New Member from New England

[bbrown]

Well I finally got confirmed as a new member I was a lurker for a while and signed up to become a member over my Christmas break, but do to technical difficulties I wasn't confirmed till just a few days ago. That's okay because I am here now and I am proud to be part of such a great forum. TRF has been a great source for information to me (gotta love that "SEARCH" button) and the folks here seam really nice and helpful.

I am from Exeter, Maine, but I spend most of my time in Longview, Texas where I attend LeTourneau University where I am in pursuit of a degree in Engineering Technology with a Mechanical concentration. I bought my 1986 Volkswagen Cabriolet last summer because I needed some transportation while I was back in Maine because I left my daily driver Ford Ranger at school in Texas. This is my first experience with Volkswagen's and I am an instant fan. I have loved my car ever since the first day I saw it for sale on the side of the road as I passed it on my way to work.

About the car: The car is a 1986 Volkswagen Cabriolet 1.8l 8V 5spd. I believe my Cabby is tornado red, but I am not sure because it was repainted a few years before I purchased it. I was told that the car came from California and I have no reason to doubt this because the gut that sold the car to me is an avid VW guy and this car has absolutely no rust on it which is why it is currently garaged for the Maine winter. The top is brand new, the leather seats are in good condition save for the blue paint stain in the rear seat left by the previous owner (it's not that noticeable when I Armor All the seat ). The car runs like a charm and I have ordered a whole bunch of new parts for it to install when I get home this spring like new cam belt, oil pan gasket upgrade, valve cover gasket upgrade, and pretty much every other gasket save the head gasket. Last summer I added new plugs (Bosch Super Copper Spark Plugs Triple Tip), new Eurosport 8mm plug wires, and a new Bosch distributor cap and rotor. The car came with a set of 14" American Racing wheels mounted with Kumho Ecasta tires on the front and Continentals on the rear. I plan on repainting the front and rear bumpers as they were not repainted with the car, but I think some sand paper and black paint should do the job.

Future plans: Motor- not sure, maybe do some simple mods to the motor (cam, valve springs, shaved head, headers) or wait and do a motor swap after I graduate from school and actually have money . Suspension- I already have upper and lower front stress bars from Eurosport, but I think some H&R lower springs matched with some Billsteins are in line. Brakes- I would like to upgrade all four corners because as you make a car faster you need to be able to rein it in even faster. I already have braided break lines to the calipers instead of the cheap rubber. Exterior- Nothing, I will not be adding a clipper kit like everyone seems to do (I like the look of them, but I want to stand apart a little) I do have the duckbill on the front that came with the car. Interior- redo the carpet, recover the seats, new speakers (no sub for me trunk is small enough as it is). I have a Pioneer head and Siruis satellite radio which keeps the tunes coming all the time since the AM/FM antenna on the car right now is worthless.

I am sure I missed somethings, but this post is long enough on its own. Now for the fun part: PICTURES!!!













Never mind the wax residue on the duckbill, it is gone now


Can see what I said about needing to repaint the bumpers *Sigh*


Before I knew how to properly tuck the top into itself so it doesn't bulge like that.


The gauge cluster as it read the day when I brought it home.







There you have it. Sorry for so many pictures (I have tons more and will take more this summer too), but I what can I say I like my VW and it photos pretty well IMO.

[kamzcab86]

Welcome! Pretty Cab! (Looks like it was a Tornado Red Best Seller when it was new.)

The seats are actually vinyl, not leather (and out of an early '80s Cabriolet).

[Briano1234]

Awesome.............

[bbrown]

Welcome! Pretty Cab! (Looks like it was a Tornado Red Best Seller when it was new.)

The seats are actually vinyl, not leather (and out of an early '80s Cabriolet).

Thanks for the compliments. I hear that the seats are vinyl, but something in me just likes to lie and say that they're leather ; although I think I read somewhere that the tops of the seats/headrests are leather and then vinyl everywhere else. I didn't know that the seats came out of a different year Cabriolet. I am not totally surprised as the previous owner buys and sells lots of early Volkswagen cars.

