TRUCK STUFF! (actually its just a passat)

[Murlo26]

from hughes:

http://www.bumperplugs.com/

note, *not* buttplugs! :)

What size holes can these cover? I have been looking for something cheap to cover my spoiler holes on the X.

Sadly under mitsubishi on this site they don't show a rally red :(

[scheides]

What size holes can these cover? I have been looking for something cheap to cover my spoiler holes on the X.

Sadly under mitsubishi on this site they don't show a rally red :(

Different. I don't think these would work for that.

[scheides]

After pulling two all-nighters at work this week (and one more ahead of me the next day) I got home friday and could think of nothing I wanted more than to just wrench alone in my garage on this hog.

I started by backing the thing in and swapping out the rear springs. Easy peasy, probably about 5-10 minutes per side. Springs are not wrapped around the struts so a couple bolts and they just slide right out. Got the rear back on the ground and I'm thinking, 'HOT! Now on to the front!'

I quickly found myself at the point of no-return :( Zee germans have attached the front sway bar end links to the struts instead of the knuckle and just like other sway bar endlinks, they are gobstopping-whoremongers to get off in one piece! Out came the sawzall and 15 minutes of cutting got me where I wanted to be: up shit creek!

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_2_006.jpg

Zee germans also have made removing the strut from the knuckle fuking pointlessly impossible. Another 20 minutes of pounding and hammering and wiggling (and cussing!) and....still up that creek. :) Getting the springs off/on at this point is cake.

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_3_006.sized.jpg

So, I decided to fight on and get the passenger side apart before calling it a night. I had sprayed the living daylights out of the sway endlinks with PB Blaster but it was pointless--this side was stuck as well!

After I got it mostly apart, it occurred to me that I may be able to do something completely stupid--remove the spring with the strut still attached to the swaybar. I couldn't get the knuckle low enough to get the strut top out from the fender but after about an hour of finagling, wiggling, pounding, smashing, and more cussing, I ended up here:

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_5_005.sized.jpg

Swapped the spring, reassembled, and called it a night. So proud but so pissed at the same time! Bleh! The next morning I picked up a few packs of sawzall blades and a new endlink and proceeded to cut cut cut for hours on end until that wh0re of a swaybar was back to the way I wanted it.

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_4_005.sized.jpg

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_7_003.sized.jpg

Finally got it back together, and then while it was up in the air I fixed something stupid I had noticed earlier--there was no access hole in the plastic undertray for the oil drain plug. Easy fix :)

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_8_002.sized.jpg


Aaaand voila! Missing a axle cap in this pic but you get the idea :) She's a little lower but the stance (I hate how tainted that word is now but fuk it) is real nice.

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_10_002.sized.jpg

Bombing on crappy side streets is dandy, car isn't too low. Highway is dandy, and this hog handles quite a bit better--not so bobbly and roll happy now.

Let's not forget what I got this thing for though---TRUCK STUFF! She went immediately back into service hauling hundreds of pounds of gear that night:

http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_9_002.sized.jpg


Next mod: oil change :)

[Murlo26]

Nice! Finally for once I can see the pics as I am at home instead of work (work blocks your schides.com stuffs).

Looking good! Until now I didn't even know if this was a truck or not lol. Damn germans!

[goodhart]

hahaha nice oil filter/undertray mod!

[tehehodi]

How did you ever fit that gear in your Evo before truck stuff? Looking good! Love wagons, any plans for new wheels?

[cmspaz]

Looks good! I didn't know you did that this weekend, should have called! Grappler and I could have swung by, both bored and neither of us were motivated to find things to do, lol!

[scheides]

How did you ever fit that gear in your Evo before truck stuff? Looking good! Love wagons, any plans for new wheels?

Heh, back seat on the leather or stuff it in the wee trunk! Maybe some cheapo rimz in the spring, nothing too fancy but 17 or 18 fo sho.

Looks good! I didn't know you did that this weekend, should have called! Grappler and I could have swung by, both bored and neither of us were motivated to find things to do, lol!

Heh thx but like I said I needed some time alone...I get so swamped at work and people knawing at me nonstop, garage time is therapeutic :D

[cmspaz]

Heh thx but like I said I needed some time alone...I get so swamped at work and people knawing at me nonstop, garage time is therapeutic :D
Haha, totally therapeutic when nothing goes as planned. But a good break none the less.

[scheides]

First oil change for me on this hog tonight. Rotella T6 5w40 hurray! Same I ran in the jetta, good stuff.

While it was up in the air draining I swapped in that red dogbone mount insert 'quick' (ok it actually took like 30 minutes b/c I was being lazy and trying to do it the fast way....sigh. Anyways, the car drives MUCH better with that, really took the rest of the slop out, didn't think there was that much left but I highly recommend this one over the hackity-hack version I did before. Great stuff!

Also I was lucky enough to tear one of the CV joints when I was cursing and pounding away trying to get those springs installed--there's CV grease all over the driver's side wheel and well....fun times.

Instead of fixing it, I decided to do a little umm what's it called? Retail therapy?
http://www.scheides.com/albums/passat-wagon/Photo_1_2.sized.jpg

Yip, truck stuff continues!