The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
Technical Discussion => Misc. Technical Discussion => Topic started by: montmil on August 10, 2008, 03:26:00 PM
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Besides messing with the LED oil pressure indicator lamp on the R65, I've been rehabing the German Unobtanium plastic fender flares on my 1986 VW Cabriolet... after replacing a hail-destroyed top.
Here's a couple before n' after shots...
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi196.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa1%2Fmontmil%2Fvolkswagen%2FDSCF0001_1.jpg&hash=3d3cf17c788e14b49c2bb5c590ef78d299136dc6)
All four corners had been exposed to 23 years of living outside in the Texas heat. They showed it, too. I have owned the car for almost eleven years. The previous owner bought it new in Dallas. A Texas-owned car all its days.
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi196.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Faa1%2Fmontmil%2Fvolkswagen%2FDSCF0003_1.jpg&hash=f18a11df191e50cd8ff787dfa500acb140ecb1ae)
Viola! Two full days of sanding and priming and sanding and priming... Twenty minutes for the color. Gotta keep this car in good shape as I have promised it to my grandson when he starts driving. He's five years old.
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Always loved the Rabbit / Cabriolet. Have has Z cars, Italian 2 seater's and big displacement Detroit iron. the little VW however was the absolute most fun to drive, Kinda like an amusement park ride off it's leash! Great paint job! do you do [size=8]R[/size]65LS parts?
rich
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... Great paint job! do you do R65LS parts? rich
Cars, airplanes, motorcycles, signs and houses...
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Dude! Loookin' good!
Ed
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Dude! Loookin' good!
Ed
Thanks, Ed. Right now, the lookin' good cabriolet is at Dave's Foreign Car. I've done all I can to figure out why the car has begun to stall at the most inopportune times and not restart. It's an electrical issue for sure. I smelled the burn! Had to tow it home behind the truck... twice. I don't like that!
Typical elderly female German transportation... I treated her to a new top- clothes, some new interior bits- jewelry, and the fresh color for her- makeup. So she embarrasses me in public. Ack! [smiley=furious3.gif]
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Those Vw's are exellent value for money.
My wife owned a '94 model 1800 Cti, (not a Cabriolet) and all of us liked to drive that car.
During the previous year it was our 30th wedding anneversary, and in a moment of weakness, I decided to sell the Vw, and bought my wife a new car.
The Vw actally was involved in a slight accident before, which caused a premature rust problem - if it was'nt for that, I would'nt sell the car.
Regards
Danie
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I've had the Cabriolet for eleven+ years now. Bought it local from the original owner who took good care of the car. It's a fun car, gets terrific fuel mileage, the top doesn't leak, plus young, female drivers wave at the old guy driving it. What's not to like? ;)
I have "invested" way more cash than the car originally cost me. However, my philosophy sez that you can do lots of fixes for less money than a monthly mortgage payment on some cookie-cutter look alike. Beside, I have to have some sorta project/s going all the time. Tools good! Me like-y.
Monte
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Waaaaay too much time on his hands!
Spend more riding, less time working!!!
;D
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Waaaaay too much time on his hands! Spend more riding, less time working!!! ;D
Doing that now! School's back in session and so am I plus my bride. Been riding the R65 to work most days and having a blast. There's an R100 at work, too. We both draw all the attention. Rice riders are experiencing "boxer envy".
The stalling problem with my Cabriolet turned out to be a worn out ignition switch; not the lock cylinder but a bit downstream. All good now. Jeez... you'd expect a plastic and copper switch to last a bit more than 23 years. And it's German! New fuel pump relay, too.
And Ed... I rehabed the exterior mirror housings last weekend. Old clearcoat worn away and the paint was dull. While what was left of Hurricane Ike drifted through town, I spent the morning in the shop doing a bit more maintenance on the Cabrio. Work is what interferes with my BMW and Cabriolet fun.
