First Car!! 1982 VW Rabbit Convertible!!!!

[itsid]

If you still have it, its better than a test light.
Why? because the light works only on power.. the mutlimeter just neds a closed circuit.
(no need for any voltage)
that's why it's more reliable on checking wether a ground connection is working or not.
just touch the 'to be tested' ground against another ground.

If you don't have one anymore, buy one.. a cheap one will do ($10-20),
fuel injection aside you need no fancy stuff, circuit tester, ohm and voltmeter and you're good.
If you buy one: detachable leads if possible, (interchangeable) croc clamps if possible
that way you can elongate the leads in case you need to even if your arms do not reach both ends at once

How to test...
let's say the fusebox-fuel pump here.
add one of the croc clamps to the metal reed (that term is wrong I assume...) where the fuse sits originally, and the other to the +-eylet of the fuel pump.
in circuit-tester mode the multimeter will beep if everything inbetween is electrically connected.
(see why you would want to elongate the testleads here every now and then )

If you don't have amultimeter but want to test right away.
get a few feet of insulated wire and connect it to the +-eyelet of your fuel pump.
run it inside the car, close to the fuse box.
get a 9V battery and your testlight connect fusebox->battery + -> battery - ->light -> wire.
if it lights up.. all is fine. if not... well, you know

Hm ignition key on #2 while testing and the car battery charged?

'sid

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Hey guys, nothing to update as of now, it snowed here...... AGAIN!

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Muahahaaaaa, Ive got a pleasant surprise for you guys......


BUT!!!!! Im gonna wait until tomorrow to show you

:arf:

 

[Poboy kartman]

I kin hardley weight.....Bean awhiles since I see a Rabbit in a crusher.....

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Ok, sooo a couple of weeks ago i got a lead on a scrap yard that might have had an old cabrio sitting around. So i gave them a call and they ended up having an 83 out back

Friday after school i went with my dad and we took a look at it. To my surprise the top was perfect as was the headliner. We went inside and talked with the lady for a while and ended up getting the whole top assembly for 150

Also grabbed the intake tube up front and the fuel filter bolts i was missing along with whatever relays were left in it.

When we were taking it off a litte bit of the top cracked from the cold but im not worried as its just a little hairline crack and its about the size of a penny. Ill just seal it with some material from the old top on the inside that way no water gets in, it doesnt get any bigger, and you cant tell from the outside.

Also found out that i didnt have the multimeter so i tried testing the relay using my test light. I connected the positive from the battery to one of the power ends of the relay, my test light on the other end and then touched the other terminal and it didnt come on Also came to realize my blinkers werent working yet again....

 

[itsid]

That is amazing..
hard to tell from the pictures.. but that's not the vinyl roof, is it?
Or is it the pictures having the grain... can't tell ..
Anyways great deal!

'sid

 

[fowler]

Is this going to be anougther blue thunders truck

Lol joking

Good find on the top

 

[J_Walker]

I'm not trying to advertise this website. but it's the website I order all my fiberglass stuff from.. if its a problem, mods can remove my link.

http://www.fiberglasssite.com/servlet/StoreFront

Remember, you're wasting your money buying epoxy resin for fiberglass matte. Only use epoxy with the carbon fiber. for fiberglass use the gelcoat/Polyester don't use the junk from the hardware store, resin has a shelf life, and lots of that stuff exceed's it. Repair the crack now, and be 100% it isn't gonna come apart in the future! also if its plastic, and don't wanna go the stinky fiberglass resin part, they make plastic welding kits, I got to use one once, was the most amazing thing! when I get the cash, I will be picking up one for myself!

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Yeah I was real happy when I saw it! I have it open so that it'll stay with the heat and not shrink or crack or whatever after it thaws out!

Yeah I think your right Sid the new top seems to be better quality

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Hopefully gonna talk to someone today about mentoring me for body work. That way i can sort out all the body work that has to be done and then give it a nice Candy Apple Red paint job

 

[itsid]

Hopefully gonna talk to someone today about mentoring me for body work. That way i can sort out all the body work that has to be done and then give it a nice Candy Apple Red paint job

Nice, do you intend to do that yourself?

I mean candy isn't exactly an easy task...
from what I've heard so far.
you need a perfect base coat and several layers of colored clear coat to create the depth, then again the overall result mustn't be too thick...
Not something you would want to do in a your garage

'sid

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Yeah the point of the mentor is that i would bring it to their shop and they would show me how to do the work. Basically helping me to do it and them doing it along the way. As far as the painting goes if they're willing to go through the trouble of the complex paint job then id be ecstatic. If not, then we'll see what other paint they have lying around the shop or that i can afford. Haha

 

[itsid]

Well, in that case: the best of luck [crossed fingers smiley missing];



'sid

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Thanks, if not then ill look into the 10 other places within a 5 mile radius that do body work. haha, one of them is bound to take me in!!!!

On another note, the cabriolet at that scrap yard had a newer fuse box in it and it looked in pretty good shape. If i were to just cut all the wires from the back would i be able to install it in my car? If so im guessing id have to manually pull all the wires out (probably one by one) then connect them to the other box where they go?? Think the colors will be the same?

 

[itsid]

if it's the same fusebox (torpedo style) yes..
if not, I wouldn't want to try...
I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't fit.

Do not cut wires though, that'll make things worse..
not yours (obvious) not the donor cars (someone [maybe even you] might need the harness sometime)

and with the effort involved changing the fusebox (and since your's isn't actually broken) you can remove yours, clean it up and mount it back in for free.
(But regarding the effort.. I wouldn't )

'sid

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Yeah the weather still sucks around here (too dang cold!!!) so i havent gotten a chance to work on the rabbit anymore.

On another note though, I have my license road test tomorrow!! Wish me luck!!!

 

[OzFab]

Oh wow, good luck Josh

 

[itsid]

yes, good luck!!

'sid

 

[j.concepcion54321]

I GOT MY LICENSE!!!! Woot! And i also got a daily driver yesterday

Well sorta, you see...... my aunt and her boyfriend got a honda crv and at her apartment she can only have one vehicle... Soo you can figure out how that ended up in our driveway. I am now the proud owner of a 1999 VW Jetta. Then she said it needed some work and it was mine so just gotta wait til my dad can get the cash to register it and then ill be all set.

And then of course when the rabbit gets fixed the jetta will just be a household car, and ill use the rabbit as much as i humanly can. hahahaaa

 

[fowler]

A Jetta

That's a nice car