Desert VX

Hey guys,

Im making myself a thread where I can just vent about anything I've done with my VX since I bought it. I'll also post pictures and maybe say a bit about myself. So here it goes

"TheBigRig": has nothing to do with my VX. That name comes from my truck, a 1999 Ford F350 7.3L diesel, 6 speed manual transmission, custom coilover conversion front suspension with long travel springs in the rear. 37" tires (because the 40's sucked down too much gas) and the old girl is pushing 400 HP and 1000 ft\lbs of torque at 260,000 miles.

Well the big truck is also broken. After years of running it hard offroad, through the snow, rescue missions of other vehicles, daily driving, you name it. She threw in the towel. After conistently breaking down every 2 weeks with something new it was time to get a commuter so I can let the old girl rest and get some TLC. Needs almost all engine seals replaced, some electrical demons to chase down, custom headlights need to be rebuilt, turbo needs to be inspected to make sure it didn't eat itself last time it tried to jump off the engine.

So enter the tiny VX. Ive always loved these funky cars so I figured it was time to pick one up for a daily. Bought it from a dealer in Ohio, I searched across the country for Black with gray interior just like my truck. I paid $6,000 for it with 145,000 on the clock, and it showed up in pretty rough condition. I may have paid too much, but thats water under the bridge now.

I'm no strange to working on old rusty cars, even quite a bit older than the 2001 VX, but this one is proving quite a challenge. I had to cut the factory shocks off the car because they were practically welded in place with rust. I tried everything. The windows were both broken, I ordered the brackets from SBC and got those working good. The factory stereo was shot, so I took all the interior out and put new 6.5 Focal speakers all around with a new head unit and amp. The factory wheels were so badly chrome peeled I had a shop scrape all the chrome off and reseal them so I could still run the 18" tires that are in good condition. Did an oil change with Rotella T6 and replaced the PCV valve, still burning 2.5qts at 1000 miles though. When I first drove it from the delivery truck the left rear brake was stuck on. I went down to the local junkyard and salvaged a new rotor and caliper in fantastic condition from an Isuzu Trooper.

Anyway its become quite a project when I was hoping for a daily driver. But it still takes me to work everyday, and I enjoy every bit of it.

Edit: Called this thread desert VX because I live in Reno, Nevada. Where its dry and the spooky scary rust shouldn't bother my VX ever again.