Hello all

[V4310W]

Got some more done the last few days. New flywheel, clutch and pressure plate installed

Got the transmission bolted on. Talk about a project And a half...

Hopefully today we can get the axles back in, transmission support bracket, starter and thermostat installed.

[V4310W]

Made some more progress the last few days. Put the new crack pipe and thermostat housing in. The crack pipe looks sharp; too bad it is invisible with the car fully assembled.

Got the starter back in and changed the oil pan gasket today. Also put the intake manifold back on today.
In the process of putting the transmission back in I bumped a wire and the end fell to the floor with a piece of electrical tape on the end. Instead of doing it properly the PO just taped the two ends together Needless to say we redid that wire properly. I think the intake manifold looks pretty cool polished up next to the polished portions of the valve cover

Anyway hoping to complete the project this week

[V4310W]

Its been awhile since I last posted. I had a pretty gnarly case of bronchitis and was sidelined for almost a week. Anyhow I got everything assembled and fired her up. The engine sounds great but when I take my foot off the clutch I get some grinding sounds. Not 100% sure what it is but its not right so the transmission will be coming back out to search for the cause of the problem. Since I'll be doing this I want to replace anything that might be causing the problem. The throwout bearing is new but I want to put a new one in. Thinking about doing a new clutch fork also. What else is worth doing? I want to eliminate as many variables as possible to reduce chances of having to take it out a third time. This has been quite a letdown but I'm glad to have found out now rather than having it go bad on the road. And the part I was most worried about (chains/timing) sounds great so there is some good news despite the bad. Does anyone have experience with the 13 lb flywheel from MJM? I've read some mixed reviews about lightened flywheels and am considering putting the old one back on. Any and all input/insight is appreciated

[V4310W]

Pulled the transmission back out today and it appears that the rivet things on the pressure plate are rubbing on the transmission once the clutch is disengaged



So the question now is why is there contact? The new flywheel appears to be thicker than the one I took off ). Is my assumption that this added width makes the plate that much closer to the transmission? I'm going to take everything off and measure and weigh everything and probably wind up with the original flywheel back on (I have a feeling that the new flywheel is actually heavier than the one i took off f not then maybe some grinding of the rivets and and/or transmission to allow clearance but I'd prefer to not go that route. More disassembling tomorrow and comparing new and old parts tomorrow.

[V4310W]

I figure its time for a quick update. Finished the chains/clutch project a few weeks ago. I saved the broken pieces that I found while doing the chains. This piece I have no idea where it originated

This is from the upper tensioner; completely separated from the tensioner rail

This is the upper guide rail. Wasn't a cause for any noises but very close to completely failing

Some lovely gifts from previous owners:
Coolant pipe cut and put back together using pipe and hose clamps

Wires split and put back together using electrical tape

I ordered clear turn signals in October and they finally came 2 weeks ago. I wasn't aware that slc's came with them stock and was disappointed when they didn't fit in my bumper so I ordered some French fogs and trimmed the holes to make the social foglight assemblies fit. I also got a better grill than the one that came with the car. I love the look. Before:

After:


My next project is to get this fixed and get a new paint job

Some smaller goals in the meantime are to replace broken drivers door handle (the lock cylinder broke), put the new sunroof in, carpet the trunk and undelete the rear VW badge. I hope that you are having a super awesome day! Until next time

[vdub_n]

looking good man. keep it up..

[V4310W]

looking good man. keep it up..

Thank you fellow Oregonian

[V4310W]

Last night I went to see Social Distortion so I have the day off and decided I'd take some time to update. I bought and installed an Autotech rear stress bar. Handling is much improved and I am very pleased with this addition.



I also picked up a new steering wheel that I found on Craigslist. Nothing was wrong with the other one but I wanted a different look.



Ever since I bought this car I've tried to learn as much as I can about it and its engine. I read several times that the vr6 is a hot running engine and that, because of the heatsoaking that occurs, the intake filter I have doesn't make any improvements over the stock airbox. So I set out to make some sort of heatshield. I went to goodwill and found some plastic tray things and cut them up and this is what I came up with.





Its not perfect by any means but I think it makes a small difference. Not being satisfied with that, I decided to add a hose to help feed fresher air.



I fed it down next to the radiator and zip tied it to the tow hook.



