The next week is going to be quite busy. With another successful motorcycle flip in the bag and another unwanted vehicle being sent to a new home, my girlfriend and I have decided to do a “safari” build on a [redacted] for the Tennessee Gambler 500.
I’m keeping this one a surprise until it’s finished as when I’m done it’ll probably be the best and most gratifying wrenching I’ve ever done on any vehicle. I rarely can’t wait to work on something but this is something I can’t wait to work on!
The goal is to one-up my 2019 showing at the TN Gambler, where I got a “LEJUND” ring for taking a mostly stock smart places nobody expected it to go.
Lift kit will be handled by some hockey pucks to make a spacer lift kit. The only lift kit on the market for this vehicle is a poly spacer kit, so I’m just cutting out the middleman for a massive cut in price. From what I can see, it’ll take roughly a couple hours to raise the [redacted] 2 inches on both ends. The harder part is the front end, where one of the springs has broken and will need replacement. Still, shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll then source some large tires to fit.
Interior will have some 16 feet of RGB lighting, which I’ll probably install this weekend. I also have a cheap clone of a Toyota inclinometer just asking to be placed in/on the vehicle.
Roof rack towers and crossbars have been ordered. Front end will get a winch appropriate for its size.
And somewhere towards the end we’ll give the vehicle a fake racing livery. It’s blue so maaaaybe Gulf-inspired? This one’s definitely a keeper. Far fewer miles than my [redacted] with a TON more features! It was the cheapest running one in the nation and we somehow beat out people from PA and NYC to get it. Weirdly, it has some rust in an area I thought to be impossible to rust, so I’m definitely going to fix that.
Then after the TN Gambler we’ll be doing a similar thing to her Camry to prep it for the IL October Gambler...should COVID not cancel it again.
Meanwhile, my girlfriend tried to surprise me with helping me restore the W8...only to amusingly discover that most shops refuse to touch it due to rarity and others made up an arbitrarily high price to do something as simple as replace the sunroof glass. $4k for new glass? Nah man, I’ll just go to the junkyard and spend like $20. Can’t wait for my first job requiring removal of the front end, which *checks notes* includes bulb changes.
I knew what I was getting into with the W8, but she’s just now discovering this is no regular Passat! Well, the sunroof is regular Passat, but not what sits in front of the pedals! Ha.