This was picture was taken out in Clinton, NJ by the homie Henrique, a fellow #mk3 #vw #enthusaist like myself. Find his work here: ElementImages This was September 2023 for the #eastcoastmk3 meet. It was raining A LOT and I look awkward but I was happy af.
It’s hard to put it into words but here goes: I am truly honored, blessed and so grateful for this community. I took on this road trip not only to hang out with other car enthusiasts who particularly like MK3 Volkswagens but Volkswagens, Audis and BMW’s in general. It also doubled as a real and true road test to push the car to its current limits. It gave me a sense of accomplishment in that I put in a lot of hard work and I got to enjoy the payoff in the same year for once. Yet it’s more than a #hobby It’s a passion of interest. I’m so humbled to have received the award of best of show. I also won the award for “Longest Drive” – which is funny, but also very accurate since I drove roughly 1800 miles round trip!
Now some history: I’ve owned this car since 2001 and have met so many amazing people through this car culture. I am originally from Queens, NYC and the overall “VW Scene” was something I was always a part of and was truly when I found my “people”. The car culture grew so much from those early days and while there are some really bad tones to some of it, I’m proud of being part of this particular community. We all look out for each other in so many ways. At present, I feel very fulfilled to be able to actually drive this car after what seems like an eternity to 2 separate events in the same year! However, it wasn’t all a smooth ride. After we returned from Helen, GA, my work was still cut out for me.
This included replacing brake calipers, bleeding the brake system fully (again), compression test, spark plugs, wires and a brand new coil pack. I also raised the suspension a bit to clear the rears from rubbing in the rear. They still rubbed like hell but oh well, “if ya ain’t rubbin, ya ain’t dubbin”. This is a very old saying that takes me back to the good ole days of VWVortex. IYKYK! I also took the time to clean up and redo many of the main grounds in the electrical side of things, a brand new Pioneer deck, speakers front and back with a nicely hidden bluetooth mic. Oh, let’s not forget the driver’s side window regulator! What a pain in the ass! But, it felt good to be able to use the power window on demand to nod to my fellow enthusiasts and not look completely antisocial.
During the trip up north for the EastCoastMK3 Meet, we faced A LOT of rain. The car did well but it also exposed some of the weak points on the outside and underside of the car that aren’t sealing very well. It is a New York car after all and has a large amount of rust. It also looks like I need to clear sunroof drains because I am getting some water inside the cabin on the passenger floor.
So, what’s next?
I would like to try and have heat back in the car so I could continue enjoying to drive it even through the winter. To restore heat, I would first need to replace the heater core. On these cars it is a pretty involved job that involves removing the entire dashboard. Not fun but doable. It would also give me the opportunity to clean up the deteriorated foam behind the blend doors and neaten up any loose wiring. Maybe do heated seats while I’m at it?
For next Summer, I am absolutely planning on adding back A/C so I can enjoy it more during the warmer months. I have most of the parts stored minus a condenser.
I used to have a working key fob at one point. But it just stopped working one day after I replaced all grounds and added new battery terminals. I think I just need to reset the alarm box module and reprogram it. The trunk pop feature doesn’t work on both the key fob and the button in the center console. I may also need to look into the vacuum pump and lines that reach the hatch. (stay tuned for upcoming DIY video!)
Overall, I am leaning more towards making the car more functional. It’s a process but we’re getting there. Long term I would like to fully repair the rust, respray in the original LY3D Tornado Red single stage paint and start installing more of my rare euro parts styling through different phases. For now, I am just enjoying the opportunity to turn the key and simply go! The Saga continues…
Check out the 2023 Recap Video below!