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Posted by: arne Nov 27 2017, 08:38 PM

I tried, folks, really I did. Since I sold the yellow 2.0 I’ve looked into 3 different 914s. None were good enough that I felt I could refresh them and still break even later. So I had to look at other options.

“And now for something completely different.”

In fact, it doesn’t get much different, really. Japanese. 50+ years old. Not what anyone would consider as “sporty” in any normal sense of the word. But I think it’ll be a pretty cool project, all the same.

1964 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser. All original, with a rare factory PTO winch. I’ve got a lot of new stuff to learn, and I don’t think I can learn it here. It’s been a fun time, 914world is great!

Wish me luck!

Posted by: Mueller Nov 27 2017, 08:51 PM

No complaints from this guy!

That should be fun, surprised you actually found one that was affordable, I think most get snatched up by ICON for their $100K builds.

Feel free to keep us posted on the progress.

Posted by: KELTY360 Nov 27 2017, 10:03 PM

Fits in with the trophies on the wall.

I guess you could call it a NARP; hell, it's not even a fake one.

Posted by: bandjoey Nov 27 2017, 10:20 PM

Our friend Rust hangs out on Cruisers too. Keep us posted.

Posted by: G e o r g e Nov 27 2017, 10:44 PM

Wish I still had mine.

Posted by: 914 7T3 Nov 27 2017, 10:45 PM

Super Cool and Welcome to FJ Cruiser World!

Wait wrong website.

Please post a link so we can follow your progress and good luck with it.

Posted by: JRust Nov 27 2017, 10:49 PM

There is a place in Lincoln city that specializes in them. Always see 2 or 3 by the road up there. Might be worth looking into as a resource. Congrats on the Cruiser. They are killer rigs

Posted by: draperjojo Nov 27 2017, 11:13 PM

Always wanted to go through an old FJ, I've restored several old jeeps tho. Right now a sandblasted 914 takes up one bay in my garage, and this project is taking up another bay. I swear I'll quit doing cars and just go pick up an old Shovelhead next time I feel the need to do a project... Good luck with your FJ, and keep posting progress pics!


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Posted by: arne Nov 28 2017, 10:56 AM

Thanks, folks. I’ll stop by once in a while, just to visit. There are a few forums that cater to old FJs, the most active seems to be IH8MUD, so that’s where I plan to post the build thread. The initial consensus there seems to be that I found a really good example, with a lot of rare original parts. Might be a bit of a challenge to keep it as original as I plan, but that’s part of the fun for me.

Here’s a parting pic or two.

Posted by: JOEPROPER Nov 28 2017, 11:40 AM

No complaints here. I had a '72 a few years back that started out just like that one. Same color too. That's a fun project and will be worth something when complete.

Posted by: arne Nov 28 2017, 12:01 PM

Forgot the link to the build thread:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/older-than-dirt-refreshing-a-64-fj40.1025704/

Posted by: arne Jan 9 2018, 06:41 PM

Oh wait, I’ve used that meme here before. Oops!

In any case, the Land Cruiser started up and ran today, first time in at least 10 years, probably 15. Slow progress, this is definitely going to take longer than the ‘teener.

Posted by: JOEPROPER Jan 9 2018, 07:55 PM

Love it. I had a '72 FJ40 and loved it. Good luck.

Posted by: arne Feb 4 2018, 07:48 PM

Moved under its own power earlier this week. Not far, got no cooling system hooked up yet. But soon should move into real test drive mode.

Posted by: JRust Feb 4 2018, 09:55 PM

Thats great Arne! Really solid FJ you found. Are you down the same path & getting it painted?

Posted by: arne Mar 31 2018, 06:51 PM

Popped in today to check on a couple of other builds I have been watching, thought I'd post an update while I'm here.

Yeah, probably. Trying to get together with my painter to do some final planning. May need to learn to weld using a modern wire welder. A little rust and a whole lot of PO inflicted extra holes all over the rig. If I paint it, will probably be a color change to the period correct blue for '64. Jury still out on that, however.

Mechanically it's almost done. I need to replace the clutch, and there may be something worn in the front axle. But beyond that, it's doing fine. Registered (Oregon Special Interest) and insured, I'm driving it a bit to verify that I've got most of the bugs out of it.

Posted by: KELTY360 Mar 31 2018, 09:09 PM

Love the pink seat cover!

Posted by: arne Jul 29 2018, 09:06 PM

Story of my progress...

Make it run and drive, disassemble it, make it run and drive again, disassemble it, repeat several times.

I'm in disassembled mode now...

Posted by: 914 7T3 Jul 29 2018, 11:11 PM

Looks like your FJ project is a lot more involved than the 914 and you will soon be ready for paint. That will be a big turning point so Congrats on your progress!

Posted by: arne Aug 29 2018, 10:10 PM

Posted by: 914_7T3 Aug 29 2018, 10:23 PM

That's so awesome, gorgeous color too!



Better than 50/50 chance that you complete two projects before I finish one!

Posted by: arne Aug 29 2018, 10:25 PM

Not sure which of us that says more about...

Posted by: porschetub Aug 30 2018, 12:50 AM

Wonderful vehicle,built like a panzer tank and went for ever,fond memories driving one of these in the late 90's,these were a popular government vehicle in their time in my country,used for all manner of uses ,we had an option called the Arcarna body option which was anything from a troop carrier multi seat rear body on a cab on only to a set up to long metal rear wellside.
Very popular in Australia as a people carrier for mining workers in the upper west coast and others area's.
The one I used had a later motor I think 4.1 litre,drunk fuel @ an amazing rate and was a vehicle that you never had control of because it had some sort of early autopilot ,finally died towing a large commercial boat on a even larger trailer in a remote area cost a bunch of $$$ to get it to extracted to the nearest town.
Don't know what happened to it after this .

Posted by: tomeric914 Aug 30 2018, 08:29 AM

Similar story here, drove an '80 FJ40 in the early '90s which was an absolute beast. Built 100 times better than a Jeep. Went into, through and out of stuff that would stop other vehicles cold. Had this auxiliary rear seat heater which was AWESOME for the -30 deg F mornings in central and western NY.

I can't think of a single time that it got stuck. @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=8376 was with me on a maiden voyage through a farmers back field (I think it was Mr. Gregory's) where we fell through a sheet of ice into a muddy bog and just kept going.

Posted by: napasteve Aug 30 2018, 08:58 AM

Fantastic work Arne.

Posted by: Cupomeat Aug 30 2018, 09:43 AM

So true! @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=9101 , Besides a bunch of minor issues like Radiator holes, that was a beast I never thought would be stuck...

Great Project Arne! Love the color AND there is something to be said for cars that come all apart with bolts, etc... Looks like fun!

Posted by: Ferg Aug 30 2018, 10:06 AM

Really nice

Posted by: arne Oct 18 2018, 09:19 PM

10.5 months into it. I'm calling it essentially complete. Waiting on a last firewall grommet, and a bit of cleaning and touchup. Everything works as it should—lights, brakes, horns, gauges, wipers, all of it.

Going to be out of town for a few days next week, will do some more driving to make sure there are no new surprises, and then lay plans to sell it.

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Oct 18 2018, 09:29 PM

What a cool looking FJ. Nice work!!

Posted by: championgt1 Oct 18 2018, 09:52 PM

All kinds of awesome!!

Posted by: mbseto Oct 19 2018, 11:57 AM

Gorgeous.

Posted by: mepstein Oct 19 2018, 12:19 PM

I love it. Great vision.

Posted by: 914_7T3 Oct 19 2018, 06:13 PM

That’s 2x you’ve completed your project before me.



Congratulations on another great build!

Posted by: KELTY360 Oct 19 2018, 07:49 PM

Schweeeet!

Should be an easy sale.

Posted by: arne Oct 19 2018, 08:02 PM

Probably auction it on BaT.

Posted by: arne Nov 2 2018, 05:57 PM

Posted by: burton73 Nov 2 2018, 06:38 PM

Bravo on the great work.

It looks really nice.
Bob B

Posted by: Larmo63 Nov 2 2018, 06:48 PM

Dang, that thing is eye candy. Great job!!! (again)

What is something like that worth?

Posted by: Maltese Falcon Nov 2 2018, 07:23 PM

I also mfg. these 6 into 1 tuned headers for the vintage fj40 if your cast iron manifold is in need of replacement
Get the 914World discount as well

Posted by: 914_7T3 Nov 2 2018, 10:32 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=20799 Here is a nice ‘68 available in the LA area!

https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/d/classic-vintage-restored-1968/6725880805.html

Posted by: mepstein Nov 3 2018, 02:54 AM

Arne - your color choice turns a cool car into a show stopper. Great job!

Posted by: arne Nov 5 2018, 01:56 PM

Hard to say for certain, which is part of why I plan to sell at auction. In general, early rigs are popular, and the factory soft top models are rare. The factory winch is a plus as well. Best guess is $30k+, probably mid-to-upper 30s.


I didn't need those for this one, but that looks nice. Are you advertising them anywhere in the LC community?


