Our "NEW" '81 Rabbit diesel TRUCK!!!

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA








Anyone who has ANY info about PARTS, upgrades, suggestions, dealers any, ANY help at all, please throw me what you have.

we found this jewel by accident in on Craigslist here in our town. the guy rebuilt the engine 30,000 MI ago and only wanted 1,500.00 for it. we snatched it up the very next day!

now we are on a repair spree. we got it transferred titled, and inspected. now we are replacing anything we can. we want a total make over. this is my wife's new "Toy". i was going to drive it myself, and let her have our 2002 TDI jetta, but she loved the truck, so she wanted it.
 

leicaman

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Joined
Dec 24, 2004
Location
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE, 2005 TDI GLS, RIP
Looks like it is going to take you a bit to get it really nice, but I am sure it will really work beautifully once its up to the perfection you desire.
 

tdidieselbobny

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Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
No dealers-these are basically obsolete to them now.Find a good diesel mechanic(preferably one that works on foreign ones).A place that comes to mind for parts is PartsPlace in Auburn,Michigan.I have had good experiences w/them.They have a limited internet site- www.partsplaceinc.com -they have their catalog on the site.I always wanted a diesel Rabbit pickup-I settled for a gas one and it was the biggest POS I ever owned.
 
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Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
This rabbit has two mufflers. they look like two 30'' glass packs, attached one behind the other. is this 'normal' do i need them? what are my options, and what benifits? what does a modified diesel exhaust sound like?

We also have a 2002 jetta TDI 1.9 i've wanted to modify it's exhaust too. do they sound just like their gasoline counterparts when modded? do they have a distinct sound of their own, and is it "fun"?
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
Not sure on the Rabbit,but on the 02 go ahead and remove the mufflers and put straight pipe in cat-back-you will hear the turbo whistle,won't be much louder than stock.
 

bluesmoker

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2006
Location
Maple Ridge, B.C.
TDI
2004 pd 5 speed tip
tdidieselbobny said:
Not sure on the Rabbit,but on the 02 go ahead and remove the mufflers and put straight pipe in cat-back-you will hear the turbo whistle,won't be much louder than stock.
i am pretty sure that engine is normally aspirated (no turbo) it will be really loud with out a muffler

my suggestion is to leave it on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Caddy#Engine_specs
 
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REDNECKDZL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2006
Location
Omemee
TDI
2001 Jetta, 2015 Jetta, 1984 Wabbit TD, 1986 RX7 waiting on AHU swap
yeah you don't want to run a 1.6 NA without a muffler, i had my dp on my rabbit break just before the firewall, and you couldn't crank the radio up enough to drown it out.

get a turbo on that bad boy if you don't want to run mufflers
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
Ok, so removing the mufflers completely on the 1.6 N/A engine is not reccommended, but do i really need TWO 30'' mufflers (glasspacks??) in series? any ideas on improving the exhaust? since it is going to be a "chick truck" what could i do to either get a nice sound (and mabye some more power?) or a even more quiet exhaust system, so that she can enjoy the stereo we plan to put in it. we, of course, do not want to do anything that drops fuel effieciency.

We are currently only getting 22 mpg. oil is good, temp is good, all fluids and filters are brand new. the trans is goofy. it's hard to get 1st, and we end up accidently starting off in 3rd gear all the time. basically, we suck all around driving the truck so far.

any suggestions on a 1/4 in. thick flat material that i can carve a new grill emblem out of? i was thinking some sort of vinyl or hard(ish) plastic of some sort. i've called hobby shops and building supply stores with no luck. of course i'll be priming and painting it too.

What can yall tell me about what i can expect to see in return for upgrading both transmissions in both VW diesels? 4spd truck--> 5sp & 5spd jetta-- 6spd and where can i find these transmissions for sale? what do i search for? what fits?
 
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tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
I think the shifter bushings are really prone to wearing out on these-Metalman sells a kit to do this.You should be getting 40+ mpg-I would check timing out.As far as upgrading trannies-for the 5 to 6 speed check w/ BleachedBora-he at one time had some new-maybe he can point you in direction for that.It will probably be a little tougher to find a 5 spd for the Rabbit-maybe check VWVortex,PartsPlace(in Michigan) and your local junkyards.I don't know if a 5spd from a gasser Rabbit would work or not-maybe check codes.
 

