Fat Audi 80's Project Concours

[Corey]

@ Corey, thanks for the encouragement It has actually already got a small oil leak but I have no idea from where. It looks like it is coming from the back of the engine as it drips off where the gearbox meets the engine. It is so tight back there you cant see a thing. I am going to clean the bottom of the engine bay as best I can and see if I can find it....

Either cam cover gasket, sump or rear crank oil seal.

[Rusty]

Fitting a complete rear subframe, wishbones etc. etc. etc. certainly tidied up the rusty mess that was the old lot. Car felt great after doing it too, even on standard springs. As Andy says, do the wishbones and if you don't then I have a set of OEM bushes you can have cheap, never used as I just got the wishbones complete.

CV gaiter is an easy job, consider doing the wheel bearings at the same time as it's a bit of a "whilst you're down there love..." type of job . Also lower ball joints as you're going to have to get the tracking sorted if you need to take the struts off... and top mounts... and bump stops & bellows... see what I mean, the list soon mounts up .

Going to do the front SF at some point but with the front subframe being 6 speed specific (?) I'll have to fork out a bit to get one and then get it stripped and powder coated. Will replace the front diff mounts and a few bits of hardware whilst I'm there.

Rear CV boots, wheel bearings, strut swap, FARB swap and new drop links are the next job on the list! Will leave rebuilding the struts until I get some springs in the summer.

Alex at All Audi is always very useful for sourcing secondhand bits (to get reconditioned whilst the car remains on the road) and then there's our friendly dealer who can provide the new stuff. Pete at Quattro Corner does FEBI stuff if you don't feel the need to have "OOOO VW" stamped on exactly the same part and want to save a few notes! (Unfortunately I do want the OOO VW on them!) Get new nuts, bolts, washers etc. , from the aforementioned friendly dealer and if you need a hand then feel free to ask! However, DON'T keep a spreadsheet of what you've spent... rear subframe was over £700 by the time I'd had the tracking done

The biggest problem I find is that once I start to assess what needs replacing, there aren't many associated / nearby components that are left off the list! Shame I'm not as handy with a spray gun as I've become with the spanners... body work needs a bit of work to make it (and I hate this phrase) mint! (for 151k anyway!)

Mike's site is also very useful for many BTDTs (as I'm sure you're well aware of!).

Good luck fella, just ignore all the jealousy, just 'cos they have 400bhp doesn't mean they can bully you!

[Fat Audi 80]

Thanks Corey, my money is on the cam cover (hopefully as I am replacing that while I Paint the Cam cover and Coil Pack cover ).

[Fat Audi 80]

Thanks Andy,

To be honest I am only going to do the bits that actually need doing. I already have the new Lower ball joints to go on and I am planning to mark the old ones and replace them very carefully to ensure that my tracking remains the same.

I don't feel the need to do top mounts etc as the previous owner did a stack of work on it including those and Bilstein Dampers etc I only use the car for weekend fun and mostly on motorways and dual carriageways so the suspension is standing up well...

On the subject of CV boot change, the only thing that really puts me off is the huge torque required for the refit of the centre bolt. Can you do this adequately with a 3ft breaker bar or do I need to buy a new torque wrench as mine only goes up to 150ftlb?

Thanks for the offer of bushes but I already have the ones for my cast 'bones.

Cheers,

Steve

[Skull]

Is that a Tuning mod or sumphtin`?

[Fat Audi 80]

Mudflap from the original owner

They were a ******* to get off....

Cheers,

Steve.

[Rusty]

The torque to refit them is comdically large with a 600mm bar! Mine was bending like a beast before I decided that enough was enough (about 60deg, not the full 90 !) Best find a mechanic mate with a 1m 1" drive beast and do it that way, or buy your own for £50 or so plus a 1" drive 17mm hex bit. Quite a tool to show off to your mates in the garage .

[Dpicariello]

Good luck with this Steve, especially the cleaning.

I have been trying to clean the underside on and off for the past few months. I started with the rear diff as I thought I had a leak but it truly is a demoralising task.

Took your advice from a thread a long time ago and replaced my lower door trims last weekend. What a difference!

[Fat Audi 80]

I saw all your threads about cleaning and tidying up your car and thought I need to up my game as I can see I am going to have competition! :mischeif:



Thanks

Steve.

[Fat Audi 80]

It lives!

I got an MOT this morning despite having the rear tyres a knack's **** from the wear strips and the ABS light on!

ABS fault will be fixed soon thanks to S2Dude and then I can concentrate on tidying up a few bits and pieces.

I think I will have the car up on stands in the garage again and try to clean up the underside.

Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Steve.

[Fat Audi 80]

Okay, its been a while...

The ABS Sensor bought from S2dude (thanks ) was fitted. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the old one. Suffice to say it was not longer the shape it should have been. During my CV joint replacement nightmare I must have managed to push it further into the recess! This explains why the hub bolt was bloody hard work to do up. I was squashing the ABS sensor to a pulp at the same time.

Anyway after a lot of pulling a twisting and swearing the old ABS sensor was removed and the new one fitted. If anyone else comes to align a new sensor the method that worked for me was to push the sensor as far as it would go and then back it off by about 1-2mm. With the car started again the ABS light went out and all was well....

[S2central.net]

That method is the tried and tested one... Getting them out is a right PITA though. Only ever managed it once without destroying them.

Paul

[s2dude]

Okay, its been a while...

The ABS Sensor bought from S2dude (thanks ) was fitted. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the old one. Suffice to say it was not longer the shape it should have been. During my CV joint replacement nightmare I must have managed to push it further into the recess! This explains why the hub bolt was bloody hard work to do up. I was squashing the ABS sensor to a pulp at the same time.

Anyway after a lot of pulling a twisting and swearing the old ABS sensor was removed and the new one fitted. If anyone else comes to align a new sensor the method that worked for me was to push the sensor as far as it would go and then back it off by about 1-2mm. With the car started again the ABS light went out and all was well....

Good stuff Steve!
it's amazing how satisfying making warning lights disappear is Glad you got it sorted

[Fat Audi 80]

The next stage of Project Concours is to try and "PC" the car before the new baby arrives (Scheduled for June 20th) when I KNOW I won't get any "S2" time.

For those that refuse to join us in the "Detailing" forum, PC is short for Porter Cable, which is the brand name for one of the only Random Orbital car polishes on the market today. It replicates the movement of Mr Miyagi's infamous "Waxon Waxoff" but about 100 times faster!

I have already had a brief practice on the MK2 Golf and could not stand the temptation to take to the S2 any longer.

Here is my first attempt at the front wing, which being completely original paint was actually one of the worse areas of the IMO. The paint always looked a little faded compared to the door and rear three quarters which has had some paint at some point. I tried to get some befores, but they were hard to capture as the paint is in reasonable condition unless in direct sunlight:

Wing Mirror Completed:



Front of Wing behind Headlight showing true Amethyst Pearl Metal flake



Wing completed:



Last One:



I will post up some more when I get the chance. Roll on Billing Show'n'shine! :mischeif:

Cheers,

Steve

[Jas11n]