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Whiskey Tango

14K views 62 replies 14 participants last post by  flowmastergfunk 
#1 · (Edited)
Without a massive backstory, I have wanted a Fox wagon for many moons, and finally picked one up with my gf last week! My rabbit is a great car, but aesthetically, it is a huge project. The Fox is gorgeous as it stands, and is ready to drive as a DD...

...or so I thought. We all know how it goes. There is a LOT too look for when buying an old car, but even when you know what to look for, it takes time for some things to rear their heads.









It had a few hundred miles to be driven home, but it ran and drove great. 96k on the clock, and the engine isn't tired in the least bit. I put the MOMO shift knob and wheel in it when I got home, but the interior is all stock and pretty clean. The vinyl atop the doors is starting to come loose, so I will have to reglue it soon. Centeter console and shift boot have some cracks, but not bad.

The paint has been resprayed at some point, but it was hard to tell. It was done well! I think they had the windows out and everything. There is one little ding in the drivers door that should pop out, and a few scuffs that were hit with touch up paint. All in all, it looks newer than many cars 20 years younger. Not sure how I feel about the moonroof being cut in, but again, it was well done. I also tinted the cracked tail lights when got it back to the garage, and really love the way it looks with this color in particular. I am particularly pleased to do away with the orange. The reverse lights didn't work, but I will be wiring in an aftermarket LED unit for better visibility.




Shocks and struts are new, and it feels comfortable. Not race suspension like the rabbit, but appropriate for DD'ing and cruising. Still, I need more wheel and rubber. Probably doing bottlecaps just like the rabbit.

Engine is also stock. I know the 8v engine well, but have more experience with CIS basic and CIS lambda. My CIS-e knowledge is mostly with Mercedes, so it will be nice getting intimate with it in a VW application. When we showed up to pick up the car, I already had my K&N in hand. I ripped out the intake heat exchanger and tossed in the filter before I even hit the road haha.

The previous owner already replaced fuel pump (pumps?), and had the tank cleaned out, so I hope not to have any fuel issues any time soon. The catback exhaust was replaced, but it is pretty ricey. I changed the pre-cat gasket as soon as I got home, and now the exhaust note is unbearable to my taste.



It bumped new exhaust up to the top of the list for me. I hope to get it to my good friend Ed Hanson soon, so he can work his magic as he has for every car I have ever owned. It will likely see 2 1/4 and a magnaflow like the rabbit. Rare as they seem to be, he will probably be building my a dual downpipe later on. This will likely be after the engine swap. Gotta make sure I have everything at the right height, with the tallblock and all...

Swap? Tallblock? Yup. Ducks are in a row. My plan is to have an engine on a stand, ready to drop by the time it needs a clutch.
Gameplan:
Early ABA block
Ported 40/33 hydro head with 7mm stems
276 cam
Big intake mani an TB
Dual outlet exhaust
120amp VR6 alt on a serpentine setup

Not really concerned about making big big power, but this should be more than enough to make this wagon scoot. The torque will be perfect for the weight and size, and should make more sense of the gear ratio, making the 4 speed seem more natural. Not going to stress about doing a 5 speed swap either, but the tranny is my biggest worry about the chasis. I love the 020 transmissions, they broad range of gears, and the vast availability of parts. I know the 020 very well, but I know nothing about these longitudinal units :/
 
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#3 ·
Thanks! She is definitely going to be treated like a queen. Thus far, the main problems discovered are as follows:
Shifter is developing slop (just got my 4 speed bushing kit in the mail today)
gas leak when the tank is full (pretty sure it is just the hose between the tank and the filler neck)
and the grand finale
*drumroll*
the heater core started leaking 2 days after buying it, so it is already parked hahaha. I have huge dash project going on with the rabbit right now, so the fox is going to have to wait for a while on that note. I am just installing an NLS heater block off plate and bypassing the heater core for the time being. Of course, just in time for late Fall/Winter weather :facepalm:

I learned about the whole recall thing after the fact. It is no longer active, thus forcing me to attack it myself, but that gives me the bonus of keeping the stock guest-bedroom glovebox :laugh: but lord! What a PITA it is to get to those heater hoses with the battery tray in the engine bay! Ugh! So it goes! I am so in love, a silly heater core isn't bringing me down.
 