Like the 914 before it, no telling when/if I'd do another one. If I did, I'd certainly start with a more needy example than that one!


Yes, the color is a big part of the attractiveness. It IS a correct period Toyota color, but one that is rarely seen. It is a big part of what makes this rig stand out from all the beige Land Cruisers of the world.

Posted by: arne Nov 23 2018, 09:19 PM

Auction on Bring-a-Trailer is now live.

http://'https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-toyota-land-cruiser-fj40-4/'

Posted by: orangecrate Nov 23 2018, 09:59 PM

Nice job!!! But now it's too purty to wheel.

Posted by: porschetub Nov 23 2018, 10:47 PM

Worth good money as in reality it looks like its 70% new ,don't undervalve it unless you need the $$$$.
GLWTS

Posted by: JRust Nov 24 2018, 11:27 AM

That turned out GREAT Arnie! Well done man it will pull top dollar I'm thinking.

Posted by: arne Nov 24 2018, 12:00 PM

I hope not, I'd like to think it sees at least a little gentle use in the future.

Well, just like the 914 before it, I'll need to sell it before I can move on to something new. But I'm not going to sell it for a big loss, that's what reserves are for.

Trying not to get my expectations too high, but I think it will do well also, Jamie.

Posted by: arne Dec 1 2018, 02:20 PM

Auction over, and it is sold (pending payment, of course). I feel I did OK. Thought it might have pulled a bit more than it did, but I had carefully set the reserve at a price I could live with, and it cleared it, so it's all fine.

Search for the next project can begin in earnest now. Ideal project would be a LWB long hood 911 in an interesting color. But even though prices have softened some on those, they may all still be outside my budget. So other vehicles will also need to be considered.

Posted by: arne Dec 14 2018, 11:44 PM

OK, I punted on the "interesting color" part. Currently "chalky red", neé Silbermetallic.

Posted by: 914_7T3 Dec 15 2018, 01:00 AM

Love it! Please share details of your plans for this one.

Posted by: arne Dec 15 2018, 01:06 AM

1972 911T coupe. 2.4 MFI, 5 speed. Original spec was Fuchs, F&R sway bars, Appearance Group and factory A/C. No sunroof, crank windows.

Plan is for mostly stock, but with better seats. Definitely back to original silver. It will replace the '84 Carrera as my "keeper". Seller is doing a front pan replacement on it now, then it will be shipped here to Oregon. 4-6 weeks away, I'm guessing.

Posted by: mepstein Dec 15 2018, 06:14 AM

terrific car. congrats

Posted by: Cairo94507 Dec 15 2018, 07:31 AM

Great year- that has the oil tank fill door on the passenger rear fender right? One year only feature if I recall correctly.

Posted by: mepstein Dec 15 2018, 07:41 AM

yes. some of those parts are $$$ or unobtanium.

Posted by: arne Dec 15 2018, 11:00 AM

Yes. As a long wheelbase, no-sunroof '72 with the forward mounted oil tank, this car is probably one of the best balanced 911 versions ever. Stuff some wider tires in the rear and enjoy.

Wonder where I can find a pair of 7R wheels that look like flat sixes?

Posted by: mepstein Dec 15 2018, 12:18 PM

They make reproduction 7R wheels but I'm pretty sure they look like deep sixes.

Posted by: arne Dec 15 2018, 01:04 PM

I'm going to need to buy at least a pair of wheels at some point in the project. Two are original, but the other pair are repro, and the spare is MIA.

But yeah, to get a pair of 7Rs that matched the front flat sixes I suspect I'd need to have Harvey weld me up a pair. Probably not going to happen. Finding flat sixes isn't all that hard, even if I want the early ones that use the 3-ear caps. But waiting to get to the front of Harvey's queue for weld-ups just so I can buy expensive and hard to find wide rear 15" tires doesn't make a lot of sense. I've got more important fish to fry.

Posted by: arne Jan 11 2019, 07:19 PM

Getting close to ready to ship.

Posted by: arne Jan 16 2019, 10:37 PM

Even closer...

Posted by: arne Mar 1 2019, 11:16 PM

Finally! It's here!!

Posted by: flyer86d Mar 2 2019, 10:23 AM

Nice car. You’ll love it. Now, pull the top end off of the motor, install a set of 9.5/1 JE pistons and cylinders from your favorite source and a set of 2.4 E cams, have an E space cam installed in the pump and you will never wipe the smile off of your face.

Charlie

Posted by: arne Mar 2 2019, 07:33 PM

If I were rebuilding the motor, I'd probably do just that. But the engine is already done, fresh split-case rebuild with new Mahle P&Cs. Has about 3 hours on it now. I think I'll be happy with it as is.

Posted by: arne Mar 4 2019, 08:06 PM

FYI - Build thread is at http://www.early911sregistry.org/forums/showthread.php?142979-Ambition-Fulfilled-my-1972-911T-coupe

Posted by: arne Apr 21 2019, 10:27 AM

Thought I'd drop by and post a quick update. The 911 runs and drives now -- sort of. The brakes are still a bit soft, still have a bit of air in there somewhere. And I'm trying to track down what appears to be a fuel delivery problem that is proving difficult to find.

I've driven it enough to determine that KYB shocks and inserts are no better on a 911 than they are on a 914. They look rather new, but they suck badly. The fronts especially are so soft the car just bobs around at backroad speeds. Once I get the fuel problem dealt with, new dampers will be the next item. Will need to decide on stock Boge/Sachs or Bilsteins.

And, of course, here are some pictures for my 914 friends...

Posted by: 914_7T3 Apr 21 2019, 10:44 AM

Nice! Flashbacks to two years ago getting the 914 up and running, I'll bet.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Apr 21 2019, 11:07 AM

Very nice project. Not surprised to hear your comments re the KYB's. They are junk out of the box and the reason they are nicknamed Kill Your Back shocks. The two names that repeatedly come up for Porsches are Bilstein and Koni.

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Apr 21 2019, 11:26 AM

Fwiw, I got talked into Bilstein HDs by a lot of folks I (still) respect last time around, this despite my great experience with Koni dampers in my 914 in the past. They had good, valid reasons, but I wish I had stuck with Konis.

The Bilsteins are fine at speeds of +50 mph, and nicely damped when it comes to low-speed damping characteristics (the way the car transitions as it leans into a bend), but are "busy" when it comes to high-speed damping (think of "patter" as the car deals with small imperfections in the road). They've improved a bit as they've broken in (or I've grown accustomed to them), but I think rebuilt Konis are in my future. That or a revalve of the HDs (have driven some impressively revalved Bilsteins by Craig Watkins, S Car Go, etc). Or perhaps something else entirely…

Posted by: arne Apr 21 2019, 11:45 AM

The Bilsteins I had on the '84 Carrera were great. But that was a heavier car with larger torsion bars than this '72. Bilstein calls for the same numbers for this '72 as they do for an SC or Carrera, and I'm more than a little concerned they might be a bit much for the stock '72. Will be driving a friend's '73.5 T next weekend, she has new Sach/Boge in it. Going to pay attention to how it works on the backroads before making a decision.


Some, yes. Correcting a prior owner's "work" on the mechanical injection (before he admitted he screwed it up so bad that he put carbs on it) is a different deal. Complicated by finding other issues like this lack of fuel under load. Slowly testing each bit one by one to track it down.

I can tell already, however, that the MFI 2.4 will be great once it is dialed in.

Posted by: arne Aug 5 2019, 06:52 PM

Three months later, where am I?

Mechanically, mostly done. Engine and MFI are dialed in and running great. Suspension refresh completed with new Sachs dampers, sway bar bushings and a fresh corner balance/alignment. Brakes finally stop like I want after installing some REAL brake pads - Pagid Orange.

I've put almost 1500 miles on it this summer, engine break-in is complete. Picking away at a few oil leaks, but that's about the extent of the functional part. Overall, the car runs and drives exactly as I expect. (Other than the fuel economy. I figured it would be bad, but who knew a little 2.4L could burn THAT much fuel?)

Now gathering parts in preparation for a full glass-out repaint in the original silver, planned for over the winter. This project will take considerably longer than most of mine, as I'm doing some parts (paint especially) to a higher standard than some of my previous vehicles, and I need to stretch the timeline a bit to ease the financial hit. Recently ditched the really poor fiberglass S bumper and replaced it with a steel factory standard unit, which is what it came with when new. Also have a freshly restored set of Fuchs waiting until after paint.

In any case, I plan to drive it possibly another 1000 miles over the next couple months, and then into paint in October. By spring it should be silver once more.

Posted by: 914_7T3 Aug 5 2019, 08:16 PM

As usual, looking great Arne! As for timeline, seems pretty quick to me

Posted by: arne Aug 5 2019, 08:25 PM

Ahh, but we know how long your projects take! And as before, since I'm retired I have a lot more time to spend on this stuff than many do.

Posted by: arne Sep 26 2019, 08:16 PM

The timeline is still good, I'm on track to take the car to the painter next week. I've got the car pretty much stripped.