I received some new motor mounts a couple weeks ago so I'm waiting for some time to get them installed. Last weekend brought nice weather so I took the opportunity to wash and snap some pictures.



That's all for now.

[V4310W]

So I've been having some goofy idle issues since I finished doing my chains. At start up it will idle at 1500 rpm for a minute then drop down to 1000. And while driving about half the time I stop, as soon as I engage the clutch the rpms jump to 1500 for 20 seconds then drop down. I pulled the idle control valve to clean it and while cleaning it noticed that it was dripping out the bottom. Found a used one on Craigslist and picked that up, cleaned it and installed it. That helped but not the solution. After doing some research decided that the next course of action would be to try vacuum hoses and the coolant temp sensor. I put them in the other day and what do you know? Idling normal now This weekend I'm going on a cruise to the beach looking forward to seeing some cool cars. Now I need to start saving to get some body work done

[V4310W]

This last Saturday I went on a cruise with a bunch of over VWs to the beach. It was a lot of fun, a great drive and the best news of all: the rado handled the 200+ mile day without a hitch. I didn't get many pics but I'll put up the few I did take.













I also found this picture of my car from a cruise last summer. My water pump went out halfway through and started dumping coolant.



I don't have anything else so

[V4310W]

I've been doing some cosmetic stuff recently and thought I should share. Last summer some idiot(me) got a little spray paint crazy rattle canned my drivers rear quarter panel . Needless to say it turned out like bloody monkey vomit so I decided to try to fix it. I forgot to take before pictures but I got some during and after. I wet sanded for what seemed like days



Wet sanded and washed



Meguiar's ultimate compound is an incredible product. This is after one application



Final product



My passenger door has a large piece of body putty near the hinge so I picked up a used one in green and have been working at getting it black and doing it better than the previously mentioned bloody monkey vomit paint job.







I think it just needs a good buffing and it will be close to matching the rest of the car. Its not perfect but it'll do until I get a respray. I was prowling through pick-n-pull the other day and came across a Passat with a center visor so I yanked it and brought it home.



I also came across a photo of my first ride, or what was left of it. She was an awesome 1986 Golf named the Mayflower. A lady in an uninsured bmw pulled out in front of me and I t-boned her going 50. Not a good day but this was my first vw experience and got me hooked.




That's all for now. Tata

[V4310W]

I am horrible at posting in this regularly. I've had a busy month upgrading some of my lighting. I ordered a set of DDI gauges in December and never received them. After some angry emails I finally received them in September. My point in this is not to bad mouth DDI, because the situation has been rectified. Long story short, I installed them and am very pleased with them.



I was sent what I believe to be the UK gauges, but after the headache it was just to receive them, I decided to just use them instead of trying to return them.
In late August a local pick-n-pull received a Corrado, so I went down to see what kind of goodies I could find. It was pretty well picked over but still had all the tail lights in near mint condition. It just happened to be half-off weekend so I scored all 4 for $40. I liked the smoked look for a while, but I'm over it now and dig the stock tails.



I found a DIY on the CCC site on how to activate the rear fog lights. I modified the instructions some and turned them into an extra set of brake lights. I hope these lower my chances of being a rear ending target.

Just tails:


Brake lights:


Now for my favorite I picked up a set of French style e-codes. I had to order new bezels and lenses to change to vr6, and the wait was unbearable. I also decided to tint inside the lights.









I purchased a relayed harness from Eurowires and it works wonderfully. However my brights and lows are opposite from the indicator light in the cluster. If that's the only issue, I can live with it. I'm still tinkering with the proper aiming, but I'm very pleased with this upgrade. I had some HID's in my stock headlights and its nice to not get brights flashed from every oncoming car.
My next necessary upgrade is going to have to be fixing the poor wiper performance. I'm seeing the Lupo upgrade, but not sure if I can justify spending that money after the e-codes. I'm curious why the Lupo seems to be the only wipers to swap, and will be trying wiper arms from other cars to see if they fit or work any better than what I'm currently using. Living in rain country, wipers that work are a must. I think tying a dog to the roof and using its wagging tail would be as efficient, if not better, than the coverage I'm getting now.
I ran across this picture on my parents computer and I believe that its the oldest I have/closest to how I purchased the car.



