Loving my '94 Splash

[94FRS40]

Have been wanting a small truck for quite a while and things finally fell into place last weekend when I brought home a '94 blue Splash with 4.0L and automatic.
Showing 225K+ miles but the engine/trans were supposedly rebuilt "by the previous owner". No idea when that might have been
Runs good and is in decent condition all things considered. It does, however, have a handful of minor issues which I will remedy as time and funds permit.
Things like non-op coolant and oil pressure gauges, sagging headliner, worn 60/40 seats and door panels, poorly installed radio, broken taillight lens, among other things.

This weekend my projects include flushing/replacing coolant, changing oil and filter, replacing the broken ignition switch, gluing the headliner fabric back in place, and picking up a tonneau cover (with no hardware ). See my forum question HERE
Replaced the worn windshield wipers earlier this week. Also, I have a VW Jetta with leather seats that I am considering swapping into the Ranger. I plan to at least pull the VW seats this weekend and get them cleaned up.

My daily driver for the past decade has been a Porsche 914 so going from that to a truck - even if a small truck - is quite a change. So far, I am loving it

?

 

[Curious Hound]

Welcome to the forum. Nice truck!

 

[Uncle Gump]

Dude... is there room for a coffee cup in a 914? I remember taking a ride in one... it was like a small... smallness. Seems you may have a thing for German Engineering... me too.

You will love the Ranger... patch it back up and be decent to it. That's about all ya gotta do.

Welcome to TRS

 

[94FRS40]

Thanks. I really like it and I have never really been a "truck guy" although I will admit I have always liked the Explorer Sport Trac. Mainly because it has a unique look (especially back when first introduced)
This particular truck pushed all the right buttons - the color is perfect; I prefer the flareside to the slabside; and it is a 2WD.
Only thing that would make it better is a 5-speed manual but I have learned to appreciate automatics (except in early to mid 2000s VWs!!! What a nightmare)

 

[bobbywalter]

i had a radio once.....





















that thing would be a riot with a 5 speed....












nice ride.

 

[94FRS40]

Dude... is there room for a coffee cup in a 914? I remember taking a ride in one... it was like a small... smallness. Seems you may have a thing for German Engineering... me too.

You will love the Ranger... patch it back up and be decent to it. That's about all ya gotta do.

Welcome to TRS

LOL... yeah, the 914 is very small! But they are a blast to drive especially on winding mountain roads (I live in the Smokies).
As for German Engineering... I currently own (3) 914s (one is a rusty parts car), an '05 Jetta TDI, '04 parts TDI (plan to swap the engine into a 914), and a non-op '02 GTI.
Have owned many VWs in the past - Jettas, Passats, Corrados, Vanagons, New Beetle Convertible, Rabbit Convertibles, and even an old Beetle. So, yeah... I've got it bad!

I needed something to haul the occasional large item with and got tired of having to borrow someone else's truck.
Missed out on a lot of deals without a way to haul. I've already hauled a couple things just this week

I am going to enjoy tinkering on the Ranger.
?

 

[Curious Hound]

Rangers do well with tdi's

 

[94FRS40]

i had a radio once.....
...
that thing would be a riot with a 5 speed....
...
nice ride.

Thanks.

 

[94FRS40]

Rangers do well with tdi's

Don't think I haven't considered that swap! At this point, I believe it would be easier to swap the TDI into a 914 than a Ranger. At least for me and my experience.
?

 

[Uncle Gump]

LOL... yeah, the 914 is very small! But they are a blast to drive especially on winding mountain roads (I live in the Smokies).
As for German Engineering... I currently own (3) 914s (one is a rusty parts car), an '05 Jetta TDI, '04 parts TDI (plan to swap the engine into a 914), and a non-op '02 GTI.
Have owned many VWs in the past - Jettas, Passats, Corrados, Vanagons, New Beetle Convertible, Rabbit Convertibles, and even an old Beetle. So, yeah... I've got it bad!

I needed something to haul the occasional large item with and got tired of having to borrow someone else's truck.
Missed out on a lot of deals without a way to haul. I've already hauled a couple things just this week

I am going to enjoy tinkering on the Ranger.
?

Yep... you got it bad. I've messed with a couple water pumpers... but I got seriously hung up on the air cooled stuff. It still calls to me and I hope to build another serious trail buggy one day.

There has been a couple three VW guys show up here lately.... they got bit by the Ranger thing too...don't fight it... embrace it. You get stuck on something... ask the questions. There is a bunch of good guys here that are willing to share their knowledge and experience. Don't overlook the How To Tech section on this site... Jim has done a great job archiving a bunch of information for reference and will be extremely helpful while you tinker.

Enjoy your new truck... share your progress.... jump in and help when you can.

 

[94FRS40]

Picked up the tonneau cover today. It is a LeBra brand and is in pretty good shape. Cost... a whopping $20 ?

Drove home with it tied down to the inside "hooks". (Yes, it is on backwards.) Now I have to figure out a way to mount it so it hinges as designed.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I would have bet money that thing was for a style side bed.

It's got a bit of rash and needs a little clean up... but a super deal for the admission price.

Shouldn't be to bad to hinge and latch it on...

 

[94FRS40]

... It's got a bit of rash and needs a little clean up... but a super deal for the admission price...

It matches the rest of the truck perfectly

 

[94FRS40]

Replaced ignition lock today. Super easy once I figured out how to access the button that needs to be pushed ?

Also started a seat swap utilizing VW mk4 leather seats. Started with the passenger seat just to be sure it would work.
Had to cut/grind off parts of both the VW seat base and the Ranger seat base but it is going to work quite nicely after I have the two bases welded together.
Only issue... seating position is a bit higher than the stock seats. I am not exactly tall at 5'8" so will be fine for me. Still have ~5" of headroom.

 

[Oxxon]

Hello and welcome to TRS!!