Posted by: sixnotfour Sep 26 2019, 09:03 PM

911SRegistry

Pelican911forum

Sandbox,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

my 87 Carrera, Backdate

Posted by: sixnotfour Sep 26 2019, 09:11 PM

Posted by: sixnotfour Sep 26 2019, 09:14 PM

the dream


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Posted by: sixnotfour Sep 26 2019, 09:26 PM

Posted by: sixnotfour Sep 26 2019, 09:31 PM

2.4 MFI&915, perfect for a 914

Posted by: arne Oct 24 2019, 11:11 PM

Posted by: 914_7T3 Oct 25 2019, 09:52 PM

Nice Body..................Work! Already in Primer too!

Looking great!

You know its harder to put it all back together, right?

Posted by: arne Oct 25 2019, 10:06 PM

Not harder, just slower.

Posted by: arne Jan 10 2020, 09:34 PM

Posted by: sixnotfour Jan 10 2020, 10:29 PM

so the 911 guys dont like you ...............914.... World ?? @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=179

Posted by: SirAndy Jan 10 2020, 10:38 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=2744

No idea what you are trying to say here ...

Posted by: arne Jan 10 2020, 10:40 PM

I gather that you object to my stopping in periodically to let the friends I made here on 914world know how things are progressing? Odd that no one has complained about this until now, over two years after I started this thread.

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=179 - I suspect you were pinged so that you could take some action on this thread. If you'd prefer I don't stop in, just say the word.

Posted by: sixnotfour Jan 10 2020, 10:42 PM

sandbox...
I have plenty of other projects to clog the 914world with..testing 1.2

Posted by: JRust Jan 10 2020, 10:43 PM

No way Andy your more than welcome. I think just a little misunderstanding there. Jeff is a great guy & has no issue with Porsche guys. I'm sure he was trying to be funny. Please keep posting Arnie. Love to see the projects

Posted by: napasteve Jan 10 2020, 10:54 PM

Here’s another vote for Arne to keep posting. Fantastic work, I love being able to follow.

Posted by: RickS Jan 10 2020, 10:59 PM

Keep it coming. Most car guys enjoy progress reports on like cars and makes.

Posted by: sixnotfour Jan 10 2020, 11:05 PM

just sayin....nothing personal....I have a 87 Carrea Ive been backdating for years,, and a m38a1 since 1967..

Posted by: 914_7T3 Jan 10 2020, 11:52 PM

Posted by: Rleog Jan 11 2020, 05:31 AM

Love both the FJ and 911 projects. Keep the updates coming, Arne.

Posted by: 76-914 Jan 11 2020, 10:01 AM

Keep posting. A little variety is nice for a change. This site put-up with me when I desecrated a 914 by converting it to a water pumping Subaru 6.
EDIT: And Jeff, post up some of your other projects.

Posted by: SirAndy Jan 11 2020, 01:09 PM

I don't have a problem with you posting updates here.


PS: If nothing else, the 911 is a potential parts donor for the 914 so logically, there's plenty of 914 content right here in this thread

Posted by: arne Jan 11 2020, 01:41 PM

True, although it was a lot closer to being a donor when I bought it than it is now.

No worries on my part. I have build threads with more frequent updates on both http://www.early911sregistry.org/forums/showthread.php?142979-Ambition-Fulfilled-my-1972-911T-coupe (detailed) and the http://early911.pca.org/showthread.php?t=35 (simpler). Just milestones here, every 2-3 months until it's mostly done, I figure.

Parts scattered all over the house, awaiting the car's return.

Posted by: Maltese Falcon Jan 11 2020, 01:55 PM

Love the Silver, wife had this color on her new purchase (1978) BMW 320i,
sunroof & we upgraded to 5 speed
BTW we mfg mandrel headers for 4 of your project-list cars ...take your -10% 914World discount too ¡

Posted by: porschetub Jan 11 2020, 03:29 PM

what a BS comment ,your build is of interest to many including myself,we are car guys on here afterall ,a 911 is hardly that OT,many members on here have 911's.
Keep it up ,really nice car .

Posted by: jim_hoyland Jan 11 2020, 05:44 PM

Keep up the posts; love watching others progress...

Posted by: TravisNeff Jan 11 2020, 06:40 PM

Looking good Arne, thanks for sharing!

Posted by: rgalla9146 Jan 11 2020, 07:26 PM

I had a silver '72 E
Never should have sold it.
Nice work. Keep posting.

Posted by: rick 918-S Jan 12 2020, 07:13 AM

Did this 72 Targa some years back.

Posted by: arne Feb 13 2020, 10:51 AM

In my garage now, and reassembly is in progress. Gearing up my resolve to begin a task that is foreign to 914 owners -- installing the headliner!

Posted by: mepstein Feb 13 2020, 11:16 AM

Arne - Looks fantastic. Are you keeping this one?

Posted by: rhodyguy Feb 13 2020, 11:21 AM

SILVER! STUNNING! The brightwork is beautiful. You do great work.

Posted by: arne Feb 13 2020, 01:22 PM

Yes, this one is for me.

Posted by: arne Mar 4 2020, 07:00 PM

Posted by: RickS Mar 4 2020, 10:57 PM

What a knock out job and in my fave Early color. Very well done

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Mar 4 2020, 11:18 PM

Wow, car is gorgeous, Arne! Thank you for sharing your projects here....

There's just something about a cool car freshly repainted in silver—before everything goes back on. Not sure what that is, but I've noticed it across a lot of kinds of cars.

Posted by: Chris H. Mar 5 2020, 07:38 AM

Yeah it's a timeless color. Very "classy" no matter what the trend of the day is. Great work Arne, it's really turned out nice.

Posted by: arne Apr 7 2020, 06:20 PM

First shakedown drive yesterday. Last drive was 6½ months ago. Went well. The steering wheel was a couple of splines off, and I've got something in the back rattling a bit at idle. The rest of the car seems tight and ready to go.

After a few final details, I'm considering the exterior work to be done for now. Yes, at some point I'll start upgrading various bits of exterior trim that I reused from before the paint work, but for now it looks pretty darn good.

On to the interior now.

Posted by: 914_7T3 Apr 7 2020, 06:57 PM

Looks great!

Posted by: arne May 4 2020, 07:09 PM

The interior is now pretty well taken care of too, other than re-wrapping the steering wheel. (Leather for that arrives later this week.) Starting to consider all the A/C parts now. Other than the A/C, the car is ready to drive now.

While I'm not quite ready for something else yet, I am starting to sniff around for my next project. Will have to be a cheap one, as I'm not selling this car (or any other stuff) to finance it.

Posted by: arne May 15 2020, 01:56 PM

Finished wrapping the steering wheel today, getting ready to go for a drive, as the Oregon rain is supposed to return tomorrow.

Scored another missing part this week, still need brackets and knobs. But tested it, and it works great.

Posted by: 914_7T3 May 15 2020, 02:29 PM

Nice radio!

You one of them CW, NOS parts collectors I've been hearing about?

Posted by: arne May 15 2020, 11:22 PM

Nope. Far more likely to buy repro than NOS. Not just the cost, I'd feel bad using and wearing out some rare NOS part.

In fact this radio is far from NOS. Rather used, in fact. I had to spend 10 minutes cleaning it to get it to look that good.

Posted by: arne Aug 23 2020, 11:53 AM

So the 911 is now mostly complete. About all that is left is re-working the factory A/C. No rush there.



So I've been watching for a next project to consume my time. Something fun to build, and that I can sell when done and not get too far underwater in. I think I've got it selected, stay tuned...

Posted by: Tdskip Aug 23 2020, 12:12 PM

Good selection/choices so far - bring it!

Posted by: arne Aug 23 2020, 06:01 PM

Verbal deal made, money changes hands tomorrow.

Posted by: Chris H. Aug 23 2020, 06:51 PM

That'll be a fun one. You going stock? GTI trim? Always thought an engine swap to a slightly more powerful one would make that a great daily driver.

Posted by: arne Aug 23 2020, 06:54 PM

Engine swap is already done, but needs some troubleshooting and tidying. Running a '92 2.0 16v and 5 speed from a Passat. Has already been converted to the round headlight front end, too. So GTI look is a good possibility.

Posted by: Chris H. Aug 23 2020, 07:05 PM

Oh man that's a GREAT one to start with. 2.0 is perfect. Not too crazy but it'll keep up with traffic. Looking forward to the updates as usual!

Posted by: 914_7T3 Aug 23 2020, 07:23 PM

Great choice to go VW water cooled! I’ve seen a lot of nice Corrado/Sciroccos up in the PNW that get me thinking....

Posted by: JRust Aug 23 2020, 07:29 PM

Nice Arne always liked those rabbit(LOL) trucks. I always wanted one for mics little stuff. Be a cool ride for sure

Posted by: arne Aug 23 2020, 08:26 PM

Made me laugh! I've got a combined 10 years in air-cooled cars, all Porsches. (Plus 8 years in Kawi KZ's back in the late '70s and early '80s. Later bikes and ATVs were all water-cooled.)

