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Just because I don't have enough french hot hatches...a Ph3 GTi6!

46K views 129 replies 31 participants last post by  c16rkc 
#1 · (Edited)
So.....

If you've read my recent update to my Golf thread, you'll know change is on the horizon, and approaching rapidly. The 130 mile daily round trip commute, that I pay the fuel for, has become a grind and when I was presented with the opportunity for an interview for a role that is virtually identical to mine, a mere 17 miles up the M1 from home, I jumped at it.

Clearly, I chose the right words, in the correct order, with the right amount of effort in delivering them, because I got the job!

The new role has the option of a fully expensed car, or a car allowance. Given I'll now be doing circa 9k a year mileage instead of maybe 35k, it makes more sense to run my own car and take the allowance. I'd considered asking Lex about how much to buy the golf but considering it's only just over two years old, I think it will be too much.

Thoughts then turned to finances and I figured with the saving of not having a company car on my tax code, and the car allowance, I could bank a serious amount of cash per month. I'd been looking at this car:





A 2010 535d, with a serious spec, and a price to match at £13k.

Thoughts turned to a fun car I could run for a year, that I knew well, that was reasonably reliable, other than the Xsara because I don't want to put the miles on that and easy to maintain myself.

There was only one answer. A 306. The lack of distance I'd be covering meant I didn't need to consider a diesel. I've already a Rallye, so why not a 6? And low and behold an advert appeared on the GTi6/Rallye Facebook page yesterday, in Coventry (very local to Leicester), for about my budget, for a GTi6.

A trip over this afternoon, a good look round, a test drive, a look through the history file over a cup of tea, a little negotiation and a deal was done. Tomorrow, I will own this:



A Ph3, late 2000, X plate GTi6. A fairly well known car amongst the 306 community, it's fairly standard apart from being lowered a touch and having an updated rear beam. Turns out it had a decent period of being maintained by CG Cars of Leicester (if youve read my Xsara thread, you'll know Carl looks after all my french stuff). A bulging history file, 124k on the clocks and generally a very clean example. Previously, it had been modified somewhat to make it handle very well but mostly, suspension aside, it's been returned to stock.

So......the million dollar question. My plans:

Well, I intend to run it for a year. It will be my daily. Undoubtedly, there will things to.do, but, unless parts present themselves so cheaply I'd be mad to turn them down, it will remain standard. Someone I know well, who I've told of my plans, has already asked for first refusal if I do move it on in a year's time, so I guess it's my duty to maintain/improve over the next 12 months. I might have a parts contact.....!

I will be picking it up at lunchtime tomorrow so will hopefully update tomorrow night....
 
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#31 ·
Wrist felt much better today so I got on with some more machining.

I started on the other rear quarter....the paint from day 1 on this panel has never looked right to me. Hazy, poor reflections etc. I had my suspicions it had been painted but I can't find anything concrete to prove that.



So, a little closer inspection and the paint isn't great at all. A lot of swirling and some definite holograms.





There are bits like this all over the car. Serious swirling, mostly along panel edges, around things etc. This is the A pillar around the wing mirror.



So after several passes with Menzerna 2200 on a yellow CCS pad, I got to a level of correction that I began to be happy with. Still some more work to do on refining etc but a definite improvement.



An unintentional 50/50 on the front wing from where I'd been machining the bonnet...



And then a couple of the end result so far, although by this point the light was crap and the photos didn't show much..





Still, tidied up and parked up. It's not a bad driveway to have (next door is now empty as it's a rental property so borrowing the drive for a while!)

 
#32 ·
A little bit more done...

Removal of the rear lights and a clean up behind them and an application of WoWo's Crystal sealant.



The paintwork is awful in places....I've no idea, other than 3 grit sandpaper (you know, three house bricks glued to a sheet of A4...:rolleyes: ) what they have washed this car with.

Not the greatest pic but some before swirling....



And mostly corrected. The flake in China Blue is lovely. Fully corrected and with some LSP stuff on, it looks amazing in the sun.



It's been pretty much the same all over the car.

Suspension news! OEM front stuff sourced. I've also found some genuine wishbones locally too. They will need new p bushes but that's no issue, and a rear beam now being refreshed for me, although not sure how when I'll get to pick it up with all this current advice (need to be a bit careful too, wife is Type 1 diabetic so don't really want her getting it...)



Someone popped up on one of the Facebook in pages with a set of wing mirrors for free. Eager to see what the issue with mine is, I took them, just covered the postage. They are off a diablo red car so the covers are predictably peeling but again, no real issue as mill swap my mirror cap on...



A test fit of the passenger side wing mirror confirms that mine is knackered (it flops about side to side and some small plastic pieces fell out) so another job for the coming weekend..

Finally, I did a bit more polishing late this afternoon as I've been working from home today as the kitchen fitters have started. Finished on a black pad, with Menz 3800 and I extended the working time. It's come up very well indeed for a 20 yr old car.



