96 B4V - parts or project?

[thechoochlyman]

Yesterday I left Kentucky around 7am and drove 350 miles to Atlanta, dolly in tow. I had intended to come back with a 96 B4, but turns out the car was a 2.0 and was in even worse condition than the photos advertised. Luckily I had another car saved that was only 40 minutes away, and that's the one I brought home. This 96 B4V.

I bought this from a guy in powder springs (some of you probably saw it on Facebook). He had worked at the local VW dealership for ten years and purchased the car from an older person who regularly brought it in for maintenance. Sadly he barely drove the car 20,000 miles before getting hit in his own neighborhood, pretty much totaling it. The left frame rail is completely wrecked, and the other side isn't too great either. The engine cranks and sounds good, but won't fire at the moment. I'm probably going to hook up VCDS and try to get it started. It also makes a pretty gnarly clacking noise when it rolls.

So I've got three options.
1) use the white roller I have for parts and try to swap the entire front end and frame rails
2) swap the drivetrain and everything else from the B4V into my white roller and part the rest of the wagon
3) swap the drivetrain into a Ranger or Tacoma and then part the rest of the wagon.

As much as I want to save this rare and incredibly clean wagon, I'm really concerned it'll be very expensive to fix and possibly not turn out very good trying to swap frame rails. What say you all?

 

[ToddA1]

Option one would still get you a totaled car, if someone runs a Carfax.
Option two is easiest, but only worth it if the roller has a clean title. See option one.
Option three would be the coolest, but also the most work.

-Todd

 

[jaysen71581]

If you decide to part it I need the rear hatch plastic and the passenger upper rear plastic piece.

 

[JordanTr]

I would be interested in a few bits if it gets parted too

 

[thechoochlyman]

Option one would still get you a totaled car, if someone runs a Carfax.
Option two is easiest, but only worth it if the roller has a clean title. See option one.
Option three would be the coolest, but also the most work.

-Todd

The roller does have a clean title as far as I know.

 

[tbones]

I was interested in that vehicle, also

If you end up putting it together and wanna sell it please keep me in mind (I've been looking for a blue B4V for a while now...)
Maybe get a quote from a body shop to straighten the frame rails, and make it so it's just a bolt-up repair for you?)
keep us appraised!

 

[Steve Addy]

I think the front frame horn replacements is going to be very expensive...you might have to have some pulling done to what's there now to get the rails into position where new ones can be mounted.....can't really tell. And then you would need to remove the rails from something since those parts are not going to be available new anymore. Two removals and a reinstall on the wagon.

This would be a big investment of time to save a wagon. You'd have to seriously want to do it in order make it happen, but what's there now is pretty good but you'll need a whole front of sheet metal to cover it all in the end.

The second option would provide a lot of parts that people probably need, if that's what you want to do.

I like the transplant option, have been considering one now for a while since I've built up a pretty good supply of engines, it's the adapters that seem to be big money now....over a grand each for one to connect TDI to AX15 gearbox.

You could also remove the driveline, gut the inside and build it out as a cargo / camp trailer. I'd replace the windshield with a metal panel but leave the rest, do a metal box front on the cowl, I've seen this done before on Mk4 jetta wagons although I can't put my hand on a photo at the moment.

Steve

 

[thechoochlyman]

You could also remove the driveline, gut the inside and build it out as a cargo / camp trailer. I'd replace the windshield with a metal panel but leave the rest, do a metal box front on the cowl, I've seen this done before on Mk4 jetta wagons although I can't put my hand on a photo at the moment.

Steve

Now THAT'S a great idea. I had considered doing something similar with one of the B5s I have, but honestly they're not in good enough condition for it. A B4V pull-behind camper would be great.

 

[thechoochlyman]

The only downside to swapping the engine into a small truck would be that I'd want to keep it. And the only downside to me swapping everything into my white roller is also that I'd want to keep it. I'm trying to flip vehicles and make a little money but my toxic trait is that I want to keep everything.

Truth be told, I've wanted another B4 to have around for a while now. They're just too good to not have multiples. Plus since I still have my daily driver I could take it slow and really build one how I want it - remove the head and clean out all the EGR filth, swap on a bigger turbo, reseal everything, all the fun things you'd wanna do.

 

[ToddA1]

I somewhat recently got rid of 3 running cars…. it felt so good….

I want to keep everything, but the more you keep, the more you need to maintain.

-Todd

 

[Houpty GT]

B4V TDI are rare and very useful. If you can find a family-run body shop that will do just the framework for you, it will not cost much to straighten (3 hours labor). Find some blue Passat sedan body parts and bolt them on. As far as salvage titles go on an old car, it depends on your state but basically any car this old is going to get totaled off a door ding. The idea of it affecting a car's value is dumb, especially to think of it the same way some $40,000 car that received $40,000 of damage. You either get it fixed right or you don't. You need to be smart enough to see the difference. That is all that matters to you since the resale on these cars is relatively small and I do not see them being collector cars since they were built to be used.
If you cannot find a body shop or the spare parts, then part the car out for another project.

