New to List with LOTS of ?'s

[Primeodd@aol.com]

Hello Scirocco Lovers, or Haters (for those having trouble with theirs),

My first new car was a Pearl Metallic 77 MkI (I had a secondhand 62 Beetle and 67 Ghia before it that I learned to wrench on). It was destroyed in a community college body shop fire when a student dropped his lighter in a bucket of paint thinner, pulled it out and tried to light it. What an idiot! This was the most expensive paint scratch repair I ever heard of. Before the insurance mess was settled, 37 cars destroyed total, I bought a new 78 MkI again Pearl Metallic. The 78 succumb to high miles and Midwest salt overdose in 1990. That year I picked up my current Scirocco, an 85 Mars Red MkII 8v with black and gray interior and currently 150K miles. In Jan. 98 it was stolen. I got it back a few days later missing a few things, passenger rear window, stereo, battery. etc. Worst of all they got my VW toolbox in the trunk, which had all the odd VW tools I had picked up over the years. I put it in the garage where it sat till May when the $1.95 gal. price of gas conned me into get!
ting it out. I’m glad I di
d. I forgot how much fun the car is to drive!!! Time to restore the Scirocco!

I also have a 83 black GTI Rabbit with 90k miles that I gave to my 17 year old son to restore and more importantly learn to wrench on. As to my wrenching, I’m a weekend VW mechanic who doesn’t crack engines, but will tackle, or try to, any other repair. You know the type, usually has to do it twice to get it right, or it takes 3 times as long as it should to do the repair.

I just finished overhauling the brake system, new rotors, pads, calipers, shoes & master cylinder, as it was weak. I found that the brake fluid reservoir cap had cracked parallel to the treads and the system was full of road dust, so I flushed the system twice. The pedal still has too much free play before the braking starts. Is there an easy way to reduce the free play?

I’m now going to overhaul the suspension and front end and I’m looking for recommendations. I realize this will start the battling amongst the list members, but here goes. I want to put good springs and struts on, but I don’t want to lower the car and most of what I’ve seen on the net lowers the car. I’m an avid backpacker and have been known to drive my Scirocco on roads to get to a trailhead that most suburbanites wouldn’t drive their 4x4 SUV’s on. My Scirocco has made 2-3month trips out west  exploring wilderness areas. I’ve thought a skid plate would be a nice addition for mine. What springs and struts do you recommend and where can I get them at the best price??  How about ball joints and tie rods, any recommendations or can I go with what my local parts store carries?

I need to replace dash light bulbs on the MkII (it has only one working, fortunately it’s the speedo) and the GTI Rabbit (it has no dashlights) and plan to but in all new bulbs. What’s the easiest way to do these? 

The blower fan on the MkII is not working. This may be due to the thieves yanking the stereo out, as they did screw up the wiring for the oil temp gauge, which I fixed. When I turn the switch on for the blower fan the radiator fan goes on when the defrosts are on and the temp gauge is in the cool position. Is there an easy way to test the blower fan? I know, nothing is easy for the weekend mechanic.

The car interior is in good shape with just a few very small dashboard cracks in the usual spots. I do however need to find a new shifter boot and leather steering wheel as they have worn through on mine. Are there any good sources for these items or do I scan the salvage yards?

This MkII is a southern car and has very little rust. I plan to have it repainted Mars Red I do need to replace the bumper covers as they look pretty bad. I want to keep it as close to stock as possible (It’s identical to the red MkII on the MkII page at scirocco.org), so I’m not interested in the European Bumpers. Do you know of a source for covers other than VW? The car came with fiberglass side cowls on it, which I take off when I’m going to drive the back roads. It looks like it had front and rear cowls on it before I got it. They look to be factory installed, as there is an oval slotted hole in front of the rear wheels that has a rubber gasket on it. Did VW sell MkII’s in the US with factory cowling and might anyone know where I might get the front and rear cowls?

Enough questions for now! I know I’ll call on the lists help for other problems. I’d like to thank you all in advance for your thoughts and help!!! I’d also like to thank the folks that have Scirocco web sites that have been of help too!

Dave Hennel
'Primeodd'
Amherst, OH, USA






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