I went to Freehold Twp. High School in Freehold, NJ. While being enrolled I only ever took Auto I my senior year, yet I have always loved cars and wanted a project car for the longest time.
My first car was a 1999 Chevy Tracker, one of the most reliable cars I have been around. The only problem I ever had with was a loose ground but over all it ran GREAT! The Tracker was also my first car that I ever modified. I lowered it with H&R coils and KYB GR2 shocks and struts along with and intake and a header back flow master stainless system. Call me crazy and call it pointless but I worked with what I had and it taught me a lot about cars.
My second car was never under my name because we did not have a title to the vehicle it was a 1992 Ford Taurus. My friend and I split the cost of the car and I proposed an electric car project to my high school and I got it approved. Although it was a great idea for a project and the car was getting prepared for parts, it was hard trying to find donations for the project. This was due to the fact that when our project was going on so was everyone elses. During my senior year of high school I was getting ready to leave for school and the project sat for about half of a year and we decided to toss it.
At the end of my senior year I bought my moms 2001 VW Golf TDI from my mom because she was getting a new car, a G6. I sold the Chevy Tracker and I have looked back a few times, but the VW brought me into a whole new world. The TDI being my thrid car I somewhat knew what I was doing and my plans for it. Looking through threads I wanted to fit in but I also figured that it was my daily driver and I had to be able to drive it comfortably for a 200+ mile trip out to school and also handle well in the snow that PA gets. As it sits now it has a 14lb single mass flywheel, a vr6 clutch/pressure plate, no muffler, an intake, port and polished intake manifold, sub-woofer, head unit, and an amp. Not too much and just enough room for everything else and that is how it sits at this point until something breaks on it.
After purchasing the TDI I headed off to Penn College of Tech. It was my first year and I enrolled in the BAU Automotive program along with the Honda PACT program. I fooled around with my car and had fun it it on and off road and didn't make some of the best decisions with it, but I am fixing my mistakes. After completing my first year of school I went back to work at Six Flags Great Adventure after not being able to find an internship due to the economy. While working there mostly during nights I got talking with some of my good friends and helping them out on there cars.
I have been looking for a project car for a long time now and I could not decide what I wanted so I just headed onto craigslist.com and was looking through for a few days. I found an old BMW and I did not know much about it but I immediately fell in love with it. I wrote the owner an e-mail wanting to know more about the car and did not get an immediate response but I eventually did! The conversation went on for a few days until we figured out a time to go and see the car since it was roughly two hours away. A few days before we were going to leave to look at it I get an e-mail asking if I was going to be bringing a trailer and I said that I was.
My friend and I headed out with my dads Tahoe and my friend's dad's dolly that he let me borrow for the trip. The owner was going to let the car got for $500 but I didn't have that and I only had $300 on me at the time. Being very doubtful that he would accept a low offer I still went along with it. We got to the house and started looking at the car before the owner showed up. Not too much rust and apparently it ran and was registered not too long ago. The owner showed up and got it started first try and told us to take it for a drive behind the house on the property. We did and it ran great other than minor issues such as the timing seeming off.
I offered the owner a very low offer of $20 and expected that he would not take it but it was worth a try. He asked how much I had on me and I said $300 and my friend took out my money and was "counting" it and he still wanted $500 for it and had a few other people looking at it and coming out to see it soon. (I don't know if that was true haha) So we went on discussing the money and I said that I would go to $400 cash but I could not go any higher. He thought about it I made a phone call and got some money transferred that i was able to borrow.
After that we left with the car and from there my build goes on.
snake skin! haha
including
the cancer
Now for the rust. Overall not bad, I am going to be looking for a driver side door skin. The passenger side floor board is gone but atleast all it is is a square. The spare tire well has very minor rust, and of couse the rockers will be ripped out and replaced. I am pretty happy with the looks of it. BMW used a lot A LOT of adhesive on EVERYTHING haha but i tihnk it helped save the car by keeping the water away from the metal.
here are the pics:
the sprayer nozzle!
upper door skin rust
spare tire well rust
trunk
shock towers
passenger side floor board rust...i mean hole in the floor : P
there was wireing (lots of poor wireing) but it was wired for a sound system, still has JBL speakers
sunroof works!!!
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Starting next semester I will be rebuilding the engine in class for credit. I can't wait and I am still deciding on how I would like to be built and what for.
I will be updating it as much as possible might be slow but the car is in Jersey and I am in PA. Over thanksgiving break I WILL have more updates
update 11/25/89
I didnt get much if any done today it was raining out and I dont have a creeper so I didnt bother getting under it and soaked at the same time : /
Did some work today, I got more done than what I wanted to but tat is a good thing. : ) The pictures should explain a lot.
First day home for break and got a decent amount of work done, I am prepping it to take out the engine. Today I removed:
-bumper
-radiator
-condenser
-evaporator
-some of the a/c lines
-disconnected everything that went from the engine to the car except for the remaining mounts
I also pulled the valve cover just to get a glance at what I am getting myself into and I was very happy to see what I saw : )
upside down valve cover
upside down hood
The condenser was literally falling apart and the system was already dry I do not plan on putting the a/c back into the car
radiator
Tranny All nice and clean, took forver to do : )
Brought my tools home from school for break : ) Also got the bottom box fixed up so I am using that now also.
haha
:laugh:
:laugh:
Pulled the exhaust today, it was just a "little" rusted hahahaha. The engine just needs to have its mounts removed and it is ready to be pulled. O and the cars back on the ground and infront of the garage now. : )
call me crazy
Went shopping the past few days. I made approx $280 some dollars walking the neighborhoob with the snowblower the other day sooo this is what i bought : )
bought the engine hoist:
ordered this today:
and got this yesterday:
:laugh: :laugh: <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/zeroforum_graph ... nsanta.gif" BORDER="0">
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got my engine stand : )
and me : )
Pulled the valve cover to take a peek. Took off the A/C compresser that was monsterouse and not going back on. : ) Also took off the alternator. The evhaust will be coming off as soon as I cut the studs because it is that rusted, and the valve cover will go back on before I bring it out to school but thats nothing : ) anyways the pics are here once again. <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://www.vwvortex.com/zeroforum_graph ... nsanta.gif" BORDER="0">
<IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://is.rely.net/2-64-38849-l-miLiM9R ... Fe7Gpw.gif" BORDER="0"> now fo pictures : )
I had to reorganize my box : )
Got my ratcheting wrenches
my stubbys
needed to fit this in onw drawer
got some standard impact
my assorted drives : )
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Just to give you an idea of what I plan to do. I started today, not even close to being finished. Still have to tear down the engine anyway. : )
untouched side
touched!
of course it is not done yet but it is getting there : )
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not what i am using BUT very similar to replace them.
Most of the rust in the picture is surface and is no big deal. : P
:laugh:
From the looks of it on two out of the four pistons it was burning some oil. Over all the engine is in great shape, but it looks like the pistons will have to be replaced. I will know after measurements.
I didn't get much done today, I didn't have much lab time. I worked with the water jet machine and also the media blaster.
Almost every part of the engine : )
Oil Pan, didn't get to finish it
Some more cleaning
more cleaning...
Put the block in the cleaner : )
I played with paint today : ) Its a kinkle (sp?) finish
I need your help, I have heard of a B18 but not a B7 Can anyone help?
casting numbers:
