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

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
You should be able to get a hood online for about $100-200. The lights are about $50 each on ebay and you won't get those any cheaper. Did this not come with a timing belt cover. You can get those at any junk yard that will have an older diesel vw engine. I I got my gaskets at partsplace and you may be able to get your lights and timing belt cover there too. Doesn't hurt to call. I did give my brother your email for the tan seats and dasher. I think I may have a tan cover at his place for the dash as well somewhere My car has a red dash but when I bought it there was a tan dash cover on it but I can remember where I put it.
 

ezshift5

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2003
Location
West Coast
TDI
2013 JSW TDI (Enroute BB).......2017 Jetta 1.4 turbo 5M ....................
...appreciate the steer.......

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.
I just ordered their catalog (free via mail) for my venerated 1982 VW Rabbit Diesel Pickup. Thanks again.
best, ez....
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
Well, we got an estimate from what i feel is a very respectabe body restoration shop.

Paint, dent removal, complete disassembly, and reinstallation of all panels, trim and moving parts, plus window tent, and powder coat wheels and grille paint, plus (hot pink) spray in bed liner, with correction of bent bumper on frame maching...

$2,830.00

It's way over the top, but i think we might have a "show quality" vehicle when it is all done.

one month without the truck from drop off, to drive off.

now all we have to do is generate nearly 3K!
 

Diesel_Aggie

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Location
College Station, Texas
TDI
1996 B4, 1996 B4V
Where in the Panhandle are you? Up until I few weeks ago I was in Amarillo with a gold 82 Caddy and black 81. 52hp can be a challenge with the winds in the area! Taillights are available new from VW still, but under a different part number. The right is a 147-945-112 and left is 147-945-111 made in Slovenia. The originals were US made. The original US left side was 179-945-095. I have a usable LH used one. PM me if you are interested. Door panels, carpet and seat covers are available from J-Bugs in California. Carpet is $110, seat covers $170, door panels $110. www.jbugs.com Original headliners are fabric, but if you still have the cardboard backing you can felt it. Just did one for $50. For cheap factory VW parts www.1stvwparts.com I like www.autohausaz.com for most aftermarket parts. www.germanautoparts.com is also good. Might look at www.brokevw.com for transmission stuff....never used them. The Parts Place Inc. does have many new and used parts but are pricey. They are the only place that had the odd rear brake hose. It's the same as a Vanagon. Body parts are easy and cheap to find.....but not in Amarillo. Look on www.car-part.com for body parts. Lots in OK and CO. The doors are the same as from doors from a 4-door Rabbit. Hood and fenders are the same from any 80-84 Rabbit. You'd need '81-84 since your truck is an '81 though. Many parts from the Cabriolet thru 93 can fit the car. There is a big VW salvage yard east of Austin called Austin Vee Dub Club if you happen down that way. Many early Rabbits and a few Caddys in there too. I doubt the guy will ship, but there is a guy who has advertised lately on Dallas Craigslist who has a bunch of Rabbit stuff. I've bought quite a bit from him. Worst case I could pick up what you need and ship to you. PM me for his info if you can't find him on Craigslist. Hope this helps. Oh, if you are not absolutely positive the timing belt has been done, do it NOW. You can do it for under $40 yourself and the tools can be found on Ebay or other suppliers. You need the plate to lock the cam, a pin for the pump, the 2 eyed thing to adjust the tensionor and a VW210 tool to properly check the tension on the belt. Tools run about $150. Too may 1.6NA diesels have died from broken belts.

PS: Love the Farm Truck plates. I always knew a Rabbit was a farm animal!

Jnco_hippie said:
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.
 

Diesel_Aggie

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Location
College Station, Texas
TDI
1996 B4, 1996 B4V
Jnco_hippie said:
Ok...

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.

thanks yall!
Parts Place Inc. does sell full exhaust systems for these at a very reasonable price. Manifold to tailpipe is $159. Page S-96 of the catalog I'm looking at.

Both my trucks list 15 gallon tank and I've put in 13.8 several times. Not quite at the bottom of the red. The '81 was averaging 37-38mpg with a low of 32.6 and high of 43.2 running about 65mph in the Panhandle. '82 does about 40mpg average with low of 36 and high of 45. Both are hand calculated and I put in a correction factor for the odometer. I've used both a GPS and 100 miles of mile markers to see how far each odometer is off.
 

