25 years ago.

[cody227]

In 1986, a 1.8 8 valve Volkswagen Jetta was being assembled in Germany, ready to take on the North American market. After one lucky owner bought it, It received over 269,000 miles of history, memorys, and scars. After searching the web I found this car for sale and $960 later, it was mine. The body was in great shape, and the motor ran strong..but it had some battle wounds. I loved the character and the fact that after all this time...it remained bone stock, a great start for a new life.





It needed some help so with the help of my brother, we put on an H&R sport cup kit, new fuel filter, new plugs and some other little details.









It was good enough for me but I decided it could be better and since this is my daily, we replaced the valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, oil, alternator, battery and the wheels with some BMW bottle caps off an E30.





It needed some more attention, so we did a rear disk brake swap, put in some MK2 GTI front seats, slapped on a roof rack, wrapped those bottle caps in some brand new Falken 185/60r14's and replaced the brake light switch.















and pics from today...









All that has been completed to it since my ownership..


*. Fixed the glove box light and trunk light.

*. Fixed the front lip - it was hanging down on the passenger side.

*. New windshield wipers

*. Painted the stock wheels black

*. Replaced the stock suspension with an H&R cup kit. Springs and Struts

*. New strut mounts

*. Bled the brakes

*. New plugs

*. New fuel filter

*. New air filter

*. Put a Wolfsburg emblem on the ashtray and grill.

*. Painted the VW grill emblem black

*. Put 2 Wolfsburg mudflaps on the front

*. Relocated the front license plate

*. Replaced the stock front seats with MK2 GTI Monty seats

*. Replaced the trunk carpet

*. Put the shift boot on

*. New Battery

*. New Alternator

*. New valve cover gasket

*. New oil pan gasket

*. Oil Change

*. New oil filter

*. Replaced some vacuum lines

*. Replaced the stock wheels with BMW E30 Bottlecaps

*. Fixed the hanging side trim

*. Fixed the hanging windshield seal.

*. Brand new Falken 512s 185/60 R14 on the bottlecaps

*. Snowboard rack

*. Replaced the VAG service system cubby under the steering wheel with a black one

*. Rear disk swap from stock drums to MK3 discs, and MK2 GLI calipers

*. Brake fluid flush

*. Painted the door handles black

*. Replaced the brake light switch

*. Repainted the factory sunroof fairing

*. Fixed the CV joint

*. Full MK3 front brake swap. Calipers & Rotors

*. Brown Scirocco Wolfsburg steering wheel

*. Hella smoked interior dome light

*. replaced interior door pulls

*. repacked rear wheel bearings

*. turned rear rotors

*. New pads all around

*. Seafoam treatment

*. 44k fuel treatment.

*. new coolant hose

*. Brand new 22 mm master cylinder

*. SS brake lines

*. MK3 front spindles (obvously for 10.1s)

*. New control arm bushings (one installed)

*. replaced driver side sunvisor

*. Mobile 1 full synthetic oil change

*. New Bosche oil filter (blue one)

*. headliner clips

*. new passenger side tie rod

*. alignment

*. Another set of new Falken 512 185/60s siped all around

*. adjusted prop valve for brakes--worked wonders.

*. aluminized rear calipers from mk3 gti vr6

*. ebrake cables

*. ABD adjustable shift linkage with ABD weighted rod set at medium

*. rear wolfsburg mudlaps to match the front

*. Timing belt

*. V belt/serp. belt

*. Water pump/waterpump housing

*. thermostat

*. G60 valve cover

*. fixed CD player

*. Yakima roof rack

*. Head gasket

*. MK3 valve cover studs

*. MK3 rummer valve cover gasket.

*. MK3 heat sheild

*. new o2 sensor

*. New intake/exhaust manifold gaskets

*. Wolfsburg **** knob

Everything I want to do or need to do...

*. Spruce up trim, bumpers and flares

*. Permanently fix the gas pedal

*. fixed rest of door handles

*. New Exhaust (already got dual outlet manifold, 16v dual downpipe)

*. Windage trey

*. New windshield

*. Fix/replace all door handles

*. Replace window seals

*. Find the bad ground and fix that

*. A different Alpine CD player

*. Techtonics cat back

*. Good high flow cat

*. I have also contemplated getting a quad round headlight setup just for something different. I will keep my stock setup as well and will swap them whenever I get bored of the current setup.

