Papa's MKIV Roadster Build - #9115 (Post Grad) - One million + views!!!

[Papa]

Dave, the car looks absolutely spectacular! I dig the final touches that you've added, just takes it to a higher level and just completes and compliments the entire build. I know I plan on getting a soft top as well. Hopefully this coming week, I'll finalize my delivery date for January. I still plan to come down sometime and visit with you and of course, see the masterpiece you've built. However, I'll wait til the holidays are behind us to bug ya, since it can be a busy time for all of us right now. I'm out here on your build thread a bunch, I'm sure you see my name :P I was just recently checking your tranny tunnel/cover part. So... Thanks for documenting and explaining things all along the way too. Anyway, the car looks absolutely gorgeous! Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Dj

Thanks, Dj. Any time you want to come down, just PM me and we can arrange a good time. I hope you get your car soon and can get started on this amazing journey.

Dave

[Papa]

I got a temp tag this morning and promptly took the car out on the open road for the very first time. I put about 45 miles on it in varying driving conditions and the car feels really good. Steering is responsive, braking is good, temps and pressures all at nominal levels. As soon as I got the car back in the garage I ordered myself some ear plugs. My left ear was ringing pretty good and I'm already half deaf in that ear (really). The seat heater felt great and was plenty to take the chill off as it was only about 45 degrees today. The top does make changing lanes "exciting", but not impossible. Next Tuesday will be the big day for the Colorado State Patrol VIN inspection. Then I wait for the state to process the application. After that, one more trip to the DMV for another temp tag and another appointment with the CSP to get the tag installed on the car. From there, it's straight to the DMV to register the car.

[EZ$]

Congratulations Dave! You should be extremely proud of your accomplishment. The car, with all the final touches that you've recently finished, is amazing. I hope one day to see it in person. Of course that would mean I'd have to finish mine, and well...., we'll see.

[Papa]

Colorado weather strikes again. Just three days before I have my VIN inspection, we get dumped on with snow. My wife and I drove into Denver today (in her SUV, not the roadster) to go see The Nutcracker and the roads are a mess. I hope it melts off over the next two days so that I can get to the CSP without any problems. Should be a nice cold drive.

[Papa]

The roads have cleared pretty good after the recent snow, so tomorrow morning I'll be headed to Castle Rock to have the Colorado State Patrol do my VIN inspection and get the VIN application process going. It should be a brisk 15 degrees tomorrow morning, so I'll bundle up, kick on the seat heater and very carefully head out on the cold roads. The drive is about 25 miles each way.

[Higgybulin]

Good LUCK!!

[ydousurf]

That's great news, Dave! At least you get to leave the snow plow attachment at home Gotta love CO and the fact that the snow doesn't stay around until Spring. Have a safe and uneventful drive, other than all the smiles you bring to people's faces, as you travel to and fro for the CSP portion (final step) of the build. I can't think of a better day to close out the decade and year end, and begin the New one and Year. Safe travels...

Dj

[Jeff Kleiner]

15 degrees? Man Dave, that has me beat by at least 12! Below 35 I put the full face helmet on and it's not too bad. Good luck my friend

Jeff

[Papa]

Success!!! I braved the elements this morning and drove to my CSP inspection in 20 degree temps. The roads were good until I got to the CSP building and their parking lot was solid ice. I managed to get parked with no issues and then proceeded to go through my inspection. The officer checked the chassis number and engine serial numbers against my paperwork, had me start it up and pop the hood and trunk, then he did an equipment check. That consisted of headlight hi/low beams, turn signals brake lights, horn, and wipers. He asked me about the fuel tank and fuel pump setup, looked at the seat belts and asked about any other safety equipment. I mentioned the dual roll bars and drive line safety hoop. He then took my paperwork and a check for $50.00 and went inside for about fifteen minutes before coming back out with my approved inspection paperwork. While I was waiting, I gathered a crowd of guys waiting for their inspections. It was fun! I then drove another 25 miles to Kiowa to submit the documents for the VIN application. Everything was good there and I headed home. The car is pretty dirty now, so I got that "first" out of the way. I'll clean it up later today as the temps are rising. All in all, a very good day and a major hurdle crossed on the road to getting it legal!