Have you guys tried the GearWrench flex head ratcheting wrenches yet? They are the bomb. I bought a 10mm to assist in installing the new top on the Cabby and was so impressed that I found a deal on Amazon for a full set... no tax and free shipping. The tools are produced by KD Tools and made, I hate to say this, overseas. Oh well. It's now a "global economy/marketplace". I don't have to like it.
Monte
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Not much hurricane activity here in Hotlanta, yet. Hope you got through it OK.
Wish I could do the painting bit, but really all thumbs (& colorblind).
Rattle can on items that are rarely seen is my speed.
Can you link to the wrenches? They sound like something I could use.
Ed
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Not much hurricane activity here in Hotlanta, yet. Hope you got through it OK... Can you link to the wrenches? They sound like something I could use. Ed
We got all of 0.25 inches of rain and little more than a 20-25 mph breeze. We have some Galveston-area friends that weren't quite so fortunate.
Ed, I went back to the flex wrenches that I ordered and the price has been bumped ten bucks! The nice thing about Amazon is that you can check many different vendors for the same product.
I like the flex wrench idea primarily because it reduces the number of "pressure bruises" I get on the back of my hands while working on stuff. My medicine man sez I have very little fat to cushion impacts. Some days, I'm pounded purple on my hands and forearms. Aging is not a pretty thing!
Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002NYD3U
PS: Painting ain't so hard. Just a wee bit of practice required. Why, even Justin can do it! ;D Gotcha, "J"
Monte
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Yeah, I guess I deserved that. If I can do it anybody can...
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Oh yeah. I can too. Just doesn't look all that slick.......
Thanks for the link.
Bruises? What means "bruises"? Oh, you mean my usual "damaged hands" look.
I swear, any time a wrench reaches my hand it results in scrapes and bruising.... :'(
Can you say " Neosporin", "Antibacteria soap" ??
Ed
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I drive an 84 cabriolet and like it quite a bit. I'm in Tucson and recently got my hands on a well maintained one with 78,000miles Our weather is so predictably dry, I have only put the top up about three times. Nimble, simple and fun.
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I drive an 84 cabriolet and like it quite a bit. I'm in Tucson and recently got my hands on a well maintained one with 78,000miles Our weather is so predictably dry, I have only put the top up about three times. Nimble, simple and fun.
I've had my '86 Cabrio for almost ten years now. I'm only the second owner; PO was a S'West Airlines driver and commuted to Dallas Love Field from Sherman, Texas. Maybe 75 miles one way. Car was kept up and I'm doing the same. Recently repainted the rearview mirror housings as the clear coat had worn away and the color was dull. Other bits are being rehabed as required.
The top is down so much, I'm deleting the AC system during the Thanksgiving holidays. Will lose 22 pounds off the front end and pick up 7-10 hp due to eliminating the drag that the compressor adds even when the AC is off. Should bump up the fuel mileage a bit.
Monte
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The top is down so much, I'm deleting the AC system during the Thanksgiving holidays. Will lose 22 pounds off the front end and pick up 7-10 hp due to eliminating the drag that the compressor adds even when the AC is off. Should bump up the fuel mileage a bit.
OK, it's been about a month since this last posting and Thanksgiving is over. Yes, I did do quite a bit of Cabrio work for a few days; interspersed with family gatherings and a couple R65 chores.
Good intentions but "it's always something". Pulled all the underhood AC hardware and a buncha other stuff just to access and replace a weepy water pump. Last shop quote for that job was $900+... No kidding. Lotta labor hours and not much for parts. My parts cost was approx $60 so I feel like I came out dollars ahead. No leaks from the new pump either.
Also replaced a transmission mount that had the rubber "cushion" split in half. Fairly simple job if you consider jacking up the gear box "simple".
To complete the AC delete required pulling the crankshaft pulleys driving the accessory systems. Evidently the PO, or more likely some ham-fisted shop mechanic, had rounded out the four Allen screws that attached them. Had to drill 'em out- like removing aircraft rivets -and get some new ones. Time's a wastin'...
