The Project Pad

It has been a long time since I have had an old Audi and I am super stoked to finally have one again!

I sold my 1993 urS4 around 5 years ago. I was getting ready to buy a house and came to the conclusion that I needed a truck much more than a fast Audi. Having a good truck has definitely been nice, but driving a crew cab long bed pickup around town everyday gets expensive and tiring. I wanted to get a good daily driver/commuter and keep the truck for work duties and towing the boat.

An urS6 Avant has been my dream car for many years. While I would have been happy with pretty much any color urS6, my goal was to find a Europa Blue car with black leather interior. This proved to be a near impossible feat; especially one in decent condition. This last January I found an old for sale post from Hap Maguire, on QuattroWorld, where he was selling the exact car I wanted. I read through the thread, found the new owner and contacted him to see if he would be interested in selling the car. We talked for a while, but then life got in the way and I stopped pursuing the car. In the last few months, though, I had started my search for another Avant again. I found a handful of cars, but they all had pealing clear coats, nearly 200k miles, and really needed some work. Since I wasn't finding anything that I was looking for, I decided to contact the fellow that bought Hap's old car. Luckily he still had the car and is willing to sell it to me! We agreed on a price, I bought a one way ticket to Denver for me and my wife, and we will be picking it December 1st

Details of the car:
-1995.5 urS6 Avant
-Europa Blue
-Black Leather interior
-85,000 original miles

Current Upgrades/Mods
-RS2 Wagner exhaust manifold
-MTM 1+ chipset
-993tt front BBK
-Koni shocks all around
-HIDs
-Built-in radar detector
-do88se silicone 11 pc coolant system hose set from Sweden
-Hella European headlight lens (left & right) from Germany
-DEPO Euro Clear Corner Signal Lights
-CAC Stainless cat-back exhaust
-ARP headstuds

This car has been meticulously maintained with no expense spared.

Future Plans

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels
-DIY Coilover setup DONE
-18" wheels (undecided on which wheels yet) DONE
-Replace any worn out suspension/subframe items
-17Z Front brake upgrade, once the pads and rotors on the 993tt setup wear out
-Larger rear rotors

Body/Interior
-3M clear bra. We get a lot of cinder on the road in the winter time and it destroys the front of cars.
-Tinted windows
-S2 Sport steering wheel
-Some sort of WeatherTech style floor mats

Stereo
-All new speakers
-New deck with bluetooth
-Sub/Amp: I have two classic Nakamichi SP-80 8" subs that would work nicely.

Engine/Transmission/Drivetrain
This is where it gets interesting. Since this is a second car for me, it needs to be worth the expense, in my mind, of having two vehicles (not including the wife's car). My truck gets +/-18mpg in town and 20+mpg on the highway, so this car needs to greatly exceed those numbers. Making this happen, I am sure, will upset a few people but, I am going to do a TDI swap with a TDI 01E 6spd...

1.9 ALH TDI: Shooting for 200-250hp and 350-400ft/lb's of tq.
-Complete rebuild
-ARP Headstuds
-ARP Main studs
-H-beam or I-beam Rods
-Colt stage 3 cam
-Ported and polished head
-Injectors: undecided
-Turbo: undecided

Transmission:
-TDI 01E 6spd
-Clutch and flywheel capable for power goals

I know this seems like a heinous plan, but I believe it will turn out to be an awesome car! It will have a lighter engine (helping the understeer issue), make more power, or should I say torque, than the current chip tuned AAN, and get 45-50mpg

The TDI swap will not happen immediately, so in the meantime I will get everything else I want to do to the car done and have fun driving a 20vt again for a while

Here are some pictures from the previous owner:

I got a lot of shit (and love) for doing the same swap. I'll find my thread on TDIclub.

And nice buy! Looks fantastic

Stoked to see this!

Enjoy it as a gasser while you can

This sounds like an awesome project. Nice find.

chaloux wrote:I got a lot of shit (and love) for doing the same swap. I'll find my thread on TDIclub.

