For sure. He'll have a nice surprise upon his return.

Should have the fender flares and rocker covers here today then the outside is pretty much done:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/d3a4123d.jpg

sweet, I always liked those wheels

Very cool... Be sure to give him a big thank you from all of us when he gets back.

Look great.

If you like to practice on a 911, I'm available ;)

Well the trim went on pretty easy:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/013d1c93.jpg

Got the wheels done! Working on the AC next then the inside:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/15b4603c.jpg

Woo hoo!! that is coming out really nicely Craig. What a great surprise for your boy when he gets home. And do thank him for his service for all of us.

Cheers Richard

Great job! Looks like new.

you know i just looked at the pics in this thread....looks great, does he know you're doing this? or is it going to be a total surprise?

Fantastic! He'll love it!

He knows I am making the car reliable and he thinks its getting one of my crappy paint jobs but this thing is beautiful! Its pretty much going to have everything new so all he has to do is wash, put gas in it and change the oil. I even put in a tilt wheel out of a Jetta in it to make it more comfortable to drive. Even going to get the AC working which will be nice down in Gulfport.

Very nicely done dad! Tell him thanks for his service on our behalf.

I always liked those cars!
A friend of mine owned one that he bought new back in the day...
It was still under warranty when the sunroof jammed open while we were in the BC interior. Took it into the dealer in Cranbrook and an our later the service manager walks out to show us the 3 beer caps that were lodged in the mechanism.
Don't know how that happened, but I hope my son isn't that irresponsible!

Cool car and and nicely done for a great reason!

that's awesome......try to get him on video when you unveil it to him, it'd bee a hoot......i want to see his face when he notices the tilt wheel LOL
nice work :)

son is lucky.... for the car and the DAD!

Putting in the new heater core! Does he really need heat in Mississippi?

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/cb0795aa.jpg

Craig, will you adopt me?

Hey, while you're in that dash, are you taking care of the foam-spitting HVAC vent issue? Check the flapper vanes....

Now there is someone who knows VW's !!! Yea it was puking a lot of foam, I assume these flappers are to be covered solid? Also its getting a new AC expansion valve, see if it can get it working better.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/7d7217df.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/1a54e055.jpg

Just got the AC working, flushed the system for 134a pag46 new expansion valve, filter dryer and o-rings, its working great, down to 45 on a 90 degree day:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/9bd06047.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/ca52f386.jpg

Got the headliner in, it was a lot of work but well worth it:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/9d2af1f9.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/100cc212.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/72762a17.jpg

Still chugging along:

This car had Corrado seats in it but the rears were never mounted so I got them all installed correctly, tilt forward and lock, had to add a pivot support and extend the upright lock bar.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/90dd5905.jpg

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/9154b43a.jpg

Looking good, and I love the corrado recaros. I loved them in my old car, add heat if they don't have it.

looks awesome!

Not that you're looking for any additional projects, but just so you know:

If you are so inclined, you can swap in a taller 5th gear without taking the transmission out. Well worth it if you want a lazy highway gear... look for a 0.71 5th out of an old diesel, you can often find them on ebay, vw forums etc. The vw/audi 020 transmission was originally a 4sp, and when they added the 5th, they bolted it in the "nose cone" at the end of the transmission. You can remove the transmission mounts, lower the end of the tranny a few inches, unbolt the nose cone and swap 5th gear. There are a few tricks, but with some homemade tools you can do it in 2-3 hrs.

I have the time and may do that!! Something like this gear set?

VWVortex.com - FS: .71 5th gear set out of 1982 FN trans

Looks pretty straight forward! I like pictures too:

http://www.brokevw.com/5thswap.html

Bingo! That's the "guide" I used to, although I learned a couple tricks after doing it a few times. For example, you need to select two gears to lock the mainshaft, but there is no need to pull out the selector shaft to do it. Select reverse on the transmission, and then when you take of the "fork" for 5th, slide the synchro collar up to engage 5th too, then undo the 5th gear retaining bolt. That takes a LONG breaker bar!

And I never had to use a puller to get the gears off the shafts, just 2 flat screwdrivers... they always popped off pretty easy

I got all the brakes done, new adjustable cam gear and sway bar, its setup pretty nice so I took it to the autox today!

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Lookin' good!!

Quote" I got all the brakes done, new adjustable cam gear and sway bar, its setup pretty nice so I took it to the autox today!"

How does your son feel about you bagging his car???
Kidding! Looks like it drives pretty well, nice job!

Well its all done after about 6 months! I put it in storage until he gets back in January. I put about 4K miles on it this summer to really check things out which was good because it ended up needing a water pump at the last minute. Anyhow my next posting should be a video of him pulling back the cover to his "new" car!

Just a bit about my Son Michael: He really seems to be learning a lot over there. I found this article about him and his buddy really getting into the MRAP's and he didn't say anything about it!

DVIDS - News - The 'Go To' on MRAPs

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/ca31f764.jpg
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...1/663a1993.jpg

Looking really good !. Man I loved the GTI''s that I owned. I am seeing a huge smile on your sons face when he pulls back the cover.

Well done Dad.

Great job! Looking forward to the surprise when he pulls the covers off...

Isn't that the truth.

Those things are good cars. Every VW I have ever driven was a hoot to drive, and those Golfs are no exception. Particularly the 16V ones.

Amen!
 

Amen!

Looks great Craig...... I hope you take video of him uncovering it and post it for us. Your son is going to really appreciate all the work you did!

Wow Craig! Well done!!

Awesome!

Wish I had a dad like you!