# Seat Leon 1.8T Cupra Mk1 4wd Conversion & BW 8374 EFR Build Thread



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Hello :wave: i know its not a VW but it's part of the VAG group so i thought they would be some interest here to see what i've been working on.

The project has taken some twists and turns along the way, i originally planned a EFR7670 but as supply was a problem i ended up with a 8374. If i knew i was going with such a large turbo i would have built the engine as a 2008cc with single groove valves etc so it was a bit happier to rev...... but this is all hindsight and when i built the engine the turbo wasn't even thought about.

Anyway back on topic, here is my thread i wrote for another forum.... all joined together for this one but hopefully it'll all make sense ------


I am currently rebuilding a 2001 Seat Leon Cupra 1.8T (AUQ)
I bought the car from a mate at work, he had the car 8 years and knew the previous owner.. the only problem with it was it was smoking like mad and missing....
The owner suspected the turbo but after a bit of fault finding it was clear the engine was knackered, there was absolutely no compression on one cylinder.

Here's some pics of the car when i got it - 




























The car was totally standard apart from lowering springs...but that didn't last for long !!!

The plan is to build a 500bhp-600bhp> 4wd car for weekend fun / track use, i have a company car so don't need a daily driver.

Current Engine Spec & New Parts fitted to engine - 

*Engine -*

*Block -*

APX Engine Block Bored to 83mm (4 thou piston - wall clearance) 
ALH 1.9 TDI 95.5mm Forged Crank (part number 038105021E) - Lightened & Race Balanced by Quasar Engineer
ABA Crank Sensor Trigger Wheel (Fits TDI Crank) bolt's TIG welded.
Intergrated Engineering 06a Girdle kit
Intergrated Engineering Bring Your Own Crank Stroker Kit -
83mm JE Forged Pistons 8.5-1 Compression
20mm JE Tool Steel Wrist Pins, 
144mm IE Forged Connecting Rods
Modified IE Crankshaft Pulley with Pinning kit
Calico Coated Main Bearing Set 
Calico Coated Rod Bearing Set 
New OEM Thrust Bearing Set 
ARP Main Bearing Stud Kit 
ARP Head Stud Kit 
ARP Crank Damper Bolt
ARP Flywheel Bolts
ARP Camshaft Pulley Bolt
IE Ekagrip Friction Disc for Flywheel / Crank,
Gates High Performance Kevlar Cambelt, 
Pagparts TFSI style timing belt tensioner kit,
IE Billet Crankcase Breather Adaptor
IE Billet Camcover Breather Adaptor
IE Catch Can 
IE 83.5mm Overbore Full Gasket Set 
New OEM Front Crank Shaft Seal 
New OEM Rear Crank Shaft Seal 
New OEM Water Pump with Metal Impeller 
New OEM Timing Camshaft Chain
New OEM Oil Pump with Bolt TIG welded 
New OEM Oil Pump Chain 
New OEM Oil Pump Chain Tensioner
New OEM Windage Tray 
New OEM Oil Filter Housing Bracket 
Redline Assembly Lube  
INA Shallow & Baffled Sump
Fluidamper Crank Pulley

*Cylinder Head -*

AGU Large Port Cylinder Head - New Valve Guides Fitted, Exhaust Ports DIY Ported & Polished & Head Face Skimmed by Quasar Engineering 
Super Tech Black Nitirided Intake Valve Set (3 Groove) 
Super Tech Inconel Valve Set (3 Groove) 
Super Tech Valve Guides 
Super Tech Valve Performance Springs
Super Tech Titanium Spring Retainers 
Super Tech Valve Stem Seal Intake x 12 
Super Tech Valve Stem Seal Exhaust x 8 
Integrated Engineering IECVA1 Street / Strip Camshafts 
Integrated Engineering Cam Pulley
ARP Cam bolt 
EKA Grip for Cam Pulley 
New OEM Valve Retainers collets 
New Hydraulic Lifters 
SEM Large Port Inlet Manifold with 80mm Throttle opening 

*Turbo*

Borg Warner EFR8374 Twin Scroll Internal Wastegate 0.92 A/R T4 Divided Flange, V-Band Outlet, Dual Ceramic Ball Bearings, 

*Home Made Tubular Manifold*

12mm 304 Stainless Steel Head Flange 
12mm 304 Stainless Steel T4 Divided Flange
Runners & Collector from Stainless Steel 316 & 304 1.25" Schedule 10 Steam Weld Fittings

*Fueling / Tuning / Software*

Standard AUQ Wideband ECU.
Eurodyne Maestro 7 Tuning Suite 
1000cc Injector Dynamics ID, High Impedance Injectors
All SAI & N249 & Evap Removed.

*Chassis*

2001 Seat Leon Cupra 180
Shell stripped and converted to 4wd using body parts from a 2001 Audi S3
Audi S3 Petrol Tank - To clear the diff assembly
OMP AB/105P/226 - 10 Point Rollcage (Modified to only use back half)
Black Forrest Industries BFI MkIV Stage 2 Poly Engine / Gearbox Mounts
FK Silverline Coilovers for Audi S3
Powerflex Black Series bushes
Seat Sport Alloy Wheels 17" x 9" 
Sparco Evo III Bucket Seats

*Drivetrain -*

Audi TT Quattro Rear Axle Complete - Haldex Diff, Driveshafts, Trailing Arms, ARB.
Audi TT Quattro Front Axle Complete - Steering Rack, Driveshafts, Wishbones, Hubs, ARB. 
Audi TT Quattro Propshaft - Bearing holders need welding to Tunnel of Cupra Shell
Audi TT Quattro Gearbox - 6 Speed 4x4 box with Transfer box.
USP Billet Shift Forks
ClutchMasters FX400 6 Puck Sprung Hub Clutch Kit & Flywheel.

*Bodywork -*

GRP Supercopa front wings.
GRP X-Sport Bonnet.
OEM LCR front bumper, modified with parts to blend the extra width of the wings.
OEM LCR Rear Bumper.
OEM Brand New LCR side skirts, with new jacking covers and fixings.
OEM Brand New front grills.
Seat Sport Supercopa Rear Spoiler
Full respray planned in Lechler Porsche GT3RS Pure Orange
New window seals.

Here's some pics of the goodies - 


























Right then onwards with the build thread -

*Bottom End Engine Build -*

I removed the original AUQ engine to find the problem with low compression, the conrod had snapped in half causing all sorts of mayhem -








The block was wrecked by the rod hitting a part of the castings webbing and snapping some of the webbing off and cracking the wall.

Blockwise....Long story short - bought a AGU block offof ebay turned no good as the bearing caps were stretched, broke original main cap trying to straighten it. Bought some Billet Main caps from 034 Motorsport and they were impossible to machine so ditched that block and bought a APX one from VeeDubs.

So i decided to fit an Integrated Engineering 2067cc Stroker Kit as i needed new pistons / rods / crank anyway. 
I sourced a TDI crank offof ebay and had in lightened and Race balanced by Quasar Engineering (Stockport)
Pic of crank before work -








After Lightening & Balancing -









I had the APX block bored out to suit the 83mm JE pistons (4thou piston to cylinder wall clearance) i also painted it using some Halfrauds engine paint -









Took about 2 hours to clean all the swarf out after boring / honing and cleaning all the paint off the mating faces.

Shiney Inner Block -










I also installed the ARP Main Bearing studs and loctited them in -










Installed the Calico main bearings and piston oil squiters -










I used the squirters that came with the APX block as they were slightly different to the AGU ones i was planning on using, the screws are also different, i cleaned them all and blew them through and checked the check valve.
Spot the differences -









The APX ones on the left and 1 AGU one on the right. 

Was planning on getting the crank in but the missus invited her mother round for sunday dinner so i was dragged out the garage kicking and screaming....

But not before i managed to drill and pin my TDI crank for the Integrated Engineering Crank Pulley.









Quick tip for anybody using the IE pinned pulley - i didn't fancy just holding the pulley and drilling (not accurate enough for me) so i marked on the side of the pulley with a marker pen where the pilot hole was -










I then nipped up an old crank pulley bolt, i then marked the bolt where it was inline with the mark on the pulley and cut a lump off the head of the bolt to give access to drill the pilot with the bolt tightend up -










Next up was to install the ABA trigger wheel on the crank (bolts right upto the TDI crank, just have to remove the pin)
I used new screws with some strong loctite on them to stop any issues with the screws coming out.

After that put the crank in and tightened up on the ARP Main Bolts - torqued the studs to 60lbs/ft as per the instructions










Used plenty of the Redline Assembly Lube on all the shells to hopefully help with the intial start-up to stop any picking up / gauling on the bearings.

I then cleaned up all the IE rods prior to fitting, here's a piccy showing the marks where they have been ground when Quasar Engineering balanced them end for end. -










I set all the piston rings gaps, top rings were gapped to 16thou or 0.40mm in new money, 2nd rings were set to 18thou and the lower oil rings were set about 18-20thou.
I bought a set of fine needle files to set the ring end gaps but the top rings are as hard as a whoares heart so i mounted my dremmel in the vice with a cutting disc in and lightly ground the end of the ring on the flat part of the wheel. Word of warning it takes the metal off really quickly so go easy if doing the same.










So feeling rather pleased with myself i decided to put a piston in before i called it a night - 










Turned the crank and it stopped before reaching BDC - the piston is hitting the oil squirter 










I had a search on the internet and found plenty of people who had the same oil jet clearance problem with the 2067cc conversion, so i found a couple of pictures of pistons that had been modified to clear the oil jets, that gave me inspiration to get mine sorted.

I decided to do them myself so i worked out where i needed the clearance and ground them using a dremmel and a small grinding bit. 

Here's a pic of one i modified next to a standard JE piston -










I then decided to go and buy some new accurate scales to balance the pistons - walked into tesco's and started asking the staff about really accurate scales for within half a gram (i was dressed scruffy in dirty clothes from working in the garage) and im pretty sure they thought i wanted it for drug dealing !!!!! 

Anyhow i got some pretty good ones they are accurate to 1 gram.
I don't think i did a bad job of grinding on the pistons as they were all within 1 gram of each other. A bit of extra grinding and they were all spot on, added little bits of paper to see how far they were away from the next gram and then made some further adjustments. Makes it a bit more accurate. 

Whilst i had the crank out i checked big end bearing clearances, all ok approx 2.5 thou.
The Main bearing clearances measured in at 2 thou.

Before reinstalling the crank i decided to put a chamfer on the lower edge of the cylinder bore, the reason being i noticed the other day when i installed the piston that the skirt of the piston comes out of the cylinder bore by about 6mm. I thought that maybe the sharp edge of the bore might wear / bite into the skirt of the piston.

Cleaned everything up and reinstalled crankshaft with the Redline lube.

Here's a shot of one of the pistons n rod.










Next up was to install the piston rings and use a piston ring compressor to get them into the block.

Here's a shot of them all in. I torqued the ARP conrod bolts up (50lbs/ft) and cracked them off 3 times each as per the instructions. 
Also installed the ARP Head studs, just screwed them down by hand until they bottomed out.


















Put the new OEM metal water pump in -










Unpacked the new Oil pump and found that the pickup tube isn't included :doh:
Still put the new windage tray in, oil pump, new oil pump chain & tensioner on.










Finally got the block all covered up, fitted the new thermostat and new housing, also fitted the water pipe with a fresh o-ring and bolted it to the block, new crank trigger sensor. Also fitted a new shiney Oil filter housing with a new gasket, and fitted a IE breather adaptor. 

After fitting the Oil pump suction pipe I decided to fit the crankshaft oil seal housings to the end, i used the proper VW silicone didn't use too much just incase it squeezed out into the oil system.










Trial fitted the sump first before i put the silicone on, and found it was fouling on the ARP main studs, so i had to file the sump to make clearance for the nuts, the marks can be seen in the photo (right on the lumpy bits) -










I bolted the sump up next with the silicone on - used a bead of about 1.5mm.

So now the bottom end is all sealed up and ready for the head to be dropped on.



















*Cylinder Head Build -*

I decided to use a AGU Large Port Head for the build due to the flow capabilities. I bought it off ebay complete but only needed the casting.

I also nearly wrecked the wifes dishwasher by putting in my cylinder head in. I took me longer to clean the dishwasher than it would have to clean the head !!!!!

Before - 










After - 










Finish Dishwasher tablets did a cracking job...

I started to port and polish the head - just to remove the rough-ass casting marks and smooth out the area behind the seats. I haven't finished yet but here's how its going -

Before - 










After -










Still got to do a bit more work and polish the exhaust ports, gonna leave the inlet side rough to aid atomisation.

After more Grinding / Polishing -










I fitted new valve guides as the original ones were quite worn.
I warmed the head up on a 6kw convection heater and dug the new valve guides out of the freezer (contracts them nicely so they fit easier into the head) and knocked them in using a 6mm facom punch with an old guide slid up the shaft and taped at the top.
I measured how much was sticking up into the stem seal side and set them slightly lower so theres no fouling of the valve collets / stem seal when i get my big lumpy cams from Integrated Engineering !

I also had the Face skimmed by Quasar Engineering (wasn't warped but i did give it a clout when i was knocking out the valve guides) -










So i built the head up using standard size SuperTech 3 Groove Inconel Exhaust Valves & standard size SuperTech Black Nitirided Valves.
I decided to use Supertech Valves Springs & Titanium Retainers so in the future when i upgrade the Camshafts i don't have to remove the cylinder heads. 
New 3 groove OEM collets were fitted.


















Shot of the Titanium Retainers -









So i bolted the head down onto the block before i installed the cams -


















I put the cambelt round the lower pulley and put the new lower cambelt cover on and then the lower auxillary pulley -










Next up i cleaned up the camshafts & cam followers (just cleaned out and rebuilt with clean oil) -









And installed them along with the original VVT tensioner -

















Rocker Cover on, not too sure if i'm keeping the red yet. I bought some VHT wrinkle paint in black & red so might redo it.


















I will type up the 4wd conversion tomorrow, thats enough reading for you guys for one night.
Thanks For Reading & PLEASE DON'T USE QUOTES on all the pictures !!!!
Graham.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*4wd Build....*

So back to the build - Part 2 :laugh:

Before i bought the Leon off my friend i really wanted a Evo5-6 as i always liked them but never owned one, i used to have a scooby and it was awesome fun, plenty of turbo power controllable drifts aahhh the good old days.

Anyway i bought the Cupra for next to nothing and then started to feel a bit dissappointed it was only fwd.
Never the less i did plenty of searching and found that mk4's had been converted to 4wd and as the Leon shared the same chassis / floorplan in theory it was possible.
After i realised it was possible I did loads of research using VAGCAT and looking for mk4 projects, I made a list of bits i needed and set about collecting parts for the conversion.

Rear Diff Assembly offof a mk1 Audi TT-









Audi TT Quattro 02M 6 Speed Gearbox -









Half an Audi S3 -









Chassis Differences -

The boot floor is higher on the 4wd for clearance for the diff etc, also the spare wheel well is in a different place.
The chassis frame rails (the boxy type section that runs beneath the car for rigidity) are different in respect to the height and angle, where the rear beam / trailing arms mount, and the coil spring mounts are diferent.
The cross members are different as one is used to hang the diff assembly from.
The floor plate beneath the rear seats / above petrol tank is different.
The actual petrol tank has a cut out for the propshaft on the 4wd version.
The tunnel has mountings for the propshaft supporting bearing (near the hand brake assembly) i got these off the s3 shell.
The innner wheel arches are different cos the 2wd shocks mount through the top of the inner wheel arch and the 4wd uses brackets from the wheel arch.
The rear seat mountings are different - im planning on a cage so never really looked into this but the S3 rear seat mountings are totally different. The originals could be removed from the 2wd inner arches and welded to the 4wd arches but not too bothered.
Everything else is just normal stuff, obtain a 4wd gearbox, complete back axle, propshaft etc.

Next up was to strip the Cupra down in preperation for the butchering -

























After much measuring i trimmed off all the crap of the s3 shell in preperation for the transplant -

















So i then started to cut out the parts of the chassis / floor that i didn't need, i started with a hole above where the fuel tank would be (this helped me gain access to the chassis rails)


























After that i ran the cutting torch round the edge of the floor and removed the big lump -

































After getting the big lumps out of the cupra shell, i set about removing all the remaining parts of the panels, i used a spot weld drill bit and slowly picked away the parts to leave as much meat as possible on the cupra shell.
All cleaned up -









So i then lifted in the s3 part with the aid of the missus & 2 ratchet straps, not quite there but getting there -


























After a bit more cutting, wiggling and grunting the back end was perfectly aligned -

























Next up i checked and double checked dimensions and alignment then welded up the chassis rails. You can see the square that i cut in the frame rail, this was to gain access to the chassis rails that run behind. I welded the chassis rails the rewelded the frame rails -









With a bit of a rotary wire brushing followed by etching primer and then seam sealer -

















I then fully seam welded the inner wheel arches and welded in the spot welds on the inside of the car -

















So stay tuned for diff fitting & Roll Cage installation....:wave:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Part 3 Diff & Roll Cage Installation*

Right then thought i would do Update 3 - Chassis & Rollcage Installation...

So after falling a bit behind due to the weather i decided i needed to get the car in the garage for the winter so i could continue with the project.
So i needed to clear the garage asap so i gave my dad our lasses VFR400 and i stuck my Gixxer in the shed.... after chucking everything out / storing stuff up in the rafters of the garage i finally had room for the car.

So i needed to get the car offof the axle stands and rolling back on all 4's so i split the rear diff assembly into 3 and lifted the bits onto the shell -


























Next up bolted on the trailing arms / hubs -









Back on its feet -

















Couple of shots of underneath -

















Now the car was rolling i was no longer at the mercy of the British weather....









*Rollcage Installation - *

I always planned to run a cage in the car, love the look of them and should nicely stiffen things up :blush:

The cage is a OMP 10 point bolt in Cage, bought it of ebay for £300, quite a bargain.... although it didn't fit very well.









Seems a bit wierd that a bolt in cage requires loadsa plates welding into the shell to hold / distibute the load but anyhow -








I had to cut the back legs as the angle was totally wrong, mayhave been due to the different height of the boot floor of the s3 shell. It wasn't easy but i got it sitting nice in the end.

Shot of the mounts with some primer / sealer on -

























Back Half of Cage in -

















I decided to use some of the PU Style seam sealer as it hides the welds better and stays flexible like silicone -









Then gave it all a lick with matt black paint -

























Gonna get the inside painted when i have the respray done, the matt black is just to protect it whilst im climbing around in the car, it doesn't have to be mint as im gonna run carpets.

After trial fitting the front part of the cage i was a bit unhappy with how the cage came down in front the dash, it was also right in my field of vision so i havn't bothered with the front half.....
I may still make a Front cage that follows the pillars down to behind the dash but i'm still undecided.

I've been finishing off the back panel -

Trimmed the back off -









I used the original s3 back panel and trimmed and beat it into shape, photo with it held in with some screws -









So i welded it in and then trimmed it round so there wasn't loads of metal hanging down, the only bits left now are functional, looks a bit messy but it'll look ok with a lick of paint on...

























So thats about it on the fabrication side of things for now, i've still got to mark up the propshaft bearing mounts and weld it into the tunnel but i can't do that until my clutchmasters fx400 kit comes and i can get the Engine / gearbox in.....

Managed to finish the welding on the shell, i finished the back panel - all bent, cut and welded, i also trimmed around the boot floor so the back panel doesn't hang in the wind, looks a bit tidier and it'll be easier when i come to design a exhaust system for it.

Gave it a lick of etching primer then put some PU seam sealer over the top -


















Still got to put some seam sealer on the inside the paint it all -










Really happy i've pretty much finished fabrication on the shell, the only fabrication work i've got left is to weld in the propshaft bearing supports in the tunnel (cant until i get engine / gearbox in) and i also need to finish of the two rollcage cross bars.

Small Update-

I didn't get home from work this week till Saturday morning so i was a bit knackered, never did a great deal on the car this weekend 

So i managed to get the rear panel all painted up inside & out - 


















Then primed & sealed the passenger side inner wheel arch -










So thats pretty much all the body fabrication done, i'm thinking i still might build a front part for the cage but i'll make my mind up later.

Stay tuned for more updates......


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## One-Eight GTI (Jan 5, 2010)

Wow, Damn impressive build:thumbup: Looking forward to seeing moreopcorn:


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## mescaline (Jul 15, 2005)

That doesn't look like Cupra tho'. We have different stuff over here I think. We got Leon Cupra 1.8T with 225hp (BAM engine)...then we have Leon 180Hp and Leon TopSport 1.8T 180 4WD (haldex).


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## Gu4rDi4N (Mar 11, 2005)

Amazing!!!!

I love haldex swap but its to complicated and expensive if not make yourself hehe

Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Part 4 Pics of Parts & Engine Back In.*



One-Eight GTI said:


> Wow, Damn impressive build:thumbup: Looking forward to seeing moreopcorn:


Cheers more updates coming....



mescaline said:


> That doesn't look like Cupra tho'. We have different stuff over here I think. We got Leon Cupra 1.8T with 225hp (BAM engine)...then we have Leon 180Hp and Leon TopSport 1.8T 180 4WD (haldex).


It's a cupra over here in the UK, Mine was a Cupra Sport it was the option of the Cupra with Leather interior and electric option pack.... it's a 1.8T 180bhp (k03s)... couple of years later came a Cupra FR - this was a facelift version with smooth bumpers / side skirts, version still 180bhp then came the daddy Cupra R which was BAM engined 225bhp with different bumpers / revised wishbones with better hubs & ARB's...

We never got any 4wd models... only in Europe in Left Hand Drive.



Gu4rDi4N said:


> Amazing!!!!
> 
> I love haldex swap but its to complicated and expensive if not make yourself hehe
> 
> Enviado desde mi GT-I9100 usando Tapatalk


Yeh your right, there's no way i could afford to have a company do a haldex swap..... there are a couple of companies in the UK that do it but it costs more than most mk4's are worth :banghead:

Cheers for the comments guys.....


I know everyone likes looking at pics of shiney bits  so here's the clutch i installed, i got them from Clay @ CTS Turbo.

Here are some shots of my ClutchMasters FX400 6 Puck Sprung Hub clutch & Flywheel, also came with a new slave cylinder but i never took a piccy of it -









Steel Flywheel -








Clutch -









Also my Black Forrest Industries Engine Mounts came in the same box -


















Also got Some FK Silverlines - Big thanks to Damian @ DPM Performance, i must say really impressed with the quality - they look awesome and cos there stainless steel they will do for good while.


















They come with bump stops already fitted, nice red anodised top spring retainers, new ARB drop links, protection spray....

















They are for Audi S3 Fitment as i have the 4wd rear end and i am upgrading the front to Audi TT / S3 / LCR Style.

Managed to find a pair of Audi TT Quattro driveshafts on ebay down in Leeds, so messaged the guy and asked him how much for them and the hubs - he said you can have the whole front end for £130 so i bit his hand off and drove down today with the wife to get it.

So got the Subframe, Wishbones, Steering rack, ARB inc drop links, Hubs, Driveshafts, Shockers & Springs off a 32k mile car - 

The TT came with a quicker steering rack than the standard Cupra 180, so that will be a bonus.

piccys...


























I already had a set of LCR cast wishbones i bought offof ebay for £20 - they come up and i snapped them up sharpish, but unfortunately i don't need them now.

Anyhow got home and pulled the wd40 out and the windy gun to seperate the legs etc to get them in the garage.... all the bolts came undone ok but the track rod ends on the steering rack were a complete PITA even with the windy gun. As soon as the nut loosened the ball was then rotating in the rod end... ended up cutting the nut of with a grinder so gotta get some new ones for the rebuild, not the end of the world. 

The corrosion on the hubs is really bad so i'm gonna strip the hubs and get the front hubs / wishbones shot blasted and power coated i think in silver or black depends on the prices really. 
I will get the back trailing arms / tie arms / driveshafts done but not until i've got the car back from paint.










So thats Audi TT Rear axle & Front axle & propshaft, i'm thinking there's gonna be more TT bits on this car then Leon bits.

So i started by cleaning all the years off crud n oil from the engine bay and removed the bonnet to make it a bit easier putting the engine -










I then installed the drivers side BFI Engine Mount. 
Had a little bit of bother with the driver side engine mount, the base plate is only about 10mm thick - the original is approx 30-40mm thick so the plain section of the bolts were too long, i found some M10 Capheads to use temporary. I'll get some proper bolts from work next week.










The Gearbox mount had to be stripped as it uses PU inserts to replace the OEM stuff. 
I drilled out the aluminium rivets and stripped it down. I cleaned all the corrosion off the aluminium parts the reassembled it with the new BFI parts -










I then removed the coolant pipes from the heater matrix connections.
Whilst working in the bay i realised the drivers side driveshaft was gonna get in the way of the transfer box....so not having a socket to remove the nut from the driveshaft end i decided to just get the plasma out and cut it off!!!!

Next up i got the engine hoist out and lifted the engine out of it stand -










After cleaning up the engine to gearbox joining plate and installing it on the engine I then installed the Clutchmasters FX400 Clutch & Flywheel kit, the kit uses a steel flywheel and a 2mm thick steel ring to distribute the load from the claping bolts. 
I used new OEM bolts and torqued them down to 40nm, tightened them one then its opposite. I then tightened them a further 180 degrees. 
Just a little hint for people i used a marker pen and marked the bolt and flywheel, then turned them about 1/8 of a turn working my way around all the bolts until they were all done 180 degrees. 

Had to modify the clutch alignment tool as it didn't fit the middle of the crank that well.

I then bolted the pressure plate down again working my way around rather than just tightening one bolt at a time. These were torqued down to 20nm and i used Omnifit (loctite) on the threads. 










Fitted the new clutch slave cylinder into the Quattro gearbox, torqued the colts to 25nm.

After much wiggling and jiggling i managed to get the gearbox joined to the engine 
I used brand new OEM bolts and nipped them up, i will torque them all up properly once the engines in, didn't fancy pulling on the bolts when the engine was in the air.


















Next up i lifted the engine in, i again drafted the big guns in (the missus) to operate the crane whilst i did the manouvering around. 
Went in a piece of p*ss, although i ran into a futher problem with the driverside engine mount, after starting to tighten the bolts up they started to get tight 10mm before the engine was pulled fully up to the mount. 
I looked into it and the new BFI engine mounting piece is thinner that the old so the bolts were starting to bottom out before they fully tightened up, i measued to total height and the mount is the same height as OEM its just made up of different thickness plate, so i was happy with that so hacksawed 13mm off the bolts then dressed the threads up.


























So after nearly a year the heart is back in, can't wait to get it pumping again.... i'm over the moon with todays progress really happy.


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## ModsTTand (Jul 8, 2009)

all the best of luck with ur project and thank you for documenting such outstanding work.

U.B


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## Andaloons (Apr 16, 2004)

Nice build! Love it! :thumbup:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Turbo Time !!!!*

Here is the specs for the turbo i went with......

Borg Warner EFR 8374 is engineered to support big power levels yet spool fast enough for professional time attack teams. The 74mm Gamma-Ti turbine wheel is the optimal match for the 62.6mm inducer / 83mm exducer FMW compressor wheel and is capable of 79lb/min airflow and 45+psi boost. This is one of the most exciting turbos in the EFR lineup for the high-power addicts. This turbo has the largest EFR compressor housing and is ideal for use in single turbo applications for the 500-800hp range or as twin turbo applications >1400+hp. Ceramic Ball Bearing only, watercooling optional (recommended)

*Compressor Specifications*
■Compressor Type: Forged-Milled Wheel (FMW) Extended Tip
■Compressor Wheel OD (exducer): 83mm
■Compressor Wheel Inducer: 62.6mm
■Max Flow Rate: 79 lb/min
■Built-in BOV: All EFR compressor housings incorporate an integrated BOV.
■Compressor Housing Connections: 
■Inlet: 4" Ported Shroud Hose Coupler
■Outlet: 2.5" Hose Coupler w/ integrated Vband option

*Turbine Specifications*
■Turbine Type: Low Inertia Gamma-Ti Turbine Wheel
■Turbine Wheel OD: 74mm
■Stainless Steel Investment cast Housing - The EFR 8374 turbine housing configuration: 
■0.92 A/R T4 twinscroll (Internal WG)
■Turbine outlet: GT-Vband (aka small 3" vband) ~92mm OD for all EFR turbos

*Features*
■Dual Row Ceramic Ball Bearings - lowest friction and fastest spool/response, most extreme durability, built-in oil control orifice - (aka oil restrictor) **no restrictor can be used with EFR turbos
■Watercooled Center Section - watercooling is recommended, 14mm banjo bolts
■Double seals on both turbine and compressor end for extreme durability and resistance to any oil seepage
■Boost Control Solenoid Valve Integrated to Compressor Housing
■Integrated Speed Sensor mounting provisions

So i've got some serious work and research to do, there is a dyno graph of the Sierra Sierra Evo 2.2L time attack car (fitted with a 8374 with larger twin scroll housing) and it looks like its coming on boost from 4000rpm full by 5000rpm. Hopefully on the smaller a/r turbine housing it will spin up a bit sooner.

Dyno of Sierra Evo 2.2 -











Anyway today is the day i have been looking forward too for months......Turbo Day.

Well its come, i must say wow - i knew it was gonna be big but :drool:

Thought i better put something beside it so you can judge the size.....first thing to hand a can of Carlsberg Export....if carlsberg made turbo's...


















Top Shots -


















MMMMmmm nice machining -










Shot up its arse -










And no turbo photo session would be complete without a spot of fisting !!!!!!!!!!!










Can't believe how heavy it is, think its gonna take some serious bracing / bracketry..

Unfortunately they didn't send me the fitting kit and clamp / vband flange, so gonna email them later.... i'm far to excited at the moment tho 











So i thought i would try and fit the turbo behind the engine between the bulkhead, and if i want to put it there it will take alot of work rerouting brake / ac pipes etc and it would need the bulkhead cutting and recessing.


I loosened the compressor cover off to clock the housing round and i thought i've gotta see that wheel in all its glory.....tissues please 


















My mate Jim came round and brought my old turbo with him, so we took so comparison shots -











After looking on the internet to see if i could buy a metal cutting disk for my mitre saw i found that the proper ones were quite cheap so i bought myself this -










Didn't fancy hacksawing / using a angle grinder to cut the Schedule 10 Stainless pipe, plus it will be easier to weld up if the joints are more precise.

Also got another 3 lengths of 1.5" SCH 10 stainless pipe as the new design is gonna need more material.
I was undecided whether or not to step up the size of the runners where they join to 2" so i bought 4 2" bends and a couple of 1.5" to 2" reducer. 
After seeing the pipe i don't think i will step the size up, just bring all 4 pipes to the collector on the flange, its gonna be a bit more complex but i've got plenty of room to work with and plenty of materials.

Apparantly i dropped a bollock....

I did quite a bit of research before i bought the parts for the manifold, everybody i found making mani's were using 1.5" either schedule 10 or the thicker 40, so i made the decision to go with the schedule 10 1.5" 316 stainless weld butt fittings.

I just happened to be searching for pics of manifolds on the internet last night and had a look on the Full Race website (manifold / welding p0rn !!!) 
They make several different manifolds for Evo's, they make a "response" manifold for those wanting quick spooling with instant power, this is basically by changing the header size from 1.5" down to 1.25" 37mm ID apparently well suited for those looking for power between 500-800whp 
They also make a big runner version for drag race customers with heavily ported heads, cams and +35psi......

I did think my 1.5" pipe ID was quite a bit bigger than the exhaust outlet from the head.
So i did a bit more reasearch and i found a size on VWVortex, it said the Exhaust outlet from the head is 34.8mm. 
So the ID of the Schedule 10 1.5" i have is 42.7mm, for those that can't do maths thats 7.9mm bigger than the port, thats a lot of volume to fill.....hhhmmm stupidly big turbo, really long manifold (24" long runners) and big pipes = slllllooooowww spool up.

The 1.25" sch10 pipe ID is 36.6mm this is a better size for the manifold and will dramatically reduce the volume of the headers and spool the turbo up faster, especially when my manifold is a long design. The smaller diameter will reduce the expansion of the hot gasses keeping them hotter and flowing faster.

I understand the standard manifold is bigger than the port, i.e stepped - most people say that step is to try and reduce the back flow of gases flowing back into the cylinder due to cam overlaps etc.
I would imagine that the step is of greater importance with a standard log style manifold that has very poor exhaust gas scavenging and is single scroll.

With the twin scroll design the exhaust gas scavenging will be much better, this means the exhaust gas is drawn or sucked out of the cylinder. 
This is due to the 2 paired cylinders, as one energy pulse passes the merge point of the paired cylinder it creates a negative pressure behind it, that negative pressure pulls the gasses from the other cylinder.
This also leads to lower cylinder temps so det can be reduced.

After i did some more research i found a couple of guys on various sites who seemed to know there stuff, most said the difference in runner size can make a difference by 3-400rpm.

So after getting a turbo bigger than originally planned (laggier) i think i should go the extra mile and remake the manifold in 1.25" to try and spool it as fast as possible.
Plus if Full Race say there Evo Response manifolds are ok for upto 800 Wheel HP then it's gonna flow more than enough for me.
I'm gonna order a load of 1.25 Schedule 10 fittings and pipe so when i get back from Ireland i can start remaking the collector and manifold.

So i spent the best part of 4-5 days working on the manifold thats wasted but hey it was good practice..

Oh well you live and learn.

So long story short(ish) i scrapped the 1.5" idea and rebuilt the manifold in 1.25" -

Manifold build -

So i modified the adjustable angle guide on the chop saw so i could get a nice narrow angle on there, i drilled some extra holes in the angle to get the angle i wanted-









Once happy with the angle i used a G-Clamp on the pipe to keep it secure to the angle -









So i positioned the pipe in line with the front of the angle (so i could repeat the dimension for the other 3 pipes) 
I also set the position of the angle in relation to the cutting wheel so the starting point of the cut was roughly in the middle of the pipe. 

Piccy of it cut - 









So here's a pic of it dressed up, you get a hell of a burr of the chop saw, takes quite a bit of filing up to get shot of it -









So cut the other 3 bits and dressed them up. Then nipped two of them in the vice and tack welded them together -









So next up is working out the place to cut the end the new collector so the end size matches up with the hole size of the flange.
What i do is to measure the widest part of the hole in the flange then add on the dimensions of the wall thickness of the pipe (in this case approx 6mm + Flange dimension) -









So i then tighten the screw on the verniers and pull them down the smallest end of the newly tacked up collector and mark the length where the verniers just touch.
That is then cut in the chop saw (i cut it at a slight angle, so the two pairs angle slightly away from each other)

Pic of it inline with the verniers, after it's been cut to length -









Quick shot of it inside the collector -









So just positioned on the flange to check fitment -









Before i tacked them up on the flange i cut them to length, i chopped the pipes down in line with each other, straight across - rather than at 90 degrees to each pipe. I did it like that to keep the manifold build neat.

Here's a pic of them tacked to the flange -










Really happy with the new collector, it's really nice and neat. The 1.25" pipe is a perfect fit for the T4 Flange, and the angle is nice and narrow so flow will be good.










Shot of the inside of the flange -










Been busy today though....

So started remaking the manifold again... here's a quick shot of the differences in pipe sizes between the 1.5" and 1.25" -










So here's some pictures during the build today, the angles are not 100% as i just wanted to get it tacked up and check clearances and lengths etc.
The length of the runners is spot on within 1/2" of each other - really happy about that 


















So started with the middle cylinders -


























Before i went any further i fitted it to the engine, then bolted the turbo on to check for downpipe clearance -


























Then i did cylinder 3 -


















So hopefully tomorrow get the forth cylinder done and then start fine tuning it all and getting all the pipe ends nice and square.

So spend another couple of hours in the garage today.

Started by carefully removing the runners and finalising all the angles etc, here is 1 & 2 nicely squared up -










Next up I decided to angle the cylinder 3 runner towards cylinder 2 runner, this was to give more room for the cylinder 4 runner -










All done -

















Side View-









So after quite a bit of faffing around i made up the runner for cylinder 4 -










































I double checked all the lengths of all the runners and they are all within half an inch so i'm well chuffed with the deisgn this time.

So feeling quite chuffed i then decided to trial fit it again -










Looks like it's touching the rocker cover but its just the angle of the shot -










You can see there's clearance here -


















Put the turbo on next -


































I checked the EFR Housing V-Band Clamp connection for the downpipe clearance and there's plenty of room for a 3" pipe using a tight radius bend.

Shut the bonnet and checked for clearance, all good  -










So i'll be making a brace to take the weight of the turbo eventually... but im concentrating on getting the car ready for a respray so i will fully weld-up the manifold when the car's getting paint....

Just one more update to do on bodywork then your all upto speed on the project...

Thanks for reading / looking at the pictures !!!!!

Graham.


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## All_Euro (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow nice work :thumbup:

Great documentation too - bookmarked :beer:


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## codergfx (Jan 11, 2009)

I want a cupra! :beer:


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## BMP20th (Jul 23, 2006)

*FV-QR*

Props of the fab. Subscribed


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

All_Euro said:


> Wow nice work :thumbup:
> 
> Great documentation too - bookmarked :beer:


Thanks very much 



codergfx said:


> I want a cupra! :beer:


Get one you know it makes sense :thumbup:



BMP20th said:


> Props of the fab. Subscribed


Cheers :beer: 

Stay tuned i'm still not upto speed, trying to put the thread in order rather than how it actually went down....

So this update will show a bit of the bodywork and build up.

So i started of with a standard car which was in pretty good condition when i got it.

I always loved the look of the Supercopa race cars (for those not in the know - they were build for a race series in europe, they were built on the 4wd leon shells but only ran fwd)

Here is a supercopa race car -









The main differences are the wider front wings (fenders), a Leon Cupra R front bumper with widening spats on the sides to blend the bumper into the wider wings... a large front splitter (which i don't like) and a nice rear spoiler.

