1.7L rabbit engine rebuild

[rabbitnothopper]

so..............


rekeyed the hatch to fit ignition key
rekeyed driver door to fit ignition key
made 3 new tumblers
replaced driver door handle guts with new Hella
reused old door handle from W Germany.

removed passenger door and properly tumbled the lock
aftermarket has 10 tumblers
stock has 7 tumblers
after market was only using 7/10 tumblers...
two were also badly incorrect so made two new tumblers there

how to make tumblers:
buy 3/32 inch 3/4 inch brass
cut 11mm
drill 4 tiny holes for key
open up holes and get thin file to fit
using a grinder cut the tumbler to fit
besure to use a triangle file on the spring retainer lip
also make sure to cut and file at the center of the spring retainer lip
when the key is in you want the spring slightly depressed
that leaves room above the tumbler to grab
with desired key in lock go to grinder and round off 3/4 brass to fit smooth
using triangle indent gently 2,3 notches to each end

if you want to use different springs you can find some lighter springs
you only need to drill out the spring hole slightly to make them fit
square hole becomes round hole!

and i have 4 blank keys
one is now filed down to match and fit all 4 locks
ignition, doors, hatch.. you know


replaced lately:

trans release arm seal
4speed TO bearing cover gasket

needed them because they leaked often

my TO bearing fell to pieces when i removed it
so i shoved the orig solid metal one back in
it still works, just uncertain of age on that or where it came from
the one that fell apart got covered with dirt so i put it in a bag and save it for later


next,

rear transmission mount
mine was soft and the rubber was peeling off the metal
it was probally factory considering it still has the VW audi logos on it
new one works great!

front motor mount
PITA!!!!!
i removed the factory rubber mount
it was badly worn out and came off real easily

i really really hate how this bracket connects to the starter
its location only allows very small adjustments and it doesnt seat very well

this is the 3rd time i have removed it

most people complain about needing 1/4-1/2 inch shim to add space to make theirs cup properly
for me id rather cut off 1/4-1/2 to make mine fit even nearly close enough

reason? at some point the front end of this car has had some damage
ive stated it elsewhere and it becomes more and more obvious it was a collision
they did a pretty fair job straightening it however
atleast to the alignment and what not its nearly square

so i replaced the front with techtonics heavy duty mount
that wasnt too hard to press on with a tiny amount of grease
getting it into the cup was easy with a little grease
however pushing the rad support and the motor apart to fit it in was the 4 hours of cursing thats a PITA

the rear trans mount is pushed all the way back
and the side mounts are as they are
i dont know if perhaps somehow i put the driver side trans mount in the wrong spot?
is that even possible?
is that slightly adjustable to allow more space?

i swear it wasnt hard to put the front mount back on when i rebuilt the engine a year ago

however when i replaced the starter it was nearly impossible to get it to slide into place
bah...............


i know you guys hate long dialogs and technical details

however i didnt have a camera for anything

i'll go steal a pic and give you something to enjoy

my front mount cup looks much better than this one


and this, this is the el stupido!



thanks guys

[rabbitnothopper]

odometer broke again

stuck at 599.9

seems like the main gear broke in half again

going to either buy a new set of gears
or work to repair mine again using some tricks...

i rely on my mileage for work and MPG rating!!

30-32mpg averaged lately
very rarely under 30mpg
mostly 30.5-32mpg!! pretty good average

[rabbitnothopper]

yada yada yada....

well at about 156,000 miles i did this rebuild stuff

and im now rolling over 175850 miles

no issues so far

been using 10w40 mobil1 high mileage

changing between 3000-5000 miles with new filters

no metal in the oil or anything at all
engine runs smoother than anything else on the car


my primary problem is the resonant vibration and rotation for the front springs to the SHOT wheel balance

either I need new front springs
need to finally replace the rear shocks...
or need to have the wheels dynamically rebalanced

electrical stuff....nah, not much to comment
minor fixes, repairs, changes...

fuel?
NO RUST
i change my filter often enough and never have seen any rust in the filter


luckily im one of those spreadsheet and receipt people
so i have documents of everything on one huge fancy spreadsheet
and two huge folders full of receipts.....


everyone enjoy

sorry my photo host (myspace) isnt letting you share photos anymore

[rabbitnothopper]

going to be getting some neuspeed braces thanks to our vortex sellers!

upper and lower neuspeed braces

hope to test them out one at a time

Lower first on the Arms
need new napa bolts, longer ones

drive, test,
add upper to shock mounts

drive, test.


