75 phoenixrot swallowtail project - with video!

A very small amount of you may remember my former 77 rabbit TDI, which was sold a few years ago after a couple of magazine features, and multiple show trophies. I've used up my energy for the show circuit, and stumbled upon a Phoenix Red 1975 rabbit. Wanted a 75 for many years, and never was able to source one.  I picked this one up as part of a long story, I traded some parts I shouldn't have to get an 11/74 rabbit, that eventually went to Canada, with the help of this one. It was a parts car delivered to my shop for the 11.74 car, which was just a shell. I got to keep the 6.75 car, which is the one pictured.


It was pretty rough, and I spent a fair amount of time working in new inner and outer rockers on the driver's side, and getting the floorpan to cooperate with the inner sill again.  The previous owner has just bent up a piece of sheet metal and screwed it to the sills to make a 'rocker panel', without closing off the end. If you live on a gravel road, that becomes a shovel. Guess they didn't think about that one.
I found a set of doors that were in perfect condition, just need a respray, since mine were rotted out. I've also scrounged up an AEB 20v 1.8t conversion, a 02A transmission with a quaife, and some tech-53 mounts to get it all hung in the car.
Scored a great deal on some Gotti 2-piece wheels, which seemed perfect for the car…
   

Found a set of audi 4k Quattro front calipers at the junkyard, and my old H&R coilovers are installed. I'm still in the collecting parts phase for this car, while my Datsun roadster project is at about mid-point. (the whole reason the rabbit isn't done, plus I needed a break from building rabbits)
In true rabbit fashion, they breed.
I found another 1975 phoenix red on craigslist about 2 hours away, and went to snatch it up, in the hopes of a 5.75 car being in better shape.  I was really wrong. This one is rusted to the point of not worth saving, even the area above the tie rod portal on the passenger side is rotted through. Lots of good interior and exterior parts to make my time worth it, though. The rest of the parts I don't use will help other swallowtails live on.  It looked good in pictures.



It's all pulled apart and waiting for me to get back to figuring out what to keep and get rid of.

I'll keep this updated as I snag more cool parts for my project, and hopefully get it on the road sooner than later.
Between the 2 projects, I'm good on shop work for at least a few years….

looks good one

not many 75 left over here at all

look forward to the updates

You'll have to pardon my lack of clarity in the pictures. Remember, at one time fairly recently, the iphone 4s was considered a decent camera…..<br />

So to play a little catch-up, I had to part out a 2001 new beetle to get this quaife-equipped transmission, and got a really good deal on the AEB 1.8t engine from a junkyard that was closing. So it got hung in the car to get it out of the way, and off the shop floor.<br />
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I also picked up a set of 2010 GTI heated seats with the plaid centers. They will be a great fit for the car, once I modify the floorpan to accept them, and restitch the rear seat to incorporate the plaid fabric.<br />

Started tearing apart the rusty 75 today, cutting apart the hatch (nearly rusted in two) and the rear taillight panel to make some wall art. Still going through the boxes of stuff in the car to figure out what I have. Looks to be a complete 1.5 carbed engine, in pieces, and the correct transmission with the side mount starter. The passenger side engine mount looks like a medieval torture device, it makes the diesel engine mounts look diminutive and simple.

I've also figured out a way to reinforce the body at the b-pillars to help prevent the cracking at the door/window junction on the early cars. ( I think). I've found a few suspect joints in the b-pillar interior that look like they allow rock-crawler type flexing. Further testing will commence on the junk shell before final determinations are made.

Packaged up a dash I put together out of spares to ship to Florida. I think I have most of a set of green tinted windows as well. Not to the bottom of the pile yet….
And I hope to get working on the crusty Datsun soon. Welding old Japanese metal makes you a better welder on anything thicker, like a soda can.

I've started to regularly work on this car - doing all my updates on youtube instead of taking pictures.

I'll post some sneak peeks in here every now and then.

