Unloved

[sports racer]

There’s some really inspirational builds out there on some amazing cars by some really talented people.

This isn’t one of them.

I’m currently rebuilding a MK1 with ABF power running twin delortos but in the meantime I need something bigger than my 1998 Seat Cupra 16v to take 3 teenage kids to school and get to work. It’s a 200 km drive every day and I hate modern, boring cars so I’ve been on the lookout for an old Bora or Passat for some time now. Top of my wish list is a 1998 - 2003 Passat 1.8t wagon with a manual gearbox which is a very rare model in Australia. We didn’t get many wagons and finding one with a manual is harder than finding a 2 door MK2.

I got this wagon off ebay with a 5 speed manual for a ridiculously low price so triple plus. It’s recently out of rego and needs a head gasket but that’s not a big job to do and if the engine is cactus I’ll swap the one from my wife’s Passat. She won’t miss it.



You can see why I called this topic unloved. It's not something any sane person would deliberately go looking for but with a little bit of work they come up surprisingly well. This is what I'm aiming for.



Plans are to lower it a little bit, fit a rear sway bar and some 17’s. It’s not the turbo version but 20vt engines running the standard KO3 turbo are cheap and I’ll do a swap one day. With a few tweaks it should be good for 150kw and I’d be happy with that. This is going to be a family car which means occasionally towing a trailer and I don’t want something too quick. My daughter once filmed me over my shoulder and showed my wife how fast I was going. She didn’t believe me when I told her the speedo reads 20% over and I didn’t want the kids to be late for school. A GP interior is also on the wish list.

Long term who knows, maybe something like this. Audi front end and Alltrack flares modified to fit.



I’ll keep you posted.

Cheers

Paul

[Sharkie]

Got to love Ebay Good pickup there

On a whim I recently picked up an older Barina as a mini project off Ebay for the princely sum of $372. It was even driven to my house for that price ..... $300 later I had it registered and on the road with a only a bit of work still to be done (It needed a bit of work, and only front oil seal to go now ) It will stick around for a few months and then go to a buyer already lined up and at a handsome profit! .... Its been my 4th "restoration" the last few years and next up I'll be looking at an older A4 (1.8T) project I think. Probably off Ebay again.

Its been really good getting my son away from his Xbox and into helping (and learning about how things work).

[feenix74]

Score! It might not be the most exciting vehicle out there but with some TLC and well choosen customisations you will have a vehicle you will be happy to call your daily drive. Good luck with the upgrades.

[dylan8]

She didn’t believe me when I told her the speedo reads 20% over and I didn’t want the kids to be late for school.

hahahaha worth a shot!
not sure if I have seen a white b5 wagon before.
keen to see where this goes.

[dylan8]

GAD 2015 by DanielTheTall, on Flickr

My mates car as possible motivation

[sports racer]

I like motivation.

[Sunkist]

wife owns a 2003 passat wagon sev6. excellent car.

[sports racer]

Picked it up last weekend.

Needs a few things changed like the drivers side front guard and front apron.



That dent and rust spot need to be fixed.



It's supposed to have a blown head gasket and it was running really rough but there's no water in the oil or oil in the radiator. We were planning to do an engine swap from my other Passat but my mate did a bit of troubleshooting and found the MAF isn't working. A quick swap from one of his Audi's and the Passat now starts easily and purrs like a kitten. $40 fix. Not bad for a $300 ebay special.

[sports racer]

Front guard off. There's a lot of stuff under there.



Replacement on.



Interesting sticker. Log book says it was first registered in Birmingham which explains why some things are different to local Passats of the same vintage.



English tow-bar.



Interior needs a good clean.

[sports racer]

It's supposed to have a blown head gasket and it was running really rough but there's no water in the oil or oil in the radiator. We were planning to do an engine swap from my other Passat but my mate did a bit of troubleshooting and found the MAF isn't working. A quick swap from one of his Audi's and the Passat now starts easily and purrs like a kitten. $40 fix. Not bad for a $300 ebay special.

Looks like I spoke too soon. Fixed up everything for rego and drove it round the block. It's coughing and there's lots of blue smoke from the exhaust.

Looks like we're doing an engine swap this weekend.