A couple of commuter runs threw up one or two issues to be dealt with. The bodged exhaust joint did what bodges usually do and I had a 25 mile drive to work with the exhaust scraping the road on every bump. I removed the entire system, deleted the centre box just because, and replaced the ball and cone joint on the cat with a simple sleeve joint. Luckily the AX exhaust is mostly straight lines so it was easy to get it to sit right. It sounds much better and has stayed where it should be, still grounds out on big humps but that's lowered suspension for ya.
I noticed that the battery was only charging to 12.4 volts although the car still started OK from cold, so fitted a new battery as I hate cars that don't start when I need to go somewhere. I pulled out the rear seat and put in a plywood shelf for the dog cage, so the dogs can now experience the fun of retro motoring. They seem to like it. I also ordered a new Citroen Total sticker for the tailgate, and when you are doing things like that you know your project car is almost there.
Finally, I managed to replace the disintegrating gearknob. When I first met the lady who became my wife 20 years ago she owned a TVR with a nice aftermarket aluminium gearknob. She sold the car to help pay for the wedding but put the standard gearknob back on it, and the aluminium one has been rolling around in a box in my workshop ever since, waiting for me to own a vehicle with a 5-speed box and reverse opposite 5th. The AX plastic knob pushes onto a square barbed fitting, but I attacked this with a 1/2" BSF die nut, tapped the thread in the knob to match and used a short bit of power steering hose as a sleeve to tidy up the join. Why BSF? Because it was all I had to hand.
We've spent the weekend buzzing around the Norfolk countryside, ending up sharing fish and chips with the dogs in a seaside car park surrounded by moderns. Cars on three sides, and on all of them the base of the windows was about level with the AX's roof. You don't really appreciate how ridiculously huge modern cars are until you drive something like an AX. First impressions?
Handling - great. Unassisted steering is a bit low geared but always lets you know exactly what is going on. Totally safe, neutral, will understeer if pushed hard, unfussed by hitting potholes and drain covers mid-bend. Ultimate grip isn't huge but it is an absolute delight to drive.
Ride - a bit choppy on bumpy roads but well-damped and doesn't bottom out if you hit a big hole hard. Sporty but not jarring. I'm glad I went for Bilsteins rather than cheapo standard shocks.
Engine - meh. It's a bit tired, slightly tappety and seeping oil in various places. Typical scrapyard Saxo motor, been thrashed senseless by fifteen young owners and none of them ever changed the oil. It has a bit of bite but doesn't really feel happy at high revs. OTOH it pulls strongly from low speeds, got that "big engine in a small car" feel that I loved when I had a Mk2 Golf 1.8GL. I'm on the lookout for another engine to rebuild over the winter, or I might just bite the bullet and VTS it. Depends what turns up locally.
Gearbox - meh again. It changes gear OK but whines in every gear, also the throw is a bit long and it doesn't really like being hurried so there's no point in fitting a quickshift kit. It came out of the same donor as the engine so I shouldn't be surprised.
Brakes - no complaints. They work as intended and I don't think having discs rather than drums on the back would add anything.
Cooling - hopefully sorted. No problems over the weekend, the only thing I haven't tried yet is a fast motorway run in hot weather which will soon tell me if the cooling capacity is inadequate. The electric fan is on a 95/90 switch, fan kicks in after three or four minutes when sitting in traffic, just as the temp needle nudges over halfway, and I'm happy with that.
All in all, I seem to have built myself a French Mk1 Golf GTi. I've owned three of those at various times, so I couldn't be happier with what I've done here. I'll probably run it as a daily until the end of the summer, save up some pennies to have the worst of the paintwork sorted, then find some dry undercover storage for the winter while I build up a better engine and box.