# The right way... mk1 restoration



## bcvwmk1 (Oct 28, 2002)

The last posting tended to talk about "going back to original". My mk1 that is. I am wanting to restore my car to it's near original status. Now, what would be the right way to go ahead and do this? I imagine that I would have to take out it's engine, interior, etc... What confuses me is that being a 25 year old car there is def. rust in some areas that I don't even know about. How is one person suppose to spend a few thousand dollars in paint and bodywork knowing that some rust was left behind two welded pieces and will begin / continue to rust as time goes by spreading onto other parts of the car?
The question is what is the right way to get rid of the rust making sure that it'll never come back. I know there are alot of guys out there saying that the mk1 will never be worth anything special on the open market. I think it'll be worth more than people think. Especially to VW mk1 afictionados. Any real German mint mk1 is a rare item (especially in this area).
My plan? Well, is to drive it the way it is for the summer. So far I sanded all the minor rust spots it had and treated it it with the right agents. I put on some decent wheels, new carpet, some newer seats. I'm waiting and finding out how to restore this puppy the right way.


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## Estate (Aug 1, 2000)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (bcvwmk1)*

If you're serious about a complete and total restoration the first thing you need to consider is do you have the resources? Meaning, the funds, the time, the tools, the space, and the knowledge. A true restoration is not something you can easily tackle with a socket set, some wrenches, a floor jack and a beer in your hand. If rust is a consideration, you will more than likely need access to a welder and the knowledge to use it. A "few thousand dollars in paint and bodywork" is only the tip of the iceberg (unless you have some connections, that is). First you need to find a body person who knows how to handle rust (which is becoming not too common on the west coast) then be prepared to hand the car over to them for month*s*. When all is said and done and you've added up what the project will cost you, you'll see why taking on a project of this magnitude is not for the faint of heart. 
If you're looking for something that is _worth_ something in the future, you'd do better to find a _unrestored_ low-mileage German rabbit (possibly rust free) and go to work on it. Right now, Rabbit parts are almost harder to find than old Porsche parts. I'm hording all I can when I find them. Be prepared to look and look HARD for parts as the ones that are NLA (no longer available -get used to this term) are deteriorating as we speak (type). 
I think right now (or rather a year or two ago) was the prime time to start a Rabbit restoration as a lot of parts are just now becoming obsolete and you could get in before the prices really started to skyrocket for the parts still sitting in the dealer shelves. good luck.


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## charlier (Mar 9, 2001)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (4Rings)*

Funds: A total restoration can easily run $5-$10K (USD) depending on how much of the work you do yourself, the condition of the vehicle before you begin and the parts that need to be replaced. Time: The Time to do a restoration can easily take Years (mine took about 3 years). Much of that time was the disassembly and reassembly of my Rabbit. Disassembly took a long time because I knew I have to label and bag everything so that parts were not lost or, forgotten as to how parts fit together. Assembly was long because patience and being carefull are key when dealing with fresh body and paint and 20+ year old parts that are difficult or impossible to replace. The third largest time consuming part of my project was locating parts. The number of calls and trips made to VW Dealers and parts yards (I stopped counting after the first 5-6 dozen) really chewed up time. Tools: Having the right tools to do the job can save time but more importantly save 20+ year old parts from being broken. If you do not have a sand blasting cabinet you had better have a friend with one and be prepared to spend a lot of quality time blasting parts. An Air Compressor and Air Tools can save a lot of time and effort. Space: When my Rabbit was disassembled all the old parts and the new parts took up nearly all the floor space in every room of my house (10 rooms including the garage & basement). Knowledge: I started out with a good amount of knowledge having owned my Rabbit for 20 years. Also learned a lot when it came to body, paint and mechanical parts of the project from the people who helped me or did the work I did not do.
BTW, even back in 1998-2000 there were a lot of Rabbit parts that were NLA. For my 1980 Rabbit I stopped counting at close to 600 parts NLA from VW. That is what made the parts hunting rewarding when a part was found and a BIG PAIN when the part could not be found. Your biggest parts headaches will most likely be interior parts. The many plastic parts used in Rabbits do not hold up well as they age and tend to fade in the boneyard sun. Try finding a mint 20+ year old Rabbit Dash. Not exactly the easiest thing to find especially in some parts of the USA.
Most people that have done a full resto will tell you to take your initial budget and TRIPLE it. This applies to the funds as well as the time involved. BTW, hopefully you have a VERY understanding wife or girlfriend because otherwise there will be more than a few arguments over the time and money you spend of your restoration.