I managed to find some fibreglass replica front wings, so off came the originals -










Fitting was a pita but the finish isn't that bad. 
Next up i needed to source a LCR front bumper, i managed to find one cheap on ebay, it was cheap as the side was broken and there were a couple of cracks in it, i wasn't too bothered tho as the bumper needed cutting to fit the wing extensions.










Shot of the damage -










I also picked up a facelift FR rear bumper -










I ended up ditching the rear bumper in favour of a Cupra R (LCR) one -


















I prefer the shape of the LCR one....

I also got some new genuine sideskirts and a LCR rear spoiler -










I have searched for a supercopa rear spoiler for ages but to no avail.... i really think i need one, to complete the general look of the car....think i may need to use a univeral poiler and make some mounts to suit.

The general look im going for is OEM with a hint of supercopa....

The car requires a full respray as there are scratches all over it from the build (i wasn't carefull as i knew i'd be painting it)

So after finishing tacking up the manifold i decided to hold of on the rest of the fabrication and try and get the car ready for paint then whilst its away i could continue with the welding etc..

So i have stripped the shell down, removed all the seals / windows / interior parts / lights etc -










I had to rebuild the front end to check the front bumper / wing fitting and get the front bumper cut to shape etc so i built the front end up -

...........Started the reassembly by fitting the front panel to the car after removing the rubber bits that guided air to the OE side mount intercooler, also cleaned up and refitted / connected the bonnet latch assembly -










Some time ago i bought a radiator pack of a local forum lad, at the time i needed a new Aircon condensor so just bought the lot off him (Aircon has now been binned!!).
The new radiator assembly was off a facelift Cupra, the fans are slightly different (looked a better design) and the radiator is slighty thicker and seems to have finer fins.

Here's a shot of the radiators side by side (it's quite hard to see the differences in the photo) Newer type on the right -










So i decided to use the facelift rad and fans so i washed the radiator out using a garden hose and washed the radiator externally with the hose aswell. 

I then refitted the fans to the radiator and fitted them to the front panel -










So i just had to get the LCR bumper out of the shed to try it on 










After that i decide to get the new grills and badge assembly out and trial fit them -










Gonna look sweeeeet !!!!!!

Just to fill in an hour i decided to sort out the gear linkages as the connection type was different between the 4wd box and the original.
What a pain in the arse it was to get the levers off the gearbox, had to use a slide hammer with pullers. 
Then what i did was hacksawed the back off the ball type pins as they had been riverted in, then punched them out of the levers. I then drilled them out with a tapping drill for M10 for the horizontal lever and M8 for the vertical lever. 
After that i though ooohh i might drill some extra holes to make it a quick shifter....










I then cut some Cap headed bolts down, luckily i found some too long but had a perfect length plain part on the bolt. 
Installed the bolts and used nuts on the back to lock the screws so there was some free play between the bolt head and the linkage end.

All installed with some fresh grease on -










Well i'm definitely getting there now, even looks like a car again now 

So plans for the bodywork -

Weld-up hole in the roof (where a nasty hands free arial was [])
Remove Side rub strips and weld up / fill recesses,
Fit new LCR Side Skirts & check fitment,
Modify LCR front bumper and fit Supercopa wing extensions.
Align Rear LCR bumper and fit guides etc.
Remove Cupra rear spoiler and fit FR one.

I want it to look OEM so no outrageous stuff planned, just some fresh paint and nicely smoothed / debadged.

Feeling good about the project now... really moving, can't wait to get the car painted.

Anyways thanks for all the comments lads, so long.

.
.
.
So smallish update -

Spent a couple of hours messing about today.

I refitted the headlights and spent a while re-aligning the front cross members etc -










Had to lift everything up quite a bit as the gap between the headlights and the top of the cut outs in the wings.

I also dropped in the coolant header tank and the washer bottle tank in there just to get them off the floor. I also wanted them in to help out routing pipes etc. I've decided to order some new tanks as they look all yellowy and old.










So i trimmed the LCR bumper back and started fitting the Supercopa front wing spats, i temporary drilled a hole through them and fitted a captive style nut on the back panel.

Here's a couple of pics -


























So just gotta trim the other side up and then i can use some super sticky adhesive / sealant stuff on them and stick the spats on, gonna have a lot of smoothing / filling to do.

Also stripped and painted the auxilary bracket and also knackered my starter motor too.

So spent a couple of hours in the garage.... getting cold again, i'm at the stage where i'm working on the front of the car so it's sticking out the garage and i can't shut the door.... bbrrrrrrr.

So started by working on the LCR front bumper, the underneath of the bumper was all broken on one side so i trimmed back the other side to match. I'll probably make an aluminium engine cover / sump gaurd to run from the front edge of the bumper to behind the engine.
I then decided to start working on the dirty great big crack in the front bumper -

Shot of the back of the bumper -










Front shot, can't really see the crack tho -










So i got my soldering iron out and plastic welded it all back together, tried bending it all and its nice and strong......good as new !!!!

All Done -










After a bit of a going over with the sander -


























Just gonna have to fill up a couple of dimples and scratches, and it'll be smashing.
I have started stripping the paint off from around the cracked area as all the paint had hairline cracks running through it - obviously off the whack it had to crack it. The paint on the same place on the other side is all cracked so i'l do that aswell.

I drilled the front wings for the side fixings (i needed to assemble the front end properly then decide on position for hole drilling etc)

Cutt the bottom of the wing extensions as i have no intention of running with a massive splitter.
I then started cutting the passenger side of the bumper for the spats - Fitted some screws and captive clamping nuts to hold it all in position, i will fill the holes and smooth it all over once i've got the extensions glued to the bumper.


















(i've got to make some brackets to tie the ends of the front bumper to the wings still) 



















So between messing around with boring bodywork i got some Forge Silicone coolant hoses -










There suppose to be seconds due to a bad print on the logo, but they look great to me. 

Quickly slipped a couple of pipes onto the engine -


















So i've painted the Power steering / alternator bracket up in satin black and mounted the power steering pump onit -










Mounted on the car -










I had to remove the turbo to get the power steering pipe back on, mounted the pipe clamp back on. The power steering pipe looks crap as it's quite corroded... i may repaint it later but i just wanted to get it all back in.

So after that i decided to get on with the wiring loom and get it sorted. 
The original loom was in quite bad condition, the wires had perished around the coils and there were several plugs knackered where i was a little rough in the strip down.

So i found a Golf AUM/AUQ wiring loom on ebay for £25, i wasn't sure if it was gonna be the same as the Leon AUQ loom but i thought if not i could always butcher it and use it to repair my original loom.
It came the other day and i checked it against the Leon one - exactly the same !! Score 

So i fitted it the other day -










So that's you guys about upto speed, i warn you progress will be a little slow while i work on bodywork, but once i get the car back from paint it will get a bit more exciting when i start fabbing downpipes / exhausts etc....

So long for now and thanks for reading....


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## Harry Sax (Apr 21, 2011)

great progress..... thanks for all the pictures.

one thing most people here do not realize is the sheer amount of time it takes to do threads like this, with this level of details and pictures, etc.

keep up the good work, cant wait to see the results.


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## GolfCL Smooth (Jul 9, 2006)

X2 on the time committment and general attention to detail and formatting putting this together, I'm sure many people will benefit as a result :thumbup:

This thread needs a build thread!

Oh also, NICE WORK!!!


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## hunterkb (Nov 20, 2009)

this build is amazing. can't wait to see it done :beer::beer:


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## Big_Tom (Aug 19, 2007)

holy $hit dude! you did hella work, props:beer: this is making me want to just buy another block and build it myself by hand. when im done i'll put my head on it and drop it in the car :thumbup:


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## cjb88 (Aug 21, 2010)

This build is seriously impressive. DEFINITELY going to be watching this one! Props to you man. :thumbup::beer:


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## kamahao112 (Nov 17, 2007)

awesome build what do you do for a living??


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

GolfCL Smooth said:


> X2 on the time committment and general attention to detail and formatting putting this together, I'm sure many people will benefit as a result :thumbup:
> 
> *This thread needs a build thread!*
> Oh also, NICE WORK!!!


isnt it a build thread already????? READ THE TITLE! 


Keep up the good work!!


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

When you assembled the engine did you plastigauge the mains and ros journals? Also did you eyeball the piston ring gaps?? Why dis you notch the pistons instead of notching the squirters? Lastly did you just slap new valves in a used head without grinding anything?

Please don't put anything you eat with back in that dishwasher. You are gonna get cancer from that stuff.


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## Dub-Nub (Sep 27, 2005)

speed51133! said:


> When you assembled the engine did you plastigauge the mains and ros journals? Also did you eyeball the piston ring gaps?? Why dis you notch the pistons instead of notching the squirters? Lastly did you just slap new valves in a used head without grinding anything?
> 
> Please don't put anything you eat with back in that dishwasher. You are gonna get cancer from that stuff.



I believe the issue is how low the pistons go when they travel down. You wouldn't be able to notch the oil squirters..the only way to do it would be spacing the oil squirters down.


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## screwball (Dec 11, 2001)

Dishwasher Parts Washer! HAAAaaahahah, great build!


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Wow thanks for all the supportive comments guys, really appreciate them all :thumbup:




kamahao112 said:


> awesome build what do you do for a living??


I'm a Service Engineer for a Aseptic liquid packaging company... Mechanical & Electrical Maintenance really. 
I picked up most of the fabbing skills from my apprenticeship, i did loads of fabrication, welding / sheetmetal work / turning / milling etc.... it was a 5 year apprenticeship with low pay but i learnt loads and now earn really good money, the only downside is i work away from home every week but im normally back on a thursday night and spend most the weekend in the garage.... 
Not for long tho me and the wife have a baby on the way - due mid April so my build has gotta be done by then !!! the missus won't let me in the garage much when she's been looking after a baby all week....



speed51133! said:


> When you assembled the engine did you plastigauge the mains and ros journals? Also did you eyeball the piston ring gaps?? Why dis you notch the pistons instead of notching the squirters? Lastly did you just slap new valves in a used head without grinding anything?
> 
> Please don't put anything you eat with back in that dishwasher. You are gonna get cancer from that stuff.


Yeh i used plastigauge on the mains and big ends, i was lucky i found a used TDI crank in good condition that was standard size so just used the standard size Calico bearings - can't remember the clearances now (it was 6 months ago i built the motor up) but they were good. 
The clearances were very slighty bigger than range given for new standard bearings but now where near the recommended wear limit.. i kind of guessed maybe the race bearings have a slighty bigger clearance for high revving engines ??? 

As far as eyeballing the ring gaps i don't know what you mean - i inserted them into the bores and measured them with feeler gauges (not sure if you guys over the pond call them the same, varying thickness long gauges..)
I had to adjust them so i used a thin grinding disc in the dremmel and just ground them on the side of the wheel (i know your not suppose to grind on the side but it took no pressure to do them and i kept the ring end square nicely)

I measured the rings at several places down the bores using the piston to keep them square in the bore, there was no differences through the bore height so i set them roughly where the ring would sit at TDC. 

And for the piston squirters, there was no way of getting the required clearance by removing any metal from the squirters, believe me i thought long and hard about it....The pistons skirts come out the bottom of the bores a surprising amount, i also filed a chamfer on the bottom to try and stop the sharp edges biting in and wearing the piston as it changes direction at BDC.
I did try spacing the squirters up but the clearance required ment the squirter for cylinder 4 was in the way of the crank sensors trigger wheel. 
The pistons are part of the IE Bring Your Own Crank kit, i found several people on the internet who had similar problems - i'm led to believe now that IE have sorted this now. 

For the cylinder head i installed new valve guides, i then reamed them out to (again can't remember but 6mm H6 fit rings a bell)
It's always good practice to have the valve seats recut after replacing guides.
I checked by trying to lapp a valve in using grinding paste but it was quite hard to see if 100% of the seat was being cut so to check for valve alignment in the seat i used some engineers micrometer marking blue (for those not in the know - its a coloured dry paste used on flat surface plates etc to show high spots on surfaces / fitting parts) used in small quantites it is a very accurate. This showed me the contact between the valve and seat wasn't perfect, only around 75% of the valve seat was in contact with the valve although the valve seat was matt coloured off the grinding paste. 
I then took the head to a local shop to have all the seats recut to match the new guides - It was quite funny tho cos the machinist / engine builder asked me how i knew the seats needed cutting and when i showed him the method i used - applying a tiny amount of marking blue to the valve and turnthe valve like you do when your grinding them in.... he was shocked at the obviousness of the seats contact.
He then said he would try his uuuber professional grinding paste (not like the stuff i got from a local car factors) after about 5 mins grinding coarse then fine the seat was great with 100% blue all the way round :laugh: 
He offered to do the rest for a measly some so i let him..... i then kept all the valves with there respective seats, and built it up.

As for the dishwasher - i stripped it down and cleaned everything really well, i also bought like 3 special dishwashing cleaning bottles that you leave inside and run a good hot wash. 
After that it was good as new, no smells / oily residue etc so i'm gonna say its alright 

Thanks again for all the comments lads, any questions just fire away.... always happy to help..

Can't wait for my IECVA1's to get here been watching youtube video's of them idleing and they sound awesome..... lumpy as hell sounds like a V8


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## speed51133! (Aug 5, 2002)

nice job man! sounds like you did a top notch job!! i just hate it when people spend so much time and money and slap engines together without doing thoes steps...such a waste and it happens often!!

especially for the pregnant wife's sake and the developing child after birth, DONT USE YOUR DISHWASHER FOR ENGINE PARTS!!

other than that, good job!!:thumbup:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

speed51133! said:


> nice job man! sounds like you did a top notch job!! i just hate it when people spend so much time and money and slap engines together without doing thoes steps...such a waste and it happens often!!
> 
> especially for the pregnant wife's sake and the developing child after birth, DONT USE YOUR DISHWASHER FOR ENGINE PARTS!!
> 
> other than that, good job!!:thumbup:


Cheers :beer: 

And i do feel like i was very thorough with the build, i mild case of OCD helps with that though :laugh:

And don't worry the only thing that goes into the dishwasher now is stuff from the kitchen.... i've leant my lesson..... Thanks for the tips and concern though :thumbup:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

....


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## VWJon77 (Apr 29, 2007)

any updates


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

VWJon77 said:


> any updates


Go on then here's a small update from last weekend.....

Got back from working away for the week to find my Forge FMIC had arrived....










Not best pleased with it really...
Looks like some idiot has painted his front bumper on the car several times, there is red, green yellow and a dash of red all over painted with matt black -










Luckily the paint chips off very easily and when the vanes are moved slightly the paint comes flying off, gonna have to spend a while cleaning all the paint off it, then i will give it a light dusting of matt black.

So replaced the crash bar with the new one -


















Then dropped the intercooler on -


















I've also had a rethink on the front bumper / wing extensions, i bonded them with special adhesive and then used plastic filler on them but when i flexed it (simulated just catching a kerb etc) it cracked the flexible plastic filler... apparently it isn't as flexible as it says on the tin.
So i pulled the sides off and i'm gonna fill the bumper / sides so the joint is built up and smooth either side but leave a joint with screws. I've just got a feeling the first time i just kiss the curb pulling into a parking space or a speed bump then it will crack if i blend them in.

So i didn't take any pictures of the bodywork as there's not much to show... and incredibly boring 

I also heard from Clay @ CTS Turbo that the SEM inlet manifolds are still a couple of weeks away so i won't be getting my Manifold, IE Cams, Maestro 7 & ID1000's injectors for at least 3 weeks.

I've got to work out intercooler pipe sizes too. My turbo outlet is 2.5" so i was thinking keep it that size but i'm not too sure.... Any recommendations guys ????
I know about the bigger = more space to fill so slightly laggier..... hhhmmmm some research required me thinks.

I'll do a bit more tomorrow and maybe update,
So long.


----------



## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

nice little update.. 

quick question tho, your custom made exhaust looks like its not quite finished.. am I right?


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

pepox369 said:


> nice little update..
> 
> quick question tho, your custom made exhaust looks like its not quite finished.. am I right?


Cheers, Yeh your right (well spotted) i just tacked the manifold up for now. 
I'm trying to get the bodywork finished so it's ready for paint asap - so my plan is to remove the manifold / turbo and weld it all up when the car is away in the bodyshop so i've got something to do.


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## VRT (Dec 8, 2001)

Great build:thumbup::thumbup:


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

Grahams81 said:


> Cheers, Yeh your right (well spotted) i just tacked the manifold up for now.
> I'm trying to get the bodywork finished so it's ready for paint asap - so my plan is to remove the manifold / turbo and weld it all up when the car is away in the bodyshop so i've got something to do.


Oh makes sense.. I was just making sure..


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Cheers for the comments guys :thumb up:

Well thought i better do an update, it's been a while since i last updated... i've been busy sorting the nursery for our impending arrival 

So here we go..... 

Masked and sanded down some of the plastic filler i used near the ends of the bumper.
I then gave it a liberal coating of plaggy filling primer -


























The bumper will need flattening again but im gonna leave that to the body shop.


So cracked on with getting the car ready bodywork wise and started off with the Supercopa rear wing.

So after much deliberating i decided that running a perspex rear window on a majority road car would be torture, too noisy and rattley. 
So i decided to run the spoiler mount through the metal part of the boot, the only thing would be the wing will sit a couple of inches further back....

I started by measuring everything and marking the boot where the slots for the spoiler mount would come through -










Decided to cut the slots with a small angle grinder with a cutting disc in -










I then ran a drill down to cut the second skin on the inside, i then chain drilled it out and also gave it a buzz with the grinder again. 

Because the upper mounting points of the spoiler mount were nowhere near i carefully cut the mount and removed the horizontal support - i will reweld it once i know the position is correct and I'm happy with the height / angle of the mount.

Here's a picky of it just dropped into place -


















Because the angle had changed i had to cut and bend the lower mounting points so the angle was correct to the mounting point on the boot, again once finalised i will reweld.
Here's the mount in place on the inside -










By this point i was itching to see what it was gonna look like with the spoiler on but i didn't have the top brackets for the wing, so good old fashioned cable ties were used to hold it on to get some pics -

Looking a bit wonky but you get the gist -


































One from the inside - 










I then decided to remove the facelift rear spoiler as i want the Supercopa rear spoiler to be functional so i wanted to fit the cover to the top of the rear screen.

As the top spoiler cover is designed to be used with a perspex screen it has captive screws along the lower edge to join to the window. 

I tried the top spoiler on but these captive screws were in the way.... so out came the angle grinder and cut them off till they heated the glue up and popped off -

Screws in question (one has white glue all over it), you can also see the carbon weave on the back of it 










Screwed it down on the boot -










































Well I'm over the moon with how it looks, i know it won't be everyones cuppa tea but i think it'll look great with the front wings and some motorsport stye wheels.

I've got to order up some steel to make the top adjustable mounts and some bracing for the inside.

What do you guys reckon ?


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## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

I reckon spot on mate! Is it rigid enough? Will you hit the Ring this summer? 

:beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Gulfstream said:


> I reckon spot on mate! Is it rigid enough? Will you hit the Ring this summer?
> 
> :beer:


Cheers Mate, it's just using the original Supercopa mount so i'm guessing it'll be strong enough, i will give it some bracing inside and maybe run something on the top.
Don't think i'll be finished this summer mate - got a baby coming in 10 weeks - i already work away from home every week, there's no way the wife will allow me / i will wan't to spend time with the baby when i return on weekends.....

I will get the car done eventually but i reckon it will be more like next winter time :what:


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## Zneith (Jan 4, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> Cheers Mate, it's just using the original Supercopa mount so i'm guessing it'll be strong enough, i will give it some bracing inside and maybe run something on the top.
> Don't think i'll be finished this summer mate - got a baby coming in 10 weeks - i already work away from home every week, there's no way the wife will allow me / i will wan't to spend time with the baby when i return on weekends.....
> 
> I will get the car done eventually but i reckon it will be more like next winter time :what:


Just read this whole thread and I'm still picking up the drool off the floor. Inspirational build and excellent work! Goodluck getting everything finished ontime.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

opcorn::beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Zneith said:


> Just read this whole thread and I'm still picking up the drool off the floor. Inspirational build and excellent work! Goodluck getting everything finished ontime.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> opcorn::beer:



Thanks very much for the kind words :laugh:

Smallish update ---------------

So just finished for the day, far too cold to be working outside all day.

So i wanted to angle the spoiler mount closer to the back window so i set about altering the angle of the mount.

I started by cutting the mount just where it came through the boot opening - i then bent it towards the back window until the angle looked better ( i was after a angle nearly vertical with the boot)
Took several attempts to get it looking right. 

After that i decided to remove the main uprights from the mounting horizontal pieces, i did this so i could ensure the angle was exactly the same between the two uprights.

Once i was happy the angles were the same i welded up the cuts i just made and the cut outs where the horizontal brace was -










I then ground all the welds flat and remounted the lower horizontal brace back on by tack welding it -










I am going to weld up the holes where the uprights come through the boot, just need to get some metal ordered.

Tried it on and it looks instantly better -


















Bolted in using the lower brace -


















So i bolted the top brace into place then had a measure up and made some plates to join the upper brace to the mount.

All tacked up and bolted back in -



















So after that i decided to see what the spoiler would sit like a bit closer to the window (more like the original Supercopa)

Just cabled tied on again - Obviously the angle of the spoiler will be set properly when i make the brackets for the top.


























































Shots from up high -


























Think it definitely looks better not sitting as far back 

After that i decided to start fitting the clips to hold on the side skirts.... i haven't ordered enough of the clips so could only put 4 on. I just drilled and self tapered the brackets on -


























Called it a day after that, i'm frozen to the bone..... gonna have a snooze and then set off to drive down south 400 miles !!!!

Keep the comments coming, thanks and so long for now


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## Matt_B (Apr 22, 2010)

Well at least the car is immediately recognisable. If I ever see a cupra with a spoiler like that I will know not to race it


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

I can't wait to see this beast finished? When are I planing on taking it to the shop for paint? Also.. Not finishing till next winter? Wow.. 

Looks amazing tho


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## panakamana (Feb 13, 2011)

Very nice, subd


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## G_Lader_91 (Dec 28, 2006)

Deffo inspiring!

Looks like what I am doing for my corrado! Im using a bit smaller efr tho:laugh: I love the cupra, one of my favs!

Keep it up...:beer: Subscribed


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Matt_B said:


> Well at least the car is immediately recognisable. If I ever see a cupra with a spoiler like that I will know not to race it


:laugh:



pepox369 said:


> I can't wait to see this beast finished? When are I planing on taking it to the shop for paint? Also.. Not finishing till next winter? Wow..
> 
> Looks amazing tho


I only said next winter due to my upcoming arrival to the family....... the amount of money i've plowed into the project so far is unreal..... i'm trying not to think about it 
I've still got some expensive parts left to buy like brakes / wheels etc and i'm gonna have to save pretty money on the side to keep the purchases away from the missus :laugh:



panakamana said:


> Very nice, subd


Cheers Mate. :thumb up:



coatofarms said:


> Deffo inspiring!
> 
> Looks like what I am doing for my corrado! Im using a bit smaller efr tho:laugh: I love the cupra, one of my favs!
> 
> Keep it up...:beer: Subscribed


:beer: Bud, the EFR's certainly look impressive.... going to be a while before i get some numbers from it though.

So thought i better update the thread a little, it's a bit slow atm - i've just been doing the small bodywork jobs before paint.

So after a lot of decisions i've decided to save some money on the paint job and paint it myself.....
I'm going with some Matt Black paint i've found by the manufacturer Lechler (Rally Black - It's a proper topcoat that is designed to give some protection against UV / elements). I've used them before when i painted my wife's VFR400.... i fitted a Tyga Performance RCV kit to it and painted it in Repsol colours.
I loved the actual painting but all the different colours / masking made it a pain.

Anyways here's some pics of the wife's bike i painted a couple of years back -


















So i started repairing the A-pillar where i banged it with the roll cage when i was struggling to get it in the car on my own -

Sanded it down prior to filling -


















Mixed some filler up and filled it up -










After that i started flattening the paint to prime it up, i started sanding the roof as there is a hole drilled in it where there was a nasty hands free kit installed...... i then got carried away -










After i took this pic i removed the door handles and finished sanding both doors / rear quarter and roof. 

Gonna have a trip to the paint suppliers and see how much the paint's gonna set me back.

Thanks for all the comments so far :thumbup:


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## T-Boy (Jul 16, 2003)

One word.....wow.


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## panakamana (Feb 13, 2011)

WOW, your wife rides sport bikes?

If I'm not being intrusive would you mind telling how much are you off now on this project?

Im starting a 1.8T BT soon and I just want to get ready for the punch....


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

T-Boy said:


> One word.....wow.


Thanks :beer:



panakamana said:


> WOW, your wife rides sport bikes?
> 
> If I'm not being intrusive would you mind telling how much are you off now on this project?
> 
> Im starting a 1.8T BT soon and I just want to get ready for the punch....


She did, but not anymore - i gave the bike to my father, he popped round on it today, Sounded & looked sweet 

To be honest i've never totalled it all up ( don't want to depress myself) probably 10-12k so far 

Oh well it's too late to pull the plug now.

*Update -*

I've been cracking on with the bodywork today. Started by removing the doors to allow me to get in and paint the sills / insides.

I removed the drivers side back door - i was quite surprised how easy they came off, just disconnected the wiring loom plug, two bolts at the bottom and a small shoulder bolt at the top. 










Shortly after that all 4 were off -


























Had to re-arrange the shed to get the doors in, it's a real squeeze in there now.... seriously need a workshop or double garage.

After that i finished sanding the bonnet -










The removed the ariel and started sanding the other side of the roof. 
I also did most of the rear quarter..... i need to work out how to open the filler cap now as the battery is off 


















Well hopefully get a bit more done tomorrow.


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

I just love this.. And I think the matte black will looks amazing


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## stevemannn (Apr 17, 2008)

this really is some amazing work. ive allways wanted to do a nice indepth build like this. if only i had a garage lol.
keep it up man, looks amazing :thumbup:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

pepox369 said:


> I just love this.. And I think the matte black will looks amazing


Thanks, i'm hoping the paint looks good, im a little bit worried though - it has to be shot perfect outta the gun - can't flatten it at all. I think some practice runs are required 



stevemannn said:


> this really is some amazing work. ive allways wanted to do a nice indepth build like this. if only i had a garage lol.
> keep it up man, looks amazing :thumbup:


Thanks man, i love my garage - its my room .... i am now looking for a nice large family house. The main requirement being double garage or workshop..... Oh and hopefully more bedrooms & sh't.

Tiny Update -

Been working loads lately and haven't had many days off on the weekends so progress has been rarther sluggish. 
I managed to get to the paint shop on Friday after being away with work all week and pick up my paint -


















So got everything i need -

3 litres of Rally Matt Black Topcoat,
1 Litre of High build Stopper Primer,
2 Litres of Speedy Thinners, 
1.5 litres of Speedy Hardener, 
5 litres of Pre Panel wipe,
Not shown - 
3M disposable Mask, my Gerson one had past its sell by date.
Box of tack wipes,
Rolls of masking tape,
Paint hand cleaner,
Spray Gun cleaning kit,
6 Big rolls of paper towel,

I did a couple of hours on the car yesterday, i was roughing the door shuts etc, getting into all the nucks & crannies. Removed the door mounting stuff too.
The glue that held on the factory sill protectors was a complete PITA, took ages to remove even with solvents. 

So thanks to the guys that give me tip on how to get the filler cap open, i got it open quite easily and removed it so i could get in to rough the paint up.










So the drivers side is pretty much finished being sanded / flattened / roughed up.
Just got to do the boot / boot shut and the other side then i can start priming :thumbup:

I will be pulling the motor out again later to paint the engine bay, but i'll do it once i've got the car water tight and back on axle stands on the drive.

Well I'm off to Germany for a couple of weeks today so i will update again when i finally get a chance to do some graft on the paint.
See ya...


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

A couple of weeks?? damn people with good jobs are never at home.. anyways im eager to see this coming together..


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## federikg (Mar 13, 2011)

Great Project, congrats for all. I love this car


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## RobClubley (Jul 15, 2006)

Love a good build thread. Great work so far!


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## 16plus4v (May 4, 2006)

Great build. Wish my 8374 TS would come in sometime soon


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

tiopedro said:


> A couple of weeks?? damn people with good jobs are never at home.. anyways im eager to see this coming together..


Cheers, and yeh your right - i'm never home :banghead:



federikg said:


> Great Project, congrats for all. I love this car


Thanks Mate :thumbup:



RobClubley said:


> Love a good build thread. Great work so far!


Cheers :beer:



16plus4v said:


> Great build. Wish my 8374 TS would come in sometime soon


Thanks, I had to wait for months for my turbo mate, just hang in there it'll come eventually...

*Smallish Update -*

Well i got home early this weekend and got cracking on with the car while the missus was at work. I've been wanting to take the dash out for ages but have been dreading it 

Turned out to be a bit of a arse to get out, but got there in the end -










I really wanted to get the dash out so i could make a front part for the roll cage to follow the A-pillars down behind the dash. 
I'm still not 100% sure on which way to go with the inside, as far as i can see it i have two options -

1/. Just run rear cage & install carpets, door cards, nice recliners, LCR Headlining & Plastics = more comfy + less noisy + easier (less painting / welding etc)

2/. Go with Full on Cage, no sound deadening, carpets & two fixed bucket seats = 
Noisy if going to shows etc = Lighter & Stiffer chassis due to the full cage & Bars etc, Better handling.....BUT more work, make front cage (got material already) strip and paint inside white before painting car exterior.

Really i'm only gonna be using the car for having a blast around / the odd track day and hopefully a couple of shows..... so i'm kinda leaning towards full cage...... ah decisions decisions....

Anyhow this morning a parcel arrived from Clay @ CTS Turbo.... WINNING !!!!!

Big thanks to Clay, he's a star.

So contents -

Integrated Engineering IECVA1's Performance Camshafts - Street / strip Camshafts.
Injector Dynamics ID1000's 
Eurodyne Maestro Tuning interface cable / Box
IE Manual Cambelt Tensioner Billet Idler roller (for PhillC) 

Unfortunately my SEM still hash't arrived yet - Clay hasn't had any delivery's from the cowboys making the manifolds yet 
Gutted as it's been on order / payed for since the start of this year. 

Anyhow some piccy's of the goodies -


















Here's the info that came with the cams -










97bhp gain on a GT30 sized turbo, my EFR8374 flows slightly more than a GT40 so i'm guessing the gains will be incredible.

Gonna try and get a new VVT unit, new ARP cam pulley bolt & VVT gasket for the cam install.
The maestro software now has the ability to switch the VVT on and off at certain rpm's so it can be used it to help spool up / switching it @ 2500 - 3000rpm.
Custom code VVT attack maps used this function to help create good low down figures / spool up.

Well i'm off into the garage to continue sanding / maybe start making the front roll cage.

So long for now.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

SO!
MUCH!!
SEXYNESS!!!


good god man. you really went up and over the top wit this.
so much detail. and nothing has been half fast. everything on here is properly done they way it should be.
when, or if hahaha, its gets done this is going to look like an OEM car. simply amazing.

this is def. in my top 3 favorites. next to the twin turbo 24V and the mk4 Coupe.

i cant decide which thread i like more.


one question, maybe i missed it, but with that monster of a turbo, equal length headers, valve train, stroker, custom tune. well... custom everything.
why do you have a stock intake manifold?
again, maybe i missed it, but its got me befuddled.

other than that, holy sweet baby Jesus.
epic.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> SO!
> MUCH!!
> SEXYNESS!!!
> 
> ...


Wow thanks for the great comments, really appreciate them.
And yeh you did miss something, i've got a large port SEM on order from Clay @ CTS Turbo, It's been on order since the start of Jan, apparently the manufacturers are having problems.
The standard inlet is just to stop crap from getting in the engine for now.... then it will be getting binned


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Another Smallish update* -

So after i cleaned out the garage the other week prior to the painting of the car...i dug the compressor out from under my bench and felt a bit sorry for it, covered in an inch of dust and swarf and the pressure switch wasn't working to cut the compressor off.
So i decided to give it a clean up and check it over to check everything was in order before the mammoth task of painting the car.

Found it had a con rod that looked beefier than a 1.8T one  had to take a couple of photo's -










Stripped the "head" down and checked everything over, found everything was covered in dust..... so cleaned it all up and also found some scores in the bore -


















Cleaned it all up and reassembled, tested all okay and adjusted the pressure switch to cut off at 8 bar.

I then decided to start sanding the wings down, finished the drivers side and then removed it to get in behind it to sand down. 

I also removed the boot to get in again to sand, what a pain in the arse that was... thought they would be connections on the loom, but no i had to pull the loom back through the holes in the boot. 










So i soon got bored of rubbing the car with green scotchbrite so then decided to start looking at where the front part of the cage would join to the bulkhead. Had a good look and found that the metal tube cross brace would be in the way, so i started the mammoth task of removing it.

I started by removing the Airbag slip ring and then the steering wheel controls / stalks then dropped the steering rack down out of the way -










After unclipping all the wiring loom and undoing all bolts it still wouldn't budge.... then i found a bolt screwed in from the other side of the bulkhead, inside of the rain tray []


















Had to remove the wiper mechanism to get to the bolt..

But after that it came out once i untangled all the wiring.










Victory shot -










After that i pulled a bit of the insulation off -










So next weekend i can hopefully start making the front section of the cage and get it welded to the bulkhead, once i've done that i need to make the down sections to run to the floor and then modify the cross member and reinstall it. Probably weld to it for support too.

Anyhow so long for now.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> Wow thanks for the great comments, really appreciate them.
> And yeh you did miss something, i've got a large port SEM on order from Clay @ CTS Turbo, It's been on order since the start of Jan, apparently the manufacturers are having problems.
> The standard inlet is just to stop crap from getting in the engine for now.... then it will be getting binned


ok, that makes sense.:laugh:
very nice broski. cant wait to see it finished.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> ok, that makes sense.:laugh:
> very nice broski. cant wait to see it finished.


Cheers Mate, i can't wait to see it done..... i won't know what to do with myself once it's done 

*Small-ish Update -*

This week i ordered the stuff to relocate the battery, i went for 50mm2 cable. 
I ordered 5M of red and 2M of Black, i also bought loads of crimps, terminals and clamps etc.
I even ordered loads of loom covering split flexible conduit stuff (not pictured)










I still need to order a battery tray and a new battery, thinking of getting a optima yellow top as i'll only be using the car occasionally.

I got home nice and early this week so spent a couple of hours in the garage. I started on the front part of the cage.

I ordered some lengths of 40mm CDS steel and some bends, i started tacking them up. I struggled to get the bars high enough due to the height of the rear roll cage.
To get round this i chopped in half one of the bends i ordered and set about cutting the end of it to match the 50mm rear hoop.

I then found the angle of the bends i ordered wasn't quite right, you can see from the pic below it doesn't follow the angle of the A-pillar and roof correctly - 










I then made a cut in the middle of the angle with a hacksaw and cut a little bit out then tightened the bend up, did this several times until i was a bit happier with the angle, i will fully weld the cage up once I'm happy with the design / fit.


































So the next step is copy all the dimensions and make the other side, once i've done that I'm going to weld some floor plates in to the foot wells for the uprights behind the dash, and some plates on the bulkhead where the A-pillar support will meet the dash up right. 

It'll all become clear when i get it in place. 

I'm also planning on door bars and maybe some cross bracing on the roof. I've also decided i'm gonna remove the rear screws / studs and clean up the ends of the roll cage and just weld it in place - it's never gonna come out and it'll help with chassis stiffness. 

I'm off to the hospital with the missus now as she's got to go for a check, hopefully get some more done this afternoon. 

So long


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## 01ttgt28 (Jun 23, 2009)

Wow this makes my build look like crap lol awesome opcorn:


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

Looks like some great progress.. it is starting to get closer and closer to a race car.. but let me ask u.. What are your plans for the car? road racing? Auto cross? Rally?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

01ttgt28 said:


> Wow this makes my build look like crap lol awesome opcorn:


 Cheers Mate but i must disagree i've read your thread and all i can say it's anything but crap - you've got a really nice car bud. 



tiopedro said:


> Looks like some great progress.. it is starting to get closer and closer to a race car.. but let me ask u.. What are your plans for the car? road racing? Auto cross? Rally?


 Thanks mate, and yeh your right the balance is tipping towards race car than road car, i'll planning on using it on the road and for track days (not sure if you guys call it the same over the pond - local race circuits that let you tear arse round for a couple of hours ) 

*----- Another Smallish Update ------* 

I started today working on the area in the footwell where the upright will mount for running up behind the dash. 

Started cleaning off all the seam sealer and moving the wiring loom out of the way to make way for the strengthening plates, i ordered up 6 - 3mm thick plates for roll cage mounts. 










I then got the cardboard out and made up some templates - then made the first piece - 










And after much grinding and cutting of the next pieces - 


















Glory shot all tacked together - 










I wanted to put the upright in next but the windscreen was getting in the way so i started to cut the sealant out with a new tool i bought off ebay. This tool is a couple of t bar handles and a pokey knife to stick the wire through the seal. 

It took me a while to get the hang of the tool, it was a total pain to do. Also i couldn't cut through the sealant at the base of the windscreen there's a plastic bit at the base of the windscreen that i couldn't work around. In the end i just rived the screen back and cut it free with a stanley. 
Still gonna have to cut all the broken glass away but i've finished for the day now. 

Windscreen Out - 










Hopefully get a little bit more done tomoro, 

Cheers For now.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

the cage looks like its coming along nicely. :thumbup: 



Grahams81 said:


> Cheers Mate, i can't wait to see it done..... i won't know what to do with myself once it's done


 HAHAHA!!:laugh: 
:beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> the cage looks like its coming along nicely. :thumbup:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Yeh cheers mate, i'm getting there. Just trying to sneak as much time in the garage as possible without upsetting the wife... 
Did another couple of hours yesterday - 

*--------- Tiny Update ---------* 

Started by cutting the pipe for the front upright pipe, here's it roughly in place - 










Close up of the end i cut by hand, not bad eh ??? 










