B5 A4 1.8T Avant Quattro.

[K Simmonds]

Made a decision on the suspension and I've ordered an Eibach-20 spring kit, which is on special order from Germany as apparently they do one specifically for the TQS so hopefully they'll be spot on and not to low, I do have to wait a couple of weeks for them which isn't a problem. They were quite expensive, but TQS specific stock springs are nearly impossible to find and just the pair of rears would be well over half what the Eibach kit cost so I thought sod it.

Have gone for Sachs OE dampers all round, they should be here today...

[K Simmonds]

All four dampers arrived, the rear are NOS genuine Audi B5 S4 units so should go with the Eibach springs well. The fronts are brand new boxed OE replacements, all four cost about £200 delivered with a bit of shopping around a reusable 5% off eBay voucher...

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[Ian_C]

All four dampers arrived, the rear are NOS genuine Audi B5 S4 units so should go with the Eibach springs well. The fronts are brand new boxed OE replacements, all four cost about £200 delivered with a bit of shopping around a reusable 5% off eBay voucher...

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Quality bargain hunting there.

B5 rear suspension turrets are notorious for rusting - if you don't have a pair ready and yours are horrendous when you take the rear suspension apart, there's a guy on Audi SRS who does them

[le mans]

That should ride very nicely. I’m pleased to hear you can still get these items.

[K Simmonds]

Cheers guys, one thing I do have is time to comb eBay so getting the dampers sorted wasn't too bad, only took an hour or so once I decided to go for OE units. I was seriously tempted to get a Bilstien B12/Eibach spring kit from Germany but they're all listed as -30mm, plus it would end up costing well over £700 with import tax.

Finding -20mm springs took a while and I'm glad I dealt with a British seller as I'm not sure I'd have ended up with the correct kit from Germany, I did message a couple of EU vendors of Bilstien/Eibach kit's regarding -20 springs and they didn't respond. The UK company are super helpful BTW, just a pity they don't do an S2 kit, as I've mentioned these are the only aftermarket springs I've had a positive experience of in the past.

The springs caused a lot of confusion as the TQS has different max axle loads to any other 1.8T B5 Avant which I don't really understand. In the end I had to send the company a pic of the load sticker on the drivers side front suspension tower before they'd order them for me. A bit of hassle but I don't mind if I get the correct kit, that ended up costing £260, I used a couple of different eBay vouchers to reduce the prices on everything.

Here's links to the listings should anybody else need these parts...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182743274439

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393888163206

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142638373891

The S4 rears are very heavily damped presumably to help reduce the back end squatting under hard acceleration which is ideal considering the car will be around the same power as a B5 S4 all be it a touch lighter. They may fit S2/RS2's, I have a pair of NOS RS2 rears I can compare them to, will report back if they're interchangeable.

Corrosion wise I'm pretty lucky, the spring towers only have light surface rust and are perfectly serviceable so I'll sand blast and paint them while I've got the chance.

[le mans]

I could be wrong, but I’m under the impression the TQS is basically an S4 with 1.8T engine up front. For example, the steering rack is different to other B5 A4s and apparently cross references to the V6 version. I love these run out version cars. They probably had a few too many 1.8T engines floating around so decided to do the TQS. I’d love to know the back story.

[K Simmonds]

Yeah, apart from front brakes the TQS is very much the same spec running gear and suspension wise as a similar vintage S4. My Eibach spring kit which eventually arrived directly from the factory in Germany are also listed as fitting the S4/RS4. The finish on them is excellent, a really nice thick power coat which based on past experience is highly durable. They're actually a slightly metallic anthracite as opposed to black but could easily pass for OE once fitted which is another point in their favour.

Anyway, I'm back after a very difficult past couple of months, my mother sadly lost her battle with cancer two weeks ago which has obviously been a bit of a shock considering she was fine back in June. However we knew it was coming and thankfully she went peacefully.

I really need to throw myself into this project as I've put together a really nice spec car, the heated S4 black leather and RS4 blue weave carbon trims have transformed the interior. I see these as OE upgrades and the whole lot cost less at £400 in total than a tatty replacement TQS interior. My ET27 Compomotives and slightly lower, firmer suspension should finish off the exterior very nicely.

