Reliable Transportation: 93 Corrado SLC

[corrado-correr]

I went to San Diego California and all I got was a sun burn and this 1993 Corrado SLC.

The trip started with a flight to San Diego, my wife came with me. The plan was to fly in, hang out in SD for a bit then drive home to Detroit. I was basically convinced that we'd either be a stronger couple after this, or divorced.



A friend picked us up from the airport and we hung out in old town SD till the seller of the car met up with us. Here's a picture of Todd in the car when we saw him pull up around the corner for the first time.



That night we met up with a few old friends from San Diego at the Stone Brewing Company. You may recognize some of these SoCal knuckle heads.







The weather is always perfect in San Diego, so we tried to make the best of it while we were there.

















Unfortunately, we couldn't stay in San Diego longer (as much as we would have liked to). With a 14 hour drive ahead of us till the next planned stop we were pushing it staying as long as we did. So it was a quick fuel stop and we were on the road, east bound and down.





The lack of radio wasnt too much of a problem at this point in the journey because we had the windows down and the wind noise would have made it near impossible to enjoy the music anyway. The reason we had the windows down was because the AC had been removed. No AC through the desert was inconvenient. We saw as high as 115F. It was hot. Luckily the Corrado did well and both coolant and oil temps remained well under control.

Just out side of the Chrysler Desert Proving Grounds in Yuka Arizona was this... silver thing.



Relief came as we approached Flagstaff Arizona. The mountain air was fresh, smelled like pine trees and almost 60 degrees cooler.



We stopped for fuel and a quick bit to eat, then made the rest of the way to stay with my good friend Cisco in Albuquerque.



The next day in Albuquerque we started the car to a grinding scratching awful noise coming from the under the hood. This is me making a sketchy "I dont think we're going to make it" face:



The bearings in the accessory belt tensioner pulley had had it, my guess is (maybe old age and) the extreme heat of the desert toasted it. My old friends at Konstruct Performance in Santa Fe came through for us big time. Not only did they come into work on a Saturday, they pulled a tensioner off of their personal car to give to me. When we got the old part off it was pretty obvious that it wouldn't have made it much longer.





We spent the rest of the day and the next morning with my brother in Santa Fe. My brother, dog Cody, and I:



Car(s) at my parents house:



hi!



Back on the road leaving New Mexico:



Followed by a lot of this (the same route as the old Santa Fe Trail):



We stayed with Josh in Wichita Kansas... and his little dog too. (Kansas/Wizard of OZ pun intended.)



Breakfast just outside of Wichita, the sky was still glowing pink from the sun rise. At first I was like... "lol" and then i was like... "that sucks."



Dat ass



The entire state of Illinois and most of Indiana was under construction. It delayed us by nearly 2 hours. Disgruntled, tired, and generally just done driving at this point, I didnt really take too many pictures. Here's one last shot of the car fueling up at the Michigan/Indiana state line:




Total trip fuel economy average was 30.6 MPG.





Here's some specs on the car from the for sale ad.

Motor / Drive train
-OBD 2 conversion (97 passat ECU & harness).
-GIAC chip.
-Polished Intake Manifold (upper & lower).
-Momentum Motorsports Phelenic Spacer (sandwiched between the head & intake manifold).
-1.8T Air Intake Temp Sensor.
-42 Draft Design Upper Intake Tube.
-Stock air box with Secondary Air Injection.
-Mocal 19 row oil cooler.
-C2 head spacer 9:1 compression.
-ARP Head studs.
-82c Fan Switch
-80c Thermostat, cover, housing, & elbow to crack pipe.
-Gruven metal crackpipe.
-Black Samco coolant hoses.
-USP Motorsports Stainless Steel Clutch Line.
-Gruven O2A Quickshift Bracket.

Electrical / Lighting
-New Optima blue top battery with Hella shutoff key. (Battery is mounted on pass. side in the trunk.)
-New Hella VR6 Euro Head lights (relayed) with working city lights.
-Factory Hella fog lights & turn signals. (un- cracked)
-Factory tail lights custom painted all red with clear coat.
-Euro spoiler control module (spoiler comes up @ 78 mph).

Suspension
-KW variant 1 Coilovers.
-Quafie LSD.
-Autotech rear sway bar.
-Autotech style rear upper stress bar.
-Eurosport front stress bar.

Brakes
-DE brakes 11.3 (front & rear) Brembo rotors with factory VW pads.

Wheels
-Stock 15" Factory Speedlines.

Interior
-Manuel window conversion.
-Euro seat belts with center console.
-Shaved "Oh $hit" Handle.
-Raid 280mm leather steering wheel with L2 quick release hub.
-Momo shift knob.
-Black seude headliner.
-Black suede sunvisors with black 944 clips.
-Custom Black power window switch delete covers.

