Starting the season off slow but steady.
With the warm weather finally starting to make its way in to stay, I am beginning to finally get myself in gear and get motivated for the summer show season that is just over the horizon. Something about having the sun around a little longer each day can have such an impact on motivation and I finally feel like it is time to break out the soap and water, wash off the winter grime and breath new life into the cars that go neglected for way too long. (more…)
New Goods for the Beetle … Mason Tech Style.
In the automotive aftermarket industry, hundreds of companies emerge every year and hundreds of companies fail. Whether it is caused by poor customer service or a dull product, a good majority of start ups don’t last once their loan runs dry, some much sooner then that. One such start up that has managed to beat the odds is Mason Tech out of Plain City, Ohio. The brain child of VW enthusiast Scott Mason, Mason-Tech launched onto the scene a few years ago with their homegrown air ride kits showing that it doesn’t take a large corporation to make a quality product, but the enthusiasm and will to try something new. (more…)
Its all in the details
With the major components of my suspension installed, the only thing I had left were the twin dual gauges so I could keep an eye on everything. After picking up a pair for a little more then the cost of lunch, I was a little hesitant of their quality. Fortunately, i seemed to have lucked out and the fit and finish is quality and the just work … as they should. A lack of spare time led to a quick weld job and a few coats of paint before the bracket and gauges were mounted up under the dash. Perfect for functionality, not so perfect for my OCD. So where do I go from here?
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The quest for new lows continues
With the Old City Oil Drippers show this past Saturday and Cult Classic #4 on Sunday, I was on a mad dash to get the new suspension not just installed, but functioning properly. As I soon found out its one thing to install air suspension, but its a whole other beast to make sure there are no leaks and it will stand up to the riggers of Pennsylvania roads. With a mad dash to clear up any leaks and get my gauges installed, i decided to pull the whole set-up out of my trunk on Wednesday night, in the rain, and try and get everything sealed back up again. Not sure if this was needed, but it definitely made life easier while working around the tank, valves and lines … until I fired it all back up. (more…)
’99 VW New Beetle 2.0T & ’07 VW Rabbit 2.5
Here you can follow the builds of both my 1999 New Beetle AEG Turbo and the daily driver, an 2007 Rabbit. Both cars have some history as the beetle has undergone many changes throughout the last 9 years and has been an evolving work in progress. The Rabbit is the new workhorse that sees over 100 miles a day in commute and hasn’t given me any problems yet.
Through this blog I will make sure to post updates of the progression of both cars as they continue to evolve, as well as anything new additions that may be added to the stable along the way. Feel free to use the comment form if you have any questions or comments along the way. I will do my best to answer.