The Project Pad

I had a thread on MG that I never really updated, especially within the last year or so when then fun really started happening so here goes.

I built this car a few years ago and it has gone through many changes, many failures, and many rebuilds but last year I finally seemed to get everything set last year.

The Short List:
2000 A4 Avant
12v Vr6 - JE/IE Tuscans/Ferrea +1/Schrick 268's
S4 01e
CM FX850
Precision 6766
Autronic SM4
Dual 044's w/ID1600's/E85












Some vids from last year:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYJPhkPK4NM[/youtube]

My first run on the new setup - 11.2@138
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFVLv19smzo[/youtube]

10.9@137 run
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGwknEU5-Gs[/youtube]



Just needed a driver mod real bad and a few more tweaks this year. I had a few trans issues last year.... including a twisted input shaft. Don't do low-4th gear pulls at 39psi... Might be hard to tell, but the splines are smeared and this also ate up the clutch disk splines. It also tore off the kevlar clutch material which cracked off part of the bellhousing when it hit. Not good.






So in light of that, the 1-2 collar on my trans being REALLY fubar'd, the 1-2(especially) and 2-3 rev drop were really terrible so I decided to pony up and get a custom 1-off PAR 1-2 dog gears, and RS4 3/4/5 for this year. This should help get this thing down the track in a much smoother fashion, and go faster as well. I'm still waiting on the gears, they're in heat treatment right now with PAR.

Something like this:



Also did this on the way into Ocean City for Hot Rod Weekend on the 90 1 mile out from the island.... Was going to mess with some Muscle Cars...


Luckily there was no other damage, and I've upgraded to the beefy tool-steel pins now.


Also moving on to a new suspension that can actually be adjusted and raised up and down, unlike my current coilovers which are frozen in the low position, and moving to some RPF1's and nice rubber to get rid of the slammed look. Might help make it down the track easier, as well as make it way better to drive as a daily -- This is pretty much my daily driver during the summer, and I love it.

Just the quick version of the overview of the car for now...... More pics and progress to come throughout the spring/summer I'm sure.

Holy smokes Brian. Your project had fallen off my radar! I am stoked and honored it found a home back here on this site. 138 traps in an avant is getting after it!

I am super jelly on the PAR setup. Excatly what I would probably get. What ratios 1-2?

Hank wrote:Holy smokes Brian. Your project had fallen off my radar! I am stoked and honored it found a home back here on this site. 138 traps in an avant is getting after it!

I am super jelly on the PAR setup. Excatly what I would probably get. What ratios 1-2?

2.82 and 1.84 first and 2nd if I remember correctly.

Nice work... Saw this for the 1st time last year at t Turbo Meet at h2oi 2012...

god damn I love this car.. what a beast. Welcome!

Yum, a way taller 1st with a slightly taller 2nd and then the shorter 3-5. Awesome.

I'd love to pony up to a 1-2 like you have done. I think it would wake the 01e right up with custom 1-2 ratios.

Hank wrote:Yum, a way taller 1st with a slightly taller 2nd and then the shorter 3-5. Awesome.

I'd love to pony up to a 1-2 like you have done. I think it would wake the 01e right up with custom 1-2 ratios.

Yeah, it should really wake it up. I think it will make the car feel lighter going through the gears too. It still feels like a pig with the long gears.

This is some video a local posted up of one of my 1/8th mile passes...... its a little hard to tell but the 1-2 respool is terrible....... it's the 3rd race.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z24UEC61jmY[/youtube]

I can only hope the better 1-2, plus the dog gear will eliminate that completely.

Dang Brian. That thing is moving out! Well done. Keep posting here! We love builds like this!

Good lord, this thing is AWESOME! Excellent work man! Like Hank said, Keep the updates coming!!!

Saw this initially on your ad over at BAT.

Nice wheels... and drop dead sexy avant.

Looking forward to updates!

I remember seeing this at Carlisle a few years ago. Very unique! Well done.