fun fun!
thanks a lot



also i have a '78 Smith mercedes?? UK gauge cluster (cheap JY part)
im going to add the VBATT somewhere on the center console
probally above the ashtray
the other gauges...dunno what to do with yet

that little tray above the glovebox is getting redone in galvanized or aluminum to house the vbatt gauge
im leaning on the gauge on the left and the empty tray on the right
pretty simple job, just need the time to dedicate to fab & wire

[Llcoolchris]

For those of you who dont have faith in the 1.7l here is my 81 rabbit S CIS. raceland header and 2.25" exhuast from header back. car runs great cam coming soon


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLNK4luuvXI

[rabbitnothopper]

got my rotors on, much smoother stopping

finally got the SAE 10.9
M12x1.5 100mm bolts in

also decided to put the 23mm long 91 cabriolet lugs onto the le castellets
i think the difference 20mm vs 23mm might be because the 91 cabriolet had vented rotors
im not sure if the thickness of the steel-a rim vs the le castellet was why the used longer lugs








added lower brace
drove around, minor improvement
less roll in hard corner, best i could find during rush hour traffic..grr

added upper bracer
definately better with both, almost no front roll

although my rear struts are nearly totally shot... starting to sag back there

rotated tires after all that
adjusted camber slightly to be more 0degrees
checked the toe, both front to rear is 55inches

all good for now

[rabbitnothopper]

replacement GP cleaned, inspected, painted
replacing 3 seals next.
already replaced release arm seal, checked TO bearing, release finger for cracks






cleaning transmissions which are 100% covered in oil and dirt is not fun
but so rewarding when you get it down to that beautiful bare magnesium

[rabbitnothopper]

so today while driving.....
my batt light came on and wouldnt go off
i of course was annoyed and freaked
i checked all the wires while i could
nothing loose

drove to the closest autozone and had them test the batt/alt (like noobs relying on a device)
their magnificent gigantic probe basically said the "volt reg fail"
of course it was only putting out 12.17v
battery still had 12.51v on it

they had a voltage regulator in stock luckily
swapped it out quickly and was charging 14V like madness

the outer brush on mine was worn out but the inner one was still good
so the AC that was ...really wasnt

i dont really like the looks or quality of this VoltReg but...it will do until my lifetime warranty decides it wasnt a good piece of equipment


i know i know.....solder on some new brushes for $2.......
i used to carry soldering gun and solder on me
but now i leave it

and i know i know.........
drag around my DMM everywhere i go......
but i dont own one, i use work's $300 fluke when doing most of my electronics

[rabbitnothopper]

hmmm.......soo...what did i do recently?

errr?.........

i bought a bosch fuel pump, hopfully one day i'll get around to putting it on

i replaced the stock factory hose from tank to pump recently (thanks GAP)
mine was cracking and old...
so fuel pump replacement is next most definately

just gotta find time and somewhere to do this crap at...ugh

[rabbitnothopper]

sooo... while driving early morning and comming to a yellow light
my brakes dropped out and never returned

i of course pulled over and checked for leaks or loss of fluid in the reservoir
nada

a few years ago i lost a rear wheel cylinder and my brakes worked 70% fine but leaked about 1L of fluid every week

so this time i suspected my brake booster had crapped on the power assisted vacuumed brakes

not certain as yet but i already took it all apart and lying on the floor
ordered new master cylinder and brake booster
threw in two new front brake hoses with clips while im there

i limped it home as only two of the wheels were braking
front right and rear left
pedal to the floor and pressure would cause the front to lock
so...slow and careful slowing


i have bled my brakes twice before, so the fluid was relatively clean
now im going to have some real clear fluid
muahhahaaa......

atleast i can drive the other vehicle meanwhile
and it doesnt have power brakes



any recommendations on removing the fluid reservoir safely?
that thing is REALLY in there
and its been in there for 30 years without ever comming out
both my master cylinder and brake booster are factory....and rusty

oh, also there is supposed to be an o-ring between the master and the booster
i had only orangish red rust....no o-ring

[rabbitnothopper]

new master cylinder
new power brake booster (vacuum assist)
new front caliper brake hoses

runs good

i am so glad there are remanufactured (core) parts for these cars

hopefully these last another 30 years (yea right)

[rabbitnothopper]

new BRASS Mercedes 190E injectors
they work fine
the (factory) old ones also worked really well

insert aerosal can of B12 with tube and test, all performed equally


*New replacement exhaust, one leak... need to remove it and go over the weld again
Walker parts, includes diesel resonator

[rabbitnothopper]

i had some spare parts from a junkyard 91, 5 speed
decided finally to put them to use

made first a weighted shift rod
i found a huge stick of metal in the road, was going to scrap it
decided to cut it and weld it onto the rod
plenty heavy

then the selector lever for the short shift









there is also my injector puller
the timing tensioner piece needs new studs...