Water cooled VWs? Let's see, in order...

'78 Scirocco ('79-81)
'81 Scirocco S ('81-'91)
'91 Jetta GLI 16v ('91-09)
'86 GTI 8v ('95-96)
'90 Corrado G60 ('96-97)
'10 Golf TDI ('10-16)

So not new to water cooled, and not even new to the 16v engine.

It's a VW project that I can modify a bit, because it doesn't have to be a daily driver. I'm looking forward to it.

Posted by: horizontally-opposed Aug 23 2020, 10:01 PM

Sounds like a good swap. Grew up in/around one of these, but with the stock US diesel—so slower than molasse.

Saw one in the paddock at Laguna years ago and didn't think too much about it. It was white with Corrado G60 wheels and sat pretty lower (I believe he said he simply flipped the rear axle and then lowered the front accordingly) but was otherwise unremarkable...until I watched it beating up on Porsches on the way up the hill to the Corkscrew. When it passed a 928S up the hill, I really wanted to know more. Was running a G60 engine, too...and I doubt it was stock. Well driven, it was very, very quick.

Posted by: arne Aug 23 2020, 10:42 PM

Stock G60 in the portly Corrado was uninspiring. I was afraid of grenading the supercharger and didn't want to put a smaller pulley on it, but did do some simple plumbing changes (couldn't get away with them in CA) to help keep the boost up while shifting. Better, but not great, the 16v Jetta that was the family car during that time was more entertaining.

But in a lighter Mk1, if you can accept the risk of spinning the G-lader faster than stock, it could make it feel special.

But all in all, I prefer the feel and character of the 16v engines. Which should make this little truck a pile of fun.

Posted by: garrettlee2 Aug 23 2020, 10:54 PM

I’m planning on selling this if you would like a dumb race car

Posted by: arne Aug 24 2020, 01:20 PM

One project at a time. The Caddy will need to be it for a while.

Posted by: arne Aug 25 2020, 09:42 PM

Home now, let the fun begin...

Posted by: Tdskip Aug 26 2020, 07:07 AM

Is that Pre-SMOG by chance?

Posted by: garrettlee2 Aug 26 2020, 08:09 AM

It has a 300hp 1.8t and diesel title

Posted by: Tdskip Aug 26 2020, 08:11 AM

Hey now!

You should totally list that here and on the somber. I’ll touch base separately, don’t want to hijack the thread.

Love the pick up – please keep us posted on the progress

Posted by: porschetub Aug 26 2020, 03:47 PM

The 16v 2.0 engine is a very good engine,much improved torque over the KR 1.8 which I have in my Corrado.
In ROW spec the ABF 2.0 made the same power as the first 20v Mk4 GTI's ,it seems the US version called a 9A had some slight differences but pretty much the same unit.
These motors tune very well and provide good gains when chipped and fitted with a quality header and exhaust.

Posted by: arne Aug 26 2020, 06:21 PM

Got it running today, for a short time. After some troubleshooting I hot wired the fuel pump and it fired right up. Fuel pump relay is toast. New one arrives tomorrow.

Wiring is less than professional, I'm going to have to sort the whole thing, I suspect.

I like the 2.0 16v, and have a lot of seat time with them. We bought a '91 Jetta GLI new in '91, and used it as our family driver until 2002, and as a backup car through 2007 when we gave it to our son. He still owns it.

I don't know if this one is stock internally. It does have a header on it, and no cat.

Posted by: porschetub Aug 26 2020, 10:21 PM

Great to here you got it running,with the Mk1 platform the power to weight should be pretty good.
Good luck.

Posted by: arne Sep 10 2020, 11:27 PM

It should be a fun little truck when I get it done. The 2.0 16v is about twice the power of the original gas 1.7, and almost 3 times as much as the more common diesel pickups. It also has a close-ratio 5 speed with 3.94 final drive from an early GTI. So it will be surprisingly quick. A definite sleeper. The rather plain-looking factory VW wheels were original on the donor Passat, and are actually forged Fuchs, complete with the fox head stamp on the back side. They don't weigh much, extremely light. A good wheel for the sleeper look.

I got it running about a week ago, although not 100% yet. The Motronic ECU is apparently running in limp-home mode. So the AFR is way rich, and there is no ignition advance at all. Indications are that it may have at least one bad knock sensor. So no driving it yet. Brakes have been overhauled, the fronts upgraded to vented rotors. Suspension is ¾ done, will be complete before the week is out. New knock sensors on their way.

Posted by: porschetub Sep 11 2020, 05:00 PM

[quote name='arne' date='Sep 11 2020, 05:27 PM' post='2850221']
[quote name='porschetub' post='2846267' date='Aug 26 2020, 09:21 PM']Great to here you got it running,with the Mk1 platform the power to weight should be pretty good.
Good luck.
[/quote]
It should be a fun little truck when I get it done. The 2.0 16v is about twice the power of the original gas 1.7, and almost 3 times as much as the more common diesel pickups. It also has a close-ratio 5 speed with 3.94 final drive from an early GTI. So it will be surprisingly quick. A definite sleeper. The rather plain-looking factory VW wheels were original on the donor Passat, and are actually forged Fuchs, complete with the fox head stamp on the back side. They don't weigh much, extremely light. A good wheel for the sleeper look.

I got it running about a week ago, although not 100% yet. The Motronic ECU is apparently running in limp-home mode. So the AFR is way rich, and there is no ignition advance at all. Indications are that it may have at least one bad knock sensor. So no driving it yet. Brakes have been overhauled, the fronts upgraded to vented rotors. Suspension is ¾ done, will be complete before the week is out. New knock sensors on their way.
[quote]
Sounds like you are moving on with this,not sure if you know this but the blue temp sensor if faulty will give you the issue you have,if not working or faulty wiring there is no communication with the ECU regarding engine temp status...ask me how I know,mine was a dead wire in the loom,bought a replacement engine loom for cheap and all was good.
Good luck.

Posted by: arne Sep 11 2020, 06:04 PM

I am aware of that. The temp sensor was replaced by the PO last year. I will revisit to look at it again, but I suspect my issue may be the knock sensors, which can also cause this issue.

In any case, the wiring on this truck is and I plan to recheck the entire engine wiring loom.

Posted by: arne Nov 21 2020, 11:53 AM

Still debugging the Motronic injection, problems from sitting too long, as well as ill-advised tampering by the PO. It runs, and shows promise as being really quick. But it doesn't run right yet. Awaiting some additional parts for that now.

Beyond that, the electrical bits have been pretty much dealt with, everything now works again - lights, gauges, etc.

New brakes both ends, including an upgrade to vented GTI up front. Suspension and steering all refreshed as well.

Polished the VW/Fuchs wheels, turned out quite nice.

And now the rust exploration has begun, pictured below is the back half of the passenger floor pan. Rust is present, but not horrible. Better than I feared.

Will be expanding my work to a new area on this one, as I plan to tackle the rust repair myself. New MIG welder should be delivered any day now.

Posted by: porschetub Nov 21 2020, 07:32 PM

Appears you have a very rust free car there the MK 1 was known to rust rather badly,I must as I'am a little confused ask about the fuel system ? that looks like a CIS air trunking or do you have the CIS-E system which uses an ECU ?
Thanks.

Posted by: arne Nov 21 2020, 07:45 PM

Yes, this was apparently an Oregon car since new, which helps a lot on the rust front, as Oregon has never embraced salt for the winter. Our cars are typically a lot less rusty than in many other parts of the country.

I started scraping the tar mat off the front half of the passenger pan today, definitely worse, but still should be fairly easy to fix since half-pans are easily available. And there will be plenty of solid metal to salvage for patches for the rear half. And so far, looks like the rust has not progressed into the rockers.

Engine is a 2.0L 16v from a '91 GTI or possibly Passat, type 9A. The 9A was equipped with CIS-E Motronic. Full fuel and ignition control, including knock sensors. I've had to replace the knock sensors and the ECU so far, and recently determined that someone has tampered with the air flow meter, pretty drastically. I've got a line on a replacement AFM, but the guy I'm getting it from has to find time to dig it out of storage, so it's at least a couple weeks away.

Posted by: arne Dec 27 2020, 10:04 PM

Lots has happened in the last 5 weeks.

First, new MIG welder arrived.



And several boxes of parts, most from the UK. Notable bit include a new stainless header (found some nasty stress cracks in the one the truck came with), tail lights, rust repair panels, front bumper, seats, exterior trim, mirrors, seals, etc.











Rust repair is proceeding.





And lastly, the replacement AFM is STILL not here yet, USPS sat on it in a Connecticut post office for over 2 weeks before it started to move. Hoping for later this week.

Posted by: Maltese Falcon Dec 28 2020, 10:51 AM

My dynamic duo in the early 1980's ; the 2.7/ cis turbo 9146, and 1.5L turbo-diesel 5 speed Wabbit pick-up. The truck was changed out (at 500k miles) to a 1.8L /16v gti engine, with side draft webers.
It was sold to a friend that set up the suspension, and canyon raced it

Posted by: arne Jan 30 2021, 12:40 PM

Replacement AFM was installed, first impression was that it has fixed the running issues, but final judgement will be withheld until the failing fuel pump and partially crushed gas tank are replaced. (Tank is scheduled to arrive any day now.)

