[LubsDaDubs]

In for this build

 

[ZoSo914]

Looks just like my '76 wallow tail. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

 

[boomenstein]

Looks just like my '76 wallow tail. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Good luck with the build!

Nice Porsche in the back ground

 

[boomenstein]

Ok so I suck at updating build threads, so I will just do a big one now.

So over Christmas I worked on the wiring harness, it had some broken wires and lots of corrosion on the 42 year old crimp connectors.
So I went through alot of it repairing wires with a donor harness to try to keep the color scheme correct.

Tools of Choice Deoxit D5 and a shotgun cleaning kit, and of course a soldering iron. Deoxit is amazing stuff, if you are having contact issues I would recommend cleaning the contacts with this first before replacing.

I was able to hunt down some correct connectors to keep the OEM look for the missing or broken quick connects.

You need a special crimp tool to make it look good tho, it was pricey but I am sure I will use it often.


After going through the harness with it out of the car I started to install. The previous owner removed coming out of the inside of the car, I believe this was to preserve the harness as there were wires with no disconnects running to different multi-pin connectors. Unfortunately to install it from the inside cabin to engine bay is a complete pain so I removed the wires that were holding the different harnesses together from the connector, didn't have the tool to remove them so kinda yanked them out using a circular motion lol, it worked on all but one.
Luckily I had already got some of the replacement Female pins so I just crimped on a new one.

Unfortunately the connector is for 14-18 awg wire so it didn't crimp very well, I will have to try and source the correct pin but this is holding with continuity.

Here it is installed



I then started working on the inside but realized I had a problem, to get an idea of where to route things I grabbed the gauge cluster, I was going to use the one from my '75 Rocco as it was in good shape but I realized that the early rabbits had a 12pin connector on the back of the tach and most others are 10 pin, I believe the extra 2 pins are for the EGR and CAT warning lights on the dash. So I went to replace the tach with the original one I got from the car and discovered it to be damaged with a burnt trace, I tried repairing it as you can see in the pic below but as I was installing it the trace broke.

Here you can see the extra lights receptacles for the additional warning lights.


So I must decide, I was not planning on running the emissions stuff on the car so I can just replace it all, even the bezel and it will look like it was never there, but kinda takes away from the original car...decisions!

Here is the Rocco tach, no voltage regulator as well.


Other then that i decided to solve my issue with the steering column bushing I just cut a notch in the old steering column to accept the newer style bushing, that way I can have my shorty widow maker steering column in place :laugh:
Also installed the heater core.
Both these really sucked to install, I found the proper spring for the steering column and it was a battle to get it in, I now know why they are missing on all these old cars...

 

[69clark]

Good work. Love the updates.

 

[WhtRabbitJoe77]

Going to be following this as a reference to help put my 77 back together. I have to ask how did you clean the harness, it looks new?

 

[boomenstein]

Going to be following this as a reference to help put my 77 back together. I have to ask how did you clean the harness, it looks new?

The shot of the connector is a new one. As far as the rest of it I would remove the connectors from any hosing and spray with deoxit scrub with a small brass brush from the shotgun cleaning kit then a tooth brush. I would say on the engine bay wiring harnesses I have 40 hours atleast in on cleaning and repairing .:banghead:
It was pretty grimy bring so old.

 

[MK5_GUY]

following

 

[jack rabbit speed shop]

Keep up the good work!

 

[throttle grotto]

here's the pics I promised you of the car, the first ones are from before I got it, in eastern WA.

and how it showed up at the shop.

and a few while I was working on it, removing all the orange spray paint and polishing.

you can see the 2nd one in the back right of these photos, I still have it.

And loading on the trailer to go bye-bye...

Hope this helps put together a little more history.

 

[BoostedOne]

I love your project, thats a find! With how well you straightened out the bay, i look forward to seeing the rest of it.

Can I ask what are the details on your crimper, and where you actually located the male/female pins for the harness? I have been making do by scavenging wire stubs from a late model cabby harness then soldering and heat shrinking but would like to just use the correct pins new.

And can you show a pic of your connector for the cluster? I have some european market tach clusters from early cars to put into my 79 build to replace the cyclops. But I noticed that the pin count on the euro clusters are 10 pin. I think I might have one thats a 12 pin. But all my bentley diagrams(US market cars) show a 14 pin connector there, even going back to the 70s I think? I am just trying to get to the bottom of where to source the connector from. I thought maybe it was a rocco thing so I bought a dash harness from a guy from a 77 or so, and it had the 14 pin, so i am a little stumped.

 

[boomenstein]

Lagomorph thanks for those pics! Sorry took so long to respond, family has been off and on sick since Christmas!
Hope to get back to this soon :banghead:

 

[thegave]

 

[Steppin Razor]

This is the bushing that is hard to find, anyone has one please let me know!

If you Google the part number -in quotations- there used to be one site that sold them... decently priced, if I remember correctly.

and how it showed up at the shop.

Thought it looked familiar... Hi, Jeff. :wave:

 

[fakename]

What color code is the orange on your rabbit?

 

[boomenstein]

Well been slacking on this post lol. I have mostly been searching for parts. I finally found a 61mm motor mount for the passanger side from very heritage. Cost a fortune but let me keep the original mount. Also hunted down the LH threaded flex hose for the girling calipers as well had to buy 1 new caliper due to one being beyond repair. As well got the brake lines about 80% done and booster in.

 

[scheinwerfer]

Keep em comin' I'm loving this thread and project

 

[boomenstein]

What color code is the orange on your rabbit?

Late reply...I believe it is Rally Red

 

[iLag]

Late reply...I believe it is Rally Red

I know I am reviving an old thread, but it is because I wanted to say I currently own this car now. I bought it off boomenstein. Great guy!

Quick update:
-Still in Canada
-When I bought it in 2019 (I think, maybe it was 2018), it was a running driving car, so this build did get completed.
-I drove it for two weeks and a rod got sent through the block of the 1.5L engine.
-I put in a 1.7 and a 5-speed in it and drove it daily for the summer.
- it has been a beautiful daily driver for me (Summers only) and I am so glad to own it (it was my dream car).

Here are some pictures of it when I took it to Berlin Klassik

:

I am currently trying to source the chrome strip for the back hatch it originally had, and you can see it in the pictures above. PLEASE, if anyone has one let me know.

Thanks!

 

[DrunkFingaz]

So I have got the great opportunity to get myself a 1975 Swallowtail,build date of 11/74 !
So how does one go about getting a decent price on an exceptionally solid swallow tail you may ask...well you buy it completely disassembled of course!
This beauty has original paint and floors, very solid, it came form Washington and by the looks of it must have been garage kept, I believe it has 55K Miles on it.
At some point it was in an accident on the front drivers corner, someone replaced the front inner fender and part of the Rad support, the job was done solid but not finished very nice.

So here is my challenge of putting it all back together

I am hoping this will only take a couple months...big task ahead.

Here is how she came to me.





After a lengthy interview with the previous owner he entrusted me with this task and we loaded all the parts into the cabin and a few days later I had it shipped to it's new home.
He gave it a proper send of and wrapped it up very nicely!



Safely in the womb to be reborn


I started by cleaning up the engine bay and cleaning up the welds and a little filler on it before paint.
I got some color matched acrylic enamel for the engine bay, turned out ok, a little brighter then the rest of the car but not bad.

Great work