CatatonicChimp

I opened the coffee tin last night... its a bit disappointing to be honest... all that was there was some interior card clips and some springs... oh and two old sparkplugs... there was also a little document in german.... Finally got the engine out tonight... the engine was been held in place by the two starter motor screws and they didn't really want to move... the first allen key got stuck, its handle was too large to fit between the screw and the starter motor, the second key wasn't long enough so I couldn't get enough leverage on it.. ended up cutting an allen key in half, and sticking it in a 10mm socket + extension to clear the clutch leaver, at first I couldn't move it with the socket wrench, but the torque wrench at max made short work of it with a satisfyingly loud snap, at first I thought something had sheared, but it worked perfectly fine... after a few minutes shifting the engine around to clear the transmission, I picked it up and put it down on the bench... (only weights about 30-40kgs.)

no not yet... the spares were in the way so they ended up getting thrown into a box and I haven't been touched since...

Good New Everyone... Interior minus the dash has been removed. bumpers removed front + rear lights removed rear light wiring is now in the main cabin ready for removal all front engine bay lighting wiring is ready to be pulled out of the cabin... the cracks in the engine bay that I thought were rust, are in fact not rust but dried out paint that has bubbled and cracked, metal underneath still has primer and looks fine... I haven't checked the interior yet but I am hoping it is the same stuff.. the slightly annoying the rivets are still in, waiting to grab the centre punch tomorrow before attempting to drill rivets out. a large allen bolt is preventing me from removing the engine... the clutch leaver is blocking my 10mm allen key from undoing it.. the handle is too big. if anyone could reply in the project thread regarding places that do sand/media blasting in welly, I would appreciate it, and a rough idea of cost for the entire chassis if you know.. and who do people recommend for paint? I am probably going to get ESL to do a bunch of powder coating for parts in the engine bay as they are around the corner... but they haven't replied to my emails yet... I guess I will have to phone them.

Yeah I've had a play with the trabicustomizer... But my plan is to keep it stock as much as possible... a few little mod cons hidden away... ie stereo and rear demister... the rest original... Costs... yeah it will be a while before I openly talk about the cost... I think this comment about MG's does it best at the moment... "if you aren't spending more than it's "book value" is, then you aren't doing it right." Shipping was a little difficult and costly.. it took a lot of time for them to come back with final quotes, especially since I had a time limit to pick it up by... and the quote didn't exactly = the final amount I paid. I will say this though.. If I was to do it again, I would spend more money on a car that runs/registered, that I could have been driven to the shippers, ie Rotterdam or southampton in the UK, then one that doesn't. The cost of Rollon Rolloff shipping is much cheaper... and there is so many stupid hidden costs to container shipping a car... and MAF were bastards... fumigation costs and cleaning costs were just stupid... A Barkas B1000 would be awesome by the way.... If anyone wants one, contact the IFA UK mailing list (google it (its a yahoo mailing list)), someone might be able to scout one out for you. On a serious note, what products to people recommend for cleaning a fuel tank... mine has some rust particles at the bottom that I want to clean out, now that I have it empty...

here I was thinking of shaving it off again Its definitely a different sound (more tinny) to a more standard 4stroke/v8 etc but its a lot louder in real life... Getting it running was a lot easier than expected... spent 20-30mins degreasing and cleaning the carb, despite me emptying it yesterday, it still had a lot of residual oil from storage... put it back together, chuck the old spark plugs in, thinking they weren't going to do anything... and omg it started...

An important mile stone for both me and the car.... I fixed and engine!!! and for the first time in 20years the little trabant engine runs. Edit: Video, yeah its blurry.. forgot to check focus before starting...

