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Got a Free 81 Rabbit D, Think I want a Refund!!

35K views 302 replies 25 participants last post by  vwpieces 
#1 · (Edited)
Might as well make a thread on this car.
Build in Progress.

Quick story of this car:
A real good friend had it for about a year. Did some work on it and quit. Had to have it moved from where it was kept during that time. He knew I was looking for something to replace the 83 TD and said I could have it. Told him Nothing is Free... I did some work on a couple of his other cars, 73 Bus panel van and his 67 Beetle. Didn't charge him for the work, figured that would get him motivated to get the Rabbit to me. It worked, Rabbit was at my house in a week.

Been joking with my buddy as I find issues with the car. I keep telling him I want a refund. He laughs and says I cant afford to pay the repair bill.

The last PA inspection on this car is 1994. I had it running the day it arrived. Was missing a lot of parts but between my buddy being a VW nut too and my Hoard I really haven't had to buy much. And I think I'm under $290 in parts. Kinda funny, another friend in NH who is also a MK1 guy just got a CIS Rabbit too. Seeing who is spending the least on them is fun. I do have him beat simply from the free car standpoint. I also just posted the engine and trans FS. If I sell it I just might be on the Plus side.

Had to buy list so far from RA
rear muffler $57 Ansa
hatch strut $12 and it was a Stabilis
New heater core $28

Another order from Potterman, parts4vws.com
Needed 2 front hubs and a 16V Rocco P-brake cable. $57 total

And a consumables restock of 3/16 Nickel Copper brake line 50ft. $53

TSC for GREEN Paint $15

Yet another Parts Order 7/30, from AutohausAZ for $68
Needed the Lower coolant hose from front water neck to pump & oil warmer. The "Y" one. That is the only hose out of All the hoses I didn't have in the Hoard. Of course there were a few more things to ad to the order "while I was there"
Front Y hose $14
MK2 coolant Pipe $25
48.5mm exhaust clamp $3.50 But was refunded as out of stock and one arrived anyway.
Some washers for the AC sensor, to fill the hole, prolly wont use, but I was out of stock $0.21ea 3X
Blue expansion tank cap. Febi China. Yeah I might reuse the Old. $2.60
And the gasket for the turbo to down pipe. $3.50







 
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#107 ·
I'm suddenly hungry for spaggetti.:popcorn:
Glad to see you put the rad fan relay on the shroud, like the MK2s.

It also opens up the stock factory rad fan relay spot for a reverse light relay.
Since the wires run right past it and the lights are known to burn out the stock switch.

I like the idea of a manual rad fan switch.
My thermoswitch was intermitant.
Waited until rush hour traffic to overheat, tried to mess up my day.
It's a feeling of power to hit the switch and say, "Nice try".
 
#102 · (Edited)
TD used a special Independent harness and a resistor for low speed. Pretty evil 350W fan too. Found I made it wrong some 15 years ago on the TD Jetta build back then. Had a wire mixed but it still functioned on both speeds and after run as needed.

Did it right this time and all new connectors crimped on everything.







 
#105 ·
Nice!
I just redid my cooling fans as well!
Finally relayed them.

Still my original fan that kicks ass.
It is quite loud and powerful as mine only has one speed.

However with the mTDI it never really comes on.
I added a manual trigger to a toggle switch so I could clear the hot air from the bay after a good drive.
 
#110 · (Edited)
First time shooting paint on my own.

First fender I painted was the pass side. Has some orange peel above the trim and top.

Second is a better finish but has some dirt and a sag right on top that I need to fix later. Went a lil too heavy on the first coat in an attempt to minimize the orange peel. This paint doesn't need reducer, but I threw a splash in the gun for the third and final coat on the second fender.

Can't really complain for the cheep paint I used and the best spray gun that $9.99 can buy.









Better shot of the sag
Have that fender hanging upright and hoping it'll level out a bit.

 
#113 · (Edited)
I got blisters on my fingers!!

Tried it with my left hand for a while and let's just say, it doesn't feel right.

2 down, 2 to go. Last 2 are ready for polishing once the fingers heal.

