit of a slow month, I’m not much closer to a WoF. But I did get a couple of big things done.

The main achievement this month was to get the car to Finer Details for a full 3-stage polish and ceramic coat. The results are awesome and will be covered in another article.

I sorted my oil leak, which appeared after I drove the car a couple of times. It was a broken oil pressure switch.

Then the cable snapped in the driver’s seat, so it wouldn’t fold forward for rear seat access.

The wire doesn’t appear to be available any more so I used some cable from Mitre 10 and crimp connectors. There was a lot of cursing, doing this job!

The other big thing I got done was my sub install. I know some people won’t like it, but there’s plenty of room in the quattro to fit one in, and I like decent sounds! I was careful not to do anything to the car that can’t be put back to standard.

First job was to fit the sub. I started with the spare rear side trim from the GT donor car.

I made a CAD template for a thicker piece of MDF to support the sub itself.
(Cardboard Aided Design – thanks, Project Binky)

Then cut out the shape.

I cut the side trim to match.

Next job was to add some thin plywood to strengthen the remaining part and give me a surface to finish off.

Then I glued it on with contact adhesive.

The scrap metal pile proved useful as weights!

After a test fit didn’t go entirely as I’d planned, I added an extra MDF ring for more depth.

Next job was to make it look prettier. I got some red vinyl which is a reasonable match to the leather.

All that was left was to bolt it all in place.

And finally, fit the grille.

Then I put the seat in and realised it should really be a bit higher.

I ran the speaker wire across the car, then the last part was to fit the amp in the other side. I bolted an MDF board in there and screwed the amp and fuse to it. Then ran power to the battery. All of the other wires were already in place.

Just after I finished this, my replacement Out of Sight Audio Bluetooth stereo arrived. I had to return the original one because of a loud background hiss. Their service was great, with quick, helpful responses to emails, and a replacement sent immediately on receiving my unit back.

I have tunes now, but not a working speedo, and there’s a new issue where as soon as the car warms up it refuses to idle, and stalls. Still working through these two. I feel like this car is fighting me at every turn!

Finally I’ll end on a bit of 80’s goodness from a couple of weeks ago when Rusty was being detailed, and this was in the same warehouse.

Follow the full Project Rusty build here.

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I love everything about cars! Driving, looking at them, modifying. It's great to see what people do with cars, the different car cultures. If I was rich, my garage would be bigger than my house!

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