205 Si xt

[djvu205]

So in an attempt to clean up all my parts and sell the last 205 I have, I went looking for struts and hubs in my stash of bits to get it rolling again. A few years back I wrecked a 306 xt and i left all the bits in a shed offsite. After I dragged a trailer load of bits home I found hubs, brakes, drive shafts, engine pipes steering racks wheels etc etc. Turns out the hubs and shafts are s3 205 and brakes and suspension are 306. I must have tossed the 306 hubs and shafts and put the 205 stuff in its place in anticipation of another project one day. I sort of remember doing this now but it wasn't untill I started digging that I remembered doing it lol . I found way more 205 stuff than I can ever remember having and it sort of got me thinking. Anyway short story long the car is now staying put. Im currently not working full time so with some spare time available it didn't take long to start laying things out and coming up with a plan.

 

[Matthew]

I have the shafts for the Si here if needs be.

 

[djvu205]

Hi Matt I'm all sorted thanks. I actually had some hubs and shafts all along I just didn't know they were 205 ones. When Graham W got me onto the idea of using 306 stuff I found what I needed.

Fat chance but I will put it out there, I'm chasing a 205 Si driver's side door and rear hatch/tailgate if anyone has anything? Prefer Alpine White to make things easier and with the tailgate wiring in place.

 

[Matthew]

If your getting rid of or even thinking of selling the 205 hubs let me know please?

 

[djvu205]

Sorry mate hubs not for sale but if things change I'll let you know. Part of the reason I decided to fix the car and got motivated is the fact i can't find a 205 to buy that's within my budget and I'm keen to get behind the wheel of one again. Thing's definately aren't like the used to be. It didn't seem like that long ago people thought I was the crazy one paying $1500 for a gti with a blown head gasket and a tonne of other issues. The same car now starts at 15k. This got me thinking if I want to drive one again I'll have to build it. Add to that the fact I found a heap of goodies in my long lost stash it just made sense in the end.

I originally bought the car off Angru and he got it from French connection as a too good to wreck deal. About 12 months ago a guy next door to me sprayed a heap of rocks over the fence while removing a stump and shattered the rear hatch glass. I sort of give up on it and wrote it off as it needs dash putting back in it and it's not the greatest 205 I've owned but after tearing the motor out of it I had a sudden change of heart. Now it's back in the shed with the motor back in and running. Fitted a s3 205 gearbox along with matching hubs and shafts. I'm on the hunt for a vts box with the 4.4 FD if any keen to swap for a s3 box. Pic is how I purchased it a few years ago

 

[djvu205]

I've been pretty busy with the 205 ended up fitting a gti subframe that was hanging up in the shed with some Gti springs and Si struts for now. Hoping reset springs 30mm lower and will set rear to match. Fitted a non Power rack for now until I figure out the power steering pump then I've got a quicker xsara power rack to go in there. Also cut all the broken glass out of the rear hatch what a prick of a job. I'm finding glass shards all over the place.

On the rear I've disassembled the rear beam and will be fitting new shafts bearings seal etc to the Si tube and 306 arms. I'd like to put photos up but im having trouble with my phone. since an update it doesn't allow me to resize files like I used to. Can anyone recommend a good reliable app for this?

 

[GRAHAM WALLIS]

I use Paint to resize the files.

 

[angru]

Good to see you still have that car and that it’s progressing.

 

[PeterT]

I use Preview (Mac) to resize files, to 1800 x 1200, 72 dpi maximum. On a PC I use IrfanView. Resizing pics on a phone is difficult. I haven't found a free app yet.

 

[djvu205]

Will have to dig out the laptop

 

[djvu205]

Good to see you still have that car and that it’s progressing.

Yeah it was touch and go for a while but it's back on!

 

[djvu205]

Just pressing new shafts into arms should they be dry or a small amount of lubey dube?

 

[shibuichi]

On the phone I send images to myself on telegram (messaging app) which automatically compresses the photo to an aussiefrogs postable size.

 

[Adrian Wuillemi]

Just pressing new shafts into arms should they be dry or a small amount of lubey dube?

I put copper anti sieze on the shaft when pressing them in.

 

[Jared]

When I attach a photo on the iPhone I just click the bottom where it says “actual size” and then you can choose to use a smaller size file?

 

[djvu205]

Finally got round to sorting my photos.Here are some of the bits I found for the project.

 

[djvu205]

Gave the front end a clean and paint then fitted a non assisted rack for ease. The si has slight different setup where it bolts to chassis compared to the gti but measurements are all the same.

 

[djvu205]

The front end was relatively quick and easy compared to the rear beam. Although the beam wasn't noisey the factory drum brakes where dead and seized on one side. I had the 306 disc arms so put them in the si tube with new shafts seals and bearings. Had to make a few tools to get the old bearings out and new ones in. Had issues with the tube/shaft seals not fitting in the tube very tight? Anyone else had this drama? The sasic seals literally fell out so used some factory seals I had and they seem to fit better. Also I highly recommend doing rear brake hoses when the beam is out. I ended up pulling it again to replace the hoses as brakes wouldn't bleed and it turned out one hose was completely blocked. When the hoses are tight as these ones much easier to do with beam out. So other than that it all went well. It got the 306 xt 21mm rear arb that I cut down with the hacksaw and re splined to suit. Kept the STD 18.2mm torsion bars for now but I'd like 19mm ones. I'm predicting the aussie frogs green paintwork will add at least another 10-15 bhp

 

[djvu205]

I made this mandrel from an old shaft. Turns out the 1 7/8" stainless exhaust pipe I had is a perfect fit on the shaft and a fraction smaller than the inner bearing. Used a piece I cut from the old arm as a stop and pressed it on then threw a couple of welds on everything to hold it in place. Pretty agricultural but put the bearing in to the required depth.

 

[djvu205]

Assembled beam going in for the second time. Forgot to mention I set shock centres to 322mm as that's what my last si was (with slight rubbing on large bumps) I'm yet to give it clearance but will see how it goes. The 21mm arb definitely helps with the scrubbing as it's slightly less independent in the rear with the bigger arb. I'll be running 15x6.5 wheels down the track. It sits slightly higher in the front than I'd like depending on the ground I'm on but that's because it has dtd gti springs. I'll be fitting around 140lb custom springs or 30mm lower xsara springs if anyone has any?