It took me a while to get the angle right and hold it in position, in the end i ran out of hands and just ended up tacking it up - 


















Once it's all tacked up and i'm happy with the design i will then remove it and weld in plates on the bulkhead and weld the cage to it. 
I'm going to have to cut the cross brace / steering column support brace so i will weld the roll cage to it to have even more support. 
Just got to make the other side the same and then start designing the roof cross braces and then the side door bars. 
Still got to buy some gussets to tie the A-pillars & B-pillars to the roll cage. 

I'm a bit nervous of putting the door bars in without any seats in, i think i may have to buy a set of seats to clearance with the door bars. 

So long for now.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Door Bars Started...* 

I spent a couple of hours messing around with bits of pipe again this evening. 

I spent quite a while thinking about the door bars tonight. 
I like the idea of them to protect in the event of a side impact and to provide chassis stiffness between the A-pillars and the main hoop - but i want to be able to get in the car easily (i'm a big guy and not that flexible). 
So i've decided to run a door bar quite low, i will then bring a second bar at an angle from half way up the main hoop to run above the first one..... quite hard to describe but you'll see what i mean when i next get in the garage. 

Some photo's --- 


































Well i'm back away with work tomorrow :banghead: I'll hopefully get back in the garage next weekend and get the job pushed on, Feeling good to be making progress.


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

A guy on another forum was asking about the door bars so i put together a crude drawing -










Anyhow more importantly ------

*Small Non Related Car Update *

I'm really happy to announce that on Saturday 14th April the wife gave birth to a little baby boy. We've called him William - Will.

He weighed in at a hearty 9lb 1oz.

Wasn't an easy birth with a couple of complications but both now mam and baby are doing well.

I can't explain the feelings in words but it's fair to say the little guy will never be short of love and cuddles.

Here's a few pics -










He had a tube in his nose because he wouldn't feed, he's had it taken out now as he's feeding well.



















Mum and William - 










Here's my Mam, she's also over the moon...... i think it shows.


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## Andaloons (Apr 16, 2004)

Congrats! Having kids is the best experience in the world! :thumbup:


----------



## T-Boy (Jul 16, 2003)

Congrats! :beer:


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## 01ttgt28 (Jun 23, 2009)

^^^^x2 :thumbup:


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## All_Euro (Jul 20, 2008)

Congrats!!!


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

Congrats on the baby! Glad to hear both mom and son are doing good! 

























Now go back to the garage and finish the damn thing! jk...


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Thanks for all the comments guys - really appreciate them all  

Well me and the missus have been settling into parenthood quite well. The little chap is sleeping ok and doing well - so i managed to get a couple of hours in the garage today :thumbup: 

I needed to order some more tubing and bends to finish the roll cage off, so the other day i measured all the bends and joint i had made. 
I then ordered them to replace the front joint on the A-pillar. 

So i spent a while removing the previous work and then installed the bends in the front pipes and A-pillar support. 

Took a couple of snaps when i was done - 


























I go back to work on Sunday - off to Ireland for a week, but i'll hopefully get a couple of days graft in the garage before then. 

So long and cheers again for the comments :cheers:


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

Good to hear the baby sleeps.. lol 

Anyways, I am moving to Holland this summer and because of this I am considering a Seat Leon, or Ibiza cupra


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

tiopedro said:


> Good to hear the baby sleeps.. lol
> 
> Anyways, I am moving to Holland this summer and because of this I am considering a Seat Leon, or Ibiza cupra


Do it man  i would be tempted by a Leon 4wd 2.8 VR6 and drop a turbo kit on it  

Small update - 

I have been doing some thinking recently (dangerous i know ) and when i originally built my 2.1 stroker engine i was planning a sensible GT30.... obviously along the build route i ended up with a rather larger than planned 800hp Borg Warner EFR, when i ordered my stroker kit i didn't spec up the wrist pins - I recently viewed a thread on another forum of a guy that bend his wrist pins...

Also i've read several threads on how most of the used TDI 95.5mm cranks are bent in the middle, when i built my engine i didn't check the crank with a DTI - i did check all clearances etc with plastigauge but this is burning in the back of my mind that i didn't check it 

Sooooo i've decided that when i've finished welding up the roll cage then painting the car i'm going to get the car back out the garage and pull the engine out to repaint the bay.

Once i've pulled the engine i'm going to strip it and replace the standard 20mm JE piston wrist pins with Tool Steel versions which are much stronger. I'm also going to get a DTI from work and check the crank is true..... if it is happy days if not i'm gonna just pop a brand new one in there (checked with dealer and it's £600 so hopefully it'll be ok)

Once this is done i't should be a pretty bullet proof on the bottom end.

So big thanks to Dave @ Integrated Engineering i have a parcel winging it's way to me containing -

20mm JE Tool Steel Wrist Pins,
83.5mm Overbore Head Gasket,
VVT Tensioner Gasket,
ARP Camshaft Pulley Bolt,
6 x ARP Flywheel Bolts,
IE Ekagrip Friction Disc for Flywheel / Crank,
Gates High Performance Kevlar Cambelt,

The other stuff is for when i install the Integrated Engineering CVA1's camshaft set, i already installed all super tech valves/guides/seals/springs & retainers/ so the ARP cam pulley bolt will minimise the chance of the keyway shearing on the pulley..... and to finish off a nice strong high performance cambelt.

So that'll be every functional bolt replaced with ARP ones - not taking any chances...

I just like taking stuff to bits really


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Well thanks to Scott-O i've managed to spend more money than i really have at the moment 

Really appreciate the heads up from you Scott, you've definitely bagged the first shotgun ride 

I've put a deposit on some Ex works Seat Sport BTCC wheels, i was bit unsure as there only 17" but i thought for the low price there an absolute steal !

There 5x100 17" x 9" ET25 
Apparently there light as a feather and are made to accommodate large brakes so happy days.
There suppose to be a £1000 each + 250 per tyre so there a steal at just under £500 for the 4.

They come with good condition slicks fitted, i'll be keeping them for track days 

He's a piccy i've stole of the seller -










If they look too small once fitted i'll keep the for track days and get some 18's....i think they'll look great, very genuine look now.

Here's a picky that Matty on Vagcars posted a while back -








[/QUOTE]

I was gonna get the gold set but spoke to the seller and he said the tyres and rims were better on the grey set so he's sending them to me. 

Absolutely over the moon with these i think they'll really make the car look great, exactly the look i was going for.


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

:beer: :beer: 

Here is to you!


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## Shamrock (Aug 7, 2004)

All these aftermarket parts and HP and customizing.. You need Raxles!


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## AJmustDIE (Dec 22, 2010)

:thumbup::thumbup: Solid build.

Also I live a half hour from where raxles is based out of. :beer:


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## rains (May 30, 2008)

amazing build, super impressive :thumbup::beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

tiopedro said:


> :beer: :beer:
> 
> Here is to you!





Shamrock said:


> All these aftermarket parts and HP and customizing.. You need Raxles!





AJmustDIE said:


> :thumbup::thumbup: Solid build.
> 
> Also I live a half hour from where raxles is based out of. :beer:





rains said:


> amazing build, super impressive :thumbup::beer:


Thanks for all the comments Guys :beer:

As far as the axles go, i thought the OEM 02M 4wd ones were capable of handling a serious amount of power 
What sort of BHP / Torque can the stock axles handle ????

So i've managed to get a bit more done on the roll cage.

I left it last weekend with the A-pillar supports all tacked up into position, i started to make a roof cross piece for the front.

As the main hoop is quite low i wanted the front windscreen cross piece a bit higher than just straight across so i cut a pre-bent piece in half and used the bent end pieces to give the cross bar a bit extra height. 

All tacked up, into position -


















Next up i made a roof triangle cross piece to run from the joint of the front windscreen brace to the rear main hoop. I used another bend to create an angle to the piece was level.

Tacked into position -


















































Once i was happy with the alignment of everything i decided to get the MIG welder out and put some decent tacks on to hold it all together.
As i have built the front section from parts and pre-bent parts i had to plan it so i could get full access to weld right round every joint, obviously i couldn't do a half arsed job of welding or the cage could take my life in a accident instead of saving it.

Plan -

1. Weld the roof section up complete.
2. Weld the front sections up complete. 
3. Reassemble and check alignment then weld the roof section to the main hoop.
4. Tilt main hoop forward to access top of roof - main hoop joint. 
5. Clean off paint from main hoop fixing points and weld feet up.
6. Install front A-pillar sections and weld to roof section.
7. Weld in Box section front feet anchors to chassis.
8. Finish off Door Bars and weld in.

So next job was to remove the roof section to fully weld it up -










I used my MIG on the pipe end joints on 150 amps with a good wire speed with 0.8mm wire, got very good penetration 

I welded up the joints between the pipes with the TIG @ 100 amps with a 2.4mm tungsten, and added plenty of filler rod....again ensuring really good penetration......

Once i had finished that i got the flap wheel disc in the angle grinder and dressed the welds level with the pipe so the joint wasn't visible.


















I then decided to reinstall the roof section and check the assembly hadn't pulled when i welded it, it had a smudge but still lined up ok. 

I then finalised the position of the front uprights, and again welded them up.

I had only tacked up the mounting points so again busted out the MIG and welded the inside of them. Once finished i welded up all the joints of the front pieces -










Hopefully get the front totally finished tomorrow. then onwards with the door bars. 
I'm also going to be putting a cross brace between the rear cage points to mount harnesses off.

I'll update again tomorrow. 

So long for now..


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

BAD-O! :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Cheers Mate,

So i did a couple of hours yesterday before going round a friends house for a party -

I built the cage back up into the car and lined it all up - tacked it all together again to ensure no movement whilst i welded the new roof section to the main B pillar hoop.

I got the MIG out and welded the roof to the hoop and then again removed the front sections and ground off the tacks so i could tilt the cage forward to weld the tops of the joins -


























Whilst i had the cage lent forward i cleaned up the rear mounting points which i had previously sealed and painted. 

So i bolted the cage back down and rechecked alignment after the welding - everything was cool.... and thats where i finished for the day.


















Todays job - tack the front A-pillars back in and then finish off making the door bars 

Ta tar and thanks for reading.


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Just come in for my dinner so thought i would put a couple of pics up of this mornings work.

Been working on the door bars and i must say I'm quite happy with how there looking.

I wanted them to be stiff and strong but not really get in the way too much to get in and out of the car. As i don't have any seats yet i needed to make sure the bars wouldn't be in the way - killing two birds with one stone by tying in the B-pillars so i can weld to them and stiffen it all up.
Dan was kind enough to post up a couple of pics of his setup (couple of pages back now) to show me where to give clearance for the seats.

Anyhow enough rambling heres the pics -

































One showing the top angle -

















So just gotta do the other side then start welding them in, really happy it's starting to take shape now 

I'll update when i've done a bit more GRAFT


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Just finished for the day, managed to get the passenger side door bar all cut and tacked into place......


























So nearly finished the cage now, just got to put a harness bar across and run a couple of bars between the rear mounting feet.... then final weld it all in.

Of to work tonight for the week but when i get back on friday my wheels & engine bits from Integrated Engineering should be here. Still waiting on my SEM inlet manifold from Clay @ CTS Turbo --- only been 4 months now []

Anyhow thanks and so long.


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## Kimme (May 14, 2012)

*impressive!!*

I have read your thread about your impressive rebuild. 

I would like to ask you for a favor. 

I have a waterleak in my boot in my LCR -04
please visit url for more info. 

http://ladda-upp.se/bilder/ivuzufybszazn/

if you look at picture 1
Could you please take some photos from behind and a little underneath the car (if you still have your bumper of) so i can see how it looks like under the bumper and where the water comes in. 

Thanks in advance.

Best regards

Kim 
Sweden


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Kimme said:


> I have read your thread about your impressive rebuild.
> 
> I would like to ask you for a favor.
> 
> ...



Hi Kim, Thanks for the comments.... i have read your questions and posts on SeatCurpra.net and it looks like you have your answers.

Just picked these up this morning from Durham 


























Think they look AWESOME !!!!!!

I thought they look a lot bigger than 17's so i got the tape measure out -










The outside of the rims measures 18.5" and 10" wide..... i got a bit nervous thinking they were 18.5" rims.... but after a bit of researching the size is measured by the tyre bead seat floor. So they are 17" just with massive outer lips (obviously to stop the tyre popping off !!!) Chances are they are 9" wide too. 

I also got my package from the US from Integrated Engineering -

Contents - 

20mm JE Tool Steel Wrist Pins x 4
83.5mm Overbore Head Gasket,
VVT Tensioner Gasket,
ARP Camshaft Pulley Bolt,
6 x ARP Flywheel Bolts,
IE Ekagrip Friction Disc for Flywheel / Crank,
Gates High Performance Cambelt,










The tool steel wrist pins are tapered on the inside and a thicker wall by the look of it. 

Crap photo -










So got to get the rims on this weekend and take some photo's. Also hoping to finish off the cage and start removing all the sound deadening from the floor prior to painting the inside.


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## AJmustDIE (Dec 22, 2010)

Pretty sure those are 18"s. How can they be 17"s when the 17" mark is in open space in the picture?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

AJmustDIE said:


> Pretty sure those are 18"s. How can they be 17"s when the 17" mark is in open space in the picture?


I think it's cos the start of the tape measure is at the very edge of the rim on the other side. I'm still a little unsure myself 

Suppose i will know when i have the tyres removed. The tyres do say R17 on them. 
Maybe Motorsport rims have a massive side wall for supporting the tyre bead but i'm a bit unsure.


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## AJmustDIE (Dec 22, 2010)

Ah, then they are indeed 17s. You're picture threw me for a loop.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

So i couldn't resist the temptation of the garage so with permission from the missus i disappeared for a few hours.

As i can't steer the car because of the steering column is removed for the roll cage installation i couldn't get the car out of the garage to fit all the wheels.

I did however manage to get one fitted to the back - remember my coil overs aren't fitted so it's not sitting at the right height (plus it'd just been jacked up)
I also don't have any discs fitted so there straight onto the hubs - it'll space them out a bit once the discs are on.


































From the top -










So they fit nice with no clearance issues with the 4wd suspension 

After that i decided to try and get the front cage / door bars finished up.
I decided to put some more tacks on the door bars to hold everything square whilst i welded it up out of the car. 

Removed the tacks to allow me to get the front parts out -










I then spent the next two hours TIG'ing the joints (used about 120amps on a 2.4mm Tungsten) 

All Done -










Not the tidiest of welds but to be fair i'm not a welder -










So the plan for tomorrow is to put the front sections back in and weld the ends to the main hoop and the box supports to the floor, then weld the rear part of the cage in.

Happy Days


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## 01ttgt28 (Jun 23, 2009)

Are u putting in a performance Haldex???


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

I'm going to get a SQS manual Haldex controller, it has a cut off solenoid valve built in for when you use the handbrake so i will wire it upto a switch on the dash and be able the go between fwd and awd


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> I'm going to get a SQS manual Haldex controller, it has a cut off solenoid valve built in for when you use the handbrake so i will wire it upto a switch on the dash and be able the go between fwd and awd


oh you fancy huh. hahaha.
since i started following this build, i've had this itch to make my 1.8T 5speed GTI, into a 2L 6 speed AWD GTI. but keeping the FT F4h, just to see if it'll work with the 2L. if not, then i'll prolly go up to the F23.


diggin the progress broski. keep it up.
:beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> oh you fancy huh. hahaha.
> since i started following this build, i've had this itch to make my 1.8T 5speed GTI, into a 2L 6 speed AWD GTI. but keeping the FT F4h, just to see if it'll work with the 2L. if not, then i'll prolly go up to the F23.
> 
> 
> ...


Not really that fancy , those SQS manual haldex controllers just allow you to control the diff with out all the abs and can bus crap, just good old fashion hydraulics 
And i can't say i would do the 4wd conversion again, it was hard work but i think it'll be worth it.

*UPDATE* 

Just come in from the garage - been working on the car for a good 5 hours..... time flys when your having fun 

I decided to dress up the welds on the door bars / front section where i had butted up the pipes (i left the angles) then i decided it would be wise to get some primer on them.

All cleaned up and etch primer on -


















I then set about putting the front sections back in for the final time, everything fitted snug there was no misalignment from the final welding. 

I then final welded the A-pillars from the roof section to the front section. 

I wanted to get the dash cross bar back in so i could remount the steering rack (i need to get the car in and out of the garage and i couldn't turn the steering before)

I had to trim the ends of the cross bar due to the roll cage but sorted it quickly. 

Cross Bar back in -


















Remounted the steering rack and tied the wiring loom back into place, steering wheel dropped back on -


















I even had time to trim the dash back for the roll cage. I pulled the top coating back and trimmed the hard plastic underneath - i did measure it at first and gingerly trimmed it back - tried fitting it no joy so kept trimming until it slid nicely in 


































Really happy with todays progress - it's even starting to look like a car again 

So tomorrows plan is to strip the sound deadening out from around the front roll cage mounts so i can weld them into place. 
I will just need to weld the rear door bar mounts to the main hoop then its all done


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## One-Eight GTI (Jan 5, 2010)

Looking good man:thumbup: It looks like its coming together nicely


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

One-Eight GTI said:


> Looking good man:thumbup: It looks like its coming together nicely


Thanks Mate, i feel like I'm getting somewhere now 

Small Update -

I got cracking on finishing off the cage today (not quite finished for the day yet just stopped for a jacket spud )

So i used the original cage door bar to create a brace for between the rear mounts -

I then decided to put braces between the rear mounting feet and the upper door bar mount on the main hoop -

There just cut ready to weld in -











































I've also welded up the rest of the bits of the cage to finish off. 
So after me dinner i'm gonna weld up the rear braces and then the only job to do is weld in the front box mounts.......

This afternoons update

*Small-ish Update* 

I've finished the cage bar a bit of dressing up welds and fitting gussets plates to the A & B Pillars 

As always after a lot of work the garage was like a bomb site - i decided to have a right clear out.
I spent a couple of hours clearing the car out and putting everything back in its place.

I then jacked the car up to put my new wheel on the back - when i jacked the car up at the back the front lifted pretty much exactly the same...... the cage has made a massive difference to the chassis stiffness, before when i jacked it the car would flex and twist. I'm over the moon.

So i took loads of pictures once the car was out of the garage -











































Well it's getting there now. 

I've got a couple of weeks off work in June so hopefully have the car painted by July 

You never know the car may see tarmac this year.


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## stevemannn (Apr 17, 2008)

damn i want to drive that thing lol. looks great man :thumbup:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

stevemannn said:


> damn i want to drive that thing lol. looks great man :thumbup:


Thanks Mate :thumbup:

-------------Smallish Update -------------

I haven't updated the thread in a while, i have been doing odds & sods of welding / fab work lately.
I rubbed the roll cage down and stuck some primer on in preparation for painting.










I've just ordered some Ford Diamond White Synthetic paint to paint inside the car - it doesn't need lacquering so will be nice and easy to paint. 

I fitted welded some plates in under the dash today to tie the roll cage and cross dash bar to the bulkhead (didn'tt take any pics sorry). I also fitted the A-Pillar Gussets today really happy think they look good.... Got another set coming to do the inside of them -


















Just got to weld in some gussets onto the B pillars to the door bars now.

I also fitted the front wheels and dropped the wings back on.

Gonna hopefully get the B pillar gussets fitted tomorrow and start removing sound deadening 

Thanks for all the comments :thumbup:


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## checcoa3 (Sep 15, 2011)

nothing short of fantastic work!

I admire you for all your will and passion. compliments.

When it's over?


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

checcoa3 said:


> nothing short of fantastic work!
> 
> I admire you for all your will and passion. compliments.
> 
> *When it's over?*


This


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## G_Lader_91 (Dec 28, 2006)

> I've just ordered some Ford Diamond White Synthetic paint to paint inside the car - it doesn't need lacquering so will be nice and easy to paint.


 As usual. Looking great! Very belated but congrats on the child! 
Do you mind sharing a part# for that paint? And I suppose that is a UK only paint? 
I am looking for something similar (lack of prep) to shoot my engine bay with for my corrado before I slap my engine in. Not to high jack sir, 
Keep it up:wave:


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## dood786. (Dec 6, 2007)

Superb progress

Subscribed


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

checcoa3 said:


> nothing short of fantastic work!
> 
> I admire you for all your will and passion. compliments.
> 
> When it's over?





tiopedro said:


> This


:laugh: Thanks Guys, as for whens it over.... who knows i work away from home every week and only spend weekends at home trying to keep the wife happy and also crack on on the car.
I have just asked a friend with a paint shop to give me a quote to paint it, i was gonna paint it myself but to save time a might just get them to do it. Lazy i know but i just want to get to the exciting part and finish the turbo manifold off and get tabbing the exhaust etc.



coatofarms said:


> As usual. Looking great! Very belated but congrats on the child!
> Do you mind sharing a part# for that paint? And I suppose that is a UK only paint?
> I am looking for something similar (lack of prep) to shoot my engine bay with for my corrado before I slap my engine in. Not to high jack sir,
> Keep it up:wave:


Thanks Very much for the kind words, as for the paint it's a UK supplier (i did check and they don't ship overseas as it's classed as hazardous ) 
Don't worry about the hijack mate :thumbup:



dood786. said:


> Superb progress
> 
> Subscribed


Thanks V.much 

*Thanks for all the comments and kind words*

*Well overdue but boring Update*

So i spent ages trimming bits of metal from the inside preparing the inside for paint - then painting the interior white, looked good in the garage. I then wheeled the car out into the sun light and the roll cage looked poope..... you could see where some of the butt welds in the roll cage were..... i wasn't a happy bunny  

After much too-ing and fro-ing and research i then came to the decision to remove the front part of the roll cage that i made from sections and pre-bend angles.....this was mainly due to safety reasons i couldn't stop thinking about what would happen in an accident and a butt weld breaking and actually killing me or worse a passenger :sly: 

So the new grand plan is going to be - fixed buckets, full interior (minus the rear seats) and the rear cage (originally an OMP cage with the front removed and full sections added so no worries there)

My SEM inlet manifold came after a 6month wait, big thanks to Clay @ CTS -










I took delivery of a Sparco EVO 3 bucket seat a couple of weeks ago - (just one at the moment i'll get another one eventually)










Made the Seat mounts to mount the Side mounts to -










After i painted the cage -


































After making the decision about the interior i busted out the plasma cutter and removed the front section -


























Dressed up with a grinder -


















All Filled / sanded and primed -


























As good as new.

Hopefully get painting the outside shortly - i ended up wasting months doing the front cage and hundreds of pounds worth of argon, pipe and paint - oh well you live and learn and i'm much happier about having a slightly more comfortable car, and with 600bhp-ish  i think it'll not really affect the performance carrying the extra weight. Hell i may even stick the Aircon back in 

Thanks For reading / any comments :beer:


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## adzer (Jul 22, 2012)

every forum i search on to try get info on my car your car always comes up as the first result lol


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

adzer said:


> every forum i search on to try get info on my car your car always comes up as the first result lol


:laugh: This forum is the best for searching for info, there's some seriously good knowledgeable guys on here :thumbup:

I had a read over your build thread, looks like you've done a nice job :thumbup: and quick too  Looks like your gonna beat me to the first Leon 4wd conversion....  :laugh:


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## adzer (Jul 22, 2012)

Yeah I started stripping the donor car 10 weeks ago so it's not took me long at all. I see a few folk on here have used the same diff controller and I found some useful pin out info so all I need to find out now where the speed wire connects to, I'm sure it's the speed signal wire off the gearbox.

Is there not any other 4wd leons known in the uk yet? Would be awesome if I was the first but your project is alot bigger than mine, I'm doing mine in stages. 4wd first then I'll look at big turbo  where as ur doing it all at once


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## 01ttgt28 (Jun 23, 2009)

adzer said:


> Yeah I started stripping the donor car 10 weeks ago so it's not took me long at all. I see a few folk on here have used the same diff controller and I found some useful pin out info so all I need to find out now where the speed wire connects to, I'm sure it's the speed signal wire off the gearbox.
> 
> Is there not any other 4wd leons known in the uk yet? Would be awesome if I was the first but your project is alot bigger than mine, I'm doing mine in stages. 4wd first then I'll look at big turbo  where as ur doing it all at once


Lots of money involved in this build :thumbup:


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## Blue MK2 (Jul 21, 2004)

One cleaver guy! Wow what a build!


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## mmx-m (May 11, 2005)

Amazing Build Wish my car would come out this good


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## carsluTT (Dec 31, 2004)

crazy build


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Thanks for all the comments guys  *

First of all, i must apologise for the lack of progress lately, been mad busy with work / family commitments.

Well i managed to get back on with the project, been really neglecting it recently so it felt really good to spend a few hours in the garage while the wife and baby were out.

Last time i worked on it i finished off dressing up where i removed the front roll cage mounts.

I spent an hour sorting out all the wiring loom - i had managed to melt some of the insulation when i was going crackers with the plasma cutter removing the cage.

I then decided to remove the blower motor and clean out all all the paint and grinding dust from inside the heater assembly. 
Once the heater assembly was clean i decided to start putting the dash back on. I know it's not ideal before i paint the car but I'm planning to cover it well and the main reason to fit it was just cos it was taking up sooooo much space in the garage. 

Anyway i dropped the dash back on, forgot how much of a pain it was.... i then remembered i hadn't fed the temperature sensor wire for the climate control - in the end i took the dash back off and threaded a bit of the 4mm air pipe and refitted the dash then used the pipe to pull the sensor wire through the dash.

You can see the pipe sticking through the vent in the dash -










So i enjoyed myself today and eventually called it a day after i got the centre console and climate control parts back together -










I've booked Monday & Tuesday off work so i'll hopefully get some more done on the car this weekend....... i'm thinking after getting the dash finished i'm gonna start painting the car, i was going to get the car painted but TBH i can't really afford it anymore and the guy is taking ages painting my mates pontiac. 

................

Spend another couple of hours messing around in the garage again. 
I decided to finish off the dashboard so i hastily fitted the panel below the steering wheel only to discover i forgot about the wires for the headlight switch - managed to fish them through the hole with a bit of TIG welding wire and then get them connected 










I even refitted the throttle pedal and wired it back in, i forgot it was a total bitch to get out due to a big lump of white plastic being in the way..... it was as much fun refitting it as it was removing it.

I then stuck the passenger airbag back in and loosely fitted the Glovebox - i've still got to adjust the latch as the lid needs a bit of a slam. 










I also decided to run the Power cable in for the battery relocation.

I was gonna take it through the bulkhead behind the glovebox but i looked at it and as i had the front wings just sat on loose i whipped them off and ran the cable up the front frame rail and out under the wing then back in....

Handy hole in the frame rail -










(i will be putting a grommet where the cable passes through)

Comes out here as the frame rail is blocked further up -










(i need to drill a hole in the OEM Grommets and seal up with silicone)

Comes into the cabin here -










So hopefully next time i get in the garage i will start doing bodywork.

I've also been looking at either buying a carport or making one or buying a tenty one or something, think it would make the rebuild / painting a lot easier.

I'll have to rerun the power cable as i managed to run it through the hole where the door electrics pass through


----------



## Twopnt016v (Jul 5, 2009)

Amazing:heart:
Built not bought!:thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Twopnt016v said:


> Amazing:heart:
> Built not bought!:thumbup::thumbup:


Thanks Mate - i do :heart: a bit of DIY

Small Update -

Sooooo after much thought i've decided to spend a bit of money on the project, nothing that can increase BHP etc but a rather large tent  

The reason being is i've pretty much grown out of the singe garage now and working in there is getting difficult.... not enough room to swing a cat.

I started looking for a carport to keep the rain off the Leon if i was to put it back on the drive but the prices were upwards of a grand for a good 5meter long one.

I found these portable garages for a lot less and they seem really sturdy with a base that can be screwed to the deck. Couple of pics i stole from there website -




























Should be great, this model has 2 openings so i can still get stuff in and out the garage easy.

The "Portable Garage" or big tent  is from Dancover 

Linky -

http://www.dancovershop.com/uk/product/portable-garages-6.1/storage-tent-27x51x23-m.aspx

It was £355 delivered so it's quite cheap for the quality.

The size is good at 2.7M wide x 5.1M long x 2.3M high.

I would have got a bigger one but it's going on my drive and i have a small wall and the dimension is 2.9Meters betwen house and wall.

TBH i don't know why i didn't get one last winter 
Hopefully it should make it a doddle to work around the car.

This will let me remove the engine again for some more modifications (upgrading the wrist pins to tool steel) and get the car in the big tent up on axle stands and paint it whilst still having the garage to work in / store parts in.

Hopefully it should be here by the weekend so i get cracking mounting it all up 

Onwards and upwards with the project now !!!!! i've got the love back 

......

My Man tent came so i got cracking assembling it. 

I started putting it together after dinner but had to stop to go get some anchoring bolts.

Anyhow got the base frame laid out and then screwed it down with some m10 x 105 anchoring bolts.










A little while later i had the main frame up -


















I couldn't resist so i reversed the company steed in 










I'm quite happy with it so far, i'll hopefully get it finished tomorrow if it stays dry. 

It's not massive but it's about as big as i can fit on the drive, also my Insignia is quite big so with the Leon in there it should be a bit more roomy.

......


Managed to get it finished off today, really happy with it - it's really sturdy and seems well built. 

Unfortunately the instructions aren't that clear so i managed to pull the roof on the wrong way round first of all...... what a plonker. Anyhow quickly turned it round - inserted the poles to tension it and pulled it down a bit -










I then attached the end pieces / doors -










The doors are quite good a massive zip in the middle and 2 clips and even velcro to cover the zip up..... a bit of overkill but nice.
You can see in the photo the cover is still quite saggy, i then took the tension off and pulled the roof tight then tensioned the the outer straps first then pulled the sides down to finish off.

Nice and tight 










Couple of shots from the outside -


























So next weekend i can start filling it with parts so i've got a bit more room in the garage. 

I think i'm gonna paint the car inside the garage (sides / door shuts & Roof) then move the car into the tent on axle stands and paint the rest of the bits in the garage. 

Anyhow thanks for reading and i promise the updates will get a bit more exciting shortly


----------



## All_Euro (Jul 20, 2008)

Fits like a glove


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

All_Euro said:


> Fits like a glove


Yeh i pretty much couldn't have found a better one for the fit. :beer:

*Update*

The plan today was to get the car / garage ready to start painting or at least ready to finish the prep work. 
I started by stripping the car and putting the bits in the Man tent.
Removed all the doors / bonnet / tailgate / wings -










Then started on the bumpers / headlights / front panel / radiator / intercooler -










Looking bare again now..

After that i spent an hour removing all the stuff out of the garage thats worthless / shouldn't be appealing to a tea leaf..... Managed to fill the tent pretty good. 

I then cleaned all the paint / grinding dust out of the car.

The wife granted me an extra couple of hours to play out so i pulled the car back and started to line the garage out to try and limit the amount of dust while i paint.

The first job was to put plastic sheet up on the rafters. I used some quite thick plastic sheet and drawing pins to put it up, started off in the corner -


















Then worked towards the door -


















Tried the panoramic camera thingy on my iPhone -










I need to get some more lights sorted before i paint as it's not bright enough in there, also i'm planning on covering the walls / shelves etc with plastic.

I'm thinking about buying an extractor fan to suck the paint dust / fumes out. Thinking of mounting it in the top of the side door.

I've also managed to source some windows / other parts from Phill - big thanks to him 

Anyhow thanks for reading,
Graham.


----------



## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

Hi Graham,

I see you got slicks on. I've been looking for some Michelin/Dunlop 210/650R18 in UK lately. Do you know who would have those mate?

cheers :beer:


----------



## badger5 (Nov 17, 2003)

dont let anyone steal stuff out of your tent..


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Gulfstream said:


> Hi Graham,
> 
> I see you got slicks on. I've been looking for some Michelin/Dunlop 210/650R18 in UK lately. Do you know who would have those mate?
> 
> cheers :beer:


Sorry Bud, i don't know where you'll get them from. My slicks were on the wheels when i bought them. I'll be taking them off and sticking some r888's on for road work.



badger5 said:


> dont let anyone steal stuff out of your tent..


I hope not Bill, i don't store anything of any real value to a tea-leaf, just panels and bumpers etc.

*Overdue update*

First of all i should really apologise for not updating the thread in a while, i have been busy with the car see below, but also with life / family stuff.
I've just lumped loads of updates together hope it all makes sense -


Garagey Update

So my latest plans have been to try and turn the garage into a spray booth for the upcoming painting of the car. 
I already started boarding up / covering up the rafters with poly sheeting..... its about 75% done, i'll finish that off when i happy with the lighting.

A couple of weeks ago i ordered a 12" extractor fan with variable speeds and electric shutters etc. I was planning on mounting it in the side door of the garage but after seeing it it's quite big. So i bought to mdf and i plan on taking the side window out of the garage and using mdf to mount the fan into position. 

So i started to tackle the lighting this weekend - i was originally going to order up some strip lights offof egay but i know they'd be smashed to bits and couldn't be chewed with the hassle of sending them back etc... so i just bought some 4ft lights from B&Q they were quite cheap actually about £12 each. 
I'm going to order some light reflectors of egay as b&q didn't sell them 

So hoyed them up and wired them in -










I've also got a lowbay light i "borrowed" from work when they were closing down the factory at the other end of the garage -










Gonna buy a couple more strip lights for beside the lowbay light, and maybe a couple of wall lights to mount lower down .......once i've also painted the last wall white i think it should be really light in there.

Then just got to finish off covering the rafters and remove all the shelving and coverup the stuff i can't remove.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

I finally got round to painting the last wall white - not bad, it only took me about 6 years to finish that job 

I've managed to have a re-arrange in the shed and clear the shelves that were down the sides of the garage.... once they were clear i took them down to give me a bit more room for painting. 

I managed to get an extractor fan from e-gay - it's a bit of cheap Chinese sh*te but as long as it lasts the duration of the paint job then i'll be laughing. The auto opening and closing of the shutters didn't work so i removed the motor and installed a bit of trusty welding wire to manually pull the flaps open and shut.
I was planning on mounting it in the window but it seemed like a better idea to just take out one of the panes from the door, i couldn't decide if the fan would have been better in the top or bottom so i put it in the middle 

Mounted the fan up and quickly wired it in (still got to run a permanent supply to the fan)










Took me shelves down -










The garage is looking nice and bright now (crappy phone pic makes it look a bit dull)










The garage is finished now just needs dedusting and cleaning out after all the sanding work is done.

I did some thinking about the warmth in the garage.... - i already had a small electric convection heater which took the chill off nicely but wasn't much good for getting the garage warm (which i'm gonna want to do to get the paint to fully harden / dry quicker)
So I had a trip to machine mart today and came back with a 3kw Infrared Heater -










Got too say it's excellent - actually a bit too hot on full tilt, i've been turning one of the elements off and just running on 1. 
Warms the panels off nicely which drys the primer i've sprayed in about 5mins. I only turned it on once all the paint fumes had been extracted out thanks to the fan 

I decided to start tackling some more of the rust around the rear lights / where the rear bumper meets the body and along just behind the rear wheel arch, it wasn't too bad just starting to bubble nicely. 
The rust seems to be where the bumper has been rubbed the paint away.

Quite hard to show in the photo but this is after i cleaned it up -


















I gave it a lick with some Upol Zinc 182 primer to protect it until i have a chance to put the main primer coat on.

Next up was to remove all the old sealant from around the front windscreen - i had scratched the paint to hell when i butchered the smashed screen out. 
I removed all the old sealant and took it down to bare metal to be sure -










Gave it a lick of zinc primer -










So thats it for now. Tomorrows plan is to put some filler on the roof where i welded up the nasty handsfree aerial hole and do some minor filling / sanding prior to shooting the real primer. 

Ohh and i've got to say big thanks to PhillC, i've now got all the Glass sorted including the Windscreen and Tailgate, also got loads of bits and pieces from him so happy days.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Well after what seemed like like a life time of rubbing and flattening i've finally managed to get some paint down.

I decided to just mask the floor of the car off to collect the overspray - i used some of the proper statically charged masking film i bought offof ebay. 

All masked up -

















I put sheets up covering all the racking etc then got all the stuff ready -










Me looking like a total spaz :happy: -










I eventually got spraying and had issues trying to spray the Primer, it wasn't atomising well, even with the needle fully opened.
I mixed it according to the instructions which was Primer with 20% Hardener and 20-25% Thinners but it does recommend using a 1.4mm tip the biggest i have for my SATA Minijet is a 1.2mm. So i emptied the gun and mixed some more thinners in. 
Once the primer was a bit thinner it flowed smashing but my next problem soon appeared.....

When i painted the wife's bike years ago the compressor was just good enough - but now painting large panels it's not man enough. 

So i continued in fits and starts and got most of the shell primed, i hadn't mixed enough paint so just stopped there - 


































As luck would have it my mate Scotty popped round to lend my MIG welder and just mentioned he had just bought a more manly 2.5hp compressor that i could lend. 










So i piped it into the supply and tried them out.... more than enough air now - Winning !!
So i'll rub it down again tomorrow and then paint the bits i didn't get done today and give it a second coat. 

Oh and i've had a change of heart on the Matt black AGAIN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So i've decided to use a Lechler Mac 4 which is a 2K topcoat like the Matte black but just gloss finish so no need for Clearcoat but only available in solid colours. 

So i was thinking of a nice solid colour and i'm gonna go and order some Porsche GT3RS Orange. 










What you all think ???????.... i know i won't loose it in a car park lol. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Well thats it..... No going back now- I just got back from John Davey's paintshop in Darlington, there really helpful in there - and they don't try and sell you stuff you don't need which is refreshing in this day and age. 