Passenger floor pan has been replaced, and more new trim is being test fitted. Second half of the floor pan project will start after the fuel tank and pump have been replaced.

Posted by: IronHillRestorations Jan 30 2021, 05:35 PM

I love those little trucks. A friend had one for years; his had a topper that fit the back perfectly

Posted by: flat4guy Jan 30 2021, 10:11 PM

I've had that same welder for years - love it.

Posted by: arne Mar 20 2021, 10:44 PM

Since the last update, the fuel pump and tank have been replaced, and the second half of the floor pan welded in. New tires next week (the ones on it now are almost 20 years old!). Starting to test fit all the new trim pieces, as I don't want to have to drill holes or tweak fitment after the truck has been painted. While there is still a little non-structural rust left to repair, I'll be talking with the painters about the job in the next couple of weeks.

Posted by: EdwardBlume Mar 21 2021, 06:33 AM

Well done! A joy to see your projects. Keep it up!

Posted by: arne Mar 22 2021, 02:35 PM

Posted by: bigkensteele Mar 22 2021, 07:02 PM

Love this thread Arne! I don't know how you find it in yourself to sell them when you are done.

Is it just me, or is it sitting high. Did you go with performance springs?

Posted by: arne Mar 22 2021, 07:10 PM

It *DOES* look pretty tall in that shot. Partly due to camera angle, partly because I just had it jacked up and it hasn't settled yet, and partly because we are so used to seeing these cars slammed. This one is just totally stock height. I might trim a half turn off the front coils to adjust the rake a bit, but beyond that I'm going to leave it be. If the next owner wants to lower it, how and how far will be their decision.

Posted by: bigkensteele Mar 22 2021, 09:55 PM

If owning three impractical vehicles was practical, I would sign up to be the next owner. I have always loved these things, just not more than my 914 or my Miata.

Posted by: arne Apr 20 2021, 10:37 AM

Not much visible has happened over the past month. Still futzing with the injection. While it does run and drive, it definitely isn't quite right yet. Trying to fix years of neglect, unadvised tampering and sitting unused. I hope I'm getting close. If any of you just happen to have 16v Motronic injection parts sitting on a shelf, let me know!

In the mean while, I have talked with the shop that painted my silver 911, and I'm pretty sure he will get the job, once it runs right and I finish a couple more bits of minor rust repair. Settling in on a couple of colors now.

Oh yeah, there has been a recent addition. The little truck had no radio, speakers or antenna when I bought it. No antenna hole, either, as the fenders installed when it was converted to round headlights had no hole. I plan to put it together "radio delete", but a future owner might want to add a radio. It would be a shame to then have to drill a hole through the fresh paint for an antenna. So I decided that while I would not install a head unit or speakers, I'd go ahead and add an antenna now. And since it is a 16v VW, only one type of antenna will do...

Posted by: 914_7T3 Apr 20 2021, 12:03 PM

Love it!!!

Posted by: arne Aug 5 2021, 03:58 PM

Progress slowed a fair amount during the past couple of months. For one thing, I'm a really slow welder. For another, I took about 4 weeks off to install upgraded A/C in my 911.

So there isn't a lot to show on the Bunny Truck right now. But today I did complete all the welding that I plan to do. It is possible (or actually, rather likely) that my painter will find more work during the body and paint prep. And that's OK. By doing the floor pans, bed floor patch and patching under the rear window myself, I feel pretty good about where I'm at.

Will drive the little guy across town to the paint shop soon, so the painter can see it in person for planning and estimate. Maybe tomorrow if he's available, otherwise sometime next week.

Here's a pic of the A/C result in the '72 911T, plus the current state of the Bunny Truck.

Posted by: wonkipop Aug 6 2021, 04:36 AM

i love utes.
they never sold these golf cart/bugs bunny utes in aus.
pity.
the closest thing down here was a subaru brumby.

its looking good.

Posted by: TRS63 Aug 6 2021, 04:41 AM

My first VW love had one for years, loved it much, had to sell for my ghia sadly

Antoine

Posted by: arne Sep 19 2021, 02:52 PM

Current status:

Posted by: arne Nov 7 2021, 07:08 PM

All body work complete, a bit more blocking and then the painter will start laying down some color. Really straight now.

Posted by: arne Jan 9 2022, 08:25 PM

Still no paint. COVID and such has cramped the paint shop pretty significantly. Painter keeps saying, "Soon." Still waiting.

I got the seats back from the upholstery shop, though...

Posted by: arne Jan 20 2022, 09:39 PM

New paint is on! The truck was not in a spot that lent to good pictures, though...

Posted by: SirAndy Jan 20 2022, 10:13 PM

Posted by: dstudeba Jan 21 2022, 11:32 AM

Enjoy seeing your progress, thanks for posting.

Posted by: arne Feb 26 2022, 06:19 PM

The Bunny Truck® should be coming home next week, as long as I can get it started and running reasonably well after 6 months of sitting.


In the mean while, other vehicle changes. The '72 911T has been sold and was picked up by the transporter earlier today. On its way to Seattle. I picked up its far more modern replacement last week. Son-of-914 - mid-engine 4 cylinder Porsche - 2018 718 Cayman. Whole lot of fun!

Posted by: arne Mar 2 2022, 10:44 PM

Getting closer...

Posted by: Larmo63 Mar 2 2022, 11:40 PM

I had a Rabbit truck that I commuted to work in for a number of years.

Great little vehicle that I converted to Euro look on the front. It saw me through so many situations, a real workhorse.

Posted by: raynekat Mar 3 2022, 12:31 AM

There's a diesel Rabbit pickup on BaT right now. Not affiliated. Sounds like there is not much power in that diesel version.

Posted by: racerbvd Mar 3 2022, 12:46 AM

I've had a few myself, even considered getting another one. Back in high school, a friend had a turbo diesel Sport Truck, it was surprisingly quick, I converted a diesel to GTI specs back in the 80’s.
Had a few diesels later, slow but got great mileage. I still have a factory VW bed cover and Kamei hood scoop.



Attached thumbnail(s)


Attached image(s)

Posted by: arne Mar 8 2022, 11:22 AM

The truck finally came home from the paint shop yesterday, and reassembly has begun in earnest. It is still loud, still quick, but now is a whole lot better looking!

Posted by: Chris H. Mar 8 2022, 02:16 PM

Looks like a VW factory special edition Arne! Great work!

Posted by: arne Mar 8 2022, 07:06 PM

Thanks, Chris. It's coming along nicely.

Posted by: windforfun Mar 10 2022, 02:24 PM

Had a diesel Rabbit. Pedal to the metal to get going.

Posted by: arne Mar 16 2022, 05:17 PM

Dressed the tailgate today. Letters and badge.

Posted by: raynekat Mar 17 2022, 12:10 AM

So are those pre-cut stick-on letters for the "Volkswagen"? Or are you an excellent painter/graphics person?

Looks fantastic.

Might have to start my own post-teener thread.
I've got a "doozy."

Posted by: arne Mar 17 2022, 09:56 AM

Letters were precut. I'm not that good on my own.

I've seen the Lancia picture before, in my "Dark Side" thread on ESR...

Posted by: arne Mar 29 2022, 03:35 PM

The exterior is pretty much done. Working on the interior now, then will clean up under the hood.

Posted by: mb911 Mar 29 2022, 03:39 PM

Looks cool.. I would love to have that truck. I would daily that in the summer

Posted by: Root_Werks Mar 29 2022, 03:46 PM

Very cool! Sure turned out looking great! I agree with others, looks like a factory edition.

Posted by: arne Apr 9 2022, 12:37 AM

Still picking away at the interior, slowly. I keep getting distracted by the replacement for my former '72 911T.

Posted by: arne Apr 23 2022, 08:48 PM

Interior is finished now. I've been driving it a bit now, just because. Will be doing some cleaning and detailing under the hood next. And that will about do it.

Posted by: Chris H. Apr 23 2022, 08:55 PM

Bravo! What's next? Mk1 Scirocco? AWD Quantum with 1.8t?

Posted by: Jett Apr 23 2022, 10:08 PM

Love watching these! Great job!


G60 Corrado, next

Posted by: arne Apr 23 2022, 10:29 PM

Hard to say, it will be whatever I can find as a suitable candidate. This one was a little rougher starting point than I thought it would be, and I'm into it deeper than I planned. It would be nice to find something that didn't need a full-on bare metal repaint. I've done 4 of those in a row now...

Posted by: Cairo94507 Apr 25 2022, 08:48 AM

Arne - I love that VW truck. Great looking and I am sure it will run forever now.

Posted by: arne May 1 2022, 04:18 PM

I've been working on the Bunny Truck's engine compartment over the past few days, making some progress. It's never going to be pristine, but that's not really my goal. It does need to look presentable, though. Still a little more I want to do there, but realistically there's a point of dimishing returns on a job like this, and I'm probably already past it.