Other things I did not mention was that this car came with the Partnership book and everything in it including the original sales receipt and service manual. This car was originally sold from Colorado Springs dealer in 1986 so after all this time, it hasn't gone very far. I don't know if I mentioned this either but it is a GL. From what I can tell, it was well taken care of by whoever has owned it and will continue to be well taken care of by me.

I'm sure there is something I missed but this list will be updated whenever possible.


Updated 9/28/12


This will be my official "update" page. Thanks for stopping by

[PDXGTI8V 2.0]

the easiest thing to do to your car, which will make it 1384720384% better, is Forever Black or Kiwi Leather dye your black trim pieces and bumpers....can't believe you haven't done this yet....the car's coming along nicely

[siparia]

Good start, love the color. BTW, is that snow on your car ?

[ValveCoverGasket]

lookin sharp.

platinum plugs though

[cody227]

Thanks, Ive been wanting too spruce up my trim and bumpers, I guess I just havent gotten around to it yet. I was going to not too long ago but got caught up in the rear disk swap, it will make it look alot better.

Yeah thats snow, we got like 5 inches yesterday and my car was covered. I got pics but my phone deleted them by itself Thankfully this is Colorado and weather never stays here. The color is one of the things I love most about the car.

Platinums are good for now, im not the richest man in the world but one of these days the motor will be rebuilt.

[DwightSchrute]

eww snow!

those bottlecaps look good on there btw...

[cody227]

eww snow!

those bottlecaps look good on there btw...

yeah the snow sucks...and thanks, I love the look of them...they dont stand out too much and gives a clean, almost factory look.

[08-Jetta]

Looks great. And that's a damn clean engine bay you have there

[cody227]

Looks great. And that's a damn clean engine bay you have there

Thanks man, not to shabby for pushing over 269,000 miles. Eventually I want to replace all my vacuum lines and get mk3 valve cover studs so I can use their rubber gaskets, but i am happy with it. Its as clean in the inside of the motor as well

[cody227]

Pic post. I have better pics of the interior from when I put the GTI seats in that I need to upload but untill then Ill post up more pics just for the f**k of it.

old pic before everything went on sitting next to my brothers Rabbit S




Next to some reletives...











And to my suprise I came across this...



Heres some more pics without the roof rack...





New rubber..



Brake swap..





Falls cool..









Thanks for stopping by.

[cody227]

Well I decided drive up to the mountains for a couple days. We have a place in South Park by Fairplay that sounded nice. Its about 2~3 hour drive on a good day. My car hasn't been on any serious mountain drives so I wanted to get a base for how well it does. Well I got delayed and couldn't leave the Denver area until about 7:30 making it a night drive. It started raining once we got past Bandimere or so and then started to snow. The snow was really bad and i couldn't see much meaning the fastest we went was about 45 on the entire drive, 50 if I felt gutsy. Didn't get to the destination till about 11:30. Luckily it didnt snow to bad where I am staying but we got a little bit.







Next day (yesterday) I decided I felt confident in the Jetta even though my cv bolts keep coming loose I brushed it off and wanted to really get to know how the car handles by taking a trip to Breckenridge which is an hour drive or so and considering to get to the our house no matter what means going through 16 miles of rough gravel road on an H&R cup kit (luckily not coils), at 10,000 ft elevation, after snowing...I went slow.







The road to Breckenridge started out bad and foggy and wet, but that was only until Alma and it gave me a glimpse of how good my new tires are. They gripped well, never had any problems or felt unsure about them.






After passing Alma and getting a few miles from Breckenridge...my cv bolts bit me in the ass and the CV joint slipped out leaving us stranded in the mountains. I couldn't get mad though, it was my fault. I was dumb for driving knowing about those bolts. Also we couldn't have been stranded in a much better place. It wasn't too cold and we got an amazing view while awaiting a tow.













It was a long drive since in the mountains its not the most level and straightest roads in the world, and our towtruck was a Nissan Exterra and a tow rope. The gravel roads were pretty bad getting towed on, they are rough, with steep inclines, snow, and narrow, curvy roads. And my car got pooped on by all the backsplash of the Exterra. We made it back, and I hope to get this fixed on Saturday. I would work on it right now but there happens to be an MK3 GTI in the garage getting worked on atm. So im hoping on getting this fixed Saturday. Luckily its an easy fix...don't have to replace anything and shouldn't take more than an hour or two.















