It's been a while since I have posted any substantive updates, but progress is being made!
After chasing down and fixing (although I am not sure how) non-functioning interior lighting, I am buttoning up the interior. Before this journey began, my headliner was already starting to sag. I took the opportunity to re-cover the headliner, a- and b-pillars in charcoal microsuede.
The discerning eye will also note that I have swapped the stock grey bits (visors, dome/map light, rearview mirror, grab handles, etc.) with black ones, which (in the U.S.) only came with the GLI, R32, and 20th Anniversary GTI.
One major challenge here was the dome/map light above the dash. My car does not have a sunroof and, in the U.S., the GLI, R32, and 20th all had sunroofs. This means that the black map/dome lights for U.S.-spec cars would never fit my non-sunroof model. Non-sunroof models with black interior bits were sold in the EU, however, and the proper map/dome light does exist. I posted a WTB on the 'tex and found one BNIB. ECS tuning also sells them, but they are on a long backorder and I do not know if they will ever actually get them in stock.
Between being a complete upholstery novice and choosing a less-then-ideal fabric, the results of the recovering are not perfect, but I am pretty pleased over all. Everything fit and the hardware all screwed into place properly. Although I used fabric designed for headliners (i.e., it has thin foam backing), microsuede does not have the stretch that standard fabrics do. This means that in concave areas, there will probably be minor wrinkling/bunching. I knew of this issue going into the project, so I was not heartbroken when I was unable to make it perfect. If I had to do it over again, I would go with something more standard and stretchier. At some point, I will get around to reupholstering the door cards as well.
I also installed a brand new OEM shifter and boot.
The discerning eye will also notice the aluminum trim. These pieces also came on only the GLI/R32/20th. Mine have been installed for a long time. The wrinkle here is that in truckifying Josie, I went from a 4-door to a 2-door. The drivers handle, therefore, would have to go. I found someone parting out an R32 and got the proper 2-door driver's side handle.
As far as interior bits go, I now have the two backseat map lights with nowhere to go:
I am thinking of cutting into the headliner a few inches back of the grab handles to relocate them. Happy to hear other ideas, though!