Where do i start?

got my speedster finally, a black on black 1988 IM. However, it needs work. Currently in the shop getting tune up, brakes, etc so it is road worthy. The inside needs new carpet, gauges, gear shift, EM brake. As far as the outside, paint job is not bad, but needs all new chrome pieces...etc. So my question is, do i start on the inside our outside first? All comments are appreciated

Congratzzz on your acquisition. You get yourself a piece of paper and make two columns. Top of one column is 'what I can fix' Top of the other column is 'Stuff I gotta pay to have fixed'

Then you look at the results based on depth of wallet, dedication to available work space, (time to gather parts is important)weather issues, am I gonna want to drive it between repairs and refurbishments and away you go.

My mechanical dexterity & patience jumped ship a few years back along with my close-up eye sight, so I leave a lot of things I'd like to tackle up to my mechanic. He has a great sense of humor and works diligently to perform little bits of magic on both my speedster and my old VW truck.

I pay for this luxury, but it is worth it! I get something done expediantly and in my case, don't have to do it twice or spend a lot of time rolling around my gagrage floor looking for that errant nut or bolt the garage gremlinzzz ran off with!

Best of luck!
MM

Paul made some great suggestions...
May I add ....start with the mechanical items, then turn to any electrical, body and paint, interiorand lastly top and side curtains.
This forim is a great venue for valuable cost savings and overall information and suggestions .....enjoy !

Roland, it all depends... you are obviously right to give the mechanical aspects top priority. The rest depends on how much you intend to tackle yourself, do you want to do it all yourself bit by bit, spread it out till good top-down driving weather returns in the Spring? Do you have a mechanically inclined buddy or two who would like to help you? If you don't plan to do any of it yourself, be prepared to spend $. Its all about time, resources, and priorities. I think you will find that, like of lot of owners here, the more you do yourself the higher your satisfaction level may become, interspersed with some occasional frustration. I believe you got a car I was seriously considering before I got mine, and I wish you the best of luck and happiness with it!

I didn't see the above two good answers before I posted mine; yeah - 'electrical' next. For example, I soon discovered my brake lights didn't work after getting my car - switch, wire, lightbulb??? I buffed the switch connectors with sand paper - now they work perfect. Just start digging into things.

I have German genes galore so I focus on just one issue at a time and beat that sucker into submission. Buy a couple of Vw books to add to the tools you already own. Don't own tools? Chances are you wouldn't use them if you bought them now at this late date, in which case have your car worked on at a responsible garage.

There may be a Vw club in your area. Some of those guys are very helpful with advice and hands-on help.

The mistake I made with my old as mud IM is I wanted to get it on the road ASAP figuring with fall at hand I would work on the car during the winter so I would drive it in the meantime. Mistake. Its many quirks bothered the hell out of me and took away from the driving experience. Early spring without squaring away the engine I put the car on the road and had an engine fire. Don't take the cake out of the oven before it has baked long enough. Cosmedic stuff should come last, forget about paint, tires & rims; going and stopping must come first. Good luck. These dang things are money pits if you are a perfectionist and your car is long in the tooth. Ask me how I know.

Roland, be careful. These cars can be money pits. I've doubled the price of my 84, by doing a major upgrade in almost all of the mechanical parts. My interior and body were already in very nice condition. Decide early if you want to really pour some money into this car, or drive in for a few years (putting in enough money to keep the mechanicals all working well) and then if you really like replicas, buy a new one (or newer one). Then again, upgrading the car has been a real learning experience, which is something I would not have experienced had I bought a near new
Ron
Some of the learning experiences I don't want to experience again!

And if I may add put in a T4 Raby Style. It will kick some butt and then some. Holy crap Ron O, stop me. I Think I just became a sales rep for Jake.
DS.

Is your car in running order already or just an uncompleted kit? I've restored numerous amounts of VWs -hobby & extra cash- and always use the same outline:

1)pan, suspension, brakes
2)body, paint, trim
3)electrical
4)interior
5)engine

Thnaks guys
thats what im doing first, is working on the negine brakes.etc
and yes i know im going to pour money into
thats one reason i bought an old one
even if i poured 5-8K into i figure ill still be ahead
so ill keep you up on the progress
and hopefully post some pictures soon
where is the best place for parts, accesories...etc?

Oh one quick question, one of my headlights is burned out, how do you get the globe off to change it
i cant figure it out

It is pretty straightforward. Just get your phillips screwdriver in had and you will figure it out. Remove the chrome body ring, you'll see the trim screw. Loosent the screws and remove the thin chrome ring surrounding the headlight bulb. Remove and replace the bulb. Put it back together.

Roland,

There is another way to remove the bulb (although Jack's method may be easier?). In the fender well: remove the nut on the back of the bolt at the bottom of the headlight unit, then loosen two (maybe three) screws on a bracket at the top of the headlight bucket. Be careful so the headlight unit does not fall off when loosening. Pull the electrical plug off the back of the bulb, remove the springs holding the bulb in place and replace the bulb.

Be very careful when you pop the wire stays off. There should be at least four on the inside of light. A screwdriver will do the trick or needlenose locking pliers ( I could say ViseGrip but..........). Take your time, do it on the workbench with the light resting in a towel. Pay attention to how the whole thing come apart. If you forget, then take the other headlight out and look at how it is completed.

I figured it out
I know these cars can be a money pit
but not more of a money pit than my wife and kids..........

Hey, another suggestion when tearing apart your car- take digital pictures so you can trace your way back. They are free, and easy to toss out.
Mike

OK thanks everyone
i posted some pics of my car in the files
the engine needs some work
i need new brakes and some adjustment to the steering
the electrical system needs to be completely rewired
new carpet and dash are needed
so i have a long way to go to make my car look as sweet as everyone elses that i see in the files
but i think this would still be cheaper and more fun than buying a new one

Roland: Your car looks good it may not need as much work as you think. I bought an 84 IM and have been fixing it up for the last few years. I started with a long list of things I wanted to change and I have got through most of it doing a little bit each week. I still have a long list, its just got different stuff on it now.

I find that if I take on too much all at once it stops being fun. I used to have my list split up into jobs I could do and things I had to pay someone else to do. Now its jobs I would enjoy and jobs I would prefer to pay others to do. Grammatically it