Excuses why I may be driving a (semi) Kia to Cincy...

[mk1mark at gmail.com (Mark F.)]

Excuse #1:  I've been busy getting my 91 Jetta Coupe on the road - a
car I bought for my ex gf & present roommate (yes I know that's weird,
so shut up about it already :D) to use.  I'm tired of giving her rides
to work (35km away) at 4:30am, which fucks up my whole day.  She's a
new driver, so I had to find a <gasp> automatic, but rest assured
there's a 2.0 ABA/manual swap in the car's future.  It's one of the
few Canadian VW's I have bought over the years, but it's from B.C., so
it's in very good shape.  I got a great deal on it, but the previous
owner was pretty neglectful maintenance-wise.

Here's the pile of new parts I've thrown on it:  wheel bearings,ball
joints, tie rods, springs (Eibach Sportlines), dampers (Boge
TurboGas), strut mounts/bearings, rotors (upgrade to vented)/pads,
drums/shoes/springs/e-brake cables, flex lines, calipers, rad, and
hoses.  Good thing I get parts from AutoCamping at cost!

Car: <http://home.cogeco.ca/~mardak/91coupe.jpg>
Parts: <http://home.cogeco.ca/~mardak/freshparts.jpg>

You'd think with three full sets of jack stands I'd have enough eh?
Nope.  I replaced the blocks in the pics with yet another pair I
picked up later that day.  Never can have enough jack stands I guess,
but then again not many people have 3+ vehicles in the air at any
given time...  :)

I used some rubbing compound on the paint, and it came out really well
- all the oxidation on the doors rubbed out.  Both tops of the doors
are a slightly different color, pointing to a break-in repair at one
point, but a respray in black is in the plans for next winter.  I'll
post a pic next week after I pick up my TSW Alpines from the
powdercoater...

Tomorrow I have to replace the water pump, turn signal switch, and
half-shafts, and then it's on to some of the cosmetic issues (side
trims and arches are all mismatched, front bumper is held on by wood
screws (!), trunk needs to be replaced (broken into), and door hinge
rewelded).  This is my first A2, but it's already growing on me -
except for that pos auto tranny that is...

Unless I pick up that 76 on Ebay, I'll probably be driving this car
down to Cincy...  :(

Excuse #2:  I've managed to convince my brother to pick up a 90 diesel
Golf to replace his ailing pos Z24 for his rather long commute.  He
put a deposit on it today, and we're picking it up tomorrow.  Yay,
possibly another VW fan in the family!

<http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3226163>

I have a week to replace the rear brake lines, change the timing belt,
do the injection timing, change the driver side engine mount, and
anything else it'll need to pass a safety inspection.

Excuse #3:  I change my mind about what I want to do with my 82
Scirocco almost weekly.  I've decided to concentrate on this instead:

<http://home.cogeco.ca/~mardak/82Caddy.jpg>

It's a sweet diesel 82 Caddy I picked up from Allyn last year just
after Cincy.  It's been tucked away nice and warm in my shop since
then, but I'm going to start on it as soon as I get back from Cincy.
I really need a truck for my work, so it makes the most sense.  I'm
actually getting pretty excited to get going on it - this truck is one
of my "keepers"...  Hopefully all it'll need is a new headgasket and
brakes to get on the road.  When it goes off the road for the winter
I'll worry about the cosmetics.

Excuse #4:  The Scirocco needs a full exhaust (downpipe is rusted into
two pieces), including replacing the toiletbowl manifold, and we all
know how much fun it is to try and replace a rusty manifold while the
engine is in the car. This car will be the recipient of most of the
parts on the wrecked 88 16v
(<http://home.cogeco.ca/~mardak/wrecked88.jpg>), so it doesn't make
sense for me to go through all the bullshit to fix the exhaust on the
82 solely to make an appearance at Cincy with an actual Scirocco
(actually a big deal for me, but sometimes the planets just aren't
aligned I guess)...  Who knows, I may still be showing up there in a
Scirocco if I decide to try and buy the 76 on Ebay - may as well
combine trips (as I've done more years than not).

See you guys soon,

Mark.
75
82
82 Caddy
91 Jetta Coupe