Mobile again...

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

Hi all,

Yep, it's back together, and running like the crash never happened...
unless you look at the rather haphazardly thrown together front end.
Luckily, the new radiator and water pump are working like they should, and
after replenishing the coolant the temperature stays rock-solid somewhat
below 90 C- just like it should. Now the search for a good used front
bumper begins, so I can book it in for a front-end respray. The water pump
was a terrific stroke of luck- my good friend the mechanic found a
brand-new one in the scrap container at work. Apparently, it was stuck.
However, a few squirts of silicone lubricant further, I had one perfect
water pump! Sometimes, you need a little luck to counterbalance all the
misadventure...

One note for others in a similar situation: don't be tempted to use pattern
body parts- go for OE Audi. In retrospect, all the non-OE stuff I bought
fits badly, and it isn't galvanised into the bargain. For a saving of about
$150, it's just not worth it. I've returned most of the non-OE stuff and
traded it for OE now. The worst-fitting pattern part was an Italian replica
of the strip that goes under the grill. After 3.5 hours of fitting,
disassembling, fettling and unkind words, I decided that the thing was
about an inch too long, besides all the curvatures being way off. If it
didn't say 'Audi 80' on the sticker, it might as well have been for an Alfa
Romeo. A waste of time.

It was pure heaven, being able to cruise the streets again in my trusty
Audi. The weather's hot (32 C today), window down, UB40 in the CD player...
life's good.

Bye,

Tom
(tired of cycling to work)

 _______________________________________________________________________
 Tom Nas                                          Zeist, The Netherlands
 tnas@euronet.nl
1988 Audi 80 1.8S, Tizianrot metallic, 212,000km

              Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog:
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