WHY DID I NOT DO THIS YEARS AGO!
so much better with a short shift

also no alignment needed, bolted straight in and hit every gear perfect

thanks VWVORTEX for the awesome ideas!

[rabbitnothopper]

new seat upholstery
works...cheap

working on passenger seat next

[rabbitnothopper]

finally decided i could spend a few hours replacing the lower steering bearing column

i also had a new ignition switch

and a new plastic upper bearing for the ignition housing

the column had a stock metal upper bearing so decided to reuse it
better than plastic for sure!!!


factory bend in this strap, it has press marks on it to bend it...didnt mess with it


cheap meyle crap, it doesnt even look lubricated with grease
also it has an extra pin, not sure what it does but my connector has an empty slot for it




threaded rod to push the bearing up into the column

ran into a problem, i went slowly and backed off several times
it finally went all the way in with no damage...better than it was atleast

when it was all put back together it was much better and no slack in the wheel
grab at 3&9 no 1mm slop
grab 12&6 and no slop
there wasnt much play in the wheel to begin with

[nairmac]

[Minty_Fresh]

i love rebuilds like this

[foxygrandpa]

I'm pretty sure my steering column bearing has deteriorated which is why it's all crunchy haha. Need to do this also

[rabbitnothopper]

so......been hearing a minor noise lately, wasnt much, i figured it was from the rear

it got a bit louder today and concerned me because it occurred during bumps
i narrowed it down to the front suspension

looked under the car a few times (at work) and thought my front strut bolt was loose
it wasnt, the washer made it appear to be unseated

turned out, after 18 months and 38,000 miles the front bump stops decided to desintegrate............................

these were supposed to have been the HEAVYDUTY later style

got this as a kit


so i removed my wheel to see what I could figure out
noticed the dust cap was cratered over the strut housing nut..............
passenger side




driver side



this piece was laying down inside my coil spring




now......i know dallas has some shatty pot holes and terrible roads
but really?
18 months? 38000 miles???????

im just going to assume this is very common
and my struts are just hammering the crap out of the bump stops


WTF do I do guys? not having dust caps going to ruin my struts?
blow them out?
Warranty??

im going to have to cut the dust cap off and pull the rubber that isnt any good out

Previous installation pictures::

factory dust caps and factory strut inserts


replacement parts


cleen housings with paint


installed and finished

[rabbitnothopper]

oh...also more fun news

when i changed my timing belt last weekend (45,000 miles) i noticed my passenger mount is broken

yep.....

[Minty_Fresh]

i have the poly adjustable bump stops in my car with out any issues. i like them. i found the oem stops kinda just suck. and i wouldnt run with out any dust caps. i mean i know i might sound dumb but i like them in there protecting what ever little bit they do.

[nodeisel4me]

i'm looking at replacing my passenger side mount this weekend as well on the 1.7. should be fun. a quick question (don't mind if you PM me the answer), which bushings did you use when installing the short shifter?

[rabbitnothopper]

i'm looking at replacing my passenger side mount this weekend as well on the 1.7. should be fun. a quick question (don't mind if you PM me the answer), which bushings did you use when installing the short shifter?

stock bushings since it was a stock piece
no pics of the bushings but i did install them

i think busdepot was where i got my baggies of shift linkages

[rabbitnothopper]

got my scirocco shifter
woot woot.....thanks bro

aaaaand.... made my 8-ball shift knob (its M12x1.50)
because racecar

[foxygrandpa]

Cool! dig the 8 ball

[rabbitnothopper]

finally!
i have owned this for 3 years
these are 30 year old rear shocks!

decided to replace them with gabriel ultras

new:
rear shocks
rear springs
shock mounts
shock BOLTS (thanks briano- teflon taped & antisiezed prior to installing)
PB BLASTERED for 5 days solid, had to cut one bolt out using my cutting wheel

rear axle beam bushings
new nuts on rear beam studs
PB BLASTERED everything for 5 days solid prior to removal, WENT SLOW...NO BREAKS!!

