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Shaved caddy project...

32K views 195 replies 49 participants last post by  h2oveedub96 
#1 ·
Not totally the same shaved we are all thinking though.

Short story long. I had a beard for about 3 years, my wife hated it. There was a commercial on the super bowl about husbands doing things for their wives all so they can drive the car they want. I think it was a dodge commercial.

When we left the super bowl party she asked if I saw the commercial. I did and she had a proposition for me. If I shaved I could get a rabbit pickup and not get rid of another car.

The next morning I was clean shaving and two weeks later I had found a pickup.

So 9 months later I am still shaving and finally getting around to working on the project.

1981 Rabbit pickup. Clean diesel title, rust free, shell.

I made a 11 hour round trip to VA by myself in the rain to get it. I brought it home and tucked it away in my in-laws barn until I could start working on it.

The drive home March '10:




Tucked away in the barn where it has been sitting for 9 months. Going to yank it out in the next week or two.
 
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#10 ·
I have some more good stuff that isn't at my house right now. Some I am excited to see myself.

Do you need parts for that dash ? I gots everything you need
I have everything for the dash. It is just stripped so it can join the seats at the upholstery shop.

that will run like a raped ape with that cam. I've got the 270(but I'm aba) and it's pretty quick. whats the specs on the rims?
The cam is going in an aba. It will also have R1 carbs on it. The wheels are 15x6.5. I still haven't figured out what make, but a friend is working on center caps for me.
 
#16 ·
I always kept it fairly groomed. Didn't seem to matter though.

In for progress!!! Here's to you for someone finally getting something out of a woman on a compromise!!!!!:beer:
She still feels she got the better end of the deal. Works for me.

Going to pick up some more parts this morning. Will post some updates later.
 
#25 ·
Today's thoughts. Do I just clean up the motor, replace basic gaskets, and run it? Or do I do a rebuild since the motor is not in the car?

It is supposed to have about 100k on it. It was removed from a cabby that got a VR swap. That is all I really know about it.

ABAs are cheap and plentiful, but putting it in and taking it out of a freshly painted bay could suck.
 
#26 ·
I love the array of questions in here...people dont read before asking.
I would tear down and do a full rebuild.All the machining and internal work is very cheap on one of these.Do it once,do it right:beer:
 
#28 ·
well, how familiar are you with the people the that purchased the aba from? if they are friends/acquaintances that can be trusted, and you are sure this motor had no issues prior to it being pulled, id clean it up and jam it in the car. with carbs, if u have any head issues once you get the car together, it will be a piece of cake to tear the thing down without having to remove the whole motor, and as far as the block goes, rod/main bearings can be done in the car as well....

if you arent sure of the PO's reliability, and question his/her integrity, id probably tear it down and clean it up while its out.

good luck with the build though, i have a similar motor in mind for my rabbit. its already a aba/jh on cis, but my dellorto 40's should actually be showing up on my doorstep tomorrow. i may end up switching to the crossflow head, but i havent made up my mind on that one yet or not:thumbup::thumbup:
 
#29 ·
I purchased it from a friend, but the issue is he isn't super familiar with the motor. A customer brought a cabby into his shop for a vr swap. So this is the motor that was pulled. If I have to base it on what the rest of the car looks like I would do a rebuild. I just wish I could do a compression test on the engine stand. That would probably answer my question.

I am not too worried about the head. I will be replacing the cam, lifters, valve seals anyway. It won't be a big deal to replace a couple extra parts.

The bottom end is what I am worried about. Mainly deciding if I need to bore and replace piston rings.

I guess I will pull the head and go from there. I am sure it will turn into another snowballing rebuild.
 
#36 ·
In all seriousness. If you aren't trying to build an all-out show car, or a crazy race-machine.. that idea is the best bet. ABA's are pretty much bullet proof, plentiful, and cheap to replace. Clean the engine up, throw it in, have fun, and get another $100 ABA if this one ever gives up the ghost. :thumbup:

keep up the good work, always glad to see another mk1 saved :wave:
 
#38 · (Edited)
Started getting the bottom end cleaned up today. Got all the carbon build up out of the cylinders, and the pistons and walls look nice and smooth. Block sanded the top of the block to remove all the old gasket material. Cleaned up all the gasket surfaces on the sides of the block, and started grinding all the rust and gunk off the outside. I had to use a chisel and hammer to break some of the flaking rust off the block.

The only loss of the day is the damn woodruff key from the intermediate shaft pulley. It fell and vanished into thin air. I looked on my hands and knees with no luck. Just something else to come up with.

 
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