REDNECKDZL

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2006
Location
Omemee
TDI
2001 Jetta, 2015 Jetta, 1984 Wabbit TD, 1986 RX7 waiting on AHU swap
teh gasser gears are too close together, there are plenty of 5 speed trannies for diesel rabbits, just gotta find them, that or a TD tranny but those are rarer.

you could probably get away with one glasspack muffler
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
I just ordered a custom laser cut grill emblem from a local metal working shop here in town. i couldn't find one online, and the one that i did find, the 'W' part of the emblem, looked odd. We'll get the new emblem tomorrow afternoon, when i get out of school. New tail lights are next on the menu, i think.
 

redwabbit

Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2008
Location
Toronto
TDI
09
Ah the memories, my first VW diesel was a 1980 Wabbit 5 speed and I believe a 1.5. I averaged around 44mpg usgal. It had 49 or 59 hp and had to down shift to make it up any minor hills. It was a pre door activated glow plugs and they took any where from 15 to 40 secs depending on the temp. Lots of white smoke and rattle in the winter, no preheat in the fuel line/filter. I put 170,000 mi on it before swithching to 86 golf 1.6
 

JASONP

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Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Location
Guelph
TDI
2015 Golf TDI Comfortline 6spd
aren't these things called caddy's not rabbits ?
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
JASONP said:
aren't these things called caddy's not rabbits ?
It depends on where you live/bought your truck. in the US they are called Rabbit Trucks, in other countries, they were sold as "Caddy"

Here's the new grill emblem. custom fabricated, at a local metal shop. $43.30



It's just a rough, temp. we have a better, more refined, but un-finished badge for the future. we got two of them, for the price of one, since they made a tiny bobble on the first. we decided to keep the better of the two until we are further into the restoration.

Next target is tail lights and interior.

we'll eventually repaint and repair the body completely but first we wish to purchase and install an electric door open system. when we paint, we are putting in a spray on bed liner.

small steps now, but once we pay off our little purchase loan, we can move faster.

still looking for suggestions and parts help. all part help welcome.
 

supton

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 25, 2004
Location
Central NH (USA)
TDI
'04 Jetta Wagon GLS
Glasspacks with a diesel? I would think that a bad thing, with the soot in the diesel exhaust. Maybe they don't have that issue--but the guy probably ran two just to make it quiet enough! If it were me, I'd think about running just one good diesel muffler, if I wanted it quiet.

Nice truck! Impossible to find up here, our New England salting schedule ensures we have a distinct lack of genuine old vehicles.
 

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
It is a resonator of some sort, don't worry about it. I own a 81 rabbit car (4 dr) a 81 rabbit (or caddy) truck and an 04 Golf. My brother owns a 80 rabbit truck as well. If you need anything more on this email me at tgott@hotmail.com as I don't know if I will check this often. My brother and I did tear apart a tan interior truck that rolled over and the dash and seats were very good shap. If you need them I could ask if what he would sell them for but shipping is a lot on those. As far as upgrades. I will over view them. This is a very good site to read and he has shifter linkage upgrades (the best out there) and leaf spring upgrades (the bushing part).
http://www.4crawler.com/VWpickup.shtml

The shifting problem that you have is one of two things. Your linkage is so worn out like mine was that it is hard to find 1st (I found putting it in 2nd then first works best and rolling helps) or your ajustment is off. If it is off you need to put in first gear and then loosen the attachment that goes on the long rod under the truck that has the balls for other linkages. push the part under the cab part of the shifter to the stoper (where you have to push down to get to reverse). and then tighten up and retry. It may take a few times. It helps to be on a car hoist with truck running and someone in the cab to make sure the adjustment is corrected. An exhuast system isn't going to help this truck out much unless you change engines (like I did in my car to a 1.9 turbo). Depending on your gear ratios you may not get very good MPG unless you drive about 50-55 as the trucks had lower gears trannys. I can get 52 mpg in my truck when going about 50-55 but if I go faster of stay in town I get what you are getting. My brother takes his on longer drives to work (30-40 miles) and has a different tranny and he gets about 55-58 mpg often. These can haul a lot in the truck (I got a king sized tempurpedic in mine) but the engines are only 50 hp. I would get from ebay or parts place a plastic cover that goes under the valve cover to prevent the engine from running away on its own oil as they were common of doing. DON'T put auto tranny oil in the diesel as a lubricant ever as that will swell the seals and once and the injection pump will leak then. Get some stanadyne fuel aditive for both vehicals as it helps with pump lubrication, increases cetane levels (like octane) and prevents gelling of fuel. The glow plugs are most likely slow glows but can be upgraded to a fast glow with the relay (you need the relay and plug speed to be the same). I would inspect your shocks as if they are original they are most likely bad. Check front and back wheel bearings (front-jack up truck and whiggle top and bottom, if it moves or there is a clunk clunk sound then replace, back-take off brake drum, make sure ebrake is off and add grease). Inspect CV boots and joints, carquest has a life time warranty on there trade in axles/cv joints if needed. Just make sure they don't bind in the hub if you do change. Get a Bently manual for sure but don't get the others as they are a wast of your time (I bought all of them). If your licence plate bulbs don't work. Unsrew the plastic casing and first check power to it (if no power, fix that and see if bulb works), if power there that a razer (wearing gloves) and split the clear and black plastic apart and replace the bulble and then tape together (don't glue or you have to try to cut it again). They don't make the replacement bulb casing so be careful. I almost got a ticket as mine weren't working.

