BX GTI Restoration

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m_2975
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BX GTI Restoration

Post by m_2975 »

Further to Phil's post regarding a respray, I've got plans for for my GTI that come similar to his, except the body kit.

I'm planning to give the car a full respray, but mine's going to be stripped down to the shell, everywhere, and then completely rubbed down, any bad panels replaced, and then repainted with the factory metallic colour (using the factory brand paint) and underneath stripped and resealed.

I have a very good panel shop here and the owner really looks after me with my car.

I'm going to be spending about £2,500 to £3,500 on the spray and god knows how much buying everything that I can brand new.

I want to then make my BX better than when it rolled off the production line and then sit it in a carcoon (http://www.carcoon.com.au/) to keep it nice for the occasional nice day spin!

Here's where i'd like a bit of feedback.

It currently has a steel short bonnet; should I put on a brand new short polymer bonnet?

It currently has black centre strips on the bumpers; should I buy the stainless steel ones instead?

It currently has a 16V trim; any other suggestions?

DOES ANYONE HAVE AN UNCRACKED BLACK DASH VENT PANEL? (I'm desperate!)
Last edited by m_2975 on Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:21 am, edited 1 time in total.
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
kiwi
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Post by kiwi »

DOES ANYONE HAVE AN UNCRACKED BLACK DASH VENT PANEL? (IU'm desperate!)
I dont know what it is but I have yet to see one BX in New Zealand without a cracked Vent Panel. I reckon must be something to do with the vicious southern hemisphere sun?
Afterall we are closer to the sun in Summer than the Northern hemisphere gets.
1991 BX19 TZS 04/01/91 (Deceased)
1990 BX19 TRS 27/10/89 (Reborn)
1992 BX19 TXD (Ex UK - K 744 SDF) 15/06/92
1990 BX19 TZS Auto 06/11/1989
1992 BX TZD Turbo Estate (Ex UK) 1/07/91
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m_2975
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Post by m_2975 »

kiwi wrote:
DOES ANYONE HAVE AN UNCRACKED BLACK DASH VENT PANEL? (I'm desperate!)
I dont know what it is but I have yet to see one BX in New Zealand without a cracked Vent Panel.
Exactly Kiwi!

They are a rarity here in one piece and it's the only thing that lets the interior of my GTI down.

Yes it's to do with the sun, but it's the extra UV light that we get here. UV breaks down the molecules of the plastic and eventually it becomes very brittle and will just break.

You might have found fulling apart the 16RS that all the plastic is either as hard as a rock or just breaks at any minute sign of stress.


Michael
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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cavmad
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Post by cavmad »

I did have a black dash here and will check if the panel is still on. Just a thought but could you get one remade in a different material (metal with a plastic lip?) from the template of an old one?
Vauxhall apologist.
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docchevron
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Post by docchevron »

Would be mighty dificult to send that to Oz though, I know Smiffy had issue's doing exactley the same thing.
Smokes lots, because enough's enough already!

Far too many BX's, a bus, an ambulance a few trucks, not enough time and never enough cash...
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m_2975
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My Cars: 1989 BX 19TRI Estate
1993 BX GTI
1997 Xantia CT Turbo

Post by m_2975 »

cavmad wrote:Just a thought but could you get one remade in a different material (metal with a plastic lip?) from the template of an old one?
I haven't had a really good look yet. I'll have to get a dash out of a wreck and see.
docchevron1472 wrote:Would be mighty dificult to send that to Oz though
Doc, if it's a mint panel i'll do anything to get it.......Like a big box filled with packing and it in the middle and I'll get DHL or Fedex to pick it up and bring it to me!


Michael
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
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1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
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Post by MULLEY »

Can't the old one be repaired? that surely got to be cheaper & easier....
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m_2975
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Post by m_2975 »

MULLEY wrote:Can't the old one be repaired? that surely got to be cheaper & easier....
You repair one bit and then another cracks.

The problem with the dash panels from over here is that the UV has gotten to them and broken down the composition. At least a UK panel hasn't had that much UV light.


Michael
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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MULLEY
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My Cars: 1999 Xsara LX 2.0HDI (90) Hatch - Fern
2002 C5 2.0 HDI (110) Estate - Jasmine - SORN
2011 Mini Cooper D Clubman - SOLD
2016 Mercedes A180D Sport - Auto refinement
1992 TZD Turbo - Bluebell - SORN
1992 TZD Turbo Estate - SORN
1991 Gti 16V - Blaze - crash damaged, will get repaired - SORN
1990 Gti 8Valve SOLD - looks like it's been scrapped
2002 Mini Cooper S - SOLD - i miss this car
1992 TXD - Scrapped in March 2014
1988 CX 25 GTI Turbo2 - SORN
1996 - AX Memphis 1.5D - Dream - SORN
x 8

Post by MULLEY »

aha, point taken....
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m_2975
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Re: BX GTI Restoration

Post by m_2975 »

m_2975 wrote:It currently has a steel short bonnet; should I put on a brand new short polymer bonnet?