I found the link in your sig. Very nice! How did you like the car? Was the ALH stock or did you tune it up?

ringbearer wrote:Stoked to see this!

Enjoy it as a gasser while you can

Me too man! I will for sure. It will probably be close to a year before I get the TDI swap done. I still have a ton of parts to track down

It wouldn't be right if you weren't rocking soot burner swapped vehicles, would it? I think it's a cool plan, and more practical than something more "purist" oriented, going with an AEL or AAT just to keep the TDI a 5 cylinder. You'll be able to find parts easy and cheap, and the aftermarket support is huge. And those hp/tq figures are no slouch, with ridiculous mileage. Basically, a nearly ideal daily driver.

jcarrick wrote:

chaloux wrote:I got a lot of shit (and love) for doing the same swap. I'll find my thread on TDIclub.

I found the link in your sig. Very nice! How did you like the car? Was the ALH stock or did you tune it up?

Haha, forgot that was there. I use tapatalk too much.

It was fantastic. *About* as fast as a stock S car, but with sooo much better MPG. I had a Rocketchip Stage 3 ECU with PP764 injectors, PD130 intake, no EGR, straight exhaust, and the fuel pump from the S6 acting as a lift pump. The lift pump made a big difference I think. Every person I took in the car was impressed. I also tied, as in dead even, an AEL 5 cylinder TDI with a chip (dad owned, then me) that was supposed to be pushing ~180hp and 300tq. I had two adults and two kids in Diono (heavy) car seats, and he had two adults. Same tranny.

I just made up a custom bracket to use the S6 power steering pump, but I killed 2 of them. Using the same pulley and everything, and if anything, lower revs. Not sure why, but that was an issue I was chasing. AND, I would also not use the same flywheel I used, just a 1.8t southbend kit. It worked fine and never slipped but it was pretty rough/chattery, which makes sense as it was made for a gasser. And my engine mounts were ghetto. They worked, but they were ghetto lol. The tach worked by simply hooking up the tach output wire from the ECU, which was sweet. There's probably lots of other stuff I'm missing. I'd probably do it again someday because I think it's the perfect chassis/engine combo, but a little differently and more "complete" before putting it on the road.

You don't need to touch the bottom end for 200whp/300ftlbs, I daily drove mkii with an alh for 4 years, lift pump 11mm ip, pp502's 17/22, dyno ed 195/300, I beat the snot out of it every day and averaged 48 mpg...headstuds are a must, decent inner cooler and straight exhaust help. The same motor is now 2.0, fully built and going in a 4k...

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chaloux wrote:

jcarrick wrote:

chaloux wrote:I got a lot of shit (and love) for doing the same swap. I'll find my thread on TDIclub.

I found the link in your sig. Very nice! How did you like the car? Was the ALH stock or did you tune it up?

Haha, forgot that was there. I use tapatalk too much.

It was fantastic. *About* as fast as a stock S car, but with sooo much better MPG. I had a Rocketchip Stage 3 ECU with PP764 injectors, PD130 intake, no EGR, straight exhaust, and the fuel pump from the S6 acting as a lift pump. The lift pump made a big difference I think. Every person I took in the car was impressed. I also tied, as in dead even, an AEL 5 cylinder TDI with a chip (dad owned, then me) that was supposed to be pushing ~180hp and 300tq. I had two adults and two kids in Diono (heavy) car seats, and he had two adults. Same tranny.

I just made up a custom bracket to use the S6 power steering pump, but I killed 2 of them. Using the same pulley and everything, and if anything, lower revs. Not sure why, but that was an issue I was chasing. AND, I would also not use the same flywheel I used, just a 1.8t southbend kit. It worked fine and never slipped but it was pretty rough/chattery, which makes sense as it was made for a gasser. And my engine mounts were ghetto. They worked, but they were ghetto lol. The tach worked by simply hooking up the tach output wire from the ECU, which was sweet. There's probably lots of other stuff I'm missing. I'd probably do it again someday because I think it's the perfect chassis/engine combo, but a little differently and more "complete" before putting it on the road.

