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

[j.concepcion54321]

Hey guys,

So as mentioned in my senior project idea thread i was thinking about getting a rabbit and i found a deal that i had to scoop up!!! I saw this ad on craigslist..... http://southcoast.craigslist.org/pts/4293012370.html

SO i obviously went and scooped it up. ONLY Paid 160 for it , but the people who towed it charged me 140 Either way, the position the car was in (middle of the woods, sitting on top of a rolled up fence, with shrubs growing in front of it. NOt to mention the foot of snow that fell the day before) wouldve made the job ridiculously hard had it not been for the truck backing into the woods and hauling it out with the winch. So all in all i paid 300 bucks for the car.

The Good:
-NO RUST!!!! (strut towers are clean, frame rails solid, under car looked pretty good, checked the floors and they were solid, wheel wells are fine. Only some rust where the car has been hit)
-52,000 original miles
-PRetty much complete and original
-5 spd
-Suspension doesnt squeak or anything of that sort
-Interior hasnt been beat on

The Bad:
-Needs a new top,
-Doesn't run
-Has some wiring problems
-body is in rough place in places (will get pics afterwards)
-Brakes need some work

Overall the guy told me that it will start with a jump and some starting fluid. The weather has been extremely cold recently and i have a cold so i havent gotten a chance to prove this yet. He also told me that the old fuel pump is junk and he tried messing with the wiring for it to get it to work So im hoping that with a new pump, reconnecting all the wires correctly, and possibly a new relay for the fuel pump my issues should be solved.

For now all ive had a chance to do is go outside and spend an hour or so giving it a much needed cleaning. I even got my girlfriend to get her hands dirty helping me clean it out

Im still trying to see how i can incorporate this into my senior project as i need a central question; i cant just say that im rebuilding a car for the heck of it.

Hopefully ill have some updates as soon as the weather starts to cooperate. First up on the list is to change the oil, spray all moving parts with some wd-40, and try to get it running with starting fluid like the guy said. That way i know i can just focus on the fuel pump issues.

Its definitely a new stage for me and it may not be as nice as all my other friends first cars, but i know that i can drive around my city and know that i have something unique that i fixed myself and is a rarity compared to honda civics or camry's etc.

Thanks,
Josh

EDIT: first pic is blurry, but its of me when we picked up the car. My dads hands were probably shaking from the below freezing temps :/ ALSO these pics were taken before i cleaned up the car. The interior is no longer full of leaves and snow, and its being covered with a tarp to prevent that from happening again. lol

 

[machinist@large]

The biggest issue you're going to have is that parts are getting thin on the ground for those models, and from what little I've heard, the people still selling them thick they're made out of gold...

Maybe you should PM 'Sid, and find out what they charge for parts back in Germany; at least that way you'll know if the seller actually has the last one on earth that you need...

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Yeah i found a few places selling the fuel pump, and they all seem to be in the 60 to 70 dollar range. Besides that the intake tube for the engine i found on ebay for 30 bucks, and a new top i found for 160. Prices dont seem to be too bad, but as far as performance stuff im sure they manufacture more back at the home land so ill have a look around.

 

[OzFab]

Those prices seem reasonable from where I'm sitting...

Nice score

Wait, it was sitting in the woods with direct contact to the ground (via the rolled up fence) & there's no rust in it?

After sitting for a while, the brakes on any vehicle will need "a bit of work"; a short drive usually gets them working...

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Yeah i was beyond shocked when i took a look at it after i got it home. Especially since the photo from the ad made it look like the paint was faded and it was all rusted out...

The story behind that was that the guy was going to restore it with his ex, but she left him and the car reminded him of her so he took out the seats because they were in good condition and he could use them on another one of his projects, and threw the car in the woods to die. He was gonna scrap it but decided to throw it on craigslist in case someone could actually make use of the car and along i came.

This guys garage/barn thing was sick!! he had a 1932 studebaker that he was restoring, a triumph gt6, an old cadillac, tons of bikes and tools, about 4 jeeps, and what really caught my eye was an old reverse trike made from a quad frame with a predator on it.

 

[itsid]

That thing is cute..
Trivia time:
we call them "Erdbeerkörbchen" (strawberry basket) because of the roll bar.
And 'we' get pimples if 'you' call it a rabbit
It's a "Golf MkI"
VW had name issues with the word 'Golf' over in the US;
can't remember the details,so back to more interesting stuff.

You can have a new roof here (ebay 350914687177)
just the roof, no frame, no window nor the window frame..
no sewing required, just four cuts for the rear window to mount.
Sonnenland material (used by Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley for example)

Is that the mechanical fuel pump? that's 15-20 Euros (20-27 USD) here
the electric is a bit steeper 35-50 Euros (50-70 USD).