new soft brake lines @ beam
two new e-brake cables

"new" cis fuel accumulator
brand new bosch fuel pump & check valve
**new pumps are smaller than the old pumps..it comes with a plastic cage wrapped on it

let the pics do the speaking

[rabbitnothopper]

finally cleaned my old steelies
they are ready to be hammered straight
each one has atleast one tiny ding on the edge...

then painted somehow..?






next up:
replaced my passenger motor mount
it has been like this for 1-2 years now...and apparently getting worse
only one of the 4 corners was still intact on the rubber mount
easier than i thought it would be
BUT....needed to buy a second set of Allen wrenches for the 6mm cut-off trick





...not too bad for 30 years of abuse

[rabbitnothopper]

old battery ground cables



black ones are 81, unprotected copper one is 78
replaced with 24inch 4 gauge and 19 inch 6 gauge


i put 40,000 miles on my 91 EA wheels with Tires
time to refurbish the old stock steelies
first up clean the gunk off them
then gently sand the rust down
clean the inside of the sealing edges for new shoes

then hammer and vice grip the bent parts straight
nearly straight... best i could
sand down any sharp edges

now time for paint
primer front and back (not inner-tube area)
inside i ran out of primer, didnt really need it inside the tire

debated for about 5 minutes at the store
black..or...silver...or what
i went metallic silver with rustoleum
worked out great
shiny as hell almost like new
im sure it will fade after a year or so and look more like stock gray metallic






i removed my rear wheel and released the E-brake
mounted up each wheel and sanded them lightly with 1000 grit
then a second coat all around





tires are just ordinary 155/80-R13
but i guess if you need to know they are Kumho Solus KR21

[Minty_Fresh]

love this thread.

[Eastep]

Lookin great man!! Our builds are so similar Great minds think alike

[rabbitnothopper]

im going to make copies of these metal things out of metal clothes hangers
and find some plastic mesh to put in there




whenever the car was resprayed (outside only) the plastic was left in...it has nice colors on it...

better pics next time with new copies

[rabbitnothopper]

oil change prompted installing the new rubber gasket & studs
PITA to double nut everything to remove/install
got it done with loctite
that should stop the leaking out of the passenger corner with that cork gasket


got my valve measurement done finally, everything is .05-.1mm above out of spec


also pics of my long long ago horn relocation



nicely hidden out of the way under the new german washer bottle (thanks punch!!!)



most of you guys have parts stashed around the house/garage
all of mine in various stages of use, new, boxed, etc....


yeah its a mess and i need to throw things away

[rabbitnothopper]

going to sneak this photo in here

because mojave.






decided to replace my down pipe

had to clean a lot of spatter off of it before using it but not a big deal
oddly the pipes seem a little smaller and that outlet port is kinda funky....legit welds though

will have pics of my factory one next time, phone keeps dying
it is definately trash, i could probally break it in half its so brittle and rusty


relaying headlights tomarrow and installing H4 autopals

hmm....
i por15'd my battery tray, it was in sad sad sad...sad shape but should be good for now
yes i used the kit with marine clean and metal ready


i bought some reman calipers
i hate when you buy two parts but...two "similar" parts come in
probally going to post up a trade if anyone has a set

[volks trippin']

hey great write up rabbit! love the coloured parts! very unique

I need to replace my engine mounts , car rattles so damn much on solid mounts...

also need to install my Rocco shifter.

thanks for the inspiration!

cheers

[rabbitnothopper]

ok first up....stock factory 1981 down pipe...sad shape



por15'd battery tray:


picture of fusible links...they do exist


now for the goodies
wiring excitement!

the start: find the yellow and white wire...they are the ONLY yellow/white wire on this harness
(early fuseboxes have 4 fuses and 4 wires including yellow/black and white/black)
cut then re-wrap with electrical tape


build part of your relays


i bought new H4 sockets and took out the spade connectors to wire the ends
how? carefully pry out the old wire then recrimp


electrical tape 95% of the way


wire loom for added protection its 1/4 inch, barely fits on it


here goes: solder wires to the relay..no turning back now!


literally JUST BARELY FITS -- it has a top cap too
i should have made the fuse to pin 30 wires shorter.


and finally the crucial part battery wires
2 red for each relay
3 ground, one for each headlamp and one for the signal from the switch 85/86



out with the old junk sealed beam halogens
in with the new autopal H4






beautiful wiring job, lots of fun
total time: 4.5 hours




40 amp relays, overkill
30 amp fuses
14 gauge yellow/white/brown for headlights
12 gauge red, 12 gauge ground for the switch signal 2to1