Posted by: arne May 3 2022, 09:23 PM

I'm calling it essentially done, other than some final cleaning and such. Posted this along with some pictures on a couple of FB groups and the requests for price and more info have been rolling in. We'll see if any are serious...

Posted by: arne May 27 2022, 08:18 PM

Posted to FB and Vortex this afternoon. Let the games begin...

https://www.vwvortex.com/threads/1981-rabbit-pickup-old-school-16v-restomod.9505563/

Posted by: KELTY360 May 27 2022, 08:45 PM

Nice job, as usual. GLWS

Posted by: Craigers17 May 28 2022, 03:35 AM

That thing is awesome! You've done a great job. This thing's gonna sell quick. I'd pull it and put it on BAT. I think you'd get double what you're asking.....maybe more.

Posted by: arne May 28 2022, 10:42 AM

I did give both BaT and Cars&Bids some thought. But both of them will only list it at No Reserve due to the branded title, even though the brand is not quite what it looks like. I'm not quite ready to take that risk yet.

But if I don't get any serious interest within a couple weeks, then I can assume I either have it priced wrong or don't have enough eyes on it. And selling it on one of the auction sites at no reserve solves both of those issues. So it could still happen.

Posted by: raynekat May 30 2022, 05:05 PM

So tempted on this one....

Posted by: arne May 30 2022, 06:29 PM

Pop down to Eugene and see it in person.

Posted by: arne Jun 13 2022, 06:25 PM

Sold it today.

Posted by: 914_7T3 Jun 13 2022, 06:47 PM

Congratulations Arne! Came out great!

Posted by: Chris H. Jun 13 2022, 07:16 PM

Ugh thank God! I have NO ROOM for any cars but that one was so tempting. Congrats Arne.

Posted by: arne Sep 11 2022, 03:46 PM

Up next, Project #6 - 1964 Chevy C-10

Should be picking up a stalled project tomorrow. A '64 C-10 short step side. Converted to a 305 V8 (5.0L) and a overdrive manual transmission. Not as fast as it looks or as it will sound, so I hesitate to call it a "hot" rod -- maybe it's a warm rod.

This will be a new experience for me, I do NOT need to paint this one! Oh happy day!

Posted by: arne Oct 6 2022, 12:47 PM

Picking away...

Posted by: arne Nov 27 2022, 09:40 PM

Posted by: ConeDodger Nov 27 2022, 10:51 PM

Nice Arne! A C10 has always been on my mind for a toy…

Posted by: rhodyguy Nov 28 2022, 07:36 AM

Stepside short bed. Pretty cool. A gentleman farmer’s PU to drive to the diner for AM coffee.

Posted by: Chris H. Nov 28 2022, 08:28 AM

Nice color. I like it.

Posted by: arne Nov 28 2022, 07:36 PM

Well Rob, just like all my retirement projects, this one will be for sale when it's done. ETA late spring or early summer 2023.

One more pic for today...

Posted by: arne Dec 8 2022, 01:41 PM

Test fit before paint.

Posted by: arne Dec 14 2022, 07:13 PM

With the new wheels. Looks more finished than it really is...

Posted by: arne Jan 6 2023, 05:17 PM

Finally getting to the interior.

Posted by: 76-914 Jan 6 2023, 07:01 PM

This brings back memories. I had a 65 Fleetside with a 292-6 and 3 speed w/OD. I put 300K on that engine then gave it to my yardman after I dropped a 327-300 in it. He drove the 292 for another 5 years then he died but that damned engine was still running. I used to go thru all 6 gears using hi/lo just to turn heads. Sell it before the tranny needs planetary gears. They're scarce IIRC. GLWS

Posted by: raynekat Jan 6 2023, 08:42 PM

This will be a sweet ride when finished for sure....

Posted by: arne Jan 7 2023, 10:09 PM

I bought it on a bit of a whim, as (like the FJ40 a while back), it is well outside my normal range. It just looked like an easy rescue.

But the farther I go on it, the cooler it gets. I'm having a lot of fun building it.

Posted by: arne Jan 8 2023, 08:28 PM

No planetaries in this 'box. It's a somewhat rare 4 speed manual with 4th gear as an 0.75 overdrive. Looks and shifts like a Muncie 4 speed. Not good for high HP/torque applications, but fine behind this mostly stock 305.

More parts today. Gonna transform the steering...

Posted by: arne Feb 11 2023, 10:09 PM

The new power rack is installed, fed by a Volvo electric hydraulic pump. Nothing old school here.



And the seat got new foam and covers, too.

Posted by: arne May 5 2023, 05:40 PM

Almost done. All that's left is new A/C, the parts for which should arrive late next week.

Posted by: Chris H. May 5 2023, 07:15 PM

Looks great Arne! Those wheels really changed the look.

Posted by: arne May 17 2023, 07:44 PM

A/C installation has commenced.

Posted by: arne May 23 2023, 09:45 PM

A/C install is complete. Evac and charge scheduled for next week.



Then just a few minor touch up items. I plan to attend a local American Classic show and cruise on June 3rd, with a For Sale sign in the back window.

Posted by: East coaster May 24 2023, 05:48 AM

Truck looks great!

Posted by: arne Jun 16 2023, 08:27 PM

The A/C was charged a couple of weeks ago, and—as they say in all the car ads—blows COLD.



Took some time to squash a couple of small bugs, and I'm now declaring it to be finished. I will clean it up a bit, do a few final touch-ups, and then start marketing it. Considering BaT, but we haven't agreed on a reserve yet.

Posted by: arne Jun 24 2023, 09:26 PM

Accepted by BaT earlier this week. Should go live in 3-4 weeks, so they say.

Posted by: rhodyguy Jun 25 2023, 07:50 AM

GLWTS. Turned out sweet. If it had an 8’ bed I would buy it.

Posted by: raynekat Jul 15 2023, 01:41 AM

Can't to see it on BaT.

Posted by: wonkipop Jul 15 2023, 01:47 AM

love it.

fan of utes myself, but a pick up truck is the next best thing.
and that ones a ripper.

Posted by: arne Jul 25 2023, 12:07 PM

Still waiting. Despite BaT's early promise of 3-4 weeks, I figure I've got another 2 weeks or more. Definitely a bit of less-than-honest time estimates from them.

Posted by: arne Aug 4 2023, 02:53 PM

It's show time!!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1964-chevrolet-c10-stepside-23/

Posted by: championgt1 Aug 5 2023, 08:09 AM

Best of luck with the sale. That is a damn nice truck!

Posted by: Shivers Aug 5 2023, 09:39 AM

She sure came out nice. Reading the comments there were a few 305 haters. In that light of a truck it should be a great power plant. Good luck on the sale

Posted by: arne Aug 5 2023, 04:21 PM

You can't auction any vehicle on BaT without a hater or two popping in. You just have to roll with it. On the whole, the comments have been mostly positive, so it's been easy so far.

Posted by: euro911 Aug 10 2023, 12:12 PM

Nice. My dad had a '65 C20 fleetside long bed - that's what I learned to drive in

Posted by: rhodyguy Aug 11 2023, 10:15 AM

My dad had a 64’, in-line 6 and ‘3 on the tree’. He wouldn’t spend the $15 for a dealer installed AM radio. Traded that in on a 70’ Datsun 510 wagon. It had a radio.

Posted by: arne Aug 11 2023, 06:26 PM

Reserve not met...

Posted by: arne Aug 31 2023, 02:23 PM

Sold locally today.

Now I can start looking for something new...

Posted by: 73-914 Aug 31 2023, 04:28 PM

Never knew Chevy used Chrysler transmissions. Great job finishing it.

Posted by: krazykonrad Sep 2 2023, 05:51 PM

That's one nice looking truck!

Posted by: arne Oct 27 2023, 10:42 PM

Project #7 begins tomorrow. 1974 Capri V6...

Posted by: KELTY360 Oct 27 2023, 10:50 PM

Cool car. This should be fun.

Posted by: Jett Oct 28 2023, 08:00 AM

Can’t wait… I grew up with a friend that had five of these beauties. What color is it going?

Posted by: KELTY360 Oct 28 2023, 08:05 AM

Always thought it was nicely styled but never understood why it wasn’t a hatchback.

Posted by: East coaster Oct 28 2023, 03:43 PM

I had a ‘73 (in’79), they’re cool cars.

Posted by: fiacra Oct 28 2023, 05:48 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=20799 Any chance this is the correct front fender emblem/nameplate for your Capri? Sure looks like it, but I can't find any clear pictures online and the part number on the sticker doesn't show up in a Google search. NOS part that came with a stockpile of parts I bought years ago at an estate sale. Marked "made to west German specification." The part number starts with a 74 and I believe the V6 in 1974 was a 2.8. The back is marked "G 68250" and a search does show that as a Capri part, although I can't find a picture. Yours for free if it's for your car.