Sometimes I think I haven't made any progress on my Frankenrado, but then I come across old pictures and am blown away at how different it looks. If you've made it through my novel with few pictures, I thank you for the attention. You deserve a high five. Sweet dreams

[RedYellowWhite]

French-spec headlights look good!!! Especially with the "Joey-mod"

I hope you didn't pay too much for them, since its just a yellow cap inside that separates them from normal e-codes

[V4310W]

When I first learned of the French specs and began researching them I couldn't believe that people would pay close to $1,000 for these. That's the price I found them on ebay for anyway. I think I got a pretty good deal on them. With the lights and new bezels and lenses I'm still in for less than a set of brand new e-codes.

[RedYellowWhite]

When I first learned of the French specs and began researching them I couldn't believe that people would pay close to $1,000 for these. That's the price I found them on ebay for anyway. I think I got a pretty good deal on them. With the lights and new bezels and lenses I'm still in for less than a set of brand new e-codes.

Yup, there are people who paid close to $1K basically for a set of $25 bulb caps

[V4310W]

Around Christmas I began losing coolant I couldn't find where it was coming from and first thought it was the head gasket. I finally diagnosed the leak to be the radiator and, thankfully, not the head gasket. Upon inspecting the head gasket though, it appears to be seeping some oil. So now I have me a winter project I've also been gathering other odds and ends that I will be doing at the same time.
Dieselgeek short shift kit, shift cable bracket bushings, Grüven radiator neck, Autotech lower stress bar and BFI motor mounts.



Head gasket kit



And the tear down begins.

Day 1:





Day 2:





Day 3 I forgot to take pictures but got all hoses, wiring and thermostat housing removed.

Day 4:

[V4310W]

Around Christmas I began losing coolant I couldn't find where it was coming from and first thought it was the head gasket. I finally diagnosed the leak to be the radiator and, thankfully, not the head gasket. Upon inspecting the head gasket though, it appears to be seeping some oil. So now I have me a winter project I've also been gathering other odds and ends that I will be doing at the same time.
Dieselgeek short shift kit, shift cable bracket bushings, Grüven radiator neck, Autotech lower stress bar and BFI motor mounts.



Head gasket kit



And the tear down begins.

Day 1:





Day 2:





Day 3 I forgot to take pictures but got all hoses, wiring and thermostat housing removed.

Day 4:









I sent pictures to a friend who says it looks like cylinder 1 isn't burning all the fuel, causing it to look the way it does. He said it looks like a possible leaky injector. Can anyone confirm his suspicion? This is my first time ever having a motor apart this much and am in uncharted territory. I know the plug wire doesn't snap in as well as the others and kind of think that might be a factor, but again don't know a lot about this subject.

Tomorrow will be spent cleaning the block and head, as well as doing the motor mounts while better accessibility is available. Until next time,

[blackslcchild]

That corrado has a great owner

Very awesome work man, keep it up.

[mateok]

I sent pictures to a friend who says it looks like cylinder 1 isn't burning all the fuel, causing it to look the way it does. He said it looks like a possible leaky injector. Can anyone confirm his suspicion? This is my first time ever having a motor apart this much and am in uncharted territory. I know the plug wire doesn't snap in as well as the others and kind of think that might be a factor, but again don't know a lot about this subject.

Determine if its fuel or oil. Fuel could be from a leaky injector or any of the ignition sources for that cylinder.
Oil would suggest a leaky valve guide seal.
Those look remarkably good

[V4310W]

That corrado has a great owner

Very awesome work man, keep it up.

Why thank you. I have an inkling some idiots owned it before me, so I'm trying to treat it better

[dogger]

Must be interesting going 160mph when you are actually going 140mph

[V4310W]

Determine if its fuel or oil. Fuel could be from a leaky injector or any of the ignition sources for that cylinder.
Oil would suggest a leaky valve guide seal.
Those look remarkably good

Maybe I'm too tired at the moment but what looks remarkably good?


Spent most of today cleaning off some rtv type goop off the head. I didn't know the best way about that so I used a razor blade, carefully of course. I'm not sure how to attack the block though. It also has the goop that doesn't want to come off using a razor blade. I know it will withstand harsher abrasives than the head but I don't want to get debris in the passages and I haven't found a good way to block them while still leaving me room to clean.







That's how I left it today. I took a break for some food and couldn't get motivated again to get back to work.

