# Dasher Diesel Restoration Project



## thecheesemannn (May 17, 2012)

I have been in the process of restoring my Dasher, and figured I would post a few photos.

Before:


----------



## thecheesemannn (May 17, 2012)

Here are some current photos.

Im still in the process of removing everything so I can spray it.

Im worried about Window gaskets more than anything. Im sure I will eventually find them....


































































































































Hopefullly by the end of the weekend I will have the engine bay clean so I can start removing all the nasty rust!


----------



## thecheesemannn (May 17, 2012)

Started inspecting the engine, and getting it ready for new seals and paint today.


Got the head off, cyl walls look good for 188,000 miles, I think Ill leave it alone! The only trouble zone seems to be the accessory gear seems to have a stiff journal somewhere in there.

Other than that, crank spins very freely and cyl walls dont have any huge marks on them..... the ridge isn't even terribly huge!

All in all, the lower end seems to be perfect. Now I have to figure out how to check the head.


















































































Does anyone know where I can get the original ugly green paint that these were painted from the factory? Or atleast the color code?


----------



## zollie (Jul 11, 2009)

Nice job!

Don't forget to change the oil seals on both ends of the crank! And take out the axle that drives the oil pump! You have to change that oil seal too.

Take the axle out and inspect the bearing. Unlike the crank and cam, this one has only 2 bearings, the outer one gets all the pressure... It's a weak spot when the oil pump gets old... 

Good luck!


----------



## thecheesemannn (May 17, 2012)

I made a video of the removal process for some of the guys on vwdasher.com, and I figured I would share it on on vortex too!!!

Enjoy, and sorry for the babbling, I didn't want a soundless video, and with all the choices of music out there, I couldn't decide on Wilfred's theme song.












zollie said:


> Nice job!
> 
> Don't forget to change the oil seals on both ends of the crank! And take out the axle that drives the oil pump! You have to change that oil seal too.
> 
> ...




Thanks! I did notice the axle accessory drive felt very stiff! I plan to change every single seal on the engine, but I'm not sure if I want to pull the pistons or not, the cyl walls look to be in great shape. The cyls don't even have that big of a ridge on them, its so small infact, I could pull out the pistons without reaming it down! Spectacular for 188,000 miles! These diesel motors are tanks!

Also, one of my glow plugs are stuck in the head. Seems the 12mm nut portion of the glowplug has broken away from the threads, so its just spinning. The treads themselves seem fine.... it was broken when I got to it, I did not break it.

I still don't know if the lower end is worth messing with other than seals, it was running great before I did this, aside from the fact that the injection pump was in sorry shape.


----------



## thecheesemannn (May 17, 2012)

would any body have the p/n's for the glorified cardboard that goes around the radiator? Im curious if I can find them NOS before I bother making new ones out of 18ga stainless steel.

Also, has anybody ever seen a cold air intake system for a Dasher? I hate the stock setup, I burn through air filters in like a month because they only get air to the very center of the huge filter.


----------



## QuantumSyncro (Apr 28, 2000)

thecheesemannn said:


> would any body have the p/n's for the glorified cardboard that goes around the radiator? Im curious if I can find them NOS before I bother making new ones out of 18ga stainless steel.
> 
> Also, has anybody ever seen a cold air intake system for a Dasher? I hate the stock setup, I burn through air filters in like a month because they only get air to the very center of the huge filter.


I could never figure out why they used that filter cover with the central snorkel on the Dasher diesel but on the Audi 4k diesel they used one that pulled air from the end of the cover. Neither one is that great, the air inlet isn't very big, but the Dasher (and Rabbit) seems to be particularly bad.


----------