Body / Exterior
-Scirocco 1 Mono Wiper.
-Non sunroof.
-FK badgeless grille.
-Shaved passenger side mirror.
-Shaved front side markers.
-Shaved rear vw & corrado badges.
-Shaved exhaust cut out & tow hook on rear bumper.
-New Rear Euro tub.
-Verdict Motorsports Black anodized rear wiper delete.
-Spoonfed Tuning Rain tray.


Wish me luck.

[hubbell]

great car and trip. i guess u need a turbo for that head spacer now.

[ajhvw93]

Congrats on the new Corrado....something tells me this is not your first

[RedYellowWhite]

Nice story, nice shots and beautiful Corrado!!!
Very tasteful mod/spec list if I may add

Love these pics:







Overall, an enjoyable to read thread in a "not so great threads" here lately

[Golfatron3]

Nice new car. Nice write up. Nice change of pace from the regular garble on this forum.

[cstanley19]

Raven, that car is a great base for what I'm sure will turn into a beauty once you go through it. What are your plans for her? (or is that a "Top Secret" thread to come?)

[G0to60]

Nice car and a nice trip. Pretty sweet that you have family and friends strewn across the country to visit and stay with.

This is one thing that I want to do some day. Whether it's for a Corrado or some other older vehicle I'd love to fly somewhere and drive the car back home. It will either be a fantastic trip or will be a complete disaster. Either way it will be a trip to remember.

[MexicanPsycho]

Awesome roadtrip

[dogger]

Sorry I missed the little gtg. Looks like a good time and nice trip. Glad you guys had a nice trip. Nice pics!

[corrado-correr]

Today I spent a good part of the day taking care of some of the small things that weren't really working right.

-fixed small leak in the central locking vacuum system
-(re)installed the rear defrost switch
-replaced the right front ABS speed sensor (ABS light doesnt come on any more)
-installed new door strickers
-replaced the HVAC control unit (now the fan works again) important to have heat in Michigan

Here's some pics of the progress from today:


old vs new abs sensor by rrotsaert, on Flickr


new door strickers by rrotsaert, on Flickr


old fan switch by rrotsaert, on Flickr


All back together by rrotsaert, on Flickr

[Rento_VW]

That was one hell of a fun read, rarely get threads like this on Vortex, let alone the Corrado section, wish there were more threads like this. People actually ENJOYING their cars instead of the likewise.

Hell, I wish there was more of this story, reminded me of that story of the Audi A4 cross-country trip covered in blue tape.

Any pointers on the HVAC switch replacement? Dash pull? Mine has been stuck on 3 forever and all I ever get is hot air all over the place. Sucks driving during the summer when it's 115* out.

[corrado-correr]

Any pointers on the HVAC switch replacement? Dash pull? Mine has been stuck on 3 forever and all I ever get is hot air all over the place. Sucks driving during the summer when it's 115* out.

Rento, do you even need heat in SoCal? Sounds like your heater core control cable is not connected or something. You dont have to pull the whole dash to take a look at what might be wrong - just the center counsel.

As for the fan speed, you might be able to just clean the contacts on the switch. Also there's a resistor pack on the fan motor that tends to go bad.

[corrado-correr]

This morning I woke up early (for a Sunday) to see if the deforst was working. It's not. So unfortunately it wasn't as simple as just re-installing the defrost switch.


Frost by rrotsaert, on Flickr

There's still months of mountain biking left in Michigan. So I put a roof rack on the car. These thule ultimate areo blades are dead silent at speed.


Corrado Utility by rrotsaert, on Flickr

Wasp! No Corrado thread would be complete with out them.


Wasps by rrotsaert, on Flickr

I'm certain that Todd went through great trouble removing and cleaning the hood foam off of the hood. I do like me some hood foam though. What's this?


New In Bag by rrotsaert, on Flickr


New Hood Foam by rrotsaert, on Flickr


New Hood Foam by rrotsaert, on Flickr

I can assure you it goes on a lot easier than it comes off.


New Hood Foam by rrotsaert, on Flickr

That's all for today. Time to go get brunch.

[ajhvw93]

Nice lil start...nice write up...looked like a fun trip....subscribed...looking foward to future werk

[RedYellowWhite]

Nice work

Doesn't the oe hood foam like look like crap (cause of the engine heat) after a few years? Those aftermarket solutions look like they'd last longer...

you said: "-Verdict Motorsports Black anodized rear wiper delete" in your spec list - looks like polished alloy to me, no?

[vintage empire]

It was black anodized when I bought it, SoCal sun changed that.

Raven, I must commend you for your actions, I'm really glad to see the car go to such a dedicated person such as yourself! Although I'm sad to let her go, I rest assured it's in good hands.

Bummer about the tensioner but looks like it wasn't to much of an inconvenience for you. It was the original, so I guess it put in its time.

I'm really convinced that the OBD2 system is responsible for the great MPG's, it really is a big improvement over the OBD1 system, plus the turbo software is much better.

