Debating an s6 4.2L swap...

[Nollywood]

A used V6 subframe will be heaps cheaper than the DTS. The DTS is fairly chunky, and ground clearance might be an issue on lowered cars.

[JumboBlack1.8]

^^this

The only thing that sucks, is that the subframe swap adds a good bit of additional work....even with the motor already removed

[NeedingAnAudi]

^^this

The only thing that sucks, is that the subframe swap adds a good bit of additional work....even with the motor already removed

Actually, if you drop the engine trans and subframe all at the same time, it's easier. Might just be the way to go.

[JumboBlack1.8]

Unfortunately, I didn't pull the trans with the motor. So, it may be a little tricky to get the subframe swapped out

[Nollywood]

^^this

The only thing that sucks, is that the subframe swap adds a good bit of additional work....even with the motor already removed

Replacing the subframe is cake with the motor pulled. Trust me bud, you'll be glad you did. You're installing a 4,2 V8 in the B5 chassis, it's not exactly plug and play. Another thing - it's easier to mate the 4,2 V8 to your 01A trans with both on the ground.

[revolution337]

So I officially started the project today, last time I will be driving a 1.8 powered B5. Got the motor pulled today, not really much to say about it so heres some pics instead. Enjoy

[NeedingAnAudi]

About damn time.

Also are those general altimax artics?? I love those tires, have had them for 3 winters now

[revolution337]

About damn time.

Also are those general altimax artics?? I love those tires, have had them for 3 winters now

Yes they are, and this is my 3rd season with them too. They are amazing tires, especially for the price (I think I paid like ~$70 a piece for them). They still have TONS on meat left on them too.

[NeedingAnAudi]

Yes they are, and this is my 3rd season with them too. They are amazing tires, especially for the price (I think I paid like ~$70 a piece for them). They still have TONS on meat left on them too.

Yes! I think I paid 72 a tire back in 09. They grip so well in the snow, only been stuck once because I'm very low and basically mounted the snow instead of cutting through it lol

[walky_talky20]

I have the Altimax Arctic's as well. Mine are on 16" Swings - 205/55/16 at $85 a piece. They have been pretty good with traction, and seem to be lasting very well with all the miles I put on, this is the first season for them. My last winter tires were old Blizzak WS-50's in 205/60/15. Even brand new, the Arctic's don't seem to "bite" as hard especially on slushy roads compared to my 3rd season Blizzak's. The Arctic's are also *much* more squishy and unstable at highway speeds. That is the only thing I dislike about them. At 72mph cruise, they were almost scary at 32 psi, so I now run them at 38 psi which helps a little. Still large gusts of wind seem to flex the sidewalls and push me into the next lane too easily. I think it might be a decent trade off for the tread-life though.

[Nollywood]

A good base to start with, Revo.

What motor have you decided upon - 32 or 40V? A6, S6 or S8?

[revolution337]

A good base to start with, Revo.

What motor have you decided upon - 32 or 40V? A6, S6 or S8?

I went with the 40v A6 motor for a couple reasons. I got a good deal on the motor, which included the harness, ECU, and custom motor mounts. Also it only has 65k miles on it and that was a big plus.

I have the Altimax Arctic's as well. Mine are on 16" Swings - 205/55/16 at $85 a piece. They have been pretty good with traction, and seem to be lasting very well with all the miles I put on, this is the first season for them. My last winter tires were old Blizzak WS-50's in 205/60/15. Even brand new, the Arctic's don't seem to "bite" as hard especially on slushy roads compared to my 3rd season Blizzak's. The Arctic's are also *much* more squishy and unstable at highway speeds. That is the only thing I dislike about them. At 72mph cruise, they were almost scary at 32 psi, so I now run them at 38 psi which helps a little. Still large gusts of wind seem to flex the sidewalls and push me into the next lane too easily. I think it might be a decent trade off for the tread-life though.

Yeah I know exactly what you're talking about. They are by no means a performance winter tire. When you try to do a quick lane change its like the car rock back and forth a couple times just from sidewall flex before it centers itself again lol. I really don't mind it though becuase they grip really well in any situation I've ever run into and they were dirt cheap.