#6 ·
HAHAHA! Thanks! Interesting and fart box sum it up pretty well!!! I wish I could save the money to put towards other things first, but it is absolutely intolerable to me. It might work out just adding a resonator, but I don't want to waste the resources to find out. Even though I have a bunch of good stereo stuff to throw in this down the line, and a bunch of fatmat...nothing can cover up the drone this thing puts out when cruising.
The car does not have A/C, which is fine by me! I greatly prefer not having extra items to fail, rob power, or get in the way. I will investigate some heater core replacement methods, but I have so much going on already this month. I know darn well I won't get to it until the new year.
When I said I had my work cut out for me with my rabbit's dash project... I meant it. I have a lot of fiberglassing and wiring ahead of me, so I dare not take the fox apart until the rabbit is finished and drivable. Thus, I will have to invest in a couple of new jackets this winter


I am obviously a glutton for pain and suffering, but I will still limit myself to one dash out at a time haha
 
#8 ·
Well thank you for the compliment, kind wishes AND shift bushings :beer: I didn't expect anything to come so quickly from Canada! When the package showed up, I had no idea what it could have been until I saw the return address haha. I am going to dive in this weekend to do that and the gear oil.

I finished my temporary fix for the heater core bypass. I took the hose flange off the back of the head, tapped some threads into it, and put a 1/2" NPT plumbing plug in it. I put a plug in the metal bypass pipe as well, but I am not completely pleased with it. There is a rusted spot where it has developed a small trickle of a leak. I am just going to take it out for now and put a short splice from the overflow bottle hose to the return hose on the water pump. That should also make it a bit easier to get to the oil filter next time...

I have been spoiled with how empty I have made the engine bay in my Rabbit, that I have almost forgotten what it is like to have all these extra gizmos in the way! The Fox is even harder to work around, with the battery position, evap equipment, and offset radiator! The Fox had a sticker in the windshield for a recent oil change, but when looking at the oil filter...I could see a couple of rusty scratches where someone had tried to remove it, and obviously changed their mind :facepalm:

Now sometimes I will change my filter without changing my oil...but who changes oil without changing the filter??? Once I tried to do it myself, I understood...but they still gave up to easily! I am happy to report that the diesel engine's filter still fits on the Fox style setup without clearance issues. I have been prone to using the diesel filters for years, under the impression that more filter means better filtration :D

Things that would make future filter changes easier...deleting the bypass pipe (although that is not a permanent option for most), changing the angle or position of the evap canister (invasive and possibly labor intensive), or converting the fan shroud to accept a low profile fan :) This may end up on my to-do list, and I might just pick up an extra shroud next time I see a Fox at the junker.

Excited as I was to get the wagon running again, all it took was driving from the house to work this morning...and I had to call the muffler shop. I dropped in to visit and see what he could do for me, without splurging for a proper catback yet. My dude lopped off the fart can, put a generic normal something or other on, crowned it with a shiny tip, and sent me out the door for $40 total. It is better all around. Brought a little torque back and is much more aesthetically fitting as well


Also, found a little extra info on the sunroof. There was a sticker on the inside of the glovebox with the install date and such.


It has been raining like crazy through the night as well, so it passes the leak test with flying colors!

Now to get the shifter all dialed in, and it will be time to teach my better half how to drive stick :thumbup:
 
#11 ·
Thanks novws! In which case, I am please to announce that both vehicles will be seeing more love and gettin stuff done, because I FINALLY got my toolbox from my dad's house to my new (well...now it's kinda old) garage. I have been waiting and waiting for a friend with a truck to help me, but finally took measurements and found it would fit in the Fox :D Took two trips, but with no issues! Good to know the wagon can handle that much of a load! The back didn't even sag!

Sorry for showing off my box...but I am just really impressed!!


My garage is finally starting to feel like home! Just need the week to get everything cleaned up and reorganized. Bravo, Fox:beer:
 
#12 ·
FV-QR

Bah! I finally had the time to do the shift bushings, and there is still a stupid amount of play in the shifter. I can feel areas of improvement...the bushings were definitely shot...but when in gear, there is an atrocious amount of side to side play. It is bizarre.

I presume it is in the shifter "box" itself, but saw no insight on rebuilding that. Does any one have insight on the subject that you can tip me towards? I believe the plastic ball might be damaged.
 
#13 ·
There is a bushing where the shifter bolts to to linkage. It's on the inside of the car. Take your center console out, and you'll see it. I shaved down some mk1 bushings till they fit. I replaced my bushings as well, and still had massive side to side play to the point I had no reverse. Replaced that shift lever bushing, and it's super tight and shifts like butter.
 
