Water cooled tales from the Bulli Klinik

[Bulli Klinik]

First time in the water pumper section. I'm generally a Bus guy, but when I spotted this 89 Cabrio, I thought that it would be a good car for my GF. The front was smashed on the passengers side, but at $800, it seemed like a decent value. The previous owner had it since 98 and you could tell that she really loved it. She had a stack of receipts for all the maintenance over the years. She just had $2500.00 in work done, then crashed it. Insurance company totaled it and she bought a TT...Most definitely a convertible girl.

Here's some pictures when I spotted it:

She was at the car wash and just put a sign on it. I sent some pics to my GF and it just so happens that the two knew each other. A deal was struck and it went home with us.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I guess she had her hand on the shifter during the crash and as a result the plastic, shift ball gave way and the shifter felt like it was dragging on the floor.

I ordered a shifter kit from Ebay and replaced the linkage as well as the ball at the base of the shifter. Nothing fancy, just OEM parts. While it was apart, I blasted and painted the shift selector. Once all back together and adjusted, it shifted like a race-car!

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

My initial plan was to replace the fender, then cut off and straighten the nose clip. It was pretty evident that the nose didn't want to come off without some serious damage. I try to save as much OEM parts in my resto's, but that wasn't going to be the case with this. I ended up ordering a nose section from VW Heritage in England. No one state side seemed to carry the panel so I bit the bullet on shipping. I was pleasantly surprised at what a nice panel it was. I just ordered the lower section, but in retrospect, I should have just got the entire panel up to the hood.

The fender came from JC Whitney and was a little over $50. The fender fit like a panel that came from JC Whitney and cost $50. AKA, like shit. The front of the fender overhung the slam panel by almost and inch! So much for a bolt on repair.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[ps2375]

http://www.rsjparts.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=29_30&osCsid=0bf78ea9fc1a9a5736c5f47ca48b5fc0

there is not nearly the support for these as there is for the ACVW stuff.

[Bulli Klinik]

Once I removed the bad fender, grill, etc... It became apparent that there was a bit more damage than anticipated. The front was pushed in a good centimeter and also about a centimeter to the drivers side.

I used a porta-power to push down on the frame from the overhead beam in my shop, bolted up the bumper bracket and pushed it up and back into shape with a jack. Then I used the porta-power to spread the bumper brackets apart until the front panel fit nicely. Some hammer and dolly work on the fender mount area and all fit well, except that shitty fender.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I prepped the front panel and welded it on after all was straightened. I highly recommend that replacement panel I got from VW Heritage. A very nice fit and factory thickness.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I used a spitznagel tool to get the hood as straight as I could. You can get an idea of how poor the fit of the replacement fender is here. Way too high above the grill.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

After a lot of massaging of the front of the fender, re-drilling all the mounting holes and some welding, I managed to get the fender to fit nicely with good gaps.

I stripped off all the paint on the replacement parts and the hood, did a bit of filler work on the hood and epoxy primed it followed by some filler primer.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

[ps2375]

You do some very nice work. Soon no one will know it was ever damaged.

[Bulli Klinik]

After letting the primer dry in the sun for a few days, I blocked it until it was nice and flat.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

[Bulli Klinik]

Then I shot it with a sealer coat, wet sanded it with 600 grit and shot some paint. I don't have a spray booth, and honestly, I really don't like painting, but I'm happy with the results.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[ps2375]

Nice.

[Bulli Klinik]

The paint is still curing and I have a little color sanding and buffing to do. I ordered some small bumpers and turn signals from ECS to replace the Clipper kit.

They were pretty reasonably priced at less than $200 for both, but you get what you pay for. Very flimsy mounting brackets and the bumpers were all plastic. I couldn't believe how light the box was when it arrived. I like the look, but don't crash it into anything.

_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

I also ordered a badge-less grill to replace the four light unit that came on the car. I had a set of fake H4's that I picked up at a swap years ago, so those went on too.

Here's where it is right now:

A little dirty from all the rain and dust we've had lately.
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

So, time for some questions...

I'd like to replace the upper side trim and I'm looking for options. The trim that remains is pretty beat. Is there a manufacturer that makes some kind of heavy tape to replace the trim? Is trim readily available and I just don't know it? What are my options?

Also, there are trim holes on the rocker which remain after the Clipper kit was removed. Is there a less bulky rocker cover available or some simple trim? At this point, I was planning on plugging the rocker holes and shooting some body schutz on the rocker.

Any suggestions from those more in the WC scene than myself?

Thanks!
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs

[Bulli Klinik]

Bump.

Any suggestions on side trim? Is it still available or are there alternatives?

Thanks!
_________________
I've never met a Bus I didn't like.
Mike K
Bulli Klinik
Colorado Springs