[Nollywood]

I went with the 40v A6 motor for a couple reasons. I got a good deal on the motor, which included the harness, ECU, and custom motor mounts. Also it only has 65k miles on it and that was a big plus.

That's awesome. I got a good deal on a complete 32V S8 motor - with harness, ECU, immo box, ignition key, airbox and MAF (I'm not running an airbox though) with all pipework. It's what inspired my to buy a B5 to do the conversion. I actually bought the motor before the project car, lolz. If you need any pointers, just holla.

[JumboBlack1.8]

Hey Rev!

Nice progress man! This thread has gone on for 8 PAGES without any [/I]real[/I] progress on my part, haha.....So thanks for keeping things interesting!

What are you going to do about the subframe? Are you planning on cutting out a piece (like Kaplow did), or are you just going to shave the lower oil pan? Also, I know I've probably asked you this before.....but what are your plans for the exhaust? Full custom?

I'm hoping that I'll have a motor in my parents' garage by the end of next week. I've found a 70% complete S8 motor, and a 100% complete S6 motor for great prices. I'm leaning heavily towards the S6, as I could always hunt down a set of S8 cams later down the road, if need be.

I've got one question for everyone.......Does anyone know if the JHM Lightweight Crank pulley will work on ALL 40v belt driver V8 motors? I'm fairly certain that it will, but the JHM ad only mentioned the AWN and ART engine codes.....I'd really like to buy one :)

[Nollywood]

Jumbo, yes. The JHM lightweight pulley will work on all 40V belt-driven V8's.

As you're carrying out a conversion, I would advise you keep the motor pretty stock for starters, till you've got her running in your base car. That way if there are any issues, you'll know where to look in terms of de-bugging. If you make any changes and have running issues, it'll be difficult to decide if you've left something off, or it's down to something you added.

[JumboBlack1.8]

Theoretically, a light weight crank pulley shouldn't alter the running condition of the motor. It'll have the same effect on the motor as a LWFW.

I'm going to hold off on the JHM file, intake spacers, and other V8 mods until I'm certain that everything is buttoned up and running correctly.

[Nollywood]

Theoretically, a light weight crank pulley shouldn't alter the running condition of the motor. It'll have the same effect on the motor as a LWFW.

I'm going to hold off on the JHM file, intake spacers, and other V8 mods until I'm certain that everything is buttoned up and running correctly.

That's the way to go bud.

[revolution337]

Hey Rev!

Nice progress man! This thread has gone on for 8 PAGES without any [/I]real[/I] progress on my part, haha.....So thanks for keeping things interesting!

What are you going to do about the subframe? Are you planning on cutting out a piece (like Kaplow did), or are you just going to shave the lower oil pan? Also, I know I've probably asked you this before.....but what are your plans for the exhaust? Full custom?

I'm hoping that I'll have a motor in my parents' garage by the end of next week. I've found a 70% complete S8 motor, and a 100% complete S6 motor for great prices. I'm leaning heavily towards the S6, as I could always hunt down a set of S8 cams later down the road, if need be.

I've got one question for everyone.......Does anyone know if the JHM Lightweight Crank pulley will work on ALL 40v belt driver V8 motors? I'm fairly certain that it will, but the JHM ad only mentioned the AWN and ART engine codes.....I'd really like to buy one :)

Haven't had a chance to test fit the V8 yet, but I don't think I will have any clearance issues with the subframe. I believe kaploww cut a notch in the subframe to help ease the installation of the trans/motor package, but it doesn't seem as though you HAVE to do that. I will have to address that once it comes time to put in the V8. I do however know that the stock 1.8 lower motor mounts (that attach to the subframe) will not work, and I will need to source 4.2 A6 lower mounts. Where did you manage to find yours?

Exhaust wise, I have the milltek catless downpipes from the GB awhile back and I'm running full custom 2.5" the rest of the way back, most likely into a magnaflow muffler.

