*Low-Show-Go* --The Complete Build Thread (VR-T Content)

[A4_2.8tuner]

Just to give a bit of background before I begin-my name is Brian and i've owned this car since Sept 04. Throughout the years i've changed the car multiple times to where it sits today. I'll begin with where I started my bodywork in 2008.

Up until recently, the car has been primarily a Show Car. I've taken it to numerous shows across the PNW and California, and it's placed well (usually 1st) at all. Since the scene is dead and sucks now, IMO. I've now decided to rip it apart again and build a monster powerplant for it, since that's what was always lacking. Im not sure if I will be attending too many shows around here anymore as i'm getting jaded, however I just want a fun nice-day weekend car to go fast.

Mod List thus far:

Exterior
Porsche Aqua Blue Metallic Paint
Custom Widened Fenders-1”/corner
Shaved & Smoothed Door Trim
Shaved Lower Door Splash Trim
Shaved & Smoothed Fender Emblems
Kerscher Front Bumper-Matched to Fenders
RS4 Style Mesh Bumper Grille
Custom 1-Off ABS Splitters
OEM S4 Sideskirts-Modified
OEM S4 Rear Bumper-Molded Lower Valence & Pulled to Fenders
Custom Metal Boser Hood
Shaved Windshield Washer Nozzles
RS4 OEM Hood Grille-Custom Painted
BMW Sparkling Graphite Metallic Roof
DTM Cup Mirrors
DEPO E-Code Headlights
Blue Lamin-x Headlight Film
6000k Xenon Lighting
LED City Lights
Smoked Sidemarkers
LED Turn Indicators
DEPO European OEM Taillights

Interior
Audi Sport Steering Wheel
Status Ring CF Racing Seats Custom Wrapped in Orange Diamond Stitch Alcantara
Corbeau Black 3pt. Harnesses
Black Interior Swap
Black Alcantara Headliner/Pillars
Black/Orange Diamond Stich Armrests
Black Carbon Fiber Vinyl Beltline Trim
Black Suede Shift Boot w/Orange Stitching
¬Black/Orange Diamond Stich Rear Window Tray
OEM Facelift Shift Knob


Engine/Drivetrain
2.8 Liter 12v V6
Quattro AWD
Polished Intake w/K&N Filter
Port and Polished Throttle Body
Ported MAF Housing
Polished A/C Lines
Polished ABS Unit
Polished Hood Strut
Wrinkle Finished Intake Manifold
2.5" Catback Supersprint RS Exhaust
5 Speed Manual Transmission
B&M Short Shifter


Wheels/Tires
19x8.5/19x9.5 iForged Seneka wheels
Falken FK-452 215/35/19 & 225/35/19 Tires
Custom finished with Raspberry Candy Blue Lips/Matte Gunmetal Centers

Suspension/Brakes
Neuspeed Race Springs -3" F, -2.75" R
Bilstein S4 Sport Struts-Custom Machined
Front Strut Tower Bar
25mm H&R Wheel Spacers F&R
Porsche 996/911TT Brembo Calipers
Custom Caliper Brackets
PureMS Stainless Brake Lines

Audio/Visual
Jensen VM9511TS 7" In-Dash Touchscreen
Molded Radio Surround
Blaupunkt Tweeters
Infinity 4" Mids
Pioneer 6.5" Rears
Sony 600w 4-ch Amplifier
2x Kicker CVR10 Subwoofers
Kicker 750.1 Amplifier
MD Sound 1.5 Farad Capacitor
Custom Blue Suede Enclosure
Blue LED Lighting




**Story Time** (The build of the body pics you are going to see take place between February 2008 and March 2008). The Entire car was completed in my garage in a months time (beside paint).

i drove across state in the car (because it was supposed to be nice), but got caught in a snowstorm and the wonderful Oregon DOT threw crushed red rock all over the roads. To make a long story short, both sides of the car got blasted with nicks and chips and so the entire car needs to be resprayed.

With that said, i've taken this opportunity to change some things on the car :)

**ALL BODY WORK WAS DONE BY MYSELF-THIS WAS MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT ANYTHING OF THE SORT**

things to be done:
*shave upper and lower door moldings
*Replace current Projektzwo sideskirts with OE S4 sides
*Pull front and rear fenders-subtle widebody (1"wider on each corner)
*space wheels out 25mm all around
got the rear fenders pulled and pulled out the rear bumper to match


I think i might need some spacers haha. gonna be ordering 25mm spacers front and rear


and the view from both sides. definitely wider than before



and the big one...*respray Porsche Aqua Blue Metallic

here are a few pictures of what i've done so far (crappy cell phone pics)

removed front bumper and sideskirts


pulled door trim off this morning


and here is an idea of how the color will look



and in direct sunlight


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removed the lower trim and grinded down the pegs


then sanded around the trim holes to get ready for welding on saturday


began sanding the doors


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a quick pic of the garage. its trashed.


got the s4 skirts on friday and fitted/trimmed them up.