Always love seeing this car at Carlisle. I'm glad you made it here and am super impressed with those numbers! Are those whp numbers? Thats about where I'd like to be with mine power wise at the wheels and if a precision can get it done with much better spool than a Borg 76 can, then it may be something for me to look into.

yes, welcome and glad i could suggest coming here to you. now you have to regularly upkeep it though HAHA

loxxrider wrote:Always love seeing this car at Carlisle. I'm glad you made it here and am super impressed with those numbers! Are those whp numbers? Thats about where I'd like to be with mine power wise at the wheels and if a precision can get it done with much better spool than a Borg 76 can, then it may be something for me to look into.

Yes they're mustang AWD numbers. I've had a bunch of different turbo brands throughout the years, and this precision blows them out of the water.

What kind of displacement and CR these days Brian? 2.9L? That is crazy you survived the pin breaking without major damage. Please tell me you just swapped pins and keep boosting!!

speeding-g60 wrote:yes, welcome and glad i could suggest coming here to you. now you have to regularly upkeep it though HAHA

Now convince Justin to come over too... another VR6 B5 Swap...

mushasho wrote:

speeding-g60 wrote:yes, welcome and glad i could suggest coming here to you. now you have to regularly upkeep it though HAHA

Now convince Justin to come over too... another VR6 B5 Swap...

ummm, i think i may already have and he will when he is ready but he isnt really a "build thread" kind of guy LOL. but him and wi we talk quite a bit about this stuff....

Hank wrote:What kind of displacement and CR these days Brian? 2.9L? That is crazy you survived the pin breaking without major damage. Please tell me you just swapped pins and keep boosting!!

Yeah, its 82.5mm, so i guess a 2.9-ish? 9:1 dish.

I had to use a new piston(which I already had a spare) and a new rod from IE - They just sent me a single that matched the weight of mine. The rest of the pistons I pulled out and dropped the new wristpins into. Engine hasn't been back in the car yet as its been awaiting the transmission all winter. Just sittign on a pallette right now.

Here it is being lame, in winter mode.



Gonna start tonight pulling the brakes off to make room for new ones and putting the new suspension in. As well as a few other little odds and ends.

Might I ask, ballpark is fine too. What that PAR 1-2 setup ran you? And also, how do you like your d859 setup compared to the fx700? I'm trying to sell my 700 to get into an 850 before springtime here.

Zerb wrote:Might I ask, ballpark is fine too. What that PAR 1-2 setup ran you? And also, how do you like your d859 setup compared to the fx700? I'm trying to sell my 700 to get into an 850 before springtime here.

The gears were $3k on the button to my door. But I had a twisted input shaft and a very bad 1-2 shift collar in my trans from last year so the price was slightly justified in not having to buy any of those parts. That's what finally made me pull the trigger. They're currently in heat treating then should be on their way to me. I was told 8 weeks, but its been about 12-13 now, which I planned on so that's good.

The FX850 is much quieter/easier to drive than teh FX700 was. Pedal feel is solid, but smooth to drive. The FX700 was not nearly as smooth. I had dual solid disk bronze in my 700, and I have dual bronze disks, one solid one sprung in my 850. I liked my 700. I LOOOOVVEEEE my 850. I highly suggest the upgrade.

ya, ive got a locked up 1-2 collar at the moment. but we are going to take it apart and try and idea we've been tossing around for a little while with removing some teeth from the slider to give it a wider windown of engagement and slap it back together and see if it works. if not, ill have to contemplate a 1-2 setup like you have.

Zerb wrote:ya, ive got a locked up 1-2 collar at the moment. but we are going to take it apart and try and idea we've been tossing around for a little while with removing some teeth from the slider to give it a wider windown of engagement and slap it back together and see if it works. if not, ill have to contemplate a 1-2 setup like you have.

If I was tearing it apart I'd just be putting new parts in. No way I'd tear it all the way down to the 1-2 slider just to "try" something. hhaha. Maybe I'm just getting old........

well if i can get something to work for free99 and some of my time .vs. 3K, i can spend 3k on alot of other things lol. ive got to tear into it first, if its totally raped then ill just have to rebuild it. it really all depends on that.

3K isn't too bad when you justify that you don't need an updated 1-2 collar and syncro. Good rationalization huh?

valid point, but a rebuild kit is just a grand. really in the end if i just kept killing things itd be a tough call, at that point a galant VR4 or an evo would start to look really nice, lol.