Managed to find a genuine Peugeot, brand new, still in the packaging chrome 'GTi' and a red 6. They've been bought and are on their way. Finally got in touch with the previous owner who did all the mods too. Going to be having a good conversation with him.
 
#35 ·
Got round to doing the other door b pillar textured trim sticker thing. This one wasn't in the best shape either, wrinkled top and bottom at the front edge and generally looking a little tired.





Learnt my lesson on removing, plenty of heat from the wife's old hairdryer applied and the sticker lifted off much easier



Old adhesive removed, new one applied, much better.



Bodywork wise, other than finishing the machining and getting some LSP products on, which I'll do with my 3 day weekend I hope, there isnt much else I can do as it needs painting which I'll get Carl to do once he opens again, other than try and find new ones of these on the rear windows...



3 per window, they've all faded and gone white. They let it down so I'll start looking for some of them.
 
#43 ·
So, haven't really done much to, or with, the 6.

The exhaust blow has gotten a little worse so have been using the Xsara for the commute.

In the meantime, I've been busy shopping. I've bought:

  • New Ph3 headlights
  • Scorpion cat back stainless steel exhaust
  • New genuine Peugeot manifold to cat fire ring kit

The headlights were a steal at £80 and I've sold the old for £30. The exhaust had to be a Scorpion. Consistently renouned as the best for a GTi6/Rallye, it's taken me a little while to track one down, in the Highlands of Scotland of all places, but it's on its way. I'm certain there's a blow up front (if only my life was that good :lol:), quite possibly from.the cat/manifold joint. It's a curious affair, with a couple of long bolts, miniture spring plates, springs and a fire ring that sits between manifold and cat, with the bolts holding it all in place and the springs allowing a little flex.

That little lot should see the exhaust sorted out.

Pics then:

New headlights (I need new hockey stick clips)



Today's wash and qd. A 306 is still such a good looking car:



China is such a lovely colour, especially in the sun:

 
#48 ·
That's a stunning 306, always loved their shape, in fact I think the 90's are my favourite Peugeot era.

Loads of good work going on, a real pleasure to see you doing all those little things that make a huge difference together. Thanks for posting!

Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 
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#50 ·
Another little job sorted. Well, I say little......as I'm sure I've said before, nothing is ever simple.

So, since I've had the 6, the passenger side wing mirror has only ever worked in one direction. A while back, and I think I posted here, I got a pair of wing mirrors for just the cost of postage... The plan was to just swap the covers over

So I took the old diabolo cover off the mirror and the lens out and took my wing mirror off the car. Now, the covers are really awkward to remove without breaking clips so with the mirror off my car, I took the glass out. Firstly, it showed me what was wrong with my mirror. One of the toothed rods that move the mirror in a certain direction had broken.





Bit that should live in the hole is rolling around at the bottom of the casing. Should look like this:



I then noticed the cover in my mirror had been stuck on with sealant. Someone's been in here before, probably to try and fix the mirror....so I left it and decided to swap the motor units from the spare mirror to my mirror. Three screws. It's easy.

Yeah. Right.....

So, three screws out, motor unit comes out, simple plug. Done. Same with my mirror, ready to swap.



Except the mirrors are different.





Clearly a bit different and the motor pack I'm trying to swap in doesn't fit properly because of the difference in fittings and the back plates being different.





So that then needed a swap of the back plates. That done, three screws back in, mirror plate added back, and I've a fully functioning passenger side wing mirror.



That was a whole lot harder than it should have been, but, it's another job off the list.
 
#52 ·
It always surprises me how many little part changes there are in a cars model run.

Nice work and patience!

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#59 ·
So, busy day yesterday.

Car was back at Carl's to have the Scorpion exhaust fitted.



Job done and it sounds amazing. It certainly goes somewhat better too, although the old one was blowing a bit so won't have been helping. Looks like the old one just really needed rehanging but the Scorpion is so much better. Turns out the one that's come off is also OEM Peugeot Eica stuff, so that's getting tucked away for safe keeping.

Whilst there, Carl out a new side repeater in for me as a lense had fallen off mine.



In the box with the new exhaust, which arrived yesterday were a few other bits Craig had found me. New oil filler cap, fuel pump seal and some power steering pump spacers.



Whilst there, I also swapped two airboxes I had for one he'd had powdercoated (and very well done I'll add). Today was all about getting rid of the stupid open cone filter and putting standard induction back on. Simple enough job. Jack up, wheel off, arch liner out of the way and.....





And then a neighbour bought round a package for me that had been misdelivered which turned out to be the two red 6 badges I'd bought. They are repros but will go well in the doors with a chrome GTi

 
#60 ·
Car seems to run much better with the standard induction stuff back on. It perhaps now needs an ecu reset, as I've no idea how long the filter had been on, but at least I can forget worry about puddles when I'm out and about now.

Today was a lazy day at home. Lawns mowed, driveway swept clear of all the cherry blossom and the French contingent washed and QD'd. I do love my little fleet.

 
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