Got the car down to my roomates Dad's shop so that he could weld up the trim holes for me


doin some weldin


all welded up and began grinding. the grinder flattened out some spots a little, so i will have to use filler to build up the areas where grinding was done.


************************************************** ******

[A4_2.8tuner]

got the rear fenders pulled and pulled out the rear bumper to match


I think i might need some spacers haha. gonna be ordering 25mm spacers front and rear


and the view from both sides. definitely wider than before



************************************************** ****-
My buddy Daniel came to town for this weekend to help out a bit. We made a bit of progress, but I think more progress was made at VooDoo Donuts :P
















Pic explains it all:


Getting there:


Some after lowered and wheels back on:

[A4_2.8tuner]

There were some interior mods already on the car, including a set of Corbeau Racing Seats, however I decided it was time to step up my game so I ordered a set of Status Ring seats with Carbon Fiber backs and Alcantara centers

big thanks to Sean @ Status for hookin it up!







************************************************** ********

I got tired of the same ol' same ol' black/grey interior theme...So i decided to change it up and give it more of an exotic feel, all the while installing an Autopower roll bar.

i went with Orange Alcantara diamond stitch on the seat centers, along with black alcantara headliner, and black alcantara armrests and rear window tray with orange diamond stitch as well.


************************************************** ******-

I also decided to change up the wheels a bit.

I went with a Blue Raspberry Candy powdercoat on the lips, along with a Semi-Flat Gunmetal Center. I also took the opportunity to refinish the brake calipers in Orange to go along with the theme of the rest of the car.




************************************************** ******-

These are the last shots I have of the car in it's rolling state-literally, after these were taken the car was parked and has not moved since.

[A4_2.8tuner]

At this point, I was set on being done with the car. My passion for modding seemed to have been dwindling, and I didnt have the drive that I used to, but that apparently didnt last long.

*Fast Forward to 2 months ago*-The bug for a fast motor has now bit, so i've decided it's time to go for it. I'm going to be doing a VR6-Turbo motor swap. Originally my plans were to keep it mild, with no internal work, just a head spacer, and a relatively large turbo, but nothing too crazy.

I then decided that's not how I wanted to do it, and so here we are today. I have not made any progress as far as getting the motor into the car, or the original out for that matter, but I have begun collecting parts, and the motor will be going to the machine shop in a week or so, to begin the build.

My goals for the build so far are between 650-700chp (realistic, but more if possible). Some of the parts I will be using are still up in the air and unknown at this time, however what I do know is I will be fully building the bottom end, as well as adding 83mm pistons (stock are 81mm), a Garrett T67 turbo, huge FMIC, custom Intake Manifold, Standalone EMS, etc.


also picked up:
*lower intake manifold runners-which i'll be custom building the plenum for.
*CNC'd Throttle Body Flange
*OBD2 VR6 Throttle Body
*VR6 Fuel Rail
*4-Bar FPR, which i may be selling and just sticking with the 3-bar
*Cast Turbo Manifold
*MAF sensor

and i also just picked up a 29"x11"x3" Bar/Plate FMIC (yes, huge I know), which should arrive in the next week or so. The intercooler will be receiving a black anodized treatment once everything is good to go and it'd been fitted.


************************************************** ************

I received a few cool pieces over the past week.

My fairly large intercooler...31x12x3 My goofy ass holding it. Yes, I know i'm sexy, but this is to show the size of the intercooler, and not my incredibly dashing good looks, so please try to focus :P


This is a picture of the intercooler set behind the bumper, fits nicely IMO. Not only does it need to perform well, but it has to visually be appealing too, and theres nothing more I hate than seeing a small intercooler behind a large opening...needs to be aesthetically pleasing. The intercooler will be anodized black, as I do not want it to stand out heavily, and with the car and most of the parts on it being a darker color, I think it will look better this way.


and a picture of my new Eurojet Grenade Diverter Valve. This is the last NEW one in existence...they stopped making these a while back, but I was able to locate one...next to a picture of the decal haha

[A4_2.8tuner]

More progress. I got the motor up on my stand and began disassembly. I have not taken the head off yet, however tonight we worked on getting all of the random crap off of the outside of the motor. Took about an hour and a half. Here are a few pictures from tonight.

