1981 Volkswagen Rabbit

caddy Pickup Truck

1.6 liter 4 cylinder turbo diesel

Manual

1v1kg0172bv128166

Clear

Diesel

For whatever reason, one of the more desirable vehicles on E-bay isn't so much anymore. I've seen basket cases go for more than what the current bidding has been. Won't do any good to complain so enough said. Therefore,I'll let it go for anything over $2500 and yet again, take a bath on another of my creations. I have worked on this project for the last 6 years. It was a fun experiment but things have changed and it's time to move on. My initial reason for getting this was the prospect of using vegetable oil as a motor fuel. The VW seemed to be one of the more popular donors and was in the affordable end of diesel powered vehicles. I chose the Caddy as A. it is a pick-up handy for hauling things. B. It is not some behemoth that would get 10 MPG on a good day. C. It's front wheel drive. Good for bad weather driving . and D. It's a cool looking rig. While the primary reason was to create an alternative fuel vehicle, being a lifelong hot-rodder, I had to improve the basic machine. Modifications are as follows: > 10" vented rotors w/ Audi calipers-front > '85 GTI rear disc brakes > '89 Jetta master cyl. for 4 wheel discs > Sirocco K-bar frame brace > '94 jetta trans w/ 3.67 ratio and .80 5th gear. This required the 215mm clutch conversion which doesn't slip like the old one. It's also an 11 lb flywheel instead of 13 lb for a little quicker revving. > And , most of all, a 1992 jetta 1.6 turbo diesel engine. I put on a 2 1/2 " exhaust system as the stock one is a crime. K&N air filter. The blow-off valve has been shut so the waste-gate goes at 15 lbs. The pump which was rebuilt about 200 miles ago is adjusted for max power. The injectors are new. The basic vehicle is in pretty good shape considering it's 32 years old. The original owner opted for the undercoating so it isn't a total rust bucket. The strut towers and suspension attaching points are solid. There was some rust below the rear window but that has been repaired. Everyone knows that rabbits leak like a sieve so this one was totally trashed when I got it. I tore everything out and repaired and replaced the bad stuff. The windshield caught a rock and I was fortunate to find a tinted replacement. A new gasket and good to go. All of the suspension has been rebuilt with new bearings, ball joints, tie rod ends and KYB struts. THE SVO SYSTEM : The primary purpose of this project was experiment with the feasibility of an alternative fuel vehicle. Using free vegetable oil sounded great mainly because of the word free. I could have made bio-diesel or just go with straight vegetable oil. Bio involves a lot of processing with dangerous chemicals and I'd have to but a lot of methanol at $7.00 a gallon. SVO just needs to be cleaned and heated and off you go-or so it seems. The problem is that there is a lot of bad and incomplete information out there and wading through it all and finally finding the best process takes an enormous amount of time, and as I have found out, money. I now have a system that while not the prettiest, does function with minimal attention. It consists of: > a 10 gallon stainless steel oil tank with heater. > a Racor water separating filter with heater > A tried and true switching valve. I have a processing system that makes a good product that removes many of the evils that have caused me grief over the years. I will sell that for an additional $200. The filter alone was $175. I will also tell you everything I know so that you don't have to make the same mistakes that I did. EVERY VW PART I OWN: Over the life of this project there have been many trips to the junkyard. I have a large collection of spare parts that I will never use again, so I'm including it in the package. Too much to list-look at the pictures. ETC; It has a rare bed liner that really makes it look much better than the beat-up box. It has leather seats and an upgraded dash. I installed opening wing windows that are the newer bolted type. I did a paint job. Not the best but much better than it was. The front bumper is from an earlier model. I removed those turn signals and installed driving lights. It's got 15" mags with 195-50-15 tires. I've got a set of 13" mags but they won't fit over the bigger brakes. While the odometer says 246K, I set it at 200K when I started. Most of the suspension and drive train doesn't have that much usage on it. The bad: It has a cracked head. I changed the proverbial " blown head gasket" but that wasn't it. It fires right up but you can only get about a half mile before it overheats and you have to shut it down. I wish it didn't but it's a common problem. Therefore, it will have to be towed or trailered home. In it's hey-day, it would hold it's own. Diesel rabbits have a reputation as slugs and a lot of cars show no respect. I beat many of them when I put the pedal down. It pulls hard at 70 in 5th and I've had it over 100. On vegetable oil too. It's a great little ride that you can haul stuff in and still get good mileage. I'm moving on to other projects so it's time for this one to go. Local pick up only. If you want it shipped, that's on you. I will help where I can, but that's not my forte. Please ask questions early. I work odd days and hours and may not be able to respond to last minute queries.