MK1 Cabriolet adventure

[Shortstuff]

Just thought I'd say hi again!

Me and my mrs are now the proud owners of a well used '93 MK1 Cabby auto. It's the 4th VW in our family and it's a bit of a project.

The first thing I want to do is sort out the interior which is missing a few parts. If anyone has any of them for sale I'd be grateful if you could let me know.

Chasing the following:

Centre dash vents and A/C controls
Lower dash panel to suit late model
Instrument cluster surround
Switch panel to the lh of the instrument cluster
Instrument cluster (non MFA, just has a clock)
Gear lever and knob (for auto)
Full set of black seat belts

I'll update pictures as we do bits and pieces to it. My mrs wants to put a VR6 in it, but I think we'll get it on the road first!

[gldgti]

Welcome!
Matt from Camden GTI had a cabby with a/c there a few months back, its possible he still has some of those bits - the interior of it was fairly complete when I looked at it.
Good luck with your project! In my experience with mk1's, I wouldn't seriously consider a VR swap unless you are sure you want to commit to a MASSIVE project - the mk1 chassis doesnt handle large engines or lots of power very well without a lot of work and modification. Something like a 16V would be far more enjoyable in a cabby, IMO (speaking from experience here!). I put a heavily modified 1.9 diesel in a cabby, and while it was good fun overall, it was too much torque/weight to make it a really comfy/fun drive... it certainly had its moments, but certain spects of driving the car, like low speed handling/steering and getting heavy enough shocks/springs into the front presented some challenges. It was a weapon on the highway though.

[Shortstuff]

Thanks! I'll have to look at the options. I thought a VR6 would be a massive amount of work but a complete car came up cheap recently.

Here's the rest of our VW family.








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[GeorgeMK1]

That VR6 is a beaut!!

[Shortstuff]

Thanks! It's next on the list for a bit of TLC once the Cabby is finished.


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[karmen]

prob got the belts for you..def black and fronts are inertia
and maybe air-con grilles
on the rd so need to get back to check email me for pics etc

[Shortstuff]

prob got the belts for you..def black and fronts are inertia
and maybe air-con grilles
on the rd so need to get back to check email me for pics etc

Thanks! Let me check the colour of the belts over the weekend (my mrs thinks they're grey now) and then I'll shoot you a message.

[Shortstuff]

Has anyone else got/had this problem? It looks like the door has been wrenched open too hard at some point and it’s tried to pull the check strap out of the body. The door will open up to almost 90 degrees now!

Is it repairable without a visit to the panel shop, or is there an easy fix?

[Shortstuff]

A few parts turned up from VW Heritage today, but the roof is still about 3 weeks from showing up.

I replaced the thick rubber waistline trims with the older style anodised aluminium trims, fitted clear side repeaters and front indicators, and fitted Wolfsburg edition window winders. It still needs a good polish to get rid of the marks from the thicker waistline trims.

It’s starting to look a bit tidier, so once the roof is done it’s on to the electrical and mechanical issues. There’s plenty of electrical problems to sort!

[karmen]

re the repair...seems there was a strong jerk to the door /not major
check the rubber behind it and replace when hard or gone!

I will send pics asap of dash bits
can u send me a pic of the 2 door strips you took off I may trade you ..cheers
B

[Shortstuff]

I’ll grab a pic of the strips, but it won’t be until the weekend. Ive got a set of 5 at the moment and the driver’s door strip is meant to be on it’s way to me.

It’s a shame because the passenger door closes perfectly. The driver’s door needs some attention to get it right. It sits in about 5mm too far at the front, and sticks out about the same at the back and it needs slamming to close properly.


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[karmen]

cool
you may find adjusting the hinges you can get some results
all can be fixed nowadays
B

[Shortstuff]

I had a productive day working on the Cabby today. I completely removed the roof fabric, padding and headliner ready for the new stuff to go on.

I also sorted the cluster surround and missing bits from the dash. For the first time since we bought the car the dash isn’t full of holes!

[karmen]

nice
I have to do that to my Rabbit
so any outer door trims for me m8 ?
The other one you recommended had sold all those bits already but taa anyways.

[karmen]

how usable is your old hood?
and how long to remove it? did you see it done on u-tube...?gd job

did you get pics of the vents and 1 belt?