I have also decided that instead of keeping it as a 2.8, i will upgrading the pistons from 81mm to 83mm so it will now be a 3.0 liter. This will help increase the torque in the motor and help spool the turbo up faster which = MORRRRRREEEE POWWEEEERRRRRRR. I'm going to need all i can to hit the 600-700hp mark (yes, crazy i know)

Motor disassembled


Motor, meet your new home...well, eventually :)

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I scored a Eurojet muffler from my buddy who sold his car, for a great price...FREE

I would LIKE to keep my supersprint muffler, however it's a 2.5" and i'll need to go 3", which the Eurojet is.

spent some time polishing it up today.

************************************************** **********-

this weeks update:

Internals were ordered. I went with Wiseco 83mm pistons, Integrated Engineering Rods, Calico coated main and rod bearings, ARP head and main studs, Heavy Duty Valve springs and Titanium retainers...I can't say how much I spent, but lets just say I saved a TONNNNNN off of retail.

They should arrive this next week, and then the block will go off to machining to get bored/balanced and built. When all is said and done, the bottom end should be capable of handling upwards of 1000hp (not that i'll run that much, however)

I also ordered the turbo on Thursday- I went with a custom Garrett T67 turbo with a t4 flange/vband outlet and a .81ar I decided on this AR because it will give good mid-top end power and with it being bored out to a 3.0L, I should still have OK power down low to help spool up the turbo.

[dubbin.t.rex]

damn...love the wheels and the interior, great color scheme, care look dope

good luck with the build, if it has half as much go as it does show you're likely to do jail time

[A4_2.8tuner]

Had some goodies show up today! ARP hardware will be on its way in the next week or so.

*Custom Garrett T67 turbo w/polished housing, t4 exhaust with v-band out, .81AR
*Wiseco 83mm Pistons
*IE Forged Rods
*Glyco Polished Bearings
*Supertech HD Valve Springs w/Titanium Retainers









Should be taking the motor to the machine shop to start the work/assembly in the next few days.

************************************************** **********-

Update: We dropped the motor off at the machine shop last night. The bottom end will be cleaned, line honed, bored out, decked and reassembled/painted. I'm also going to have him pull the head apart and clean it up, install new valve seals/stems, the Supertech HD valve springs/titanium retainers, and possibly do some mild port work to the head. It will be there for a few weeks.

I've also purchased a powdercoat gun and will be picking up an oven shortly, so that I can powdercoat some of my own pieces (miscellaneous brackets and such) a basic black color or similar. All of the main pieces such as valve cover and a few other things that i'd like a nice shiny bright color




That's all I have for now. I will definitely be posting updates as I have them. Hopefully you guys enjoy what you've seen...theres plenty more to come in the comings months-year and a half possibly haha (this will take a long time)

[BlackLock_A4]

Looks fucking sick dude! I'm excited to watch it grow.

[vdubjetta02]

Nice build. Keep it up

[Nebone]

Awesome build! You pulled the wheels off like I always wanted done on the Santorin. Here is my attempt at color matching Santorin lips on black wheels.

[beemercer]

good stuff, I like the new direction for the car.

[champion]

nice ride, but not feeling the color since it was a full respray. i would have went with something a little more off the wall...also could have went wider with the wheels cuz u mentioned some fender work, 10s fit on stock bodies. But none the less, its hot and do what makes you happy, dont do shit to please the forums

[A4_2.8tuner]

nice ride, but not feeling the color since it was a full respray. i would have went with something a little more off the wall...also could have went wider with the wheels cuz u mentioned some fender work, 10s fit on stock bodies. But none the less, its hot and do what makes you happy, dont do shit to please the forums

I like blue, so I kept it blue. It definitely does not look stock.

As for wheels, I did not feel like buying all new lips at 300/lip.

[SoFresh]

nice ride, but not feeling the color since it was a full respray. i would have went with something a little more off the wall...also could have went wider with the wheels cuz u mentioned some fender work, 10s fit on stock bodies. But none the less, its hot and do what makes you happy, dont do shit to please the forums

I had to laugh when I read this guy's post... Please sir, feel free to post up something impressive you have built? waiting... (sound of crickets)....There sure are a lot of "I would haves", "I could haves"... If this we're your project or your money then you could do exactly what you want CUZ it would be YOUR build. See where I am going with this? Interesting cause you then suggest what you would have done to what you think would make this build better, yet you polish it off with "But none the less, its hot and do what makes you happy, don't do shit to please the forums", very contradicting sir.

