I'm not calling this a restoration because many of the parts or systems I'm rebuilding are using aftermarket modifications. In no way am I intending to make this a factory spec restoration. Instead this is a project where I put in what I think should be the best item for the purpose intended and sometimes that is a factory part. At other times it is not.
Since this was not a daily driver and I have no loan payments to fulfill, I did not have the time restraints that others would have regarding a project car. All I needed was a budget, time, and money to accomplish those tasks that I wanted to complete.
I put the car in the garage, made an assessment on what I thought needed to be done (cost within reason) and made an estimated cost. I then set aside the amount I thought necessary and purchased those parts. Some of them I had to acquire abroad while others I got domestically.
My brother stumbled across a gold mine when the local VW dealer in Santa Clara CA called him. They knew he was a VW fanatic and especially fanatical about older A1 & A2 cars from the 1980s-1990s. They told him they needed to clean out the warehouse of old stock and were going to throw out a truckload of OEM parts. So my brother drove his VW Caddy over to the dealership and they filled the back end with brand new factory parts!
I lucked out because inside this boatload of parts were the expensive Bosch WDPO spark plugs for the G60 along with serpentine belts, hoses, brake rotors, pads, etc. I found a knock sensor, windshield wipers and more.
I acquired even more items and soon my garage was filled with new parts.
The dilema is that I also had three other project cars which included an 81 VW Caddy with a 2.0l 8V conversion along with a 95 Jetta III and an 85 Golf that I was converting into a GTi 16V. After awhile I could not tell which boxes belonged to which cars. My wife was frustrated with the junk that was gathering and I was procrastinating every day. She said the garage was beginning to look like an episode of "Cops" She was right.
I made it a priority to reduce the number of cars and I eventually finished and sold the Jetta and the Caddy so that I could focus my attention on the last two vehicles. And I can happily report that the corrado is steadily making progress towards completion. And I don't plan to sell it once its completed.
The picture illustrates some of the parts I've set aside in preparation for the refurbishment and resurrection.
I've sourced the parts from various vendors including Neuspeed, Autotech, Virtual World Parts, Tire Rack, Discount Tires, Bahn Brenner Motorsport, New Dimensions, Gruven Parts, German Parts and Restoration and others. Credit also goes to some enterprising enthusiasts in the Corrado Club of America who've provided some parts and lots of advice. Ill credit each one in the posts as they become relevant.
Let the fun begin!
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