Wheel on the left is the worse of them all. Still has pits and I didn't get in the nooks and crannies as well as the others. But the best part about raw aluminum it that it will get better every time it gets polished.





 
#120 ·
Sunburst Yellow....?

Get some decals off eBay or somewhere else, then clear over them. . Bilstein stopped sending out decals years, ago.

-Todd
Maybe they started again. The Bilstein heavy dutys I put on my Cabriolet 3 years ago all had decals included.
Just put 4 Bilsteins on a Tacoma yesterday at work, again, all had decals included.
 
#119 · (Edited)
Some rusty Ol yeller




And I'm not proud enough of Bilstein to spend money to advertise them.

About 10 years on this set and the perch collapsed. What do you do when stranded in the side of the road? Ultimate bush fix....

Tie down spring compressor


And lucky I was in the Zone for some muff clamps right down the street.



The pair I just blasted and painted were only on the car about 5 years and also had some serious rust.
 
#121 ·
Those pictured appear to have had a really rough life; the paint finish on these and Konis, was never that good. I’m guessing the springs were installed much later...

Bilstein used to send you replacement decals, if you called and asked nicely. They know car enthusiasts like things to look a certain way. I called about 2 years ago and told the person on the phone my bilstein series and they took my name and address and told me they’d send them out. I forgot about it, never received anything, called back a few months later, and was sent to someone’s VM. Another couple weeks went by and I called back, explaining the situation. They told me they stopped sending decals out, because people were trying to get other brands warranted.

-Todd
 
#122 · (Edited)
The springs were also new at the same time as the shocks. Car was driven but mostly as the winter beater. Those springs also went the last 5 years on the second set of shocks and still not bad. Bilstein coating was always so thin you can almost see metal under it. Hard to see in the color comparison pic but those rears are new and you can see the discoloration at the bottom, the paint is so thin. Saw threads 15 years ago where they were not taking MK1 fronts for warranty any more. Never called to confirm but I would send them that rotted set back if they do. Think it was the housings they didn't have or warranty but still would rebuild the internals? But I'm sure I don't have the purchase receipt from 15+ years ago. That's not the first time I heard of them rusting the lower perch off.

But I wouldn't buy Bill's again. Only using these because I have them...

Did some digging... The set with the rotted perch lasted exactly 10 years. Oct 2004 to Nov 2014.
The set I am using now we're on the car 6 years now. We're also new at the time of install. And this set was also coated in POR15 clear because of the previous issues.

Crap metal?


And I'm not joking when I say this set sat in the blast cabinet for a month. I kept hitting them again and again as the rust oozed out of the pits. And I mean PITS, like cast iron. Like Tiny holes...
 
#126 ·
Saw threads 15 years ago where they were not taking MK1 fronts for warranty any more. Never called to confirm but I would send them that rotted set back if they do. Think it was the housings they didn't have or warranty but still would rebuild the internals?

I never heard that one, but did call Bilstein over the summer, when I was looking for a set of Sports... they’re in very short supply and a few places told me several month’s wait was normal, nowadays. We spoke of the lifetime warranty, and I was told it’s a limited lifetime warranty. Don’t expect to send something in, that exceeds their expectation or useful life. Sure, they’ll rebuild them, but it’s almost the cost of new.... I suppose if you wanted specific valving, it may be worth it.

-Todd
 
#123 ·
I'm not certain it's fair to blame Bilstein about the rust issue. I live on the west coast for many reasons and one of them is, it's a rust free zone.

I really do not think there is anything you could do to prevent rust, especially on a 'winter beater' on the east coast.

I do like your butchery in getting your spring perch to sit properly. Nice, very nice. Two thumbs up. :thumbup::thumbup:
 
#124 ·
Well, regardless, I can not recommend Bilstein with confidence to anyone. Not friends, family customers etc. because of the potential safety concerns.
Sure they ride great, especially the way I drive, and take bumps like they aren't there.

Yeah, I was proud of that fix. It held up for a week and possibly 100 miles, till I could get it fixed. Second set of bills was meant for the 16V 2dr Jetta but I ended up using coils on that car and had the spare set for the swap.
 
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