Thank you for all the info. I am definitely very excited about it! Im sure I will be asking you plenty of questions when the time finally comes. Are you going to get yours running again?

scubagli wrote:You don't need to touch the bottom end for 200whp/300ftlbs, I daily drove mkii with an alh for 4 years, lift pump 11mm ip, pp502's 17/22, dyno ed 195/300, I beat the snot out of it every day and averaged 48 mpg...headstuds are a must, decent inner cooler and straight exhaust help. The same motor is now 2.0, fully built and going in a 4k...

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I have read that other places as well. Is that basically the limit of the stock bottom end though? Do you think it would be worth doing rods to be able to push closer to 250+hp? Do you have a build thread for your 4k?

PRY4SNO wrote:It wouldn't be right if you weren't rocking soot burner swapped vehicles, would it? I think it's a cool plan, and more practical than something more "purist" oriented, going with an AEL or AAT just to keep the TDI a 5 cylinder. You'll be able to find parts easy and cheap, and the aftermarket support is huge. And those hp/tq figures are no slouch, with ridiculous mileage. Basically, a nearly ideal daily driver.

Haha, I guess It wouldn't. Its just hard to pass up the combination of power, efficiency and longevity that diesels have to offer! I completely agree! Its nice to see that people are supporting it and not hating for not keeping it a 20vt 5 cylinder

Double post.

not to play devils advocate, but this dude is making 380whp and 400ish ft/lbs and races in standing miles with his 1z TDI with stock internals (valve pockets cut deeper) It seems that the 200whp being safe in a TDI might be worth debating.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=459403

Rods are probably a good idea since you are probably going to have a VNT turbo and a way heavier car with more traction, but damn it costs a lot to fully build a TDI up internally!

I'm just running mine until it explodes, which it seems like will not be possible with my current hardware. (stock AHU, ported head, stage 3 cam, upgraded valve springs, ARP headstuds) I have an 11mm pump I am working on fitting, that will probably bump up my power some, but I think it wont be enough to cause any damage as long as things don't get too hot.

This car should be sweet with a modded TDI. My audi is much more fun that I thought it would be. More fun than my 3b swapped 90 really.

Dana,
I like the devil's advocate! I agree. It seems like you should be able to push these things a lot farther than people say. Part of me wants to just leave the bottom end stock and shoot for 250hp/350lbft... I just dont want to worry about it every time I do a hard pull, but I feel like if you keep the EGT's in check then it should fine.

jcarrick wrote:Dana,
I like the devil's advocate! I agree. It seems like you should be able to push these things a lot farther than people say. Part of me wants to just leave the bottom end stock and shoot for 250hp/350lbft... I just dont want to worry about it every time I do a hard pull, but I feel like if you keep the EGT's in check then it should fine.

It's not etgs, it's torque, and the thread Dana linked is absolutely correct, tuning is essential. The torque spike has to be limited down low. I've got to say I don't think that guys car is drivable on the street though, it more than likely smokes like a train, has no power below like 3k, then starts pulling and makes peak hp at or just above 6k where the pump runs out of steam. It's the only problem with ve tdis....

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jcarrick wrote:Dana,
I like the devil's advocate! I agree. It seems like you should be able to push these things a lot farther than people say. Part of me wants to just leave the bottom end stock and shoot for 250hp/350lbft... I just dont want to worry about it every time I do a hard pull, but I feel like if you keep the EGT's in check then it should fine.

It's not etgs, it's torque, and the thread Dana linked is absolutely correct, tuning is essential. The torque spike has to be limited down low. I've got to say I don't think that guys car is drivable on the street though, it more than likely smokes like a train, has no power below like 3k, then starts pulling and makes peak hp at or just above 6k where the pump runs out of steam. It's the only problem with ve tdis....