Once you get the shifting linkages replaced and the cab fixed up some you will have a nice little truck to mess with. You may need to do the motor mounts as well as they can make your ride shake at higher speads if the mounts are really bad. Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with as I have take every nut and bolt of on both my rabbits. For piece of mind. Unless you have a recipt of the milage of when the engine was overhauled I would get the timing belt and tensioner replaced. Not to hard to do and I can walk you through that. You need a injection pump locking pin, a cam locking plate and a wrench for the tenchener pully (special one). You could mke the locking tools your self. That is just peice of mind for the cost (which isn't much) and they should be done at about 50K miles anyways. Good luck and half fun with this.
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
I'll do the linkage adjustment on the truck friday, i hope, at school. we have lifts there.

I've seen that LUCAS is supposed to be safe fuel additive for diesel. I use it religiously in my motorcycle engine, and i can't help but believe, that it has prolonged the life of it. would you recommend using LUCAS for either of my diesel VW's?

I do believe that i would be quite interested in buying the interior that you removed from your wrecked vehicle. Could you post pictures of it here? I'll see what kind of shipping cost i'd be looking at. it might be worth it, just because, i've been looking for the dash, and haven't been able to locate one yet.

finally, I've seen that there is a turbo upgrade for the 1.6L engine in the truck. Do you have any experience with what this offers, or how much time and money i'm looking at? would it even be worth it in what kind of HP / fuel mileage increase that it might yield? we're not looking for lots of power or speed here. We are most interested in fuel economy, and to a lesser degree, a more "modern" highway speed.

thanks for all the info in your post. I'll go check out the link, and i've taken down your email.
 

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
I use stanadyne fuel aditive as it increases the lubication, cetane and gelling points and is the most advised one for the VW's as it is made by a injection pump manufacture. My CAT dealer sells it and most American diesels also advise using it. I will ask my brother about the dash and are you looking for seats as well or not? I would check your MPH readings at different speeds as it can be off and I almost got a ticket becuase of that. I would not recamend a turbo upgrade unless you are a wrench head as the engine isn't designed for it you have to make some adjustments and keep and eye on things or you could burn a hole in the piston and warp the head. The turbo engines had oil squirters for the pistons. Not to mention you may have more head gasket problems as you likely have the 11mm head bolt block and head and not the 12mm head bolt. The bolt is 1 mm wider and much longer and was to help prevent head gaskets from failing since the compression is about 23 to 1 in the engine (makes it easy to start cold). You should depending on the tranny that is in there (with the code you can find the gear ratios) be able to drive interstate speed. It may sound like it is going to blow but it won't becuase there is a govener in the injection pump that stops I think at 4500 rpm. When fueling up the truck it will take a while for it to completly fill as the tanks were the same on the gas ones so there fill tube is 1/3 from the top of the tank for a built in air cushion and it takes a slow bit of filling to fill the last 1/3 (3-4 gallons). So that may help you get the accurate MPG. Be careful filling to the top though as my breather lines leak if I go the last be so I have a running average. They did make toppers for these as well but are hard to come by. If you get a split window try to find the factory one as it has the 1 piece of sliding glass on the out side where the aftermarket (which they still make) have two pieces inside and can hang up on the seat head rests). Also seats from anything through the early 1990's will fit in there. I got my truck seats from a 1991 Jetta. My car has them from a late 80's car and my brothers are the stock ones. You can get map pockets with speakers from a later 80's car that screws into the door cars. Those are handy to have but you have to take the door cards off (get the tool to get the plastic clips out so you don't wreck the cards). You can velcro/screw in a cup holder in from of your shifter if you don't want to have a gauge pod in there. You just buy one from walmart with the coin holder and storage pocket and it fits. There is also a guy that makes wood ones that fit between the seats but you have to move it to use the ebrake. Let me know what ever else you have questions with as I know the 1.6NA in the trucks very very intimatly.

