20V CQ Tidy Up

[Error404]

now you're talking Stu.... and some manual window winders

[4WheelDrifter]

It's good to know the KW V1s are a worthwhile upgrade from Koni/H&R combo, as I have done the same.

[re2500]

I have to also agree that KW's are definately an improvement over the H&R/Koni combo.
I had the H&Rs and Konis before and on KW's my car now handles so much different. Much more responsive turn in and less body roll. The ride is surprisingly good too IMHO. Although i have probably wound mine down a little too low, which means it can be crashy on the bigger bumps.

[Error404]

Yeah I can't fault the ride / handling compromise, the KW engineers have done a really good job setting that up.

Handing wise there isn't much else I can do that is off-the-shelf. I am working on some custom parts which I hope will make some big improvements - as always its time and the cost of R&Ding this kind of stuff.

Unfortunately there isn't much interest in expensive handling mods on these cars anymore - they are getting a bit old hat now and modern stuff is far better right out of the box.

[andy10v]

Mmm, lots of cool additions.

You must have the highest specced 7a coupe out there!

How do you find that steering wheel?

[Tom_]

I am jealous man Looks perfect ! i like your kW and wheels and brakes as well !!

[Error404]

The Nardi wheel is great Andy, really pleased with it. They are a bit thicker than an S2 one so it feels more chunky in your hands

It's looking great, Alex.
Actually, it's looking more like my car did. When are you getting the RS2 mirrors?

I found ellipsoids made a huge difference to night time visibility, then HIDs another huge difference on top. But there is a massive contrast between where the light where beam pattern is, and the darkness above it, which takes some getting used to. The old reflectors scatter light everywhere in comparison.

I fitted red LEDs to my dash lights. They really give a much more crisp and modern look to the interior when lit up, rather than the dated orange/red.

Stu what LEDs did you use? I was thinking about this but I tried it before years ago and the light was a bit patchy across the dial face if you know what I mean? Did you use some LEDs with a diffuser of some kind?

[4WheelDrifter]

The Nardi wheel is great Andy, really pleased with it. They are a bit thicker than an S2 one so it feels more chunky in your hands




Stu what LEDs did you use? I was thinking about this but I tried it before years ago and the light was a bit patchy across the dial face if you know what I mean? Did you use some LEDs with a diffuser of some kind?

I'll have a look when I am home. IIRC they have a diffuser cap on them. I suspect the ebay seller will be long gone by now.

I am sure I have a before and after photo of the gauges somewhere too, orange vs red. I'll have to fire up the old archive computer and get searching.

[Error404]

That'd be awesome, thanks Stu

[4WheelDrifter]

Honestly, if you knew what I had to do to get these photos.

LED in a standard bulb holder.



I took a few photos, but even under a fluorescent light it was quite tricky. It's got a kind of dimple in the end which probably helps to spread the light.


Gauges. LED vs standard bulb.



Which doesn't really show the difference that well in a photo. But there you are.

I did a similar thing many years ago to my Metro Turbo (Yes. I know). I changed all the white bulbs for green to really gave a fresh looking contrast. That's why I tried it in the S2.

[Error404]

Great thanks Stu - I know the type of LED you mean, has like an inverted cone in the plastic on the end. I think I will get a few and see how they look

[4WheelDrifter]

They were pretty cheap back in 2004, so it wasn't much of a gamble.

[Error404]

I've just bought a few so I'll do some before and after, to see the difference. I am really quite happy with the RS2 dial illumination as it is, so I'll see if these are any better - if not no harm done

[Error404]

Time for a bit of an update I guess.

I've got a few plans in store for the Panthero coupe, a kind of culmination of plans and collecting parts for about 4 years. They say patience builds a good car, so I guess we will see. .
When the tax runs out in a couple months it'll be coming off the road for a few tweaks

Finally build up and fit my 20vt engine - more on that shortly
B7 RS4 gearbox
Complete retro-fit AC with digital climate control
Swap to vacuum brake servo
312mm rear brake upgrade using Phaeton discs & calipers
Install Genesis amp, component speakers in dash & build fibreglass sub box for the boot
Fit heated seat elements in Recaros
fit heated door lock kit so I don't get frozen out of the car this winter
Rear diff oil cooler system

So just a few small jobs then. I want to be done by ADI


So the engine: I started with a nice reasonably low mileage AAN, which had come out of a 95 S6 Auto with IIRC 112k on the clock. I already stripped a lot of the AAN bits off it which were no use to me and its been gathering dust in the garage for the last 6 months.





The build will be in two stages. Firstly a complete bottom end rebuild and then run with K24 7000 for the time being.
Stage two will come later, when i can afford it:
reworked head and larger turbo TBC with all supporting mods to get well into the 400s. The most important thing for me is reliability, so I wanted first to build a solid bottom and and address all the annoying small items which seem to be regularly failing on people these days - in short, everything!

So the basic spec then:

Internals:
AAN block & crank - deburred, deflashed
82mm Wossner pistons
Aron rods
ARP head studs
OEM main bolts
3B flywheel
complete bottom end balance
Southbend Stage 4 organic clutch
Glyco or KS bearings, TBC
Accusump

Externally:

ABY ECU & engine harness
Roose Boost hoses
Roose coolant hoses
New OEM N75
New Bosch hall sender
New Bosch lambda
New Bosch TPS
New Meyle MFTS
New Bosch knock sensors
New 95°/105° afterrun pump switch
New Bosch afterrun pump
LS2 coils & DIY custom harness
DIY Custom 3" turbo back system

[Acidburn]

Yeah milage on that engine was - milage 111853