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 the update:

We hit a snag for a while. and are still at a bit of a financial stalemate (Who isn't these days??) but at least the rabbit is back on the road.

We had been driving it just as anyone would any other daily driver, then i parked it for 3 days. When i came back and went to drive it, I backed out of the driveway and nearly ran into my neighbor's car (again!!). The pedal went completly to the floor, and the E-brake did nothing either! Tried pumping it... nothing.

Needless to say, We parked it until we had more time and possibly money to work with. Until then, I decided to drive the motorcycle. Well... then, of course, the bike battery went dead. not just a little dead. Completely USELESS, non-chargeable.

Back to one car: the Jetta.

2 weeks later, (today, July 4th) I made time (mostly out of desperation) to check it over.

I still have no idea what i did to fix it.

I put it up in the air, and took off 3 of 4 wheels, both front & driver rear. The back was full of grease, no idea why, except mabye a bad axle seal? dunno. currently don't care. I removed the calipers on front, sprayed them with penetrating stuff, and then beat the crap out of them with a hammer to loosen them back up, then sprayed dry-film lubricant on the sliders. put it all back together... Voiala! brakes!

Drove it all day today with no problem.

I still think i may need a new master cylinder, but that's going to go on the list of stuff we need money for.

Anyway... i mostly just wanted to bring this back up on the thread list.

I'll update again when i have something worth noting.
 

rotarykid

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Piedmont of N.C. & the plains of Colorado
TDI
1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
Pre 81 cars had the 40 L tank ~10.5 USgal , 81 & up had 45 L tank ~ 11.8 USgal . I owned many Rabbit diesels ( 1.5s & 1.6s ) with both tanks . I can tell you that the 40 L if you bleed the fuel in it would hold ~11.2-.3 & the 45 L tank would top out @ ~12.5-.6 USgal . I even got 13 gals in a time or two but that thing was bone dry . 600 miles on a tank was not uncommon on either .

High 30s to mid 40s mpgUS were the best I ever got out of one of these , 1.5 or 1.6 . I just drive too fast I guess . And on using the clock to calculate mpgs , for the most part this is a useless exercise because they were so prone to failure and having inaccurate & inconsistent readings . I replaced more than a few clocks or rebuilt them with a speedo kits over the years when they were popular . On the EPA rating the 4spds were rated a couple of mpgs higher than the 5 spds , had a lot to do with how the test was conducted . If memory serves the 1.6 L D 4 spd was rated 44 or 45 and the 5 spd was rated 42 or 43 mpgUS , I have the sticker from one of these somewhere in a box .

If I had unlimited funds I'd love to get one of the current South American Caddy versions of these and make it US spec with it's TDI drive train . But we all here know that is a dream that likely will never be fulfilled .....

Now back to reality , I also noticed you're running without the upper T-belt cover up top , that's a big NO NO . Over the years I saw more than a few Rabbits grenade from a stray rock making it into an uncovered T-belt system . So get a upper T-belt cover pronto if not sooner . Or your next post is likely to be I need a new engine .

And if you are thinking of just installing a turbo on your engine , DON"T !!!!!! The turbo version of that engine had a better head less disturbed/destroyed by a turbo caused heat pulse , different valves & valve seats and a different block with oil sprayers . You try to install a turbo on that engine your head will quickly become cracked , your pistons will in short order become oval shaped and have fried valves and rings . So don't even think about it . You want a TD get a TD don't try to make a TD out of a D .
 

rotarykid

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 27, 2003
Location
Piedmont of N.C. & the plains of Colorado
TDI
1997 Passat TDI White,99.5 Blue Jetta TDI
redwabbit said:
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 switching to 86 golf 1.6
The 1.5 was rated 48 hp / 56 lb-ft @ sea level ,

1.6 was rated 52 hp / 71.5 lb-ft @ sea level .

The higher up in elevation you go the lower the power output will be , you loose between 3-6 % power depending on humidity and air temp for every 1,000 ft you go up in elevation.