And the thing to remember to get really good MPG on this is driving speed and wind. These aren't the most arodynamic so the faster they go the more the drag (the drag coeficient is much higher then your newer VW's)
 
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coalminer16

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Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
I just looked at the pictures one more time and the comments below them. The engine may have been rebuild with just seals and maybe bearings if everything else tested fine. A complete rebuild doesn't have to be everything new but more everything is as good as new. New heads aren't as good as the original heads I have heard. And if you have a good body on the truck (shock towers and bottom of doors rust first) then it is worth $1500 even without an engine. And the horse power is 50. That is it. You can turn the injection pump up some to get some power and I have heard if done correct it will get better MPG as well as HP. If you are looking for more horse power for the truck those you need a different engine. You can put any VW diesel engine you want in there with some modification. I have a 1.9 turbo diesel in my car (75 horse) and it was as close to bolt on as you can get.
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
When i got it to school on friday, we got it up, and looked at the shift linkage. i found the long linkage rod, but did not know where to adjust at. do i adjust it at the engine end, or the shift tower end? also, the little "hollow" open sided "box thing" that the shift tower rides along for gear selection (under bottom of cab) seems to be quite shiny, and worn looking. we put it on the lift, got it into first, but never could figure out what kind of adjustment (or where, exactly) to make.

and yes, my wife is definately interested in buying whatever interior parts you have access to. if you could, just get some photos, so we can see if it is the parts we need (pretty much all of them) and what color, and condition they are in.

thanks again,
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
can someone tell me, for certian, how large the fuel tank is on the 81 caddy (rabbit truck) ?

i was very close to empty yesterday, when i filled up, it stopped at 9.2 gallons. is this a 10 or 12 gallon tank? someone told me they though it was 14, but i find that hard to believe, because if it is 14 gal, then i'm getting like 26 miles to the gallon.
 

tdidieselbobny

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Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
I think it's around 10 gals.or so-I used to have around 400 miles to tank when I had my Rabbits-I think I still have a Haynes manual floating around-I'll check it if I can find it.
 

validius

Lacking in ZDDP
Joined
Oct 9, 2006
Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
TDI
1997 GTI TDI
tdidieselbobny said:
No dealers-these are basically obsolete to them now.Find a good diesel mechanic(preferably one that works on foreign ones).A place that comes to mind for parts is PartsPlace in Auburn,Michigan.I have had good experiences w/them.They have a limited internet site- www.partsplaceinc.com -they have their catalog on the site.I always wanted a diesel Rabbit pickup-I settled for a gas one and it was the biggest POS I ever owned.
Parts place is a bunch of rude, overpriced shysters. I use them for nothing but a last resort.
 
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coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
Sorry, been away for a while for work. Your capacity is 15 according to the manuals but will hold 17 (just like the new cars you can squize in a couple extra gallons til you get it to the neck, a little harder as the pipe goes in the tank about 1/3 from the top as it is the same tank as a gasser). Depending on how you drive, how tuned and new/old the engine is and the tranny you may get only 26 mpg. I have gotten that before, but I can get 55 mpg as well. I will try to have my brother get you pics of the interior but they aren't the best on tech and I need your email for that as well. I think we even have the carpet for it but maybe not. And you should get more then 400 miles on a tank of fuel even if it is really bad. I get that with my rabbit car (10 gallon tank that can get the 11 or 12 gallons in it). You should average about 600-800 miles per tank. Parts Place isn't bad. They can be hard to deal with depending on who you talk with. They told me I have green stars next to my name as I have ordered so much from them but I have been burned a few times by them. If you use them have there part numbers they have in there book ready and don't have them attempt to find you the parts as thats how most of the mistakes are made. Ebay has a lot of parts for these so attempt to go through the 2500 ads under vw rabbit (that will get you the best results since it shares parts from the 4 door cars).