 

[thechoochlyman]

I'm actually talking to a another member who wants to work out a trade deal for a different parts car so he can fix this one. He's trying to get some repair estimates first.

Something I noticed last night is that the driver's side was hit so hard that the sheet metal under the cowl area has been bucked probably 1/2" or so. You can see a pretty obvious ripple in front of the ECU area where the paint flaked off. Might add just enough "non-fixability" to make it nonviable.

 

[akal65]

if you end up selling parts from it I could sure use that drivers side door card.

 

[Houpty GT]

if you end up selling parts from it I could sure use that drivers side door card.

Upgrade to the Euro police door cards that have the built-in rifle or submachine gun holsters.

 

[Mozambiquer]

Upgrade to the Euro police door cards that have the built-in rifle or submachine gun holsters.

Wait, that's a thing! Hmm...

 

[tdidieselbobny]

It sucks that it got hit that hard. That's a super rare silk blue Passat B4, not many of them around to begin with. There's a 96 green B4 sedan on Marketplace near me that has some minor issues and he has it at $1200...another project for ya?

 

[thechoochlyman]

It sucks that it got hit that hard. That's a super rare silk blue Passat B4, not many of them around to begin with. There's a 96 green B4 sedan on Marketplace near me that has some minor issues and he has it at $1200...another project for ya?

I mean, probably. But first I gotta get my DD going again first.

 

[Steve Addy]

It sucks that it got hit that hard. That's a super rare silk blue Passat B4, not many of them around to begin with. There's a 96 green B4 sedan on Marketplace near me that has some minor issues and he has it at $1200...another project for ya?

Two more popped up that I was made aware of, wagon without a drivetrain in IN and a running sedan that needs a starter in MO.

Steve

 

[Mozambiquer]

Two more popped up that I was made aware of, wagon without a drivetrain in IN and a running sedan that needs a starter in MO.

Steve

Yeah, I was looking at the sedan in MO..its not too far from me and cheap... I have a starter for it too.
But I just got another b5 passat and don't need another project.

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/4249894588468549/

 

[Steve Addy]

Yeah, I was looking at the sedan in MO..its not too far from me and cheap... I have a starter for it too.
But I just got another b5 passat and don't need another project.

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/4249894588468549/

No one NEEDS anything.....but I think the utility of a wagon might be an exception to that....I know I love mine.

Steve

 

[thechoochlyman]

Anybody who said they were interested in parts, hit me up. Mostly for the "wagon only" components. I'll have to keep most of the interior that will swap to my sedan roller.

Location is Campbellsville KY. Can ship if you want to to pay with PayPal friends and family or personal check.

 

[akal65]

if you would sell it , I could sure use that drivers side door card.

 

[thechoochlyman]

if you would sell it , I could sure use that drivers side door card.

I'll be looking at that for you. Do you need the black panel specifically? I might have a good beige one too...

 

[volksguy]

Hello do you have a beige A Piller Trim . And Would ypu sell the Compleat under dash Ac/Heater System?

 

[thechoochlyman]

Hello do you have a beige A Piller Trim . And Would ypu sell the Compleat under dash Ac/Heater System?

I should have the beige A pillar trim. Which side? And sorry, I don't have a spare heater system.

 

[akal65]

I'll be looking at that for you. Do you need the black panel specifically? I might have a good beige one too...

The black panel will match my 96 Passat, mine is in bad shape. the drivers side.

 

[Abacus]

I could use the rear wiper motor, mine is seized.

 

[Lug_Nut]

Choochly, That hit is harder than either of my B4 hits. It was not viable to repair the horns/frame rails on either of mine, and I didn't have a buckled firewall. It's a donor, maybe. Trans case survived?
Are there GLX wagons available? That's a worthwhile TDI recipient.
Abacus, is the motor siezed, or has the rotating/oscillating arm shaft become been jammed by corrosion of the sprayer? The sprayer should be static. Frequently the sprayer will oscillate with the arm when oxidation binds the sprayer to the arm. I can imagine the same oxidation effect might bind the arm to the through mount.

 

[thechoochlyman]

Choochly, That hit is harder than either of my B4 hits. It was not viable to repair the horns/frame rails on either of mine, and I didn't have a buckled firewall. It's a donor, maybe. Trans case survived?
Are there GLX wagons available? That's a worthwhile TDI recipient.

Pretty sure the transmission survived. I think there's a broken ear on the front of it but I do have it to weld back on.

Haven't seen any good donor wagons out there, but I'll probably start on trying to swap everything over to my white sedan roller pretty soon.