Not always BMW...

[montmil]

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...



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.



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.

[MrRiden]

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

[montmil]

... Great paint job! do you do R65LS parts? rich

Cars, airplanes, motorcycles, signs and houses...

[not-so-fast-ed]

Dude!   Loookin' good!
Ed

[montmil]

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]

[Danie]

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

[montmil]

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

[not-so-fast-ed]

Waaaaay too much time on his hands!

Spend more riding,  less time working!!!

 

[montmil]

Waaaaay too much time on his hands! Spend more riding,  less time working!!!

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

[not-so-fast-ed]

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

[montmil]

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! Gotcha, "J"

Monte

[Justin B.]

Yeah, I guess I deserved that.  If I can do it anybody can...

[not-so-fast-ed]

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

[mspeir]

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.

[montmil]

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