I originally went in for Lechler Mac 4 2K Ultra High Solids Topcoat.... the price was shocking at £100 a litre, the guy there recommended the cheaper Mac 1 High Solids Top Coat.... slightly less coverage but again a good weather / scratch resistant / high gloss / polishable but also faster drying so better for the garage work. 

I ordered up 3 litres of the Porsche Orange in Mac 1 which came to £130.
Unfortunately he didn't have enough of base paints to mix up 3 litres of the GT3 orange so i need to go and pick it up tomorrow. Hoping 3 litres will be enough.... if not he can always mix me some more up. 

I got some generic 2k Gloss black for the roof / engine bay / wing mirrors / rear spoiler etc etc.... and probably wheels. 

Got another Litre of Green TI filler primer as i got through it quick yesterday and i've still got loads to do. 

I ordered a larger nozzle kit for my gun yesterday, a 1.4mm SR, thats the size recommended by Lechler so it should help it flow a bit easier.

------------------------------------------------------------


Popped out to the paint shop and picked up this -










I just spent the last hour flattening the primer and scotching it ready to stick another coat on.
I'll need to mix more paint this time so i've got enough for the whole shell and also the roll cage 

------------------------------------------------------------

Just finished for the night, pretty knackered now. 

I managed to get the whole shell primed up, i even did the rollcage as i think it'll look nice in Orange against the Black LCR interior bits. 
There's about 2 - 3 coats the shell now. I did get a bit over enthusiastic on the passenger side door shuts so there's a couple of runs to deal with tomorrow. 
So the plan is flatten the primer tomorrow with 320 then paint the roof in the 2K gloss black.
Hopefully on Thursday i'll manage to get the orange on the sides. 

Anyhow here's a couple of piccy's (sorry there a bit poop - not really much to show you all until i get the colour on)










Rollcage all primed -










Passenger Side done -


















Can't wait to see the colour on 

Oh i ordered myself a new bonnet today as mine was all rusty at the front and had some dent's here and there on it. 
I went for a fibreglass one from a company called Xsport racing... should be nice and light and the price was roughly the same for a Metal one. That should be with me by the weekend.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't get a chance to do any paint yesterday, but i did manage to finish flattening the final coat of primer on the complete shell / roll cage. I then masked the car up to paint the roof first -










This morning i just panel wiped the roof, tack-ragged it then stuck some gloss black 2K down. 
I mixed it up as per the manufacturers recommendation of 50% hardener and 10% thinners. 

It seemed to flow out and go on quite well but it had a slight orange peel finish to it as it dried. 

I waited about 25-30mins until the first coat had flashed off a bit but still tacky and stuck a second coat on. 

The finish isn't very good to be honest, it's gonna need flattening of with 2000 wed & dry then polishing up.

I'm a bit disappointed with the finish but i know where i went wrong -

The mix of paint was obviously a bit thick (too viscous) for the nozzle size (1.2mm) thus the atomised paint droplets weren't flowing back into each other. Also i had the gun on maximum fan which doesn't help as the spread is too great which lets the paint dry as it's being transported through the air before it hits the panel. 

I ordered a 1.4mm nozzle set for the gun a couple of days ago which should be here anytime now, and I'm going to wait for that until i do the orange. 

Anyways pics -


































Gonna leave it a couple of days before i flatten it down to let the paint harden. 

Progress anyways. 

Hopefully my nozzle will come shortly, or i may just paint some orange but thin it down some more so it flows a bit easier. 

Thanks For reading,
Graham.

-------------------------------------------------


Quick sneaky pics of the orange -

This is just after the first coat -


























Over the moon so far, it's going on lovely.

It's still a bit light it places but should be great after the second coat. 

I did have the intention to put another coat on, i then changed my mind and decided to paint the roll cage with the remaining paint i had mixed up.










This left a bit of overspray on the sills, there is also a couple of imperfections where i dribbled some panel wipe and never polished it up. So i've decided i'm going to let the paint cure then i'll scotch it up and flatten out the imperfections then i'll put another coat or 2 on. I want plenty of paint on for future detailing :blink: 

I'm not going to be able to get back in the garage till after Boxing day but after today i'm really looking forward to it..... to be honest after painting the roof i was poopting myself incase i made a mess of it but now i feel on top of the world 

----------------------------------------------------

Well i've had a full day in the garage today 

I started off scotch bright-ing the orange paint down, it was nice and hard and quite scratch resistant... with was nice.

Got the new 1.4mm nozzle kit for my Spray gun -










Nicely made, although it should be for £80.

I mixed the paint up a little thicker this time - as per the Datasheet. It flowed well with the new nozzle but next time i'll thin it ever so slightly more.

I put a further 2 coats of orange on the side, and it's fair to say i'm over the moon 

The finish is really nice, doesn't really need flattening and cutting but i'll do it once it's assembled and on the road. 

Anyway enough jibber jabber here's some pictures -


































































Had this delivered before Christmas but i forgot to take a photo of it.


















It's a GRP bonnet from Xsport, really quick delivery and it looks very good quality. 

So i'll hopefully get the other side painted tomorrow then do the roll cage the day after.

Cheers,

Graham.


----------



## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

well... you'll be easy to spot on the road for sure  :beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Gulfstream said:


> well... you'll be easy to spot on the road for sure  :beer:


Lol i won't loose it in a car park thats for sure


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## kamahao112 (Nov 17, 2007)

when you get ready to spray the roll cage hook yourself up with this 





i use the pps system eveyday in my shop there is 3 sizes .. a small cup and liner that holds a max of 6 oz a medium cup and liner that holds a max off 21 oz and a large cup and liner that holds a max of 32oz.. the 4oz cups are awesome for shooting roll cages since you CAN shoot upside down


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## Dowski12 (Nov 2, 2011)

HOLY SH!T!!!!

Just spent a couple of hours reading through your entire thread and all I can say is...AMAZING

Rick is right, you basically dwarf all of our builds. I could honestly go back and read through your thread again and still be amazed at the quality of your work and your attention to detail, documenting every little thing. 

I've been doing my build thread for the better part of a year and now it just seems like mindless dribble compared to the wealth of useful information you've included in yours.

Thank you for taking the time to document such a monumental build:beer::beer::beer:


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Holy moly! I missed a few months and this is what you got done.
Mega props.
I love the 2 tone.


----------



## Three3Se7en (Jul 2, 2007)

Still kicking ass.


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## Lucian189 (Aug 28, 2012)

Nice,the paint finish is realy realy nice you could not say it was not in to the painting boot


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

kamahao112 said:


> when you get ready to spray the roll cage hook yourself up with this
> i use the pps system eveyday in my shop there is 3 sizes .. a small cup and liner that holds a max of 6 oz a medium cup and liner that holds a max off 21 oz and a large cup and liner that holds a max of 32oz.. the 4oz cups are awesome for shooting roll cages since you CAN shoot upside down


 Thanks for the tips mate, i did look into the pps system - seems like an excellent system but a little bit expensive for a small job, thanks anyway :beer: 



Dowski12 said:


> HOLY SH!T!!!!
> 
> Just spent a couple of hours reading through your entire thread and all I can say is...AMAZING
> 
> ...


 Wow thanks for the amazing comments :heart: 
Hopefully some people might find my build thread helpful and informative so it makes it worthwhile typing all this stuff out :thumbup: 



MÄDDNESSS said:


> Holy moly! I missed a few months and this is what you got done.
> Mega props.
> I love the 2 tone.


 Thanks Mate :beer::beer::beer: 



Three3Se7en said:


> Still kicking ass.


 Cheers  



Lucian189 said:


> Nice,the paint finish is realy realy nice you could not say it was not in to the painting booth


 Cheers buddy, there's a couple of imperfections but i'll flatten them down and polish it up when it's a bit warmer here. 

*Smallish Update -* 

I've not really had that much time on the car since xmas really due to illness / work / family commitments, and due to the stupidly cold weather it hasn't really been any good for painting. 

I have managed to get the main body shell all painted including the Roll cage.... i must say it was nice to finally see it all with out masking sheeting all over it - 


























I've ordered some plastic clips to hold the wiring loom back in the shell, when i was painting the inside white (many bad decisions ago ) i removed the wiring loom which resulted in broken clips everywhere. 

I then decided to start stripping the engine bay so i could paint it black, i managed to remove most of the wiring loom from the bay and all the ancillary stuff.... i'm gonna drop the engine out today and start removing brake pipes / insulation etc. 

Looking bare - 


















So going to go and get cracking in the garage now  

As always thanks for reading and for any comments


----------



## KmosK04 (Dec 18, 2012)

Great project mate. We're waiting for new pics


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## groggory (Apr 21, 2003)

Added this to the 20v build thread


----------



## andrewdask (Jul 31, 2011)

Damn man looking basass! love that exhaust manifold! congrats i have always wanted to do something like this on my leon mk2, someday! keep working! :thumbup::beer:


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## tiopedro (Jun 6, 2011)

WOW! 

After a few months of not checking the vortex at all I thought of this build and came to check on it! wow! looks wonderful!!!


----------



## 01ttgt28 (Jun 23, 2009)

Looking good:thumbup:


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

KmosK04 said:


> Great project mate. We're waiting for new pics


Thanks Pal. :beer:



groggory said:


> Added this to the 20v build thread


Much Appreciated, really happy with that :thumbup:



andrewdask said:


> Damn man looking basass! love that exhaust manifold! congrats i have always wanted to do something like this on my leon mk2, someday! keep working! :thumbup::beer:


Thanks Mate, really appreciate the comments 



tiopedro said:


> WOW!
> 
> After a few months of not checking the vortex at all I thought of this build and came to check on it! wow! looks wonderful!!!





01ttgt28 said:


> Looking good:thumbup:


Cheers Guys :beer:

*Updates*

So i haven't updated in a while so i thought i better do some updates, sorry been crazy busy with working away and sorting the wifes Golf.

Last Sunday i did something i've been meaning to do since i started this project.... that was to move my bench to a different wall. 

I built the bench so it folded up flat against the wall when i wasn't using it, this allowed me to get a motorbike in the garage with the old 911... both those toys are long gone and i was sick of squeezing past the bench / vice so had a right re-organise. 

I moved the bench from below the window to the back wall, i then repiped the compressors etc, happy now as i have so much more space to get around the front of the car -

Still a pig sty but just need to find a space for everything now -









Next up i decided to take the engine out..... AGAIN -


















And she's all out 


















I also bought something i should have bought 2 years ago....


















Some Chassis dolly's / mobile axle stands, the pictures are just to show the stands...they were only £180 - i should have bought them ages ago but never mind eh. should make i nice and easy when i start the rebuild. 

----------------------------------

Cleaned up the new bench set-up a bit -

















I started to remove bits from the engine bay the other weekend.

All the gash before i removed it all -










After removing it all bar the servo / master cylinder -


























So i decided that it would be a nice idea to remove the subframe before painting the bay so i decided to assemble the dolly's and get the car up on them.

The quality is quite good, they seem nicely put together and i didn't have to removed paint and drill out holes etc like you have to sometimes with these types of things.
For anybody who's interested they were from a place called CJAuto's and were £180.

Built them up and got the front up and supported on them. 


















Got the other one built up and lifted the back end up -


































I've now got a lot more room in the garage as i can get the car nice and tight up against the wall. 










------------------------------------

Did some more on the car today. 

I decided to remove the front subframe and suspension, started off by removing the wheels then the front suspension struts - 










I then disconnected the steering rack inside the car and dropped the front subframe down on a trolley jack. 










































Just got to get rid of all the wax / years of muck then start painting.

Well that's you lot upto date for now - 
As always thanks for reading and any comments.


----------



## Vegeta Gti (Feb 13, 2003)

:beer::beer:


----------



## eze-1.8t (Feb 18, 2013)

awesome buit up man!!


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Vegeta Gti said:


> :beer::beer:





eze-1.8t said:


> awesome buit up man!!


Cheers Guys :thumbup:

Been a bit of a slow couple of months as i've never stopped with work lately 

I have got the next two weeks without any work planned so i should be home but may get called away.... fingers crossed so i can get moving again.

Anyway done a couple of hours over the last couple of month or so. 

I started stripping all the rusty stuff of and using a rotary wire brush to get back to clean metal. Under the original battery was the worst - you can see the rust near the can of panel wipe -










After a bash with the brush - clean metal...










I then got a bit sick of the thought of filling / sanding / smoothing / priming / masking etc so i just thought f*ck it i'll hammerite the bay and get the project moving again. 
It would have been nice to get the bay looking awesome but hey it's no show car and with the massive turbo under the bonnet most peoples eyes will be drawn to that and not the paint work. 
So i just bought some smooth black hammerite and brushed it on. 
Tested a bit to see what the finish was like - 


















Then set to work scotching and cleaning up the rest of the bay -










Then painted it all with the first coat -


























Just got to scotch it all again to apply the second coat as there are some areas of blue shining through. Need to deal with a couple of runs too 

-------------

So i scotch bright'd the engine bay the other day, just to give it another coat of Hammerite.


















I managed to get another coat on but didn't take anymore pictures :ban: sorry guys...

So with the engine bay finished i decided to start the process of getting the car in the Man tent.

I also secured the doors of the tent by bolting wooden planks to the doors, that'll keep the cats out and stop them flapping around in the wind. 

I managed to clear out the man tent, some in the back garden, some piled inside the shell.
I dropped the supercopa front wings back on and the GRP bonnet..... also placed the new front windscreen on that i got from Phill's Cupra he broke. 

All cleared out ready for the car - 










Shot of the car in the daylight...... mmmmmm orangey 










Nearly home -










Snug as a bug in a rug -


















I then popped the front slam panel on with a couple of bolts and i thought it would be rude not to stick the front bumper on 










So thats it then, been wanting to get this done for ages so i can crack on with painting the rest of the parts from the car... once thats done it's assembly time 

Tomorrows plan is to tidy up the garage and start to plan the painting.

Gonna weld up the rear door handles and smooth the rub strips... 

She's coming together 

Thanks As always for the comments guys. :beer:


----------



## Three3Se7en (Jul 2, 2007)

Look who's back in the saddle again.

Nice project man. :wave:


----------



## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

I love updates on your thread.


----------



## Andaloons (Apr 16, 2004)

This is one of my favorites; such a good job with pictures and descriptions. :thumbup:


----------



## wetbar (Mar 18, 2010)

FINHISH HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Three3Se7en said:


> Look who's back in the saddle again.
> 
> Nice project man. :wave:


Thanks Mate :beer: Feels good back in the saddle :laugh:



MÄDDNESSS said:


> I love updates on your thread.





Andaloons said:


> This is one of my favorites; such a good job with pictures and descriptions. :thumbup:


Thanks Guys 



wetbar said:


> FINHISH HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol


Lol - i thought Mortal Combat :laugh:

*Small Update*

After yesterdays fun and games moving the car the garage was a total bomb site so after an hours tidying, everything was back in order -










It's nice to have some space again 

So just for Barney..... photos 

Started by dragging the boot in so i could start on that -









I then removed the spoiler mount, and then the window... which was as expected a pain in the arse []









Next up i decided to smooth the boot and get rid of the Seat "S" badge / handle - i cut some paper out to make a template then cut it out in steel -










Busted out the TIG welder to tack it into place..... it was really pissy thin and burned through a couple of places but it doesn't need to be pretty, i tried to keep the current low and the tacks small so it didn't heat the panel up much.
I then flattened down the welds with a grinder -










The only problem i had was once it cooled i noticed just below the badge area the panel had distorted and popped in. 
Couldn't really get in behind it to knock it out so i got the blow lamp out and heated the panel up to try and relieve the stress in it. 

I'll start on the rear doors tomorrow and hopefully get the metal work done 

Thanks,
Graham.


----------



## Three3Se7en (Jul 2, 2007)

I thought MIG was preferable to TIG on welding body panels due to less time with a spark, but perhaps you don't have access to a MIG. 

If the panel is wobbly you can try heating it and putting a wet wash cloth on it to "shrink" the metal.


----------



## AmIdYfReAk (Nov 8, 2006)

Shrinking it with wet cloths will fatigue the metal and cause it to rot quickly.

Just do small spots, as far away from each other as possible, and let it cool between.


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## 04VDubGLI (May 20, 2005)

I'm joining quite late... but I've read everything and I'm caught up now  The more I'm reading about your build unfolding the more I want to get back to work on mine - you may just inspire me enough to get my GLI back together (nothing as radical as yours though)!

Spectacular build! I'm sub'd for the finished results. Keep up the great work, Graham!


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## gavs (Oct 8, 2009)

Bump for updates?!?! 

I sat down and started reading this thread one summers day in january and ever since, i check every week for updates


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Thanks for all the comments & tips guys, it's much appreciated* :beer:

I must apologise about the lack of updates in the thread lately, I recently got promoted at work and it was a rough couple of months with even more time away from home  but I'm getting my feet on the ground now so trying to get this project moving again.

Anyhow here's some updates -

I put some filler on the boot, and sanded it using a number plate rapped in sandpaper -

















I then put a bit of primer on to check what it looked like - it's not bad but a bit low in the middle....








then i thought i better wait and decide how i'm going to finish off the holes where the spoiler mounts pass through the boot. 

I then started working on the spoiler mount... there were two holes where i cut the spoiler to change the angle of the mount - i wanted to fill them in as they were half sticking through the slots in the boot, so i drew round the holes onto some 3mm plate and went about hacksawing and filling the infill parts out.

You can see one of the infill parts to the left of the hole -










I then MIG'd the mounts up and ground them down -










As good as new 










I then spent a while mounting it to the boot and checking it was sitting perfectly square and true... then i decided to MIG it to the boot -

a bit messy - i also welded the inside of the mount to the inner skin of the boot, it's absolutely solid so shouldn't move.










After spot of grinding - 










Gonna finish off the grinding and smooth the welds out then fill and sand it all. 

.......................


I managed to spend a couple of hours in the garage yesterday and got the boot and filled and sanded..... the spoiler mounts blended in quite nicely. 




























I was planning on smoothing the door rub strips off and welding up the rear door handles but in an effort to just get the bits painted quickly i may just leave it. 
It'll be a lot more work to weld everything up and hours of filling and sanding..... to be quite honest in sick to death of bodywork so i'm gonna just try and get the doors prepped ready for primer today then tray and get them painted next weekend.

I've been granted a few hours in the garage today so going to go get cracking.

.......................


Much Appreciated guys, thanks for the comments.

Well i last updated whilst i was still on holiday.... thought i'd get back and prime the doors, that didn't exactly go to plan as i was looking after the little-un and doing other running around n family ****. 

I also realised i'd only prepped two doors, thought i'd done them all (must have been wishful thinking as i hate rubbing paintwork down / sanding out marks etc. 

I had a good tidy out of the garage on Saturday and got everything covered up to control the over spray. 

It was really hard mounting the doors for paint as i wanted to paint it all inside and out without having to paint one side let it dry turn over etc etc. i propped the front door on one of my alloys and the rear on a couple of paint cans.... bit wobbily but it worked a treat.

Sunday morning came and i was itching to start painting so by 8:30 i had both compressors running flat out whilst i gave the doors two generous coats of filler primer. If my neighbours don't already hate me they will now :huh: 

Felt nice to get the gun out again. 


























I'l hopefully get them painted in orange this weekend, then i can hang them on the car and admire my handwork :clap:

Cheers As always for reading and any comments.


----------



## not SoQuick (Jan 8, 2004)

thanks for the update..............I just read through this whole thread over the last few days and when I got to the end I was a bit disappointed till now.

Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing


----------



## badger5 (Nov 17, 2003)

good work graham,
congrats on the propmotion


----------



## hightechrdn (Dec 9, 2011)

Found your thread while searching for 1.8T BT builds... Awesome work! We are all looking forward to seeing this car out of the garage!

Interesting to see how long a project like this takes. I started a project of similar scale... ended up loosing interest and selling off the 80% completed car for a small % of what I had in the project in parts costs alone, not to mention 100's of hours our in the garage. It was definitely a 'life lesson' for me 

Don't loose hope on this one! You are close to being back to the 'fun' stuff like tuning that monster turbo'd engine 

Good luck!


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

not SoQuick said:


> thanks for the update..............I just read through this whole thread over the last few days and when I got to the end I was a bit disappointed till now.
> 
> Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing


Thanks :beer:



badger5 said:


> good work graham,
> congrats on the propmotion


Cheers Bill 



hightechrdn said:


> Found your thread while searching for 1.8T BT builds... Awesome work! We are all looking forward to seeing this car out of the garage!
> 
> Interesting to see how long a project like this takes. I started a project of similar scale... ended up loosing interest and selling off the 80% completed car for a small % of what I had in the project in parts costs alone, not to mention 100's of hours our in the garage. It was definitely a 'life lesson' for me
> 
> ...


Thanks Bud, i've had plenty of up's and down along the way.... i've nearly give up a couple of times but i'm back in love with the project now and happy to be carrying on. 

Here's some updates i've lumped together. 

.........

I really struggled priming both sides of the door in one go so I went online and found a double panel stand for £100... I thought ideal paid for it and it said delivery in 3-5 days, well it all went wrong and it took like 3-4 weeks to get to me  :banghead:

So in the mean time -

I found a couple of small dents in the driver side doors during prep, so i decided to fill them in this morning, you can see the different colours from the high / low spots -










Popped a bit of the filler in -










And wet sanded with 180 then 320 - nice and flat now.










After doing that i cleaned the panels off and then wiped them over with some panel wipe.

After nearly knocking over a door last time and not having my panel stand I decided to use my step ladders as a panel stand and mount the back door from, just cut some m6 studding to push the door from the ladders to get to both sides... so after a bit of covering up i was nearly ready for paint.

All primed up 










Doors everywhere :screwy:










All 4 done now, thank god.....










My stand then came and i built it up and mounted a couple of doors on there to test drive it 


























Then last weekend i managed to knock the front door off the stand (i tried to move the stand and i'm guessing the door wasn't properly held  )

Needless to say the door went crashing to the floor and really bent the front edge of the door over :facepalm:

I then got really down on the project - all my friends have been finishing there projects and i'm still so far off :thumbdown:

I thought again about scrapping the shell and just buying another Golf 4motion and putting my engine in.... i even bidded on a Golf 4motion 3dr on ebay that was only £1000 - luckily i got out bided at the last minute....
I thought after so many people following this thread on various forums i may get lynched if i don't complete it :wave:

So i straightened out the door and filled it, sanded it down -










I re-primed all 4 doors today -










Friday night i managed to sneak a couple of hours in the garage as the missus had a friend round 
So I flattened two doors down and cleaned them up with panel wipe, ready for painting Saturday.
Then got bored and started prepping the door handles & Fuel cap -










Saturday Morning came and i had a dedust and clear up, then re-panel wipe and a quick going over with a tack rag..... then started putting down the orange stuff.
Three coats in total... went ok but i got a run in the middle of the back door - not the end of the world, i'll leave it to dry and once i've finished the painting i'll flatten the whole body and machine polish it up.

Anyhow Glory Pics -


















Run Forrest Run... 










I've also jointed Detailing World to get some pointers on bodywork finishing, using polishers / wetsanding etc. There's some great info over there with some canny people. 

MAJOR PROGRESS !!!!!! Putting the doors back on 

Today i decided to get the doors off the stand and back on the car, and my oh my - it's starting to resemble a car again. 

Back door on 


















And front on 


















Still got to finalise the hinge positions but i'll do it later.

So i'm over the moon, wasted no time mind - next two doors are in the stand ready to be flattened then Tango'd. 

This has really spurred me on, feeling the love again for this project.....I WILL FINISH IT !!!!!!!!!!!

-----

I've just come back from a fortnight working in Northern Ireland so not a lots happened - i did do some more painting before i went though....so here you go.

Mounted the remaining doors on the stand then flattened to primer down with 320 using a rubber sanding block.










It was a bit on in the day to start mixing paint so i spent a while rubbing down the rear spoiler delete (this is just to cover the gap above the rear window so to allow the airflow to flow to the new rear spoiler) 

Ready for primer now - 










The following day i mixed the paint up ( i have been over thinning the mixture to help flow through the small SATA mini jet ) but i decided to try and stick to a maximum of 30% thinners. 
The reason i've messing about with the mix a little is because the paint i've done already isn't really really hard yet (if i push my nail into the paint as hard as i can i can leave a tiny mark )

I stuck very exactly to the mixing ratio's which was 2:1 of paint / hardener but it said 10-30% of thinners - i tended to use more thinners as it helped me get a really good finish from the gun. 

So i really struggled on with the paint and it came out "ok" some areas were quite orange peely.... it was quite hot on the day and i think my Speedy thinners were evaporating before the paint could run back into itself. So a tad dry in some parts. 


















One particularly orange orange peel :doh:










So knowing that i'd be wet sanding the car complete the polishing it up i wasn't that bothered. 

A couple of weeks ago i decided to buy some stuff to check that the paint was going to work well wet sanding / cutting / polishing. 

After a bit of research on Detailing world and a couple of suggestions of buying a good rotary, i chickened out and bought a DA.... after all i've never used one so it a better choice for a beginner (safer) although it'll take a lot longer to polish out sanding marks but as anybody will realise reading this i'm in no rush :lmfao:

So i bought -

A Meguiars G220 V2 with a Sonus SFX Polishing / Cutting Kit compromising of 4" & 6" (cut & polish) pads with various backplates & polish & Finishing compound. 
Here's a link for anybody thats interested - http://www.rollupandshine.com/meguiars-g220-v2-sonus-sfx-2-polish-kit-with-spot-pads-316-p.asp

I also ordered some stuff from Polished Bliss -

PB Soft Paint Polishing Kit
Meguiars Sanding Backing pad
Meguiars Water Spray Bottle
Meguiars Wash Mit
Meguiars Wash Bucket & grit guard
Meguiars Supreme Shine towel
Meguiars Ultimate Wash / Wax
3m Blue low tack tape

So after all this stuff came i had a quick go on one of the doors. 
Then i discovered i didn't have any 1200 wet & dry so i wet sanded with some 3M 800 with plenty of water with a bit of soap in. This took the orange peel out quite quickly, i then went over it with some 2000 grade and then fired up the polisher for the first time. 

As i was a bit cautious i used the stuff that came in the soft paints kit, and it works a treat.... although a little slow. 
Then i finished of with the fine pad / polish stuff.

I then realised that there were still light sanding marks in the paint although the paint had come up ok, i obviously didn't spend long enough with the 2000 and long enough polishing. but it's a good learning experience.

Sanding marks -









So i decided to use just the 2000 grade to do an area of the door , the 2000 grade stuff is just cheap sh*te i bought from ebay and it showed.... but i cracked on and then got bored and decided to polish it up. It's going to need more wet sanding but i'm quite happy that with some work it'll be looking like orange glass !!!










So after my first experience / training myself with the DA i decided i needed some more good quality wet and dry so i put another order in with polished bliss. I also decided to get some wet & dry pads for the DA to help with the cutting procedure. 

So i bought some Mirka Abralon Discs of 1000-2000-3000-4000 grades in 2 sizes of 77mm and 150mm 
I also bought some decent wet and dry - some Meguiars UniGrit 2000 & 3000 (sold out of the 1000 so i'll have to get some from somewhere else) and a litre of Meguiars Ultra-cut compound as i thought i'd need a sh*t load to do the whole car.

So after struggling with the actual painting of the doors i decided to stop messing around and just buy a bigger gun designed for High solid paints. After much research i found out that HVLP guns aren't that good for spraying Clearcoat / 2K as the HVLP can produce a drier coat / more orange peel. 

After working with the SATA Minijet for so long i started to look at SATA's but i really couldn't justify spending £500 on a gun to paint a set of wings / bonnet and bumpers. 
So i found loads of people who love the DeVilbiss guns, and to be fair there a fair bit cheaper than a SATA and come with various tips / nozzles to suit the type of work your doing. 

So i bought a Devilbiss GTI PRO with a 1.3mm needle and a T2 cap.

Here's a bit of bunf from the website -

_DeVilbiss GTI PRO Gravity Spray Gun

Our opinion - a very popular choice from large bodyshops to perfectionist hobbyists. Cutting edge technology with easy servicing and quick parts sourcing. A great choice.

Developed for busy professional painters needing the ultimate in quality finishes.
All new ergonomic gun body design. 
New ultra high flow fluid tips provide superb versatility across a range of viscosities. Revolutionary air valve design gives smoother feel for even greater air and paint control for ease of fade-outs and blend-ins.
Simplified, user friendly components provide easy cleaning and maintenance (also shares many spares with it's sister mini gun, the SRi.)


PLEASE NOTE - there are four air caps to choose from that affect the way that the gun sprays. These are: 

T2 - Faster flow gloss/lacquer
All round gloss / clearcoat gun.
Flow rate and fan pattern lend themselves towards a wetter application style. 
Compliant trans-tech high transfer efficiency (but not HVLP)
Air consumption T2 (free air)12.4 CFM / 350 l/min
Fluid tip sizes available: 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4. 
For 2K gloss / clear the 1.3 is by far the most popular choice & is recommended by the majority of paint manufacturers for their HS 2K products. (DuPont & Debeer -1.2)
_












This set-up is designed for Clear coats / 2k than require a good wet coat. 

Pics -


























Hopefully i'll give it a go in the next week or so, i "should" be off for a few days so i'll hopefully get the remaining two doors fitted and then start on the remaining parts to paint 

Thanks for reading & any comments. 

Cheers,

Graham.


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## One-Eight GTI (Jan 5, 2010)

Glad your back at it:thumbup: I really like this build alotopcorn:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

One-Eight GTI said:


> Glad your back at it:thumbup: I really like this build alotopcorn:


Thanks Mate, I'm feeling pretty good at the moment... It's really nice to see progress and putting doors back on 
I can't wait to get the paint finished and start building her up. 

I'll hopefully get some painting done this week


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## andrewdask (Jul 31, 2011)

Hey! thanks for the updates! i really love this build! this was the inspiration on building something unique into my car!

you can check it out here 
http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=366243

Greetings

:screwy::screwy:


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

This shot









is money.









It looks like it was done by a professionally.

I'm a welder by trade and have dabbled in painting, so I know what it takes to get it to this level.

Sucks about dropping the door. I bet that hurt.:thumbup:


Keep it up.:beer:


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## dood786. (Dec 6, 2007)

what happened here?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

andrewdask said:


> Hey! thanks for the updates! i really love this build! this was the inspiration on building something unique into my car!
> 
> you can check it out here
> http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=366243
> ...


Cheers Mate.



MÄDDNESSS said:


> This shot
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Man, i think people underestimate how much work is involved in spraying cars.... It's so time consuming and boring doing the prep work. The spraying part is really enjoyable.



dood786. said:


> what happened here?


Been a bit busy with work and family.... Here are some updates joined together from other forums.

Well i spent a couple of hours in the garage / Man tent today. Not really much to report but still progress.

I started off by lifting the rear door off the painting stand and sticking it on the shell -










Shortly followed by the front -


















I then set the boot on the paint stand -










A quick one of the new spray gun just to show the size difference -










I then started clearing up the garage, it's like a bomb site at the moment after plenty of frantic painting. 

So thats all 4 doors painted & fitted - nearly there now 

--------------



So my last update was way back in August, shameful really but with my new job demanding more and more of my time i haven't been getting home much. One month i was only home for 2 nights... that might be ok if was working on the rigs and had a month off after but it was straight back away 
I decided for the good of my family to just forget about the car and put it on the back burner. 

I finished work for the year last week but unfortunately i (and the rest of the family) were laden with cold so i stayed out of the garage for a week. 

Today i decided to get started - the aim of the holiday time is to complete all the painting, in theory i should get it finished no problem - but i'm thinking if i get anything else done it'll be a bonus. I have until the 5th of January so plenty of updates should follow.

Today i decided to start prep a load of bits and pieces for primer -
All the door handles / door rub strips / fuel cap / side skirts / rear spoiler delete / high level rear spoiler / mirror covers / side skirt jacking covers.

All laid out ready for cleaning and priming first thing in the morning -


















Although not working on the car for months hasn't stopped me from buying a few odds and sods... 

I decided to order a shallow sump, the normal sumps on the 1.8T's hang low and because i'm fitting the supercopa front wings the car needs to be nice and low to fill the bigger arches of the wings. 
So i got in contact with Issam @ INA and ordered a Shallow & Baffled sump in Steel.


















Nicely made -










It's a lovely bit of kit, really well put together. It also comes with a new pick-up pipe. 

I also found on ebay several months ago a smooth NA rocker cover, i've wanted one for a while as they look really clean... think it'll look nice in wrinkle black.










---------------------



*Todays Progress -*

Well it was nice today to get the spray gun back out - i managed to primer the boot & both spoilers, all the door handle bits, wing mirror covers, fuel filler cap, side skirts inc covers and the door strips. 

Pics for proof 


























All the small pieces were sprayed whilst i held them then put on the table to dry. 

So tomorrow will consist of flattening / scotching all the parts down ready for some paint hopefully Friday.

------------- 

I've just finished for the day, i managed to get some orange on all the bits 

Was really nice to paint top coat again - really love painting 2k it goes on so nicely. 

Anyhow pics for proof - all parts painted with 2 coats.

Door stips - guess i'm doing them orange lol.










Door Handles, Filler Cap & Side Skirt Covers -










Side Skirts -


















Boot All done -


































Hopefully start prepping the wings / bonnet shortly

Thanks,

Graham


----------



## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

really inspiring work Graham. Can't wait to see it finished! :beer::beer::beer:


I have the same INA sump and I can tell you if you will do trackdays with cut slicks or slicks you should also weld on a baffle to prevent front slushing going up the lower breather pipe.


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Gulfstream said:


> really inspiring work Graham. Can't wait to see it finished! :beer::beer::beer:
> 
> 
> I have the same INA sump and I can tell you if you will do trackdays with cut slicks or slicks you should also weld on a baffle to prevent front slushing going up the lower breather pipe.


Thanks Mate,

I think the sumps already got the plates in to stop the sloshing up the breather, i know the earlier ones didn't but i think Issam added some plates. I'll try and take some clearer pics to verify. :thumbup:


----------



## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> Thanks Mate,
> 
> I think the sumps already got the plates in to stop the sloshing up the breather, i know the earlier ones didn't but i think Issam added some plates. I'll try and take some clearer pics to verify. :thumbup:


Mine looks the same as yours. Baffles surrounding oil pickup, but you can see there is a part to the left of the pickup where there are no baffles. Another thing we had to do is drill a new hole for the dipstick. INA was like 1" off. Had to tear the sump down again after first rebuild was not cool dude. I'll see if I can find a pic and show you.


----------



## INA (Nov 16, 2005)

Gulfstream said:


> Mine looks the same as yours. Baffles surrounding oil pickup, but you can see there is a part to the left of the pickup where there are no baffles. Another thing we had to do is drill a new hole for the dipstick. INA was like 1" off. Had to tear the sump down again after first rebuild was not cool dude. I'll see if I can find a pic and show you.


The only way the dipstick tube was "1" off" is if the baffle plate was installed upside down.The only way to prevent oil from moving up into the oil filter housing is if you added stainless steel padding inside the oil filter housing cavity. Do you mind sending over those images to us as well?


----------



## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

INA said:


> The only way the dipstick tube was "1" off" is if the baffle plate was installed upside down.The only way to prevent oil from moving up into the oil filter housing is if you added stainless steel padding inside the oil filter housing cavity. Do you mind sending over those images to us as well?


I already sent you those pictures when we had to drill out new hole in the baffle plate when we discovered it couple years ago. If you turn the plate upside down it will still be same distance from the wall. I'm take new pictures when we tear down the motor in a few months and I'll post them here and in my thread. We will weld a new baffle plate to prevent oil slush where your sump don't have any and I'll post pictures of that as well.


----------



## INA (Nov 16, 2005)

:thumbup:


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Thanks Guys,

Here are some updates from SCN i have lumper together -

I went outside to find the man tent all bent and buckled by the strong winds 

So after a quick look at the damage i found all the struts bent and a couple had cracked -










It didn't look like man tent was going to survive the day and it was getting very close to hitting the car on the powerful gusts. I decided to pull the car out and get it in the garage as if the tent collapsed it would ruin the car i've spent years building 

So after spending all day moving stuff around and jacking the car up to move it i finally got it in the garage unscathed.... During the mayhem i even dropped the boot back on  


















I'll have to wait until the winds drop and take the man tent down before it falls down and causes damage.

So this has put a real crimp on my plan for painting, as the car is now in the garage i'm going to have to build it up to make some space and then paint the remaining parts once the car is rolling. 

I forgot how much of a squeeze it is in there with the shell inside.... 

------------------

Well today was spent moving parts around and clearing out the shed. I stripped the front wings, bonnet and bumper off the front of the car to make it more manageable working in the garage. All stored in the shed until i need them.

I dragged out all the interior parts i had in the shed, its quite shocking when you see the amount of plastic bits and seals that go into these cars. 

I must admit i was feeling really p*ssed off yesterday with the demise of the man tent before i managed to finish the painting, but now i've sat and thought about it its really not too bad..... So my plans are to start rebuilding 

So after pulling some bits out the shed i decided to put the rear bumper brackets on and push the new LCR back bumper on that i bought last week. 












Next up i put the wheels in the shed outta the way the cleaned up the rear lights and bolted them on - 










Next up i build the filler cap up and screwed it back in - 










So my main plans for the next couple of days are to get the wiring loom re-installed inside the car so i can put the headlining and some of the plastics back in the car and out of the way. 
Once i've done that i'm gonna try and line all the doors up then build them up with all the windows / seals. 