[Modified by charlier, 11:35 PM 3-3-2003]


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## Vdubs (May 16, 2001)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (bcvwmk1)*

I've done a lot of restorations in my time and my advise would be, don't do it.
They eat time and money, it would be much cheaper to find 3 perfect rabbits and instead of spending a few thousand hrs doing the restoration you could get a job and earn enough for the 3 perfect rabbits and a few holidays.
I would guess that only a few of the restorations started get finished, alot are given up on cus they drag out for ever. 
Are you really that commited to it? Can you spare a few years. Do you have a regular job with good money? Do you have bags of enthusiasm? Do you own a fully equiped workshop and have lots of workspace (atleast 4x the size of the car)? 
Oh yea, and very patient and talented? You need yes to be the answer to all those.


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## bcvwmk1 (Oct 28, 2002)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (bcvwmk1)*

Wow... thanks for the replies. My first step is to drive my 78 this summer and find out if it has the right stuff to seriously consider the full resto. I am serious about it and have a few friends in the business. Who would be the best contact for OEM or aftermarket parts for the mk1? 
Thanks for your suggestions and comments. Cheers.


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## Estate (Aug 1, 2000)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (bcvwmk1)*

quote:[HR][/HR] Who would be the best contact for OEM or aftermarket parts for the mk1? 
[HR][/HR]​Your sources will be varied. Some parts are still avail from the dealer and some not. Some factory and non-factory parts are avail. from other sources. You'll just have to do some digging.


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## charlier (Mar 9, 2001)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (4Rings)*

The longer you wait to start collecting parts the more digging you will have to do. The VW Dealer Depot network, individual VW Dealers, Junk Yards, EBay and other VW Enthusiasts are good sources for parts.


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## DriveMach_1 (Jul 2, 2002)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (charlier)*

My thought is that restorations are for cars which are unique, uncommon, or hard to come by. MK1's are dropping from the sky. Woulden't it be easier just to buy a nice example of one and then tweak it from there?


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## Estate (Aug 1, 2000)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (DriveMach_1)*

Well part of that would be that nice ones are getting really hard to come by. Especially on the east coast. To have a really nice Rabbit these days you either have to find it that way or start from the bottom.


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## charlier (Mar 9, 2001)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (4Rings)*

quote:[HR][/HR]Well part of that would be that nice ones are getting really hard to come by. Especially on the east coast. To have a really nice Rabbit these days you either have to find it that way or start from the bottom.[HR][/HR]​How True.. Here on the East Coast, Rabbits that are not total basket cases are getting difficult to find. Even harder to finder are Rabbits that have not been modified. Certain parts for certain model year Rabbits are virtually Impossible to find. 
If you live in a part of the USA where Rabbits are so plentiful they fall from the sky, consider yourself lucky. Some of us are not quite so fortunate.


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## DriveMach_1 (Jul 2, 2002)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (charlier)*

Have you thought about looking out on the West coast? Even if you have to pay to have something shipped back, it will still save you time and money probably.


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## [email protected] (Apr 23, 2001)

*Re: The right way... mk1 restoration (DriveMach_1)*

quote:[HR][/HR]
My thought is that restorations are for cars which are unique, uncommon, or hard to come by. MK1's are dropping from the sky. Woulden't it be easier just to buy a nice example of one and then tweak it from there? [HR][/HR]​I would argue that while Mk1's are still relatively plentiful, clean examples are getting harder to find. Because of it's ubiquity and popularity with modifiers, most of the ones still on the roads are fairly molested.
A restoration subject need not be unique, uncommon, or hard to come by. I think it's just as important for a restored car to be of historical significance, regardless of how rare or common it is. The first-generation VW Golf is an automotive icon, like the Beetle before it, as well as other common cars like the Model T Ford, Austin Mini, 57 Chevy Bel Air, or first-generation Mustangs.
I think at this stage, nearly 20 years after the last Mk1's were produced, it's important that we recognize the Golf (especially the GTI) as a car worthy of keeping. Does this mean that every Mk1 should be restored? Hell no! But when a clean original example is discovered, perhaps we should think twice before hacking it up for another me-too, Euro-slammed, race-look project car. (There are plenty of hacked examples to start with!)
Just my thoughts.








Bryan


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