Like I said, Im not mad about it at all, it was my fault and it was a good learning experience and it's not a bad problem to have to fix. The car isnt driveable obviously but all in all...it was actually kinda fun.

[Shaniqua]

the cv axle problem you have, i used to have.

just go to the dealership and get some new stretch bolts for them, and might as well do both sides
I think i put a tiny dab of locktite on one of them on each side as well, just so it would never leave me on the side of the road atleast.

as for your car, looks good. Looks like my golf

and great mountain pictures

[cody227]

the cv axle problem you have, i used to have.

just go to the dealership and get some new stretch bolts for them, and might as well do both sides
I think i put a tiny dab of locktite on one of them on each side as well, just so it would never leave me on the side of the road atleast.

as for your car, looks good. Looks like my golf

and great mountain pictures

Good info, I might have to do that. I have some locktite, how well will that work for the time being? or atleast unitl I can get to the dealership...129 miles away.

[Shaniqua]

Good info, I might have to do that. I have some locktite, how well will that work for the time being? or atleast unitl I can get to the dealership...129 miles away.

If you do it before you put all new bolts on, i suggest doing it only on 2 opposing bolts on each side (2 per axle, across from each other if that makes sense)

it should hold fine if you give it time to dry before driving. the only caution i would have is those 2 bolts being stuck on there when you do get new bolts.

Im almost positive they are stretch bolts, and once they unscrew themselves, they arent really at SPEC length or size, so thats why they wont hold anymore.


but do 2 on each side, and if they dont come off when you change bolts, well then

[cody227]

If you do it before you put all new bolts on, i suggest doing it only on 2 opposing bolts on each side (2 per axle, across from each other if that makes sense)

it should hold fine if you give it time to dry before driving. the only caution i would have is those 2 bolts being stuck on there when you do get new bolts.

Im almost positive they are stretch bolts, and once they unscrew themselves, they arent really at SPEC length or size, so thats why they wont hold anymore.


but do 2 on each side, and if they dont come off when you change bolts, well then

Well I guess I have no other option. As long as it holds, im happy for the time being. Ill probably let it dry overnight. Thanks for the info, it makes sense, ill just end up getting new stretch bolts when I go back down.

[cody227]

Well I got the cv business fixed. Wasn't very fun doing it outside in the snow but it got done. Might try to make it to Brackenridge again either tomorrow or Monday...Hopefully the roads will be dry by then too. I still want to go back and check all the bolts again but they should be good for now.

[cody227]

Well something was draining power from my battery in about a day so I figured theres a bad ground somewhere. Took out fuse #3 which means no radio, dome light or clock. But it did take away the draw and everything is fine without it. So now I gotta take out the old Alpine and find the ground. But while the CD player is out, Has anyone had experience with getting jammed CD's out of Alpines without ruining the CD or preferably the CD player? Zeppelin II has been in there for about a month.

[08-Jetta]

Can't help you with the radio but I will say that I like this thread. I remember having to have my friend tow my Jetta with his 1992 NA diesel Golf. Was a pretty fun trip home.

Your car looks great on those wheels too.

[cody227]

Can't help you with the radio but I will say that I like this thread. I remember having to have my friend tow my Jetta with his 1992 NA diesel Golf. Was a pretty fun trip home.

Your car looks great on those wheels too.

Thanks for stopping by

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought getting towed, I don't really care to do it again but still, nothing to complain about. Thanks for the compliment on the wheels, I originally wanted to do them in black but the silver has grown on me to much. Eventually I will get another set and paint them whatever I decide but for now, the silver is plenty good enough for me.

[cody227]

I need to find a cheap roof rack fairing bad, or make my own but I don't have any materials for that. Also gotta find a way to put a snow shovel on the rack without worrying about it falling off or scraping the paint off my roof. It would really come in handy since winter is coming up. It is a snowboard rack so I think I might be able to manage something with the shovel..

[beatenBUSTER]

i really like the e30 bottle caps they look good as for the wind fairing, make one like i did using an old snowboard. it worked out well since the holes were already there and threaded. looks like we live in similar climates

[cody227]

i really like the e30 bottle caps they look good as for the wind fairing, make one like i did using an old snowboard. it worked out well since the holes were already there and threaded. looks like we live in similar climates

Thanks, Im surprised how mint they are, especially all 4 center caps. Only problem with the fairing I see myself running into is mounting it. My rack is made for snowboards specifically, and has a weird design. Not sure if it would still close if I mounted it on the bottom and the top pieces that open and shut obviously wont work. Time to get creative I guess



Haha yeah the climate is making me think about getting a new cold start valve. These cars don't do half bad in the snow though

[beatenBUSTER]

oh i see those are a different style but from the looks of that picture maybe a L bracket coming off the bottom snowboard clamp area would work but idk.