I know a lot of you will think I'm nuts but I'm in the process of acquiring the diesel version of my TQS, it's the rare 110bhp pre PD engine sport edition with a wood rimmed Nardi steering wheel. It's a car that's been in the yard at work for ages, passed an MOT nearly three years ago and has been sat since. Very cheap due to a beige interior and nearly 300K miles, however the engine was replaced by us with a 60K mile unit due to the previous owner hydro locking the original motor in a flood. Anyway, I get the car, a boot load of spares including the complete original engine and turbo etc well as the pick of good parts from a V6 sport model we're scraping for a too good a price to pass on.



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[John.]

Kit, sorry to hear your Mum has passed away.

Liking the tdiq estate, my kind of load lugger.

[K Simmonds]

Thanks John, as I mentioned the last two months have been very difficult, but life must move on and I know she'd be really cross with me if I spent my time mopping about in doom. So I kinda feel I owe it to her to finish at least one of my projects off and I'm really close to getting the TQS done, just need a hand with the engine swap then it's all just plug and play.

I had to bag that TDI Sport, it's actually now a very rare car and despite the mileage it's very solid and a bit like triggers broom so all the arms etc are recent, new brakes all be it rusty, a new clutch as well as host of other stuff, just about everything works or will work with minimal hassle so it should go straight through a new MOT. I can live with beige interior for now and look out for a tan or grey leather S4 interior which go for less than £200, I'd like walnut door and dash trims but am unsure if they're available, if not I can have a go at making my own with stick on stuff and a heat gun.

Apart from an EGR delete the engine along with the rest of the car will be remaining stock, idea is the TDI will replace my Honda Jazz, I need to get back in something German to truly enjoy driving again. It should be a great budget runabout that's fairly quick and capable in all weathers, also having a pair of the same colour and age black B5 Avant's one a bit nuts and the other totally sensible is really appealing and will make hoarding parts even more practical.

Am having to very seriously consider what cars's I'm going to keep as I obviously have too many, my RS2 is going nowhere and will be done when the time is right, it runs fine and is in the dry so can wait until I can afford to do the car justice,,, In the mean time I'm still hoarding mostly NOS parts ready..

Keeping the two A4's not only seems sensible but also a bit of fun as most people won't clock which version I'm in especially if I start swapping wheels about, I have six different sets of 5 x 112 rims, I reckon the TQS Boleros would look good on my TDI and they have a set of half decent tyre's on them which that car needs.

I don't really want to sell my C4 but once my A4's are done it really is redundant plus it takes up a massive amount of garage space so as much as it pains me I think this should be the first to go.

I know I'll regret selling the B3 80, it cost me nothing, it's solid all be tatty, I have all the parts in stock and I need something I can play with on the cheap to prevent me from molesting my other cars.

That just leave's my MK2 GTI, which was A G60 conversion and like all my project's I'm about halfway through returning the car to stock... I had one a couple of years older as my first car so I do have a sentimental attachment to the idea of driving a well sorted 8V GTI once again, it's going to be a great example, no rust never welded and just as VW intended. There again it will be worth a fair bit and really easy to sell and means I can also flog my remaining hoard of MK2 and Corrado parts.

My father wrote my T5 van off by leaving it on a steep hill with the handbrake off outside his house, Which given the stress he's been under is understandable, he got a really good insurance payout, nearly twice what we were expecting! So we're splitting it and he's going to help with money for my project as opposed to just giving me cash so i have to spend it on sensible stuff.

I really badly wanted to get my RS2 on the road before both my parents died as they very nearly purchased one new from South Hereford Garages back in 1996, had a couple of test drives and my father was set but mother decided she wanted to order one of the brand new 225 TT's which were just coming out then instead and she retained veto powers. Regardless I intended for the RS2 to be a project my father and I could tackle together as he's mechanically competent and aside from the clutch the car doesn't really need much work, just a brake service, a complete fluid/filter change, a cambelt, oh yeah and I'm fitting a new fuel pump as a safety measure. However he's getting too old now to tackle much stood up so I'd just like to get it done so he can have a decent spin in it.

Here a few pictures of the TDI I found on my phone as I know everyone likes photos. It needs love but is too good to steal the driveline from to convert a B4 Avant to quattro which is why Jim took it in part ex from the original owner. The service history is about four inches thick in a ring binder, so it seems a pity for it be sat in the weeds when it's basically fully functional.

[John.]

You have a bit of a car quandary ?!

If I can make a suggestion ..... sell me the tdiq estate !!