Feeling quite positive now with the rebuild 

-----------------------

Spent another few hours on the car today... I originally planned to put the loom back in place but i needed to order loads of clips (i removed them all ages ago to paint the interior white) 

So i decided to try and line the doors up.... To do that i needed to put the handles / locks / latches / door seals on -



















It took me all day to square up the doors, its a right pain in the arse of a job, especially when one of the hinge screws is underneath the dash..... So i had to strip the bottom bit of the dash off and move the relay panels / dash brace - 


















All lined up - 










Dash back together - 










I even had time to clean up the stick the back quarter window in 










I love putting the car back together, it's such a nice feeling seeing it come together after its looked like a bare shell for years 

---------------------

I spent all day in the garage without much to show for it other than more work than i started with []

Anyhow i decided to build up the boot so i put on all the buffers / plates / gas struts... unfortunately i seem to have misplaced the lower clips that holds the balls in the gas struts 










After that i decided to start lining the boot up...... about 2 hours later i was still struggling to get it sitting nice. What ever i did i could get it right. 

The clearance between the boot and the body was tight about 1-2mm.... i remember thinking how tight it was last time the boot was fitted prior to painting...... i'm kicking myself that i forgot and did nothing about it before painting the boot. 
I wasn't sure if the gap was too tight because i cut the back of the car out or maybe it's cos the car is on dollys and not on it's wheels. 

Gap or lack of it  -










So i decided to "tease" the gap open a bit with a massive bit of wood and a jack, i know i know i'm ghetto but whatever 










The car flexed loads but then as soon as the jack was released it would spring back.... so after pulling it open quite a bit it was about 1mm further open. I didn't have the bottle to go any further as it was already creaking and cracking noises. 

I though ok just line it up so spent another hour getting the boot square in the middle. unfortunately i managed to chip a couple of bits of paint from the boot side edges before i covered it all in masking tape. When i was done i then removed the masking tape and managed to pull a rather large chunk of paint off the boot 










To say i wasn't best pleased is an understatement, i nearly torched the fecking thing []

I'm guessing there was maybe a little grease of a maybe a finger print there as i can see the surface of the primer looks well keyed... the paint is still quite soft mind which wouldn't help.

Anyhow after a breather i decided that the gap still wasn't big enough and i was sick of trying to wedge the back end open so i decided as i need to do some touching up of the boot paint anyway i may as well file the edges down to give another couple of mm clearance. 

-------------------

After having a ****e day yesterday i just got on with it rather than sulking. I started by filing a bit more from the boot to give me a decent gap on both sides of the boot. 

Looking a bit better -

















After that i decided to get cracking on the loom and pulled in the separate looms for each side of the boot -

All done (PS the rubber boots were as difficult to get in as they look )


























As its been like a year and a half since i removed the loom i have totally forgot what goes where, most of it i've worked out but there seems to be some plugs missing from the back lights. I have connected one plug to the back lights fitted in the main body of the car but they are like 2 sockets free 
I can't find any extra bits of the loom that i'm missing so i'm guessing they never had any wires to them.... maybe towing connections 

If anybody could confirm how many plugs go to their back lights it would be appreciated.

Here's a picture of mine, with two free plugs -










I also made a start at the main body loom.... put in the joints for the boot connections -










And then i gave the ends of the boot a dab of primer before some topcoat to touch up -










-----------------------

I sent emails for parts to 4 different parts departments and as i'm still waiting to hear back i thought screw it, i can't wait for some little plastic clips for the loom.... 
So i set about cable tying the loom in place in the roof, i also installed some plastic clips to hold on the A & B pillar covers on... The passenger side clips hold the loom in place.

I really couldn't remember which clips went where so i went back through my photobucket and found pictures of the strip down 

Loom all tied up -


















I really wanted to get that part done so i could start getting the interior back in.
Next i hoovered the LCR headlining i got of RGMRacer - Rob... It came up good as new.

I slipped it in though the front windscreen hole.....oh er missus !

Sorry about the ****e images, its hard taking pics of black stuff in a very bright white garage.... Especially as my iphone died.... I used my ipadmini, god the camera is poor.

All handles / sunvisors etc bolted in 


















The Rollcage looks great against the black headliner










Next up i dug out the A & B pillars and stuck them on... I also stuck in the C pillar cover in on the drivers side



























-----------------------

I decided to line up the passenger side doors and put the handles on. 










Dropped the rear screen on, mostly to check the fit and get it out the way - I've bought some Adhesive for the screen but haven't plucked up the courage to glue it in yet.










Recently i've started rebuilding the engine bay, Brake Master Reservoir on, ABS / brake pipes / clutch line in / Engine Mount.


















Next up i put the loom tray back in and started running the wiring loom in, and after much swearing i ran the 50mm2 power cable for the battery relocation in. I took it through the same hole in the bulkhead as the wiring loom comes through just above the ABS unit. 










Did a quick hour on the car today and decided to work on the scuttle area.










I ran in the two separate looms in that plug into the ECU and get the Wiper motor back in -


















----------------

Last Sunday i did a couple of hours in the garage. 

I started off by checking the new hubs i bought from America - the 4wd driveshafts for the car are from a later style bolt type hub. I found it impossible to source some over here..... all the pattern parts i.e GSF, ECP are for the earlier nut on driveshafts.










Just got to order some new wheel bearings and get the front hub carrier's shot blasted / powder coated then i can built the hubs up. 
I also need to order up some polybushes for the whole car.

Next up i started to clean up the door / window carrier panels. 
The car used to have a lovely water feature and you can see the old cracked sealant / water marks from the inside of the panels -










I ground the end of a screwdriver to a radius to help dig out the old sealant - with one hand easing it up and the other hand scraping the seal off it came out quite nicely. Then i went over the sealing lip with a dremel with a plastic brush wheel.. this took the remaining seal bits out cleanly. 
Here is the new VAG sealant, a butyl style which is much bigger than the old stuff and remains soft -










Putting it on the panel -










First panel on 










Then i decided to clean the windows up and put them in along with the seals, looking more complete 


























I think it looks weird with the B-Pillars not black due to the door seals running along the lower part of the pillars, so i think i'll order up some gloss black wrap.

Just the other sides door panels to do next. 

It's a big boost for me seeing it like this, everything i do to make it look more complete spurs me on. 

----------------

Well i have let two months slip by without really doing more than a few hours work in the garage. As always things like family and only getting home for 1 night some weeks doesn't help.... anyhow enough of the excuses, as i have a few days garage time pass from the missus for good behaviour.

Since the last update i put the remaining door accessory panels in and installed the windows / motors and window seals. 
I can't really bond the windscreens in yet as the chassis is on dollys at the moment and once i lower onto its wheels the chassis will flex and could crack the screen.

I've ordered up some powerflex black series bushes for the front suspension, i went with the rose joint bearing for the wishbones 

So my priorities are as follows - 

Strip all the suspension / hubs / subframes down (remove all bearings / bushes) - in preparation for shot blasting and powder coating.

To do this i needed to get the subframe down from the garage rafters as i put it up there ages ago to save space. 
To get the subframe down i had to push the car out of the garage 

Picks in the daylight -


























It was nice to see it in the flesh outside of the garage... looks like its taking shape now 

So lifted the subframe down, whilst nearly pulling my back out -










This is one that i bought from a TT so its got a quick steering rack installed 

While i was on i decided to bring the engine stand down and build it back up -










I have already decided to rebuild the engine to replace the gudgeon pins in the pistons to the tool steel versions i bought last year..... so i decided to get the ball running on the engine so it can be finished off and installed.

There is an engine under there, i think 










Once i cleared all the crap off the engine i manhandled the engine gearbox out of it's hideehole and started to split it ready for mounting on the engine stand. 

After trying for 30mins struggling to separate the engine and gearbox i remembered there was a bolt that went the other way under the transfer box. Once i removed that it came apart much easier :roll eyes:

Shot of the Clutchmasters FX400 - 










Pressure plate off showing flywheel clamping bolts with steel ring to spread the clamping load -









My mate then dropped my engine hoist back round so i lifted the engine back on its stand -


























I then got a bit carried away with the strip down -


















Pulled the head off it !!!!!! :happy:


















Unfortunately the engine has has sat in the garage for so long it's gone rusty again, only on one side which is weird. I will have to redo the paint work []

Rusty rusty -










So i then span it round and pulled the sump off -










At least nothings rusty on the inside 










Then i decided to drop out the pistons & rods -










Not bad for a few hours work.

I'm off to machine mart in the morning to buy a DTI (clock gauge) to check the crankshaft isn't bent. Not the end of the world if it is mind as i have a spare TDI 95.5mm crank.

Thanks For reading.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

So i went to Machine Mart yesterday and bought a Magnetic base and a Dial Test Indicator to check the crank. 
Just for a bit of background i have a bit of mild OCD, and having read many posts over on VWVortex about how the TDI cranks are often bent by hydro locking etc i was very aware that i didn't check the crank wasn't slightly bent when i build the engine up originally..... this has been burning away in the back of my mind so i made the decision to check it all and be 100% happy that everything is in spec.

So i continued removing the crank end sealing plates / oil pump drive chain & tensioner -










Then i removed the main bearing caps, except the end ones. Mounted up the DTI and got measuring (i had to remove the ARP Main stud from Bearing 3 to allow access for the DTI) -


















Well after all the worry of the crank being bent - it wasn't !!! no bend at all, to the point where i checked and reset the dti about 3 times 

As i was convinced it was bent i bought a spare 95.5mm crank offof ebay months ago, so i thought i'd lift out the tested good original and test the spare (thinking if it's ok i'll sell it on as a stroker crank). Well the spare i bought was bent 0.04-0.05mm or 2 thou in old money, in other words enough to burnout the centre bearing if it was used. 

Block looking bear again 










While the crank was out i decided to safeguard the trigger ring & Oil pump bolt. There have been several occasions of the bolts coming loose on the trigger wheels / oil pumps and destroying engines ( try searching VWVortex if interested)..... especially on high-power / high revving builds due to harmonics. I did use really good Omni-fit (like loctite but German stuff i get from work) on the trigger ring bolts and torqued the new bolts up to spec.

Standard screws -










So while it was out i dug out the TIG welder and put some tack welds on the screws to stop any chance of them backing-out -


















I also did the oil pump sprocket locating bolt -


















The rest of the day involved me stripping back the rust and paint i put on the block, no pictures of this as it's boring. Gonna order up some POR-15 to paint the block properly and protect it from rust. 


------------------------


If anybody has tried stripping VAG paint from a engine block they will no how hard it is and how soul destroying it is. 

It's that hard even a wire brush attachment in a drill won't shift it. 

I tried some paint thinners last night which softened the outer halfrauds crap i used when i rebuilt the engine. 










In the end i used a grinding bit in a dremel to whip the original paint off..... after about 3-4hours of cleaning :banghead2:










Getting there, still another hour left on this side then start the back of the motor..... hopefully be a bit easier as its much flatter. 

Just got to order some POR-15 engine enamel in silver i think. 

Sorry for the boring update but they all can't be interesting


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## One-Eight GTI (Jan 5, 2010)

Damn that's a heck of an update. Looking hood though. I think I would of had a rage moment if I blew out a big chunk of paint on such a nice paint job. Also good idea tig welding the the bolts on the crank. Better to be safe than dirty


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Good to see you're still doing werk, I got nervous there for a second. lol.

With all of this work you've put into so far, why haven't you upgraded the crank timing belt gear? IE has 2 options for fancy upgrades.


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## RobClubley (Jul 15, 2006)

Great to see this coming together, good work!


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## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

This page needs a 54k warning :laugh: But seriously awesomesauce mate! Makes my haldex build look like a stroll in the park. :beer:


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## Vegeta Gti (Feb 13, 2003)

Awesome

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Thanks for all the comments guys, means allot* 



MÄDDNESSS said:


> With all of this work you've put into so far, why haven't you upgraded the crank timing belt gear? IE has 2 options for fancy upgrades.


Thanks, i used the IE pinned crank pulley on the crank, its only pinned once as thats what the original ones were like..... I may drill a second pin hole. They are some nice press on pulleys now from IE but there not for the 95.5mm TDI crank just the 1.8 & 2.0 cranks :thumbdown:

As the block is apart atm i have asked Clay for a IE girdle kit, IE cam pulley kit & some other bits and pieces.... May as well throw a bit more money into the block :laugh:

Cheers for now !


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> Thanks, i used the IE pinned crank pulley on the crank, its only pinned once as thats what the original ones were like..... I may drill a second pin hole. They are some nice press on pulleys now from IE but there not for the 95.5mm TDI crank just the 1.8 & 2.0 cranks :thumbdown:
> 
> As the block is apart atm i have asked Clay for a IE girdle kit, IE cam pulley kit & some other bits and pieces.... May as well throw a bit more money into the block :laugh:
> 
> Cheers for now !


My mind seems to be slipping.
I could have sworn IE made the new billet 6 bolt interface pulley for the TDI cranks too. I remember seeing pullies for the 1.8t/2.0t engines and it specifying they had another pulley for the TDI crank.

I just spent about an hour searching that. Apparently they don't.


I'm very interested in the IE girdle kit. Just not sure if it'll fit my build. Pics when you get it in.


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## dood786. (Dec 6, 2007)

Great updates


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## not SoQuick (Jan 8, 2004)

Thanks for the updates.
I've read this whole thread 2-3 separate times and I have to say it is one h*ll of a build :thumbup::thumbup: I'm glad that you have stuck with it even with the setbacks you've encountered.I can assure you though when it is finished it'll be worth it


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## badger5 (Nov 17, 2003)

I think the cause of the trigger wheels folks have had come loose is more to do with reusing the trigger wheels.... They are One Time use, as are the bolts which clamp them.

even suppliers of the stroker kits were not aware of this VAG Techincal note


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

badger5 said:


> I think the cause of the trigger wheels folks have had come loose is more to do with reusing the trigger wheels.... They are One Time use, as are the bolts which clamp them.
> 
> even suppliers of the stroker kits were not aware of this VAG Techincal note


I suspected the bolts are 1 time use. But how are the trigger wheels themselves?


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## red.dub (Feb 17, 2013)

This is the most amazing build thread I've read on vortex.


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## badger5 (Nov 17, 2003)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> I suspected the bolts are 1 time use. But how are the trigger wheels themselves?


because the bolts when torqued up bite into the wheel, and when you undo them they removed material.. so the countersink is now deeper... Deep enough such that a new bolt will bottom into the crank before biting fully onto the now thinner trigger wheel.

Its a vag instruction on elsawin..




























I did post this on here a few weeks ago.. Dont think many folks noticed
beware folks


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## groggory (Apr 21, 2003)

badger5 said:


> because the bolts when torqued up bite into the wheel, and when you undo them they removed material.. so the countersink is now deeper... Deep enough such that a new bolt will bottom into the crank before biting fully onto the now thinner trigger wheel.
> 
> Its a vag instruction on elsawin..
> 
> ...


FAQ'd under crank shaft


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Wow. What's the point of that? That seems retarded as all hell.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> *Thanks for all the comments guys, means allot*
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks, i used the IE pinned crank pulley on the crank, its only pinned once as thats what the original ones were like..... I may drill a second pin hole. They are some nice press on pulleys now from IE but there not for the 95.5mm TDI crank just the 1.8 & 2.0 cranks :thumbdown:!


They DID make them.

Somebody on here bought 1 before they were discontinued.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...lease-thread&p=85465899&posted=1#post85465899

last post.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> They DID make them.
> 
> Somebody on here bought 1 before they were discontinued.
> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...lease-thread&p=85465899&posted=1#post85465899
> ...


Yeh Cheers, shame they don't make any for the ALH crank.


*Shopping update*

Well i had some nice deliveries this morning so gonna go do a bit in the garage today. 

First delivery was off of ebay, a Bore Gauge set to measure my main bearing journals / caps. 










Next up was my big engine order i placed with Clay @ CTS Turbo.... big thanks to him as always :clap:

So here are some goodies, i'll let the pics do the talking -

1.8T Fluidamper - to keep the crank safe at high RPM (especially important when using SMF's) -










A Fresh set of hydraulic lifters for when i install my IECVA1's -










A Blackforrest BFI Gearbox mount complete (i already have the engine side but cheaper out and used the BFI insert for the OEM mount..... i was never happy having the OEM mount there) -










New OEM Rear Main Seal.... as i lost the plastic cap for the one i fitted when i initially built the engine.










A Integrated Engineering Cam Pulley... well why not, it's so nicely made :laugh:
i also got a EKA Friction disc for the cam Pulley ( i Already have a ARP bolt for the pulley)


























A rather heavy Girdle Plate to keep my Bottom end nice a stiff under high RPM & High boost :8










So i've got plenty to do.....still also have to remove the bushes from the front suspension bits to get them over to the powder coaters.

So long for now,

Graham.


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## badger5 (Nov 17, 2003)

wow
girdle

what you planning on pumping it up to power wise ?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

badger5 said:


> wow
> girdle
> 
> what you planning on pumping it up to power wise ?


Hi Bill, i just wanted to make sure everything's held together well for the future. The turbo should be good for 7-800bhp.... :screwy:

*Weekend Update*

Yesterday i started doing something i wanted to do for a while, that was checking the block / main bearing caps were round & true etc.... there's plenty of people who say after fitting ARP main studs the bores should be line bored / honed.

So i started off building up the bore gauge i got offof ebay (£75 delivered) 

I then cleaned up all the main bearing caps and put all the ARP main studs back in to the block. 

Torqued them down to 60lb/ft and started checking the clearances of the Main Bearing caps. 

So the main bearing cap diameter is 59.00mm - i searched high and low for this figure online, as i wanted to check everything was in order before testing the main bearings. 

I started by zero'ing the DTI @ 59.00 perfectly so that it would be easier to measure the +/-


















I then decided to check each bore in 5 planes.... this was to check for any misalignment of the bearing caps... on some caps there was a slight step at the mating face even before being torqued up, it seems these blocks must "settle" a bit.
I was worried that too much of a step would cause the clearance to be too small and pinch the crank - this wouldn't be picked up with plastigauge.

The figures are below -










As you can see some of the figures are a little off..... namely across the joining lines but before i started "adjusting" the main bearing cap sides to correct them i decided that the real test is what the clearance is like with the bearings in place. 

I then measured the thickness of the shells to see if there was any variation between them.... the answer was no they were all exactly the same. With the joining edges being thinner. This is normal for bearing shells as this is how the oil film is generated - by creating a wedge of oil that then gets transported round the bearing by the journal. 

I checked the shells and found a couple of tiny marks on the backs of them so i ran a small flat needle file over the back of the shells to remove any tiny high spots from storage / manufacturing.... 

With everything re-fitted and re-torqued i then checked the sizes again -










I also measured up the main journals of the crankshaft and put them in the table, along with the calculated minimum clearance (based on dimension A only - 90 degrees to joining face) 
So the clearances look good between 0.03mm and 0.06mm - The Haynes manual states for new bearings between 0.01mm and 0.04mm with a wear limit of 0.15mm.

The clearances across the joining line is quite a bit larger but i really struggled to find any limit's for these.... apparently if the 90 degree clearance is correct the joining line is not very important due to the extra clearances already machined into the bearings. 

I wanted to check all these dimensions before i fitted the girdle to see if it changed anything 

So the next day i started playing with my Girdle.... of course the wife thought this was hilarious !!! :laugh:

Started off removing the original ARP main studs i bought -










Quick shot to show the extra length of the Girdley Studs -










First of all i cleaned the threads out in the block, using a M10 coarse plug tap -










Then fitted all by hand until they bottomed out, then put the caps back on -


















Next up i popped on the spacer rings, before i tried the girdle plate on -










I noticed that the plate was rocking so in the absence of a surface plate i thought i'd check the lengths of the spacers prior to torquing the plate down. 
I was quite surprised to find the spacers quite different in length (i know the spacers are to be machined down.... but if they are uneven when the plate is bolted down we will give me inaccurate dimensions to machine them down by)


















I then checked them and noticed the machining marks..... really hard to photo but the middle was quite pronounced.










After a quick rub of them against a file mounted in the vice they were much better....to within 0.05mm so good enough to start.

Unfortunately i didn't have a straight edge in the garage ( i'll bring one home from work this week) so i used the bar of some manual vernier callipers - all the caps were nicely inline so happy days.










I then dropped the girdle back on and it was sitting a little better. When i turned over the girdle it was still a bit rocky..... after measuring it with feeler gauges it appears to have a slight bend in the plate (0.5mm). Not worried about the bend as it'll flatten down easy once the bolts are torqued up.


















That was all i got done, next time i get in the garage i'll torque the mains up and measure the bearings again to see if the girdle alters the clearances at all. And then measure how much the spacers need to have removed to finalise the girdle position.

Thanks for reading,

Graham.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Check the holes that the bolts go into from the oil pan. I got 1 from the dealer and found that they were smaller than the rest of the oil pan bolts. Which I found odd being that the rear main I pulled off used the same size bolts as the rest of the oil pan.

Do you mind checking it and letting me know if they are different for you or if they are the same?


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Instead of those spacers, why didn't you just get the tall boy main caps?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> Check the holes that the bolts go into from the oil pan. I got 1 from the dealer and found that they were smaller than the rest of the oil pan bolts. Which I found odd being that the rear main I pulled off used the same size bolts as the rest of the oil pan.
> 
> Do you mind checking it and letting me know if they are different for you or if they are the same?


Yeh no problems, i'm away with work till the weekend but i'll take a look and let you know.



MÄDDNESSS said:


> Instead of those spacers, why didn't you just get the tall boy main caps?


A couple of years ago i bought some 034 billet main caps for a spare block, i phoned around everywhere in the UK but nobody would machine them for me... the only place that gave it a go, tried and smashed 2 tools in the process. They said because the caps were so hard it deflected the tooling into the block rather then cut the hardened caps.

I have even contacted well known race engine manufactures here in the UK and they say the same..... they just mill the OEM main cap flat on the top and use a piece of bar across the tops rather than the spacers. 

To be honest i'm sure it'll all hold up well....

Cheers,

Graham.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> Check the holes that the bolts go into from the oil pan. I got 1 from the dealer and found that they were smaller than the rest of the oil pan bolts. Which I found odd being that the rear main I pulled off used the same size bolts as the rest of the oil pan.
> 
> Do you mind checking it and letting me know if they are different for you or if they are the same?


Hi Mate, i've checked the RMS and the bolt holes are the correct M7 ones so :thumbup:


*Dead line timescale !!!*

Just sat here on holiday, been with the family and best friends.... Sat talking the other day to my Mate who is getting married next year and for his stag doo he wants to do the ring in our cars...... That'll be in Late April next year, so i best get my finger out. Should make the deadline easy, but the only thing now is i have several things of high value still to buy.... Front brake set-up etc. may have load the credit card up to finish the built ! 

So the plan will be to get it running asap and even if im not 100% happy with some things i can always come back and redo some stuff after the trip. Really need to have it running by Christmas to allow time for running in / tuning and of course some decent testing to ensure it'll all run good enough to destroy my mates 500bhp scooby round the ring 

Get back on Thursday from me jollys and the wife says after spending two weeks with her im free for man time in the garage all weekend so expect some updates 


*Fridays Update -*

So before i went on holiday i measured up the main crankshaft bearing bores without the girdle fitted to see if it adjusted the clearance by fitting the Crank Girdle. 
I left it torqued up 60ft/lb's so yesterday i set about measuring the bearings with the Bore gauge. Set the bore gauge up and zero'd on 54mm dead.

I checked the clearances and a few were a little off at 45 degrees to the mating faces so i adjusted the main bearing caps.... the ones that were a little off were loose in the block. 
While i was away on holiday i downloaded an read "Racing Engine Builders Handbook" which although was aimed a big American V8's the engineering principles are the same. 
In the book it suggested using a blunt chisel / punch to bruise the block next to the cap cut-out, i did this and retorqued everything back up and the figures are much better.
It also stated not to measure line bearings & Bores whilst the engine was fitted to a stand as it can distort the figures.... so i pulled the block off the stand and layer it flat on my bench.

Here are the final figures recorded showing the calculated clearances -










Really Really happy that the block doesn't need line boring / honing. All the clearances are spot on so happy days. 

Next job was measuring the clearances between the Girdle plates and the bottom face of the block. The dimension is then used to calculate the amount of material to remove from the spacers fitted to the main bearing bolts. 

I numbered up the spacers (marker pen & centre punched dots for Numbers) and measured the points all round the block, then you need to subtract a little from the measured amount to account for sealant / compression etc - I removed 0.03mm from the measured values... once they are machined i'll rebuild and check the clearance again if it's too large i can adjust them a little more.










Gonna drop in and see the machinist firm in Bridgwater we use for work, hopefully get him to machine the spacers this week then i can re-assembly next weekend. 

Today is going to consist of finishing off prepping the block for paint....i ordered this offof ebay (frost restoration.. very good seller with fast delivery) - 










Decided to go for aluminium colour as appose to the black like it was before. Think it'll look nice. 

I'll update again after a bit more progress. 

Cheers, 
Graham.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Mini Update*

I managed to finally get all the factory paint & rust off the block yesterday...... Took hours and my garage is now covered in metal dust :banghead:

I popped the engine on a trusty Workmate and sprayed the POR Metal prep stuff on.... Kept it wet for 30 mins as per the instructions. 










I washed it off with clean water and using some thin pipe cleaner brushes i bought cleaned out all the oil passageways in the block. I then dried it quickly using compressed air. I was quite surprised that the Metal prep had done to the metal - 


















I thought it was surface rust but it didn't clean or rub off.... So i guessed its the coating it puts on the metal.

After the first coat of POR15 engine enamel -


















Like most paints its sold under the false selling of "only one coat required" but to get it looking good would have resulted in loads of runs.... So i put it on quite thinly. 

After second coat - 


















So the block is looking pretty now, and all the passageways are nice and clean.... I oiled the bearing surfaces / bores when i was done painting to stop and metal worm starting. 

Oh i also managed to get my Girdle spacers machined last week for free so happy days.

Gonna try and get the bottom end all finished and re-assembled next weekend. 

-------------

*Engine Re-Assembly Time*

Well i've managed to spend a good couple of hours in the garage today, started off by clearing the benches and cleaning up. Then i put some thick plastic sheet down to work off so i didn't get any dust / metal filings onto the engine components. 

I started off by removing all the paint from the mating surfaces...then I decided to use a little wet & dry on the main bearing surfaces to take any highspots / marks off them then I did another final clean of the oil passages and the inside of the engine. 

Ready for Re-assembly -










Once it was all ***** and spam i then started cleaning the parts and laying them out for the reassembly. 

I did however notice a few burrs / chips on the main bearing holes, i just touched them with a file and they fell off so worth checking things very carefully... if the rock hard burrs / chips came off they would have destroyed the bearings / journals. 

I took a picture of it but it's not that clear. The chips were on the radius edge where the hole has been punched out -










Main Bearing caps / Calico main bearings laid out ready to refit -










I then refitted the upper main shells -










Shortly followed by the new long ARP Main Studs -










Then i dug the TDI 95.5mm crankshaft out of its hiding place..... all wrapped up in oil soaked paper towel, and looking like a mummy -










Undressed - 










I then cleaned the crank very thoroughly, the first time i built it i just blew out the oil ways in the crank with compressed air....at the time i though that ways good enough but apparently it wasn't as there was grinding dust in there. I used the pipe brushes i bought from Frost Restorations and it was surprising how much cr4p came out the oil ways -










I was just about to drop the crank in when i realised i hadn't put the oil squirters in, so cleaned them up and double checked the err check valves. Then got some of my Threadlock loctite style stuff out to put a little dab on the bolt as they only take a pinch to tighten. 










Installed them & torqued to the spec in the Manual -










Next up was Lubing up the bearing journals in preparation for lifting in the crankshaft. I used Redline assembly lube.

The stuff in question -










Put the thrust bearings in and Lubed her up ready to take it 










Smeared a bit on the crank -










Crank lifted in -










Main Bearing caps dropped on -










Next up was the Girdle. I placed the spacers onto the studs and then dropped the plate on and torqued it up to 60lb/ft -


















I then measured up the clearance between the block & Girdle. When i had the spacers machined i gave him a tolerance of -0 and +0.02 so the guy machined them slightly on the long side so i could fine tune them if required. 

Here is the measured clearances on the right with my sums on the left -










Next up i removed the Girdle and spacers and started to file / lapp them down to size. 

I used a bit of 320 wet and dry on the back of the vice -










After an hour i had them all nicely to size and parallel... refitted, torqued down and rechecked. I could just about get 1 thou feeler gauge in in the middle (down to the bend in the girdle) i then tried pulling the sump bolts down to check and it closed right up. 
So with that being complete i decided to start checking the oil pump.

It does state in the instructions for the girdle that some pumps require the webbing to be ground to obtain some clearance. My pump was of course the type that needed grinding -










I then used a marker pen and a dremmel to grind some webbing away -


















Pump fits nice, even dropped the chain on to check length / tensioner etc.... then i realised you can't get the chain tensioner back on with the girdle fitted :facepalm:










Anyhow had to call it a night so covered the block up to keep any dust off the engine -










That's it till next weekend, my plan for next weekend is to change the wrist pins to the tool steel versions i bought a while ago and get the rest of the block built up. 

Thanks for reading,

Graham.


----------



## stevemannn (Apr 17, 2008)

:thumbup: love this build man. i have the girdle also, ill remember to put the chain tensioner on first thanks to you lol


----------



## brwmogazos (Oct 12, 2011)

Great write up.

Keep it coming


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

stevemannn said:


> :thumbup: love this build man. i have the girdle also, ill remember to put the chain tensioner on first thanks to you lol


Thanks man, appreciate it :heart:



brwmogazos said:


> Great write up.
> 
> Keep it coming


Cheers :beer: here's another update :thumbup:


*Update*

Well i managed to spend a good 12 hours in the garage yesterday :clap: finally got finished at 1:00 this morning. Really happy with the progress yesterday.

Anyhow I'll start from the beginning......

Started off by unpacking my Shallow baffled INA sump and dropping it on to check for ARP to sump clearance, It appears i need to grind some clearances into the edge of the transmission side of the engine :banghead2:










So i decided to put the sump to one side and look at it again later. 
I then removed the crank Girdle ready to put the crank seal housings / oil pump chain tensioner on.
I cleaned the crank seal housing up and wiped the mating surfaces clean with panel wipe, i also had to remove a bit of paint from the end before using the VW Sump sealant to seal it all up.










Oil Pump chain cable tied up out the way, housing on -










To get the larger Rear crank seal on i had to remove the upper bolts / arms from the engine stand. I dropped them off then oiled the crank in preparations for fitting the seal. I tried to fit it and it wasn't wanting to side on so i pulled it all back off and inspected the white fitting aid.... there was a sharp burr round the edge of the plastic so i busted out the knife and put a nice chamfer on it - 

RMS with plastic fitting aid -










Crankshaft cleaned up and engine stand upper bolts / brackets removed -










Oiled up the crank end and the seal, fitted without any issues the second time round. For anybody doing this make sure you don't force the seal as it can be damaged very easily... all on and bolts torqued -










Both ends fitted and ready for the girdle to be fitted. As i was sealing the girdle to the block before fitting the sump i used the original (shorter) M7 bolts, i checked they would clamp the girdle before the bottomed out in the holes but a few bottomed out... so i thought about cutting the OEM bolts down and using the ones supplied with the girdle for final sump installation. 
Then i found some nice heavy duty M8 washers i got from work for the exhaust to cylinder head flange. 

Once i was all set-up and ready to go i cleaned the mating faces of the block & girdle with panel wipe then once dry i put a small 1.0mm bead of sealant around the block. I then placed the girdle on, lined it up and put all the ARP nuts & sump bolts in.... Torqued the Mains up to 60lb/ft and the M7 bolts to 15lb/ft.


















Everything went ok so i wiped off the excess on the outside and inside. 
Next up was fitting the oil pump (which turned out to be silly as i took it back off again to gain access to Cylinder 1 conrod bolts)


















I then fitted the crankshaft timing belt drive pulley, with its ARP bolt lubricated with oil. In the absence of having anything to stop the crank rotating i wedged a fibreglass hammer shaft in the block and torqued the bolt up. 
I couldn't find the spec sheet that came with the bolt so after searching online i found several different suggestions so i torqued it to 74lb/ft then using a breaker bar with some roll cage pipe on the end i managed to get just short of 1/4 of a turn. Put my large torque wrench on its max setting of 200lb/ft and it clicked before it tightened anymore... so it's in excess of 200lb/ft. 










Next up i decided to start getting some bits on the outside of the engine.... just to clear up some of the clutter. 
Water pump, manual tensioner idle roller, trigger sensor & thermostat. -


























Next up i dropped the Gates cam belt on, put the OEM covers on and wanted to check the fitment for the Fluidamper, which was perfect by the way -










After all that i unpacked all the pistons & rods from there freezer bags -










Stripped the rings off piston 1 and remembered i only needed to take off the lower oil control rings to get the wrist pins out. So removed all the rings from them all and separated the rods -










Here are the tapered tool steel wrist pins i bought from IE -










Standard JE ones (parallel) -










Next i got out my accurate scales i bought from ebay and started weighing all the components -










There was half a gram difference between new wrist pins, so i weighed the pistons and matched the heaviest wrist pins with the lightest pistons and visa versa -










Then i measured the pistons with the matching wrist pins and the total weights of them were within 0.1 of a gram so i'm very happy with that :clap:
I also weighed the con rods (which were previously balance end to end by Quasar engineering in stockport)
Again with-in half a gram so good enough in my eyes. 

I then cleaned up the con rods installed the bearings and torqued them up in a vice to 50lb/ft (holding the big end in the vice and not the neck of the rod) I then checked the big end clearances and they all came in at 0.04mm so well within the factory limits of new bearings... happy days

All measured - 










Next up i checked the little end sizes and checked they all fitted in the pistons nicely, then using some Redline assembly lube on the pins i assembled the pistons to the rods... and then refitted the piston rings. 


























I already gapped the rings during the first assembly. I then went about setting the position of all the ring gaps, i used the JE instructions -










The piston & rings were then lubed up with mineral oil and using a ring compressor slotted into the oiled up bores :laugh:

I lubed up the con rod journals with redline lube and torqued the ARP rod cap bolts to 50lb/ft (cracked off 3 times each and re-torqued) all done -


















Oil pump back on -

















Top shots -


















Really happy with yesterdays progress, next job on the list is checking over the head before refitting. 

Cheers,

Graham.


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

After yesterdays long day in the garage i had to spend a little bit of time with the family today. 

I did however manage to sneak back in there for an hour, so i tidied up and started on the cylinder head. 

Previously for those that can't remember i built the head up using full Supertech valve train etc...

This time the spec will be -

Supertech Inconel Exhaust Valves (Standard Size & Tripple Groove Retainers)
Supertech Black Nitrided Intake Valve (Standard Size & Tripple Groove Retainers)
Supertech Valve Spring Kit
Supertech Titanium Spring Retainers
Supertech Valve Guides
Supertech Valve Stem Seals
New OEM Valve Retainers
Integrated Engineering IECVA1's Strip & Street Camshafts 
IE Adjustable Cam Pulley 
ARP Cam Pulley Bolt
EKA Friction Disc for Cam Pulley
New OEM Hydraulic Lifters
New OEM Cam Chain
Ported & Polished Exhaust Ports
Face Skimmed

Got the head set out to work on -










Got the valve cover of and started the partial strip down -










Half an hour later and i had the camshafts out -










The old bits that won't be getting used in the head rebuild -










I read some interesting threads on VWVortex about how on some engines that have suffered from sludge the oil galleries can be blocked... so my plan is to check very thoroughly all the oil ways. 
When i got this head it was very dirty with thick sludgy oil so i must admit i was a bit worried....although all the journals are ok and no signs of oil supply issues. 
There is a grubs screw at the end of one of the drilled oil ways so i removed it and had a poke around with welding wire. It seemed very clear to me. I blew compressed air through the oil supply hole but due to the shear amount of oil holes it was impossible to check they were ok.
I'm going to plug the outlets with plasticine and blow air though the main supply line from the cylinder head face and check each point they're clear.... once i've down that i can be happy to run the head. 

I was going to strip the head completely and have the inlets ported etc but i can't really justify spending the money on it at the moment....too many other things to spend money on at the moment. 

I'm off to Barcelona next weekend for my mates stag so i won't get anything done for a fortnight.... i will update in a couple of weeks. 

Thanks As always,

Graham.


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## [email protected] (Dec 18, 2009)

Are you still planning to drop off your head and box for soda blasting and head work?

I got myself a big ultrasonic cleaner also so the head can go in that also


----------



## [email protected] (Jan 2, 2009)

Looking great so far! Sorry about the chain tensioner- I'll have the guys add a note about that to the instructions. I could have sworn I've wrangled one in there before, but who knows. Girdles are fussy about the order you do things in. 

On the sludge, the galley you mostly need to check is the one which runs directly across the top of the exhaust passages and feeds the exhaust lifter buckets. I think it's quite hot back there (obviously) and if a previous owner has used cheap oil, this seems to be where the price is paid. 

Not even sure I'd call it sludge, what we've been seeing is more like a burnt on, hard carbon deposit. It's quite firm.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81, I don't know why my RMS has 2 different holes there, it's making me nervous. I just checked it the other day and there's some oil around that area. I really hope it's not coming from the RMS...

That girdle looks pretty cool. Is it one size fits all?, considering cranks have different stroke lengths.


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> Are you still planning to drop off your head and box for soda blasting and head work?
> 
> I got myself a big ultrasonic cleaner also so the head can go in that also


Hi Andrew, i've sent you a PM.



[email protected] said:


> Looking great so far! Sorry about the chain tensioner- I'll have the guys add a note about that to the instructions. I could have sworn I've wrangled one in there before, but who knows. Girdles are fussy about the order you do things in.
> 
> On the sludge, the galley you mostly need to check is the one which runs directly across the top of the exhaust passages and feeds the exhaust lifter buckets. I think it's quite hot back there (obviously) and if a previous owner has used cheap oil, this seems to be where the price is paid.
> 
> Not even sure I'd call it sludge, what we've been seeing is more like a burnt on, hard carbon deposit. It's quite firm.


Thanks for the info Pete. 