[V4310W]

Must be interesting going 160mph when you are actually going 140mph

Haha yeah. I had such a nightmare actually receiving the kit that when I finally received the wrong ones I opted to just accept what I got and not try to exchange them. Just go with the flow of traffic and its not an issue

[crazynorweegian]

Read through the whole thing. I was iffy at first but solid work! It looks way better. Did you try lacquer thinner on that spray paint?

[V4310W]

Read through the whole thing. I was iffy at first but solid work! It looks way better. Did you try lacquer thinner on that spray paint?

Thanks! I'm assuming you are referring to the driver's side quarter panel? No, that never occurred to me. Probably could have saved me some time. I wet sanded that for a good 8 hours to get back to original paint.

[dogger]

Haha yeah. I had such a nightmare actually receiving the kit that when I finally received the wrong ones I opted to just accept what I got and not try to exchange them. Just go with the flow of traffic and its not an issue

You can get your cluster programmed to 160mph. IM me and I can tell you who can do it.

[V4310W]

You can get your cluster programmed to 160mph. IM me and I can tell you who can do it.

Very interesting. I will pm you

[hatemenow]

looks like your doing some werk...probably would have been easier to do headgasket, timing belt and waterpump the first time around.

anyway keep up

[V4310W]

looks like your doing some werk...probably would have been easier to do headgasket, timing belt and waterpump the first time around.

anyway keep up

At one point during the chains project I thought "The head gasket isn't much more work..." but I chose not to do it. I should have just done it. Oh well. I have something to occupy my time now

[blackslcchild]

Why thank you. I have an inkling some idiots owned it before me, so I'm trying to treat it better

Yes, same here man.

I've found problems due to negligence.

[V4310W]

I've been burning the candle at both ends between work and this project and haven't had any time for updates. So this rtv stuff was baked onto the block pretty good and it took some time to figure out how to get it off without it falling into the coolant passages and finally found some silicone dissolving stuff at napa which worked well in combination with a razor blade. This is what I started with :



The dissolving stuff is really a weird substance and likes to move around and slide into holes so I tried plugging them with pencils but found my fingers too fat to work between them



I ended up just leaving the holes open and spread the stuff as evenly as possible to keep it from sliding around. This is the end result



My dad and I cleaned it further after this but I forgot to photograph this. We then were able to cut the heads off the longest bolts, thread them a little and use them as guides to lower the head onto the block and new mk4 metal head gasket.





Yesterday I bolted and torqued the head down.



Also put the guide rail, sprocket and chain back on. The timing marks I made lined back up no problem.





That's as far as I've gotten. Since the weather improved today I want to pick-n-pull to get a couple wiring connectors. I've also been trying to figure out if my cams are stock or aftermarket. I can't find and vw markings but no other definitive markings of other brands either. I have had little luck trying to find out what cams have what markings. These are what markings are on mine:



If anyone has more information I would greatly appreciate it. That is all for now

[Radvr6T]

Great progress! loving this thread, great pics and love what you have done so far

[V4310W]

Great progress! loving this thread, great pics and love what you have done so far

Thank you for the kind words
I'm hoping to get it running this weekend but I'm sure I'll run into some sort of issue that prevents that from happening. That seems to be a theme for me

[Radvr6T]

Thank you for the kind words
I'm hoping to get it running this weekend but I'm sure I'll run into some sort of issue that prevents that from happening. That seems to be a theme for me

Never rush a good thing, you will be fine

More pics forsure!

[V4310W]

Today was productive for the short time I was able to work on my car. I got the exhaust bolted back on



Upper timing chain cover and tensioner bolt back in place



And the most important thing: I rotated the engine a few times and all the timing marks line up as they should

Last year during my chains project, I over-torqued one of the valve cover bolts and snapped the stud off. I ran for a year with that stud unbolted but today I figured I would try to extract the remaining piece and replace it. With some vise grips it came out no problem.





And lastly, I ran into the snag I was anticipating The hall sensor on my distributor is pretty mangled up. Last year I was able to glue it back in place somewhat, but in disassembly it broke back off. The wires are still connected but there is a little plate underneath the rotor that seems to be much too out of place. Researched a little and found a new ebay replacement for a lot less than a new Bosch piece. Placed an order and hopefully will receive it in a few days.





Anyway, that's all I have for now. Won't get much done tomorrow as I'll be watching my 49ers win(hopefully) the super bowl. Enjoy the commercials