More driving video at the bottom. The car idles much better and doesn’t stall as often. The engine is torquey but falls off at higher rpms. I need to activate the VVT and intake flaps because that should help top end power. But off-idle power is very good and the car is very light. When I get a chance I’ll run the car through the scales at the local transfer station to get the total weight but I’m hoping around 2500lbs with driver. I added a crosswise stiffening rib to the front hood panel by using a pipe insulation sleeve … Continue reading Update 8/3/22

I fixed the squeaking/chirping sound from the serpentine belt. After installing a new tensioner and idler and still having the squeak, I ordered a 1/2″ shorter belt and that fixed it. I covered the intake side of the airbox with reflective tape where it’s near the exhaust and installed the oiled K&N filter. The front tire has a bad leak and drops below 10 psi in <24 hours. My tire choices in a 17″ rim are somewhat limited with the 315 rears. I’d like to get Nitto NT01 tires but the fronts are sold out everywhere. Available options in a … Continue reading Update 8/1/22

I confirmed the squeaking pulley is something in the serpentine belt system and not related to the timing belt. Neither the idler nor tensioner pulley feel like they have a bearing problem but I’m replacing the cheapo tensioner because that seems the more likely culprit. I installed the rear facing airbox and K&N filter. It cut the intake tubing length by about 75% but more importantly it moves the intake away from the driver’s head. I’ll wrap the lower half of the airbox with reflective foil tape but it’s at least 4″ from the center muffler so it should be … Continue reading Update 7/21/22

I suspect the reason the throttle is too sensitive and difficult to modulate at low RPMs is that the throttle body I’m using is too large. The symptom is that I have difficulty letting out the clutch from a standstill without either stalling the engine or sending the RPMs too high. When I blip the throttle in neutral only a couple millimeters of pedal travel send the engine to redline. There is a relationship between horsepower and airflow described by the following formula:Air flow (CFM) = (Horsepower × 0.625) × 1.1104 Under the best circumstances my engine will put out … Continue reading Update 7/14/22

I put the first 10 miles on the car today. The last two months I’ve been doing lots of small things to get the car ready. First impressions up to 35 mph: Throttle response too quick off idleNot much feel in clutch point of engagementBrakes stop very well but no feel for point of engagementSteering is very heavy—two hands to turn the wheel when the car is stoppedCar tracks straight up to 35mph; Car brakes straight from 35mphIdle still a little unsteady after starting engine, but evens outRelatively supple ride with no body rollBumps didn’t seem overly harshSqueaking from front … Continue reading Update 7/10/22

I finished wiring for the front lights. I removed the front body and finished welding the support frame and painted it with VHT chassis paint. I made a shock tower brace which doubles as a fuel tank hold-down. I replaced hoses and fittings where the fuel line attaches to the fuel rail. The Audi fittings are probably some metric size and I found that 5/16 high pressure fuel hose fits better than 3/8 hose which is a little loose. I installed new sensor bungs in the coolant crossover pipe on the rear of the Audi engine. Even though I found … Continue reading Update 5/8/22

I attached a tablet mount to the dashboard. I’ll need access to the tablet at first when I run the fuel injection tuning software. I can use it later to display operating parameters and do data logging. You can see the LCD rear view mirror and the roof mounted camera. Without the camera I would have no visibility past the rear spoiler. Note the potential location for a 5lb fire system bottle on the center tunnel. Continue reading Update 4/12/22