I changed the timing belt, painted the crankshaft dampener and a few other brackets then installed the engine into the car. I’m using 034 billet motor mounts which are substantially more precise than the spongy Audi mounts. Unfortunately when I drilled holes for the motor mounts I was using the Audi mounts for mockup and now the holes aren’t in alignment with the billet mounts. This is due to the amount flex and offset allowed by the factory rubber mounts. I will need to lift the engine again and drill new holes. I put the car up on the wheel … Continue reading Update 4/28/14

The engine looks pretty good with the red valve covers. The crackle finish didn’t come out as nice as the dashboard. Maybe it was the VHT paint, maybe it was the cast aluminum but I think I might have applied it too thick and so it didn’t wrinkle evenly. Continue reading Update 4/21/14

I worked on the engine again last night and assembled it as much as I could with the painted parts. I attached that mega-bracket with the filter, cooler and alternator mount and used the billet water pipe I ordered off eBay. I’ll have to find out what torque values to use. The replacement starter fits properly so I bolted it in place. When I was installing the injector rail I noticed that once side is bent and the two middle injectors don’t seat properly. I pried up in that location to pop it loose from the manifold and it must … Continue reading Update 4/17/14

I unboxed the Southbend HD Stage 2 clutch kit and custom flywheel I received from 034 Motorsports. Unfortunately I found that the flywheel insert does not work with my engine. The flywheel is designed for a ten bolt crank where I have a later eight bolt engine. I contacted 034 Motorsports last week and I’m waiting for them to call me back with a solution. According to Audiforums the 2.8 30V flywheel will work with my application and certainly pictures of aftermarket and LUK flywheels seem to support this. Also the starter I bought from eBay is from a later … Continue reading Update 4/7/14