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So I picked up my latest project on Friday- a 79 Rabbit, 1.6 na diesel (originally a 1.5 apparently), 4 dr. (I know, I know, stupid 4 door, but I think it works with my plans)
(And yes, this was in the outside/cl section on the forums a couple weeks ago)
The basics as it sits now:
-"patina" is extensive- surface rust and a few small holes in various typical spots, underbody is rough from sitting out in the woods for two years. Once I looked closer after getting it off the trailer, this car was originally a baby blue color and a very thorough painter re-sprayed it. Found 1 run inside drivers door, slight overspray on windshield seal, rear window seal and door jamb stickers.
-1.6 has 10k on a full rebuild but currently has issues- won't know what for sure until I get it out and torn down
-Interior is what you'd expect- par for the course for a 79 diesel rabbit, but everything is there
My tentative plan was pretty simple- clean it up (leave paint and rust), fix motor and re-install, clean up wiring harness, re-upholster the seats in some sort of grandpa style brown plaid, get a sweet air cooled type roof rack, and put it in the weeds... like notched frame, adding metal to the oil pan style-in the weeds. Adding a turbo someday was a thought as well. This will never be a daily driver- I bought it to make it a fun, slammed cruiser...not fast, not pretty. I hate to use the term, but kind of a v-dub style rat rod.
I'm looking for some input from mivers on this though...my dilemma is that I absolutely hate the color. I know it probably works with the direction I want to go, but that pukey tan is just so damn ugly. (The original baby blue would be badass) I see three options: 1) leave it as it is and probably hate it 2) leave the rust, wet sand it down and give it a shot coat of primer, then wait roughly two weeks for the rust to re-appear and still have the patina look. 3) same as option 2 except go back to the original baby blue. I suppose option 4 would be to spend big cash on a ton of patch panels and replacement panels, but the reality is that this isn't a gti...it's a four door diesel that I paid $230 for- gotta keep that in perspective.
So give me your thoughts, I'm curious what you think...although I am a stubborn bastard, so I may stick with my own plan. This project is obviously a low budget type build, but I'm really excited about it- I've owned a MK2 GLI, a bunch of MK3's, a couple MK4's, and a B5.5 passat, but never a MK1- I got it simply because I'd never had one, but also because of the simplicity.
Still a "fetus", can't post pics, but here's the photobucket link with pics of the car:
http://s982.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/79%20rabbit/
(And yes, this was in the outside/cl section on the forums a couple weeks ago)
The basics as it sits now:
-"patina" is extensive- surface rust and a few small holes in various typical spots, underbody is rough from sitting out in the woods for two years. Once I looked closer after getting it off the trailer, this car was originally a baby blue color and a very thorough painter re-sprayed it. Found 1 run inside drivers door, slight overspray on windshield seal, rear window seal and door jamb stickers.
-1.6 has 10k on a full rebuild but currently has issues- won't know what for sure until I get it out and torn down
-Interior is what you'd expect- par for the course for a 79 diesel rabbit, but everything is there
My tentative plan was pretty simple- clean it up (leave paint and rust), fix motor and re-install, clean up wiring harness, re-upholster the seats in some sort of grandpa style brown plaid, get a sweet air cooled type roof rack, and put it in the weeds... like notched frame, adding metal to the oil pan style-in the weeds. Adding a turbo someday was a thought as well. This will never be a daily driver- I bought it to make it a fun, slammed cruiser...not fast, not pretty. I hate to use the term, but kind of a v-dub style rat rod.
I'm looking for some input from mivers on this though...my dilemma is that I absolutely hate the color. I know it probably works with the direction I want to go, but that pukey tan is just so damn ugly. (The original baby blue would be badass) I see three options: 1) leave it as it is and probably hate it 2) leave the rust, wet sand it down and give it a shot coat of primer, then wait roughly two weeks for the rust to re-appear and still have the patina look. 3) same as option 2 except go back to the original baby blue. I suppose option 4 would be to spend big cash on a ton of patch panels and replacement panels, but the reality is that this isn't a gti...it's a four door diesel that I paid $230 for- gotta keep that in perspective.
So give me your thoughts, I'm curious what you think...although I am a stubborn bastard, so I may stick with my own plan. This project is obviously a low budget type build, but I'm really excited about it- I've owned a MK2 GLI, a bunch of MK3's, a couple MK4's, and a B5.5 passat, but never a MK1- I got it simply because I'd never had one, but also because of the simplicity.
Still a "fetus", can't post pics, but here's the photobucket link with pics of the car:
http://s982.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/79%20rabbit/
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