Ugobug Chronicles

[UGoBug]

so.....I guess it was time to start my own blog, and what a better place.  I could blog about stuff I do to my cars on other blog sites (facebook, myspace, etc) but I am sharing with people who haven't a clue!  I did a little write-up of my GTI build and I got a comment on a picture...."what's a GTI?  is that a Toyota?"  ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!  seriously!!!!  I guess I should have said VW GTI.  maybe then.....

so anyways...I finally got to a point with all my house work that I could take a break and focus some much needed attention on my car(s) yesterday.  The GTI was begging for an oil change, so I did a transfusion there in my driveway...I tell ya, that's the only thing that sucks about a lowered car...gotta break out the jack to do ANYTHING underneath.  It got some nice fresh Mobil1 synthetic High mileage oil...ouch!! ($$$). :o  spendy stuff, but its worth it.

I also decided that my stereo just did not look right in the dash.  if anyone has ever seen it, the Golf dash bezel is not so friendly to aftermarket stereos.  the hole just ain't right!  there's no amount of trimming that will make it look right, either.  SO, i had scavenged a Jetta bezel a while ago and I broke it out.  After much shaving with the dremel and modifying and cutting and swearing, I made it fit and it looks like it's supposed to be there.  you see, for those of you that don't know, the Jetta bezel is attached to the dash with screws, whereas the Golf is just snapped in (among other differences).  so what, you might ask, is the benefit of using the Jetta Bezel?  Well the radio hole on the Jetta Bez is the correct single DIN size, which makes it look proper when you install an aftermarket stereo.  so now it looks like the radio belongs there, not just hangin in the hole i cut out.  much cleaner looking!   some people just swap in the entire Jetta dash, but what fun is that ;D

on to the next item.  I tried my hands at upholstery repair.  the Bolster on my driver seat had a tear in it and the foam was all broke, and of course instead of shelling out the dough to an upholstery shop...DIY to the rescue!  I just happened to come across another seat in the that matched mine on one of my many trips to the boneyard.  it was trashed, but the bolster was perfect!  I carefully saved that piece cuz I new I would need it soon.  so I broke out the hogring pliers and went to town!  What may have taken an upholstery shop 20 minutes to fix, took me an hour or so, but hey, I learned somethin new!!  The seat looks brand new now~ :D

with that done...it was on to the piez-de-resistanse (spell?)  I was soooooooo tired of looking at the "half-n-half" look on the body, and no money or time for a real paintjob yet meant time for the RATTLE CAN!!  plus this would give me an opportunity to play with a paint scheme I had in mind.  so masking everything off, I broke out the piant-job in a can and went to town.  Needless to say it turned out pretty darn good!!!   :)  it is now all one color (technically)  Below is the before and after...

so, on to the baja.......but more of that later!

Before


after!

[BuginU2]

Looks good!  Nice job, Bryan!

[CatBox]

thanks for painting it silver and not flat black.

i actually cringed as i read only to be pleasantly suprised.

it looks good.

[BusDriver]

Whats wrong with Flat Black? My GTI (Thats a Volkswagen for those of you that are not in the know) is Flat Black and really fast, and corners like a Comet on rails that was dosed with some crack. Im just sayin... :o

[TotallyVW]

Whats wrong with Flat Black? My GTI (Thats a Volkswagen for those of you that are not in the know) is Flat Black and really fast, and corners like a Comet on rails that was dosed with some crack. Im just sayin... :o

I don't know nuttin' 'bout no speeding Mercury, but my car turns real good and it's flat black (not from a can though  ;)).

RaffleBug, Mercury made a Comet for a few years

[UGoBug]

I happen to like flat black.  I almost painted the whole car primer black, as I plan on stripping it and painting it proper this winter.  But then I thought...there was a whole lot more to mask off for the black versus the silver, so the least amount of work won! :)  Besides I had more silver paint than black.

I guess I picked a good time to clean it up, what with Pacific Waterland coming to town!!

oh yea, and I also upgraded the battery cables.  I was having an issue of my lights dimming from the amp in the back, and I looked and my decrepit nasty small battery cables were the weak link.  so I beefed em up and now no more dimm.

its kinda nice to work on my car for a change!  i was starting to think i was becoming a contractor (ew)  don't get me wrong, after the last month I admire the work they do, its just not the living for me!!!

[CatBox]

dont get wrong flat black has its place but if you were to do a google search for say "flat black car", you would be flooded with pictures of every kijnd of thing covered in the "best flat black that walmart has".

in my own opinion european derived cars just dont work with the flat black theme of.... ::)rat rods..(wheres the vomit smile?)

here this will work

[RaffleBug]

RaffleBug, Mercury made a Comet for a few years

Thanks, I thought he was talking about a small solar system body that orbits the sun... Also I wasn't born for another 2 more years after they stopped production of the Mercury Comet...old man.:P


I like it UGOBUG. I saw a silver one on the road after I saw this post and passed it to see the hood. It was all silver and did not look as good as this. It definitely adds a more aggressive look to it.

