S2 Coupe Down Under

[Solfella]

G'day Comrades

Kitchen is finished so I can move on to my project - a 1994 ABY. Got quite a long list of things to do and a growing pile of parts waiting for me to do something with them. I will document these as they progress but this includes, inter alia:

• Suspension rebuild, Bilstein B6, including refurbing the subframes, new bushes, mounts, Strut and Arm Savers, RARB, etc.
• Brake overhaul with vacuum conversion and bigger rotors/callipers
• Reverse Wagner intake, intercooler, exhaust manifold and 70mm exhaust
• Other ancillaries to support bigger turbo and mild tune to 340hp ish (fuel pump, coil packs, boost gauge, etc)
• New head unit and speakers, including the subwoofer in wheel well build described on the forum
• Various interior issues (done the door cards) but now moving on to the roof lining
• And more to come

I am holding off doing any mechanical work while I await a new windscreen from Pilkington - ordered at the beginning of March with a 15 week lead time plus shipping form Finland to Australia so I'm not expecting that until the end of June at the earliest. The cost of the screen is bearable but the shipping is unbelievable! Thank goodness for glass insurance. I secured the various trims, spacers and wedges from Audi Tradition and elsewhere.

So, in the meantime I thought I'd tackle the roof lining. As I'm stripping out much of the interior I thought this would be a good time to set about dealing with a slightly smelly carpet (figured I'd remove it and clean it out of the car), new underlay and any wiring/speakers etc. I've got some Recaro LXs which I may try and fit but unsure as yet.

Anyway - today's efforts, with the help of the forum, got this far

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The rear shelves that have the tweeters in are - how can I put it - sticky. The surface seems to be deteriorating. Does anyone have a good way of addressing this?

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[rynaqui]

The rear shelves look repainted, that is why they are sticky. I would suggest stripping them with a solvent based cleaner (not thinner as it is too strong). Alternatively you could have them reupholstered to match your headining, that is what I did with mine along with C, B and A pillars.

[Solfella]

Thanks for that ryanqui. Took the other trims out today - all in much better condition and not so sticky but definitely needs a clean with something. I'm thinking sugar soap might do it.

Only got a couple of hours today but got out the grab handles, front seats, A, B, and C pillar trims. All but one A pillar trim post that clips into the body work could be saved, no matter how gentle I was.

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Got good separation around the sunroof with all clips intact

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With all the trims gone the headliner is truly falling away

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So on to the last of it tomorrow, and hopefully the board will be out ready for a strip down and clean up. I intend to try using water as others have suggested.

Maybe I should have taken the carpet out first, but that's next.

Anyone have any tips for accessing and removing the sunroof lining?

[Tractor Dave]

To remove the sunroof panel you need to roll the sunroof half back. Feel inside at the front and there are two clips, one either side which slot onto a peg. You separate the clips and push them back. This frees up the lower panel which you then wiggle and move back, turn sideways and slide out. Don't force anything as the plastic clips are fragile. I think i did a guide on my Nothelle thread. Not sure if pics will still be there.

[Solfella]

I used this to tackle the large sticky pad between the sunroof and the tailgate

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And she's out!

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[Solfella]

To remove the sunroof panel you need to roll the sunroof half back. Feel inside at the front and there are two clips, one either side which slot onto a peg. You separate the clips and push them back. This frees up the lower panel which you then wiggle and move back, turn sideways and slide out. Don't force anything as the plastic clips are fragile. I think i did a guide on my Nothelle thread. Not sure if pics will still be there.

Worked a charm, thank you Dave. Is refitting a 'simple' case of reversing the proceedure?

[Solfella]

Cleaned up the glue using rubber gloves and rolling the glue under my fingers. Didn't take too long. Then sealed what was left with a PVA sealer. Having done the glue removal, this looks like a very credible option too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5uGSmPm_ZY

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[Tractor Dave]

Worked a charm, thank you Dave. Is refitting a 'simple' case of reversing the proceedure?

Not exactly. Newly re covered panel can be tricky if the new fabric is too thick. First you need to engage the two pins into the clips further back, then slot the front clips in the pegs. I find it easier with roof tilted. Its a two person job reslly, one each side guiding the pins. You will see what i mean when you get there.

[Solfella]

So on to carpet removal. Now, do I have to remove this item with the big red multilingual label that says 'do not remove' on it in order to proceed?

I'm guessing removing the gear lever might be in order too?

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[Nuvo]

You should be able to leave those two items in place. You need to remove the heater ducting piece above the carpet as this is the obstruction here. It's held in place with two self tapping screw as I recall.

[Solfella]

You should be able to leave those two items in place. You need to remove the heater ducting piece above the carpet as this is the obstruction here. It's held in place with two self tapping screw as I recall.

Good to know, thank you.

[Solfella]

Carpet out, shampooed, pressure washed and now drying.

Got on with tidying up some wiring and roughing in a new head unit, a Pioneer SXT C10PS with a 90s look. Pleased with myself for getting permanent and switched live and the ancillary wiring identified and working. No DAB in Far North Queensland though. That's a shame.

Hooking this up to Rainbow DL-C4.2 up front with the tweeters in the air vents, and Focal 130 ACs in the rear quarters, via a Kicker KEY200.4 Amp.

Sub will follow with its own amp later.

Anyone have a view on using the stock wiring or not for the cabin speakers? The fronts seem pretty good but the rears look a little lightweight to me.

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[Solfella]

Answering my own question here - I've decided to drive the front splits by bi-amping the KEY200.4 and using the DSP to manage the crossover, and driving the rears from the head unit. New speaker wiring accordingly.

[ottawa coupe]

just read your first post... i hear ya about the windscreen. i had a fleeting idea of buying a pair of cqs that were for sale for pretty cheap locally (cheap conidering one was already aan swapped). luckily for my marriage, i decided not to. looked into the pilkington route at the time. i too was somewhate surprised at the "reasonablness" of the part cost. shipping however..... honestly it would have been cheaper for me to fly first class to the uk and pay the baggage fees and have it as carry on!

nice car but i hate it cuz i bet you have zero rust to deal with lol

[Solfella]

nice car but i hate it cuz i bet you have zero rust to deal with lol

And that's possibly the only advantage of being located in Australia and living with one of these cars - one of maybe only a couple of dozen in the country... EVERYTHING has to come from somewhere else, usually a long, long, way away. But hey, a man's gotta have a hobby right?

Yes, I was immensely relieved when my insurer said they'd cover the screen on a 'one free claim' basis. I'm sure there will be some negotiations on the interpretation of 'fair and reasonable' when I submit my invoices, but we shall see.

I've been reading through your project. Really very impressive indeed.