MÄDDNESSS said:


> Grahams81, I don't know why my RMS has 2 different holes there, it's making me nervous. I just checked it the other day and there's some oil around that area. I really hope it's not coming from the RMS...
> 
> That girdle looks pretty cool. Is it one size fits all?, considering cranks have different stroke lengths.


My RMS also has additional holes, it's probably not coming from them. 
And yeh the girdles are one size fits all....my crank is 95.5mm so there's plenty of room for most cranks. 

*Update time  *

Spent a couple of hours in the garage the last couple of days. 
Lately I have been deliberating wether or not to remove the plugs from the oil galleries and clean them out with a pipe brush.

Here are the pesky ball bearings used to plug the oil galleries -


















I did think about removing the ball bearings but after centre punching one with a HSS tap it didn't even mark it.... hard as hell 

Anyhow i did some further inspection - I used a drill bit (by hand) through the oil holes for the lifters / camshaft journals - the drill didn't remove any unexpected carbon / coking. 
Next i then plugged the holes up with Blue-tak and checked everyone of the lubrication points with compressed air..... all clear and none blocked so happy days.

I then started to clean the head up a little more than i did originally. When you look into how the camshaft journals get lubricated they use the bolt holes as a gallery..... the first time round i didn't clean them so good -










I found a 8mm drill fitted perfect so i used it (again by hand) gently turning it to remove the old oily buildup.... then cleaned each thread out using a bottle style brush -

After cleaning looking much better -










All cleaned up and ready for installation -










Next i positioned the crank just before TDC of cylinder 1 & 4.... as i was installing the head without cams there wasn't really any chance of any touching the pistons but why risk it 










I then got the parts out of the spare room i was going to need for the re-assembly.

New Integrated Engineering overbore head gasket (allows bores of up to 83.5mm)..... i did think about re-using the one i originally built the engine up with as it'd never been het cycled etc. 
Then i chickened out and thought for the price of the gasket i'll kick myself if it gave way -










Next job was to dig out the ARP Head stud kit and clean it up after the first installation. 
Cleaned all the old lube off and put some fresh ARP Ultra-Torque Assembly Lubricant on the threads. 

Installed by hand -










Unpacked the head gasket, cleaned it up and dropped it on, taking care about the orientation -









Hopefully the last time i'll see the pistons :lol:










I then carefully lifted the head onto the block.... locating in the pins -










I then lubricated the bottom edge of the ARP nuts and dropped them on. I then followed the instructions and hand tightened all the nuts in sequence, followed by torquing them to 20,40,60 then finally 80ft/lbs. 

Instructions for reference -










Shot all torqued down showing the ARP nuts -










Next out of the spare room came some more IE goodies  -










IE Billet Adjustable Cam Pulley, EKAGrip washer, ARP Bolt -










Next up unpacked my Integrated Engineering IECVA1's... these are the version 1's that i bought from Clay @ CTS ages ago -










The camshafts claim an extra 100bhp on GT30 sized turbo's and after comparing them to original cams i can quite believe it !!

Comparison of Exhaust Cams -










Comparison of Inlet Cams -










By the looks of the cams IE really went to town with the design of these, nice radiuses on the noses... plenty of duration.... looks like it'll be easier on the valve train than the peaky OEM cams. 

Assembly time, put the Camshaft oil seal on, then the EKAGrip disc on - served with lashings of loctite style stuff. Torqued the bolt to 55ft/lbs if i can remember right (what ever the instructions said for the ARP bolt) -










Same for the inlet cam, seal on then trigger window - the OEM torque level was really low so i also loctited the bolt in, and torqued to OEM spec - 










Placed them in the head to check fitment (without Lifters).... all good on the exhaust cam. 
BUT then i ran into a problem with the Inlet camshaft. 


















The inlet cam didn't want to seat fully into the head, it was awfully tight to rotate too.... hhhmm time to investigate. Dropped the stock inlet back in - that was free as a a bird. 

I then busted out the verniers and started checking the journals of the IE cams... all perfect strange i thought but good news either way.
After much head scratching i thought ahhh maybe the width of the thrust cut out is too tight (last journal next to sprockets) again measured up all good.
I then found then last journal (thrust journal) on the cylinder head had burrs on it... Strange i checker all the journals very closely and it wasn't there before. That meant when i was turning the IE cam in the head it had burred the journal, but why all the sizes seamed perfect.

So i then concentrated on this journal and found the problem. The radiuses on the inlet camshaft were all not cut correctly, they are not deep enough.
For people who don't realise all changes in diameter should be radiused - the reason is a sharp 90 degree cut would create a weak point that a fracture could start from. 

All of the journals of the cylinder head are much narrower than the cutout in the camshaft so the only one that was causing an issue was the rear Thrust journal as its wider than the rest (to stop the camshaft floating in and out)

I placed a flat edge along the journal and slid it along until it touched the rounded edge to show what i found -










When i inspected the journal in the head i could see the cam had been rubbing on the edge of it thus creating the burr. Hard to photograph with an iPhone but its the last journal (the one with the oil hole... not the one with the groove thats the cam seal seat)










I decided the easiest way out of this was to chamfer the journal in the head to give clearance for the radius. Machining the camshaft would have been very difficult as it would have been very very hard.
I then decided to put plenty of paper in the head to collect the swarf - 










I then put a 1.0mm chamfer on the journal, both sides by hand, the aluminium is very soft so used a sharp knife and a needle file... again really hard to photo -


















I did this a few times, taking off a bit at a time until the cam until it span freely... happy days.

This shows why you should never throw parts into an engine without checking and double checking stuff. Even very high class manufacturers like Integrated Engineering can have mistakes when having stuff made. 
Most people just drop in cams but i think they should remove the lifter and check they spin freely with the caps installed. 

Next up i cleaned up all the camshaft caps and torqued them down to OEM spec - they still span nice and freely. 










I then unpacked the new hydraulic lifters and cleaned them up -










Removed the cam caps / camshafts in preparation for the final assembly -










Installed the lifters with plenty of redline lube on them -










I then put the crank round to TDC no 1 on the timing mark on the pulley and dropped the camshafts / VVC unit in with the new OEM timing chain -
Managed to get the timing right first time.... thinking it was luck more than judgement. 
16 Rollers between camshaft marks 

I also installed a new VVT gasket and half moon seal. A tiny bit of VW sealant on the areas that needed it (keeping away from the oil supply hole)

I then torqued down the cam caps in the correct order - Caps 2 & 4 first on each cam then 6 then 1 and finally 3. Cap 6 also got sealant on the faces. 

Dropped in -










All bolted up and torqued 










Next up, i popped the Gates kevlar belt on with the IE manual tensioner. I do have a TFSI tensioner coming from [email protected] which i'm gonna try out.
I'm planning on doing lots of testing with different set-ups - i'll report back on belt tensions once they arrive. 


















Next i cleaned up the rocker cover gaskets and fitted the covers to the inlet cams -










I cleaned up the NA rocker cover i bought a while ago and dropped it on -


















Probably gonna paint it wrinkle black but i just want to get the motor all sealed up to stop any dirt getting into it.

And finally the money shot 


















Really happy now, just the oil filter housing to clean up then install the ancillaries.... oh and the sump. 

Thanks for reading and any comments, 

Graham.


----------



## BH17DNB (Feb 21, 2011)

Great thread! Lots to learn from it! Keep up the good work!


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

BH17DNB said:


> Great thread! Lots to learn from it! Keep up the good work!


Thanks Mate :beer:

*Mini Update* 

I'm working from home this week  so i managed to sneak into the garage for a few hours tonight...... i wish i hadn't bothered. 

I'll rewind a bit, at the weekend i put the inlet manifold on, fitted the ID1000 injectors. I haven't ordered an IE fuel rail yet, but it's on the shopping list. I fitted the OEM fuel rail to hold the injectors in place and keep any dirt out of the system.
I also fitted the dipstick and tube. 

Pics for proof -


















Next up i wanted to get the block sealed up so i started to look again at the INA Shallow Baffled Sump. 
Last time i tried the sump it on it wouldn't sit right as it was fouling on the ARP mains due to the girdle. 

There were welds penetrated into the sump - 


















So i measured up and got the dremmel out to start making a clearance for the bolts -










Once it was clear of the bolts i checked the clearance of the oil pump chain to the sump with plasticine and it measured up at 3mm.

Put the oil pick-up on -










After Gulfstream gave me a heads-up to check the dipstick hole position... i did and found it was just catching on the edge of the hole so i ground it oval a bit to clear it -










Then while i was checking the clearances i nipped some of the bolts down to find the sump pull up on the other side -


















I then decided to try and nip the rest of the bolts down and check to see if the sump would pull up flush. I then torqued all the bolts down to spec and got the feeler gauges out.
Unfortunately there are areas that are not pulling down flush so i then took the sump off and started to look at it with a straight edge. 

HHHhhhhhmmmmm not very happy... it's obviously pulled like hell when it's been welded. 

Here's some pics showing the straight edge across the sump showing how crazy the angle of the plate is -

First pic showing me holding the straight edge against the plate...









The other end of the straight edge with a 3.5mm allen key showing the size of the gap []


















Tested a little bit further up closer to the edge to find it even more distorted... just over 4mm here -










Random shots from around the sump -


































I think the only way to sort this is gonna be milling or grinding the face flat. I'm a bit p*ssed off really i shouldn't have to do this sort of thing. 

Anyhow thats enough moaning for now.


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Small Update*

I decided to go with a TSFI style cam belt tensioner instead of the IE manual set-up i was going to run. 
It came last week from [email protected], this consists of a tensioner that fits into the core plug of the head, with a special bolt that goes from M10 to M8. 

Here's the kit in question -


















































So i stripped off the Fluidamper / timing belt covers, this is the Manual set-up -










Here is a comparison between the tensioning rollers -


















I fitted the new set-up with the supplied INA timing belt - i was doing some testing on belt tension using various belts.... i won't go into details in this thread as it was for a thread on VWVortex. 
My final set-up is this tensioner with a Gates racing belt.

New set-up -


























For those that are interested the new tensioner is spring loaded so it keeps the belt preloaded.

Here is how you set the tension -










I had to drill the timing belt cover to get it fitting flush. Here's a photo of the finished job 










Sump -

I tried to straighten the flange of the sump in a vice a bit at a time on the low points.

I bolted it up and after a few attempts of rebinding it - it wasn't that bad. So i put some sealant of and torqued it down. 
I'll fill it up with oil on the stand and check for leaks. 

Next job i stripped the paint off the oil filter housing block, i painted it black during the first engine build.... wish i hadn't as it took ages to get off. 

Stripped it down -










And bolted it upto the block, finally all sealed up now 










Next job is gonna be stripping the gearbox down to check all the internals are in good condition. 
I've also ordered up some strengthened 02M shifting forks from USP in America.

--------------------------

*Gearbox Update*

Well this weekend i started on the gearbox. For those that can't remember i bought the Audi TT Quattro gearbox from ebay, the guy reckoned it was a low mileage unit but i had no way of verifying.... so i decided to check it over, also replace the shift forks.... i searched a while for a guide on stripping the gearbox down, never found one - closest thing was a guide on fitting a diff. 

I started off by having a massive clean-up after the engine build-up. Then i wrapped the engine up in plastic sheet to keep any crap off it -










Next up i lifted the box onto the bench to start working on it, it's fair to say it's plenty heavy... nearly pulled my back out. 










I then busted out a 14mm Allen key and cracked off the drain plugs, balanced precariously to allow it to drain into a bucket, i was pleased to see the oil looked in good nick, no lumps of metal / shavings so a good start 










Next up i removed the clutch slave cylinder and then the M8 bolts from inside of the bell housing. 










Then i removed the outside screws holding the transfer box on.... i didn't have any instructions for how to remove this bit so i just tried to pull the transfer case off.... it moved out by about 5mm and stopped. 
I then decided to remove the output flanges from the gearbox to see if that allowed the transfer box to come out of the gearbox. 
Normal side was easy peasy, just removed the centre screw with a 6mm hexagon bit.... the flange came out nicely. 

The next side however goes right through the transfer box and into the centre of the diff... so about 8" deep.... deeper than my long series allen keys reached, no problem i thought i have a hexagon bit, but the bore was too small to get my 1/2" set down, i then got the 3/8's set out and that was too big [] i didn't have an adaptor to use with a 1/4" set so i stood and scratched my head for a while. 
I then came up with a solution, i found an old 6mm long reach allen key so i chopped the angle off to use in a 6mm 1/4" socket... i then tried it in and it still wasn't long enough 

So i then looked in the bottom of my toolbox and found some 6mm key steel.... i used this in the socket as an extension with a comedy large tap wrench on the end, i then tried to loosen the bolt and span the allen key in the head 
I knew i should have cut the ball off the end of the allen key but i was lazy, as the ball span it got stuck in the bolt head and i couldn't for the life of me get it out.... i spend an hour then trying to remove the allen key from the screw head...... lesson learned don't be lazy and cut corners it only costs you in the end. 
Eventually i got the allen key bit out and cut the ball off, i then put it back in and give it a knock to shock the screw and reform the head.
Luckily this worked and i got the bolt out, here's a pic of the tool i used -










Once the bolt was out the transfer bolt pulled out nicely -










Next up i removed the rest of the bolts from the outside of the box -










I really struggled to get the covers opened fully so i decided to remove the gear selector assembly, having never had one of these boxes in parts i had no idea what i was doing so i just loosened everything... after another 10mins of struggling i had it out - 










Once out the cover lifted off very easily -










Shots of the Gears exposed -


















I then found a screw holding the input shaft in place, i slackened it and turned the locking plate round to allow me to remove the input shaft -


























I couldn't get the other gears out so i refitted the cover and flipped the gearbox over then removed the other side cover -


















I then lifted out the diff assembly -










Then the reverse gear, and another gear selector -










Then the output shafts with their gear selectors -


























All laid out ready for inspection -










After a quick check of everything there doesn't appear to be any wear in the bearings / gears. 
All the outer races are solid in the housings, no signs of any turning or overheating. 
So my gamble worked out 

I then cleaned the housings out -


















Next weekend hopefully my new billet selector arms will be here from the states.
I'm gonna order up new seals and o-rings for the box but i can't see the point in replacing the bearings.... it takes loads of faff on checking and adjusting the preloads etc if you replace the bearings. 

Thanks for any comments,

Graham.


----------



## All_Euro (Jul 20, 2008)

Sorry to hear about your sump woes... that really is BS - now at least the rest of us know what to expect with that piece.

Thanks for documenting you 02M work too. I've got a TT quattro unit to replace my fwd 02M and couldn't find any real info on stripping it down or common things to look for and possibly replace while it's out. Mine's apart and waiting for a diff... looking forward to seeing yours take shape :thumbup:


----------



## gitman (May 13, 2004)

i love your write-up. this thread is simply inspirational. thank you :thumbup:


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## INA (Nov 16, 2005)

Grahams81 said:


> I think the only way to sort this is gonna be milling or grinding the face flat.


Graham,
Excellent progress so far. As explained via email and will post it here as well , you do not need to modify the pan at all (milling/grinding the face).
Install the oil pan as it is , apply the sealant and torque down the bolts. It will not leak. 
If you have any questions do not hesitate to fire over an email.


----------



## badger5 (Nov 17, 2003)

INA said:


> Graham,
> Excellent progress so far. As explained via email and will post it here as well , you do not need to modify the pan at all (milling/grinding the face).
> Install the oil pan as it is , apply the sealant and torque down the bolts. It will not leak.
> If you have any questions do not hesitate to fire over an email.


How much sealant requireed before "excessive" comes to mind..... and what excess in the areas the flange touches vs those which dont from warp, goes and extrudes inside when clamped? I dont like the idea of this personally. Flat flange face would be a better start point. Perhaps heavier gauge which may not distort so much after all the welding.


----------



## gitman (May 13, 2004)

could you not use the felpro gasket in this case (as so many have done with the OE pan)?


----------



## INA (Nov 16, 2005)

badger5 said:


> Perhaps heavier gauge which may not distort so much after all the welding.


We are looking into this for the future batch baring in mind that this was oil pan #06A103601FEWS-0189 ( Almost 200 of these pans have made it to market ).


gitman said:


> could you not use the felpro gasket in this case (as so many have done with the OE pan)?


The only 06A gasket we are aware of is the one that comes on the 1.9 TDI Eurovan's which is very similar to that of the old school AEB's but just for 06A fitment.


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## gitman (May 13, 2004)

INA said:


> The only 06A gasket we are aware of is the one that comes on the 1.9 TDI Eurovan's which is very similar to that of the old school AEB's but just for 06A fitment.


http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...or-50-Trim&p=79715343&viewfull=1#post79715343

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...set-os-30708-r/15780849-p?searchTerm=os30708r

:thumbup:


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## INA (Nov 16, 2005)

gitman said:


> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...or-50-Trim&p=79715343&viewfull=1#post79715343
> 
> http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...set-os-30708-r/15780849-p?searchTerm=os30708r
> 
> :thumbup:


:what::thumbup:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Thanks for all the comments guys :thumbup:*



gitman said:


> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...or-50-Trim&p=79715343&viewfull=1#post79715343
> 
> http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/...set-os-30708-r/15780849-p?searchTerm=os30708r
> 
> :thumbup:


Thanks for the information, unfortunately they don't seem to ship to the UK..... i think I'm gonna pull the sump and check for sealant penetration if it looks a little excessive i'll have the face milled flat, or see if any of you kind people in the US fancy sending me a felpro gasket if i send them paypal.

*Tiny Update* 

So i've been very busy lately with work, working weekends etc and then friends weddings this weekend so unfortunately i haven't had much time on the car. 
It hasn't stopped me being stuff though.

My strengthened shift forks from USP turned up a couple of weeks back, they look very nice and strong.... in fact quite agricultural. 
For those who don't know the OEM 1-2 & 3-4 shift forks can break where they are joined by rivets. 

The replacements are one piece steel with moulded hard plastic ends (to stop any wear agains the shifting rings)

Here are some pictures of the forks, both together -










Picture of the OEM parts -










Comparison Pictures -


















The only thing is the early 02m shifting forks have a bushing on the shifting fork (this is for a spring loaded ball) but the replacement doesn't have one.... apparently they work just fine without it.

As all the bearings / gears look fine i'm not planning on replacing any of them, i am going to check the end float / preload on all the shafts.... i'll go into this in detail when i do, maybe even write a small DIY for those that are interested. 

I also started gathering parts for the fuelling... a while ago i bought a used Audi TT Quattro OEM fuel pump and sender assembly, this is because my original Cupra fuel pump has no provision for the two sided pick-up required with the new Quattro fuel tank. 

I have also been looking into the high pressure fuel side of things as a OEM fuel pump isn't exactly gonna be enough to fuel 4 x 1000cc injectors at high boost pressure.... so i decided on a surge tank is really the only way to go. 
I did plenty of research and decided to stick with the tried and tested Bosch 044 pump, Integrated Engineering's Surge tank says their single 044 pump kits can support 650bhp.
As i may be knocking on the door of this figure i thought for the extra money i'd probably be better to buy their double pump set-up.... i have learnt during this project that doing things by halfs always cost me in the long run, i.e. end up running out of fuel and then having to redesign my set-up and selling stuff, so by doing this i can rest assured knowing that i'll always have enough fuel. Even if i go bananas and change turbo's / engines etc....

So knowing that i was gonna go with IE double pumper set-up i started to look for 044's.... it seems like they are much cheaper over here in the UK than the US. 

In the end i got bought two brand new in sealed boxes complete with fitting kits for £80 each.. thats a bargain considering Demon Tweeks want £350 for each pump. 










I was a little sceptical to see if the pumps were genuine but they certainly appear to be. 

Hopefully i'll get cracking on the gearbox rebuild next weekend. 

-----------------------------------------

*Gearbox update*

After considering options on cleaning the gearbox casings... i did consider having it shot blasted and painting it myself. But last weekend i decided to try and clean it up using some wire wheels.
The corrosion / crap came off it quite easily so i decided to buy various wire wheels / dremmel bits.

Before i started -










After a test clean of an area -










Cleaned the ID label off -










Getting there -










All done -










































The finish is still quite polished, i'm gonna give it a once over with some scothbrite to take the shine off it once its built but at least its clean. 
The gearbox was very badly corroded so the finish is still quite pitted, close up to show the pitting -










-----------------------------

*Gearbox Update*

Last time i was in the garage i'd just finished cleaning all the corrosion off the casing.
Today i started cleaning up the insides and removing all the old sealant, all ready to rock and roll with the rebuild - 


















Once i was done cleaning i cleaned the bench off and the lined it with some plastic sheet. 

Next up i then mounted each shaft one at a time in the casings to check for approx preload / endfloat. 










The factory way of doing this is too tighten the bolts and mount a DTI, then open the screws and measure how much the casings are pushed apart by. 
As i hadn't changed any of the bearings i didn't bother with the DTI method, i simply installed the shaft then checked there was a gap between the mating faces of the casings.... This meant the bearings were not overly worn or poorly adjusted from the factory. 
Anyways they were all ok so i started the assembly.

I assembled the box in true haynes manual style - ie assembly in reverse order of removal 

To start off i lifted in the output shaft for 1-4..... Along with the new billet selector arms - 










Shortly followed by 5-6 with their respective selectors -










Next up i dropped in the reverse gear / differential and then stupidly installed the selector mechanism.... Which i took back out 5 mins later 










To install the input shaft you have to put the bell housing on the spin the gearbox over and take the other case off..... This then leaves all the gears mounted in the bell housing, unless of course you install the selector mechanism too early like i did :cartman:

So after i back tracked and removed the selector mechanism it was all sitting in the bell housing - 


















Time to wiggle in the input shaft, it really is quite tricky to do on your own as you have to lift the other gears slightly out of their seats to get the shaft in..... Home - 










I then dropped the other casing back onto the box and again turned it over so the gears etc were mounted in the back casing, this then let me re-install the shifting tower mechanism -










I then laid a 1mm bead of sealant round the mating face and bolted them up, torquing the bolts up evenly around the circumference of the box. 
I haven't mentioned it but i freed off the setting pin for the selector tower as it was seized. 

All done - 


















Next weekend i'll check the transfer box over and get it all cleaned up and bolted back onto the gearbox. 

I've really enjoyed learning about the gearbox, i kinda wished i found it worn in side, just so i could have rebuilt it with new bearings throughout and shimmed them all up properly etc ...... But if it ain't broke don't fix it lol ! 

Thanks,

Graham.


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## stevemannn (Apr 17, 2008)

so excited,cant wait to see this baby done!
i have alot of the same engine parts as you do,and was also going to build the trans.
only thing is,you have alot more money than me haha.

sucks about the oil pan, i was going to run the same one as you.
keep up the good work man.:beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:


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## kingREPTAR (Jul 27, 2012)

Subbed.
In the process of putting together a very similar setup with an EFR7163, very curious about responsiveness of the larger turbo; might have to pick up an 8374 for drag days. 
Anyone want to buy a kidney?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

stevemannn said:


> so excited,cant wait to see this baby done!
> i have alot of the same engine parts as you do,and was also going to build the trans.
> only thing is,you have alot more money than me haha.
> 
> ...


Thanks mate :thumbup:, i dunno about the money thing.... I'm feeling the pinch at the moment too... :thumbdown:




kingREPTAR said:


> Subbed.
> In the process of putting together a very similar setup with an EFR7163, very curious about responsiveness of the larger turbo; might have to pick up an 8374 for drag days.
> Anyone want to buy a kidney?


Lol, i'm also curious about the turbo.... Although my friend was running a 7064 0.92 twin scroll on his Impreza and you wouldn't believe how responsive it was, full boost by 3200rpm and so quick up top. He's going EZ30 6 cylinder now with twin EFR's. 


*Small Update*

I snook in the garage for a few hours today. I started off by priming the clutch slave cylinder..... Dunno if you need too but seemed a good idea, i just compressed the piston in my hand submerged the pipe in brake fluid and slow released the piston.

Fitted to the gearbox - 










I then cleaned the transfer box up.... Shot of the number stamped into it - 


















Fitted to the gearbox, bolts torqued up. Then output flanges fitted with bolts torqued up to spec. 


















So thats the gearbox completely finished now. 

Next job is cleaning up the subframe / suspension components


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

You're wise to prime the clutch slave cylinder now while i's still out. the 02m slave cylinder is a bitch and half to bleed once it's in the car.

If you are SURE it's full, cap it so it's doesn't spill out.

Is that AWD attachment (that piece that bolts to the passenger side of the trans) swappable to a regular o2m tranny?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> You're wise to prime the clutch slave cylinder now while i's still out. the 02m slave cylinder is a bitch and half to bleed once it's in the car.
> 
> If you are SURE it's full, cap it so it's doesn't spill out.
> 
> Is that AWD attachment (that piece that bolts to the passenger side of the trans) swappable to a regular o2m tranny?


Thanks mate, seemed like a good idea to fill it up while it was accessible.... just need to find a plug cap or something to stop any crap getting in / oil coming out..

The transfer box for the AWD won't bolt to a FWD box, there are no holes / strengthening webs cast in the casings on a FWD version. There's also differences with holes for oil supply to / from the transfer box and the differential is different.... the diff on a quattro model has a large outer spline which drives the transfer box, the FWD diff just drives the driveshafts. they do look very similar though... good spot :thumbup:


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## l88m22vette (Mar 2, 2006)

^ I found that out the hard way, I got a screaming deal on a Peloquin with the diff ring and ARP bolts awhile back but had to sell it since FWD doesn't work with AWD (I thought it was based on 4cyl/6cyl like other 02M differences). I made some money on it but I'd rather it was in the trans right now


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation Grahams81.



l88m22vette said:


> ^ I found that out the hard way, I got a screaming deal on a Peloquin with the diff ring and ARP bolts awhile back but had to sell it since FWD doesn't work with AWD (I thought it was based on 4cyl/6cyl like other 02M differences). I made some money on it but I'd rather it was in the trans right now


Ouch. I've been there before. Good to hear you didn't lose money on it though.:beer:


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> The project has taken some twists and turns along the way, i originally planned a EFR7670 but as supply was a problem i ended up with a 8374. If i knew i was going with such a large turbo i would have built the engine as a 2008cc with single groove valves etc so it was a bit happier to rev...... but this is all hindsight and when i built the engine the turbo wasn't even thought about.


What's the reasoning behind this?

Why would you have rather done a 2008c build if you knew you were getting a bigger turbo? And why would have only done a single groove job? And what "ect" are you implying?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> What's the reasoning behind this?
> 
> Why would you have rather done a 2008c build if you knew you were getting a bigger turbo? And why would have only done a single groove job? And what "ect" are you implying?


Wow i wrote this long time ago...... it was just hindsight really (if i could have turned the clock back... i would now go 2008cc with tuscans & JE FSR pistons), the longer your around the more you read.... some say the 2067cc engines don't like to rev so much, but the more you read from people with experience they say it's not true.... and the low end grunt is awesome / better for spooling turbos up.

Also the single groove valves are apparently better at high rpms as the valve retainers (collets) grip the stem of the valve rather than just relying on the OEM triple groove retainers which just use machined locking retainers..... again i think its all theory and i've never seen an issue with triple groove valves failing due to the retainers. Lamborghini use exactly the same valve retainers on there engines, so there probably ok  

I'm really looking forward to actually getting this thing running..... i'm a little nervous i've made a bad choice with the turbo, i.e too large....i'm hoping its making good pressure by 4500rpm, that'll still give a nice 4000rpm power band.... but we'll see and i'll share my findings with the community. 

Oh and etc.... just meant Et cetera. 

Cheers,

Graham.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> Wow i wrote this long time ago...... it was just hindsight really (if i could have turned the clock back... i would now go 2008cc with tuscans & JE FSR pistons), the longer your around the more you read.... some say the 2067cc engines don't like to rev so much, but the more you read from people with experience they say it's not true.... and the low end grunt is awesome / better for spooling turbos up.
> 
> Also the single groove valves are apparently better at high rpms as the valve retainers (collets) grip the stem of the valve rather than just relying on the OEM triple groove retainers which just use machined locking retainers..... again i think its all theory and i've never seen an issue with triple groove valves failing due to the retainers. Lamborghini use exactly the same valve retainers on there engines, so there probably ok
> 
> ...


I'm gearing up for a 2.1 build myself. Which is what caused me to go over your build again.

I know what "ect" means, I thought you were implying other related parts.

So, knowing what you know now, you wouldn't have opted for the 2008cc?


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## badger5 (Nov 17, 2003)

the tall block motors would fair better from 95 crank imho...
they can rev to mid 8k with ease in them.. (ABF block, diesel crank)

not so convinced its a good place to be in a 1.8t block tho myself


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

badger5 said:


> the tall block motors would fair better from 95 crank imho...
> they can rev to mid 8k with ease in them.. (ABF block, diesel crank)
> 
> not so convinced its a good place to be in a 1.8t block tho myself


Yeh thats what i was thinking Bill.... i'm just to deep into it now to stop. If it gives up i'll know for future 

*Update*

After completing the gearbox last weekend, i decided to concentrate on the front end suspension... i thought it'd be a good idea to get the subframe back in before mounting the engine / gearbox. 

Just for those that can't remember the front suspension set-up is off a Audi TT 3.2 V6.

I started on the front subframe, lifted it up on the bench and started to clean it up -










I then set about stripping it down to clean it all up. 

When i undid the ARB and then found some sleeves on the ARB that were cracked.... i've not had the ARB's out before so i don't know if this a factory part or something that someone has added to take up wear in the ARB bush 
I also can't find them listed in the Spare parts manuals. 

Picture of the cracked sleeve -










Next up i removed the steering end ball joints and then removed the steering rack.... i do have a nice Powerflex black series steering clamp bush 

Looking bare -


















I then decided to remove the mounting bushes... which are split in two pieces by the way. 










Hears a shot of the bushes removed -










You can see there is a little corrosion on the subframe -










I was going to have all the suspension bits shot blasted and powder coated so i was a little undecided on what to do so i put the subframe to one side and started stripping the wishbones. 










I mounted the wishbone in the vice and removed the lower ball joints.... then the crappy job of removing the bushes, i wasn't looking forward to this part but it was quite easy really.

Obviously there's more than one way to remove these, but i chose the method of drilling holes through the rubber parts to weaken them, then i gripped the inside of the bush in the vice and turn the wishbone until the rubber sheared... i then pushed the middle of the bush out and then using a small chisel cut / knocked the outside part of the bush out. 

I didn't take any photo's along the way... sorry :ban:

All bushes removed -










A while back i stripped down one of the hubs, but hadn't got round to doing the second one... so i decided to get it stripped and knocked the bearing out / removed the ABS sensor. 

The hubs were in a bit of a state, actually looked like they were fitted to the titanic...










I was going to get all the suspension bits shot blasted and powder coated... as i'm feeling the pinch at the moment i decided to try and save a bit of money by cleaning them up and painting them myself. 

I got some POR15 products a while ago, excellent stuff by the way -










I started with the hardest things first, that being the hubs. 

After a few hours with a dremel and several rotary wire brushes i had one of the hubs looking great.










I then treated it to 30 mins of POR15 - Metal prep.... washed it off, then dried it off and mounted it on a old lower ball joint ready for a lick of POR15 Rust Preventer.


















The Rust preventer stuff is really runny so gave it a very light coat -


















Still got to give it another coat of Rust then give it a coat of TopCoat.

Thanks for reading,

Graham.

--------------------------

*Update time*

I've been off work all last week so i've managed to get a few days in the garage..... but it seems like I'm going backwards at the moment, the car is absolutely bare now... no running gear or anything anymore....

After the last update i cleaned up the second front wheel hub and painted it, Still got to scotch them both off and put some POR15 Topcoat on to finish but i think i'll press the front wheel bearings in first. 

Anyway shot of them together -










I'm not going to lie, it was a nightmare to get the hubs ready for painting... so i've decided to have all the parts shot blasted and powder coated. I'm gonna have them done just for a time saving exercise.... i would spend days cleaning the metal up and then days painting it all... time is what i don't have with me working away every week. 

After making the decision about the powder coating my next aim was to get all the parts ready to go to the powder coaters with all bushes / bearings etc removed. 

Next job was tackling the rear suspension as it all looks like its been at the bottom of the sea..... i know you can't see much of it but i can't leave stuff not 100%
I removed the rear hubs from the rear diff assembly -










I thought it was a long shot trying to remove the driveshaft nuts without a wheel on and still fitted to the car but i gave it a bash with my windy gun and the nut car right off 

I then used a copper drift to bash the driveshaft out of the rear wheel hub.... all separated -










Lifted the rear trailing arms up onto the tool bench to start stripping it all down -


























I then removed all the brake pipes / handbrake cables.... then knocked out the wheel hubs, then bearings. 










Then i stopped and did some research on the rear tie arm bushes / rose bearings. I didn't want to ruin the rose bearings and find out replacements were expensive.
What i did find out was the rose style bearings were discontinued by VAG and replacements were just rubber bushes... apparently if the rose bearings fail they can seize and snap the tie arms.
As my rose bearings are in great condition with intact rubber boots i think they'll be much better than rubber bushes. 

Close-up of the rose bearings i'm talking about -










I then found a nice piece of 1.25" sch10 pipe that fitted over the rubber boots and fitted perfectly on the outer race of the bearing... so i knocked them out. 










All ready for blasting -










The brake pipes for the rear arms are very heavily corroded  they are specials as they have short flex's built into them for the rear callipers. 










Gonna have to try and make some replacements or see how much replacements are from VW. 

Next up i decided as i still had quite a bit of work to do underneath the car i should lift up the chassis stands, so i jacked it up to the top.... got loads of room to work underneath now 

Then it was the rear diff assembly's turn. I used some ratchet straps to take the weight, and along with a trolley jack i lowered it to the floor. 










I then removed the rear tie arms, and found that the lower arms are bent 
Looks like someone has jacked the car up from the arms.... so i'm gonna need to acquire another lower set of arms. 










I removed the inner bushes from the top tie arms, so they can also be blasted and coated. 










The pile of parts to go for powder coating is growing lol










The only thing remaining was the rear subframe / diff cradle.... so i tried to remove the diff and found the bolts are large spline cap head bolts... M14 head which of course i didn't have.

Today i went to machine mart and bought a set of large Spline drives.... i also splashed out and bought a wheel bearing puller set -










I came home and got cracking removing the differential. All done -










And the rear subframe -










I then put the new bearing puller set to work and used some parts to remove the bushes. 

The bushes in question -










The threaded bar from the kit didn't fit through the bush so i used the threaded rod from a spring compressor along with various spacers / rings etc...










Then with the help of the trusty windy gun it pulled nicely out.... much easier than drilling holes and knocking the sh*t out of it.

All done 










Last part was the supporting brace for the front of the diff, using the same system i pulled the bushes out -










So thats it on the suspension side of things, just to re-cap the following parts will be getting coated -

Front Subframe / Front Wishbones / Front ARB & Clamps
Rear Subframe & Diff Mount / Rear Trailing Arms & Mounting Brackets / Rear Upper Track Control Arms / Rear ARB & Clamps

All in gloss black. 

Auxiliary Mounting bracket from Engine / Gearbox Mounting Bracket / Engine Mount

All in Silver. 

I still have to buy some new bushes / bearings etc for the suspension rebuild...everything so far is getting polybushed or rose bearings. 

I decided to go with Powerflex Black series bushes for the best handling, i won't really be doing loads of mileage once its on the road so longevity isn't a worry - hopefully i won't regret it - they are really stiff.... so it's probably gonna rattle and bump its way along the road  but as long as its good through the twisty stuff that is the main thing.

So far i've got - or already on order -

Powerflex black -
Front Wishbone bushes, with a rose bearing for the large bush. 
Front ARB bushes,
Steering Rack bush,

I will also be ordering -

Rear Trailing Arm Bushes,
Inner Control Arm Bushes,
Rear ARB bushes,

As i have had to destroy the subframe mounting bushes i am thinking of either ordering some solid mount bushes from the US.... either that or measuring up and having some made a local engineering firm. 

I've also just put a £700 order in with my local VW garage for a lot of the remaining bolts / sensors / clips / seals etc required for the rebuild of the car. 

This car will be like new once i'm done.... but it's costing the earth to get there. 

Thanks as always for reading and any comments,

Graham.


----------



## nate42 (Jun 5, 2010)

Very nice :thumbup: I like that you are not cutting any corners, it gives you a peace of mind when the car is done.
For those rear tie arms look for adjustable ones. TT rear suspesion is not very sophisticated... So when you go lower you get more camber. With adjustable tie arms you can set the camber to what you want no matter the ride height. There area many makers that do these. Or just make some from OEM ones, you got skills :beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

nate42 said:


> Very nice :thumbup: I like that you are not cutting any corners, it gives you a peace of mind when the car is done.
> For those rear tie arms look for adjustable ones. TT rear suspesion is not very sophisticated... So when you go lower you get more camber. With adjustable tie arms you can set the camber to what you want no matter the ride height. There area many makers that do these. Or just make some from OEM ones, you got skills :beer:


Thanks 
I've been looking at the adjustable lower arms.... more expense !!! i may make a set 

*Diff Update*

Spent a few hours in the garage today, i started by lifting the rear diff assembly up onto the bench and giving it a good dose of looking at 











The Drain plugs are looking a bit rusty.










I removed the rear support brace piece then flipped the diff over and started to clean the years of road crud off..... it wasn't shifting very easily so i put the gearbox outside on the trusty workmate and gave it a good coating of POR15 Cleaner & Degreaser.

Left it to work for a while then used a paint brush to get into the corners. 

Washed it all off and it's come up pretty nice. 


















I'm planning on replacing the oil & filter in the Haldex, and the rear diff oil.

So long.


----------



## NadaGTI (Feb 27, 2012)

IN


----------



## KentGTiKR (Apr 17, 2008)

Can you tell a P/N for Haldex oil filter ?
Thanks


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Small Update from last weekend* 

Lately i've been working on finishing the shell ready for the re-installation of all the running gear. 

