The Project Pad

The red 350mm MOMO wheel I had sitting around from my CGT. I never swapped it into that because the leather was faded and didn't match correctly. But I put it on the UrQ because it was better than the 4-spoke 4kq/CGT wheel that came with it. Shortly after I realized how much of a PITA it was to drive it because the wheel was smaller and blocked vision of the upper half of the cluster leading me to have to constantly hunch over to check speed/tach. So I started hunting for another one and stumbled upon this D&W branded 360mm MOMO on ebay. Bonus that it also came with a pretty rare red Audi horn button.

IMG_20190216_100513 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190216_101350 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190216_101413 by Vex Art, on Flickr

Took her around the block at the start of 'Snowmageddon' recently. Ultra high performance all-season Nittos and non-functioning diff locks meant she went right back into the warm garage after.

IMG_20190208_145534 by Vex Art, on Flickr

Two-tone
IMG_20190208_164257 by Vex Art, on Flickr

P1176815 by Vex Art, on Flickr

P1176821 by Vex Art, on Flickr

P1176838 by Vex Art, on Flickr

Since my hood doesn't match (tornado vs mars) then I didn't feel bad experimenting with it. Wanted to do full size SQ vents but unfortunately the under structure gets in the way so I did partials. But they are still the SQ shape so I could easily widen then in the future if I wanted to cut out some of the support structure. Should help the big turbo 20vt cool off a bit more. Will eventually radius the corner some too.

IMG_20190216_172025 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190216_181923 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190216_182312 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190216_183910 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190216_183947 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190216_184229 by Vex Art, on Flickr

clean cuts! is the hood steel or composite?

the german wrote:clean cuts! is the hood steel or composite?

Steel. Took a loooonnngg time, but definitely wanted to be patient. Started out with a dremel and cutoff wheel but that didn't work too well, kept hitting battery/torque protection. The oscillating tool did a great job though!

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Nice job, Alex.

Greg W.

Still have the original door moisture barriers? ULINE Glass Protection tape works as a great replacement! Bought it for disposable covers for the windows in my blast cabinet but quickly thought of an alternative use. I've used it on a few cars now and it holds up well and stays stuck for at least the several years I've had it on a car.

https://www.uline.com/…/Glass-Protectio ... -200-Clear

IMG_20190219_182726 by Vex Art, on Flickr

Since I have upgraded to a later black interior but still have an early harness I ran into an issue with differences in the arm rests/mirror switch. I didn't want to hack up the wiring to run the later switch so I decided using the early switch (despite being brown) would be the best bet, but soon realized it didn't fit the later arm rests. A quick trim with my handy oscillating multi-tool and that problem was remedied. I did have to take a small amount off of the switch housing itself too as the switch is slightly wider..

IMG_20190219_173133 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190219_173111 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190219_173151 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190219_174011 by Vex Art, on Flickr

I randomly came across these vintage fog light covers last year on ebay. They're 'Light Options' by EuroSeries, Inc. with a 1986 copyright. I have scoured the internet and can't really find anything about them other than Euroseries appears to have been in New York and shut down in 1995. Can't find any other pictures/references to their products. Took some measurements of them and finally got around to finding some lights that they fit. Turns out Bosch Pilot 150's are a near perfect match.
Now to decide on where to put them. Probably under the bumper and I'll probably put some yellow LaminX on them. Yellow Bosch Pilot 150's are made, but they were more expensive and back-ordered for weeks so the clear ones will do.

IMG_20190220_171959 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190220_172512 by Vex Art, on Flickr

IMG_20190220_172050 by Vex Art, on Flickr

Nice find on the lights. The hood slats look awesome too - to the untrained eye they look OEM.

Would love to hear more videos of it with the 20v at wot

What started out as a simple downpipe gasket swap (or installation since it didn't have one) turned out to be a much bigger project when two of the 5 bolts going into the turbine housing broke. For some reason 034/2B thought it was a good idea to use cap bolts and not studs for the downpipe

Attempted to remove them with the turbo in the car, but that didn't go well despite buying a nice set of Norseman left hand drill bits and screw extractors. One of the extractors broke in the bolt and was then impossible to drill out. Turbo came out and I tried with the drill press but eventually decided that a new turbine housing was the best option. I was going to build a new downpipe since the 034 hits the tie rod if you try and lower the car pretty much anything more than stock, but my wife's B7 decided to kill the engine thus the UrQ had to get out of the garage quick with the original downpipe.