This is the route I drove (round trip loop) starting at the red marker down to the State Patrol. Then from the State Patrol to Kiowa and from Kiowa back to the house.



Dave

[Papa]

15 degrees? Man Dave, that has me beat by at least 12! Below 35 I put the full face helmet on and it's not too bad. Good luck my friend

Jeff

Jeff,

The seat heaters, a lined leather jacket, a stocking cap, and a good pair of "wind proof" gloves was all I needed. I didn't get cold at all except for a little on my legs. Nothing uncomfortable though.

Dave

[Papa]

Today I set my ride height. The car was sitting high in the right rear. I had tried to set it a while ago, but couldn't get the adjustment collar to move at all. I picked up a coil over adjusting wrench and measuring tool to help me do this.





The rear is now set at 5" and the front is at 4-1/2":





I'll monitor things as I expect the springs to settle a bit over time.

[Papa]

I got home from work today and saw I had a letter from the state. Opened it up and my VIN application has been approved! Now I just need to wait until the State Patrol notifies me to come get the plate attached to the car. Once that is done I can register the car and I'll be legal.

[GoDadGo]

Papa Dave,

That's Great News!
Congratulations on getting to this milestone.

Steve

[Jeff Kleiner]

Look at you go! We gotta' see a photo of the car wearing a license plate

Jeff

[Papa]

Thanks, guys. I'll definitely post a plate picture. I'm wondering if I can get away with a personalized plate: "ASP MAN"?

[Papa]

I got a call from the CSP to come get my VIN plate attached. I have an appointment for next Friday! I'll be able to register the car the following week. Almost legal!!!!

[Pat427]

Congrats Dave! Very excited for you!

I got a call from the CSP to come get my VIN plate attached. I have an appointment for next Friday! I'll be able to register the car the following week. Almost legal!!!!

[E-Car Man]

10010 months start to complete. Congratulations on the VIN approval. Looking forward to reading through the entire post, to get hints and insights into what I can expect in my future build

[Papa]

10010 months start to complete. Congratulations on the VIN approval. Looking forward to reading through the entire post, to get hints and insights into what I can expect in my future build

Thanks -- It was actually about 11110 with 1100 of those months waiting for parts and my turn in Jeff's shop.

[Papa]

Quick update:

I got another 10-day temp tag issued so I can drive the car to Golden tomorrow and have the VIN plate attached by the Colorado State Patrol. When they install the plate, they will give me the completed form that will allow me to register and title the car. I plan to do that next Tuesday, the 28th. It then takes up to 60 days before my actual plates will arrive, however, I'll be given a 60-day temp tag to allow me to drive the car while waiting on the plates. Almost there!!

[GoDadGo]

Quick update:

I got another 10-day temp tag issued so I can drive the car to Golden tomorrow and have the VIN plate attached by the Colorado State Patrol. When they install the plate, they will give me the completed form that will allow me to register and title the car. I plan to do that next Tuesday, the 28th. It then takes up to 60 days before my actual plates will arrive, however, I'll be given a 60-day temp tag to allow me to drive the car while waiting on the plates. Almost there!!

Ah; The Joys Of Our Great Bureaucracy!

Almost There Papa Dave, Almost There!

[Papa]

Ah; The Joys Of Our Great Bureaucracy!

Almost There Papa Dave, Almost There!

Indeed! Have you seen the movie Jupiter Ascending where Mila Kunis' character is trying to navigate the bureaucracy?

[Papa]

One step closer today. I took my daughter (navigator) with me to Golden to get the VIN plate installed by the CSP.





Drove the car for the first time at highway speed and nothing flew off the car. I did feel a slight vibration and will reset the pinion angle now that I've set the ride height -- hope that's all I need to do. I also heard a noise coming from the transmission that I don't really like and will need to figure out what it's coming from. Lastly, without the ear plugs, I heard some aluminum rattling when hitting bumps. Could just be a splash panel. Other than that the car ran great and definitely attracts a lot of attention. Tuesday it should be titled and registered!

Dave

[GTBradley]

Just in time! They’re indicating mid sixties next weekend...

[Papa]

I put the car up on the lift today ad think I found the rattle I was hearing. the only thing that was making any noise close to a rattle was the cover on the gas tank. I also noticed with the lower ride height that my fancy diff cover doesn't play well with my battery box.



