Red V6 Just needs a bit of polish..!

[RedV6]

Hope its ok to post non Quattro stuff? Back in about 1999 we had our original 2.0 16v, which was great but sadly couldn't accommodate all of the stuff you need to drag around with a young family. So it had to go! Happily it was replaced by a 20v Turbo B5 Passat, the perfect family car, which was faultless for 14 years until ice and a rock face brought it to an abrupt end (wife was fine and without a scratch). Fast forward to 2025, my son arrived back saying "dad I've found a Red Coupe, it's totally original and all there, we just need to go and get it".
And so it begins!

The original, the Passat and the new Coupe!!

[John.]

..... we just need to go and get it".

How long's it sat for.?

[K Simmonds]

Your wife was very lucky to walk away from that Passat, looks like quite heavy smash, I'm guessing the airbags did their job...

I think any B2/3/4 even 5's are more than welcome here, most of us have an interest in all older Audi's and they don't have to be quattro's either.

Those front wings are well beyond polishing but if the rest of the car is solid and rust free it's amazing how well that red will come back to life, though you'll need to keep it polished to stop it going pink again. A mate tided up a V6 B4 Saloon recently, same colour as your Coupe and in much the same state, it took a couple of days with a machine polisher to get it looking great once more.

Anyway,

[RedV6]

No air bags as the Passat was on its roof at the point of impact with the rock face and then somehow bounced back onto four wheels, she managed to climb out of a back door to get out.
Yea, obviously the polish will have to wait! Yes I remember our original used to turn pink about every 6 weeks and that was when it was only 5 or 6 years old!
So as the Coupe was essentially for free off we went with the Range Rover (also 1994), trailer, compressor and a few tools. We pumped the tyres up and then optimistically threw on a battery to see if would start and drive out of the field where it had been for over 10 years, a few splutters and then fuel started to pour from the pipes underneath. Onto plan B, tow it out!
I had better say that all of this was February 2025.

[RedV6]

8040CC76-2497-47F5-B907-EEDA2CA9D7E4.jpg 27669571-2933-4FFF-9E76-252FECD6FE81.jpg 4497485A-911D-473F-8C37-47C083B30DA0.jpg So once home and scrubbed, we temporarily bodged the fuel pipes, put in some fresh fuel and it burst into life, quite tappy initially but at least it ran, we bashed the brake pads around a bit and drove it up and down the track. Almost everything worked, except the windows, sunroof and the air bag light was on.
The inside cleaned up fairly well for a first going over and as my son originally stated, the whole car was totally original and unmolested.
The biggest issues were underneath where sitting in a field had made pretty much everything underneath scrap, fortunately the body really very good. Two 50 pence size holes in the rear of both sills. However the biggest issue had been caused by a visually quite good but poorly replaced side panel, the inner wheel arch was rotted and the boot floor under the carpet just left to be hidden by the bumper still damaged. Plus the rear top corner above the light had rotted.
As luck would have it a complete side cut came up on Ebay, it was even the right colour but even so, it was going to be a lot of work.

[RedV6]

694F0C5B-05A8-4593-89B7-69E52FF800E1.jpg 90990C41-6A21-48FE-9573-ED16EC4CA4F7.jpg EDC3B69F-EAA3-41FA-A894-C7949E0B76C6.jpg 83CE2851-7277-41C4-B033-986CE7BCADB9.jpg
1719BE16-6073-4808-9583-FA0DB2169FB4.jpgThe Underneath

[RedV6]

So. Having had enough time and enough prodding to think things through. Plus taking into account the car fell in my lap and my semi retirement. I decided I would work through the whole car and repair, renovate, clean and finally get it painted but am in no rush and meanwhile start collecting parts. I got a second break (first the side panel) when I was offered a V6 Cabriolet "with issues" for very little money. Handy for spares, plus it has a/c which the Coupe doesn't.
So with all of the above in mind! It seemed wise to attempt the side panel repair, which involved removing the one from the car, the one from the Ebay cut and the repair of the rear corner floor. It took a long time and a lot of thought but came out well.
So that's us up to date. Next step will be engine and everything underneath being removed (interior already stripped for welding repairs.

[Tractor Dave]

Impressive work.

[RedV6]

Thanks. It was certainly a bit scary taking out the whole side. I was just so lucky to come across that huge cut.

[JayCab]

I first learned to drive in a 2.6 V6 Coupe. 20 years later I drive a 2.8 V6 Cab Looking forward to seeing this progress!

V6 Coupes are already super-smooth quiet cruisers. If you have stripped to this level, you could consider putting sound deadening on every internal panel on the rebuild. It would sound amazing! Quieter than any modern car!

…if you’re a music man you could then base an audio installation on a platform of silence!

[John.]

Liking your work.

[struikie]

Wow, that's a serious project!

JW

[RedV6]

856206F1-CB28-4258-9A1A-F3F1FB546A55.jpg
Thanks for everyone's encouragement, I'm certainly looking forward to it, my wife is just looking forward to it being finished, 26 years after selling her original.
Those early 1990s German cars really are the pinnacle. Bullet proof, safe, just enough technology (as in stand alone modules), they have character and are fun to drive.
After the demise of the 20v Passat, we had a B5 Tdi and then my wife moved onto her current car which has been great, she loves it and uses it most days but is looking forward to the Coupe.
Mercedes 300TE 4Matic

[david1980]

A lot of the cab bits will fit and swap over easy enough. The engine should quieten down once it gets up to temp, they are strong engines.

[RedV6]

Wow, that's a serious project!

JW

Ha ha, very generous. I have followed yours for a while now and that is the "serious project" great work!