Another problem that was brought to my attention today is the reverse switch. On the 01A , there is a reverse switch and a vehicle speed sensor on the drivers side of the trans. On the auto trans from the 4.2 A6 there is only a VSS because the reverse switch is built into the multi-range gear selector on the autos. Therefore, the A6 4.2 harness only has a VSS connector, and no reverse switch connector. This was a relatively simple fix. On the 1.8 harness, I simply traced the 2 wires (red/blue and black/blue) coming from the reverse switch to the body plugs that connect under the ECU box. I removed the 2 pins from the body plugs and located the same pins and connectors on the 4.2 harness. Because of the lack of reverse switch on the 4.2 harness, the corresponding pins were empty. I placed the 2 wires I harvested from the 1.8 harness into the 4.2 harness and them cut the connector for the reverse switch off of the 1.8 harness. Ran wire connecting the switch connector to the body plugs and problem solved (at least I think, haven't tried it out yet)

[NeedingAnAudi]

So for reverse, just take the wiring from the 1.8 harness? Sounds simple enough

[revolution337]

So for reverse, just take the wiring from the 1.8 harness? Sounds simple enough

Pretty much yeah, I guess my explanation may have been a little confusing lol.

1. Cut reverse switch connector from 1.8 harness
2. Move pins from 1.8 harness into blank spots in 4.2 harness
3. Run wire between the two
4. ???
5. Profit!

[walky_talky20]

After my 5MT swap, I didn't hook up the Reverse lights for a while. They are a lot more useful than you think. That, and I was always thinking some cop was going to seem me backing out of a parking space with no lights and give me a ticket.

I'm not sure which wiring you guys are having to change, but make sure you get the clutch switch wired up too. Not the one at the bottom of the pedal for the starter, but the one at the top for the cruise control. It controls more than the cruise. It controls whether the throttle-lift fuel cut is gradual or immediate, which is actually a pretty big deal.

[NeedingAnAudi]

^^ Good info.

Anyone know about converting either 1) a dbc car to dbw or 2) Converting a dbw engine to dbc *specifically the 40v 4.2*

[revolution337]

^^ Good info.

Anyone know about converting either 1) a dbc car to dbw or 2) Converting a dbw engine to dbc *specifically the 40v 4.2*

yes, keep your current car and buy a DBW B5 specifically for a 40v swap

[NeedingAnAudi]

yes, keep your current car and buy a DBW B5 specifically for a 40v swap

got jokes I see............

[Nollywood]

Haven't had a chance to test fit the V8 yet, but I don't think I will have any clearance issues with the subframe. I believe kaploww cut a notch in the subframe to help ease the installation of the trans/motor package, but it doesn't seem as though you HAVE to do that. I will have to address that once it comes time to put in the V8.

The webbing on the V8 oil pan will not clear the subframe. I would shave them off (the pan is very thick) rather than notch the subframe. That will weaken it. On both occasions I've had a V8 in a B5 (V6 and 1,8T) the subframe has interferred with the engine oil pan.

[JumboBlack1.8]

Exhaust wise, I have the milltek catless downpipes from the GB awhile back and I'm running full custom 2.5" the rest of the way back, most likely into a magnaflow muffler.

Are you doing dual 2.5"? That's what I was thinking of doing......My plans for the exhaust are: V-bands to the end of my Milltek DP's, then to a v-banded narrow X-pipe, to a B5 S4 true dual 2.5" exhaust. I'm hoping to find a used JHM or Techtonics exhaust first.....or settle for a SSAC 2.5" if I'm not so lucky

[revolution337]

The webbing on the V8 oil pan will not clear the subframe. I would shave them off (the pan is very thick) rather than notch the subframe. That will weaken it. On both occasions I've had a V8 in a B5 (V6 and 1,8T) the subframe has interferred with the engine oil pan.

Yes, but on both occasions that you've had a V8 in a B5, was it a 40v or a 32v? Because the 32v oil pans differ from the 40v ones in that they have much thicker webbing.

Are you doing dual 2.5"? That's what I was thinking of doing......My plans for the exhaust are: V-bands to the end of my Milltek DP's, then to a v-banded narrow X-pipe, to a B5 S4 true dual 2.5" exhaust. I'm hoping to find a used JHM or Techtonics exhaust first.....or settle for a SSAC 2.5" if I'm not so lucky

Yeah I plan on running dual 2.5" from the downpipes back to the location of the stock muffler, then into a muffler of some sort and out in the stock location. I also have considered running them into an Y pipe and then having a single pipe back to the muffler. Not too concerned with it at the moment, right now I'm focusing more on getting the engine in and running.