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The time has finally come! My wife and I are flying into Denver tomorrow to pick up the car. I am so excited!

If anyone wants to grab a beer in Denver tomorrow night, 12/1, or in Salt Lake City on Saturday, let me know!

Also, all the parts for the coilovers have come in and I will be picking up the new wheels and tires as soon as we get home. By Tuesday, everything will be installed and it will be sitting proper on nice wheels

Congrats, that's exciting!

Awesome Congrats!

I always respected TDI's - at carlise I got to see Dana's TDI and it changed my mind about what those 1.9's can do compared to some exceptional gasoline motors! I have a video somewhere of it running dead even with an RS4

That is a hell of a find on a few levels
1) s6 avant
2) the mileage
3) EUROPA
4) the condition!

I would think if you were doing the swap to save money on fuel, because of the amount you'll be into it all by the time it was done would take years to pay it off (buying the car + money invested) . But if you're doing it because you want to then all that is out the window. You should also be able to recoup some of the money with the AAN engine as well I have seen those recently going for 1200-1500.

I wouldn't worry about the "purists". People get mad any time someone takes a rare car from stock, but if they want to keep it stock they can buy it and do what they please with it. That's largely what the internet is, people wanting to scrutinize everyone else. I modify my cars to be exactly what I want them to be so I enjoy them.
Seeing Dana's TDI 90 was really cool at battleborn and I was really into that car because it's different. The 20vt is never going to be old to me, and I have a couple I am working on now but if I hadn't had the parts already I would have strongly considered a TDI or 07K

More TDI Quattros!!

Stoked man!

I've had too much on my plate to send you those lists we talked about but it sounds like you got it figured out. Hit me up if you have any questions and let's see some vids of that garage queen doing snownuts!

themagellan wrote:Awesome Congrats!

I always respected TDI's - at carlise I got to see Dana's TDI and it changed my mind about what those 1.9's can do compared to some exceptional gasoline motors! I have a video somewhere of it running dead even with an RS4

I have seen that video; it's awesome! If this thing can run with an RS4 I will be very happy!

Afterthought wrote:That is a hell of a find on a few levels
1) s6 avant
2) the mileage
3) EUROPA
4) the condition!

I would think if you were doing the swap to save money on fuel, because of the amount you'll be into it all by the time it was done would take years to pay it off (buying the car + money invested) . But if you're doing it because you want to then all that is out the window. You should also be able to recoup some of the money with the AAN engine as well I have seen those recently going for 1200-1500.

I wouldn't worry about the "purists". People get mad any time someone takes a rare car from stock, but if they want to keep it stock they can buy it and do what they please with it. That's largely what the internet is, people wanting to scrutinize everyone else. I modify my cars to be exactly what I want them to be so I enjoy them.
Seeing Dana's TDI 90 was really cool at battleborn and I was really into that car because it's different. The 20vt is never going to be old to me, and I have a couple I am working on now but if I hadn't had the parts already I would have strongly considered a TDI or 07K

It definitely is a crazy find and I am stoked to have it!

The swap is partially for the fuel savings, but really it's just because I want to do it. I know it may not pencil out for a long time, but it sure will be fun! I'm not really worried about "purists." I want to share my project with people, even though some wouldn't be to happy with it I have thought, for a long time, that a TDI quattro would be the way to go, but Dana's car has been a big inspiration!

oil_me wrote:More TDI Quattros!!

Yessir!

ringbearer wrote:Stoked man!

I've had too much on my plate to send you those lists we talked about but it sounds like you got it figured out. Hit me up if you have any questions and let's see some vids of that garage queen doing snownuts!

Me too!!

No worries at all; I think I have everything I need. I will get some snownut vids soon! We hit a little snow in Vail Colorado and I got it sideways for quite a ways coming out of downtown It was great!!



