Big Sky Euro

I picked up an Atlas Gray 1990 Coupe from my buddy Rob in exchange for an Audi in similar shape, (read not running and painfully neglected), to turn into my daily commuter for the summer. This way I can keep the miles off my current Quattro and in return have a low budget, good handling, lightweight car that I can have some fun with on my daily drive...

After some quick troubleshooting and replacing some parts (thanks Trevor!) she is running now, and actually quite well with over 270k+ on her. The immediate plans are to undo the previous owners host of 'fixes', and go through the front end and replace the worn out tie rods, ball joints, control arm bushings to try and get some steering input back . I also need to fix the headlight, brakes, wipers, stereo and the shifter assembly among other smaller items. Eventually I'll have to look at the suspension to get it riding properly and hopefully do something about the wheels and paint. Anyways, here are the pics as I received her, gold paint and all...









Oh yea, I have also acquired an ABA, complete with tranny (thanks Joe!) and an Audi 5K turbo setup that just so happens to bolt right on...damn you German Legos!

Wow! That took some abuse since I dragged her to Bozeman several years ago.

Cool, nice recovery!

Nice Richie! do work!

Gold Edition Coupe!
Nice score!

Dibs on the shift knob!

Thanks guys, the shift knob is up for sale for 345 dollars, first come first served!

This evening I had just a little time so I replaced the broken headlight (another was in the trunk), replaced the grill with a new OEM one and black VW symbol, put a new hood prop clip on, removed the 'horn' in the intake and replaced the air filter with a proper MANN filter, vacuumed the interior, and threw the parcel tray and rear seats back into place. The interior is in actually pretty good shape and cleaned up better than I expected which I was happy about. I even took her down to the car wash and sprayed all the bird shit off...it looks about the same!

Hopefully this weekend I can begin to tackle the engine bay by replacing vacuum lines and grommets, cleaning up the wiring, chasing down some wiring, giving her an oil change and installing the stereo. We'll see what happens, stay tuned!

nice snag. but i think it sits WAY to high lol.

Well I didn't get as much done this past weekend as I would have hoped but that's how it goes sometimes. Today I stayed home because I had a root canal done this mornin (my first one...yea...) but after that was finished I actually felt pretty good so I threw some more of the Coupe together while the weather was somewhat cooperating.

I went ahead and painted the rear c-pillars and headliner trim with some vinyl dye black and it turned out to be a perfect match, so no need to source the real ones anymore, at least on this caliber of vehicle! I also scraped all the silicone off the interior bits which was a pain in the ass and still confuses me on to why it was there in the first place. Got the knee bar in and console screwed down so now most of the interior is complete. I still need to source a shift and ebrake boot, but there's no rush on that. I also threw on the new shift knob which I turned down from delrin at work last Friday. It feels a lot better now being a bit taller and a little larger. I gave everything a solid wipedown which it desperately needed. Lots and lots of dried out mysterious crusty brown substance...everywhere...and no it wasn't what you're thinking, at least I hope not... Either way it turned out pretty clean. I need to scrub the upholstery a bit to lift some light stains but it's getting there. I also ordered some rod ends to redo the entire shift linkages ala URST style. Except mine won't cost me more than 20 bucks and some time. I'm looking forward to seeing how this transforms the gear selection and maybe I'll be able to get my reverse lockout back. Here's some pics!






I'm also looking for some small parts that I don't have to get this coupe complete again. I need a driver's side mirror (just the glass), a windshield washer reservoir and pump, a rear small bumper, a front 16v spoiler, and a MOMO hub. If you can help me out with any such items let me know! No rush on anything though, I'm really enjoying the car as is!

Lookin sharp!