I had one joint to weld and seal up under the car after the 4wd conversion... this was the front joint between the end of the rear footwells and the start of the Audi s3 rear part. 
I'd already seam welded the inside of the join but hadn't finished it off underneath.

When i was welding the inside of the car (roll cage box sections & 4wd joints) the underside did set on fire a little, this was just the seam sealer / stone chip that burnt and i quickly extinguished the flames with my welding gauntlets. The fire had covered parts of the floor with black soot so i started off by removing all the damaged sealer / cleaning off all the soot. 

All burnt, sooty and rusty -










Looking a bit bare underneath -










I cleaned all the metal up / removed all the seam sealer and then welded the joint up. 

I didn't anymore pictures as my phone died :ban:

Once it was all welded up i gave it a lick of POR15 then PU seam sealer and lashings of stone chip.

I used Wayside adhesives products as i have had good results in the past with them. I've never sprayed stone-chip with a Shultz gun so i bought a Sealey Deluxe gun and really struggled. 
The stuff was not atomising at all and coming out in a massive blobs... after much adjustment and trying to regulate up / down air pressure i was well and truly sick, so i packed in for the day and gave up. 
That night i did some research and it suggested heating up the stone chip in hot water before i used it. So i tried that and it worked for about 1-2mins then clogged again []

I rang my friend who had a shultz gun so popped round borrowed his and was shocked how good it was.... so all in all i wasted the best part of a day in the garage with the first gun.

I put some stone chip on the boot join and the rear arch. 

Started cleaning up the front arch - dirty (wish i'd jet washed the car before i started this project) 










After a bit of cleaning / sponging / scotchbrite, i repaired some rusty areas then put some stone chip on -










I'm not going to run wheel arch liners so i'm putting loads of rubberised stone chip on to protect the arches. 

I've still got to put another few layers of stone chip on but it's starting to look good. Once i've finished with the stone chip i'll be putting a coat of gloss black over it to match the theme of the car. 

Looking forward to finishing off the arch / floors so i can get cracking with the running gear rebuild / putting the engine back in for the final time. 

Yesterday i picked up my rather large collection of parts from Lookers in Teeside - big thanks to Paul & Anthony.

Parts for the engine -










Coolant Ball
Knock Sensors (i may have overtightened the original ones so i thought better replace them)
Oil Filters ( bought a couple so i have one for after run-in)
Oil Cooler
Oil Cooler Seals
And various bolts (oil filter housing / knock sensors / mounts)

Bags of all the bolts etc -










Front Suspension Parts -










Clips for Windscreen covers / side skirts / door seals -










Parts for the brakes -










Even bought new door seals, got some bumpers for the rear suspension. 

My friend dropped off all my powder coated bits, dumped in the spare room - gonna have to shift them tomorrow or i'll be inline for earache off the missus -










All those parts shot blasted & powder coated for £100.... bargain 

I did a little bit more on the shell today, seam sealed the last rear arch.... tomorrows plan is to stone chip the passenger side arches and give the drives side a final coat.

Once the shell is done i can start re-assembling the car for the final time, gonna try and get the front subframe back in then i can plonk the engine / gearbox in.... then build the suspension up 

---------------------------------

*Update*

Just come in from the garage, today was a good day.

I started off masking around the wheel arches / doors etc ready for spraying the stone chip. 

I used three cans in the end.... finished all the arches but had 3/4's of a tin left so did the entire boot floor (it was originally white from the Audi S3 so didn't match the Seat black colour)

All done  -


































I must say it looks pretty fantastic now.... really happy hows its turned out. 

I went round my mates for a few hours after that to allow it to dry and have a look at his 6 cylinder Subaru twin turbo build.

When i came back i pulled the Quattro fuel tank out from its hiding place between my and next doors garage... been there about 2-3 years now 










I then removed the secondary fuel pick up / level sensor.... then got the hose out and washed it out / cleaned it off..... it was pretty full glass and crap.










Removed the old fuel filter -










I spent a long time rinsing the draining the tank, then i wiped it clean inside and dried it off. 

Next job was getting the tank in... hhhmmmm i had to search high and low for the screws, found them in the end but there a bit rusty.... as were the tank straps. I may remove them later one at a time and paint them up, but i was far to excited to get it back together. 

I offered the tank up and it fitted like a glove....


















Once i got up off the floor i found the filling cap wasn't sitting right in the opening :banghead2:










Then i forgot there was two screws to hold the filling pipe up right up high in the wheel arch, you can see the two stainless M6 hex head bolts -










Put them in and it pulled the filling pipe backwards and centralised it a bit better, then re-fitted the fuel flap assembly.... i was happy to see it fitted okay, it's not perfect but it fits.










Glory Shots -










































I'm absolutely over the moon to get the shell finished and start re-assembling.... putting the fuel tank back in is a massive milestone for me, may seem insignificant to many but it means finally that the back end is all finished.

Thanks for any comments,

Graham.


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Todays Update*

I had another nice day in the garage today... started off by picking up some new rear brake pipes for the trailing arms from a guy in Newcastle that contacted me via Edition 38. 
Really happy with them as they look brand new. 

When i got home i got cracking in the garage, first of all cleaned up after yesterdays painting. 

I then dug out the front subframe from the spare room.... i ran taps down the threads to clean out the powder coating / shot material. 
Looking pretty -










Photo of the new bits that i used -










I cleaned up the steering rack and replaced the OEM steering clamp bush for the Powerflex Black series one. 
Mounted it all onto the subframe -


















Next up i installed the OEM front 20mm ARB that i also had powder coated. I used the special copper grease supplied with the Powerflex bushes... I'm not gonna lie i struggled for a while trying to get the clamps closed enough to get the threads started but the bushes are that stiff there was no chance. 
So i removed the clamps and checked to see if i could use longer bolts. I wanted to check the longer bolts were not going to bottom out on anything. 
Word of warning if you put anything much longer than stock in they contact the tubes that the main subframe to chassis bolts run through. 
The first set i found were about 10mm longer than stock, they contacted the tubes and would have bent the subframe a bit i reckon.... however I managed to find some that were 5mm longer than stock - this worked a treat and cleared the tubes. 


















Installed the TT rear subframe bushes (these are the two piece versions that are much more rigid than the OEM Cupra ones) and cleaned up the heat shield and re-attached it.... ready for installation -










I then put the subframe on a bench cushion so it didn't damage the paintwork then crawled in underneath it and lifted the subframe up.... i torqued up the bolts to 100nm but never tightened the final 90 degrees in case i need to drop the subframe again... once the car is complete i'll go over all the bolts and final torque them all -










Really happy to get the subframe back in 

I had an hour before tea so i pulled my coil over kits out of the rafters, forgot how nice they look 










Dug the bits out for the front struts -










I built the struts up with the Powerflex Black bushes -


















I dropped them into the shell to stop them from lying around getting damaged -


















After that i dug out the rose bearing top mounts i bought a long time ago... just to try them out for size, theres a few people who say they knock so i wanted to have a good look at them.










First of all i noticed that the circlip eyelets are massive... too big they are actually contacting the balls. I'm gonna get some circlips from work that have smaller holes.










I also found a reason that could cause knocking - the OEM style mounts the thrust bearing further down the shocker stem than the rose bearing style... so if you wind the shocks down when the shock is unloaded the springs and top hat are loose and would cause knocking.

I'm gonna have various length spacers machined up to keep the springs under tension even if i wind the coil overs down.

Hopefully tomorrow i'll sneak a few hours on the wishbones and hubs. 

Cheers for now,

Graham.


----------



## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Doin work!


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> Doin work!


Yeh i'm trying to push on.... done loads lately - see below 

*Update Time*

The other night i decided to do a quick job, re-bush the wishbones and stick them in. 
Well that never exactly went to plan. 

Dug the nicely powder coated wishbones out of the spare bedroom, look awesome -










Here's the parts that i used on the wishbones, not pictured all new genuine bolts & nuts -










I started of by cleaning out the over spray out of the bush holes, Weapon of choice... i used a flap wheel mounted in the trusty battery drill -



















I then pushed the new front bushes in by hand, easy peasy lemon squeeze
Put some of the copper grease supplied lube in the pins / bushes then knocked the pins in with a rubber mallet.

Then i tried to get the rear rose mounted bush in... just gave it a tap around the circumference with a small hammer thinking i would just start it off then use the vice to push it in....didn't want to start so i decided to strip the bushes down so i could fit the bearing puller set through the hole in the middle and try pulling the casing into the wishbone. 

Incase anybody is interested what's inside Powerflex black rose mounted bearings -










It's made up of a PTFE lined rose bearing which is held in place by two split poly bushes then a metal disc, then a cir clip.

After removing the innards i could pass the beefy threaded rod through the middle of the bush and try pulling the bush into the wishbone.... well that didn't work either. I used a 2 ft bit of pipe on the end of a rather large adjustable spanner and it pushed it in a couple of mm. 

I then busted out the digital verniers and measured everything up. Found the reason it was so tight was the bush was 0.5mm bigger than the bore of the wishbone. 

I messaged Tim on here and he confirmed he needed crazy amount of pressure (15 ton) in a press to fit his. 

I know the bushes need to be tight in the wishbones but i've never in my Engineering experience had something 0.5mm bigger than the bore size to fit. 

I thought about dropping the casings off somewhere to have the skimmed down but then had a moment of inspiration and found something ideal for the job. 
I found an arbor for a cartridge roll set was a perfect fit for the ID of the bush.... mounted in the battery drill -










I then mounted the Drill in the vice and cable tied the trigger on (i just removed the battery to start / stop it).

I then used a fine flat file to reduce the diameter of the bush by 0.25-0.30mm. 
Polished it up with some Wet & Dry 320. 

I then applied loads of loctite to the bush and bore and using the puller equipment pulled the bush.... i had to use the adjustable spanner and a length of pipe and it fought me all the way. 
I finally got the bush pulled into the wishbone and then called it a night. 

Last night i got a few hours in the garage and i built the bush back up -










I then noticed that the tapered inserts that fit into the rose bearing were sticking out different amounts on each side of the wishbone []
So i re-checked the instructions and it does say to push the bush in until the inserts are centralised..... i really don't know why they didn't make the rose bearing mount directly in the middle of the bush casing.

I then did some measuring and worked out where the outer bush casing had to sit. 

I had too push the bush back out which was crazy tight due to the loctite setting.

After getting the bush casing into the right position i then built the bearing back up, lower poly insert fitted -










Rose Bearing Fitted -










Outer poly insert fitted -










Then a metal disc -










To get the circlip fitted you have to compress the metal disc, i used a socket with a G-clamp to compress the poly the slipped the circlip into the groove. 










Fitted them both... only torqued the bolts to the first stage, still got to angle torque them but i'll do it once i know they won't be coming back off. 










So my nice easy job took me like two nights to fix :blink: oh well your always gonna run into these problems when your building stuff.

Tonight i started on the hubs. 










New parts going into them, i bought FEBI parts, German made  -



















I then started cleaning up the excess paint from the hub, tapped the shield bolt holes out and used a dremmel to remove the paint from the ABS sensor hole.
I cleaned the hub bearing faces out, and cleaned out the circlip groove out. 










I then selected the smallest ring from the bearing puller kit and it fitted like a glove into the back of the hub -










Mounted it in the vice to pull the bearing in -










All pulled in 










Removed the puller assembly and fitted the circlip -










Next job was fitting the abs ring / wheel hub. I selected a spacer that sat nicely against the step where the driveshaft bolt sits.... Mounted in the vice -










I then found another spacer that was a good size to only press on the inner race. Pulling it in -










All done 










Test fitted the coil over -










Found the bracket that sits in the split of the hub was not lining up with the bolt hole....










So i ground it out a bit with the trusty dremmel until the pinching bolt fitted with ease. 

Pinch bolt and lower ball joint fitted torqued up to first stage, i used new OEM nuts and bolts rather than the ones supplied with the parts, i also used the powerflex grease on the upper strut and also the strut tower....
Ready to go in -










Installed but Crap shot of it, sorry the cars pushed against the wall... the only thing is the ARB drop link looks all wrong to me. May look better when the weight is on the suspension.










Tomorrow i get the drivers side done and installed. 

------------------------------------------

*Update *

Last time i updated i had fitted the passenger side strut / hub and found a little issue with the ARB fitting to the front coil over. 
Before i fitted the coil over i did check and it appeared that both front struts were the same.... and the part number stamped into the body was exactly the same..... BUT it appears i missed a small difference. The bracket for the ARB from the shocker is "handed" i.e its different on each shocker, and as luck would have it i put the drivers side shocker in the passenger side.

I was quite relieved that i found this as i wasn't happy with the interference between the rubber boot of the ARB and the Shocker bracket. 

First job last night was to build up the drivers side hub assembly. Cleaned all the paint out of all the threads / bores etc and built it up like the other one. Didn't take any pictures as they would have been the same as the last post. 

I then removed the passenger side assembly and removed the shocker and installed it in the drivers side hub (this is why i didn't final torque any of my new bolts as i would have had to replace them all !!!!)

I decided to use the powerflex black top mounts, so i final torqued the thrust bearings / securing nut. 

Installed the drivers side strut and the ARB bolted up perfectly 


































Unfortunately i forgot to order some track rod ends so i couldn't connect the steering. No Worries i'll do them later.
I stuck the passenger side back in next.
So thats it for the suspension for now until i order some track rod ends. 

Feeling quite happy with myself i decided to get on with getting the parts i ordered fitted to the engine -










I started off replacing the bolts for the oil filter housing, as they looked a bit nasty -










New ones looking all shiny, while i was on i popped a new gasket on that i had lying around -










Next up i cleaned the threads up and fitted the side engine mount -










Then onto the new oil cooler. I removed all the masking tape i had covering up all oil ways etc

Refitted the oil filter tube and then fitted the new oil cooler complete with new o-ring seal. Oiled up the seals and torqued the securing nut up to spec. span the Oil filter on next -










Next was the accessory mount - 










Engines ready to go back in !!!! 

Stay tuned.

--------------------------------

*Update*

Yesterday afternoon i started getting the engine ready to be put back in, my mate popped round with my engine lift so there was no stopping me  
I pushed the car back out of the garage a bit to give me some space at the front. 

Had a tidy up then assembled the engine lift. Used ratchet straps to lift it (i know they shouldn't be used for lifting but i locked them by closing them fully) 

Took the weight of the engine in the stand -










Unbolted the stand from the engine to access the flywheel end of the engine. Whilst i had it free i tapped all the holes out to get rid of excess paint. 










Next up i got the new ARP flywheel fixing bolts out of the spare room along with the Eka diamond coated friction disc.... this is to improve friction between the flywheel and crankshaft -










I then checked the length of the bolts, thickness of the flywheel and then the thickness of the flange on the crankshaft.... this was just to make sure the bolts didn't bottom out against the main bearing cap. All was good.
When i installed the the ARP front crank pulley bolt i found the torque required was massively different between loctite, oil and ARP Lube.... it was noticeably different when tightening them both, the bolt felt notchy and banged as it was tightened not good for me.
So for the ARP Flywheel bolts i put ARP lube on the threads and under the head this allows the bolt to stretch nicely without the added friction from the head and threads. 

All fitted -










I then lowered the engine down onto a crawler to protect it. This was so i could torque the flywheel bolts up properly. 
For the last stage i had to put a breaker bar on the crankshaft bolt at the from to stop it from turning.










I torqued the bolts up in stages - 20lb/ft then 40, 60 and finally ending on 80lb/ft - the sheet that came with the bolts from IE said 64lb/ft but at that torqued level the bolts didn't feel like they were stretching at all so i added a bit more at a time until they felt good. 

I then checked they were no clearance issues with the sump or girdle plate (there sometimes is with aftermarket flywheels) loads of clearance -










Next up was mounting the clutch assembly on the flywheel. To do this you need to centralise the clutch plate. When i bought the Clutchmasters FX400 it came with an alignment tool which didn't fit my crankshaft (probably as its a 1.9tdi crank) so a few months ago i bought a generic clutch aligning tool from machine mart... gave it a go and this also didn't fit []

So i started trying sockets in the holes and found a perfect fit - a small 3/8 spark plug socket that the drive end fitted perfect in the crank and the other end fitted perfect in the clutch plate 
After that i put the pressure plate on and installed the outer bolts with loctite, carefully torquing them up around the circumference of the clutch so nothing warped or bent. 

All done - just offering up the gearbox -










I struggled on trying to fit it for a while, phoned a friend and he was busy so just started packing the gearbox up to get the angle and height correct.... in the end it went on but as it did the clutch slave cylinder (which i'd previously primed with brake fluid) obviously got compressed and it "came" brake fluid all over me in the excitement :lol: i felt dirty, but kinda enjoyed it lol.










Next up i moved everything around and re-strapped the engine to take the extra weight of the gearbox on the end. I took the fuel rail & injectors off as the straps may have damaged them. Then fitted the BFI engine & gearbox mounts. 


Started lifting it in -










As before when i originally fitted the engine i had to draft the big guns in so i got the wife to give me a hand. It put up a good fight but we got there in the end - 


































Todays job is to final torque all the engine mounting bolts up and to fit the Dog-bone mount.... then who knows wiring loom / starter etc.

-------------------------------------

*Smallish Update*

I must warn you all, after the last big milestone of putting the engine in it will slow a little now..... i'm still gonna keep pushing on but it may not look like I'm doing much. 

First up i decided to get the BFI doggone mount refitted - new bolts -










I then applied plenty of anti-sieze on the thread and under the head, i've done this on every bolt on the car...i also do it at work, one of the reasons i don't like doing stuff on cars is the fact everything is assembled dry and rusts up when its threatened with a cloud !!
The anti seize is incredibly important when using dissimilar metals - i.e steel bolts in aluminium threads, this is due to the metal "reactivity" (corrosion occurs when metals that are far apart in the reactivity scale are touched together)

Bolts greased up ready -










Fitted and bolts torqued up - 










While i was under the car i noticed there is a rather large hole in my bell housing.... this is due to the INA shallow sump not having a machined end to it 
I think i'm gonna cut a bit of plate out to fill the gap - that should stop any stone etc getting into the clutch assembly... it probably doesn't need it but it won't hurt having it closed like OEM.

Poor picture of the gap -










Then i decided to final torque all the upper engine mount bolts... first you torque the bolts up to a figure then turn them 90 degrees.... all was going well until a thread stripped in the gearbox side mount. Its the bit that connects the gearbox to the BFI mount. 
No problems really as i'll just pick one up second hand and put a jack under the box while i change it. 

Next i decided to fit the starter motor so i could then final torque all the engine to gearbox bolts. Quickly cleaned it up, fitted it then torqued all the joining bolts for the engine up. 
Popped the clutch line back on -










Re-attached the selector cables and started roughly running the wiring loom to the engine -










Called it a day as i had to go out with the missus. 

This morning i got the Turbo out of the spare bedroom (forgot how heavy it is !!!) 

I then tried it in the space between the engine / bulkhead, it does fit but i had to remove the wastegate and bracket. If i went for an externally waste gated turbo then it would fit no problem but there really isn't an easy way to run the internal wastegate... don't get me wrong i could work it by making different brackets and grinding the lever off and repositioning but i don't really want to do that.

I used good old tie wraps to hold it up to check for fitment -


























I tried moving the turbo around to obtain a better position but to be honest the position i originally picked seems to be the easiest solution. 
I think I'm still going to re-design the manifold so it clear the rocker cover (so i can access everything without having to remove the manifold)
I'm planning on turning the flange round and feed the pipes from the bottom.... also merging the two 1.25" pipes into each other low down, then bring two 1.5" pipes to the turbo flange. 
It's hard to describe but it'll all come clear when i start re-working it and show you all with pictures. 

My originally designed manifold -


















































As my welding gas cylinder is round my mates i decided to crack on with the jobs i could do.... namely electrics.
It's been years since i had the car assembled so i had to consult the old photo's i took in the beginning when i stripped the car down. 
I installed the bracket and cable holder to the starter motor bolt, and started laying out the cables out roughly into position.










Next job was working out the battery / earth connections for everything. I'm going to be running the battery in the boot, so earlier in the build i ran the 50mm2 cable from the boot to the engine bay. 
I found the earth cable and decided to cut the connection off that normally goes to the battery. I then heat shrank the connection to tidy it up a bit, then i cleaned the connections up and put it in -


























I then cleaned the paint off the chassis connection and mounted it all up -










Ages ago i bought a crimping tool for the beefy power cables -










Trimmed the main power cable back and inserted it into a 8mm ring terminal -










Tried the crimper with the 50mm2 tools installed - it didn't even compress the crimp - like if it had the wrong size on it. Tried the next size down (35mm2) and it worked a treat -










Slipped some heat shrink on to finish it off -










Before i connected it to the starter motor i started looking at the main power distribution / fuse box - i was struggling to mount it as there is no holes in the body of the box.
So i stripped it down and drilled some holes in the base for threading cable ties through it to connect it -










I then removed the main power lead that normally runs from the battery + terminal to the distribution box. I removed the captive nut and drilled the terminal out to 8mm so i could mount it to the starter motor along with the main power cable. 
I cable tied the box down to a piece of trunking and installed the power cables etc...looks nice and tidy now -










Next job is to roughly mount up all the remaining parts so i can figure out the wiring, then start removing or tidying up the connections i don't need (SAI, Carbon canister etc etc)

Still need to order up a battery tray for the boot and finish all the connections, then can think about powering it all up 

Thanks for reading and any comments 

Graham.


----------



## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

*applause*

Its just the best feeling when you put the heart back in:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Be careful with those lug crimpers. Doing by hand isn't the ideal way. I'm sure you know this but,... You only want to press it enough to fuse the copper wire and lug together, thus creating the best connection and less resistance. If you apply to much force, which it kinda looks like, it has a negative effect. The signs of applying to much pressure is the corners bulging out like the 1 in your picture. Maybe its just the camera angle though. I don't quiet understand how it has a negative effect, maybe it fractures the fused copper..?? maybe you can fill in the blanks.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> *applause*
> 
> Its just the best feeling when you put the heart back in:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> Be careful with those lug crimpers. Doing by hand isn't the ideal way. I'm sure you know this but,... You only want to press it enough to fuse the copper wire and lug together, thus creating the best connection and less resistance. If you apply to much force, which it kinda looks like, it has a negative effect. The signs of applying to much pressure is the corners bulging out like the 1 in your picture. Maybe its just the camera angle though. I don't quiet understand how it has a negative effect, maybe it fractures the fused copper..?? maybe you can fill in the blanks.



Cheers Mate, it feels good to get the heart back in... just need to get her pumping again  Thanks for the info on the crimping - i've looked into it more in detail (i didn't really research before and just used the Hydraulic crimper without knowing better) and apparently the hexagon sides (i.e the flat bits) should run into each other without any pinching where the join of the tools comes together. I think the photo of mine doesn't help but mine is actually slightly under crimped by the look of it. 

I found this photo on Google images (there are some good videos about it also) -










I'll have another look at the connection i did and maybe cut it apart to see what it's like. 
Thanks again for the info :thumbup:

*Update*

My wife has been getting on at me as she wants to do out the spare room therefore i needed to find a new home for all my parts...... what better home that the actual car !!!!

I've managed to order up most of the parts to finish off all the suspension / drivetrain.
Ordered all Powerflex Black Series bushes for the rear suspension...new rear hubs, then another massive order from the dealer - all bolts / nuts etc and brake backing plates / wheel bearings / new Rear ARB links etc etc.

Spent about £1200 in the last month just on genuine VW parts  and another £500 on random stuff like hubs / rear callipers / propshaft etc.

Oh well - it needs finishing and i'm to far into it now. 

Unfortunately i'm still waiting on a few solid rear subframe mounting bushes from the dealer so i can't mount the diff back in the car..... no worries i've still got loads to do. 

I decided to start with the rear trailing arms -










I cleaned all the powder coating from the threads and bores the got cracking re-installing the rose bearings for the tie arms -










Pulled the wheel bearings into the arms..... i decided to use dealer bearings as they were the same price as named ones on ebay. 










Next up i cleaned all the brake pipe clips / cable trunking up and re-attached it all, fitted the new brake pipes i got from a guy on Edition. 
I fitted new dealer brake flex's as the rear trailing arm section has a flex pipe moulded into the section so i couldn't see the point in fitting braided lines to the arm to body joint. 
All new clips lubed and fitted -


















When i stripped the arms down one of the threaded studs that hold the pipe clamps on snapped off.... so i drilled and tapped a M6 hole in the arm and bolted the pipe clamp down.... i didn't want any pipes braking due to not being securely fastened. 
Also cleaned up the handbrake cable and installed it through the arm -










Next job was fitting the Powerflex bushes into the arm pivot -










Then i cleaned up the mounting bracket that bolts the arm assembly to the chassis. Again cleaned the powder coating out of the threads. It was actually quite difficult to fit due to the stiffness of the bushes.... after a bit of swearing and struggling i got it fitted nice and snug. 
Of course new bolt fitted and torqued to spec -










I then pushed the spring seats on and bolted the new brake backing plate on - Note you can't put this on after installing the wheel hub as the ABS ring covers the bolts !!!!

Unpacked the new Febi front wheel hub, mounted the puller set in the vice and pulled the hub into the wheel bearing.... action shot -










All pulled in nice, ready for installation  -


















Before i put the arm on the car i dug out the rear shocker and spring assembly - worked out which way round to put it..... instructions with the coil overs would have been nice 

All fitted again with all new bolts, all bolt threads lubed with anti-sieze. Also i stripped the coil over adjusters and coated the threads with anti seize (i did the fronts before i installed them too)

Bolts are just nipped, will be fully torqued once i have checked the alignment of everything -


















Next up i decided to finish off the front end by fitting the new steering track rod ends. I bought some Febi ones for the job along with some new nuts. I measured the position of the old nut then removed it. Got the trusty wire brush out and cleaned up the threads, then gave the threads a liberal dose of anti-sieze and wound the new nut on then put the new track rod end on. Pulled the end up onto the hub -










Next i bolted up the new brake shields.... as always new bolts lubed up 


















So thats it for now, may get a few hours in the garage again tomorrow.. hopefully.

Cheers,

Graham.


----------



## Kamikazee (Apr 20, 2013)

Hi, there!
I think VAG is going to buy your cupra back when you complete your project. New cars dont come close in quality or attention to detail. Really enjoy reading about your build. I hope the missus' s patience will last  
Can we get a sneak peak of the whole car. Would be nice to see it overall. When do you think she'll set foot on the ground? 
Regards, John.


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## tutuur (Apr 11, 2013)

lovely writeup mate! great to see a project being documented so well!


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

*FV-QR*

Any chance you got the length of the flywheel bolts you used?


----------



## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Kamikazee said:


> Hi, there!
> I think VAG is going to buy your cupra back when you complete your project. New cars dont come close in quality or attention to detail. Really enjoy reading about your build. I hope the missus' s patience will last
> Can we get a sneak peak of the whole car. Would be nice to see it overall. When do you think she'll set foot on the ground?
> Regards, John.


Thanks for the kind words John.... i'm glad your enjoying the build, i am loving putting it all back together now, can see light at the end of the tunnel 
And sorry for the crap pictures, it's the best i can do in such a small garage, i have to push the car back against the front door to get access to the engine bay so there's not too much chance of any good pictures. Hopefully i'll have it rolling on its wheels in the next few months so i can push it out of the garage and take some better pictures outside.



tutuur said:


> lovely writeup mate! great to see a project being documented so well!


Thanks mate - i probably waffle on a bit too much but hopefully some of the details i go into may help others along the way :beer:



MÄDDNESSS said:


> Any chance you got the length of the flywheel bolts you used?


I did measure them at the time to check there was no issues of them being too long are wearing into the end bearing face....but i can't remember what length they were..... they are from IE, i know there are several lengths available from different ARP sellers but i know these worked perfectly with my setup of clutch masters FX400 flywheel / TDI crank combo. 
The clutch setup came with a metal ring to spread the load from the bolts but it specifically said (on the IE ARP's instructions) not to use and washers / rings with the bolts.... that was good as the ring was distorted after its initial installation using OEM bolts.

*Small Update*

I never got too much done this weekend, got a little bit done so i thought i'd do a mini up date. 

Saturday was spent fitting a LSD with a lad from a local forum to his 02M.... really enjoyed doing that, it was the second stab at that job as during the first strip down we found the Peloquin LSD hadn't tapped one of the holes in the diff for the ring gear bolts, they sorted it very quickly and sent a new part to be assembled onto the diff, brilliant customer service .... 
I did however sneak a few hours on my project on Sunday 

Started off by getting some of the powder coated bits out of the spare room. 
Cleaned all the excess powder coating from the bush bores / threads then dug out the new bushes ready for installation. 


















The black brackety thing is the front support for the diff assembly - it connects the diff to the rear subframe. 
I then noticed the bushes had an Arrow moulded into them, i thought i better check this out so had a look online at a genuine manual and found the arrow is to face up or down. Worth noting if you ever replace the bushes. To line them up i simply put the arrow in line with the faces of the bolt flange. 

Pushed the bushes in, this was a nightmare to be honest.... they have plastic outside shell and kept slipping one way or another.... i didn't have a long enough bolt to draw them in.
In the end i found an old bolt and drilled an tapped a bit of aluminium plate - the bolt was just long enough but i had to stop it from pushing out one side with a G-clamp. 

Both bushes fitted - 










Next up was the rear subframe, so i got it out ready then got the bushes all unpacked -










For those that wanted to know about the solid rear subframe bushes here are a few shots -


















They are genuine VW dealer parts that are fitted as standard to an Audi TT Roadster (cabriolet) they make the rear subframe a stressed member to help stiffen the chassis. 

As with the diff support the two rubber bushes were a nightmare, but i managed in the end. The Alloy bushes went in a piece of p*ss.... all done -










Next up i lifted the rear diff on the bench and bolted on the rear diff to subframe support bracket (as always new bolts.. all nicely lubed up and torqued to spec).... then i stood the diff up on its ass on top of my socket set box and carefully lowered the rear subframe over the top. Then connected the supports and installed all the bolts.










I then lifted it down off the bench (Fecking heavy lump) and put it on a crawler to move it into position with out damaging the fresh paintwork. I forgot how heavy this was, real solid lump of metal, nearly pulled my back out !!
Once i wheeled it under the car into position i set about using ratchet straps and axle stands to get it up in the air somewhere near position. I struggled and struggled and in the end laid underneath the thing and bench pressed it up against the chassis then held it with my knees and one hand and managed to get a bolt in. Once i got another bolt i could rest but it was heavy going.
About 30 seconds after i'd got it bolted up my friend popped round to borrow more tools off me, Blister.... he always turns up after the hard work is done !!!


























Couple of crap shots (i can't open the garage door at the moment as i have the car up against it to access the front) hopefully get some more pictures at the weekend and get the propshaft installed so i can weld up the bearing supports into the exhaust tunnel. 

So long for now and thanks for reading and any comments,

Graham.


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## Kamikazee (Apr 20, 2013)

Grahams81 said:


> Thanks for the kind words John.... i'm glad your enjoying the build, i am loving putting it all back together now, can see light at the end of the tunnel
> And sorry for the crap pictures, it's the best i can do in such a small garage, i have to push the car back against the front door to get access to the engine bay so there's not too much chance of any good pictures. Hopefully i'll have it rolling on its wheels in the next few months so i can push it out of the garage and take some better pictures outside.
> 
> 
> I think you miss understood the pic part. They are great, very detail oriented. Many of us benefits from your dialog. I was wondering about how the whole car looks at this point. I was wondering if you installed a phenolic intake manifold spacer to reduce the temperature. I just got one for my build from 034 motorsports for less then $70. Keep up the good work! Happy holidays!


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## Vegeta Gti (Feb 13, 2003)

looking better and better man. keep up the amazing work.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Thanks guys :thumbup:

*Small Update*

Well it's been a while since my last update...sorry guys. 
Working away every week and getting more responsibilities with work is meaning some weeks i'm only getting back for 1 night... obviously this is meaning i'm spending what little time i have off with the family and not with the project.

Anyways now I'm off over Christmas so hopefully i'll get a little progress done.

Here are some pics i've took along the way when i've managed to sneak a few hours here and there -

So a while back i bought an Audi S3 propshaft from Tim (Ronin225) on here, i already had an Audi TT one but i read they were too short so i bought the S3 one -










Decided to start putting it in so started off with the short end, fitted it to the transfer box with new bolts of course 










I supported the end of the propshaft with an axle stand to stop the weight hanging on the box / coupling. 

I then connected the long part to the diff end..... but when i lifted it up i couldn't get the cv joint connected.... so took it back off and joined the cv together but then couldn't get the propshaft onto the diff as it was too long to fit over the stub shaft of the flange. 
So i faffed about for a while and then decided to make things easier i would disconnect the doggone mount from the subframe to give me a few more millimetres. 
That wasn't quite enough so i decided to remove the engine mounts to body bolts and slide the engine / transmission towards the front of the car. 

Once i'd moved the engine a bit i lifted the propshaft up over the stub shaft and then moved the engine back into position and checked that there was still a little end float in the shaft (to check it wasn't bottomed out and the prop wasn't under compression)

Prop fitted and held up in the middle with an axle stand -


























Next up i decided while i had the bolts out to replace the mounts, as when i fitted the engine i managed to strip the threads in the engine / gearbox mounting brackets, i had a spare one for the engine side already but Tim gave me one for gearbox side which was nice of him 
So i cleaned the brackets up and prepared for fitting them.










Placed a crawler under the engine and took the weight with a trolley jack, then removed the engine mount / engine bracket etc -










All refitted -










Then started off on the gearbox side -










All done and bolted back up -










Next job was to get the centre bearing mounts fitted. When i bought the Audi S3 floorpan the guys cut the centre bearing mounts out for me. So i started by removing the burrs from the mounts and then fitted it to the centre bearing..... i was nicely surprised that the bends / lines / creases were in exactly the same place as the S3 shell. 
You can see in the below picture how the mounts line up exactly with the lines in the tunnel -










I was thinking about leaving the mounts connected to the original s3 tunnel parts and just welding them to the leon tunnel.... but the way the tunnel tapers up smaller at the top the mounts would have been approx 1.5-2.0mm lower than OEM. 
So i decided to remove the mounts from the s3 tunnel parts and mount them in the leon tunnel. I cut the welds off and dressed the mounts up.

I then found that the tunnel on the leon seems to be made of thinner metal than the S3 so i decided to make a nice thick steel plate that would spread the load a bit better. 
I then drilled both sides of the mounts and drilled and tapped the thick plate to suit. 

Once i was happy with the position of the centre bearing i marked the tunnel up and drilled it. 

All bolted up 


















Shot of the plate on the inside -


















As you can see the screws are protruding, i will be fitting nuts to stop any chance of the screws coming out, and i'll probably tack weld the plates into position eventually. 

I still had an hours grace so i decided to fit the transfer box to engine brace bracket -










For those who don't know it fits on here -










All fitted -










So thats it for now, not too interesting but its progress non the less. 

-------------------------------------

*Update*

After putting in the propshaft i decided to try and finish off the rest of the drivetrain... the only thing that's left to go in are the drive shafts. 

So i dug out the rear driveshafts, they were quite heavily corroded from when i left the TT back-end laid out in the rain -










I decided because i'm lazy.... and there's no play in the cv joints and the boots are in good condition to not touch them and risk damaging the boots etc that i'd leave the driveshafts intact. 
I just used a file / emery cloth to remove the corrosion and get down to good metal, then gave them a dose of wire brushing. 
Then gave them a coat of POR15, this is with just one coat... still got to give them a second -


















While the paint was drying i got the front driveshafts out. These driveshafts are off a Audi TT 3.2 V6 so are quite beefy. 
They came as part of the complete front end i bought (subframe / hubs / steering rack etc) 










Unfortunately the inner cv joint boot was dislodged on both sides so i decided to investigate.
What i found was the metal flange that the boot joins to was bent.. the same on both sides. 
I'm guessing that someone has bent the hubs down at some point trying to remove the shockers. 










So they had to come apart to be sorted, first job is to tap the inner metal cover off the inner CV joint, i just used a large flat blade screwdriver to tap the lip of the cover and it popped of quite easily -










Shot of the inside of the joint, the next job is to remove the circlip to remove the inner cv joint from the driveshaft -










All removed 


















So i had a selection of driveshafts and one of the old non quattro ones, so i stripped them all down to get the best selection of parts available to make 2 good shafts. 










Bomb site -










So next up i cleaned everything up in preparation for rebuilding them. I managed to use a inner cv joint from my original shafts to replace the damaged metal cover, but the other driveshaft i had it was slightly different so i decided to repair the other bent cover. 

Shot of the damage -










After a bit of hammering / bending and shaping, i then filed off a few sharp edges off it -










I managed to get some CV grease from Halfords -










Weighed it on some scales 120g, although it does look like dog sh*t -










I then put some masking tape on the splines (to protect the cv boot) and slid the old boot back on. Then i packed the boot side of the joint with grease and slid it on the driveshaft. Gave it a tap to ensure it was home then refitted the circlip -










I then put the remaining grease on the outside of the joint and popped the inner cover back on - no photo's as i was covered in grease and didn't fancy getting my phone dirty. 
I then used the original boot clips (i used a flat blade screwdriver bit and a pair of water pump pliers to get it re-tensioned)

All done 


















Same again on the drivers side -










Feeling quite happy that id done them i decided to fit the drivers side shaft (its the easiest to get to in my garage)

Cleaned the bolts / plates up... and cleaned the driveshaft splines out, then applied a little anti-sieze to the splines & bolt threads. 

To get the shaft in i removed the 3 lower ball joint nuts and pushed the wishbone down out of the way, then put the shaft in spline end first. 


