#16 ·
FV-QR

Busy busy busy. Ever since I found out that mk2 lowering springs and rear shocks would fit the wagon, I thought....why the heck am I selling a mk2 with this suspension on it?? I took the rear Bilstiens and Neuspeed sport springs off and put them on the Fox, realizing after the fact that the Fox bits WILL NOT fit back on the mk2 :/ Theshaft of the shock is not long enough to pass through the ody and all of the necessary hardware. Thankfully, it was half off at the junkyard that day haha. The added bonus of the Neuspeeds is the poly bushing that they come with The added bonus of the Bilstiens is the adjustable spring seat via circlip.

If look at the Billy shock, you can see that I have one more rung that I can drop. Before doing the rear suspension, the back looked lifted. Now, it is close to even, perhaps the front is a tid bit higher. I will put the front springs on when I can afford some Bilstien inserts. I will probably end up dropping to the last rung on the rears at that time. Putting real wheels on it almost made the Fox look like an SUV, but it should settle down just perfect in the end. Here are before and after shots of the rear height.


Other than that, the only thing I have done since the shift bushings has been changing the plugs. I am surprised it ran as well as it did with those fouled, burnt out buggers running a .045+ gap haha
 
#17 ·
Also, found a little extra info on the sunroof. There was a sticker on the inside of the glovebox with the install date and such.


It has been raining like crazy through the night as well, so it passes the leak test with flying colors!

Mine was from the stealership with Sunroof and I thought it was factory all these years!!?! Same clasp and all! Good thing is it's never leaked but just in case you didn't know and for cleaning the seals is slide the 2 pins inward on the trailing lift latch, flip the hinge covers downward and out comes the whole sunroof... easy peasy... nice ride sir!
 
#18 ·
Finally had to go get the ol' girl smogged, so she needed two things.

1.) Replace the leaky filler neck hose...finally


2.) Gotta put this POS back on there once a year ;)


I love this wagon so much, but the restricted flow of this top end is killing me! My rabbit is at the primer stage in my friends shop, so I SHOULD be saving up for my window and door rubber kit (OUCH!)...but I am majorly tempted to start porting a head and intake for the fox first! If I get some ARP studs while I am at it...everything will be reusable when I am ready for that 2.0l block ;)

Besides...I still have to finish my fiberglass dash for the rabbit...and do a bunch more wiring...and lord knows what else...
 
#19 · (Edited)
Ugghh. Updates. I suppose I will start with the irritating ones.

A few weeks ago, this popped up one morning

I always crack the windows and sunroof during the day so it doesn't get too hot inside. I don't know why this happened, but it is right in the middle and MOCKING ME!

Also, my gf and I finally got the title on monday. Yay! I was going to make sure to upgrade to full coverage insurance now that it was all legally in our names and such.
Tuesday morning, some joker decided that he wanted to turn into a gas station...through my F*&^%$ wagon.

It looks like it will mostly pop/buff out, minus the shattered light and the one small chip near the light recess. There are some small stress cracks, so who knows how much paint will decide to flake off. I just hope this guy's insurance doesn't send me for a loop :/

A few little other things that bug me: speedometer bounces back and forth between a 20mph range, the temp and fuel gauges randomly decide when they want to work, and I need to figure out why I don't have a reverse lock out any more :/

As for GOOD updates, I have a few! I just won a nice Alpine receiver on ebay last week and got it thrown in yesterday! I have a bunch of Polk Momo series speakers that I have been hoarding for years, I just need to decide how and where I am going to install all of them. I know I can do some fancy work, but I am having a hard time rationalizing cutting into clean factory panels. I have to marinate on it for a while :/ The sound would be so worth it though...

Engine wise, I did a few upgrades to squeeze a little more juice out of it. After getting hit, I decided that the car could stand to be a bit louder(let it's presence be known), so I sawed open the lower portion of the intake box a bit. It sounds quite nice and throaty, and surprisingly had a noticeable gain in throttle response to go along with it. I have a digi fox TB stashed at the junk yard, waiting to get picked up at half off day tomorrow. Not going to worry about pulling the mani and and gasket matching the ports until I do a head swap, but looking forward to seeing how the TB reacts to the recent mods.

Yesterday, I finally pulled the injectors to replace them with some clean MBZ brass injectors I have had sitting around. Good thing too! The old injectors were coated with crud and carbon. One even looked like it was constantly leaking! Here is a pic after I pulled off the air shroud top hats

Cleaned up the hats and brass cups, put new orings on the benz injectors, and popped them in.

