love my caddy!

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

[nathantheengineer]

Good to see it being worked! I used to have one years ago as a parts chaser but here in the UK all the cool kids want them and values have risen too far now. 

[hillfolk'r]

Yea i remember one on ebay 3-4 yrs ago that had rust holes in the bed and it went for like 8k...disgusting.....i miss my truck.it was great for the home depot runs and whatnot...ya always have a friend when ya got a truck...hey buddy can ya pick this up for me?

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

I've only had this caddy for a few weeks and I've gotten at least 4 comments on how nice it is, that they haven't seen one in a long time, and do I want to sell it. 

[damac]

I have bought a couple but haven't been able to get them home yet to work on due to other projects.  Never driven one.

Just curious what happens to the rear end with that much weight?  I thought I read they have a max load of like 1000 pounds or so.  At that point would they  be squatting on the stoppers?

I want to be able to pick up a few engines like that at a time as well but don't want to make it squat.  Was planning on leaving it at stock ride height/tires.

Also want to be able to take gear and a couple dirtbikes but that shouldn't be an issue.

[TylerDurden]

You can install a pair of corvette air shocks, ~$90 at autozone. Worked great on my caddy, easy-peasy.

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

I have bought a couple but haven't been able to get them home yet to work on due to other projects.  Never driven one.

Just curious what happens to the rear end with that much weight?  I thought I read they have a max load of like 1000 pounds or so.  At that point would they  be squatting on the stoppers?

I want to be able to pick up a few engines like that at a time as well but don't want to make it squat.  Was planning on leaving it at stock ride height/tires.

Also want to be able to take gear and a couple dirtbikes but that shouldn't be an issue.

The caddy was not that squat down with what I was carrying. The hoist I estimate to be somewhere between 200 to 300 lbs.  How much is the 1.6 engine with a turbo? Around 450 lbs? I also had a tool box of around 75 lbs and other parts I took back with me about another 100 lbs for a total of around 800 lbs. I would have liked to put the engine further forward but was not able to with the hoist so  the front end did feel a bit on the light side which affected handling. I was not able to maintain speed going up some hills, dropped down to 40 to 45 mph at the top of the hill (from approaching it at 65). Time for governor mod?

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

You can install a pair of corvette air shocks, ~$90 at autozone. Worked great on my caddy, easy-peasy.

Tell me more. Can you pump these shocks up/down for adjustable height?

[TylerDurden]

I mis-spoke (typed)... they were Beetle air-shocks.   

I got the shocks at AutoZone for ~$75.

72-73 Beetle
Gabriel
#49307
Extension: 16.35"
Colapse: 10.75"
Stroke: 5.6"


More on Caddy chocks here: http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/CheapTricks/RearSuspension.shtml#Shocks

[theman53]

1.6 with turbo I believe is between 200 and 225. They are pretty light.

[92EcoDiesel Jetta]

225 lbs? Gotta be heavier than that. Too bad I already unloaded the engine and disassembled the hoist otherwise I'd try weighing it on a bathroom scale,

[hillfolk'r]

Nah they aren't that heavy...mid 200s believe it or not...I've lifted one up in a sheer panic
under normal conditions though they are heavy to lift by hand
sell it to a vw lovr though
wish I had room for another
a transaxle is around 75 I know that much
yea vws are 1/2 ton pickups..if I remember right wasn't that a selling point?more weight capacity than a nissan or toyota?

[damac]

I would guess a turbo engine with all accessories, no tranny is more than 225.  I bear hugged one out of a lifted pickup bed and was able to walk it across the garage and dropped it onto some tires.  I wouldn't even try to get it off the ground, something in my back would break for sure.

Definately sounds like they can take a bigger load than I expected, figured they would pop a wheelie

What about tires, can you even buy load d or e tires?

[745 turbogreasel]

Even with airshocks and  lowered(on 2" square tube) bump stops mine wasn't great for hauling, but it tried hard, and did really well unloaded.

[theman53]

Shipping Weights:1-Block 80 lbs2-Head 35 lbs3-Crank 38 lbs4-Rods 6 lbs5-Pistons 8 lbs6-Oil Pump 5 lbs7-Oil Pan & Valve Cover 8 lbs8-Gasket Set & Bearings 3 lbsTotal Weight For Kit 183 lbs

That was pulled from the hillbilly forum. I assume it to be accurate, that is no turbo or IP though. The 1.6 is very light IMHO.
I put 4 VW diesels in my jetta. 1 -1.6 and 3 AAZ, also some misc parts. Mine didn't have the cylinder heads attached, but had all acc., oil pans, and flywheels. Basically, a running engine with the cylinder head off. The AAZ with just the block and crank and bearings weighs 147lbs and the rods weigh around 15lbs so I think the weight averaged for the 4 were right at the 200lb mark. The one flywheel was the 02a type and I bet weighs 25lbs. I had the front and rear seats out, but I drove it from Niagra falls NY to 44611 Ohio no problem. Plus I weighed around 250 at that time.


All that to say I would hope the truck could carry 1/2 ton stock, easily, forever, with no harm, or they didn't make them that great. I still had suspension travel ... not much but come on.