TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Feb 12, 2008 4:20 pm

Saturday celebrated the first week of owning my 71 Squareback. This was my first day off since buying it so I was anxious to check it out in the daylight and start planing. There were a couple of surprises along the way but nothing that cannot be fixed with some time, patience, and of course a few bucks.

Top priority for Saturday was to take care of some maintenance, starting with an oil change. Thanks to the huge tires and stock height I didn't even need to employ a jack. I also checked the brakes and although the pads will need to be replaced soon the biggest concern was the front brake lines which are ready to crack, they will be replaced very soon.

Body isn't too bad. There is small scratches and dings throughout the panels that can be filled or pulled prior to paint. The biggest concern is the rear section, just below the hatch. There's a decent dent on a piece that might have to be cut, fixed, then welded back on. At this point I'll consider the possibility of fabricating a new piece that will cover all the rear holes like those of the rear bumper, giving it a cleaner look after it's lowered.

The interior needs some serious help, so seeing as nothing except the seats cannot be saved I ripped out all the carpet (rear), headliner, and insulation. I have all the metal rods and springs for the headliner so installing a new one shouldn't be too difficult, I'll at least give it a shot and post the results. The entire rear area was pretty much a disaster, with burn rubber seals around the engine compartment due to the heat and no carpet left, only insulation. I grabbed a spatula and spent most of the day scraping off glue residue. Overall it looks a lot better and the interior is a step closer towards sanding and paint.

This week I plan on picking up a set of 195/50/15 tires and getting them installed so that the car can be lowered Saturday morning. The stance should look a lot better come Sunday morning and I'll post some pictures of the progress and results.

Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:28 pm

Nice project you've got there, squares are badass 8)
Get some exterior shots.

I'm guessing by your location that you don't have to worry about any rust (oh how I envy :( )

Good luck with it, and keep us updated

Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:30 pm

4Doora wrote: Nice project you've got there, squares are badass 8)
Get some exterior shots.

I'm guessing by your location that you don't have to worry about any rust (oh how I envy :( )

Good luck with it, and keep us updated

I'll take a few pictures this weekend after it's lowered and sitting on better tires.

You're correct, rust is usually not an issue in Las Vegas. I bought the car from AZ where it's even more dry and hot, so there's just some surface rust but nothing is rotten... I couldn't pass it up.