Well as the dark nights are here I thought i'd get myself a little project, I've did a couple over the last few winters (205GTI restoration, and a Saxo VTS track car build).

So picked up a non runner R53 on Gumtree. Very nice condition, but lots of crisps, hair, paper, crap, grush (money!), coffee powder?! inside of it..... a bit neglected.

Car came with a full Miltek on it which was a bonus, and also a golf ball dent on the bonnet for free!

It was supposed to have a dodgy HG but when I went to see it, it wouldn't start at all. So I thought there's more to this, and thought it might have jumped the timing.

So fully prepared to do an engine swap, I worked my way through fault finding it first as the engines are £500ish and I might only be buying what I have or worse.

Long story short, a few tests/codes/head scratching etc etc and messing about, it was a combination of things.

Duff coil pack, off fuel (piss coloured), spark plugs that had seen too many mis-starts, but the main culprit a stretched timing chain.

My garage has my 205 in it and too much other stuff to get the mini in, so as i'm very impatient, over the last two weekends I've got the long johns on and set about it under a gazebo. New timing chain etc, and i'm waiting on Cam cover bolts coming, then I can get a swift blast round the backroads, and see what it might or might not need for an MOT. I really can't see it needing anything.

A little bit of attention and some time spent on it and it lives to fight another day.



These are the tools required for doing the chain, and removing the bottom pulley.



The old fuel (water/dirt was inside the bottle I used).



Timing chain stretched by about half a link, meant the compression was way down and through the Cam sensor out.



I've got the interior all cleaned and most of it dressed, and i'll make a start on the exterior when it's road legal and I've got a replacement bonnet for it (local PDR man has stopped doing it).

If the GF doesn't want it i'll probably be putting it up for sale, she likes the looks of them but doesn't like driving my R53 cos the stiff bits on it.
If she likes it, i'll get the back windows blackened and get the outside fully detailed as mine.

These pics don't really do it justice, it's VGC and very straight in the flesh, just needs a wee bit of love!