Ok so the rear speakers turned out like this:
Hard to tell but the mounts are carpetted in the same carpet as the parcel shelf.
Nice and subtle I reckon, and haven't cut into the parcel shelf. Sound is ok, the sub has enough fill to compensate.
So today I moved on to mounting the VDO gauges. I was planning to just fit them back into the passenger dash but I felt too guilty for taking the easy way out. I had a man-size can of harden up and went about fitting them to the centre console where the ashtray was. The facia on the ashtray was already broken anyway and the switches on either side were missing so I wasn't too heartbroken, plus they look good on Sean's car. I fabricated two identical 3mm aluminium plates, and use them to sandwich the centre console panel. The gauges hold the two panels together and the small cutouts I made in the centre console mean that the gauges fit snugly into it and stop it from being able to slide sideways.
Don't worry, it is not staying that large, square, and silver.
Now I need to reduce the panel overall size and shape it to look the part, and then a few coats of a satin black should finish it off.
The inside of the panel could do with a clean, but the gauges sit in there nicely. Also I will be rotating the gauges so that when everything is running normally, all the gauge needles face the same direction, like any good car.
They'll sit in the car like this, only the panel won't be so large and it won't be silver. Also note the RS trim panel covering the existing holes on the passenger side dash where the gauges were. Oh and the glovebox will be going back in of course.
So then I got the radiator back from the local shop, who usually does a good job. I inspected the 3-row re-core and they have done a good job physically, but they have done the lousiest job in the world giving it a real half-arsed coast of paint. I mean seriously, who looked at this and thought 'that's a good job, the customer will be happy with that'?
I don't know if I am being too picky, but I couldn't fit the radiator to the car looking like this. The other painful thing was that they forgot the overflow hose that they promised, which I returned for. When I got home, I realised I also gave it to them with a radiator cap, which was also goners. Stuff it, I needed a new one anyway.
Rubbed it down, what a waste of my time. Part of me was thinking that I should have just forked out for a new alloy radiator, but anyway I got it done.
Looking a bit better. Notice the nice mark down the core on the left hand side that was there when I picked it up too. Can't say I am overly impressed all round. The tabs on the bottom right of the core are the core specs.
So I fabricated some brackets to mount the thermofan to the radiator without just bolting it straight through the core, like it was before. Just need to finish them on the linisher and paint them and fingers crossed it'll all fit. It's going to be tight.
I also bought a nice small alloy catch tank and will tap some fittings to let me use it as an overflow tank. Still not sure how I am going to mount it yet but I have a few ideas.
I'm stuffed, time for a hot shower and a drink.