A white turd

September 01, 2026, 02:06:06 PM

This white one sat outside, practically abandoned, while the kid who owned it spent more time in Thailand than England.
It got to a point where it looked neglected enough that it was a shame seeing it.
Eventually I gave him pocket money for lady boy hookers and cobra whiskey and he gave me the V5 and the keys.

It was a 1.3 with a 4+E box (saucy) and I had hoped it'd be the usual 'old VW' story.
Fresh oil and filter, fresh fuel, new battery, turn key, go.
That did happen, kind of, but wasn't that clear cut.

By the time we'd given it a preliminary clean, I had to break my "no hospital unless dead or dying" rule.
That poo gave me the nastiest sun burn on my neck and shoulders that I have ever gotten and I've had plenty.
Resorted to going and getting it scraped off and patched up by a nurse. Fun; 1/10, do not recommend.
Luckily my mrs and my nephew who gave me a hand washing the car were cool though.

The good:
Fired up as expected, ran fine, after the carb gasket and some vac hoses.
The gearbox felt good... weirdly good. Impressive work.
Discounting the crustiness and the typical 35 year old beater paintwork, it looked ok in some usually suspect areas.

The bad:
All brake lines and hoses were clapped out.
A bunch of bushes were perished or split.
Certain chassis components were gross and rusty.
There were a couple of rust holes, but fortunately nothing mega.
The carb to manifold gasket had perished and split because it didn't want to be left out.

The ugly:
With the amount of work needed, I naturally went to my default setting of a bland engine replacement.
This is regrettable, but if I have to put actual elbow grease into a car, I need a little power and decent MPG.
Once done I'll daily it until winter gets gross and I start worrying about subjecting the old girl to the salt and grit.

That said, if anyone wants a 1.3 and 4+E box along with shifter, shafts and anything that came out attached to it, just shout.

Re: A white turd

Reply #1 – September 01, 2026, 02:32:04 PM

Good luck with that. Hope it looks better when washed.