[K Simmonds]

Back to my TQS, the main bottom door trims are all on their last legs so I took a gamble on some knock off ones from Eastern Europe for less than £50 for the complete set.

Sure they're not perfect replicas but the quality looks fine and if change the lot they shouldn't stand out.

Not the most exciting update but it's all I have photos of, my workshop is currently in chaos, need to spend a couple of hours tidying up and sorting out my tools before anyone sees in there.

Another conundrum I have is will my old TQS front seats fit straight in my B3? That's supposed to be a mega budget project so free is always going to be preferable especially if doesn't require welding. This really is a simple question to answer I just haven't gotten around to having a go a fitting one.





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[K Simmonds]

You have a bit of a car quandary ?!

If I can make a suggestion ..... sell me the tdiq estate !!

Ha, ha...I'm afraid that's one car I really want to keep, it's taken me years to get Jim to part with it, I've badgered him for first refusal on it since about 2018 so i don't want to miss my chance...

As I mentioned it was destined to be the parts car for a B4 quattro conversion but his circumstance have changed drastically and besides he's got another much rougher early B5 quattro he could use instead, this one is far too good to to be cut up. And given I'm nearly 50 I feel the beige interior will grow on me more and more.

I think given the amount of space I've got my RS2, a pair of early B5 Avants and a B3 rat project car is more than enough. I'm even half tempted to flog the B3 as well, it would give me the parts on hand to build a forged 1.8T to eventually put in the TQS. I'd like to try using a modified K24 7200 on a 1.8T, be it in my A4 or B3, I can't see why it shouldn't perform well as the large port five valve heads breath great and I've got a couple of exhaust manifold choices as well as all the parts to build up the turbo.

I need to get working on stuff and have a good think.

[K Simmonds]

Seriously minor update, however I'm documenting everything I do to encourage me to keep going, not so easy now it's cold, on firewood today as long as it stays dry.

Just ordered 20 matching black wheel bolts with the correct 60 degree tapper for my Compomotive's, as well as a set of alloy spigot rings to reduce them down from 66.6mm to 57.1mm properly, they're currently attached using a couple of random tapper seat bolts per wheel and I want them all to match. I did seriously consider a stud conversion as I find floating brake disc's often annoy me when changing rims, if I was going to be using spacers I'd have gone that route as getting three things to line up is maddening.

Given my wheels are ET27 I'm certainly not going to need spacers, I'm very glad I got them back for what sold them for back in 2017 given how much they're now worth, I priced up a single brand new wheel as a spare for a laugh and the best they could do would be a 5 x112 ET47 7"x17" rim for the thick end of £500, so very expensive and not even a perfect match.

They only make the flat face MO5's to order in a very limited range of size's, stud patterns and offsets, I do recall the guy I purchased them from said he paid £1600 for them back in 2010 and they were original ordered by another customer from Compomotive for a Merc who left a deposit but didn't pay up so they were sat ready in stock. Secondhand sets regularly sell on eBay for well over a grand in average condition, mine are mint, they're most Ford fitment as the Cosworth lads love them.

As I've mention somewhere in my above ramblings I got them from for £400 with £300 of new tyre's fitted back in 2013, the chap selling them on eBay purchased them for his black B5 RS4 which he was selling so they've kinda come around in a circle after being fitted to my S2 on and off for a few years.

I decided getting a spare one of these is fairly pointless, if one is unlucky enough to hit something with enough force to damage a Compomotive then you've probably got more to worry about suspension component wise, they're close to indestructible, ideal for the roads these days. I've driven my Corrado G60 with one on the rim for about ten miles after I had an incident with no jack in the boot and I really needed to get home, took about 5mm off the diameter which I sanded smooth and painted white and no one was any the wiser. Not many wheels would survive that.

[Ian_C]

Just quick message to say I'm sorry to hear your news Kit, thinking of you at this time

[K Simmonds]

Just quick message to say I'm sorry to hear your news Kit, thinking of you at this time

Thanks Ian, it's been a bit of a shock like I say but we knew it was coming and it could have been so much worse.

I need to get stuck into cars to keep my mind occupied, looks like I've got another pair of hands sorted for next Wednesday as long as Jase can make it, we'll have the fresh engine in in no time between the two of us.

In the mean time I'm going to pull the the old bottom end out and put it on a stand ready for future use, then I want to pressure wash the engine bay to get is as clean as i can.