And for documentation, I replaced it with what was already on it. ATP Turbo GT28 0.63 AR T3 with Ford style 5-bolt outlet

Also took the time to finally extend the turbo inlet to not just be a filter stuck on the compressor housing sucking in warm air. I direct it down next to the intercooler and enlarged the grill opening so it has more airflow to the filter. I'll probably have to relocate it again when I do a larger intercooler.

IMG_20190224_155732 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20190307_180805 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20190308_151603 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20190308_142416 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20190308_145327 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

And don't try and install RHD mirrors on a LHD car (or at least not the passenger) as they are different part numbers for a reason. The RHD driver/LHD passenger mirro has a much shallower angle and you won't be able to use the mirror even with the glass angled all the way in.
That was a couple hundred dollar mistake but at least I got a nice wide angle driver's mirror now. Sourced a better passenger mirror will swap that back on. On the plus side, I also figured out how to tighten up the mirrors if they're 'loose' and wobble. I'll have to try and take some pictures to explain that later.

Difference in mounting angles:
IMG_20190224_173019 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

Worthless
IMG_20190224_173213 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

Looks really good Alex! Anything new on this?

85oceanic wrote:Looks really good Alex! Anything new on this?

, but don't you have some updates to share too?

jbrentd wrote:

85oceanic wrote:Looks really good Alex! Anything new on this?

, but don't you have some updates to share too?

Ya, I have LOTS of updates. I will update soon!

Have a few things to post, and a surprise coming. Had to replace an engine in our B7 and then sell it. Now we're on a house hunt so time in the garage has been minimal. Soon though....

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Been super busy with life so here's a quick update:

*Work has been really busy, which is good and has taken me on some cool trips recently. But that's been time away from the car...
*Engine died in my wife's B7 2.0t A4 Avant. Sourced a new used engine and swapped it in and subsequently sold the car after she bought a TDI JSW.
*After selling the B7 we decided to buy our first house! Lots of time shopping, making offers, getting inspections, etc. We finally close in a few days and begin the move!
*Somehow in all of the madness of buying a house I decided I wanted to wrap the UrQ before Audi Expo. Which involved wrapping the whole car white and then adding an Acropolis Rally livery on top of it. Probably have 50-60hrs into it, lots of late nights after work. Finished it up at 2am the night before Audi Expo and couldn't be more thrilled with how it turned out.

More details on it all to come after we get moved, but here are some pictures for now.

P1177830 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

P1177854 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

P1177899 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

The intermediate stage in white (which still looks so good)

IMG_20190619_175440 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

And a preview of all the fun I get to have over the next few weeks moving all of my parts/tools! And to think I got rid of a whole bunch of shit when I last moved two years ago.

PANO_20190624_191405.vr by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

Well damn! Congrats on the new house! I went through that a year ago, so I know how it is. Car looks great! Hopefully the new place a a huge work area for you.

Car looks great! I'd like to try wrapping my coupe some day, but am worried I might get frustrated part way through and say eff it.

DE80q wrote:Well damn! Congrats on the new house! I went through that a year ago, so I know how it is. Car looks great! Hopefully the new place a a huge work area for you.

Thanks!
New place should be adequate. Main shop is a detached 600sq ft building. There's also a detached 350sq ft 'long' single car garage to store a car, motorcycle, and misc stuff. And a shed for all the yard things. There's then a few hundred square feet of shop space framed out in an unfinished basement that I can use for house projects and storage. I'll probably put my lathe in there and setup an electronics station too. The main shop has a single truss through the center of otherwise cathedral ceilings that I'll have to work around for the lift. It's 9ft to the truss so I still can get a decent height out of my lift, but I think I might be able to offset the lift position some to gain a few more feet of clearance. Excited to finally have a place I can really settle into. I've got a lot of posters and pictures to put up that I've been saving.

WOW! That came out wonderful. Congratulations on the house and project.

What kind brand wrap did you use?

themagellan wrote:WOW! That came out wonderful. Congratulations on the house and project.

What kind brand wrap did you use?

Avery for the white base coat, 3M for the colors.

Got a nice present in the mail from Sean M, a modified 951 intercooler from his old 20vt setup.

IMG_20190918_172447 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

Dropping off the 16" wheels next week to get some curb rash repaired and powdercoated. Have some fresh Continental ExtremeContact Sports waiting to go on them.