Adjusting the shifter. Get it to first gear and make sure it is first (some one in the cab, start and drive on lift if you have the lift that picks the frame and not the wheels). Then loosen the lever on the long rod while in gear but truck is turned off. Push the rod toward the box that you said was shinny, then tighten the lever while holding the rod next to the box. Make adjustments as needed depending on how loose the rest is. Replace everything on your shifter that is supplied in the kit on this web site (it is the best bang for your money trust me)
http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/ForSale/ShiftLinkage.shtml
Your motor mounts may be causeing some of the shifting problems to as if they allow the engine to move to much it moves the linkages as well some. Check the above web site for other info as he has loads of info on everything on a vw truck. The shinny box thing is just fine being shinny. That is your safety so you don't hit reverse without pushing down. So it gets shinny because everytime you put it in reverse it is rubbing it some. There is a rubber box that actually seals that up with a hole for the rod but those ALWAYS got ripped of and there is just a little bit of the rubber boot left on the rod that didn't get ripped off (it costs about $50 for the box if you wanted it). One more thing with the close to emty thing. You can drive a very long time on close to empty. That is a 2-3 gallons left at that point. If you are adventurous then you could carry some fuel with you and run the thing out. Make sure you have a flat screw driver to bleed the fuel filter and install a hand fuel pump from the tank. You can get one for about $12 from Walmart in the fishing section as it is a hand pump for a boat motor (brother and I have many miles on ours with pumps in the lines. That way when you change fuel filters you just have to pump up the line till no air comes out anyways.
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
Ok...

Here's what i've got:

I ran the rabbit truck down as far into the red (and past) what i figured was a true empty tank. When i re-fueled, it took 11.5 Gallons, and I had exactly 420 miles on the tank, that averages out to 36.52 MPG!! My Turbo Jetta (2002) only gets 38MPG!! Of course, i allways have my foot stuffed in it, just for fun. when i used to strech the mileage on the jetta, coasting, and easy peddle it, i would get about 41MPG. all of that is calculated inside city only.

SO, now i'm happy.

My muffler(s) fell off the other day, still attached at the manifold bolts (ouch!) I had to limp and drag it to school 1.2 miles from where it happend. scuffed up the tip, and second glass pack, but did not appear to break anything on the manifold. In true Texas style, i wired it all back on with baling wire and soft wire.

fixed a front driver side blinker. now no crappy tape holding it in. i rebuilt the lens with two bolts JB welded into the lens body (heads hacksawed off) and then inserted them into pre drilled holes in the body, fastened them with lock washers & nuts on the back side.

I'm looking for a good dent removal person, and then eying a paint job. We want solid white, with hot pink spray on bedliner. (it's a chick truck)

Still drives like a dream. best $1,500 dollars i've spent in years!

Oh, coalminer (and others) My email address is: JNCO_HIPPIE@YAHOO.COM

please send me any photos of body or interior piece that you may have for sale.

thanks yall!
 

donDavide

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2005
Location
Severna Park, Maryland USA
TDI
2003 Jetta ;2006 Golf; 2015 Jetta S
validius said:
Parts place is a bunch of rude, overpriced shysters. I use them for nothing but a last resort.
I have good luck with them. But i do use other sources first such as www.car-part.com and world impex and crazy rays. They sent me wrong filters once 5 or 6 years ago (and they would not pay for me ship them back. I still have them.I used one on my B5.5 Passat and plan on using others on my dad's Mk4
 

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
You still should be able to get more in the tank as it is a 15 gallon tank unless it is dented. It just takes a bit of time to get the extra fuel in. I know my brother has some blinker lens if you wanted one with the bolts still in it (a parts car and truck later). I will give your email to my brother where the parts are.
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
the things we need most, right now, are:

tail light assembly or lens replacement for existing tail light assembly (both sides)
dash, or dash cover pattern for a form fit custom cover.
seats
timing belt cover
second hood (for mods)
manifold gasket kit(s)
dent removal & paint (going to be local, of course)

there's more, i'm sure, like the seatbelt on the passenger's side, hangs up constantly when you try to pull it over you, to lock it.

some of these things i've found possible answers to on EBAY, others i've not yet a clue.

I would like to take the existing tail light assemblies, replace them, then take apart the old, and make clear-cover red,yellow and white LED upgrades. Then, further into the resoration, we would re-install the newly re-manufactured and updated lights.
 
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