The REAL gold out of the day, was swapping in a new cam and lifters. I wanted to get more air through this engine, but I am not ready for a "build" yet. I wanted something to hold me over. With a low compression, small valve engine...it is disgusting how soon this poor car stops making power. It KILLS me. It is too much weight to be choked out like this :(

So of course looking for a cam...you don't want to buy a cam that is too much for the engine, but you don't want to waste money on a tame cam that won't get reused when you DO build a new engine. I opted to experiment with stock parts, and I am SO excited to tell you how insanely worth while it was!!!!

Referring to the TT cam chart, I wasn't sure what stock cam I had. I suppose it was either an "A" or a "G". Maybe there was another grind that was not listed.

the "A" had .393" of lift, intake open at .050" -5.6° BTDC
the "G" had .400" of lift, intake open at .050" -2.8° BTDC

The late mk3/mk4 cam had .417" of lift, intake open at .050" -5.8° BTDC

The way I saw it, if I had an A grind, the obdII cam would give me a considerable amount of extra lift, with a crow's hair of retardation.
If I had a G grind, the obdII cam would give me a considerable amount of retardation, still with a slightly smaller increase in lift.
Duration of the OBDII cam was also a bit less...but I figured I would still try it out for giggles. The bonus to make it worth it, is grabbing a set of light weight lifters to install at the same time.

The new style lifter is on the right


I did a swift overhaul on all the new lifters, cleaned them up, filled them with good, fresh oil, and put them back together.


Results? I MUST have had the G grind...because the difference in top end power is RETARDED! Night and day. IMHO, the power band is MUCH more usable for this engine and it's gear ratio. It does not feel nearly as starved. I am anxious to see if the larger TB compliments it.

I wish I had a tach or a speedo that didn't bounce around so I could give a more accurate description. It is definitely a great change to be able to shift into 3rd while doing 70-75mph, and feel the engine make power!!! Before the cam...that would have been a very inefficient shift. If you are looking for budget performance, I would put this mod on your list. No regrets.

And make sure you change to the late model rubber valve cover gasket while you are at it ;)
 
#22 ·
Thanks 89fox! It WAS clean :( now between accident and installing the stereo, it looks like a torn up bucket haha.

As far as the heat exchanger removal, that is like a multiple choice question that is up to debate.
A.) Makes more noise
B.) Makes more power
C.) Cleans up the engine bay
D.) Increases the chances of your car sucking up rain water
E.) All of the above.

My vote is (E). I don't mind the remote possibility of water finding it's way into the intake due to my changes. The chances are slim. It's a far cry from the people I have seen run CAI cone filters down to the ground :facepalm: Gains would be minimal, but the increase flow isn't really debatable. A Lot of subtle changes in flow will turn into gains eventually. I am pleased with where I have gotten the car's power, but the MAIN point for butchering my intake box was to MAKE NOISE! I don't want anyone else turning into me. However, I am not putting the fart cannon back on. I am not looking to make THAT kind of noise haha.

Voxwagen, good call on listing the part number. I had several complete bushing kits, so I did not think of looking up the single number specifically. That is indeed the bushing in question.:beer::beer:

Still waiting on a definite from the insurance company regarding the accident. They claimed fault, but the adjuster that came out instantly said "Oh yeah this is going to be a total loss. The damage is worth more than the car"...

...to which all of you can imagine what kind of earfull he got from me :mad: I have no problem taking thier money, but they are NOT salvaging my friggin title for something so stupid. It should all be under control by the end of the week...
 
#23 ·
Lil' miss Fox should be getting plenty of attention this month. Insurance paid off, and they didn't try to salvage the title or anything.


I got the new tail light and more spray tint to make it match, but haven't tried popping the dent back out yet.

Got the stereo head unit installed, and threw a set of 4" polks in the back (stocks were blown) to last until I get all the legit speakers and amps wired in. Going to have to make custom panels for the back out of MDF and upholster them to match. Once I get everything plotted out, I should be running 4 sets of speakers at 2 ohms off the amp.


The hardest part about it right now is deciding on the power wiring. I am tempted to relocate the battery to the back while I am at it, and that is a VERY tough urge to fight. My logic is just telling me to do that once the current battery gives up the ghost, because I don't really want to buy an AGM battery at the moment. It will all likely happen at the same time that the heater core gets done. Everything will be out of the way, I can lay my fatmat at the same time, and I can run all the new heater hoses without having to struggle around that darn stock battery tray!

Just got my Bilstein sport inserts for the front ordered today, as well as some vented GTI brakes. MAJORLY excited to get that all set up! I am also looking at throwing in some H4 headlights, but not quite convinced to shell out the Hella premium yet. I am investigating into some fleabay options, but don't want open a box full of regret.