[cody227]

Im gonna have to get creative, I think I have an idea of using 2 L brackets on the bottom. There is already predrilled holes there since the feet can be moved in and out. Only time will tell at this point...waiting on some s**t and can't do anything atm.

[cody227]

Its not a car, Its a Volkswagen. Funny 86' Jetta commercial.

[cody227]

Well not much to update lately, I got around to cleaning off my CV joint and doing what I could to make it work. I drove around for a bit and nothings come loose so far so im pretty happy. Also cleaned up the interior a bit, went through it with the vacuum and did an ok job. The outside is still incredibly dirty but its no use washing it on these gravel roads, will probably get to it once I get back down to Denver. Still need to get pics up of the interior. Next on my list is an alignment, got about an 1/8 toe out at the moment and I want to get it back to factory, still have to find the bad ground which isnt too hard, fix the odometer since it hasn't worked the entire time i've owned it, get some 10.1" vented rotors up front, get some ebrake cables, and replace the timing belt - doesn't need it but it doesn't hurt.

[Volkswageneer1990]

Wow this car is just an amazing find! I literally have a renowned interest in it!

I am here for the long haul as I cannot wait to see what more you have in store for it.

Nice find, and Happy Holidays!!!

[cody227]

Wow this car is just an amazing find! I literally have a renowned interest in it!

I am here for the long haul as I cannot wait to see what more you have in store for it.

Nice find, and Happy Holidays!!!

Thank you for the compliment

Like I said before, I'm really happy to see our generation getting into these cars with a real interest in them, instead of putting on some 22s, and tilting the seat back hoping someone will think we look cool

I appreciate the good vibes, and Happy Holidays to you as well

[cody227]

Other things I did not mention was that this car came with the Partnership book and everything in it including the original sales receipt and service manual. This car was originally sold from Phil Winslow Colorado Springs dealer in 1986 so after all this time, it hasn't gone very far. I don't know if I mentioned this either but it is a GL. From what I can tell, it was well taken care of by whoever has owned it and will continue to be well taken care of by me.

[Hombre3000]

Great thread. I've got an extremely similar story about my Golf - I bought it for $980 and I've fixed most of the same stuff you have, also put in an Alpine, etc.

Thanks for sharing. Here's my guy if you're interested. Pretty sure it's got the same mileage too, even though the odometer has read 130,000 for a number of years now.

[mk2vr6akavteckiller]

what all did you need for your rear disk swap?

[cody227]

Awesome price for your Golf, is it a Wolfsburg? it has the emblem on the side, if so thats a really great deal. My main priority's were getting it to be reliable, at least somewhat which it has proved to be so far so I can't complain.

For the rear disk swap, everything was pretty much MK3, carriers, rotors, axles, etc. and the calipers were off an 88 GLI. I also upgraded from a 20mm master cylinder to a 22mm out of a GTI but that wasn't really "needed", it just gives a stiffer pedal feel. And ebrake cables have to come out of an early GLI but I haven't found any good ones yet so I don't have an ebrake at the moment.

[Hombre3000]

It has the Wolfsburg badges but I honestly don't know how to tell if it's genuine or not. How much difference did the larger master cylinder make? I've been considering doing that as well.

[cody227]

It has the Wolfsburg badges but I honestly don't know how to tell if it's genuine or not. How much difference did the larger master cylinder make? I've been considering doing that as well.

Yeah im not sure on all the details that make a Wolfsburg a Wolfsburg. Might be able to find out somewhere in here...

http://www.a2resource.com/brochures/brochures.html

The 22mm mc made a big different in my case. The 20 really didnt feel like it was enough once I did the rear disk swap, the 22 stiffened the pedal up nicely, and it feels more responsive. Honestly it feels like it should right now. I recommend it since it is an easy swap, and its fairly cheap. You just gotta make sure you bench bleed the mc properly before installing and then bleed the brakes.

[mrvang]

that's dam cheap, good find.