Observations after a few days driving.

[wolf_walker]

I've been piecing together my 600K mile 81 Caddy that I have had, and my father before me, for a long time.
She's been languishing in a scenic wooded area of eastern N.C. for the last, oh, three or four years with critters living in it
and a tired 1.6 shortblock hanging by one mount.  Waiting.
So enter my commute turning into 50 miles round trip and my 36 year old gasser Mercedes getting
15mpg, on a good day, with a tail wind, downhill, and I finally got off my ass and fixed my truck.
It's great to see it moving again.  I'm 30 years old, and I learned to drive in this thing.
Anyway.

I put a hyd head NA motor from an 85 Jetta in(which itself was showing 400K and change on the odo)
with a bunch of cleaning and new seals and gaskets, new injectors, all the usual stuff that wears out.
My old 107A pump is somehow still good and not leaking.
We haven't had really cold weather, but in the 30's it starts instantly.
It's timed pretty high, .95 or .98, just under 1mm. 
Cold start handle has no descernable effect, I'm assuming since it's timed so high.
Cold idle is acceptable as far as clatteryness, anything over idle when cold is not, in
fact it sounds like death in a tin can.  No surprise there. 
No smoke either, unless it's under WOT, and not a lot then.
It's a dog mostly, runs smooth and rev's out alright, but it's weak below
maybe 3K rpm, and past that unless the pedal is on the proverbial metal.
I'm going under the assumption this is a pump dynamic advance issue
and will improve when I cobble together a pressure gauge and can set it
somewhere near where it ought to be with whatever they are passing
for diesel these days.  It don't even smell right, this new stuff, bleh.
I could retard the timing, I might for kicks, but I suspect it'll become
even more gutless, and it's juuust enough to be able to not get
run over as it is(and not have to mat it constantly).

It's good to be back, all in all.  Can't wait to try and tune things
back to where they ought to be. 

[burn_your_money]

Sounds like an ambitious project.  0.98mm of timing is usually good for an old pump. Every engine is different though so it won't hurt to play around with it.

[wolf_walker]

140 miles and it's still in one piece.

Shifter is still stiff, I hope it wears in.  I lubed the new bushings with sylglide, they
are stiffer than I've ever had new bushings be before.  The Scirocco shifter is such a nice
addition.

I wish I'd spent more money on nicer calipers and rotors.  They are vented GTI's but
I swear I can feel a little out of true in them.  Annoying.  Easy to change though.
Think they are PBR's, what do you want for $10 a pop though.
The RF claiper clicks fore/aft, they are remans and had new bushings and the pins look good, bleh.

I wish I'd replaced the axles instead of rebooting them.  It was cheap and they were not obviously
worn, but I have a vibe on decel I bet is them.  Oh, and a slight bit of torque steer in 2nd.
Never felt that in a VW diesel before.  Course, I'd have bought remans because GOOD new
axles with Lobro joints are $$$, then I'd be complaining about them.

I was given a set of 72 BMW 320i(i think) spoked steel wheels with new tires I have
on there.  They fit ok, offset a bit more to the outside.  It's.. Different.
Jury is out on them.  But they were free.. 

It's good to be in a diesel again.
Harbor Freight has a pretty cheap photo-tach, and I think I can make a nice gauge
out of there oil pressure test kit to check pump pressure.  Hoping that
makes things feel better.

[wolf_walker]

Glow plug fuse was broke for no reason this morning, jumped it, went to work. 
Nothing smoked.  Replaced it this afternoon.  Suspect it was age and vibration.

Put in a battery that fits, was dissapointed the big long Euro battery wouldn't fit,
that damn bundle of wire and fuse links mostly in the way.  May re-engineer later.

Two new temp senders fixed my low temp gauge reading, it's just
slightly past 12 o'clock fully warm and cruising now, where I thought it used to be.

2nd gear still sucks other than totally warmed up trans, even with RedLine MTL.
Bummer, suspect it'll just be that way till it gets really bad.  Trans swaps are no fun.

Little over 300 miles, just under half tank showing.  Hope the fuel gauge works.
Think I'll fill up at 400 to be on the safe side.

[wolf_walker]

20 months and 22K miles later...    622K and counting.  42mpg average.  Man time flies by, I've resurrected three Volvo's since I put the pickup back on the road.
I even had a guy chase me down and take photos's of it the other week, all the rare LX trim.

It runs so much better when it's warm out it's not even funny.  You could even call it's performance normal, but I know when the weather drops below 60F consistently again,
it's going to start clattering and being rough in the morning.  Right now it's a little silky, angry, bee in a can that is an IDI diesel.  I still haven't replaced that 300+K pump.
Or run a compression test.  I mostly just drive and change oil anymore, things have settled in nicely.  FEQ motor mounts are still fine, not having oil leak all over them seems to help.
Sachs struts still suck, the right front will need replacing by winter.  The Monroe or whatever I put on the rear to replace the KYB feel just like the stock one's with 600K felt, not worn out or un-worn out,
just there.  My blower motor quit finally, apparently you can't hardly buy one for a factory AC A1 rabbit now.  Blah.
I'd still pretty much rather drive this than anything else.  I might have a chance at getting my "nice" 82 Caddy back this winter, two is better than one.

[theman53]

Great deal. You drive almost as much as me.

[wolf_walker]

Shoot, I'm way down from what I used to.  I've seen 100K in a year before, and not even driving for work.  Getting old I guess.