The mix of parts used during the switch over to the larger engine that started in 1980 and ended in 1983 were a nightmare to deal with . It was anybodies guess what you had without tearing it apart . Glow plugs of which there were 3 different amp ratings & circuits were not interchangeable . 1.6s with small head bolts that had a bad habit of failing , 1.6s with the larger stretch bolts , different style & sized head gaskets not interchangeable , old style & new style vacuum pumps , three different size amp wise alternators , 1.5 & 1.6 cars with ac & without that parts weren't interchangeable , ect .......... you get the picture .
 

coalminer16

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Dec 11, 2008
Location
Central Wisconsin
TDI
Golf 2004
Aggree with needing to put the timing belt cover back on. I had a rock (with covers on) get in my timing belt and make it skip a tooth and punch a hole in the belt (thankfully didn't ruin the engine). Also agree with the not putting the turbo on. Some people do with success but you really need to know engines and temps need to be watched. Remember the head and pistons are aluminum.

Update on the tan dash parts for you. I went home to drop my father off after he crashed his bike and then helped my brother with the rabbit parts. He has everything in the tan color except the door cars. He has steering wheel, dash uncracked, glove box, seats, carpet, dash cover, shifter boot. the gti shifter pod with the 3 gauges in it. Do you want it all and if so shipping is going to be a lot so take that in to consideration. He also has a lot of blue interior parts if one wanted to switch colors.
 

Jnco_hippie

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

Bad news. The rabbit truck needs: New engine (cracked block) no 1.6L n/a Diesel available. can replace with 1.9L n/a Diesel "conversion" kit. new clutch, reman existing transmission to best possible condition.

All of this is to "Put it back on the road" in reliable condition. Total bottom end estimate from local VW tech.... $6,500.00

this does not include any of the paint or interior or exterior work first discussed in this original post. to do this, we would be using our ENTIRE tax refund.

I've searched high and low for any small diesel mercedes volk or other and found nothing in the 6,000 price range.

We wanted this little truck for a project, but bought it as having a rebuilt engine with 30,000 miles on it. this was a huge punch to the Junk.

thoughts anyone? I'm so far considering going foreward with the work. my wife is less than enthused, however it will be her truck when complete. we will not have money for at least another year for interior work or paint. i can come up with the tail lights, but that's about it.

Thoughts??
 

Diesel_Aggie

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Location
College Station, Texas
TDI
1996 B4, 1996 B4V
Jnco_hippie said:
OK yall....

Bad news. The rabbit truck needs: New engine (cracked block) no 1.6L n/a Diesel available. can replace with 1.9L n/a Diesel "conversion" kit. new clutch, reman existing transmission to best possible condition.

All of this is to "Put it back on the road" in reliable condition. Total bottom end estimate from local VW tech.... $6,500.00
I'm full of questions here. Where in the Panhandle are you? You say VW tech, but I can only think of 2 places in the TX Panhandle that work on water cooled VWs as a specialty....the VW dealer in Lubbock and Dannys Volks Stuff in Amarillo. Who is giving you this rather high quote? I'm very curious about the cracked block. Unless you were lacking antifreeze in the recent near 0 weather I'm not sure what would crack your block. These 1.6 blocks are very solid. What do you mean by no 1.6 NA diesels available? Are we talking new, used, remanufactured? Even if your block is bad, you could get a used block for a few hundred dollars and then rebuild it. Look at the price of engine parts and www.autohausaz.com They are pretty cheap relative to most cars. A quick search on www.car-part.com shows several 1.6 NA engines or blocks available within 500 miles of zip 79119 (Amarillo) that I used in my search. There was also an engine in a Caddy at Twin Lakes Auto Salvage in Dallas last time I was there. There is a tan Caddy that has been sitting on the north side of I-40 in Vega, TX for a long time. It's at a repair shop and when I asked about it a year ago the owner of the shop gladly gave me the number for the owner. I never got around to calling and don't have the info. Engine was still in the truck. You can find many running driving diesel Rabbits for under $1500 on Ebay. They are not bringing much money these days. Even if it's a rust bucket just stick the engine in yours and save THOUSANDS! I'm about to have my 1982 up for sale if I ever get a warm day to clean it up and take photos. You might also look at www.brokevw.com for transmission repair. Never used them, just know of them. I think worst case it's about $1000. Sure the 1.9 will be a big improvement but you're on a budget and $6500 for an engine and trans seems ridiculously high to me. If you decide not to fix it, PM me I'd be interested in making you an offer. I really think you can economically fix it and get many more years of life out of it. Any VW 1.6 diesel up to 1992 Rabbit, Jetta, Golf is all a bolt in for your truck. While many members don't like them Parts Place Inc. in Michigan shows a reman 1.6 longblock for only $2295 and a short block for $1695. Unless your mechanic charges $400 an hour for labor I just don't see how you get anywhere near $6500. VW still shows a part number for reman heads either 068-103-265-BX or -CX depending on serial number. www.1stvwparts.com shows about $685 for the head. Hope this helps you out some.
 
