ok, here we go.
I tired to get a tow dolly, or a trailer from U-haul, but they were being stupid and would not give us one.
the truck we borrowed had to be back to its owner by noon, so we decided just to tow it with a strap(I know, very bad idea)
so we went off on our hour long drive on the highway to Wasilla!
took some pics when I got there:
there are a few cosmetic issues that I did not see when it was covered in snow, as well as a few things that will need attending to(but nothing too bad)
here are the little problems:
so I started to label the harness and pull the motor apart in preparation for the motor swap.
I also removed the under motor tray(love this thing!)
this is cool too, the "dimmer" switch here actually controls the headlights from inside the car, the actuators behind the light can raise or lower the beam!
I pulled the head, and the darned thing looks good!
it has a few bent valves, but the head is in good shape(could easily be rebuilt) with no cracks between the valves!
the bottom end spins freely, and there is hardly any mark on the piston top from hitting the valves.
all the pistons come up to the same place in the block(just past the deck) so the rods are fine.
there is no ridge in the cylinder, and the honing marks are still evident.
the damage was done by whoever did the timing belt putting the tensioner on backwards:
which did not allow it to rotate, so the belt wore itself through sliding on the tensioner instead of rolling on it.
considering the condition of the head and block, I have decided to have the head rebuilt and get it running again instead of swapping the motor out of my car.
that way both of them will run and be mobile, and I can store the GTI at my parents place and drive the new Golf.
as for the actual year of the car, I am thinking it is a later model, as it has all the late model stuff under the hood, as well as big doors etc...
I could not find a sticker stating when it was built, tire pressure recommendations, GVWR, etc...
but I did get a pic of the vin to decipher.
oh, and as a bonus, anyone know what this is?
-Owen