I may have to go back to the steel cover that shipped with the diff.

I pulled the fill plug on the trans and checked the fluid level and didn't feel fluid as far as I could reach my finger in the hole. I had a few drops of fluid on the garage floor after my first drive a few weeks ago, but don't see any fluid on anything under the car or where the drips may have come from. I'll need to fill it back up and see what happens. Nothing smelled burnt, but I'm nervous about it at this point. I'll see if the noise returns after I fill it back up. When I initially filled it, it took over two quarts before the fluid was at the fill port level.

On the pinion angle, it looks like I'm going to need to raise the tail shaft on the trans a bit. I'll start with some washers and once I get the height right, I'll get some real shims in there.

[Railroad]

I do not know about your cover, but have read that some use the higher fill plug for checking the level of lube.
This is not the correct fill height. The lube level will be somewhere near the level of the bottom of the axle tubes.
Just trying to save some possible grief.

good luck,

[Papa]

I do not know about your cover, but have read that some use the higher fill plug for checking the level of lube.
This is not the correct fill height. The lube level will be somewhere near the level of the bottom of the axle tubes.
Just trying to save some possible grief.

good luck,

Yep -- made that mistake originally and corrected it. My concern now is with the transmission. Tremec says to fill it to the fill port, which I originally did. However, when I pulled the fill plug yesterday, the level is well below that and I've had a few drips of trans fluid on the floor. If there were a significant leak, I'd expect to see fluid all over the underside of the car, which I'm not seeing. My fluid pump died on me, so I'll add fluid when I get a replacement and see how much more fluid I need to put in it.

Dave

[Jeff Kleiner]

Just FYI, it did not leave any drips while it was here.

Jeff

[Papa]

Just FYI, it did not leave any drips while it was here.

Jeff

I didn't see anything until after it was driven beyond my slow cruises in my neighborhood.

Dave

[Papa]

I'm Legal!!! Went to the county DMV today and after about an hour of sifting through the system, the clerk printed my title and registration and took my check. I now have a legal MK4 Roadster! I also applied for a personalized plate and will hear within the next 2-4 weeks if the state will issue what I requested. I had to list three choices, so I'm pretty sure at least one of them will be available and allowed by the state. Stay tuned...

[GoDadGo]

Congratulations From The Big Easy!

[ydousurf]

Awesome Dave! I guess it's time to write another chapter in the journal and document all the places you go in your beautiful machine in the future? No doubt a blue and gold aspen photo shoot will be on tap in the fall next year, but for now, man, just enjoy all the beauty our state has to offer. Can't wait to see the personalized plate, those are always cool. All the best and safety too while out on the roads! To the hills I say!

Dj

[KDubU]

Awesome!

[TMartinLVNV]

You finally did it! Now get out an enjoy that beautiful creation you built!

[Jeff Kleiner]

Great news Dave! I'm excited for ya'

Jeff

[Papa]

Thanks everyone for the comments & congratulations. Of course, we all know these cars are never "done", but it's time to turn the page and start driving this thing instead of working on it. Just a couple of issues to tweak on that I've already found, hopefully all simple to address. It's supposed to be 70 degrees this weekend even though we had snow the last couple to days and are expecting an Artic blast next week. Gotta love Colorado. I plan to get out this weekend and enjoy it.

Dave

[Pat427]

Congratulations Dave! This is very exiting news!

[Aircontroller]

Congrats Dave! Lots of work and you’ve crossed the finish line. Thank you for sharing your trials and tribulations with us along the way!

You will help other without a doubt!

Thanks everyone for the comments & congratulations. Of course, we all know these cars are never "done", but it's time to turn the page and start driving this thing instead of working on it. Just a couple of issues to tweak on that I've already found, hopefully all simple to address. It's supposed to be 70 degrees this weekend even though we had snow the last couple to days and are expecting an Artic blast next week. Gotta love Colorado. I plan to get out this weekend and enjoy it.

Dave

[PeteMeindl]

woooohoooo! Congratulations - Great job, Dave! You've done an awesome job, built a beautiful car, and the way you've shared it with all of us through your thread has been a BIG help to lots of people. Thank you!

[cv2065]

Great news Dave! Now its time to document your adventures outside the garage!