Time for some love: 1993 URS4 Avant

[yaz321]

I cracked on and put every thing back together before getting the car out of the garage. I struggled with the rear CV joints, as I had GKN outers that I couldn't fit for the life of me which put me back. Has anyone had this issue? GKN 302183.
I went with a combination of GKN inners (302287) with SKF outers (5181).

A couple of important bits of info I found out below.

My rear shock mounting bolts had seen better days, with the threads damaged so I tried to source new N10171902 bolts. Couldn't find them anywhere.
I instead used N10171903. They appeared to be at least the same tensile grade and exactly the same dimensions. Used as caliper bolts on the A8 D2. Still available on tradition.


For the brake bias spring, I couldn't find the correct part for an S4 so ordered the below thinking I may be able to get away with it, which is for AAR/AAH/ABC engine codes



However the dimensions are ever so slightly different to the spec for the S4 part, so I went ahead and cleaned up the original with new hardware







Don't forget to set this up correctly as follows



I had some trouble with the fuel tank guard as one of the bolts sheared off when removing which I couldn't get out of the mounting to the rear subframe. Nevertheless it seems secured fine with only 3.

I managed to save the bracket to the subframe here



New bracket and hardware from the guard to the subframe bracket



And it turns out that Porsche will sell you the bush, great excuse to take a visit to the local dealership






Followed by a stop off at Audi for the bush insert

















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[Nuvo]

You're doing a really fine job there, no half measures.

I'm willing to bet the most frustrating part of the restoration is seeking out suitable replacement parts rather than the hard labour involved to put things like rust right.

The pics showing a scissor jack supporting one side of the car made me wince somewhat.
Please don't do that.

[yaz321]

You're doing a really fine job there, no half measures.

I'm willing to bet the most frustrating part of the restoration is seeking out suitable replacement parts rather than the hard labour involved to put things like rust right.

The pics showing a scissor jack supporting one side of the car made me wince somewhat.
Please don't do that.

Sourcing parts isn't too bad although it is time consuming. Nothing compares to the mess that grinding rust away creates.

Yep not my finest moment, unlike me too. I would usually put a wheel down at the very least like on the other side.


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[yaz321]

Almost forgot to add some images of the back box heat shield I had to make up to replace the original which was falling apart



I bought a sheet of 500x500mm embossed aluminium and used the original as a template. Ideally you need 600x600mm here even before you lose a few mm all around when folding the edges but I struggled to find any at short notice from a UK seller. I made it work anyway.





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[yaz321]

When it came to putting the rear bumper back on, I had no choice but to source replacements as mine were beyond saving.

The listed bolts, N0104814 (M10 x 95, partially threaded) I couldn't find anywhere whatsoever.

I went with N90628303 which apart from being shouldered have an almost identical thread length and share the same overall dimensions. They fit perfectly.




Seeing the light of day after 12+ months in the garage, now featuring a towbar delete





A quick wash before being reversed back into the garage to tackle the front axle




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[yaz321]

So, with the car back in the garage it was time to see what we were working with






For some reason I wasn't expecting the arches to be as bad as they were but they needed the full going over which I knew was going to take longer than planned. I asked a local garage to help disassemble the struts and send them for powder coating so I could treat the arches in the meantime. Before any of that though, a quick test fit…


My worries were that I wanted to clear the 18Z calipers with minimal spacing and hence minimal impact on geometry but also - as the car has wheel studs - to make sure enough threads would protrude from them after spacing.



I was happy that a 3mm spacer would do the job without needing to change the studs in the wheel hub and clear the caliper sufficiently. Time for some more disassembly




And a better look in the arches










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[Colesy]

Great work Yaz

[yaz321]

Great work Yaz

Thanks Will, not possible without all those tradition orders!


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[yaz321]

It was time to attack the arches








Then the usual formula of two coats Buzzweld RE



Followed by Electrox and a dab of seam sealer around the brake line bracket (no images sadly), and two coats Epoxy




After the epoxy mastic I decided on finishing with a top coat. I found some “direct gloss no lacquer needed” LZ6U paint on ebay I thought I'd try





A couple of coats later I was happy enough with the finish


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[yaz321]

In between coats curing I found some activities to keep me busy.

Firstly, one of the plastic inserts that needs to come out in the upper passenger arch is used by the coolant reservoir. Upon removal I noticed a bit of bubbling so decided to treat it


Scope creep here would have probably led to an engine out job as there's lots of bubbling here and there in the bay. Future work no doubt, and probably sooner rather than later.

Then I decided to tackle the brackets behind the wheel arch liners plus the intercooler bracket






I used some Hycote Rover BRG to finish the brackets off with some actual clear on top








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[Niffty951]

This is amazing work! What a great thread, very much enjoying.