The Project Pad

Just one right now. I'm exhausted, my 20 year old knee injury/surgery's been acting up. I have pile of parts to go through and clean up. Left G60 is sticking; may have get a rebuild.

I drove the car around the yard 2x and the caliper is still sticking. I ordered a rebuilt from GAP. I have to put this on before I can register it and then get an alignment. I have never felt such a longing to drive a car again; I just miss it. More waiting.

I know the feeling all too well. After all the time and effort I put into my 80q, I just want to drive it. At least I have the replacment trans in hand now.

Maybe I missed it, but what size tires did you put on the speedlines? They look pretty big.

185/60 x 15"; 877 revs per mile and 23.7" overall diameter. I use narrower tires as I have a manual rack. I would prefer to use wheels that aren't so wide but these are what I had. One of the wheels came up slightly bent so I put it on the RR. I hope it won't be an issue. I may get steelies for winter if the set my buddy has, fits. I noticed when I was driving it around; there seemed to be more caster as the steering wheel returned to center more easily. The Bentley says 1º more for the Coupe than the sedan. Hmmm.

I opened the caliper box and found the folded outer seal on one of the pistons was improperly installed. The boot was pinched and sticking up instead of laying flat. Back in the box it went. They're shipping me another one right away NC and I'm sending this one + the core back in the same box. Works for me. I've been a day late and a dollar short for a while so this fits right into the storyline. Saturday or Tuesday it should arrive. Waiting? Well wait some more.

I'm registering the car tomorrow, the alignment is on Friday.

Love the progress and updates. Hope the next caliper you receive is better.

AudiSport4000 wrote:Love the progress and updates. Hope the next caliper you receive is better.

Thanks. The caliper arrived on Saturday, the last delivery of the day. I put it on the next day. The plates are on, I'm driving it tomorrow.

Awesome, this project is inspiring.

Please sir, some pics? Can we have some moar?

The car is aligned and drives beautifully. The G60 brakes are a distinct improvement even with the stock master cylinder. The steering so far seems a bit lighter and easier with the larger, wider wheels. I can and will say now and forever; that anyone considering a TDI swap in a B3 Audi, MUST get a TDI spec transmission or use a TDI custom gear set in the stock trans. The difference is night and day. The horrible teeth-grinding vibration from the incorrect higher revs is gone. Each gear has a broader useable range. The car is now exactly what it should be. I am working on a bracket solution for the cruise control and a tachometer conversion circuit. The pump timing will be advanced to take advantage of the new gearing. The knot of uncertainty in my gut during this last upgrade has now disappeared. I'm relieved and thrilled at the same time and they don't cancel each other out.

Awesome so glad to hear it. Take me for a ride.

oil_me wrote:The car is aligned and drives beautifully. I'm relieved and thrilled at the same time and they don't cancel each other out.

So glad to hear that.. nothing like a project worth waiting for.
I remember driving my tdi for the first week.. I would take it out just for the simple pleasure.
The tdi project was more exciting to me than any 20vt swap.

Enjoy the fruits of your labor!

congrats rich! i cannot wait to revel in the glory myself!

Back on the road.

You're low on brake fluid

Otherwise, glorious!

PRY4SNO wrote:You're low on brake fluid

Otherwise, glorious!

Yes, good call.

I'm driving the car to and from work and it's still perfect. The steering is lighter, returns to center easily. I was starting to dislike driving the Jetta even though it's a good, reliable, economical car. This Audi really just does it for me now. This has been the longest, most fruitful car project I've ever done. I must acknowledge and give great thanks to everyone who's contributed; all the positive comments and suggestions. You people are awesome. This Motorgeek site and all of you have been and continue to be a source of inspiration for me.
Thanks; a lot,
Richard BreMiller

So how much diesel have you used?

It takes 3 weeks or so to empty a tank of fuel. My best tank so far was 716 miles and 15 gal. for 47.5 mpg. I'm going to fill it on Thursday and drive it for a whole tank. We'll wait and see. :-)

That is freaking awesome! That's nearly double the mileage of my MC1 swap.

That mileage figure is with the old V6 transmission. I'm hoping for a 3-5 mpg increase with the TDI box. It's more driveable, more pleasant cruising in each gear. The clutch is much smoother as well. I had found some rust on the input shaft of the V6 trans. during the swap that was the cause of strange low to the floor engagement issues from time to time. I've had no slipping issues with this clutch setup so far.

I got the idea from a fellow 'Geek to make a list of cars & parts that make up my 80Q TDI. Here's what I have so far:

80 vw dasher fuel filter flange
83 audi Urq rear diff
84 vw rabbit gti "golf ball" shifter knob
87 vw fox steering rack
88 audi 80 4 cylinder radiator, front rad mount, bumper, sub-frame mounts
89 audi 80 diesel engine mounts (euro)
90 audi coupe q front hubs + brakes
90 coupe wheels
91 vw jetta eco-diesel exhaust manifold
91 audi 80q body
92 audi 90 manual window reg (euro)
93 audi 90 seats
93 audi c5 axle parts (custom rear axles)
94 vw golf k14 turbo (Canada)
94 audi 90 tdi downpipe (euro)
94 s2 steering wheel
95 audi 90 fr. driveshafts
96 vw passat tdi various engine parts
96 vw G/J DGW gearbox (Netherlands)
96 vw LT DI injection pump
98 vw G/J AHU tdi engine block (Canada)
99 vw jetta tdi intake
99 audi a4 tdi starter
2000 audi a4 oil filter flange
96 Mercedes steering damper

good job man

oil_me wrote:I took my son to Germany in '98, we visited all the car factories and auto museums we could in 3 weeks. Our favorite was the Audi factory in Ingolstadt. Unbelieveably complex factory; beautiful. We did the tour 2x.

I have this on my list to take my boys when they get a little older as well.

And TDI's in B3 and B4 makes so much sense to me. When I had a B3 that's what I wanted to put in her.

Mileage results?