Posted by: Shivers Oct 28 2023, 07:07 PM

At about the same time the gremlin and the pacer were out there with a hatchback. I’m pretty sure they did make a hatchback too

Posted by: arne Oct 28 2023, 11:09 PM

Color - Original looks to be a silver-blue, so I think I'll bring that back.

Hatchback was introduced in '74 (Europe) or '76 (US).

Yes that is correct for my car! I'd love to have it. PM me and we'll work out the details.

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 29 2023, 10:16 PM

@http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=20799

ford capri = one of coolest cars from late 60s/early 70s.

the hot oz capris got the super-roo sticker same as the big falcon GTHO V8s.
same sticker i sent over to the @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=2755

have not seen one in the flesh out on the streets down here for a long long time.
all hidden away in collections these days.
same sexy little rectangular headlights that the ford escorts had.
some great cars came out of ford UK / ford Europe.

Posted by: KELTY360 Oct 29 2023, 10:24 PM

Interesting. In the US they were sold as Mercurys.

Posted by: wonkipop Oct 29 2023, 10:30 PM

ford did the same thing in the 90s when they sold the mercury capri convertible.
which had many flaws.
not least of being released against the mazda miata.

that mercury capri was sourced from australia where it was designed and built using mazda 323 mechanicals!!!!! irony or ironies.
down here it was a ford capri.

likewise the mercury cougar of the late 90s was imported down here from the USA as a niche model and sold as a ford cougar!!!!

the mercury capri of the 90s was not a great car much as i would like to be patriotic.
although some of the very last of the line got a fair bit more sorted and are kind of half treasured and stashed away now. a car that is hardly seen anymore except in the junkyards.


a great uk/euro ford was the cortina.
stacks of them down here.
don't think you guys ever got the cortina?
in lotus gt form a red hot little car.
highly treasured. saw one this morning when out for my walk parked outside the workshop local to me.

Posted by: arne Oct 29 2023, 10:42 PM

Ford was afraid that if the Capris were sitting on the Ford lot next to the Pintos, no one would buy a Pinto. So the Lincoln-Mercury dealers got them instead. The L-M dealers got all the cool Ford imports - Pantera (partially Ford), Capri and Merkur XR4ti (Ford Sierra).

Posted by: Chris H. Oct 30 2023, 08:02 AM

Love the Capri. My Dad had one (early '70s). Can the bumpers be back dated? Assuming so but not familiar enough with them.

Posted by: rjames Oct 30 2023, 09:30 AM

Another big fan of the Capri. Friend had one in high school. Engine sounded good and it felt fast (at least to me at the time). About 20 years ago I went looking to see if I could pick one up cheap. I hadn't realized how popular/rare they had become. I thought I could maybe find one for cheap. I was wrong.
There is one rotting away under a tarp around the corner, but it's too far gone.

Posted by: arne Oct 30 2023, 10:32 AM

Bumper backdate is definitely possible, if you can find them. Nice bumpers are harder to come by than the cars themselves here in the US.

Posted by: jd74914 Oct 30 2023, 10:33 AM

Very cool!

My dad had a few back in the day and I've always wanted one but around here they are pretty rare. Looking forward to seeing your progress as usual!

Posted by: Maltese Falcon Oct 30 2023, 02:41 PM

Yup the SuperRoo...it rides today on my hauler PowerStroke 6.7 turbo diesel. Small World but in the '70-'80s when MSDS was located in Culver City, there was a retail & mail-order Import Speed shop on Washington Blvd. The owners Don and Bill were aka DOBI Co. Specializing in Datsun, Toyota + Capri.
We mfg several of their specialty products for over 2 decades. Don had a metallic blue Capri with an AK Miller turbo (Garrett) kit on it, with Fat tires on wide Centerlines...it was stolen + recovered at least once a year !!

Posted by: arne Nov 10 2023, 10:35 PM

Waiting on parts for the fuel and cooling systems, so I started on the wheel refresh. One down...

Posted by: arne Dec 3 2023, 08:36 PM

Since that last post, I've finished de-smogging the engine, verified that it runs (yay!), refinished all the wheels and installed the new tires, done a complete brake overhaul (master cylinder, hoses and all), and started putting the dash back together at least far enough to be drivable.

More to come, of course.

Posted by: orthobiz Dec 3 2023, 08:58 PM

I had a 73 V6 Capri in 75. It was blue, had the decor group with the rear molded seats and AC but no sunroof. My dad wanted me to get a brown Audi Fox automatic: all it did was shift in and out of second gear, what a dog! Got the manual Capri instead, they were 4 speeds, right?

I installed a switch that allowed the fans for the AC to work without the compressor, making the cabin way more comfortable on those in between days.

Rubbed the paint down to primer in the front learning how to use Blue Coral.

The shifter broke off in my hand on the way back to Stony Brook, NY after seeing Little Feat open for Procol Harum in Westchester, NY. Made it back last part of the way powershifting.

I appropriated a set of front seatbelt buckles from a wreck in my neighborhood. That was a 74 innovation, mine had limp short belts that sat on the floor.

Of course, the map light was the coolest feature of all! And the Pirellii CN36's weren't bad either.

Thanks for the memories!

Paul

Posted by: Chris H. Dec 3 2023, 10:39 PM

I remember that tach...they printed the whole RPM number 1000 -2000- 3000 etc. lot of digits on that thing.

Posted by: mlmgm Dec 9 2023, 05:43 PM

Love your projects and the Capri will be a nice one to watch. My first car was a '73 V6 four speed in 1974, great fun. Second car was a '70 914/6 in 1978 and I still have it.

Posted by: rhodyguy Dec 9 2023, 05:48 PM

When I was stationed in Germany there were 4 Capris that raced around town. Flares, big tires and turbo V-6s.

Posted by: arne Dec 13 2023, 10:15 PM

Engine tuning and refresh is mostly done. Much cleaning of oily gunk, valve adjustment, rebuilt carb. Lots of oily gunk. Someone's idea of dealing with leaky cork valve cover gaskets was to just keep tightening them down until they were paper thin. Who knows how many years they'd been leaking.

I decided not to mess with the ignition yet, as I knew it worked as is, and why introduce an additional change when messing with a fresh carb.

Runs much better, idles smoothly at around 800 rpm, revs cleanly. So I'll probably pull the distributor for cleaning, service and normal tune-up stuff soon.

This means I should be able to drive it to DMV for VIN check and papers soon.

Posted by: SirAndy Dec 13 2023, 11:40 PM

They were very common in the '70s in Germany, even in the back woods where i grew up.

Posted by: arne Dec 14 2023, 12:43 AM

It turns out that backdating the rear bumper requires significant metal surgery to trim the impact bumper mounts and fill the holes (which are too low in the valance to be covered by the little chrome parts). I really don't want to hack up this totally rust-free shell, so I'll be refurbishing the original big bumpers instead.

Posted by: Chris H. Dec 14 2023, 09:39 AM

Yeah that does not sound at all worth the trouble. Definitely not as easy to back date as a 914 that's for sure! It'll look great as is once it's all cleaned up.

Posted by: arne Dec 18 2023, 11:14 PM

Well, DMV trip still on hold. The car runs well with new carb and ignition tune up, until you work it hard. Under load (like steep uphill pulls in my neighborhood), it quickly stalls out. It felt to me like the float bowl ran dry. The car was equipped with a small electric fuel pump shortly before it was parked back in 2008 or so. Running that pump with the hose from the carb inlet pointing into a beaker delivered a sad trickle of fuel. I'm not sure if the pump is bad, or just not big enough—it claims to output at 2.0-3.5 psi and 28 gph. Specs I've found for V6 pumps seem to vary from 3.75 to 7.0 psi.

The original engine-driven pump was still mounted on the block. I think I'm going to revert to that style rather than another electric. So still not drivable yet. I'll spend some of the time waiting for a new pump refinishing the air cleaner.

Posted by: arne Dec 23 2023, 09:35 PM

Still waiting on the fuel pump, so I clean and refurb other stuff to pass the time.

Posted by: arne Dec 31 2023, 07:06 PM

Fuel pump arrived a couple days ago, and works well. The car is a little fussy when cold, but runs well once warmed up. Nice, smooth idle at 600-700 rpm. Pulls cleanly, shifts well. Final prep for the trip to DMV for papers is pretty well complete. Last bit is the wipers, since rain is predicted all week. I dislike modern black plastic wiper blades on vintage cars like these, so I was happy to find a pair of period-correct silver Anco Aero wiper blades in the car when I bought it. I refinished the arms and blades in matte silver. The proper vintage-style refills won't be here for a bit yet, but if they don't arrive before I need to drive to DMV I found I can rob the blades from my '96 Tacoma—they fit just fine.

Posted by: arne Feb 3 2024, 09:23 PM

Since the last episode:

Another milestone - the Capri is now registered and road legal. First time in almost 15 years.

The drive across town went well, up until it didn't. The engine, transmission and brakes all work well. Suspension was very soft up front, needed to get some new struts.