The biggest fly in the ointment turned out to be another long, big Allen screw that I never did get out. Secures the pivot point on the AC compressor. This forced me to re-fit the AC compressor body just so all my V-belts would line up.
Bottom line... I did get most of the Cabrio chores completed but left a couple for another day. Had to save some time to get the '81's bean can re-fitted plus the usual household chores.
I need to get back to the job just so I can get some rest! All in all, a pretty nice holiday break from the work place.
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Monte, you have my unswerving admiration! I still haven't finished my latest R65 chores. Servicing's done, so's the routine maintenance, Just can't seem to get around to finishing the reassembly. You know.... too cold in the garage, Friend's car need's my attention, Leaves need blowing, son needs Dad's help at his house, rental property needs attention. R65 seems to always come in last :'(
However, Wife's leaving Thursday morn to spend weekend with girl friends in North Carolina mountains. So far only a short "Honey Do" list, so by Sunday the R65 should be back on the road!
Gotta get back in the saddle & try out my Christmas/Birthday present.. Olympia Riding pants!! What a fashion statement!
;)
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Monte,
The Mk1 was notorious for bad earths. Always fun searching, cleaning and refitting all the earths. A bit like an Easter egg hunt... If you have the first generation fuse box with the ceramic fuses - more joy... Check for water ingress from behind the fuse box. ::)
Great car when they are sorted. Schrick made a very nice cam for the early 8V motor. Neuspeed in the US make some heavy duty engine/transmission mounts too. Go the rubber versions - a bit more durable than the polyurethane...
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Monte,
The Mk1 was notorious for bad earths. Always fun searching, cleaning and refitting all the earths. A bit like an Easter egg hunt... If you have the first generation fuse box with the ceramic fuses - more joy... Check for water ingress from behind the fuse box. ::)
Great car when they are sorted. Schrick made a very nice cam for the early 8V motor. Neuspeed in the US make some heavy duty engine/transmission mounts too. Go the rubber versions - a bit more durable than the polyurethane...
Hey, Multi. Earths=Grounds. Same all, same all. [smiley=thumbup.gif] Not only do I keep all the OEM earths tidy, I have added a couple extras upon suggestions from my favorite Cabriolet forum:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zeroforum?id=152
Dumping the Euro ceramic fuses for modern was done on the Cabriolet and both R65s. Unless maintained, the evil water can invade behind the underdash fuse box. Me be dry.
The younger bling-bling crowd seems attracted to polyurethane suspension, steering and motor mount bits. Such a harsh ride. Quoting Madeline Kahn as "Princess Nympho" in History of the World, Part 1, "You're shaking my tits off!"
Monte
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Trish (my fiance) had a 99 Cabrio that was fun, at first. But very slowly thing started breaking on it and it soon became a huge money-pit. Power top pump broke, mystery dashboard idiot lights would come on for no reason, a/c condenser would go out intermittently, passenger window assembly broke 3 times (at $200 per instance). The window was the most frustrating, as the part that continually broke was a small plastic pulley for the window mechanism... but you couldn't but that pulley... you had to buy the entire assembly. After the third time, we gave up and sold the car on Craigslist "as-is."
Granted, the car had a salvage title from a previous owner so I think much of it's problems stemmed from that, but still....
I've heard that newer VWs are just a nightmare to maintain after they hit the 5-10 year mark. Too bad... they're great little cars...
I really want a late 60s-early 70s MarkIII Wagon. :D
vvvvvvvvv
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Wow, Graeme... the "not always" original post is almost two years old. You are definitely surfing... Arizona.
The Mk1 Cabriolets are much easier to maintain. Manual top, manual windows, manual labor... Parts are mostly available and I do about 90% of all the maintenance on the car. Have owned the '86 for over eleven years as the second owner.
After Lynn and I return from a break on the Texas coast -no beach oil, it's all next door at LA and FLA- I'm replacing the engine mount rubbers and completing the AC delete option I started last year. Six more months and the car will be exempt from emissions testing since it will be classified as an antique... like me!
Monte