I know most peoples VW's including my own are constant works in progress that will most likely never be complete but i made a list today of a few things that im working my way through to get my baja to a stage where in happy to leave it for a while.

Since owning my car there haven't been many aesthetic changes, people always seem to ask me why im always working on it when it looks the same, however essentially now everything is new or refurbished in the front end, rear end, brakes, clutch etc.

Anyway my list is thus:

- Finish sanding and painting interior (im halfway done here)

- Fit Sound deadening + marine carpet (some deadening already done in the front doors)

- Install a metal box behind the rear seat to hold my jack, wheelbrace, oil, Spare parts, Recovery gear etc.

- Get better tabs welded onto front and rear barwork for my skid plates and weld straight peices of tube in place of the curving front and rear bars to improve departure and approach angles.

- Get roofrack, front and rear bars and side bars powder coated black and rear wheels coated white to match the fronts.

- Cut out my new dash from alloy checkerplate (already have the stock and templates)

- Fit guages into new dash instead of under it.

- Re-wire car (made a diagram a long time ago, Need to get dash done first)

- Then after that i might consider paint, ill probobly just rub the baja kit back and paint it black again im not too worried about having a pretty car.



so whats on your "To Do" list?

Nicko

so true that even a completed VW is still never finished.

I got around to replacing my rear brake cylinders today which I had been putting off for a while.
Also put new brushes in the generator.

I noticed that my rear engine mounts are pretty shagged and need replacing.
While I am there I will most likely do the clutch.
I need to drill and tap the case for a sender, mount gauge and wire it up.
I want to replace my speedo back light with a blue LED. Need to get some bulb holders and sink the LED in with epoxy.
New shocks on the back as well as trailing arm rubbers.
Re- paint or polish the E brake lever.
Put on a new lowered sway bar.
Jeez, this was supposed to be a finished car!

In order of importance.... (or if i have the parts already)

Front brakes.

Steering wheel.

Rear damage.. (got reared by a copper...)
exhaust, clutch, intake (kadrons.... need to buy these still) + mounts + oil breathing system + oil temp gauge etc.

Font damage (looks like it got hit a bit by a roo or something - front RH fender and front bumper need replacing)

wide window seals + rust spots around rear window and rear RH window.

rear brakes

new wheels

Lower + strut brace

Hoodjax

Thats about enough to cover till the end of next year.

Wow. Where to start.

Replace steering box (or fit R & P if pos.)

Re-bush front end & new steering damper.

Heavier rear torsion bars.

Get & fit GPS with reversing camera.

New bumpers.

Get all guages working.

mine would fill this thread

To do list...

1. Drink Beer..
2. Get laid.....


The VW just fills in the time between #1 & #2..............

Crikey....yeah, agree with Jeff here....where to start!??

Priority ones include..

Finish the stereo install

Get the 6v starter sorted so it doesn't screech and starts first time and not 10th time!

A few seals here and there.

Would like to go lower...

I want to replace my speedo back light with a blue LED. Need to get some bulb holders and sink the LED in with epoxy.

I tried this but had some trouble as the LEDs weren't bright enough, let me know how you go, I might be able to pull some ideas off what you come up with.

Smiley

LEDs emit the light very much directionally, I've tried that application, it's good for control lights, but not as a backlight...

- Get gearbox and engine in and running
- Fix rust that has began bubbling in my rear pillars
- Fit adjusters to front beam
- Front and rear discs off VWCOOL in Porsche stud pattern
- Chrome Fuchs
- Front and rear sway bar
- Stiffer shocks
- New Z-Bar Bushing kit and shimming
- 2332 or turbo 1915

That wasn't what I wanted to see Barls,I was hoping that you were a happy little vegemite.

you think its funny do you, well ive seen the to do list mum has for you it comes in volumes like a phone book.

Nuff said,go back to playing with the fearsome guard dog!and brew some good beer for next weekend so I can put up with JohnnyFarmhouse on his last,last,last, final never to be repeated final show.

smiley, you can get BA7s LEDs which drop straight into the VW holders



i have them in mine, they work fine with my indiglo speedo face but are crap with the stock metal one

on my list to do is strip the speedo out and spray the inside with fake chorme then run a flexible LED strip like this around the inside
that should brighten it up

Nice, thanks for the tip Joel.
I wired mine all up and tried them but it just seemed really dull.
I thought the same thing, that the light wasn't reflecting to the front of the speedo very well.

Smiley

a mild improvement with stock bulbs can be made just by spraying the inside of the speedo with a highly reflective paint or even that chrome covered 100MPH tape

but as already mentioned LEDs dont work well cos theyre too directional which is why im gonna try the flexible strips

I used two LEDs wired in series (one for the fuel gauge and one for the speedo). I think they were about 3 volts each or something so I also got and small resistor and wired that in too so that 12V wouldn't blow them all up.

I used white LEDs because I'd just added some oil temp and pressure gauges which light up really white and I was trying to get my speedo and fuel gauge to match.

All I did was get the resistor and LEDs and solder and heat shrink them all together then used expanding filler foam to mount them in stock bulb holders. Remember if you're doing it like this that the last LED also has to be soldered to the side of the holder in order to provide the earth for the circut.

I might duck outside and see if I can find it in my electircal box and get a picture for you.

If you need any more details just ask.

Smiley

I have no idea what size the bulbs or resistor are, but it's no hassle for me to pop down to the electronics store I bought that gear from tomorrow arvo and find out for you.

How many bulbs will you be running in the circuit? IE will you be running it to the fuel gauge aswell or do you have a later model twinbulb speedo with fuel gauge inbuilt?
I ask because they have a neat little program down at the store which works out what size resistor you also need.


I found the one I made and took and few pictures. The resistor I wired into mine is under the heatshrink in between the red spade connector and the first LED.

Smiley

Just have to fit the new SuperBeetle inner rear vents I got, and maybe one day put the electric wiper washer motor on the Beetle and Bus