S2 Restoration Options.

[Twenny Benson]

Well having daily driven (60miles) my S2 for three months now I can honestly say I love it, its cheaper to fuel than my A4 so somehow I think its cheap to run Anyway I bought this car purely for a daily hack that I was going to run into the ground But I just can't do it to the old girl, truth be told I actually love it, I think it has heaps more character & soul than the A4, although the A4 still wins in the lunacy steaks. So I have almost comitted myself to restoring the S2, almost....

The problem is, I got it cheap and I got what I paid for. Its mechanically sound ish, it still pulls well, I have given it the once over and all the important stuff is in fair order. The biggest thing holding me back is the fact the shell is rotting in fairly significant places.

Around the windscreen frame



Near side rear arch





Near side wing



Not to mention the laquer peeling from the roof swage lines or the numerous deep scratches & dings.

So to save this old girl would take a stack of cash just to get the body work & respray sorted out never mind all the mechanical work that would have to follow.

So finally the question! Is it possible to transplant everything from the S2 into a FWD coupe chassis or are they vastly different? I can find a mint coupe for less than the cost of all the bodywork as everything would be getting stripped out anyway. Or just bite the bullet and get this original car restored and to hell with the extra it would cost. Or the last option would be sell it on and find a better example. What to do, what to do?

[willg54]

The wings wouldnt be too bad to do, im the same position. I think they are about £160 new from the dealer or several around here or VRS second hand for cheap. They look repairable though...might be worth getting them checked out at a body shop. I think its more the inside rotting that causes problems.
I have a small bubble on the roof too which needs the screen out to sort. I dont think it would be a vastly expensive job....and you wouldnt have to transfer everything to another shell!!

dont let another S2 disappear please!!!

[Twenny Benson]

I know I do feel strangely loyal to this original car and I would love to save it, but I'm no rich man. I've just completed my A4 build and that got silly, the slope is very slippy as i'm sure you know. The main issue for me is the rear arch section, if I get it repaired surely it will come back in a year or two, I've seen that happen to many times. I really don't know what to do with it, can't allow it snowball into a mega money build again.

[Twenny Benson]

Anyway is it even possible to convert a FWD coupe to quattro?

[andy10v]

Anyway is it even possible to convert a FWD coupe to quattro?

Anything is possible, however that is not practical as the rear floor plan is different. A clean 20v cq would be the easiest re shell, not including using an s2.

[Twenny Benson]

Oh well it was worth a thought but I did suspect they would be different as the B5 quattros also use a different floorpan. I guess I will price up the options a bit better and see which way makes more sense. Bodywork is something I've never taken on before, maybe its time I try my hand at it.

[andy10v]

The front wing is a bolt on part so not really an issue, the rear quarter and the windscreen bit will need to be sorted properly.

If you are going to re shell it anyway you could always have a go and see what happens.

Don't know what you want from the car but dropping all the running gear into a 90q20v would make a fun sleeper, though you would want to find a clean one.

[Tonks4x4]

Either bite the bullet and restore it, realistically 3k to 4k very easily.
Based on suspension and running gear overhaul and a glass out respray

Or sell it for £1000 to £1500

Add your £3k to £4k to your sale figure and then blow the lot on a better example, which you won't be happy with and end up spending even more

[Error404]

better the devil you know. get it done

[Twenny Benson]

Thanks for the repsonses chaps.

better the devil you know. get it done

Can't argue with that, If i did sell it and get a better one there is no doubt it would eventually end up getting the same treatment and I would have even less money at the end! I thinks its clear then, If i want to sort the S2 out there really is only one way to do it, pay through the ****! lol.

[Acidburn]

Stick with it as you've mentioned the mechanical side ain't too bad and you know the car and what to look for etc. I've heard of a few people that have spent big amounts on a s2 and then had to spend more on the bodywork. Speak to quattronutter about the bodywork and see what he thinks/can offer, he's done my car and doing a few other forum members cars

I have a good passenger wing laying around, drivers side was going like yours but underneath where the bumper joins. Lacquer peel is getting quite common on a few cars lately.

[Dave]

Acidburn, you've said that Lacquer peel is becoming more common now, that includes my car also.
Do you have to get a complete respray or just more lacquer?

[Acidburn]

depends how bad it is, sometimes you can get lucky with blending it in etc.

[Twenny Benson]

Time to bump this old thread.

I have sat and pondered what to do for a while now, I find myself going round in circles in my mind with what to do. I was moments away from posting my "Breaking ABY" thread when I decided I would have one last look at it and be 100% sure I was doing the right thing, strangely I couldn't bring myself to part it out and deleted the post. I set too stripping the interior trim panels out to gain a better look at the shell, here is what I found

Drivers side rear arch, Nice!


Passanger side rear arch, not bad


Passanger side rear quater, not good inside or out!


Seeing this has changed my perspective some what, this thing is rotten! Most of the rear end shows signs of rust and its obvious now this has been crash repaired in a previous life, it just does'nt look Audi esque, the panel gaps, seam sealer, underseal etc don't look right. I called my local dealership & TPS to see what new OEM panels would cost to do a complete shell refurb, lets just say that ain't happening anytime soon, it also sounds like there ain't many rear quater panels left either, damn Audi and there obsolete parts, why make a car to last but don't support those who are willing to keep them alive, especially when they constantly use there older (better) models in there marketing material but don't support there owners I pity the UR owners amongst you I really do.

Anyway this S2 would require a full strip down, windows out and all 4 corners+ replacing to be a respected road car & if im honest I can''t afford that right now especially considering im still in the tailwind of my B5 build lol. I have taken the decision to strip the interior, patch the holes, POR15 the surface rust i can get at and see what happens. The plan is to make the car mechanically sound, add 2 buckets, a few home brew chassis mods and get as much fun out it as I can. The engine will be getting pulled for a minor rebuild, just rods, main & head studs just enough to take all the RS2 turbocharger can throw at it really. The engine will be kept long after this chassis as its ear marked for another project I have in mind

See anything you want here, you can have it.


I'am semi committed to this project if you can call it that, not sure it will be worthy as a project thread though but I've already procured some bits thanks to Pete at quattro corner, top bloke, top service and had everything I needed to me in a day.



Meyle HD wishbone bushes & top mounts. Lemforder & febi ball joints and all nuts & bolts required. I also bought the three step rust proofing por15 for all the suspension components. I've already done the front end



Just zooshed it with a twisted wire thingy on the grinder followed by the 3step por 15, what a difference (forgot the before pics). Just cracking on with the rears at the minute, then alignment & MOT.

I also have some 18" wheels ET32 these will be refurbed and thrown on with some new boots



Any suggestions for homebrew mods please fire away, I can TIG, MIG & machine / turn most stuff. Already plan to weld in a rear strut brace & supports for the rear subframe front mounts & a delrin diff bush as well as some selective seam welding. Any other suggestions or parts for sale that might help me please shout up.

I would also like to know if my S2 seems more corroded than most, it just appears unusual for an Audi this old to be this bad, how are your S2's fairing?

Well that ended up being a bit more long winded than I intended!

[s2_wot]

my 2p: try to keep it as a rolling project and you'll do fine, don't end up like me taking it off the road.