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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
It's Danny's Volks here in amarillo.

I thought it seems awful high myself. It will be a brand new 1.9 NA engine. zero miles, fresh out of the crate.I have told myself that i should trust danny I've known him for many years, had much work done by him & his guys (as well as the "competition" BAD MISTAKE) and we are all in the Lone Star Scooter Club together as well. I just don't see him as being any kind of dishonest. I could suppose that he is simply over priced. That would not really be too much of a suprise as he is the only "supplier" in the panhandle. I had kind of hoped i would get a really good deal from him. I still may. Who knows what else he may do just for the sake of seeing a project off to a good start. Oh, yes, the price quoted will also include new heater core, new radiator, new brake master cylinder and in-line fuel delivery pump. i'll keep it updated it anything else returns to mind.

does his quote begin to sound more reasonable yet?

Yeah... it's a downer.:( but we really want this little guy back on the road.

Coalminer... If you still have that dash for the truck, i'd love to discuss purchase.
 
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Diesel_Aggie

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2005
Location
College Station, Texas
TDI
1996 B4, 1996 B4V
Knowing that it is a brand new 1.9 helps out a lot. They sell for $3599 or $5599 for a complete motor at http://www.gex.com/volkswagen-diesel-motor.htm So figure in some freight and markup and that is easily $4000. You may still need an injection pump, accessories, etc. That can easily get to $6500 with labor and miscellaneous items. You are getting a huge upgrade from 52hp to 75hp That's almost 50% more power. And the odds your old one was still putting out 52hp are slim. If you want a really nice drivable Caddy with an engine that will last 600,000 miles with basic maintenance and plan to keep it for 10 years this might be a decent deal depending on what you need/want to do to the body. One thing I'd ask about and research is the gearing options for the transmission. A stock Caddy only has a .91 top gear (at least for 81-82) which is not much of an overdrive. With 75hp cruising 75-80mph won't be a problem powerwise but you will be turning a ton of RPMs. The Caddy trans can be custom geared but there is only so much that can be done with it. When I looked at this a year or two ago I found a post either here or on www.vwcaddy.com talking about this. Going to 14 or 15 inch wheels and a taller tire may help too.

It comes down to do you want to and can you afford to put $6500 into this Caddy? There are definitely cheaper ways to solve this problem. Another way to look at it is the cheapest new car you can buy is about $12,000. Even with the cool 1.9, you still have a lot of room for paint/body, suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, interior and some Dynomat sound deadening before getting near $12,000. The $12k Kia and Nissan only see mid 30's on the highway. With everything new and more power for the stiff headwinds you have I'd be shocked if you are not getting in the 40-45mph range at similar speeds to what you drive now. Plus you have the utility of a 6' bed, a truck that is light enough to push should you need to, good in snow and really unique. For me I'd want to make absolutely certain I had a solid rust free body before sinking serious money in the truck. That's why I'm getting rid of my Caddys.....cheaper to buy another truck that is straight than fix the bodies.

