Some performance enhancements
So I decided to blow a wedge of cash on Gwen as I had the opportunity and....well, as everything seems to go into the car......
I'll not even bore you with the new Alpine 7" head unit with complete set of new Edge speakers including the bass box in the back - thats not a performance enhancement although Audio In Motion made a nice job of getting the speakers into the priginal spaces.
I guess it all kicked off with a blown head gasket in December, since then she has received a completely rebuilt 7A head (mine was so wharped that skimming it would have brought it within the '20th of a thou' threshold of the safety margins so I had to bin it) which had the essential water jacket drilled in etc... quality job and a gorgeous complete head gasket set boot - it hurt alot and cost alot (that was the hurt bit) but she was alive and running (better) again. Kudos to Hoffer76 for doing a very well executed and detailed job there
Around the April time, I decided to purchase a Wagner EM as my 'custom' 3" exhaust has transferred every ding and ping to the RS2 EM which had turn into Crack City. I obtained some 420 chips from hoffer, dropped into TPS and purchased new lower control arms for front end, all subframe mounts, rear control arms etc. Managed to lay my hands on a pair of HP2 struts (Cheers Ryan) with porsche 4 pots, adaptors etc and I replaced the original parts with (Brembo) discs and pads - the difference compared to the previous UFO's......?
I could write an entire thread about the horror story that turned out to be my front and rear calipers
I also decided to replace the steering rack as the man at the MOT decided mine was pants so it was decided the engine was coming out for some additional fettling and the nasty jobs would be done.
To say that when we prized the clutch apart 'it looked worn' was a major understatement; I have seen more contact surface material on the runway of a dutch hooker so after two weeks searching, nearly 700 quid (and one single mass 3B flywheel((another 100 quid odd) later
)) I finally procured with the help of Preformance Braking a Sachs Performance clutch kit which is going with some additional new bearings and bits I dont understand. Whilst we're down there 
I purchased a rear diff mount from our friends at 034 (if you think replacing these are easy - think again - RARB and rear sub frame has to be lowered to maneouvre, curse and swear to get it in. It was a ****** ball-ache that tested my most-excellent Mechanic and Hoffer for all of about an hour and a half).
So - where are we - I am just about to get some rather lovely BBS LM's on there, new SD Tuning RS2 front end - dual pipe exhaust and rear skirt to suit. As soon as the front end has arrived and is painted, I can start thinking about FMIC and relevant tubing to marry it all up. With the 420's in there and the blurb about NIP's RR report I am thinking of dropping new con rods in there
Oh yes - RS2 rear calipers on her big butt - so if anyone has any info on sizing or adaptors for the calipers I am all ears.
Ultimately I want to build the cleanest urs4 avant in the country - so I can hear the sound of my wallet opening again
Gwen is still on ramps awaiting some 3B flywheel bolts which were obviously longer than the dual mass bolts.... more to come, hopefully some decent pictures when she is all back in one piece...
I'll not even bore you with the new Alpine 7" head unit with complete set of new Edge speakers including the bass box in the back - thats not a performance enhancement although Audio In Motion made a nice job of getting the speakers into the priginal spaces.
I guess it all kicked off with a blown head gasket in December, since then she has received a completely rebuilt 7A head (mine was so wharped that skimming it would have brought it within the '20th of a thou' threshold of the safety margins so I had to bin it) which had the essential water jacket drilled in etc... quality job and a gorgeous complete head gasket set boot - it hurt alot and cost alot (that was the hurt bit) but she was alive and running (better) again. Kudos to Hoffer76 for doing a very well executed and detailed job there
Around the April time, I decided to purchase a Wagner EM as my 'custom' 3" exhaust has transferred every ding and ping to the RS2 EM which had turn into Crack City. I obtained some 420 chips from hoffer, dropped into TPS and purchased new lower control arms for front end, all subframe mounts, rear control arms etc. Managed to lay my hands on a pair of HP2 struts (Cheers Ryan) with porsche 4 pots, adaptors etc and I replaced the original parts with (Brembo) discs and pads - the difference compared to the previous UFO's......?
I could write an entire thread about the horror story that turned out to be my front and rear calipers
I also decided to replace the steering rack as the man at the MOT decided mine was pants so it was decided the engine was coming out for some additional fettling and the nasty jobs would be done.
To say that when we prized the clutch apart 'it looked worn' was a major understatement; I have seen more contact surface material on the runway of a dutch hooker so after two weeks searching, nearly 700 quid (and one single mass 3B flywheel((another 100 quid odd) later
)) I finally procured with the help of Preformance Braking a Sachs Performance clutch kit which is going with some additional new bearings and bits I dont understand. Whilst we're down there I purchased a rear diff mount from our friends at 034 (if you think replacing these are easy - think again - RARB and rear sub frame has to be lowered to maneouvre, curse and swear to get it in. It was a ****** ball-ache that tested my most-excellent Mechanic and Hoffer for all of about an hour and a half). So - where are we - I am just about to get some rather lovely BBS LM's on there, new SD Tuning RS2 front end - dual pipe exhaust and rear skirt to suit. As soon as the front end has arrived and is painted, I can start thinking about FMIC and relevant tubing to marry it all up. With the 420's in there and the blurb about NIP's RR report I am thinking of dropping new con rods in there
Oh yes - RS2 rear calipers on her big butt - so if anyone has any info on sizing or adaptors for the calipers I am all ears.
Ultimately I want to build the cleanest urs4 avant in the country - so I can hear the sound of my wallet opening again
Gwen is still on ramps awaiting some 3B flywheel bolts which were obviously longer than the dual mass bolts.... more to come, hopefully some decent pictures when she is all back in one piece...
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