And since we're getting to be close to a month away, I've got a punch list of things I need to get done on the UrQ for BBQ. My wife is going to be coming with this year so it really needs to be as comfortable and reliable as possible.

BBQ Checklist:
Required:

• Install new boosts on rear passenger inner CV. Boot split and flung grease everywhere earlier this summer. Also need to install an outer boot on the front driver axle as the current boot is wrapped in duct tape.
• Fix rear speaker short
• Roll fenders for new wheels/tires

Optional/Nice to have

• Install 951 intercooler
• Install 2.5bar MAP sensor in 4bar ECU that I have which has newer firmware
• Get O2 sensor plumbed into the ECU for fuel economy
• Replace front rotors
• See if cruise control is even remotely close to being able to work again

Driving it again to battleborn ... sick

Well my list keeps getting bigger Really surprised that I was crazy enough to drive the car as-is last year. My OCD is kicking in hard, but I'm prioritizing well and I have some time.

Complete:
*Installed 2.5bar MAP into v1.02 firmware IIc ECU. Updated the timing maps to be closer to MC1 and the car runs much better and no pinging (they had been similar to MC2 or less). Also wired in the wideband for logging.
*Rebuilt FL and RR CV axles (yuck!)
*Installed new antenna since the old one was broken.
*Fixed speaker short
*New front brake lines. Found one of them was almost broken. 944 Turbo brake lines were a perfect fit with the M030 951 calipers, just needed the hole in the bracket on the inner fender enlarged slightly.

In- work:
*Install new engine and trans mounts. Got Energy Suspension engine mounts and Porsche trans mounts. Found at least one broken engine mount thus far. Working on install...
*Installation of modded 951 intercooler. Removed OE IC and have all parts necessary for install. Will require modification of snub mount...
*Brake job front/rear. Ordered new coleman racing rotor rings for the front...pretty sure these are the right ones (304x32mm) Also have parts coming for the rears. Adjusted the front/rear balance of the manual brake setup. Still plan on swapping this back to vacuum boost at a later point, but want to get rid of the currently warped rotors for this trip.
*Installing aftermarket (Rostra) cruise control. I found most of the parts to make an OE vacuum setup, but decided to go with the electronic cable route. I'm not certain of the current state of the factory module/wiring so this was the fastest most sure-fire way to have cruise for the trip. Ordered a small RF remote button set that will mounts nicely on the steering wheel.

To-do:
*Fix passenger side mirror (broken glass and floppy RHD housing that you can't see anything in)
*Mount new wheels/tires. Wheels should be back from straightening/rash removal/powdercoat tomorrow. Already have 225/50R16 Continental ExtremeContact Sport ready to go on.
*Roll fenders if necessary...Eastwood Roller ready
*Install high-mount 3rd brake light. Can't stand not having one, so safety first.
*Heat shield for engine mount and intake
*Update intake routing with 951 intercooler
*New heater core hoses and coolant flush
*Oil and filter change
*Tighten rear view mirror (vibrates while driving)

Optional To-Do (will do if there is time):
* Install mudflaps
*Install exhaust
*Swap in MC2 cam and replace leaking cam seal

One of the brake lines was on the verge of bursting! Randomly found out that some 944 Turbo brake lines were a perfect match for the 951 M030 ('medium brembos') calipers that were installed. Had to drill out the inner fender mounted bracket slightly.

IMG_20191006_135521 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20191005_122545 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

For the sake of tunes for the trip I installed a Hirshmann antenna that I had bought a while ago that is supposed to fit the B2 coupe. It does fit, but it's long and interferes with the spare if you have one. It also is terminated with a universal antenna connection and not the OEM one. Thankfully has able to find an adapter (p/n 40-VW16). I've got a powered Fuba that I need to restore eventually, but it'll need a new mast and who knows what else.

IMG_20191004_180702 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20191006_164043 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20191006_163835 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

Rebuilding CVs is a nasty dirty job

IMG_20191006_152708 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

FYI the 304x32mm Brembo brakes do fit under the 15x8 Ronals, but would require roughly 25mm of spacers to run...perfect reason to go widebody! 30mm pictured

IMG_20191005_122927 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20191005_122940 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

Initial mockup of 951 intercooler (snub removed; will have to modify)

IMG_20191005_174358 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

IMG_20191005_173322 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

That'll cause a clunk!

MVIMG_20191007_184627 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr

New Energy Suspension mount
IMG_20191007_184758 by Vex Art Media, on Flickr