Who is the competition in Amarillo? The German place on I-27? I talked to them once and they had a 3 week wait and didn't seem real interested in working on my Caddy.
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
The so called competition was not in amarillo. I went to some place called "S&M Automotive" in one of the small nearby towns. I took my jetta to them, they broke my injection pump and had our ONLY car for 6 months while this A-hole figured out how to best explain to me how it's normal for an entire car to fall apart when you replace a timing belt. After many frustrated calls for many months (while riding my 150 cc scooter through winter) I finally threatened to call the BBB and file a lawsuit. Suddenly, a miracle.... Apparently It wasn't my fault that he dropped my injection pump (I could see the gash from where it hit the concrete) and he miraculously was able to get my car running again, for the origional agreed price of 1,200 dollars. His estimate kept climing the more **** he broke and wore out. He burned out my starter trying to crank it over after he broke my injection pump. He actually, at one point wanted me to come tow it off (not running) and pay him $7,000 for whatever he had done to make it QUIT RUNNING!

Long story short.... I now have a running jetta, and will not risk taking our diesels to anyone other than danny or VW in lubbock.
 

Jnco_hippie

Active member
Joined
Mar 31, 2009
Location
Texas panhandle
TDI
2002 Jetta 1.9L TDI & 1981 Caddy 1.9 NA
I just found and ordered a dash for the rabbit. 250.00 w free shipping. it's OEM and never installed (or so is the claim of the company selling)

Ahhhh.... money pit.
 

tdidieselbobny

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 4, 2005
Location
Stafford,NY (WNY)
TDI
'03 Galactic Blue Jetta TDI, '15 Silk Blue Golf Sportwagen TDI
Any pictures of your caddy? Another member (mtbr297 ,IIRC) just bought a 60k range ORIGINAL caddy a month or so ago-I think he lives in Texas.....I think you would be better off finding a running diesel Rabbit,then rebuilding that engine. Maybe you can talk to Oilhammer and see if he could help out w/ some leads on things(too bad you didn't get that engine he rebuilt and recently sold to another member-his thread is the 1985 rebuild in the TDI101 section)
 
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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
Yes, the pictures on the very first post of this thread (page one) are our caddy. as is the photo in my avvy.

We are opting for a NEW engine. 1.9 L N/A. We plan on driving this little guy till the wheels fall off, so we want a brand new engine to start with.
 

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 the new 1.9 NA engine going back into the Caddy. Sorry for the low-res photos, it's my work phone camera.





It's going in this week I hope. There is also a new clutch, brake master cylinder, new radiator, new heater core, new injectors, rebuild transmission, and put on the 1.5L --> 1.9L conversion kit using my old inj. pump.

I've got the new dash on the way, it tan as is the original. looking into options for custom seats and interior. possibly having custom door panels made... not sure yet. tail lights are next on the list. I've found them new @ $139.00 on ebay. i'm hoping i'll be able to create some sort of clear lenses out of the old ones and re install them at a later date.

I can't wait to see how it drives with this new engine!

two to three weeks completion estimate.
 
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Farfromovin

Torque Addict
Joined
Apr 9, 2005
Location
Ventura, CA
TDI
03 Golf 2dr- PD150 6m
I would expect a little power bump there going with such a step up in displacement. I'm unfamiliar with the 1.5-1.9L conversion process for the injection pump, but if it makes it crank out more fuel, you should be happily surprised :)
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
I have one of those trucks which I run as my daily driver. I got it in roughly the same condition as that one, and have done a lot of customizing to it. I put a low boost turbo setup on it, which I custom made, it is a turbo from a Mitsubishi 2.3 Turbo diesel Mighty-Max. I have the four speed tranny in it right now, but I have a 5 speed I am planning to put in from a 1997 VW Jetta 2;0 Gasser. It'll bolt right up. I also put a intercooler in, which is necessary if you put a turbo with any kind of real boost, or if you want to turn up the fuel. It sounds like your timing is probably off if you are getting such bad fuel economy! I always get over 35, and have gotten up to 56 before. My normal is around 45 mpg right now. If i really push it and go fast it'll go down fast.
The front end parts switch out with the VW rabbit of the same era, engine parts will swap with Jettas, Rabbits and Golfs of that era.
You got a good truck, take care of it! It'll never be a speed demon, and don't try to go too fast either.
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Mar 21, 2015
Location
Versailles Missouri
TDI
2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Oh, if you want the clear tail lenses, check in South Africa, you can get them there, and one place said they could ship them here!
 
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