Changes afoot, pt.2: Nice day for a, white wagon (with apologies to billy idol)

It's been on my list for quite a long time. A wagon. A b3 wagon, to be exact.

The first b3 wagon I ever drove was while I was visiting my brother in Cortona, Italy. A local rally driver decided to give me a chance at making a fool of myself on a Tuscan road in his daily beater. Imagine, a wagon with a manual transmission! What fun! This couldn't ever be available in the states, right? We don't like this kind of fun in America! I still remember his mild impression that this dumb kid in the right hand drive passat wagon was actually not screwing things up. How proud was I!

Fast forward a few years later, around 2003 or 2004, where flashes of Rene's dumped b3 on type a's, various variants from across the pond, and a whole slew of pnw wagons were fleshing themselves out. Riding with mike to h20 a few years ago in his aired out wagon (back when that was novel, ha) sealed it, I needed a wagon. It sure made an impression on me, one that has now finally been filled.

A few weeks ago, upon my usual perusal of the classified sections of various websites, I stumbled onto a post about a clean white b3 wagon local to me with which I had some familiarity. From one of our legendary local shadetree fellows to an intermediary, then off to one of my buddies (who happens to own a bodyshop), it's taken a few hits mechanically, but the body and interior are in excellent original shape. A quick detail and a de-stink on the inside should be all that it needs. Once again, I find myself craving some OEM +/- action, so the mods and work will be minimal to the car, but the idea is to have an incredibly solid runner with the ability to haul a whole host of things a great distance without any worries. There may even be a touch of the "fauxsport", a term that, since it's inception, has motivated me a bit into directions I would usually not consider. Perhaps this could end up looking like a support vehicle for my body guys hillclimbin' jetta. We'll have to see on that front! Otherwise, a general refreshment and refinement of all the bushings and bearings of the drivetrain and running gear will be addressed, as well as a whole host of mechanical maladies that have befallen the motor in the last year or so. These mechanical issues will be spelled out in detail in later installments, but for now, here's a few terrible cell phone pictures to give you an idea of where we are headed.

Changes afoot, pt.1: good-bye to the blueberry

It was a lovely dream,
a chance to begin my full on plunge into the restoration of an automobile,
the chance to call a vehicle truly "my own".

From the humble beginnings of a mountain driven and slightly wrecked 1986 Golf Mk2 (a2) 1.6 n/a diesel car to a piedmont driven and slightly fixed 1986 Golf Mk2 1.6 n/a diesel car, this little petulant child of Westmoreland, PA has won over my heart. It's taken me on a path of self discovery, and put me to limits of patience and tolerance that I normally reserve for members of the fairer sex. It's been a study in oem +/-, and a trial of finding one year only parts that reside in the darkest corners of the mid-Atlantic. Alas, after countless hours of blood, sweat, tears, and more sweat, it's come time to let the plump little four door live a new life with another owner.

A body man by trade, the new owner has prided himself on his daily driven 16vT Mk2 Jetta, running in the upper 200hp range on a daily basis. The full motorsport race suspension on it hugs turns like a happy bear and rewards him with a course time of 3 seconds off the record out at his favorite track. After a few days with the diesel, he's got the same kind of grin affixed to his maw. I know it will be in good hands with him, he's already hooked.

However! Shortly after the trade commenced (more on that later), it became clear that the leaking oil was due not to a simple issue of crankcase pressure, but poor ring condition. A malady surely not remedied quickly, and certainly much worse than I anticipated. The spare motor was dispatched immediately, and the trade car returned whilst the motor is fiddled back to health. An unfortunate delay, but one that is being dealt with swiftness and care.

The trade car also needs a little work, but relatively minor compared to new rings, and will be on the road in another installment soon enough.

So, good-bye to the blueberry. It's been a beautiful run.







you can read the whole story here:
it's at its new home.