It currently has black centre strips on the bumpers; should I buy the stainless steel ones instead?

It currently has a 16V trim; any other suggestions?
Any feedback gentlemen?

I know it's my own car and it should reflect me, but I just can't decide on these three things.


BTW BRAND NEW ALLOYS are on their way from France for it!
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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docchevron
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Re: BX GTI Restoration

Post by docchevron »

m_2975 wrote:It currently has a steel short bonnet; should I put on a brand new short polymer bonnet?
If the bonnet on it isn't rotten, leave it be.
Plastic panels fade uicker than steel panels.

M_oh, you know the rest wrote:It currently has black centre strips on the bumpers; should I buy the stainless steel ones instead?
What colours the car?
If it's a light colour they look better with black, darker colours look better with stainless.

The Antipodean one wrote:It currently has a 16V trim; any other suggestions?
nope, Le Mans or Monza seats are by far the best seats to ever be fitted to a BX. Unless you get dead cow seats, that really is FTW!
Smokes lots, because enough's enough already!

Far too many BX's, a bus, an ambulance a few trucks, not enough time and never enough cash...
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m_2975
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1993 BX GTI
1997 Xantia CT Turbo

Re: BX GTI Restoration

Post by m_2975 »

docchevron1472 wrote:
m_2975 wrote:It currently has a steel short bonnet; should I put on a brand new short polymer bonnet?
If the bonnet on it isn't rotten, leave it be.
Plastic panels fade uicker than steel panels.
Nope the bonnet isn't rotten but it's bloody heavy. You have a very good point about the metal not fading as much.
docchevron1472 wrote:
M_oh, you know the rest wrote:It currently has black centre strips on the bumpers; should I buy the stainless steel ones instead?
What colours the car?
If it's a light colour they look better with black, darker colours look better with stainless.
It's Bleu Sirene (one shade lighter than Olympic Blue).
Good point.
Only thing is that I had black chevrons on the bonnet and they looked stupid...the silver ones were much nicer.
docchevron1472 wrote:
The Antipodean one wrote:It currently has a 16V trim; any other suggestions?
nope, Le Mans or Monza seats are by far the best seats to ever be fitted to a BX.
Well it's got a mint Le Mans interior (is that the stripey one?)
docchevron1472 wrote: Unless you get dead cow seats, that really is FTW!
Dead Cow Seats....HUH??????

Michael
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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docchevron
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Post by docchevron »

Light blue, stainless.. Look at Robs 8V GTi in the picture forum, looks great.

Monza is striped black and white, Le Mans is kinda wavy red / white / black..

Dead Cow...Leather!
Smokes lots, because enough's enough already!

Far too many BX's, a bus, an ambulance a few trucks, not enough time and never enough cash...
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m_2975
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My Cars: 1989 BX 19TRI Estate
1993 BX GTI
1997 Xantia CT Turbo

Post by m_2975 »

docchevron1472 wrote:Dead Cow...Leather!
](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,) ](*,)

Duh! Sorry about that. Wasn't thinking about it!

Ok it's the Monza interior and I think it's very very classy.
Only thing that I don't like is that the stupid metal bars that hold the cloth into the cracks on the base of the seat are bent and pop up.

Have you pulled one apart and straightened them? If so please dish!



I had a look at Rob's GTi and that's where I got the idea. His car is almost identical to mine down to the rear exhaust pipe!

Thanks for your input Doc!
My Cars:
'93 BX 19GTi Sedan 5M
'89 BX 19TRI Estate 5M
'89 AX GT(With EFI) 2door 5M
In the Family:
'74 SM IE (Fully Restored) 5M
'90 BX 19TRI122 Sedan 4A
'02 Xantia Exclusive Sedan 4AA
'06 C5 2.2HDi Estate 6A
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docchevron
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Post by docchevron »

Monza rocks! My TD sports a very dirty Monza interior..
I cant be arsed to clean it, so I'll change it since I have spares..

I've had the leather seats apart, but never had cause to pull the Monza's apart, but I should imagine it's very straight forward...?
Smokes lots, because enough's enough already!

Far too many BX's, a bus, an ambulance a few trucks, not enough time and never enough cash...
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