[UGoBug]

I was sitting back thinking about all the influence I have on my family, and I am suprised to realize that I have quite a bit of influence.  Heck, my taste in vehicles has even rubbed off!  Here's a couple examples!

My sister, 98 GLX


my folks...74 Standard


my sister-in-law, 85 Jetta


wow...just thought it was kinda funny...

[BusDriver]

This is the one I would roll  ;)

[UGoBug]

WELP.....Helga has a new home! 

I'm becoming quite the collector of all things car here.  It's a good thing I have understanding Tenants (and loving WIFE!!)  I am working my way towards having all my family members in Volkswagens YET!!  Helga will eventually end up in the loving care of my Brother-in-law as his first vehicle.  you all met him, he was at the Beach Cruise (my Bolo partner).  That was his first outing with VW's, and he's been hooked on em ever since.  He really wanted a Bug or a bus, but seein as he couldn't tell a wrench from a coat hanger, I think he would be better off in something that he doesn't have to tinker on (that's what I am for!!)  That, and as his mechanic, I want him in something reliable.  And with the Loving care that Todd has given her, I am sure to have a perfect fit.

Of course him taking on this car comes at a price!  He now has to come to more outings with me when he can!!  That and NO ONE else Lays a FINGER on this car unless I approve.  I am very protective of my vehicles...er, I mean, my family... ::)

So after some loving care in my driveway, wet sanding, buffing, polishing, waxing, and some tweaks and finishing touches here and there, it will be off to her new owner (or driver, anyways!) under my close supervision...

So now if I could just get my wife to sell her stinkn Jeep and get a Jetta or Golf... :)

[BusDriver]

 :'( :'( It was weird watching her drive off last night. But I got a call from the lady that now owns Ma'ter today, she was unsure if she wanted to keep him or not so I inticed her with some of the blood money...I mean money that came from Helga's new home. She said she would think about it and get back to me in a couple days. If that goes thru Bryan and I will mount Operation: Rescue Ma'ter ("As in TowMa'ter, without the tow") After that, the Operation turns to a Campaign! Ma'ter v2.0

[UGoBug]

I have my trailer at the ready!  Just give the go word and we'll roll out like panzers

[corradojeff]

:'( :'( It was weird watching her drive off last night. But I got a call from the lady that now owns Ma'ter today, she was unsure if she wanted to keep him or not so I inticed her with some of the blood money...I mean money that came from Helga's new home. She said she would think about it and get back to me in a couple days. If that goes thru Bryan and I will mount Operation: Rescue Ma'ter ("As in TowMa'ter, without the tow") After that, the Operation turns to a Campaign! Ma'ter v2.0

 :'( bring the little guy home, im glad he will get his always deserved ;D

[UGoBug]

Well, now that some of my other projects are getting caught up, I can finally get going on finishing my GTI.  Helga is coming along great, and we actually took her for a drive this weekend.  Well if you consider circling the block for 2 hours a drive, then ok (still no tags yet!)  A few finishing touches and she'll be ready to move on.  of course as soon as i get it licensed I gotta cruise out to Todd's again to swap out the wheels  ;) (I didnt forget).

I gotta get working on getting my tranny swapped out.  the reverse is getting so bad I might as well get out and push it back.  it would be faster.  That and the second gear syncs have finally given up, so i get the bone-chilling *crunch* everytime I shift <shutter>.  So that is my next step, along with that its getting new axles, ball joints, sway bar end link bushings, and a new oil pan, as those are all things I did not change out on the first go-round.  It's also gonna get some lowering cups for the front (already on order :) ) to bring that nose down a bit.

One thing I did do already, was change out the door pulls.  After the second door handle broke that I got from DIP, I decided to try something different.  I had seen several articles on swapping out the handles for MK3 pulls, and I finally found a source for the aftermarket ones on ebay.  So I wearily placed the order, knowing they were coming from HongKong (scary).  I patiently waited (not really) a week or so, and I finally got them in yesterday.  So yesterday evening in the cold I found myself changing out my door pulls!  Upon close inspection of the new handles, I have to say I am quite impressed with the level of construction.  they are not made out pop aluminum like the ones you get from other places, but instead a cast steel.  that was comforting!  AND they're ADJUSTABLE!!  yea, it has an adjustment on the striker where it contacts the inner latch, so you can fine tune it to your liking.  AWESOME.  Installation was a snap, and the end result was amazing!!  you can now open the door effortlessly!!  WOOHOO!!!  even my daughter loved em, becuase her little fingers could never manage to pull the trigger on the MK2 style pulls, as the doors shut really tight (NEW SEALS).  now she can open them with ease.

Next up, OEM style amber fog lights (patiently waiting, again!)