Been working heavily on making a set of 2015 GTI seats fit into the car - much more work than I expected, but almost done with that  -  a few episodes behind in production, but ahead of schedule.

Link to the channel -
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuLMZ3UjAQ0fO3PBX4EblBQ

Watched your build on youtube today and subscribed, left you a few coments and thumbs up too.

What are the rules in oregon as far as your engine swap emmisions etc? 

thanks for the tips!

I'm in Washington, just north of Oregon. Since this is titled as a classic car, I really don't have any restrictions on what I can do. Newer cars, we can swap engines, but you have to put a newer engine in the car, and all the emissions equipment on top of that. No question that the engine is newer than the car, so even if that were to come up, I'd be OK.
One of my previous cars was a mk4 jetta wagon that I swapped to TDI. Never had a problem, even with emissions testing, I told them it was a diesel and they tested it accordingly.

Here in the uk we have a once yearly ministry of transport roadworthyness test (mot)  the car is however just tested with the rules that apply to its year of manufacture.  So your woud be tested as a 75 which has no emissions. So basically any mods go as the test tests brakes, lights and no rust holes within 12" of a major chassis member.

Took a week to get the channel renamed, but videos are being produced again. Thanks for your patience! 

New video is up, and front seats are installed!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nQUishGwOQ

New episode is online, working on the rear seat issues!

Thanks for watching!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dycf4_SJhrg

New episode is up today. Absolutely no seat work in this episode! I use my skills to take on repairing the b-pillar cracking, and make some internal hidden bracing to stiffen up the chassis from the inside!

https://youtu.be/MxdNRoXCJDI

I took a few weeks off VW vids, and worked on my Datsun…But we're back to VW's this week, and two videos, one of my friend who is really the biggest rabbit enthusiast I know, and one of his car that we spent the day fixing the door jamb.

my pal Seth-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW6FMUQ7YDg

and his REALLY bad door hinge!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBRFgf1a9vc

Soon, we'll be doing a suspension install, and flex-testing the body bracing that I made to see if it really did help strengthen the unibody, or if it's just warm fuzzies!

it's been a few week delay, but I uploaded a few new rabbit videos. I've been distracted with a few datsun videos, and a weekend of rallycross racing, but now back to the bunny! (all those videos are already on the channel!)

Did a suspension installation, and a strut mount rebuild in the first video:
https://youtu.be/BAcgxcbAH3Y

and the second, I install the braces I made to fit behind the door panels under the rear windows, and test the flex in the shell.  Results in the video!
https://youtu.be/2KpM24csMQw

Thanks for watching!

Really good watch, lots of skilled work and information in these videos, keep up the good work  

This week's video is finally loaded, and online. I'm back to working on the rabbit after some other projects, enjoy and thanks for watching!!!
https://youtu.be/dAgZw1i9qqc

There's been a lot going on in and around the shop lately, but I've been making some headway on the old bunny -  hashing out some of the last details on the interior before I paint the inside of the car.  Shifter mounting location is this week's focus.  Thanks for watching!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5JdlCi9Xc4

I've been working like crazy, there's a bunch of new videos up, but the latest one is my power window conversion on my FruizShop popout windows.  I picked up some new wheels, and having center caps 3d printed for them in the next few weeks. This week is SEMA, and I'll have lots to show after the big event!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ne4mgcPLLKQ
Thanks for watching!

 

I haven't been updating here regularly, but I've been making lots of progress on the car recently. different wheels (Sold the Gotti's), wiring harness fun, etc… Lots of new videos to watch, latest one is replacing the seats in the 75, and a new daily driver.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDBFrEuPFBE
 

Been a while since I updated this post, but there's been a ton of changes to the car since I started this thread.
Did up some custom Gulf livery Recaros for the car,  changed out the engine for a CZTA 1.4t from a 2016 jetta, and have been working on the paint and getting the doors painted to match the rest of the car. Taking it to the first event it's been to here in a few weeks.  I've been distracted with a few other projects in the meantime, including a 928 and another datsun roadster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD3JLU-iRtQ