I've spent the last 4 hours in the garage playing with the car, and here are a few more photos... Looks like I will have to spend a little money at trabantWelt.de (trabantWorld) next week... Things that work, head lights indicators parking lights things that are iffy most of the switches on the dash are loose choke and gear shifter are sticky... probably just need a good clean... hazard lights only work on one side, unless indicator stalk is up or down, in which case it works properly... things not working that I've tested horn. the starter motor appears to run for the fraction of a second that I let it turn over... but I want to setup a temp fuel line/tank, as I need to flush the proper fuel tank before I put fuel in it, as its currently full of oil. Engine after cover and fuel tank removal Lots of spare, most are original... including DDR spark plugs, but they all look fouled.. might take a photo of the tomorrow and you can tell me what you think... I am a poor judge of spark plug condition. I seem to have way to many indicator stalks not exactly sure what these are have yet to open the coffee tin to find out what is inside... I think I leave that for a seperate post some time.. "the mystry of the coffee tin" Original Medical Manuals, and I think service book... its empty Most if not all appears to be original... the wound dressings date back to 1976

Just got my invoice for maf cleaning etc... its pretty ouch... it just made 4 figures... so those parts I was planning to buy this week... yeah ain't gonna happen...

and now with Photos..

Its here!!!! finally got delivered about an hour ago. Will update with photos when I get home... work computer won't let me upload photos..

not sure yet... my freight forwarder hasn't said anything yet.. but I know from tracking the container on the wellington ports website that its free storage lasted until Wednesday... I have a feeling I may have already paid for fumigation and cleaning... so I am not too sure on that... I am just hoping that it won't be crazy....

So it finally got rechecked by MAF today... after spending almost a full week in fumigation.... "All Biosecuirty Requirements Met: NO" "Conditions: Steam underneath, vac bon, boot and interior" I am hoping they can do that tomorrow and deliver... but somehow I don't think that will be done till Monday... I am also hoping they don't loose any of the spare parts in the boot... or damage anything. So another weekend possibly without the car, + port fees (free storage days have run out yesterday) and extra fees for fumigation and cleaning.... (it was clean when it left Germany, not perfect, but it wasn't like it was covered in dirt)

This is a socialist car, not some decadent, western capitalist, enemy of the people's car. The use of strawberry smelling 2 stoke is treason against the Trabant and the people, any such decent with be dealt with swiftly and decisively. Next you will be asking me to ride a capitalist pink scooter with a pink helmet

So it failed MAF checks... hopefully it will get fumigated today/tomorrow to rectify that, but it means delivery date has been pushed to next week.

"Its sole passenger comfort was a primitive heater, in which a fan simply blew hot engine air into the interior—along with “the smell of freedom.”" No not kerosene, but just as dangerous if you have an exhaust leak in the engine bay...

Quick update. The Trabi has arrived in NZ finally. It still in its container and awaiting Bio Security, but at least its on the docks in Wellington. It was supposed to be here last week on the 7th, but it missed its connecting boat, then it was supposed to be here on the 14th but the storm most of NZ experienced a week and a bit ago considerably slowed the trip down.. Anyway its here, expect photos in the next few days once it passes MAF checks. I also got bored this weekend, so a friend and I build a work bench before the garage became to crowded with Trabi parts...

The Boat that the car is on has now been found, its currently on its way up the east coast of Australia... http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/shipde ... =373120000 next stop sydney, change boats and then to welly via south island...

Just got a call from o4oil this morning who are able to get me 5L of the stuff.. so it is now sorted Edit: It takes Hydraulic Oil, it has at least four different names, but its still hard to get hold off in small quantities and nobody seems to know what your talking about when you call them about it... ISO-VG 68, DIN 51524 Part 2, HLP68, NF E 48602

I now have almost everything I should need to get the engine running when it arrives including the 6v Battery, the one exception is the gearbox oil, I'm still waiting for a few quotes to come in. most places only sell Hydraulic oil in 20L or 200L drums, and I only really need about 5L, at worst I've found one at supercheap auto that matches the spec, but been an Australian brand, nobody on the trabant forums has tested it, and I would prefer not to be a guinea pig if possible. The other thing missing is the car... it was supposed to be in Sydney today, and transferred to another boat to arrive in Wellington on the 7th, however the ship is late and It won't be in sydney till the 3rd. :'( which means it missed the connection and it will probably add at least another week till delivery.. Other parts are starting to arrive as well, I managed to get some 6v bulbs from amazon uk, and amazingly it only took 4 days to arrive, and for less then the price of a single headlight bulb in my old Nissan Sunny. While I was at it, thanks to the UK IFA Club I managed to get some RHD Headlights to replace the LHD units currently in there.. the only modification I will have to make is one connector is slightly different and will require a crimped spade connector to be attached.

