New MK2 owner!

[choochoo]

Photos of the progress or lack thereof:
http://www.pbase.com/ivannachoo/gti

My history with VW. Long, long time ago, my father had a 1976 Mk1 Rabbit,
bright yellow 4 door automatic. We had it until the late 80's when it totally
crapped out on us.

It looked just like this!

me and said car

I may still have a polished hub cap at my folks place Then in hs, I
dreamed of owning a bug. But, it never came into fruition... Anyways, I've
always had a soft spot for vw's, especially older ones. Long story short, since
I sold my previous stickshift car, I've been driving a auto slushbox for the
past year or so. I've been dying to get a "fun" car. Wanting to get something
different (ie. not a Honda), I picked up 16vU4EA's 1989 Gti 16V couple
weeks ago.

I've been thoroughly enjoying driving it to work each day. It's got some
issues, mostly cosmetic (it ain't no beauty queen), but who doesn't. hahaha.
We'll work through them =D This site has been an invaluable resource and
I'm looking forward to picking your brains and hopefully meeting some of you.

Ivan

Modified by choochoo at 4:56 PM 12-22-2009

[MK2*GTI*GUY]

welcome to the dark side

[mk2eurogirl]

so nice to hear!

[veedubber_kyle]

16v can be the devil!!
or it can be a complete god!
be careful!
and welcome

[jeffs vw]

Cool ride. Now just get a second job so you can afford the mechanic bills

[-camber]

looks good

[choochoo]

Thanks for the warm welcome. Some of you guys are scaring me good thing my wife's not reading this forurm. She explicitly said, "you can get a car as long as it's not going to break down all the time." I said, "okay, sure "

I don't think I'm going to put any more performance parts on. It's got enough grunt & spunk for me. The priority now is to get rid of the rust and the water leaks. That's the biggest issue right now. I've been scouring the DIY section for solutions. Any recommendations? I've been reading that POR 15 is the way to go. There's no interior except for the seats and dash. So, it's easy to get to the problem areas.

Plan of attack:
1) fix rear shock (shoots through the strut tower) & passenger door handle
2) find and fix the water leak(s) (this should be fun... )
3) clean up all the rust spots interior and exterior (this should be fun... X2)
4) install interior carpet and headliner
5) Alignment
6) drive and enjoy the car

How does that sound?

Any recommendations on good mechanics or shops? I've been reading that VW Specialties is good. He's not close, but not too far. I used to drive out to Torrance to get my Saab worked on.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Ivan


Modified by choochoo at 12:04 PM 12-5-2008

[rustype]

cool ride !!!! choochoo

[choochoo]

Thanks. I can't really take any credit for it, since I bought it this way. Well, I guess I can take credit for paying for it! hahahaha!!!

Update: passenger door handle fixed, horn fuse replaced and new wiper blades! It has begun.....

oh yeah, and $5 Walmart steering wheel cover


Modified by choochoo at 7:54 AM 12-6-2008

[_pineapplegti_]

That car was on craigslist for awhile. good luck on your purchase .

[choochoo]

Doesn't look it, but it's loud WOT. Drones at 70mph. I think I'll need another resonator to quiet things down.

Interior mess

compfy seats

more interior mess



Modified by choochoo at 12:55 PM 4-29-2009

[TANiK]

glad to see this car went to a good home
enjoy it!
I was going to pick it up but insurance issues prevented me
plus I have no time to do all the work

[lilredmk3]

CONGRATS ON UR NEW RIDE YO --- BEST OF LUCK WITH IT " IT LOOKS SWEET"

[GrandpaDriver]

I am sure that you love the MK2... I am still working on my ... hope it will run solid soon

[choochoo]

Thanks for the encouragement! I hope it doesn't rain....

Is anyone running 185/60/r14 instead of 205/55/r14? If so, what tires are you running and how's the grip?


Modified by choochoo at 4:30 PM 12-8-2008

[_pineapplegti_]

It really depends on your plan.. if want grip around town .. toyo t1r will be great. if u want a great cayon /auto x tire.. falken azenis rt615 is what your looking for in a 185 60 14,

[CODE7-C]

Hell yeah! That's awesome! There are not many Mk2s in this area - or Mk3's, it's pretty sad actually. Makes me wish I would have just bought a Mk2 instead of buying a brand new Mk5. Anyone wanna buy a Mk5? :-D

[choochoo]

Thanks for the recommendations.

