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First things first i will be updating this site regularly with updated info, more diys and finishing some diys. All as i do them or find something i missed. If you see something i missed or did wrong feel free to let me know via the contact page.

 

If your wondering why i decided to do this diy page heres a nice long read for you...

 

Have you noticed how the diys on VW forums like vortex dont have pictures that are hosted very long? Theres your answer.

 

And heres my back story.

 

Sometime in the first few months of 1995 my grandparents gave my brother their 82 VW Diesel Rabbit Pickup that they bought brand new in 1983. He drove the hell out of it until he left for Army boot camp in June of 1995. He left the truck with our parents with the intention of coming back to get it when he was done with his military training.Our mother drove it twice before over heating the engine to the point it siezed up and wouldnt run. Our parents had it towed to a local shop where it sat for two years until the owner told our parents either come get it of i keep it. they decided to bring it home where it sat for another 5 years until the end of 2001 when i decided to start cleaning it and 'playing' with it.

 

Feb. 2002 i wrecked my first car. A green 97 Pontiac Sunfire. my dad gave me the option of either him getting a Ford Ranger and putting hand controls in it so he can drive it (you will see why later) or pull the VW into the shop and rebuild it. I chose the VW and still have it to this day. My dad and I removed and rebuilt the engine (except the injection pump which still doesnt leak), removed and cleaned the tank, replaced front brake pads, bearings and axles and completly replaced the rear brakes and all four shocks. Besides that and 6 hours to clean the 7 years of musty dirt in the interior along with a good scrub down of the paint i drove it that way until 2004 when i decided to start doing my own maintenence instead of relying on mechaincs.

 

This is the only picture i can find of the truck when it was stock. Thats my grandpa and my brother.

 

 

In the next 10 years i did some upgrades and modifications. Mostly everything i added or modified came from another VW. Most of which came from a 83 GTi I gutted in the junk yard and hauled home with my truck and trailer. I have also used the truck to haul some pretty big loads that even my grandfather was suprised it hauled. Anything from 2500 pounds of construction garbage (1000 in the bed and 1500 on my 4'x8' trailer) 35 miles on the highway to the dump to a full office set (L shape managers desk, two book cases and two file cabinents, all made of mdf) and helpd a friend move 150 miles. Scale at the weigh station we stopped at said 5235. The attendant had me retry 4 times before he would believe it weighed that much. this little trucks been a trooper and it's getting its much deserved rebuild soon. This is now my thrid attempt at finding another car to take over daily duty so i can rebuild it properly. First was a 89 or 90 VW mk2 GTi 16v that never made it home. Second was a 96 VW Golf GL which i would still have if it didnt have so many issues. third and current daily driver is a 91 VW Jetta GLi which is getting upgrades from when i parted out the 96 at the moment. Since this is a mk2 diy page i wont bore you with all the details of whats been done with the truck but if you want to just search for my screen name, vwabbitman, on vwvortex.com, vwcaddyforum.com, and sacwater.net .

 

Here is a pic of how it looks now. the paint is all original.

 

Ive always loved the look of the mk2 especially tornado red. That and i have always had a soft spot for the 16v. So sometime around i think 2005 i found a t-red 16v for sale for pretty cheap. Owner had just moved from California to Oregon and decided to sell the car before he registered it there. I went and bought it sight unseen and was amazed at how amazing it looked and drove. it was completly stock, no dents or damage and as clean if not cleaner then it came from the factory. 6 hour drive home i was t-boned by another car less then an hour from home, totalling the car.

 

2007 i decided to look yet again for a replacement for my truck. this time i just wanted t-red and was looking more at mk3 Jettas but just couldnt find one that was relativly stock but needed a little work. I finally found a 96 t-red golf locally and bought it.

 

day i brought it home. no drivers seat belt and the tail light harness had been chewed through by the previous owners dogs. The paint didnt look as shiny in person as it does in the picture.

And here is a picture of my dad under my old mk3 pointing at something which neither of us can remember what. He was in an accident in 1976 a month and 9 days after my parents were married. the accident crushed vertebraes t 8,9, and 10 to the size of one. for those that dont know thats roughly mid chest. This is the man that has taught me everything i know about cars and now comes to me with car related questions.

Over the next two months i fixed alot that was wrong with it and finally got it smogged. then the modifying began.

 

and this is how it ended up looking. this pic is roughtly March of 2008. If you want more info look me up on the forums listed above. And yes the roof and hood are black in this pic. i plan on doing the same to my current mk2. Because its my car and i like it. Plus the paints pretty bad on the hood, roof and trunk.

Then in 2009 this happened and it was parked and i started driving the mk1 again until just a few months ago(July 2014)

It sat in my parents back yard until early 2013 when i decided i wasnt going to get it running again and started to part it out.

 

End of 2013 a friend of mine came by and helped me finish pulling parts. all we left in the car was the dash and rear axle. the rear subframe, power steering, fuel tank and aftermarket 2.25" exhaust are now on my mk2. The motor and engine wiring harness will be getting a 16v head and put in my mk2 eventually.

 

This is what happens when two rednecks find a hammer and spray paint when parting out a car.... dont judge me.

Now to rewind real quick. When i was at the g2g where i took the pic of my golf in the parking lot i saw a fellow forum members(my02vr6 on vortex and sacwater) mk2 GLi and knew what i had to have next. A late mk2 GLi but in t red of course.

And finally my mk2 GLi. I have left out two cars. a 74 Super Bettle that was body and front end when i got it and a 84 GTi. I left those out since i never did anything with them.

 

Picked this car up on July 27th, 2014 and have been doing alot of work on it to get it driveable and smogged. The diys that are the reason I made this site will be done on this car and i am not to be held responsible for any damage or injury that you do.

 

The fronts a little higher now (maybe half an inch) after i swapped the stock front strut bushings for late mk3 bushings. 

Hope you get some use out of these diy's. Any questions or comments please see the contact page.
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