P.S. I just did a little research over at cabby-info.com and found that 1986 was a year that the black vinyl was an interior option for the Tornado Red Cabriolet. However, the linked image (see below) on cabby-info shows a Cabby who's seats have way less side bolster then the seats in my Cabby.

http://www.cabby-info.com/cabriolet.htm

[Briano1234]

Call it Pleather (plastic leather)... made from the hides of the Nauga.

Those covers actually look like TMI covers which means that they have been replaced. It is the horizontal seams that tell me that,

But hey, I wouldn't be rocking a set either..would I??????

[kamzcab86]

Only those interiors that are considered leather will have "leather seating surfaces and headrests" while everything else is vinyl. And leather interiors weren't installed until the '85 model year Wolfsburg Editions. Speaking of WE's, those door cards are from a black WE or a black Best Seller.

High-bolstered seats were optional, depending on the year, for the base models and were standard on all others. Yours being a Best Seller would have had cloth "sport bucket seats" from the factory (in fact, the original interior in yours was just like mine! ), unless the original owner opted for leatherette.

The rear bench seat is not contoured, which means it's out of an '80-'81 Rabbit 'vert. Here is one just like it, but blue: http://cabby-info.com/images/Interiors/ ... eVinyl.JPG (I've got a beige interior pic that's the same, but haven't uploaded it yet).

Not that any of that matters; just providing some info, or insight!

[bbrown]

Wow, thanks for the info Kammy. I had a feeling the interior had been altered a little before I got it because I had seen other Red Cabby's, but they all had white tops and interiors. I am pretty sure that mine had a white top in its begginning because the headliner is white and the bottoms of the sun visors are white too. I like the black top and interior better since it is much easier to keep clean and looks a whole lot better IMO. Interesting about the back seat, but I guess it doesn't bother me all that much since I will never be sitting back there and I really try to avoid taking more then one other guest in my car (the Cabby hates a full cabin and feels so much slower). I know my steering wheel is a Wolfsburg Edition steering wheel so it would make sense for the door cards to have also come from a WE. Thanks for the insight I appreciate any input from those who know a whole lot more then me.

P.S. cabby-info.com is one of the best websites ever . I stumbled upon it just after I purchased my car and love it. Glad others are using it and there is always something new to discover there (at least for me).

[CalAltaDubber]

Hi and welcome to TRF.

Cool looking car.

I can only say one thing about these cars "Once you go topless, you never want to go back.""

P.S. cabby-info.com is one of the best websites ever . I stumbled upon it just after I purchased my car and love it. Glad others are using it and there is always something new to discover there (at least for me).

You have made Kam's day!

[bbrown]

You have made Kam's day!

I was a sitting duck for that one. I had no idea until I scrolled to the bottom of caby-info the other day that Kammy was the genius behind the site. I am glad to maker her day as her site is amazing .

[sixsracing]

Hey neighbor, I'm next door in Levant if you ever need anything. I didn't think I would ever see another soul from this forum up close. Your car came from the guy that works at the welding supply place on Rte.2 didn't it? Seen it there a few times over the years. I have probably cycled past your house a few times since a haunt Exeter on a regular basis during the warmer months. Welcome to the forum and don't hesitate to call or e-mail.

[bbrown]

Hi there neighbor , my cab did come from the guy who works over at the welding supply store on Rt. 2. He actually lives in Levant too. I drive through Levant everyday on my way to work (well when I am home in the summer). When I joined this forum I didn't think I would find any locals, but its good to know that there are fellow Cabby owners in the great state of Maine. I definitely need to look you up when I get back to Maine this spring. Thanks for the welcomes.

[sixsracing]

Looking forward to it, altough you will need to be polite to avoid hurting my cabby's feelings. Your cabriolet is in much better condition than mine.

[bbrown]

Six don't be so modest, your cabby looks great from what I have seen. My cabby has its flaws, but whose doesn't?

[sixsracing]

Those are old pics and I have begun rust removal, so the
rear bumper and rear fender skirts as well as the rocker covers
are all in the basement waiting patiently for me to stop
giving so much time to other people's cars. Kind of like a silent
brooding spouse. You can't quite put your finger on what's
bothering them but you know in the back of your mind what it is.