1981 Volkswagen Rabbit

Pickup truck

1.6L 4 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel

Manual

1v1kb0174bv204050

Clear

Gasoline

Up for sale is a 1981 Volkswagen Rabbit Pickup that was a low budget project about 8 years ago. Since that time, the truck has been only driven in the summers and taken off the road for the winters. It was originally a gas fueled truck and has an ’87 GTI 1.8L 8V engine swapped in. Unknown mileage on the engine. It was “freshened” up at that time with new rings, mains and rods, oil pump, all seals and gaskets, valve stem seals, reground valves, rebuilt alternator, plugs, wires, cap and rotor, clutch and pressure plate. It has an unknown brand header installed with a Techtonics Tuning aluminized exhaust with Dynomax muffler. Also a large bore intake (between MAF and throttle body) and a 2.0L 16V throttle body. A new radiator and all hoses were installed. The engine runs very well and does not smoke. It gets about 30 mpg around town and about 36 mpg on the highway. On top of that, it’s fast….faster than my 2.0L 16v GTI. It has always started right up every spring after sitting all winter without being touched. Ebay requires me to list a numerical value in the mileage field. This value is a guess. The truck had over 150,000 miles on it when it was purchased. I never bothered to keep track of the mileage since everything mechanically was rebuilt. The instrument cluster was replaced with one matching the interior out of a donor car (read below) so the mileage that shows is not indicative of the actual mileage on the vehicle. NYS does not require any sort of mileage records on a vehicle this old, so it never mattered to us to keep track. I would guess it has been driven approximately 10,000 miles since the rebuild. The transmission is the original transmission, a 5 speed. The transmission is good but the shift linkages are completely shot rendering shifting somewhat of a challenge. Nothing was ever done to rebuild the linkages. Rebuilt axle shafts were installed along with new transmission output flange seals. The front suspension was almost completely rebuilt including: new struts and springs, wheel bearings, lower ball joints and tie rods. Rear suspension is stock leaf springs with new shock absorbers installed at that time, along with new wheel bearings and seals. Brakes were gone through and a new master cylinder installed, all new brake hoses front and rear, rebuilt calipers up front, new pads and rotors, new wheel cylinders in the rear, new shoes and springs and turned drums. New emergency brake cables were also installed but currently the emergency brake needs some attention. The truck has been sitting for about 3 years and the brakes are now spongy. They should probably be bled with new fluid at a minimum prior to using. The body is typical of a rabbit in the northeast…it had some rust and holes. It had the beginnings of the typical infamous “rabbit rust”; a hole under the passenger side front strut tower. 14 ga. sheetmetal patches were hand formed and welded over the hole and the entire wheel well undercoated. The hole was about 3” in diameter. Obviously the passenger side of the truck had some work done to it in the past, I think it had been hit lightly on that side and repaired. It had bondo in it when I got it. The lower rocker panel had some holes that were fixed as well but there are still some rust holes in the rockers that could be fixed. There are some small areas of rot in the bed of the truck but the cab floors and seat sliders are solid. There are various dents and dings around the body and some rust around the wheel wells, typical for a northeast vehicle that is 29 years old. A 2.0L 16V GTI antenna was installed on the roof. The sunroof was existing, it does not leak. A sliding rear window was installed. Also a new windshield was installed to replace the pitted original. A new cabriolet round headlight nose was installed including new front fenders and front radiator support. The truck has an aftermarket fiberglass lower front air dam/spoiler. The front bumper is installed but the rear one is not. The tailgate is a trick to open and close, as are most pick-up tailgates. This is a good “20-30” vehicle. 20 miles an hour at 30 feet away. The paint is fair, it was only a backyard budget paint job and sitting has taken its’ toll. Plenty of areas of rust bubbles under the paint, dings and dents, rust as mentioned above, etc… The interior is a blue stock interior that was pulled from an ’84 GTI including carpet, seats, dashboard and all gauges and center console. The dashboard is crack free. A custom headliner was made to match. Seats are not bad considering the age. A few rips and tears in the bolsters of the seats, typical for rabbit seats these days. There is no radio installed. The oxygen sensor light is on all the time since the interior came from a GTI and the original truck wiring did not contain an oxygen sensor. You could pull the bulb to get rid of that problem if it annoys you. Wheels are 14” stock snowflake rims with decent tires. Included is an extra rim with mounted tire as a spare. Overall the truck would make a good project for someone who is looking for a fun project and/or something fun to drive around in. It is very dependable and has been driven on several 500+ mile trips. You just can’t beat the fuel mileage and usefulness of these things. With some TLC, this could be a presentable truck. Other than bleeding the brakes and maybe fixing the shift linkage bushings, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw the thing on the road and drive it. A few spare parts are included with the sale. I have an extra tailgate and a hitch assembly which could be installed, mirrors, another front bumper, dash bezel. See the pictures. Buyer responsible for all shipping arrangements and costs associated with. We can help load if needed. No warranty is expressed or given. Local buyers are welcome to view/test drive the truck. I can also take specific pictures if asked. Deposit of 10% of winning bid due within 36 hours of auction close. Balance of payment due upon picking up the vehicle, or if sending a shipper to pick it up balance will be due prior to shipper picking up the vehicle. We can discuss payment options. Will accept Paypal. This is a NO RESERVE auction. You bid, you own. I have tried to describe the truck exactly as is, as we all know pictures can be misleading on their own. If you have a question about anything I have written or any of the pictures, PLEASE ASK prior to bidding. I will be happy to describe in more detail or take more pictures to clarify any questions so you know what you will be receiving.