Got the paperwork completed, and went to start it for the drive home, and the only ignition key broke off in the ignition. Since none of the lower dash parts were in place yet, I was able to remove the steering lock from the column and quickly hot wire it to get home. Annoying, but not horrible. I got the broken key extracted, and pulled the ignition tumbler to get the key code to have a couple new keys cut.

Still pretty good feeling to have it registered...



This past month brought a nasty ice storm (almost 2 ½" accumulated on the ground), new parts, new plans, and more.

First, working under this (and other) car(s) is going to be a lot easier after the delivery of a set of QuickJacks. Not sure why I waited so long on these, but that's sometimes how I roll. Saved $500 by getting an 'open-box' set direct from QuickJack. Going to be a nice help on this and future projects.



New OE-type strut inserts from the UK are now installed, and have restored the ride and handling to a nice, original feel. I did find that the internal steering rack bushing is bad, and will replace that as soon as the part arrives. Otherwise the suspension is pretty well under control.

A small shipment from Denmark brought a left quarter window trim and a used turn signal switch. Both parts are extremely nice, and the turn signal finally cancels reliably, every time, either direction.

Still waiting for a final quote on the paint, the shop had some computer issues last week that have set him behind.

But in preparation for that, I've re-worked my schedule and plans. I was planning to drop the oil pan for new gaskets and clean the engine from years of oil leaks, but it sounds like the paint shop may want the car within a couple of weeks. So I don't think I want to pull the engine apart just yet.

Related to that, I think the engine cleaning and resealing is going to go a bit farther than I had originally planned. The farther I dig into this car, the more it looks like (with no way to confirm) that the 76k on the odometer might be original and correct. I'm reasonably comfortable that it hasn't rolled over yet. Which means that I'm fairly sure the original and notorious fiber timing gear has probably not been replaced. So the oil pan drop will be expanded to include pulling the timing cover, and most likely the replacement of the gears. Will probably replace the water pump as well, as long as I have it off anyway.

So today, in preparation for the upcoming repaint, I removed the entire heater-A/C box from the car. This is a rather major project on the '74 factory A/C cars. But it had to be done as the entire system (including the cowl plenum) is stuffed full of leaves, pine needles and other related junk that must be cleaned from the cowl before it can be painted. Will begin cleaning out all the crud tomorrow.

Posted by: KELTY360 Feb 4 2024, 08:40 AM

Really enjoy seeing your process Arne. You pick interesting cars and thoroughly sort them out. Somebody is going to get a great car.

Posted by: arne Feb 9 2024, 06:58 PM

The Capri goes in for paint a week from Monday. Final trim and glass removal is in progress.

Posted by: arne Feb 12 2024, 07:38 PM

Disassembly complete. No surprises, no rust in the window channels. On track for the painter next week.

Interesting side note, these German Fords are similar to the 914 in one way—the front fenders are welded in place, not easily removable.

Posted by: raynekat Feb 12 2024, 11:50 PM

Arne...your projects are almost more interesting than the 914 projects here.
Sorry 914World.

Keep posting brother...

Posted by: Chris H. Feb 13 2024, 07:41 AM

That thing looks very straight. The paint is going to transform it.

Posted by: arne Feb 17 2024, 10:24 PM

It IS very straight. Not a single door ding on either side, thanks to the much maligned dealer-installed side moldings.

Posted by: Front yard mechanic Feb 18 2024, 04:32 AM

Nice! a silver turd

Posted by: KELTY360 Feb 18 2024, 08:07 AM

Those side moldings had a natural place to ride on the Capri styling line, unlike the 914 where with the slab side they just look tacked on.

Posted by: Rufus Feb 18 2024, 09:01 PM

This brings back memories of my 1st new car; a ‘72 Capri 2600 V-6.

Good luck with the project arne

Posted by: arne Feb 19 2024, 12:32 PM

On its way to the painter this morning.

Posted by: arne Feb 24 2024, 12:30 PM

Had a chat with the paint shop owner yesterday, now that they have had some time to touch the car and look for things they missed on the original estimate. And while I always expect these jobs to cost more than they first say, in this case the estimate was pretty good—largely because the car is solid.

It will require a lot of surface prep, due to the desert sunburned paint, but we knew that going in. No real surprises there. But the bumpers are a bit worse than we thought, and will require extra attention. Still far less expensive than sourcing and converting to chrome, though.

Estimating 3-4 weeks in the shop.

Posted by: arne Mar 4 2024, 08:03 PM

Visited the car in the shop last week. Progress is being made. No new surprises since the last visit. The first of the 2 badly weather-checked rubber-like bumpers has been prepped, and looks good, ready for paint.

Posted by: arne Mar 10 2024, 09:48 PM

Posted by: arne Mar 14 2024, 05:31 PM

Fresh out of the booth...

Posted by: KELTY360 Mar 14 2024, 06:08 PM

That’s gonna be a shoe piece.

Posted by: rhodyguy Mar 14 2024, 06:16 PM

The market for the V-6s seems pretty robust. Very shiny.

Posted by: Millerwelds Mar 14 2024, 06:26 PM

A client of mine has this for sale right now. For those who enjoy a different build this one is special:

https://www.2shores.com/en/cars/offers/1973-Ford-Capri-RS-2600/333/detail

Posted by: arne Mar 14 2024, 10:20 PM

Yeah, he's posted a lot of pics on the North American Capri FB group, which is probably not the right market place for that car, most of the people there are after cheaper projects. And I'm certain that car will not go cheaply.

I should be able to bring mine home early next week.

Posted by: arne Mar 18 2024, 06:44 PM

First pic in natural daylight. At home in the garage now, reassembly in progress.

Posted by: arne Mar 20 2024, 07:34 PM

Posted by: Chris H. Mar 20 2024, 08:01 PM

Wow that turned out great. Is that the original color or did you add some blue to it? Either way it looks awesome.

Posted by: arne Mar 20 2024, 09:16 PM

In theory, it's the original color. 1974 Mercury paint code 3, listed as either Stardust Silver or Stardust Blue, depending on what paint book you look in. Description was a light silver-blue.

In the real world with today's paints, it is more blue than I expected, based on the door jambs and such. But it's possible that all the paint on the car has faded over time, as I've seen period photos of this color that look more like what I have now.

As you said, it does look good, and appropriate for a car of this vintage.

Posted by: raynekat Mar 22 2024, 08:40 PM

Paint looks very flat. Assuming you’re doing all the wet sanding and polishing on this project? Looks great.

Posted by: arne Mar 23 2024, 06:55 PM

Nah, I pay people to do that work. Not fun for me at all. And these projects are all about the fun.

Posted by: KELTY360 Mar 23 2024, 06:58 PM

I’d have a hard time letting that one go.

Posted by: arne Mar 23 2024, 10:27 PM

It is a really great example. I doubt I'll ever see one as dry and solid ever again. But I don't keep these projects when complete. I have to sell them to make way for the next one.

Posted by: Chris H. Mar 24 2024, 09:44 AM

Those are so hard to find in decent shape.

Posted by: arne Mar 26 2024, 09:06 PM

Back on the ground again, with almost all of the exterior trim installed. Installed the new steering rack internal bushing yesterday. Starting on one of my less favored jobs now—new headliner.

Posted by: Root_Werks Mar 27 2024, 08:42 AM

Grew up with a V6 Vega. Small car, decent power = fun.

Looking very good!

Posted by: Chris H. Mar 28 2024, 07:21 AM

you won't find another one like that. As long as that plastic timing gear thing is addressed it should be very reliable and a lot of fun to drive. Plus it's a manual which is awesome.

Posted by: Front yard mechanic Mar 28 2024, 07:42 AM

The car looks fantastic now you have a blue turd

Posted by: Tdskip Mar 28 2024, 09:55 AM

I had a 1971 Road/race Capri and was just a ton of fun.

Enjoy the process.

And yeah, I’d be interested when time comes to sell it @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=20799

Posted by: arne Mar 28 2024, 04:32 PM

I'll add you to my contact list, @http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showuser=21666

Posted by: arne Mar 29 2024, 12:50 PM

New headliner install has been postponed due to mis-boxed product. Vendor is handling the issue well, but there is still going to be some delay before the correct item arrives.

In the meanwhile, I've started fitting the new carpet instead.

Posted by: arne Apr 1 2024, 06:58 PM

Side glass and trim is all in place now. Still waiting on more parts.

Posted by: arne Apr 8 2024, 03:54 PM

New headliner snugged into place and glued from the B pillars forward. Will begin final stretch and fit on the rear half tomorrow.

Posted by: Cairo94507 Apr 8 2024, 04:28 PM

My brother bought a Capri, V-6, 5 speed, brand new. It was a cool car.

Posted by: arne Apr 8 2024, 05:48 PM

Must have been a 4 speed. Ford didn't offer 5 speeds in North American Capris.

Posted by: wonkipop Apr 9 2024, 12:33 AM

ace looking car

but i sure am glad aussie capris never copped the collision bumpers.

but its looking good regardless. .

Posted by: raynekat Apr 9 2024, 11:01 PM

Arne's cars are always drop dead gorgeous when he gets done with them.