I'll get those fenders cleaned up and boxed up for you this week, along with some other little stuff I've found in the last week or so.

Keep the thread alive so I can see the progress & updates!

[corrado-correr]

Doesn't the oe hood foam like look like crap (cause of the engine heat) after a few years? Those aftermarket solutions look like they'd last longer...

The hood foam on my green car is origonal and in very good shape. I think its when the rad neck spontaniously combusts that really does the foam in. Aftermarket? But then it wouldnt look like brand new OE hood foam.

Keep the thread alive so I can see the progress & updates!

<3

[d-bot]

In for more bees & booze.

[RedYellowWhite]

The hood foam on my green car is origonal and in very good shape. I think its when the rad neck spontaniously combusts that really does the foam in. Aftermarket? But then it wouldnt look like brand new OE hood foam.

Gotcha

[smawgunner45]

LSD...you gotta be loving that!

[Rento_VW]

Rento, do you even need heat in SoCal? Sounds like your heater core control cable is not connected or something. You dont have to pull the whole dash to take a look at what might be wrong - just the center counsel.

As for the fan speed, you might be able to just clean the contacts on the switch. Also there's a resistor pack on the fan motor that tends to go bad.

Eh, not really. Lowest is about 42*, still drive around with the windows down.

Thanks for the tips!

[Yareka]

Awesome story and looked like a great road trip to pick up one very clean example. Congrats and looks like you have a great start at making it yours. As mentioned above, check the resistor pack behind the glovebox if your fan is stuck on high.

[corrado-correr]

Radio install took the better part of the weekend. Big thanks to Brian for the used Alpine deck and the hand on Sunday.


Radio Install-1 by rrotsaert, on Flickr


Radio Install-2 by rrotsaert, on Flickr


Radio Install-3 by rrotsaert, on Flickr

While I was in there, I also replaced the HVAC blower resistor pack, not that it really needed it, but better now while everything was out.


HVAC blower resistor by rrotsaert, on Flickr

If your fan only works on speed 4, this little guy is all you need.


HVAC blower resistor by rrotsaert, on Flickr

I still need a radio bezzel thing, but it looks and sounds great.


Radio Install-6 by rrotsaert, on Flickr

The speakers i bought were Pioneer 4" in dash, 5.25" in door, and 4x6" rear.

[tachycardia]

Sorry to put a damper on our beer drinking plans. I'm glad you at least made it to Stone. If only we could've consumed enough beer to feel bad the next day.

I still can't believe this thread. I remember Todd driving this car down from Washington and stopping by my place on his way home... with a big ass smile on his face. That was 10 years ago.

It's great to see the car staying in the family. Here is to another 10 years.

[slimpickens1976]

Where did I you get it. Just picked up a 92 slc and the foam is a little ragged.

[corrado-correr]

Where did I you get it. Just picked up a 92 slc and the foam is a little ragged.

I bought the hood foam from the dealer for a small fortune 5 years ago, just FYI they told me it was the last set in the country.

[1956dub]

I bought the hood foam from the dealer for a small fortune 5 years ago, just FYI they told me it was the last set in the country.

Ugh, I was afraid of that. I wish there was somewhere to get the waffle pattern, I'd cut my own.

[ein]

I just clicked your Miata build thread, hilarious!

It appears Miatas require as much booze as Corrados.

[s.l.c.]

I was nice meeting you and your wife Raven and also that you made it with out any major issues with the car.

[dri0514]

looks very good!

[needaveedub]

i need to buy cars halfway across the country, looks like fun!

[SLC4EVER]

Glad you made it home safe!

One of these days I will have to make it out your way.

[corrado-correr]

I put my old BBS RXII's on and turned down the coils a few turns for the summer. I love these wheels.


ReliableSummerWheelsSLC by rrotsaert, on Flickr


ReliableSummerWheelsSLC by rrotsaert, on Flickr


ReliableSummerWheelsSLC by rrotsaert, on Flickr


ReliableSummerWheelsSLC by rrotsaert, on Flickr


ReliableSummerWheelsSLC by rrotsaert, on Flickr

[WaHelios]

The bearings in the accessory belt tensioner pulley had had it, my guess is (maybe old age and) the extreme heat of the desert toasted it. My old friends at Konstruct Performance in Santa Fe came through for us big time. Not only did they come into work on a Saturday, they pulled a tensioner off of their personal car to give to me. When we got the old part off it was pretty obvious that it wouldn't have made it much longer.

What would a Corrado Purchase Road Trip be without a suspense and carnage.

I had a tire delam on the way home from picking mine up 3 weeks ago. Fortunately I was already slowing down on a Rest Area off ramp to investigate the noise and vibration when the LF decided to let go. Got away with a little clear coat scraped, but no metal damage.

[vintage empire]

Looks good dude.