Trip To Cheapass Ron's(tm): More Bunny update (its got rocco frontbrakes)

[brianm@zbt62.eastnet.gatech.edu (Brian McGarvey)]

Part I

Hey folks.
I've been owing this update for a while.

<HISTORY SECTION if you dont want to read it skip to STATUS #1>
So Here the saga begins..(last year)
(rocc content)
My pretty white 87 16v got mad at me and broke the p-brake handle.
she then rolled down the hill and rearranged a suburban. I only had
liability on her so well it was about to goto a listers place for
bodywork and respray. But before that could happen some yahoo in a
2000 Chevy Z72 rearranged the front end for me less than a week later.
hmm rear fender, front fender.. drivers side. the door is next..
time to get rid of this invisible car..

I was on a 6 lane road with reversable lanes. 4 lanes were going
in the same direction as me. I pulled into the turn lane rocco style.
Came to a complete stop, the cabrio in front of me also stopped.
Cabrio turned, i had to wait for oncoming traffic, so i stopped again.
My break in traffic came. so i slowly go to the driveway (30 degrees
with a lowered rocco zooming in was not an option). And im across
the first lane of ONCOMING traffic when a gray blur appear in my
perif vision on my LEFT. I attempt to jerk the steering wheel right.
Im waaaaay to slow.. BAM! Hood is not blocking my view. culprit
is coming to a stop, so i pull into the Zaxby's (fast food) to
get out of traffic. Im stunned we were hit pretty stoutly, but
I'm still watching the perp. He's turning around. So I park it.
and turn it off. He comes back, we call the cops. Initially the damage
to the rocco doesnt look that bad. I have to go fetch the euro bumper
cover some 30ft down the street. looking for bits of the blinker..
nope totally disintigrated the light bulb socket is broken in half.
oh well. take report exchange info.

Insurance time. I have to wait 2 weeks for an adjuster. driving the car.
Radiator and everything else are fine it drives a little funny.
Get a good settlement for the car. And take it to the alignment shop..
damn 1/2"-1" (1.5-2.5cm) longer on one side than the other. oh well
this one is dead.

So I start stripping and looking. :-) i'm driving the extra hoopdie
van my dad has. 82 Dodge Van high top no ac... I see this little
bunny for sale in ATL. hmm the wife always wanted one. So with
1260.00 USD i buy this one owner bunny. She decided to retire the
bunny when her mechanic retired. I have the window sticker. So now im
thinking whoo hoo. Gonna be just like Jim. Yeah i know really original.
so I have the donor parked next to the bunny. In the midst of the swap.
I talking to my wife on the phone and she says... "I dont want 16Volts
in my bunny. I want a Topless Bunny NOT a Topless Hare!" In an effort to
satisfy her.

So now im in a bind. I post to the list asking if anybody has a rebuilt
8v. A lister replies and says yeah i got one that i was doing for my
old rocco, before my wife sold the shell while i was a work one day.
It was built over a year ago. so some money changed hands and a motor
was delivered. All this was done in good faith so im omitting the name.
He told me it was his first rebuild...

<End History section>

<STATUS #1>
Most of the new parts that i JUST finished installing in the rocco
moved over to the bunny. motor is in. I have to retime it. the valve
timing
is set wrong, (clue). Seller states that the valve lash maybe wrong as
it was done on the bench cold (clue). Compression check the motor prior to
starting 60 PSI yes.. sixty. So tyring to get it to crank. THis is my
first
real swap. so Im naive. I believe the "rings need to seat" clue.
In desperation, I add oil to the clynders about 1/8 cup each. BTW im
running out of time and getting evicted from my current living space.
finally after several hours of trying to get it to crank she smokes to
life.
I put the wheels on and drop it to the ground.

I take it to get it aligned and the oil changed.
Pukes oil all over the curb where it was parked 2x times. front end
aligned
oil pan damaged by oil monkey. Im outta time, but not money. so i send it
to a recommeded shop. Raditor is damaged. So i order one from Adarondike.
Its the wrong one. It is for the overflow version and doesnt fit. shit
have to
order anther one. and an oil pump too. $450.00 later i get my bunny
back running better than when i dropped it off. So off to the painters i
go
a CV falls out on the way there. (clue) car doesnt like this motor.
I get the car about 1-1.5 months after i wanted it. but the painter warned
me.
Car looks very nice. Complete color change with matching and all but the
front
spoiler for the BBS kit installed, fitted and painted. THe spoiler I
supplied
him wasnt the right one.... anybody got EURO BBS front spoiler for a
rabbit.
With matching tool boxes. :-)

I pack all my shit in it and drive to NYC. the NEXT day.
I stop at Al's for the night and to show it off
The motor was pretty.. blue and silver. max speed -- 72mph down hill.
I havent driven an 8v yet so i didnt know if it was semi normal. Cruise
control
my foot is very near the floor. I had to stop somewhere in VA to fix the
Alternator that almost fell off. Except for that impossible bolt to remove
at the pivot point didnt fall out. Im in NYC with no where to work,
but we do have a place to park it on Long Island 2hrs away. Im frustrated
that i've spent waaay too much money and its slow as shit.

So here is where the other story begins.

continued in part II