New to the scene and love it already...

Hi All,

thanks in advance for having me i have just purchased a 1982 golf Cab, and I'm already in love with the whole idea of owning an old VW….

My aim for the car is to do a restoration to a reasonable standard, the car went for the MOT yesterday, expecting to find a whole load of problems, it didn't pass, but it wasn't as bad as expected one big thing they did pick up on was a big piece of rot near the rear suspensnion strut on the drivers side, the garage owner (quite old school) was confident he would be able to repair.

My question is if anyone will be as kind to advise.. I'm looking at getting the car a new shiny paint job, would it be better for a panel beater to replace the whole inner wing / strut mount as a full panel, or is it just as good to get the garage to do a repair.

on that same note, is there anywhere anyone would recommend in the north west area, id like to spend a bit of money ( not 10's of thousands) in the body work and repairs (not too much) paint then someone to give the engine a good going over to see what is needed etc?

thanks again in advance.

Mike 

Welcome to the club

Unless you are restoring as a hobby/pass-time and can DIY a lot of the work I'd seriously consider finding a Cabrio that doesn't  need lots of welding and repainting.

You could easily go through more £ than buying a minty one that you can enjoy straight away.

There are lots of nice cabbys out there for not silly £.

Finding a nice hatchback is getting hard and many will require work as they are older and tended to be used hard and not cared for like later Cabrios.

thanks for your reply,

im confident the car ive bought is in a reasonably good state, My Mechanic has had a very thorough look over the car for me and says there are signs of a little rot, bot only the 1 major patch around the strutt.

in terms of DIY, I'm very hands on and can certainly do most work myself, of course I'm limited when it comes to welding and spraying which I believe to be more a specialist area.

I also like the idea of having had some input on the vehicles restoration, I've managed to get the car at what I believe to be a fair figure, leaving money in the pot to spend on tarting the paint up and having someone look over the engine.

In terms of paint, aside from the stated issue, all it will need is the 2 rear arches tarting up, as it is in good condition everywhere else.

Mike

The early small bumper cabbys are worth saving in my opinion, I think they will start to increase in price quicker than the later models pretty soon, guess weighing up how much it's worth spending also depends on how long you want to keep it for.

Getting it done correctly and spending money now will be worth it in a few years IMHO.

I'll add a picture of said vehicle.

The roof needs replacing, which my neighbouring business do so that's all in hand.

I'm assuming most bodywork places will undertake the welding work? 

Does anybody have any recommendations in the north west / Manchester area?

Agree welding and def paint is not really DIY-able and if you are doing rest yourself as hobby then yes crack on and get some pics up. It can be soul and wallet destroying but very satisfying at the same time!

I'm ready to take on the challenge …

my wallet on the other hand….

Any recommendations for a reputable sprayer would be appreciated 

Love the small bumper cabs

So I'm making  some lists of bits to do today, and I notice on the back door cards, above them the bare metal is showing, I'm not sure wha trim if any should be here… I suspect at some point the interior may have been updated / swapped.

Can anyone advise or show a picture of what it should be like?

Mike

www.cabby-info.com has a wealth of informative topics on the Cabbies.

Don't feel bad I have owned 4, Currently own and drive 2.
93, and a 92… They are addictive.  Not unlike my fond memories of my 58 AH Sprite, 67 MG Midget, and my Favorite 72 Rover 3500S…. So while I live across the pond, I have British Leyland Roots. Matter of fact, the 58 is in a Barn in Pieces for 40 years waiting to be put together and Driven…..one of these days…….

THINK THIS WAS ON EBAY. IF SO SURE IT WAS A GOOD BUY. GOOD LUCK WITH THE RESTO!

It was indeed Ebay, took a punt and seems to have paid off.. Unless I misunderstood your comment with the caps, and you're saying good luck with the restoration as you know something I don't ..