Next i nipped the bolts up for the driveshaft to gearbox flange, then put the big bolt into the end of the drive shaft (again lubricated the threads and head with anti seize) and pulled it up a little. 
I then tightened the driveshaft bolts to 70Nm (i used the large driveshaft end bolt to stop the shaft from turning while i tightened up the flange bolts)

Next fitted the driveshaft cover to the transfer box bolts -


















As you can see the oil drain connection on the sump seems to be pointing straight at the driveshaft, so i may have to remove the sump and do some cutting and shutting. 
It may work with an angle fitting in... i look into it in more detail later on.

Gonna try and get the second coat of paint on the rear driveshafts next and then get them installed along with the passenger side front one. 

----------

I pulled the car away from the wall today so i could get access to fit the driver side driveshaft, then i replaced the track rod end... as always cleaned up the threads... applied unit seize and replaced the lock nut. 


















Tomorrows job is to have a tidy up and then start replacing brake lines.

Thanks for reading and any comments.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Little Update*

After having a good clean up after rebuilding the driveshafts i put another coat of paint on the rear shafts.... while that was drying i got out the stuff to start on the brake lines.

A while ago i ordered up some 4.75mm brake pipe to replace the corroded front brake lines and of course re-pipe the rear brakes as the joining points are different due to the 4wd conversion. 
I searched for aluminium brake pipe to match the OEM stuff but couldn't find it anywhere. So i went for Copper / Nickel pipe (Kunifer) in the end - it's a little harder to work with than pure copper but doesn't work harden and fail like pure copper does. 










I also got a brake pipe flaring tool from eBay, so i tested it....very impressed with the tool, really easy to use and forms a nice DIN flare. The only thing i found was the clamp for the pipe was a little aggressive, if you tightened the two clamping bolts fully (like the instructions tell you) then it actually distorts the pipe. I did a few further test runs and varied the amount of force on the clamping screws until i found a happy amount that didn't distort the pipe. 

Test Flares -


















I removed the passenger side pipe and decided to start on that side, well that was a bit of a silly thing to do as it's the shortest pipe so all the bends need to be very accurate. 

Anyways i managed to get it looking ok -


















I used an old pipe end to locate it onto the chassis clip just until i get new brake pipes for it. 

Next up i removed the drivers side pipe, used the original one as a template and started bending the pipe with some small handheld bending pliers. 

Getting there 










All done, used the original nuts on the ABS end but put new nuts on the flexi end -


























Quite enjoyed doing the brake pipes, going to replace the rears next time i get in the garage. 

-----------------------------

*Brake Update*

Well unfortunately progress has been a little slow lately, i can't afford to spend anything on the project at the moment.... saving hard to pay to go for a friends wedding (actually costing more than i spent on my own wedding)

So i've been trying to keep the project progressing without spending anything, i've been beavering away doing little jobs. 

Last update i started replacing the front brake lines. Next i did the rears, i found the fronts quite enjoyable, but the backs were a pain.

I started off by unwinding the room and routing it up from under the rear of the car loosely, then i bent the ABS end and worked front to back. 

Once i was finished with the front end i realised i made a bit of a mistake leaving it so long to install the brake pipes..... i should have done the pipes before i installed the fuel tank & diff assembly. The standard brake pipes get sandwiched in place above the petrol tank.....Oh well i wasn't about to strip half the car down to start again. 

So one rear brake pipe done at the abs end -










The passenger side rear end was relatively easy, i just took the pipe up and bent it into the space in-between the tank and chassis. I then used the OEM brake pipe support / cushioning clip on pieces to ensure the pipe was supported nicely and can't touch / vibrate against anything. 

I flared the end of the pipe and started off on the last one, the drivers side -


































The drivers side pipe was difficult to make as the brake pipes run down the passenger side of the car then they normally run across above the fuel tank and then come down the chassis leg, obviously i couldn't do that with the tank in situ so i bent the pipe to run down between the tank and chassis then up and over the propshaft. I drilled and tapped a few pipe clamps on the way to keep everything nice and tight. 
I also dropped a bollock - i routed the brake pipes and forgot about the hand brake cables so ended up having to re-install them and re-working the brake lines to avoid them.... never mind lol.
It was really hard to photograph but here are a few sh*tty ones i got laid on my back -

Passenger side -










Picture showing the OEM pipe support / cushioning clips -










Middle section bend round to clear petrol tank straps and propshaft, secured with clips i installed -



























Drivers side -


















Don't worry about the fuel lines they'll be getting pulled out from there as i'll be routing everything into the spare wheel well for a surge tank set-up. 

------------------------------------

*Update time* - Well overdue.....

Last year i set a timescale in my head for completion - it was April this year, that was to enable me to take the car to the ring for my mates stag do, well as it happens i'll never make the timescale..... but everyones now going to the Isle of Man for a p*ss-up, lucky escape.

I have been doing bits and pieces on the car in the background but i have been waiting to get a decent amount to show to bother putting an update together. 

I decided a while ago to try and re-design the turbo manifold, the main reason was the proximity of the manifold to the valve cover / coil packs and having to re-route redesign lots of parts of the cooling system. 
The manifold i designed was very equal length but it was quite long.... so i decided the next design would be more simple with shorter header lengths. 

I tried every means possible to fit the turbo between the engine and bulk head but without cutting away the rain tray and possibly re-locating the ECU it wasn't meant to be..... it could have fitted if it wasn't an internal wastegate model.... but the angle makes it really difficult to site. 

Anyhow, i decided the only place that was practical was where i had the turbo before, but i decided to rotate it so the pipes came into the turbo from the bottom. 

I then got the trusty cable ties out and mounted the turbo roughly where i wanted it to sit -


















Next i then welded some M6 studding to mount the turbo flange in the correct position -


















I then realised due to the proximity of the gear shifter cables it was going to be tricky to bring a traditional merge collector up to the T4 divided flange. 

I decided the only way to go was to merge the two sets of pipes together then bring them up to the turbo flange. 

I've read loads of articles / books etc on exhaust design theory.... there is not so much available on turbo manifold design, most books are aimed at building headers for American V8's etc. 
From what i found most say don't build the runners too big as all you do is loose spool time so affect low down torque. 

As a good rule of thumb most say to keep the ID of the headers the same size as the exhaust ports, and the ID of the 1.25" matches the exhaust port size of the Large port AGU head perfectly. 
For the headers / runners i decided to stick with the 1.25" SCH 10 S weld fittings, but merging them together i was a little unsure on what size to then make them..... too big and the gases are going to loose velocity and poor spool, too small and maybe choke the engine at higher RPM. 
I measured the area of each port of the turbo flange, and calculated the area - had to do some hard sum's to work it out minus the radiuses at the corners of the ports.... 

I ended up working it out at 1566 mm2 

The Area of the ID of 1.25" SCH10 pipe is 1053 mm2
The Area of the ID of 1.50" SCH10 pipe is 1433 mm2
The Area of the ID of 2.00" SCH10 pipe is 2355 mm2

The 2.0" pipe is far too large for merging two 1.25" pipes together and the 1.5" is a tad small, and nobody makes a 1.75" SCH10 pipe..... so i had to improvise and make my own.



I decided to use a 1.5" bend and cut it up the middle, then prise it open - 










I then cut another bend up to get a piece of bend material to fill in the gap. 










Then after a bit of grinding / filing i tacked the infill piece in -










I then put the flange back onto the car and worked out a route for the bends and marked and cut the bend -










I then hammered / bent the end of the pipe to suit the square flange and tacked it onto the flange -


















Next i made another 90 degree bend, repeating the earlier steps.... and then did the same with a 45 degree bend. 
After a lot of measuring up and cutting i tacked them onto the flange and tacked the two merge collectors on that i had previously cut and had used on the flange -


























I then tried it onto the engine to check for clearances etc...


















I then made a few changes and squared the ends off on the merge's and the bends.... tacked back together -










Next job was trying to plan out the pipe runs, started off pairing Cylinder 2 & 3 into the closest pipe -










I then piped up cylinder 1 -










And it was very apparent that the runs for cylinder 1 & 4 were quite different lengths, i knew by making the under piped manifold that the pipes would be very difficult if not impossible to get equal, and to be honest the more i read the more i'm convinced that although its ideal to try and make them equal it's better to make it shorter than loads of unnecessary bends to try and get it the same length. 

As this was the first version i decided to try it on the car and see how it fitted.... well it fitted ok but it wouldn't leave a massive amount of room for the downpipe. 

So today i decided to scrap the design and bring Cylinder 1 & 4 to the other pipe as it would balance the lengths more equally and also give more room for the down pipe. 

Cylinder 1 & 4 done 


















Then tried it on to check fitment -










All good.... now 2's turn -


























Last one -


















It's all just tacked to check for clearances etc, once i'm happy i'll recut all the angles to get rid of all the gaps.










































Next up trial fit, fits nice and much more room for a downpipe -


















Next i HAD to put the turbo on to see how it looked -










































































Next up i'll start recutting the pipes and getting all the angles correct before i chamfer them all.... then it's time to start welding


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

*FV-QR*

I swear, you have the biggest single posts on Vortex. It's gonna take me a minute to read all of it but it looks like it'll be a good read.


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Lol cheers, i tend to save them up a bit now and give you guys hopefully something a bit more interesting to read...... :beer:


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

*FV-QR*

Thats some fantastic work you're doing there. I envy your fab skills.

I just noticed you have the stock end link bushings, shift cable bracket bushings and stock shifter. I'm willing to bet you have the stock shifter bushing bearing too. After everything you've done, why haven't gotten billet replacements. I have 42DD billet end link bushings, FFE shift cable bracket bushings, a Neuspeed short throw shifter and the updated bushing bearing. It feels like a gated shifter.

In case you don't know, though I'm sure you do, Here are the parts i'm talking about.

http://www.42draftdesigns.com/Transmission-Components_c_223.html

DG is also nice. http://www.dieselgeek.com/VW_and_Audi_Short_Shifters_s/1830.htm

http://store.forcefedengineering.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=FFE_PE_SHIFT

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?5800195-Tighten-up-em-shifts


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

Grahams81 said:


> Lol cheers, i tend to save them up a bit now and give you guys hopefully something a bit more interesting to read...... :beer:


Indeed you do.

You're on that next level tuner/DIYer status. I hope to be there within the next few years. I've already gotten a spare o6a block, ALH crank, AEB head and have a line on a TTQ haldex, axels and rear subframe.


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## woodywoods86 (Jul 29, 2008)

So much good stuff in here! Sub'd opcorn:


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## All_Euro (Jul 20, 2008)

Awesome work as usual - love the detail on the header. Keep it coming!


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

MÄDDNESSS said:


> Thats some fantastic work you're doing there. I envy your fab skills.
> 
> I just noticed you have the stock end link bushings, shift cable bracket bushings and stock shifter. I'm willing to bet you have the stock shifter bushing bearing too. After everything you've done, why haven't gotten billet replacements. I have 42DD billet end link bushings, FFE shift cable bracket bushings, a Neuspeed short throw shifter and the updated bushing bearing. It feels like a gated shifter.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the links :beer: i have modified my standard shifter assembly to turn it into short shift, but your right i have standard shifter ends & bushes.... to be honest thats the sort thing i'll fix once the cars on the road, i'm really struggling financially at the moment so i've had to rain in the spending to absolutely essentials just to get the car finished.... once it's on the road i can then start doing the small jobs.
Although i could quite easily make some.... a friend of mine has a lathe so i could draw some up hhhmmmmm 



MÄDDNESSS said:


> Indeed you do.
> 
> You're on that next level tuner/DIYer status. I hope to be there within the next few years. I've already gotten a spare o6a block, ALH crank, AEB head and have a line on a TTQ haldex, axels and rear subframe.


Nice one :thumbup: get it built 



woodywoods86 said:


> So much good stuff in here! Sub'd opcorn:


Cheers :beer:



All_Euro said:


> Awesome work as usual - love the detail on the header. Keep it coming!


Thanks Man, here's a little more -

*Manifold Update*

Luckily this week i haven't been away with work so i've had a few late nights in the garage progressing the manifold. 
First job was standing and staring at it for an hour.... planning the sequence for welding it up, on a job like this you really need to think about it before teararsing in and welding joints which block access to others. 

Once i had a "grand plan" in my head i set about final cutting and replacing some of the pipes and fitting of the pipes correctly together, then chamfered the joints to be welded. 
Then i started stripping the manifold down into sections to be welded. 

Before starting to weld i decided to do a few practice welds to obtain correct settings for current etc..... and to try a back-purge a weld. I found 75 amps seemed about right on the 1.6mm Tungsten.... i did buy some 2.4mm Tungstens as a welding friend suggested they would be better for penetration. 
Anyhow i found the 1.6mm worked fine with adequate penetration so stuck with it. 

Trial weld - 










Once i was happy i started welding up the hard to reach bits - first up the bends for the turbo flange -


























For those that don't know about gas "Back-Purging" basically you fill the inside of the pipe your welding with inert gas (pure Argon for Stainless Steel) - this stops any reactions with the oxygen i.e oxidation and stops any "sugaring" or rough burnt metal on the inside of the joint. 
This not only helps with the flow but also creates a stronger joint, also if you don't back-purge the small parts of oxidation can become loose during the many heat cycles and detach then wreak havoc with your turbine wheel. 

Shot of the inside to show the benefits of back-purging -










Next up i decided to split the collectors and weld the end pieces to them as once the collector is fully assembled access would be difficult. Welded the ends on then finally welded the collector back together -










Due to the angles involved when making the shallow angle merge collector it was really difficult to weld the rear of the collector (Where the two pipes join) but i managed to get it by sticking the Tungsten out by like half an inch. 
Also due to the depth of the cut of the collector angles its impossible to have full penetration (yeh i know i said full penetration :rofl: )
I decided to weld the inside of the collectors, i turned the current down and carefully welded the inside edges together... to be honest i don't think it was necessary but i'm quite happy i did it (even if it was very difficult)

Inside shot of the collector after welding -










After a dose of grinding with the dremmel -










Before going any further i then re-tacked the manifold back together to check for fitment of everything (it's normal during welding for joints to pull and distort) and its easier to waste time re-checking everything than cutting and re-welding joints....

Once re-tacked i then finalised the end positions for the other collector, and prepped it ready for welding -










Ends welded onto the collector for 1-4 -










I then removed the end pipe and welded up the collector, again inside and out...then AGAIN re-tacked the bend to the collector to check the correct position -










Then i re-tacked everything back together AGAIN and finalised the bend positions to the Turbo flange and tacked the bends to the flange -










Next i decided to weld the two bends together, i did this so i could weld the inside of the pipes to each other.... i ran some welds on both sides of the pipes to keep them aligned to each other, quite hard to see but -










I then removed the bends from the turbo flange and welded round them, again access was tricky, i had to lengthen the tip and turn the gas flow up high but i got it all welded 










And the most important bit - the area between the two pipes which forms the divided part of the flange -










I then filed the assembly flat with a file, so there was no nasty gaps with the turbo flange, then rebuilt the manifold again to double check alignment of everything and tacked the bend assembly to the turbo flange. Once happy i then started to weld the bends to the flange. 

All done -


































I've still got to grind the inside of the turbo flange to smooth the area between the pipe and flange, then weld round the inside of the flange ports. 

Quite happy with the progress, thats all the very awkward welds done, "should" be plain sailing from now. 
Gonna do a few hours on it tonight, hoping to be finished by the end of the weekend. 

Just come in from a few hours in the garage. 

Started off by welding the collector for cylinder 1 & 4 to the bend off the turbo flange -


















Next up i tacked the manifold back together for cylinder 1 & 4 and prepared it for welding the remaining joints. Also connected the purge line and blanked the ports with masking tape -










Then i put lots of tack welds on each joint to try and stop any warping. 

Again it wasn't easy to get access to them all but got there in the end, a few are not to pretty but functional. 


















Just got to final weld the pipes to the cylinder head flange then move onto cylinder 2 & 3. 

Cheers,

Graham.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

*FV-QR*

ooooooooo. Very nice. Those welds look on point. :thumbup:

Source- I have 8 structural welding certifications.


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## StaceyS3 (Sep 22, 2012)

Looks amazing graham!

Can't wait to see this build complete


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## Gulfstream (Jul 28, 2010)

StaceyS3 said:


> Looks amazing graham!
> 
> Can't wait to see this build complete


Hat's off to both you and Graham. The amount of fabrication, tech skills and STAMINA you two demonstrate with your builds is simply incredible... :beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:


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## PVW007 (Jan 2, 2010)

Graham this is simply astonishing. Read this all over the last 2 days and cannot wait until you finish mate! If this thread is not motivation for car enthusiasts I don't know what is. opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn:opcorn::beer:


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

*Thanks Everyone*

Much appreciate the comments - nice to have support along the build :beer:

Here's this weekends update -

*Manifold Update*

Well it was a good weekend working on the manifold, really happy about it 

So last update i'd just finished welding up the runners for cylinder 1 & 4.... i then mounted the cylinder head flange against a nice thick bit of aluminium to help draw the heat from the flange to minimise warping -










All done, again really tricky to get in to weld with a standard torch... i wish i had a micro torch, it would have been a lot easier, but they are pricey for just one job. 










After that i didn't take so many photo's as it was just a repeat of the earlier runners, basically build it all up finalised all the angles / bends etc tack it up, then final welded the merge collectors to the flange bends, then removed the runners, purged and welded.

Cylinder 3 slightly changed, all done -










Next up i rebuilt Cylinder 2, finalised the angles / lengths and tacked it back together -


















All done 


















The next job was to grind the inside of the T4 turbo divided flange, the reason was the pipes were slightly larger than the turbo ports. I used the dremmel and various grinding bits to put an angle on the flange, once i got the shape right i ran a weld round the inside of the flanges. 
Then i ground everything nice and smooth and polished it up a bit -










I then did the final bit of welding - the inside of the runners, i didn't add any filler to these welds, just cranked the amps up. 
Still got to smooth them out a little and chamfer the head flange. 










Next i started to flatten the turbo flange, it was warped pretty bad from the welding, especially the centre divided part was approx 2mm raised up. 

I simply used a large flat file and kept filing across the flange from different angles....


















Followed with some 320 wet & dry paper on a large flat block of aluminium -










It's pretty good now but still not 100% - i'll give it another going over later just got bored lol

I then bolted the manifold onto my mock up head to check for flange warpage, it is warped but due to the slots milled into the flange it still pulled up ok without any gaps etc (i checked by trying to insert a feeler gauge in-between the flange and head face)

After that i nipped it onto the engine and took some photo's -










































Next i decided to clock the turbo properly and line up the centre housing to align up the wastegate bracket. The only problem is the centre housing doesn't have holes all the way around for the bracket. So i had to turn the housing so it's not level until it lined up. 


















Plenty of room for a nice fat 4" downpipe 



















































So this week i need to order some materials for the down pipe and hopefully get cracking on it next week end. 

Thanks,

Graham.


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## formerly silveratljetta (Feb 6, 2007)

You really think a 4 inch downpipe will fit between the driveshaft and tunnel?


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

formerly silveratljetta said:


> You really think a 4 inch downpipe will fit between the driveshaft and tunnel?


Sorry i should have been a bit more clear, i'm planning a 4" section directly after the turbo - like an expansion area, then i'll reduce the size back down to 3" to pass through the tunnel / propshaft area as it's quite tight - Badger Bill has built loads of nice systems for his customer BT cars (seen lots of pics on Facebook and his section on SCN) and 3" looks to be the max to squeeze through. 

I have a full resonated Milltek system from an audi s3 for underneath (matches the new 4wd floorpan exactly), not sure if its going to be up to the job (as it's just under 3") but i'll pipe the downpipe into it then see what she runs like, once finished i'll measure the back pressure and if it's too high then make a custom exhaust and either bring one pipe either side of the propshaft or open the tunnel up a bit. 

I just want to get it on the road now - it's been a long time coming :banghead:


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## formerly silveratljetta (Feb 6, 2007)

Ok good plan. I am going to do 3.5 all the way back. I figured 4 definitely wouldn't fit through the tunnel


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## superkarl (Dec 18, 2012)

There's barely enough room for 3 inch ID pipe past the tunnel. 

Graham there's no way a miltek will suffice at 2.75 inches, although it's more the size/design of the backbox that's the problem. excessive pressures have already been encountered with them when trying to break 400hp never mind what yours is capable of. 

I'm weighing up my options with my miltek and I only have a lowly gtx28.


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## formerly silveratljetta (Feb 6, 2007)

superkarl said:


> There's barely enough room for 3 inch ID pipe past the tunnel.


Have you actually measured or just basing off of installing a 3 inch pipe?

Are you factoring in removing the heatshield?


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## ray4624 (Jul 23, 2010)

i stumbled on this thread when googling parts for my stroker build and i just want to say how awesome this project is. 
Before this moment, i had no idea what a Seat even was haha.


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## nate42 (Jun 5, 2010)

superkarl said:


> There's barely enough room for 3 inch ID pipe past the tunnel.
> 
> Graham there's no way a miltek will suffice at 2.75 inches, although it's more the size/design of the backbox that's the problem. excessive pressures have already been encountered with them when trying to break 400hp never mind what yours is capable of.
> 
> I'm weighing up my options with my miltek and I only have a lowly gtx28.


Any facts on this? What kind of pressures were measured and what is considered still acceptable? I have a Miltek and ~400hp on Audi TT. What is a good place to measure the pressure? I have extra lambda plugs on downpipe and on decat pipe.

Grahams81 excellent work as usual! Big fan of this thread:thumbup:


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## superkarl (Dec 18, 2012)

formerly silveratljetta said:


> Have you actually measured or just basing off of installing a 3 inch pipe?
> 
> Are you factoring in removing the heatshield?


I've installed an aftermarket off the shelf one, and made and installed my own for my current turbo. 
It's tight


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## superkarl (Dec 18, 2012)

nate42 said:


> Any facts on this? What kind of pressures were measured and what is considered still acceptable? I have a Miltek and ~400hp on Audi TT. What is a good place to measure the pressure? I have extra lambda plugs on downpipe and on decat pipe.
> 
> Grahams81 excellent work as usual! Big fan of this thread:thumbup:


Using one build as an example he saw rising egts (therefore pressure) when pushing on. When said person replaced his miltek with a custom 3inch the problem disappeared. It's the box that's the problem imo, I don't know if you've seen inside of one. At the end of the day I don't think miltek had any intention of it being used on high power builds. These things are designed for stock cars when they were brand new. Things move on, boundaries are pushed


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Thanks guys, i'd been wondering how the inside of the rear silencer looks to be honest. I'm guessing it's quite heavily baffled / restrictive. 

After the suggestions i did a few searches and they did a test on a Supra (straight through exhaust with only one silencer) going from 3" to 3.5" and it made a massive difference. 

Here's a link - 

http://www.superstreetonline.com/how-to/engine/modp-1102-exhaust-test-tech/#__federated=1

Quite a good read.... looks like i'm gonna be ditching the Milltek and building one then, i'll try and have a look at the weekend to see what size i can squeeze through between the tunnel and propshaft. 

Thanks Again


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## 18T_BT (Sep 15, 2005)

http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/look-what-was-inside-my-milltek.121535/


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## superkarl (Dec 18, 2012)

It's a shame because they are so well made, look great, sound great, and the in cabin noiseutside noise is incredible, how they remain so civilised inside baffles me <------- pun intended


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## l88m22vette (Mar 2, 2006)

The project is amazing but every time I see the pictures I can't help but think about the heat that will be generated. What kind of temp management are you going to have? I'd go with thermal manifold coating and turbine blanket but I'd also vent the hell out of the rear part of the hood...


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## BH17DNB (Feb 21, 2011)

Bump for updates?


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## Vegeta Gti (Feb 13, 2003)

is that manifold TIG'd? if so waaayyy too much heat in those welds, and i don't see a support bracket, it's going to break and fast.


you can always do a 4" dp until it needs to through the DS and into the tunnel then go down to 3" the sheer fact you have 4" after the turbo for 6-8 inches will help immensely.


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## suffocatemymind (Dec 10, 2007)

Mmmm good eye. Could also be a gas coverage issue...stainless love argon!


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## Grahams81 (May 10, 2011)

Thanks Guys, 

As far as the concerns.....

*Heat Management* - I'm planning on plenty of it, not sure on the ceramic coating (just on cost) but the manifold with either be wrapped or coated.... and i'll be making heat shields for all the parts that are close to anything that's gonna get hot..... bear with me i've still got a lot to do. 

*Turbo Bracing / Welding* - I TIG'd the manifold with pure argon... but the welder is a basic 3 in one version (ARC - PLASMA & TIG) China special..... it's got no current foot pedal or any means to connect it.... also no Pulse settings so it's hard to control the amount of heat getting into the metal during welding. Unfortunately i can't afford a fancy pulsed welder..... if it breaks i'll rethink it.
I also back purged the welds to stop any "coking" on the inside. As the pipe is SCH10 it's very thick so needed quite high current to weld through (even with the joints chamfered) and using a mm tungsten. 
As for the finish it's quite dull, but i think thats down to my air cap size, i used the biggest i had which was a 6..... when i've seen other weldp0rn they seem to use fancy glass massive air cups.... not too concerned really. 

As for the bracing.... Again it's not finished, i have the materials to build the brace but haven't got round to it yet. The brace will support the weight of the turbo so the manifold isn't highly stressed but also movable to allow the manifold to flex and expand. I have some small stainless steel rod-ends that i sourced from work that i'm planning on using for the brace, the EFR turbo has plenty of holes in the CHRA that'll help with mounting. 

Thanks for all the concerns / pointers though... much appreciated guys :thumbup:

So here are some updates pieced together from other forums -


A few weeks ago i started working on it again and love is back 
Unfortunately money is tight at the moment so i've been trying to progress the build without spending to much just before my holiday. 

My friend who put a EZ30 6 cylinder in his impreza had loads of 3" pipe and bends left over from making his exhaust so i got all his left overs for nothing..... i did think about making a large 4" section directly after the turbo then reducing it down to 3.5" but as money is tight 3" will do for now and be ok for good hp. 
Once i've got it on the road and fully tuned i can then try swapping parts out and seeing what can be improved on. 

I've also been trying to work out coolant runs / wiring looms so after looking into detail about the coolant i found the connections for the heater matrix were going to be in the way of the down pipe. 
After some research I've found some 90 degree OEM plastic connectors from various different models over the years so i've ordered some of them.... in the mean time i decided to try and give as much clearance to the Heater connections so angle the down pipe towards the engine. 

Cut some pipes up to get it angled away from the matrix connections and used a normal 1.5R 3" bend for the main bend down, there is a section of mirror polished pipe in there that i'll rough up to match the rest once it's all welded up -




























Even with the downpipe angled away from the connections the space is still too tight to use the standard 45 degree connections. 
Once i get the 90 tight connections it should be better but will still need a nice heat shield making up.

Next pipe (a 30 degree bend with one of the tails cut off) tacked into place to get the pipe somewhere near area where it gets complicated :lol:
And to think i was going to try and squeeze a 3.5" pipe through there :blink:










Once i had the second bent pipe into the general area i could then work out the next couple of bends, had to cut and move the bend a few times to get it looking right... then i cut a tight radius bend in two right up the middle so i could bring the pipe though giving the most clearance to each side. 

Bendy 


















Fitted -










Annnnndddd the welding gas then ran out so had to give up on the exhaust for a while. 
Next i need to order a good quality stainless flexi and some 3" v-band sets. 
I have a few silencers from my mates spare impreza systems but i think i'm gonna order some Magnaflow boxes offof good old Ebay as they look good quality. 

Trying to keep the project moving forward a few weeks ago i ordered a load of silicon pipes / bends etc to work out the coolant paths. I already have a Forge coolant pipe set but it doesn't include all the pipes required so i've been looking at whats required, what i've got missing etc and how i'm going to work out the coolant paths with that big silly turbo in my engine bay. 

Anyways i've managed to work out how i'm going to do it - by making stainless "hard pipes" to pass under the turbo / Manifold then up to the matrix connections. 
I'm well aware of the need for adequate heat protection for the turbo and manifold so i'm going to order some heat wrap / heat sleeves and some aluminium sheeting up to make heat shields. I'll probably order some reflective adhesive tape stuff also. 

Next job i decided to put the front cross member back onto the car to help with wiring / coolant paths etc. 










I then started making a list of all the changes i need to make to the wiring loom.... this is due to the BT conversion, SEM inlet manifold so throttle is on the other side as will be the boost pipes, N75 boost valve position, MAP sensor etc etc.
I also removed some of the EVAC / SAI wiring. 

I replaced all the flexible conduit on the sensors that needed lengthening / adjusting position. 

Also due to the turbo placement i needed to adjust the loom so the coil pack wiring so the wires were away from the turbo.

There is also a relay box mounted where my turbo is so i stripped it all down and removed what i could (SAI Power cables) and re-wrapped the loom / rerouted the relays into the plastic trunking to keep it all looking tidy -


















Relay box -










Relays mounted into trunking and loom re-wrapped in fabric tape -










Trunking cover cleaned up and installed -


















Part way through moving the loom for the coil packs and various other sensor movements -










Still got to work out the G266 Oil Temperature / Level sensor wiring, as my INA shallow / baffled sump doesn't have place for one.....

---------------------

Been away on holiday for the last fortnight so not much happening lately.... i did do a little more wiring work before i went away. 

Finished off the passenger side wiring loom, all re-located / re-wrapped, still got to make some clamps / supports. 



















--------------------

I haven't been on here for a long time..... family / work / life but most of all money is all getting in the way, and to be honest i've had to let the car take the back seat (pardon the pun) 

Being broke really does play havoc with this type of project.... that and the fact me and the missus are expecting another addition to the family next March  

In the few short trips into the garage i've had over the months i've been trying to complete stuff without spending money..... this of course doesn't keep you very interested in the project as i've been jumping from one job to another when i realise i need to buy parts / materials to finish. 

I have been taking pics along the way, none of which are very interesting but in the interest of keeping the thread alive i thought i best put them all together. 

I tried to work out some milestones to meet to keep me going along the way. 

First off i wanted to try and get the engine bay wiring finished off, so set away tidying / recovering / re-routing the wiring loom. As the turbo has a big ass 4" inlet i wanted to run the pipe to the air filter behind the headlight into the void in front of the from wheel behind the side grill of the bumper. 
To do this i needed to reroute all the wiring for the fans as it normally sits in a plastic tray which takes up a lot of space - 










I removed the tray and tidied it all up and recovered with new loom cover - 


















Once i finished off the engine bay i decided that due to the expense of the materials i'll leave building the exhaust for now..... and moved onto another free job, putting the front end of the car together -

I fitted the wings / bonnet etc -


















I had to source some M8 to M6 captive nuts as the bonnet had the wrong size inserts in when it was made. 

As its a fibreglass bonnet there is no means of locking the bonnet using the standard locking mechanism, so i bought these a long time ago.... dusty packet -










Deciding where to put them was quite difficult, they are flat so really need to go on a flatfish surface of the bonnet..... i hate to see them mounted on a rounded surface and you can see one end sticking up 

After quite a bit of nervous measuring i had the position sorted - 










Then using a dremmel proceeded to cut out the holes....which then promptly gave up the ghost half way through AGAIN (thats 4 dremmels this project has killed !!!!) 
After a quick trip to Argos i had replacement sorted and cut everything out. 
The best place for the holes was partly into the strengthening webs of the bonnet, so i carefully cut out recesses and had to grind the surface level. 

Holey sheet -










All Done -










































Really happy with the finish and the look..... because racecar :lol:

----------------------

Next update -

My next milestone was to get the car back on its wheels as it'd been up on the chassis dollies for the best part of a year.....maybe even longer it's easy to loose count when the project is into it's fifth year :lol:

One of the main reasons was i wanted to see how the car sat and to see if the motorsport 17" wheels i bought were gonna look too small...

I started off buy finding a new set of 256mm vented rear discs, brand new genuine ones for £20 offof good old eBay (they were cheap as they were only listed with the part number and no description for what models they fitted.... Bonus !!!










For the fronts i still haven't bought a brake kit (far too expensive for the time being) so i fitted some 312mm discs that i had lying around the garage (bought them for the misses Golf 4 motion but found there was nothing wrong with them)
These are just temporary until i buy a big brake kit.










I dug the wheels out of the shed and tried one on.... oh poo they didn't fit, the inside of the rim was catching the adjusting nuts of the coilovers -










So i ordered some spacers and studs -










Put the studs in with a dab of loctite on the threads -










And stuck the discs back on -


























The slid the spacers on -










While i was waiting for spacers to show up i made a start on stripping the rear brake callipers and cleaning them up..... 

Before -










After, ready for a lick of paint -










I need to order a seal kit and new pistons for the rear callipers, the carriers are also in poor condition so i might splash out later on and buy a new set. So i set them to the side and carried on with "operation back on its feet" 

The following weekend i fitted all the wheels and decided to start lowering it down off the dollies. 
It took a long time to remove the stands as it was actually too high for my trolley jack and because it was up against one side of the garage i had to work under neath to access the passenger side... so i wasn't taking any chances with safety. 

I slowly lowered the car completely peg by peg (on the dolly stands as they are adjustable) 
Until i got the car low enough to support it using axle stands. The removed the dollies. 

A few hours later i had the car back on it's wheels without being squashed underneath it and without any damage 


















A few weeks passed and i got a pass out from the wife for a day in the garage for good behaviour.... 

So i pushed the car out into the sunlight -

Face-off -



















Dropped the front end bits back on (just dropped on nothing lined up properly yet) -


























































Still undecided on the wheels, they might look better with some bigger wide rubber on to fill out the arches more, but one of them has a flat spot on the inner rim... might just bite the bullet and source some 18's for it. 

Popped the bonnet to see how it looked in the real light of day -

Complete with ghetto bonnet stay :lol:










































I was shocked when i looked back at the pictures... the down pipe is 3" put looks tiny coming out of the turbo. 
The reason i stopped with the exhaust was because i'm not happy with just a 3" exhaust, i'm going to try and build a bigger one... but thats for the future when the funds allow. 

Next up i decided to crack on with the electrics / interior and put the dooryards on the drivers side, they are the original LC ones so grey plastic at the bottoms.... gonna get a set of black LCR ones eventually but the LC ones will do for now -










A few more weeks / months of working away halted progress for a while... then i started off again a few weeks back. I finished off repairing the interior wiring loom and fixing it back into position. Also wired in some seat airbag resistors and removed the electric seat wires / fuses then coiled the airbag wires up under the dash. 

Midway through -










Cables all tidied and mounted, handbrake / fuel cap switch cables have been rerouted since this photo to run along the top of the centre tunnel. I also mounted the airbag crash sensor to the seat rails.










I then measured up and drilled the mountings for the drivers seat.... not easy as the "fatty" race seats i picked are quite wide and only just fit between the centre console and the drivers side wing is touching the B pillar plastic cover. 










I can't drill the passenger side yet as i don't have a second seat..... :blink: more on my to buy list 

New plugs fitted to the floor in preparation for fitting the carpet -










Trimmed back the edging trim to clear the roll cage -


















Fits nice -










Then i cut the carpet up and placed the driver side part in, i've got no sound insulation in at the moment.... i'll see what it's like first, if it's unbearable i'll pull the carpet up and add some. 


















Still got to source a new gear knob, and get rid of those pedals (i've got a set of LCR ones to go in) 

I'm planning on cracking on with the interior a bit more.... next time i get a free "pass"... god knows when that'll be. 

So that's all up to date so far...thanks for reading, and any comments. 

Cheers,

Graham.


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## MÄDDNESSS (Oct 18, 2010)

You're never 1 to disappoint. :beer:


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## Dubdecks (Dec 26, 2015)

Graham 

I have just purchased a partly done 4wd drive conversion going into a mk1 Golf, although im trying to find out the dimensions of the running gear/haldex, 

do you have any information on dimensions from reference points etc, im trying to line up the front subframe first time and hopefully get it spot on ... 

Thanks 

John


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## Superbird11 (Aug 28, 2016)

Wow, so sad to see this project dead :-(


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## All_Euro (Jul 20, 2008)

Superbird11 said:


> Wow, so sad to see this project dead :-(


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## EugeniuSandu (May 7, 2016)

What happened with this wonderful project I am curious to see the var finished


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## vicius_the_one (Dec 31, 2008)

*1.8t aeb euro2 to 1.8t auq euro 4 conversion problem*

i made a swap as in title on audi a4 1995. i simply used euro 4 harness ans sensors, also fitted camshaft adjuster behind cylindear head with electromagnetic actuator. car has a problem starting with Euro 4 cranshaft sensor(g28). it starts only with euro 2 g28. for euro 2 sensor i have to swapt 1 and 3 wires in plug to start with it. with euro 4 sensor ans normal fitted wires i dont see any RPM on start up. cars doenst start even when is pushed. I checked etka and ring for g28 is same for euro 2 and 4, so i dont need to open engine and fit euro 4 ring on crankshaft. 
I checked wiring for g40 and g28 and are ok to ecu.
I also checked voltage on g40 and g28
g40 = 4.95v at ignition and cranking
g28 = 2.5v at ignition and cranking

g28 from euro 2 and from euro 4 have same lengt so they reach same dept in crankcase.

I wonder it there is a voltage problem in ecu pcb and g28 has poor voltage. i need a hint if someone can help me somehow.


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## harr2969 (Jan 11, 2017)

*impressive*

Signed in to say -- I just found this thread today and spent the last few hours reading it. Suddenly my MK1 TT Haldex challenges seem a little smaller. 

Kudos for all the work, I would love to see the continuation of it, but if "life" takes priority, all well and good. Nice work man.


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## Gionny2004 (May 15, 2018)

*Hello*

Hello everyone, I'm new and I congratulate the forum with the organizers.
I registered because I saw the wonderful work done on this Leon and I congratulate the person who performed it and I wonder if it is completed?
Given the huge work you've done I wonder how much time you have dedicated to this project.


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## M66atx (Oct 10, 2019)

Hi am I right in thinking the 1.8t Quattro floor pan out the a3 works the same as the s3?


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