Right now, it's got Toyo Ra-1's on there. It grips like it's on rails in the dry, but last time I drove in the rain.... it was a little sketchy..... I'm looking for something that's good for everyday use. I've been fairly satisfied with pirelli p-zero nero, bf goodrich g-force sport, and falken 512 tires in the past. The falken's were the worse performing of those, but they weren't terrible. Anyone ever run Bridgestone Potenza RE960 AS Pole Position?

[GTIcrazy]

Quote, originally posted by _pineapplegti_ »

That car was on craigslist for awhile. good luck on your purchase .

Haha...that's what I was going to say...

I have a Bentley that is pretty much new for that car for sale.

[choochoo]

anyone know where I can get Por-15 locally?

I think i'm going to try to work on the vapor barriers this weekend.


Modified by choochoo at 5:13 PM 12-9-2008

[choochoo]

So, 3 weeks ago, I fixed the passenger side rear shock. Then i noticed the drivers side rattling. So, I tightened the top hat.... well, long story, short, I overtightened, then the driver's side rear shock pushed through the tower.... So, this weekend, I got to work on the car. Put it up on jacks... pulled the rear shocks out of both sides, not having access to a real welder, I JB welded the circlips and washer in place. hopefully, it'll hold. I've got my fingers crossed.

On jacks

Close up

I noticed a bit of rust on one of the springs. Should I be worried? It doesn't look too bad.

Rust on spring

YEah, fixed! ....hopefully

also, refused the headlights and tried to clean up some of the wiring to the relays. I still don't have my highbeams. But, I suspect it's the high beam switch on the turn signal stalk, which should be coming in this week.

fuses

relays

Modified by choochoo at 12:56 PM 4-29-2009

[Ted]

come out to the ontario meet this saturday the 31st

[veedubber_kyle]

come out tonight! manic mondays in ontario check the socaleuro forum for moar details

[choochoo]

Quote, originally posted by veedubber_kyle »

come out tonight! manic mondays in ontario check the socaleuro forum for moar details

Can't.... Chinese New Year dinner!!!!

I'll try to make it out to the Saturday meet. But, my wife's been complaining i'm spending too much time working on the car.... so.... it might not fly with her....


Modified by choochoo at 3:30 PM 1-26-2009

[choochoo]

snowflakes. two are in kind of rough shape. Straight, but have some curbage. They do hold air. tires are shot. Paid $30 for the set.

What tires should I get? I already have toyo ra1's and i want to save them. So, i'm looking for a DD, decent grip, can be a summer tire. Nothing but R-compound for stock 205/55/14 size. So, i'm open to 185/60/14 or 195/60/14 sizes.

Modified by choochoo at 12:56 PM 4-29-2009

[selfatvi]

If you are looking for some 14" Work equips (the real ones) let me know. Im looking for a trade plus cash for stockies with decent tires.

Also looking for header back exhuast for stock trade plus cash too.

My car needs to go back to stock.

Modified by selfatvi at 10:04 AM 3-6-2009

[GTIMK216V]

and how mach it cost you

[choochoo]

no, not looking for wheels. I need to save up some money to work on the body. Just looking for some tires. I like the look of the snowflakes.

I've read and heard that the Falken ZE912's are a decent all around tire. Anyone here have them?


Modified by choochoo at 4:13 PM 3-6-2009

[Phat73VW]

I have the Falken 912's on my Jetta and they are superb! I recommend them.


Modified by Phat73VW at 3:48 AM 3-8-2009

[choochoo]

Hmmm, I see them advertised on craigslist for $39/each for 185/60/14. I might have to check them out.

[a4b5guy28]

hey nice car i have an 85 gti they are very fun cars. my interior is mint i would be willing to sell it to you if your interested.

[choochoo]

Finally had a chance to put this video clip of what the exhaust sounds like. It's a bit loud and drones a bit at highway speeds. I think I need to put in another resonator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IGSg-Vqh4k

New pic, with new silver/black snowflakes I like them better than
the silver ones.




Modified by choochoo at 12:57 PM 4-29-2009

[choochoo]

Just put on the 185/60/14 falken ZE912 on the front and some cheapy Federal 185/60/14 tires on the back. NO MORE TIRE RUMBLE!!! but, now the turn in is not as sharp. But, that was what was expected. Hopefully, the gas mileage will improve too.

Hopefully, in a month I'll have a garage to start working on the body.

[choochoo]

New "old" steering wheel!!! I was never really fond of the 4 button wheel.

Thanks Wacksteelow!

[WackSteeLow]

Looks good Ivan.