My S2 coupe bit of a rebuild and repair thread.

[B5NUT]

Thanks for all the advice. Will get the car jacked up and give it a bit of lock to lock see what happens.

[B5NUT]

Still not had a chance to restart the car, and over the last two days I stripped down the wing and resprayed it. This time with a much darker primer. Panel has come out well and it matches the small trim strip which I did not respray. Still needs to be fully flattened to remove the nibs & orange peal, but at least the colour is right this time.

1-paint.jpg

2-paint.jpg

Also did one other job before I fitted the wheels. This was to fix together the bloody awful bits of rubber that protect the steering arm. Since almost anything metal under the arches rots away I decided to find a plastic solution, which ended up being these. Number plate fixings

3-fixing.jpg

I cut off the extra thread with a Dremel (not shown) which also melted the end so they should say put. Like to see my S2 try and dissolve these

4-fixing.jpg

[struikie]

I am shocked to see what state the UK cars are in on the bottom side and running gear.
My 80 is originally from Germany where they are mostly used as winter cars now so they
have a hard life when they get older.
Somehow mine was treated kindly and isn't in a very bad shape, but still it will get some tlc.

JW

[B5NUT]

Would be interesting to know if cars manufactured for other countries get better underbody protection. All the Audi's that I've worked on have been scabby around the arches and the rear has been far worse.

Were is the best place to support the rear of the car while it's been worked on. For the front there is are a couple of nice supports but not sure about the rear as I'm not keen on using the sills as the car will be off it wheels for 8-10 weeks. Cannot use the subframe mounts either as the subframe is being removed.

[Tractor Dave]

Would be interesting to know if cars manufactured for other countries get better underbody protection. All the Audi's that I've worked on have been scabby around the arches and the rear has been far worse.

Were is the best place to support the rear of the car while it's been worked on. For the front there is are a couple of nice supports but not sure about the rear as I'm not keen on using the sills as the car will be off it wheels for 8-10 weeks. Cannot use the subframe mounts either as the subframe is being removed.

I always use the sill lip under the Jack point mark. A large rubber pad will prevent damage.

[B5NUT]

I have some rubber pads so that's not a problem. I also use the sill to jack the car up but that out if the sill is the only point to support the car. So my only other option is to jack the car up on the subframe mounts then put the support under the sill.

[B5NUT]

One issue I found which I forgot to mention was with the windscreen washer pump.

I got a Meyle version as shown in the pic below
2-pump.jpg

So to get rid of an error on the dash the washer bottle was filled just above the sensor, however I started to get a leak between the pipe & the seal
1-pump.jpg

So the seal is not an available part from Audi, so to fix the problem I used a bit of heat shrink over this pipe. Still not a 100% sure if it's seal or the aftermarket pump that is the issue but the heat shrink fixed the leak. Once the heat shrink is fitted its a much tighter fit so a bit of silicon lube and it slips right in!

3-pump.jpg

[Tractor Dave]

I have some rubber pads so that's not a problem. I also use the sill to jack the car up but that out if the sill is the only point to support the car. So my only other option is to jack the car up on the subframe mounts then put the support under the sill.

When I did my Avant (pre lift) I found I could just get the jack and an axle stand in that space. It's tight mind.

[steve briance]

Jacking up rear of car.

Ive recently had to do this and support in the air for a while.

I jacked up using a pad on subframe mount with bolts still in place and this would allow a stand to go on jacking point. The only problem with this plan was that i needed to do weld repair to the jacking points.

Jacked up on rearmost subframe bolt and supported on the other one while working on repairs.

You might want to check the state of the rubberised underseal on and around your jacking points. At least 3 panels come together there and of the rubber coating is damaged (by being jacked up on) it can let water in that gets in between the panels. Once in, the rubber doesnt seem to let it out.

Sadly on mine it all looked 'ok' until i poked it.

Photo is front jacking point but its similar to the rear where i had to do the same work. I decided cutting a bigger hole was the only way to access the area which needed cutting out. It was built back up in stages as adding one fabricated repair patch would have made it impossible to weld in the area which would have been inside the sill.

[B5NUT]

Well Happy New Year all. Today was a good day for me as I could finally refit the front bumper so I could turn the car around, and start on the rear.
1-front.jpg

There are still jobs to do like sort out the aircon system, need pump and front pipes. Also after running the car for a few minutes the brake warning light went away and has not returned.

Now on to the rear of the car, and so far I'm presently surprised! I was expecting the rear to be far worse than the front but it's a hell of a lot better.

The strut still has black paint on it, the brake shield are in excellent condition, and even the calliper is in very good condition compared to the front. While I'm on with the brake does anyone know of a good write-up on stripping down the standard S2 Girling rear caliper
2-rear.jpg
3-caliper.jpg

On a slight down side the slider pins were rusted stuck, which as most things on this car is down the lack of servicing, but a few minutes with penetrating oil and a mapp torch and they were all free.

So this was how far I got today. I just need to figure out the strip down order, in respect to the subframe, diff, exhaust & prop.
4-finish.jpg

One question can anyone show me where this aircon hose clip goes please, it was lose when I got the car so just need to figure out where it clips to.
5-clip.jpg

[Tractor Dave]

Rear calipers are easy to overhaul. Get a kit with seals and blow the piston out using compressed air. New slider pins and boots are also available.
Brakes International are good for kits

[B5NUT]

So they don't need winding out using the hand brake mechanism. If so then that is easy enough. I take it to reinstall I just use a wind back tool. Also wondering if the mechanism can be removed so the calipers can be fully blasted and powder coated.

[Tractor Dave]

So they don't need winding out using the hand brake mechanism. If so then that is easy enough. I take it to reinstall I just use a wind back tool. Also wondering if the mechanism can be removed so the calipers can be fully blasted and powder coated.

Yes. Use the wind back tool to replace piston.
You can fully strip. There is an internal circlip from memory. Just check your seal kit has the lever seal included.

[jp_paul]

You’ll need some of these for the internal circlips. When you’ve got them open and greased up the handbrake pin at the bottom of the chamber, you’ll never get over having a handbrake that actually works!

[johne]

Big Red do an axle set calliper repair kit for £23.

There's a calliper rebuild guide on Audiworld.com. Don't know if I'm allowed to post the link to it but you'll find it under: Other Audi/C4 platform/rear calliper rebuild.

At the part a hub puller is used, a drill press is quicker and easier if you have a tall enough one.