I am also adapting to the sad, sad world of hunting Fox parts. Particularly cluster woes. My speedo is bouncy (of course), the voltage regulator is shot, and I want a tach :( The only things that are working as they should are the clock and the LED's. I have the cluster out of the car at the moment, but have been thinking twice before cannibalizing it. I haven't even been able to find a basic cluster at the junkyards for a backup/ guinea pig :/ Hopefully that changes soon :( I cant stand flying blind. I am I will likely have my triple gauges in the center console before the instrument cluster is settled. Le sigh.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I am also looking at throwing in some H4 headlights, but not quite convinced to shell out the Hella premium yet. I am investigating into some fleabay options, but don't want open a box full of regret.
Don't mess around with Hellas. They're mediocre for the price. They have a sharp cutoff, but are blotchy below that. They also have too much vertical separation between low and high beams, so that on a low car like a Fox, you can't set the headlights in a way that works for both. I shall now share the greatest hidden deal on eBay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Daihatsu-Ro...1984-Headlight-Cibie-LEFT-RIGHT-/150854758641

Cibies are sooooo much better, and trust me I've tried everything. The Latvians have hidden them so they're practically unsearchable without knowing the part number, but man are they cheap compared to anywhere else.

All that being said, I don't have these ones, I bought some old ones without the city lights off a guy who used them in his C4 Corvette. But unless you stumble upon some NOS Marchals somewhere, I don't think you'll find better than these. Do keep an eye on Craigslist, used housings do come up for sale from time to time. Marchal (NLA), Cibie, Bosch (NLA), Carello (NLA), all better than Hella. Autopal is garbage.
 
#25 ·
FV-QR

Been a long while since I made an update! And to think...I practically used to live on the vortex :p

After an incredibly long wait, I finally got the front strut inserts! Bilstein now has the sports in stock and readily available, instead of just the HD's. Since I wanted to sit a little lower, it was well worth the wait. I am trying to get it wrapped up this weekend, but here is a little progress while I am at "work" and have some "downtime".

First off, here is a pic of where it got hit. Since I popped it out and put the new tail light in, it looks much better. You can sill see some ripples if you inspect closely, but it is tolerable. Still upsetting...but so it goes. Form follows function, and for the most part...it still looks clean overall.


Here is a pic of the stock suspension and brakes, as it has been. I am NOT replacing the ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, or strut bushings while it's apart. It is in my nature to take the "while it's apart" approach...but I am not getting roped into any of that right now haha.


The new sport strut next to the factory strut. Both are fully extended. The stock unit is so blown, that if you turn it upright, the shaft starts sinking down under it's own weight LOL What a BOAT this thing has been!!


Shock spring next to the new spring, plus the nice clean strut housing. After this pic was taken, I started putting it together, and decided that I was going to cut one full ring off the Neuspeed. It made the install easier the second time around, and it seemed to fit within the perch more comfortably during assembly.


Here is the before shot of my "new" calipers and carriers. I pulled them off a late cabby months ago, even though the calipers were ugly as heck. I have spent the day at work cleaning them up and getting ready for reassembly with new seals. When I placed an order from autohausaz for a friend, I added some Bosch pads and rotors into the package for myself. I didn't realize that the pads were ceramic :/ hopefully they still stop alright.


Hope to have it all buttoned up by tomorrow! So excited to feel the difference!!!! :D

Next step is going to be finishing the mk2 cluster install, finishing the rest of the stereo install, and getting it all dressed up for Bonelli in November! Yee!
 
#26 ·
FV-QR

Alright! Got it back on the road, too anxious to do the brake swap before taking it for a drive. A totally different vehicle! So nice to get rid of the violent body roll in corners, and not have the front end shoot up/dive down between shifts. Solid gold!

Here is the spring comparison with one rung cut off


and after all that, This is as low as it gets.


The rear springs are uncut, and still have one more notch available to lower the spring seat. The ride is great, and the height is tastefull. The rabbit is the one on coilovers, so I will get all my scraping and rubbing needs met when I drive that haha. This one is juuust right <3
 
#27 ·
I did the same work to lower my wagon too. I cut one dead coil off of some neuspeed springs (using Koni struts) and the lowest ring on the rear shocks with stock rear springs.
It's an excellent setup. I autocross my wagon too, and it does well what I want it to do. It's more nutral in handling than you'd think considering how far the engine is over the front wheels.

You might also consider an Addco rear sway bar too. I bought mine nearly ten years ago.
http://www.addco.net/aftermarket/catalog/volkswagen/
 
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