Anyone know if the one at Southwards still runs/registered? I would be pretty cool if at some point all the Trabi's in NZ were to meet up..

Hi 2jzkp Well you will probably get to play with this one at some point, Hopefully it won't be too long before it ends up at the wvc. I am hoping to get it complied by the end of year assuming I get all the basics fixed. But that may be a bit optimistic. Cheers Andrew

Project Objective: To restore the Trabant to Original Factory condition, keeping as much as the original parts as possible. Tasks - First thing is to see if I can get the engine running, new 6v battery & flush the oil out of engine and fuel tank/lines, check and if needed replace oil in gearbox. - Strip all panels/parts off car and assess rust/damage. - Order replacement parts from Germany (approx 6-8 weeks delivery time) Things I know need to be fixed before entry certification/wof/registration. - Door Sills, at best light surface rust, at worst just order new door sills from germany, approx 100Euro + Labour for getting them installed. - The Brakes, none of them work, replacement kit + new brake lines 200Euro - Rubber seals (doors, windows, boot) Some are in ok condition, but there are full kits available for the car so I may just replace it all Approx 120Euros. Needs to be done, but not required for certification: - Engine rebuild kits are anywhere from 10-150euros - Replace points ignition system with electronic replacement, its a cheat, but more reliable considering the time it takes to get parts. 140 Euros Since I am planning on stripping the car, I'll probably get the entire car repainted, I want to get it the same original colour (NeptunBlau). Advice on how to go about getting the paint matched would be fantastic. - Seats, some of the internal padding is out of shape, and one seat has a different cover compared to the others. (The cover can be brought online, not sure how to deal with the internals till I strip it down... - Music, Planning on a hidden stereo, something basic that will allow me to play music off my ipod.

Yip will have to update the build thread soon, Its possible to go to 12v, getting the coils, alternator and switches that need to be replaced are not that expensive but once you account for shipping its probably around the same.. my plan is to go back to factory condition, including keeping the 6v. Although I might sneak in a electronic ignition plate instead of the old points at some point. I am not going to rule out 12v, but for at least for the start I'll wear the cost of 6v and see how she performs. I am in Miramar, so assuming you keep the meetings at the Strathmore Local, it will be an easy trip to get there.

Latest Update: The Car is currently somewhere in the Indian Ocean on the "MSC Veronique" between Mauritius and Sydney, expected arrival on the 31st of this month in Sydney, and then transfer to another boat arriving in Wellington on the 6th of September. I now have a garage to put it in when it arrives, but I am starting to look for bits and pieces I'll need to start restoring it. Most of the replacement parts I'll need have to come from Germany, and I'll have to wait till it arrives and finish the strip down before I do the actual order, as shipping costs are not very pretty. Before I start the strip down I want to at least try to get the engine running, and for that I need a few things. 6Volt Car Battery, does anyone know of a place in welly (pref in the city) that sells them, or a good place online to buy? I tried my local mechanic/auto electrician but they don't have any. Axel stands, any recommendations? or alternatives? The car only weights in a 780kgs so they don't have to be the heavy duty stands. Or should I just go to supercheap/repco? Apparently this is a difficult item to get hold of, transmission oil: HLP-68 / ISO-VG-68 Anyone know where to source it from, I only need a few litres of it.. Cheers Andrew

Thanks Borgweiser, I'll give them a call this arvo. only 36days till it arrives..