We made it home tonight. It has been a long drive, but it has seriously been amazing driving an urS car again! This thing really is as flawless as the pictures have shown. The back of the car came filled with extra parts and OEM parts that had been replaced with euro pieces. I have not gone through them yet, as I am beat from driving for two days. Tomorrow I will go through everything in the back, pull the struts out and prep them for coilovers. Hopefully by the end of Monday this thing won't look like an Allroad any more, haha!

I didn't get a chance to take too many pictures from the drive back, but I will post the ones I have tomorrow. Until then, I'm beat and going to get some sleep

Nice work Jon. Go to bed lol

Wait, where's this video of an rs4 failing to pull on Dana's car!?

To finish up the story of driving this thing home...

It really was just a wonderful experience driving such a beautiful car home. We decided to take the more scenic route, through the mountains and ski resorts, instead of heading up through Wyoming. This brought on a little bit of snow, but a whole lot of de-icer (magnesium chloride)! Once I started getting de-icer sprayed on my windshield, I realized that the washer fluid was just about empty and windshield wipers were in need of replacement. I'm guessing this was due to the fact it was probably not driven in the elements hardly at all. A quick stop at Napa remedied these issues. Here's a pic from a Walmart parking lot as we were heading up towards Vail:



We stopped in Aspen, CO for lunch because neither of us had been there before. Talk about crazy money!! It was super cool to see and I would love to go snowboard there, but man, was it out of my league! The rest of the drive through Colorado was scenic and uneventful. Once we got into Utah, the speed limit went up to 80mph. I figured I would be safe cruising at around 86mph, so that is where I set the cruise control. I also figured that the built in radar detector would help as well, but I was wrong on both accounts. As I came over a rise, I saw a cop sitting under an underpass. I started to slow down, but I saw him pull out behind me. He pulled me over and stated that he clocked me at 90mpg. I told him that my speedo showed 86, to which to he said that was still over the speed limit, haha. After asking me numerous questions, like why I would fly to Colorado from Oregon to by a 1995 station wagon , he ended up just giving me a warning. I personally think he thought I was bringing some legal, Colorado ganja into Utah (not legal) and profiled the car, but whatever. So after that ordeal, I check my speed with the GPS on my phone and found out my speedo was, in fact, 4mph fast. Once we got into Salt Lake City, we decided to have dinner at In-N-Out. Being from California, and now living in Oregon, it was weird to see an In-N-Out in Utah. This seemed like a picture worthy spot, ha:



Now onto the fun stuff!
Today I got the car on jack stands and removed all four struts. It already has Koni struts, so I am just going to install the coilovers and run the Koni's until they blow.





I am amazed out how nice this car is to work on. Having such little miles on it, nothing is corroded or rusted or hard to take apart! I also realized, I put more miles on the car, just driving it home, than the previous owner did, the entire time he owned it!

After getting the struts, I realized that the rear Koni struts have a welded on spring perch. I re-read the different T44/urS DIY Coilover threads and could not find any info on how guys have dealt with this. I found one guy on Audizine who used, what looks like, some sort of snap ring, above the weld, for the sleeve to sit on, but personally it looked like it would eventually expand and slide over the weld. Does anyone have any experience with this? Would it be ok to just let the sleeve sit on the weld? I considered make a ring for it, like the front struts need, and just tacking it to the weld, but I figured I'd see if others have dealt with this first.

Short list of things I need to do:
-Finish the suspension
-Figure out if I can adjust the speedo (?)
-Figure out how the built-in radar detector works

As far as the coilovers go, the safest thing you could do would be to make a ring like the front struts have. You wouldn't even need to weld it to anything as long as it is a good fit. It wouldn't hurt to tack it though, just to make sure it doesn't scratch the paint and corrode the strut body. If you want to drive it until you can come up with a solution, I'm sure you could just let the sleeve sit on the weld if it's diameter is small enough to do so in the meantime. It shouldn't split the sleeve that quickly.

Beautiful car! I love making trips like that to bring a car home. Reminds me of when I picked up my avant