I've been putting this off for ages but I've decided to bite the bullet. I'll probably live to regret this.
Soooo....
for sale, one mk1 VW Derby.
100% rust free, as witnessed in great detail in this thread:
http://vagdrivers.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=25048
It's NCT exempt and eligible for €48 per year tax and cheap vintage insurance.
It's had a full mechanical transplant from a '94 mk3 polo. Complete:
It's had a full body restoration:
doors were always perfect, as are gutters and roof, all glass is present and perfect, boot lid is perfect.
Along with the comprehensive rust repairs and repair sections welded in, it's been subject to a mild customisation. There aren't any body mods (except for the handbrake) so it could be returned to stock look really easily.
The custom bits are:
it has had all the brake rubber hoses renewed and all the brake hard lines replaced with new, front calipers are VWI items, from the mk3 polo with brand new disks. New shoes in the rear. No rattles or wear in the balljoints or trackrod ends.
the interior is all original and in pretty good nick, the headliner is perfect, no rips or tears. The seat coverings are pretty good, there's the usual driver's side bolster wear and the rear seat top has UV damage, they all do. I wouldn't touch the interior unless giving the car a full respray, it looks period perfect as it is. It has rare (who'd have thunk it?) black carpets which are perfect except for one wear spot under the driver's right heel. I have a better black front carpet section to go with it if necessary.
As it is, the repairs have been coated in primer and left like that. There are various rust scabs on the body but I can guarantee they are not "rot", just surface scabs. I left them as they were for the "rat" look. I also haven't washed off the algae that covers most of the car, it just adds to the "barn find" feel of the car. The old leather suitcases on the roofrack add to the feel so will go with it.
The bad points are:
It's reliable, I've driven it daily until the weather turned bad and a couple of times since, it's been dry stored when it's not driving, even in the evenings. This is a fantastic little car and turns heads everywhere it goes. It hasn't been to any shows bar one Gandon meet last September. Bring something new to the VW shows this year, you might even bring home a prize if you're lucky!
So, that's as comprehensive a description as I can muster. If you have any more questions just ask. If you need more pics above what's in the link above, just ask. Contact me by PM here.
I know what this car has cost me in cash layout, not to mention the months of work gone into the restoration (see the above thread).
I'm looking for offers in the region of €2.5k. Or a straight swap for a good pre '80 Mk1 Golf, 5 door diesel or a good pre '80 Porsche 924 (don't ask, it's an itch I've got to scratch!).
Soooo....
for sale, one mk1 VW Derby.
100% rust free, as witnessed in great detail in this thread:
http://vagdrivers.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=25048
It's NCT exempt and eligible for €48 per year tax and cheap vintage insurance.
It's had a full mechanical transplant from a '94 mk3 polo. Complete:
- 1.3i engine, 80k miles
- 5 speed gearbox
- front anti-roll bar
- full exhaust system
- straight-through cat
- fuel tank
- all fuel lines and pump/filter unit under the boot floor
- complete rear axle
- complete handbrake system including welding the mk3 handbrake bracket to the mk1 floor to make it all work together
- full mk3 wiring loom including the mk3 clocks in the mk1 dash
- mk3 wiper motor and fan/heater matrix
- mk3 shift mechanism
It's had a full body restoration:
- both rear arches, inside and out
- both rear chassis legs, inside and out
- both rear ends of sills, inside and out
- both front jacking points, inside and out
- both front inner wings
- both front wings
- front valance
- battery tray
- small repair under right side window
- small repair to bonnet, inside and out
doors were always perfect, as are gutters and roof, all glass is present and perfect, boot lid is perfect.
Along with the comprehensive rust repairs and repair sections welded in, it's been subject to a mild customisation. There aren't any body mods (except for the handbrake) so it could be returned to stock look really easily.
The custom bits are:
- removed stock door mirror and fitted hotrod "peep" mirrors
- ditched the stock plastic bumpers and fitted fibreglass replica mk1 Polo bumpers in black. Have one chrome polo bumper (front) to go with it and the original plastic ones if they're required
- replaced the original "square" headlamp grille with an early polo grille and lamps
- lowered it on -80mm ebay springs
- replaced the stock 13" steelies with 14" Renault 21 "baby turbines" and brand new 175/50R14 tyres, have original steelies to go with it if required. These wheels/tyres fit perfectly with no rubbing, despite the lowered suspension
- modified brand-new beetle woodslat roofrack
- Smithwicks tap handle "beerlever"
- mk1 Golf CL chin spoiler
- single "blue spot" spotlamp under the front bumper
- rare early mk1 polo metal chrome side window trim in place of the late model plasti-chrome trim
it has had all the brake rubber hoses renewed and all the brake hard lines replaced with new, front calipers are VWI items, from the mk3 polo with brand new disks. New shoes in the rear. No rattles or wear in the balljoints or trackrod ends.
the interior is all original and in pretty good nick, the headliner is perfect, no rips or tears. The seat coverings are pretty good, there's the usual driver's side bolster wear and the rear seat top has UV damage, they all do. I wouldn't touch the interior unless giving the car a full respray, it looks period perfect as it is. It has rare (who'd have thunk it?) black carpets which are perfect except for one wear spot under the driver's right heel. I have a better black front carpet section to go with it if necessary.
As it is, the repairs have been coated in primer and left like that. There are various rust scabs on the body but I can guarantee they are not "rot", just surface scabs. I left them as they were for the "rat" look. I also haven't washed off the algae that covers most of the car, it just adds to the "barn find" feel of the car. The old leather suitcases on the roofrack add to the feel so will go with it.
The bad points are:
- gearbox whines in 5th gear but I have a spare 5-speed to go with it, never got around to swapping it in, it runs fine with the whiney box.
- it idles fast, I could never get to the bottom of it, I replaced the idle stepper motor, throttle position sensor, throttle body, blue coolant temp sensor. It still idles high. Dunno. It runs fine and pulls well. I had it up to the ton on a "private road"
so I know it's running well. I reckon it'd do more than that with the proper height tyres on. - minor electrical glitch: the wipers come on with the right indicator!! Never got around to headbanging that particular problem. Must be a minor crossed wire issue. Not blowing fuses or anything.
It's reliable, I've driven it daily until the weather turned bad and a couple of times since, it's been dry stored when it's not driving, even in the evenings. This is a fantastic little car and turns heads everywhere it goes. It hasn't been to any shows bar one Gandon meet last September. Bring something new to the VW shows this year, you might even bring home a prize if you're lucky!
So, that's as comprehensive a description as I can muster. If you have any more questions just ask. If you need more pics above what's in the link above, just ask. Contact me by PM here.
I know what this car has cost me in cash layout, not to mention the months of work gone into the restoration (see the above thread).
I'm looking for offers in the region of €2.5k. Or a straight swap for a good pre '80 Mk1 Golf, 5 door diesel or a good pre '80 Porsche 924 (don't ask, it's an itch I've got to scratch!).
