S2 Avant into saloon

[Josh-stateside]

Remember you have to factor in welding in the engine mounts!
I do want to do it, but would have to save a little first to buy the saloon, but in time it is definitly something I am going to seriously consider

Honestly. It's what we do in the states with the sedan. I could make a list of things I would do and wouldn't do with items. Yah u could weld in engine mounts but why not just fabricate some that bolt in. I plan on making a setup and selling a kit possibly at some point for this exact idea. Right now I got welded mounts from the engine block to the stock v6 mounts. Works ok, but at some point I'm going to swap it and retain the orginal aluminum mounts on the block and have aluminum or steel mounts that bolt to the frame rail. The mounts come off, and gives some more room to work on things. It's that a nice feature? I'm making a custom radiator bracket that mounts to the frame rail via rivet nuts at some point in the near future so that once again i can remove more stuff in the engine bay.

You have choices to make with things and also your car is right hand drive. So i don't know all the little details but for instance i'm using a vacuum booster setup in my car. The Aby stock high pressure line doesn't work the b4 vacuum booster on left hand drive cars because it hits the booster unless u coil it a bit and bend it around the booster. Even then I'm using a b3 booster and bracket now because it gives me some more room in the engine bay. If u mount hydraulic brake assist back in the car the mount for the Bomb attaches to the stock welded on frame rail so one less thing for me to worry about too with custom mounts.

Everything has it's positives and negatives. Easy OEM has it's positives but as far as making the engine bay a little more user friendly. bolt on mounts are nice.

[Bram]

@dest - have you changed your medication recently...

Sell the lovely Avant as is... Use that money to get a rough looking (mechanically sound) Avant donor and a tidy looking (mechanically rough) B4 Sedan - THAT is the best path to enlightenment.

100% agree

[dest]

As Ive already said, the sums do not add up!!
What do people REALLY think mine is worth? 3.5k-4k on a good day?
Ok, lets use 4k for arguments sake...

Then I find a decent enough saloon for 500.
I have to then find a mechanically sound S2 Avant cheap... not an easy task!
Looking on Pistonheads now I could only buy this one:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1211175.htm
You would all then say that it was too good to break too

But seriously, I would probably end up with a 2-2.5k totally standard money pit.
I would then have to replace all the bits I would use from mine...

Wheels/tyres £300
Milltek/Similar £500
Homefry £250
Brakes £300-500
Shocks £400?
Springs £150-200
Boost hoses £200
Boost gauge £50
HIDS £30

It just doesnt work!
At the moment I also have the added bonus of being able to sell my leather (which I would of put into the saloon until I found it didnt fit! :mischeif

Please tell me where I am going wrong, because what you are suggesting just doesnt add up to me!?

[Acidburn]

It just doesnt work!
At the moment I also have the added bonus of being able to sell my leather (which I would of put into the saloon until I found it didnt fit! :mischeif

I'd have thought if you removed your rear seat and the rear seat from the donor car the leather could be swapped over quite easily? from what i've seen of the rear benches I doubt it would be that hard, or at the very worst you could just get the rear bench covered in leather at a later date.

So when you starting to do this? so I know to try get some time off work

as aiden said I doubt it would take too long to do, especially if you had error404 and his mate doing it, they flew thru removing the engine/box etc from my s2.

If you could get the donor car that would make a big leap forward in getting the ball rolling. I'd get the interior out and dash in around an hour - hour and a half, bumpers are around 20 mins, side trims (being carefull of the top trim) not too long. Rear suspension etc I personally would undo the propshaft and handbrake cable (if possible under the handbrake lever) then the rear hoses, top mounts and try drop it all off connected up then take it over and roll it straight up onto the new car, saves a lot of hassle but needs a couple of people to do it.

Front suspension, engine mounts is main thing after that it won't take too long to do the other bits, remove as much spare stuff as possible, take the box/prop/engine out in one go with a decent hoist and same with the s2 then swap the engine over.

Front suspension easiest thing to do is just unbolt the steering arms, top mounts and subframe bolts (and brake lines) and slide straight onto the new car.

don't forget you'll want to keep your side trims as they are different on the saloon but just slide off then back on.

It can be done quite easily just depends how much space you have.

[dest]

I am definitly interested in doing it, my first thing is to get some cash together to buy a saloon.
Anyone want their car polishing? Help the S2 saloon fund!

[haaran]

Numbers aside, how possible would it be to cut off the roof/tailgate section of an avant and graft on the saloon back-end? Would that seriously compromise the structural integrity of the car or could that be overcome? If so, it may be easier than buying two cars and doing the whole transplant thing. All you would need would be a half decent backend off any old B4 saloon...and someone you really trust to take an angle grinder to your car!!

[Acidburn]

Numbers aside, how possible would it be to cut off the roof/tailgate section of an avant and graft on the saloon back-end? Would that seriously compromise the structural integrity of the car or could that be overcome? If so, it may be easier than buying two cars and doing the whole transplant thing. All you would need would be a half decent backend off any old B4 saloon...and someone you really trust to take an angle grinder to your car!!

It could be done but its finding someone who would be prepared to do it, plus it would never be an original saloon as you'd have the problems of the rear shelf in the car and rear screen.

Need some american chop shop program people

[dest]

Funnily enough, I had exactly that thought yesterday!!
I do know someone I trust to do it, quattronutter on here....

[dest]

You would swap the whole lot though, rear screen, rear shelf, everything!

[dest]

Thinking about it, it would create a lot of fabrication work, where as buying a saloon and swapping over is literally plug and play

[Acidburn]

Thinking about it, it would create a lot of fabrication work, where as buying a saloon and swapping over is literally plug and play

You'd only have the engine mounts to change unlike the rear end then a re-spray so its more cost effective just to do the mounts. You can detail the engine bay whilst your there

[haaran]

If you play your cuts right though, it may be a simple case of weld and play. Your base car is excellent to begin with so would need a similar finish for the new backend after welding and thats it.
The alternative would require sourcing a decent quattro B4 as this would now be your base car so may be more than £500 for a good one or money spending on a rougher one to make it presentable....and you'd also end up with loads of surplus parts you'd have to shift....and would need space for two cars.
The first way, you could probably just get the backend you need from the scrappers and your on your way.

[S2central.net]

This is decending into 'chop shop' mentality now

[dest]

I would not let this pair anywhere near my car



They would be good for moral support though, they make me laugh bigtime!

Anyway...

Once I have saved enough to buy a saloon I will do, it can then be stored in a garage and stripped of all bits not needed and left as a rolling chassis.
I would then borrow a mates trailer and move it to a suitable location for "the swap"

Depending on how desperate Mark is on wanting to sell his saloon, I would LOVE to use that. His vision of a pearl white S2 saloon is just too damn good!!
That hinges on price without the engine though...

[dest]

As an additional thought... it seems B4 quattro saloons are not too easy to pick up as decent ones still fetch too much money for my budget!
If I were to get a B3, would it just be different rear suspension I would need to sort? If so, that could also be an option, especially as some already have the correct engine mounts!
I know it would obviously not look like a proper S2 saloon then, but it would still be pretty damn cool!
Does the S2 Avant bumpers bolt straight onto the B3?
Would it also be bringing rust issues into play or were they galvanised too?