SHipping the roof to the U.S is ~35 USD and small parts like the fuel pump will be cheaper.

So if you need a quote or a helping hand to find parts let me know.

And, if some ebay seller comes your way not willing to ship internationally,
drop me a line; I can talk to them to maybe change their opinion


Nice car!
Great deal.

'sid

 

[exenos]

It wouldn't be too hard to get a 1.6/1.9 td in there then you could go ahead with you're veg oil idea. The mechanical injection vw diesels are IDI so they would work great for the thicker vegetable oil.

 

[shakey0818]

Congrats on your first car Josh.If ya looking for hard to find parts try shops that specialize on Volkswagen or foreign cars.They usually have a small stock pile of old parts.Gl and be safe.

 

[zbuck]

In 1979 I leased a 1979 Rabbit Deisel. To use on my job. Averaged around 45 mpg. One of my Buddies had a Rabbit GT and it would flat out get with the program. Good luck with your new ride.

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Thanks for the positive feedback! Today I'm working on just spraying everything down for another time with some wr40, and I'm gonna give it an oil change. Then ill hook up a battery and try to get her started!

I just now realized that ordering a new top doesn't solve my issue completely because it doesn't bring the material that goes in between, or the headliner!!! Great, more things to order.....

 

[exenos]

How can we say anything but good about it? Its a awesome little car.

Are you going to do anything to it or it it a straight resto? Oh, and what engine is it?

 

[shakey0818]

Thanks for the positive feedback! Today I'm working on just spraying everything down for another time with some wr40, and I'm gonna give it an oil change. Then ill hook up a battery and try to get her started!

I just now realized that ordering a new top doesn't solve my issue completely because it doesn't bring the material that goes in between, or the headliner!!! Great, more things to order.....

Check out franks auto top on warwick or elmwood ave warwick.I think the one on warwick ave is cheeper than the one on elmwood ave.

 

[j.concepcion54321]

How can we say anything but good about it? Its a awesome little car.

Are you going to do anything to it or it it a straight resto? Oh, and what engine is it?

Haha, thanks! Im a little confused... I saw a link online with photos on how to identify the engines and according to that link i have a 1.6 liter. But everywhere that i check it says that the 1982 vw rabbit convertibles only came with 1.7l gas engines IM assuming i didnt check incorrectly and have the 1.6 so it might have been swapped at some point in its life not really sure.

@shakey0818: Thanks for the source ill check em out!

If that doesnt work then ill just order the top, and re do the headliner myself. It has some pretty decent sized holes but i think if i duct tape it and use some sealant around the edges, then just re do it with leather over all that it should be fine. Ill have my mom help me out

 

[j.concepcion54321]

Sorry to double post, but another question i had was..... On the shifter it has R,1,2,3,4,E
What does the E mean? I was pretty sure i just had a standard 5 speed tranny until i looked closely at it and saw that it had an E on it and not a 5.

Thanks

 

[fowler]

Yes E gear is a funny one

All the goggle links refer to a Lamborghini paddle shift

But our JCB tractor also has E gear
In that case it just means for transport only

 

[itsid]

Economy gear.

Strange huh

Something that many cars in germany had back then, basically it's just a fifth gear,
but the gear ratio isn't set up for additional speed but just to lower the rpm.

Check the engine code (Motorkennbuchstaben), and compare here:
http://www.golf1-ig.de/golf/facts/engines/
You should have a sticker with the engine codes on the backside of the motor compartment and it's stamped to the engine of course (somewhere near the ignition distributor I think)
if it's still the original engine they should match.

'sid

 

[Doc Sprocket]

"E" is for "EEK!" This is an 82 Rabbit. You can't go that fast... LOL

Overdrive. No more, no less.

 

[OzFab]

Im a little confused... I saw a link online with photos on how to identify the engines and according to that link i have a 1.6 liter. But everywhere that i check it says that the 1982 vw rabbit convertibles only came with 1.7l gas engines IM assuming i didnt check incorrectly and have the 1.6 so it might have been swapped at some point in its life not really sure.

That happens sometimes depending on where the car is exported to:

I have a '96 Toyota Camry V6. Now, over there (IIRC) & in Japan they have the 1MZFE engine but, over here they have the 3VZFE

 

[j.concepcion54321]

It lives!!!! After an oil change, a new battery, and some starting fluid she fired right up. Ran real smooth too, no knocking sounds.

 

[Poboy kartman]

Awsome. That's great to hear.