[Nollywood]

Yes, but on both occasions that you've had a V8 in a B5, was it a 40v or a 32v? Because the 32v oil pans differ from the 40v ones in that they have much thicker webbing

You've got me there bud, both were 32V motors. I've had my '01 S8 on a lift to compare oil pan with that of my S8 32V motor, and to be honest, there's very little difference, if any. I'm trying to imagine the 40V going into a B5 without any mods, and I can't see it. The C5 4,2 / S6 uses a different subframe, compared to both 1,8T and V6. It's a lot flatter in the middle to clear the 40V oil pan.

It's possible you could run a C5 V8 subframe, if the dimensions are similar, in terms of mounting points. I've got a C5 V6 item, I'll take measurements off it, and compare it to the frame in the B5.

[Nollywood]

For reference, I tried a headless, dead 40V in a junk B5, and surprisingly, the oil pan just clears the subframe. Very, very close though, as long as the mounts are pretty stiff, should be good. If frame is notched, or webbing shaved, it will allow the motor to sit lower in the B5 chassis, which could only be a good thing.

[revolution337]

For reference, I tried a headless, dead 40V in a junk B5, and surprisingly, the oil pan just clears the subframe. Very, very close though, as long as the mounts are pretty stiff, should be good. If frame is notched, or webbing shaved, it will allow the motor to sit lower in the B5 chassis, which could only be a good thing.

Good to hear. Now question for you, could you snap a picture of the "webbing" that needs to be shaved off. I just want to be sure we are referring to the same section of the oil pan before I take a grinder to it lol

[viceprp]

Is it up off of Lambs Gap yet? Will stop by sometime soon if it is.

[revolution337]

Is it up off of Lambs Gap yet? Will stop by sometime soon if it is.

yes sir! you got PM

[revolution337]

Hey jumbo, what starter do you plan on using, 1.8 or the one from the 4.2? I have both because the V8 I got came with the starter. I'm trying to decide which one to go with.

[Nollywood]

^^^ 1,8 starter will not fit the V8 block, or engage with the flywheel ring gear.

[revolution337]

^^^ 1,8 starter will not fit the V8 block, or engage with the flywheel ring gear.

Gotcha, looks like I'll be using the V8 starter. I was taking a look at the power steering pump today and realized the 1.8 lines will not fit directly into the 4.2 pump, the banjo bolt in the V8 is larger than on the 1.8. Custom lines may be necessary, possibly use V8 OEM lines?

[Nollywood]

Gotcha, looks like I'll be using the V8 starter. I was taking a look at the power steering pump today and realized the 1.8 lines will not fit directly into the 4.2 pump, the banjo bolt in the V8 is larger than on the 1.8. Custom lines may be necessary, possibly use V8 OEM lines?

The good news is, the B5 1,8T vane pump fits the 40V bracket, and is in the right location for your stock lines to bolt to. You'll need to use the 40V pulley though.

[revolution337]

The good news is, the B5 1,8T vane pump fits the 40V bracket, and is in the right location for your stock lines to bolt to. You'll need to use the 40V pulley though.

Oh man that is good news! One less thing I need to worry about with this swap.

So hows your build coming along? You said you got an S8 32v, correct?

[brockallentaylo]

Damn, I've been gone from AZ for too long, this is making me want to pull my 1.8 50 trim setup. I've been on the fence for 2 years about a 4.2 swap. Come on JumboBlack, wrap that *hit up B...Get me fired up!

[Nollywood]

Oh man that is good news! One less thing I need to worry about with this swap.

So hows your build coming along? You said you got an S8 32v, correct?

Yes, I've got a 32V S8 motor (340 hp). My daily driver's a 2001 S8 40V (360 hp). I haven't started yet, we're moving house on the 27th, so want to start the swap in our new home, with a big garage and lots of land space. I'm not new to B5 V8 integration, so that makes things easier and quicker.

[Crispy222]

B5 A4 V6 front subframe for sale. Someone might need it here.
http://www.audizine.com/classifieds/...t-crank&cat=27