Old "Rattle & Haul"

dubdoc

New Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2013
Messages
9
Location
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Car(s)
1981 VW Rabbit Pickup
I'm overjoyed to find this site. I've been a carnut for many years now, always seeking a "unique" ride. I absolutely hate meeting the same car as I am driving 30 times a day. It's just plain demoralizing.
After driving a succession of turbodiesel VW Jettas, I decided that the search for a unique daily should start in earnest and after 4 long years of searching, I found a nice rust-free 1981 VW Rabbit Pickup. I've been working on it for the last 7 years now (are project cars ever finished?), and have upgraded just about everything. Interior is all GTI with a restored vintage wood wheel. Engine is a 2 liter "hotrodded" turbodiesel making 147 horsepower and 255 ft lbs of torque. Two winters ago I stripped the body to the bare metal, replaced 2 very small rust spots and sprayed the present Electric Blue Pearl and Silver Mica color scheme. I hope you like the end result.
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The body was still silver when I did the interior.
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In it's original silver paint
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My feelings on this subject are well known
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Awesome Caddy.

I'm a big fan of these cars. I almost bought one myself once.

And welcome to the forum - my fellow Canadian! :canadian:

EDIT: Oh and just to let you know, you may want to get a "Proof Pic" up before any mods see the thread. It's not that we don't believe you, it's that we've had issues before.
 
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I like it, do you use the bed for anything or is it only for show? Also, I would've made sure the taillights were yellow tinted and not clear with yellow bulbs, something about a pre-2000 car without them always looks wrong :p
 
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Old "Rattle & Haul"

More Canadians! Welcome. And that is definitely a unique car. Good job
 
Hey, a VW Caddy under another name. Excellent little pickups that used to be everywhere around here and i still see them regularly. A neighbor drives one, even. Don't think I've ever seen one restored like this though. Most are beaters, and powered by the 1.6 diesel 99% of the time.

Our version has a plastic rear window that sticks out of the cab. no idea why. It also has round headlamps (like the mk1 Golf) and the bed was cut off and extended ~2 inches behind the rear axle to iirc, conform with some rule that dictated how big the cargo area of a vehicle needed to be to get into the lower "van" tax group.
 
Some cool information, but just a question. What's a "proof pic"?
Yes, she's a daily driver and gets a good deal of use in the summer. She'll be getting a color-matched spray-in bedliner this summer to stave off the scratches. We had these long before you had the Caddy in Europe. The squares are a sign that it was built in the VW Westmoreland Pennsylvania plant in the USA.
The taillights are non stock. They're from a new South African Caddy. Ours were yellow-red-white. I put these on to match the clear corner lights on front.

Dale (aka: Dubdoc)
 
A proof pic is a piece of paper with your username written on it - something like, "dubdoc's Caddy", that sort of thing - shoved through the shift level. It's required for people who post in the "Post Your Car" thread.

Welcome to Final Gear! It's always nice to see Canadians from my neck of the woods. :D
 
A VW that's not slammed to the ground :-o

I love it! Very clean mods and certainly a unique ride.
 
A proof pic is a piece of paper with your username written on it - something like, "dubdoc's Caddy", that sort of thing - shoved through the shift level. It's required for people who post in the "Post Your Car" thread.

D'OH, sorry. I'll have to break into the storage barn and get a pic when I get a few minutes.
 
Is it a PD or a CR diesel?
 
Ah, I figured it had to be one of the newer 2.0TDI's since you said "2 liter". The AAZ is 1.9 isnt it? Edit: or was, before you bored it out? :p
 
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That is effing brilliant. Must be pretty quick with 147 horse, no?

It's the torque, not the horsepower. It pulls like a freight train. :D

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Ah, I figured it had to be one of the newer 2.0TDI's since you said "2 liter". The AAZ is 1.9 isnt it? Edit: or was, before you bored it out? :p

WAS, before being bored out.
 
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