Post of projects past...

[ruffgeezer]

Well after a few pictures of one of my old cars made it on the forum again recently, I thought I'd make a post of the previous projects that I've done.

 

1) 1989 Ax GT5

 

I was an apprentice at Gates of Epping back in the early 2000s, this came in as a trade in in 2002 I think, at the time my Sister's Renault 5 was on it's last legs so I recommended this for her to my Dad, we bought it and took it home, he gave his car to my Brother and used it until his new car arrived, shortly before this happened however, my Ax Chicago blew up and, after the breaker's yard sold me another knackered head, I was lucky enough to be able to buy the Gt5 to replace it.

 

I haven't any pictures of it when I bought it (not that I can find anyhow) It was a 1 owner from new FSH car and had only 1 mark on the bodywork, I can't remember the mileage, fairly low I think.

 

I'd already had 4 Axs by this time, so plans were quickly made for this one, I had 2 sets of Team Dynamics alloys after the original Gt ones, first a set of motorsports in white, and later the same in antracite.

 

I went to my first AXOC meet in Guildford where I talked big on plans of lowering the car (inspired by Dom's Gt5, which I owned later on). After Rhys mocking me later on the yahoo group about all talk, no action, I bought a Gt/Chicago converted by Citroen with a boatload of tasty bits on it, including a set of Leda coilovers up front. 

 

Getting it home wasn't so simple, the owner had dismantled the knackered engine and the wheels had been "stolen". We bartered a deal, £150 for the whole car, and I left with just the 421 janspeed manifold, to return the next weekend with a set of wheels. 

 

We towed the car on it's borrowed wheels from Isleworth University Hospital, to my Grandparents house in Buckhurst Hill, Essex: Clicky for how far you can tow an ax with half an engine with a mondeo with a shagged clutch 

 

Here is how the car looked with the axle and ledas fitted (please note this was before the days affordable digital cameras):

One of the first axs with badly painted rear lights, the exhaust was at this point a Janspeed:

Front splitter courtesy of a ford granada/scorpio:

Sitting tight:

 

At some point, I got hold of a 106 rallye interior, and got the fronts fitted easily, the rear bench I stripped off and retrimmed myself, this is one of several mods that I did, but have no idea where it went...

 

After a while, I started experimenting with air filters, I had a pipercross to start with, followed by the k&n:

Later on though, I bought this ramair kit from a mk3 astra 1.4 from their stock clearance sale, the induction pipe I used was from a Ford Focus, it'd split at the joint, so I cut it down and reused it here, it definitely felt better on the road, but I have no idea what happened to it when I sold the car.

 

What happened next was a string of bad driving, and bad luck, I bought a set of mk2 gt seats for the car, but on the way home from collecting them, I over braked on a corner and ended up spinning off the road into a field, the resultant recovery claimed the front bumper, and it got finished again after I slid the car into the step of a truck on my way to work a day later (you can see the dent in the driver's side wing just behind the indicator)

 

Shortly after this, I also bought a mk2 fiesta and used that whilst I was doing the mot work on the car, unfortunately,  the next time I used it, I heard a knocking noise, I didn't stop quick enough and was soon overtaken by the passenger side rear wheel, causing a fair bit of damage to the sill in the process, I had the damage repaired but lost heart in the car, and stuck it back in the garage at my grandparents.

 

After a while, I stripped a complete, but knackered mk2 gt that had lost a fight with a transit van, this one was collected with no tax/mot from southend on sea, the bodykit was inside the car and the rear bumper was missing, ideal for towing home then? You bet!

 

Apart from the missing front wing, this is how it was towed for all the whole length of the a127, across the a12 and back to base in west essex, how we didn't get pulled I will never know!

 

The suspension from this car was fitted to the gt5 and it was sold to my mate Jonesy looking like this:

 

 

Ross made the car look amazing and took it to FCS in 2003/4 I think looking this cool:

 

Sadly this is where the story ends, Ross was due to drive to us one sunday morning, but the car once again spun under braking, this time though it collected a parked car, and that was the end of the story. 

 

Happily Ross was ok, a good friend texting you after you've been on the piss sobers you in seconds, a call to check he was ok put minds at ease, and the book on G288 VHJ was closed for good.