Help me please!!!!

[1976 Orange Passat]

Hi,

I have recently bought a Automatic 1976 passat ls wagon wicked orange colour with 11 months rego. It looks awesome but mechnically its another story.

When i bought it i was under the supsion it would cost about $1000 to get fixed up for a rwc but now it has nearly doubled. I honestly can't afford. I don't know anyone in melbourne to help me out or give me advice...

Things it needs done to it:::

*hole in radiator
*Brake pads
*brake hoses perished
*oil leaks everywhere
*auto trans
*Reversing lights don't work
*wheel alignment
*hoses needs replacing
* ect ect don't have the rest of the list cause i have someone else looking at
but it doesn't look but will update it soon.

I really don't want to get rid of her cause she has a lot of character and it was love at first sight.

Would really appreciate any suggestions what i should do....

Thanks

[Jarred]

First tip, don't take it to Volkspower to get a RWC, they're always very specifc and thorough.

Brake pads & hoses shouldn't be too hard to find (brandnew), nor should radiator hoses.(wrecking yard)

What is wrong with the auto trans??

Degrease the engine bay so you can see where the leaks are coming from. a few gaskets might need replacing.

I do hope you keep it, i've seen it in person and it's a cool looking car for sure & in pretty fantastic nick!

[1976 Orange Passat]

Thanks for your reply.

I think that was my first mistake taking it to volkpower now its at ultratune so im just waiting to hear back from them but they even said its in **** condition mechnically. But fingers crossed for me!!!

The worst thing is i don't know much about cars.

Would u recommend i take it to anyone..???

[GoLfMan]

it realy cant be that bad...
if im free on the weekend I can come over and have a gander and help you out if you like.

[1976 Orange Passat]

Well i just it back from the mechanic for the full check & report and he said it wasn't worth it so your more than welcome to have a look at it and give me your verdict but i wouldnt want u wasting your time....

She's definatly for someone who would love to restore to back to life & has the cash too..

Here's a few more things that needs to be done:

No reverse lights
RH Headlight not mounted
Radiator or resivior not mounted properly & has big hole in it
Rh tail light to bright and has melted the lens
Rh tail lens cracked
Brake ped pedal
Tailgate opening trim falling off
Tailgate loose on hinges
LH rear lens cracked
LH rear door check strap no good
LH front door hinges seizing
Rh Front door check strap no good
Oil leak rocker cover gasket
Oil leaks everywhere, need steam clean & rechecking
Oil leaks cam seal, intermediate seal & crank seal area
Needs auto tran service
Oil leaks auto trans
Oil all over subframe

If i were to sell her on how should i offer cuz ireally don't want to take her to the wreckers or any horrific place like that??? any ideas???

[Jarred]

that puts you in a tough spot if you're not mechanically minded.

Alot of those things are small and easy, some i don't think actually matter for RWC, but a few would be reasonably time consuming & difficult to do.

oh and PLEASE do not take it to a wreckers. Surely someone will be able to help.

[1976 Orange Passat]

Im trying my best that would be the last last resort...

Someone will want her & her flaws (like i did)

Oh well such is life & these things happen for a reason

[GoLfMan]

Im trying my best that would be the last last resort...

Someone will want her & her flaws (like i did)

Oh well such is life & these things happen for a reason

if your going to put her in the wreckers, I'll take it and give you the $150 they'll give you for it.

I already said I'd help you with those problems, it really isnt that dire

[vinderliker]

As Golfman has said, these are minor problems, however I have found that parts are hard to come by. if you decide to stick with the car, this forum will be a help in finding these parts. Also look at he adverts in VW Magazine Australia as there a parts places there whom may have just the part your looking for. If you get stuck I can point you to some of my parts people that I use for my Little Beastie.
James

[1976 Orange Passat]

Thank you ill keep u all posted on whats going on with her... Just a bit busy with work at the moment so can't really chat. Sorry

[passatpout]

Ah, good old Victorian RWC.. I had a list about that long for a 5-year old Barina with about 120,000km on the clock, when I brought it from NSW into Mexico, even from a place with annual roadworthies (blue/pink slip) after 3 years.... the standard one is usually a new windscreen as a minimum.

The problems sound endless, but in reality, as others have said, aren't that bad, and with some decent tools, the appropriate parts, some elbow grease, a workshop manual, and maybe some advice from someone with experience working on them, a few days would see you right.

One suggestion - maybe see if there's another car of the same make and model floating around for a cheap price, and use that as a wreck for parts, assuming that it's good enough to do so. Scrapyards, wreckers, Trading Post, e-bay, look for something that's been written off (particularly in a side-on or rear-ender, or with a lot of rust, since most of the parts that are needed are electrical or engine/mechanical), that should give you most of the parts you need, and probably a lot cheaper than buying them all individually.

Also see if there's some good parts places around the area - not the SuperCheap etc, but at least somewhere with a bit more of a reputation for knowledge and info - like Burson or Repco. There used to be a good private shop on Burwood Hwy near Dorset Road, which if they didn't have it, they could get it ordered in within a few days. In general, if you walk into a shop, and it looks like a supermarket, it's probably not too crash hot - if you walk in, and it looks like a general store, with a warehouse at the back and shelves stacked from floor to ceiling, and has a light smell of grease and oil, you're probably in the right sort of place.

Finally, offer to lay on a slab or two, and see what sort of offers you get to assist (it helps if the beers wait until after the repairs are done).

I cut my teeth pulling trailbikes apart, and have slowly evolved into ride-on mowers, HQ etc Holdens, Austin-Healeys (engine & gearbox out and reinstalled with my brother in 3 hours.. after we'd installed it without a clutch plate.. see aforementioned comment about beers), trailers (bearings and lights.. why don't trailer electrics follow Ohm's Law?? ), etc, etc.

In my case, I'm not sure what led to what - whether being interested in mechanical things led to me becoming an engineer, or whether becoming an engineer made me more adventurous in working on cars.