The 4.2 B4 sedan is running and driving!

[ubernugen.com]

Howdy from Amerik'er folks! I am pleased to announce, at long last, that the ABZ-powered B4 quattro has been unleashed upon the unwashed masses of the Great Northwest.

There is still some tuning to be done as well as completing the exhaust, but at least it left the barn under it's own (*ahem*... sufficient) power.

The noise is earth-shattering and quite enough to warm the hackles of the dankest Scottish Lighthouse keeper. My neighbors are not quite so enamoured and demanded en masse that I proceed straightaway to an exhaust shop, but I've bigger and better plans... namely to ignore them.

At any rate, here is the list of modifications so far:
Custom engine block brackets - to retain the unibody cradle mounts
Aluminum PT 3.6 flywheel and machined pilot bearing adaptor to retain 01A transmission.
AFCO aluminum radiator
Carbon fiber hood
RS2 headlights (duh)
Polyurethane control arm bushings
Ceramic sprung clutch disc and uprated 200tq pressure plate
Stainless brake lines
Battery in boot
A/C erradicated
Fiberglass RS2 bumper (saved 40lb over US junk)
VEMS engine management computer

Planned mods include installing my Brembo 996 calipers, 28.6mm front and 20mm rear sway bars, fabricating a carbon fiber intake manifold and timing covers (saves 50lb), constructing coil-overs and some sort of 4-point harness with matching seats.

More to the point: Yes, it fits.

Ben

http://www.ubernugen.com

[rs2coupe]

Badass Ben... where/when is the unvail??

[ubernugen.com]

...Soon as I can get the exhaust patched together and then it will be embarassingly without paint (black primer) but I guess I can stomach that. Will have to have a meet with the Seattle crew, but I'll be out of town for Turkey Feast. Prolly December.

[Jas11n]

[MidnightBlueS2]

Keep us posted, dude !!! And pics would great if you have any...

Take care,

David

[elijahallens2]

Congrats Ben, can't wait to see it. Post up some pics and maybe some vids when you get her sorted out.

Elijah

[newsh]

Coll, keep us posted on how she flys

Some pics here chaps

[S2central.net]

That conversion has a certain attraction alright... The sleeper style of the B4 shell running quattro transmission coupled to the wonderful sound of a multivalve V8 is very appealing. Think of all that torque and burbly noises below 2000 rpm.

Nice !

Paul

[BRY]

"some random hardware" I like that
Want more pictures / figures.
Looks a very tidy install.
What does the V8 weigh in comparison to the IL5?

[elijahallens2]

"some random hardware" I like that
Want more pictures / figures.
Looks a very tidy install.
What does the V8 weigh in comparison to the IL5?

The V8 is actually lighter than the I5.

[ubernugen.com]

"some random hardware" I like that
Want more pictures / figures.
Looks a very tidy install.
What does the V8 weigh in comparison to the IL5?

Well, the Audi-quoted weight of the V8 is 425 lb with all fluids and accessories. A 20v turbo with intercooler, etc. weighs at least that.

I have not weighed the old iron 12v V6 that came out, but I suspect that it's heavier or equal to the V8. The car is at at least .5" higher in the front now even with the original bumper on it (don't want to mess up the nicely prepped RS2 fibergalss)

All told, I think I have 150lb removed from the nose and at least 75lb added to the rear. The goal with this car was to get it below 3000lb and as close to 50/50 weight distribution as possible. With the fiberglass bumper and other mods, I should take another 100lb off the front. The bigger 17" AVUS spare wheel also helps in that regard. Going to make a lot of M3 drivers feel fairly inadequate.

Just have to get an exhuast sorted out and I can drive it to the scales for some real numbers. As far as the other numbers go, the intake, exhaust, flywheel and VEMS with wideband ought to raise the 'quoted' 300hp figure to almost 350 on a good day. The stock injectors won't support any more than that.

Once I get the paint, brakes and suspension worked out, the heads will come off for porting/polishing and cams (!) and a small compression bump - the VEMS has active knock control. There are some fuel system mods I can make to increase efficiency (higher degree of vaporization) for an honest 400hp I think. Would like make some individual throttle bodies to go with the carbon fiber intake manifold, but this might prove to be an engineering nightmare

Regards,
Ben

[ubernugen.com]

Here is a thread with some pics of the custom bits plus the Afco aluminum radiator and hose setup I used. It's pretty much A8 upper and lower hoses, with a 2 90 deg bends I chopped from a $10 generic hose and two nylon couplers from the plumbing store. Even without a fan (albeit with ambient temps around 45F) the engine temp doesn't get above 91c. Never given it more than 25% throttle, though - and it broke sideways in 3rd gear in the wet.

Err, next stop: PAINT SHOP!

http://www.motorgeek.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8260

[Greg_S]

looking good, how long has the project taken so far?

[ubernugen.com]

swap timeframe

looking good, how long has the project taken so far?

Um, I think it was 18 months to the day between when it was parked and when it fired up the first time. A lot of time was wasted waiting for the custom parts to be developed., however. I didn't really have the time, space or money to do it right and quickly. That would have cost $20k or something.

Now that the development is done, I'm pretty sure it could be done with less effort than a 20vt swap in a B4 car and similar or lesser cost.

[panzerwagen]

Very sweet Ben! Kudos to you!!!

You are of course will put together a step by step how it was done, correct? You say it would be cheaper to do than a 20Vt installation? I would think the wiring would be a sheer nightmare Ben? Is the mounts you fabbed for the engine mounts on motorgeek?