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

I fiber glassed over the front clearance light openings and mounted turn signal lights. I finished welding the front tilt frame and applied epoxy chassis paint. I painted the mesh grills with satin black paint but I need to make brackets to attach them. I received a new windshield but I’m not going to install it until the car is painted. The windshield I got with the car is cracked but I carefully cleaned off the dirt and weld spatter with a razor blade and visibility is good apart from the large crack. The interior mirror is an LCD-display type … Continue reading Update 4/10/22

I couldn’t find turn signal lights in the original size so I’m assembling something that will give a similar look using clear/amber round lights. I’m still not a fan of the LED headlights but I couldn’t find 7″(175mm) lights that have a rear mount. The housing of the LED headlight has two tapped locations where I was able to attach a bracket, but I don’t like the style. I made hidden brackets for the hood hold-down pins. Grills are cut but I need to paint and attach them. If I can get my garage warm enough this weekend I’ll paint … Continue reading Update 12/9/21

I made a lot of progress on the chassis wiring. Switches and gauges all work except water temperature which requires a dedicated sensor. The OEM sensor is being used by the fuel injection and the gauge requires a specific VDO sensor. The horn button and turn signal buttons on the steering wheel are working. I installed a new pedestal tach and replaced the speedometer with a GPS unit that doesn’t require a wheel speed sensor. Wiring for lights is run to all four corners but I still need to install several of the clearance lights and make the final connections. … Continue reading Update 11/12/21

I had to reposition the car in the garage, so for the first time I moved the car under its own power. The clutch, shifter and brakes all seem to work but it’s difficult to get a feel for any problems until I can drive the car. Continue reading Update 8/31/21

The brackets, tensioner and pulleys required for the serpentine belt are installed. I installed the drive belt for the new Valeo alternator. A lot of parts arrived this week—grill material, electric steering pump, door hardware, door/window gaskets—so I’ve got a lot of work ahead. I’m working on the interior and chassis wiring. The pictures below show the high level steps from a production donor vehicle to the project I have today. I didn’t take many pictures early on—cutting up a car, even a rusty Scorpion, was difficult because there is no going back. The first three pictures below are not … Continue reading Update 8/13/21

I’ve been working on the serpentine belt routing so I can hook up the alternator. I cut down one of the original engine brackets and relocated the idler pulley. The new pulley location should allow me to install a serpentine belt for just the alternator while utilizing the original belt tensioner. I ordered a new 250 amp high output alternator but it turns out that Audi used two alternator styles in the early 2000’s (Bosch style and Valeo style) and the HO alternator uses the larger Bosch style housing that won’t clear the frame. I was able to get a … Continue reading Update 8/3/21

Installed replacement valve covers in crackle red finish with new gaskets, hardware, grommets and sealant. Installed newer style Audi/VW pencil coils and adapters. The newer coils are supposed to be more reliable, better spark and replacements are less expensive. The engine looks like new inside with no varnish or sludge even though it’s supposed to have 43k miles. According to LKQ, this engine came from a Euro spec car that was used in one of the Transformers movies. After filming, the car couldn’t be registered on the street so it was sold to a parts yard where I bought the … Continue reading Update 7/18/21