Anyways, back on topic. I've helped along this build and I can say from first hand experience that Brian has taken all the correct measures on this entire build from the ground up and hasn't cut any corners. Lot's of blood, sweat, and tears in this project. One thing I enjoy about Brian's enthusiasm is that when you see this A4 in pictures, or if you saw it in Eurotuner or Performance Sound & Auto Magazine you're thinking VERY CLEAN... well his goal is to keep it as clean in person as you see it in the pics. Can't wait to help swap in this new motor

[biketsai]

Sick dude, I wondered where you dropped off to! Such an awesome decision that you've decided to go VR6 T, my friend built a VR6T with the T67 and that car made 650CHP!

[Euromike]

damn sofresh, bug up your ass today?

Car looks awesome, love everything about it. cant wait to see what the VR6T build puts down. Theres a few builds over in the S4 forum that could probably help you out along the way if you havnt seen them. Good luck!

[SoFresh]

damn sofresh, bug up your ass today?

haha, there was a gnat up there earlier just buggin' the crap out of me so I squeezed... guess I squashed it. lol

No, no termites anymore. I just find it humorous when people come in someone's build thread and feel the need to say what THEY would have done. Understandable if it was constructive criticism or advice, pointers, help, etc... but some people just feel the need to voice their opinion(s) even if they have no experience or knowledge. There is a big gap between people who actually DO things they say they are going to and people who are just dreamers That's all I was trying to shed light on.

Euromike, you ready for your Steelers to win tomorrow? (stirring up the pot)


Bump for some more pics (I have tons on my external hard drive but I'm comfy and too lazy to go plug it in right now)

[FNK]

Sick car! You must be made of money!

[stevejones19]

WOW. I remember reading when you had first started doing all the body work. I think i may have been lucky enough to see a glimpse of it on the freeway a LONG time ago too lol.

I have a question for you on your inside door cards though. How did you go about replacing the fabric for the black pattern you have in there now? I re-did mine, and cut it out with a dremel and glued it back together. But now the fabric i have is beyond faded and almost purple now. I'm thinkin about picking aup new ones and starting fresh, becasue after the cutting and using all the glue to put it back together, I don't think i can get them back apart reasonably. lol

[SeekB00st]

Always loved Brians car. However, I always felt it lacked a little modern appeal in the interior.

[SoFresh]

WOW. I remember reading when you had first started doing all the body work. I think i may have been lucky enough to see a glimpse of it on the freeway a LONG time ago too lol.

I have a question for you on your inside door cards though. How did you go about replacing the fabric for the black pattern you have in there now? I re-did mine, and cut it out with a dremel and glued it back together. But now the fabric i have is beyond faded and almost purple now. I'm thinkin about picking aup new ones and starting fresh, becasue after the cutting and using all the glue to put it back together, I don't think i can get them back apart reasonably. lol

PM'd you. You can also use zip-ties, melt them down and plastic weld the card back in... glue works too.

[A4_2.8tuner]

Always loved Brians car. However, I always felt it lacked a little modern appeal in the interior.

Whatcha mean? Currently or before? :)

Btw, thanks alot!!

[AudiA4_20T]

Nice, the VR6 is way expensive though, too much to be worth it in my mind. I would have done a 4.2 from an old A8. Are you doing a 6 speed swap too? You're gonna need it

[ThatA4T]

just ran scross this thread this morning actually on another forum... i was also wondering where u went lol great build cant wait to see how this goes! what do u do for a living? you look young.

[A4Rob]

Hi Brian. Keep it up.

[savetheclutch]

Brian you should not need an introduction! If anyone on the b5 section does not know ur car then they should not be here lol

Ur car is amazing and I am glad you kept it and keep moding it, u make me regret selling my b5.. You, rob and Adam (tightt) should never sell your cars

[JumboBlack1.8]

^^^Agreed. All of us old time know who you are. No introduction necessary.....Always loved your work. Can't wait for this next stage

[SeekB00st]

Whatcha mean? Currently or before? :)

Btw, thanks alot!!

Currently I feel it is very much in need of some interior love.

Nice facelift center console conversion along with a facelift cluster with some gauge cluster rings would really set off the interior.
Hell, go ahead and get your self some homelink sunvisors to get in that garage of yours with style.
Those status seats are a piece of beauty.

By all means though, the exterior is pristine; thats the front end I'd wish i'd gone with.

[coolgraymemo]

looks pretty awesome!

[A4_2.8tuner]

Nice, the VR6 is way expensive though, too much to be worth it in my mind. I would have done a 4.2 from an old A8. Are you doing a 6 speed swap too? You're gonna need it

I did not even consider the 4.2 as an option. It is too crowded in the engine bay for my likings, and way too heavy. I'd rather do the vr6 with a BAT and have a TON more power than the 4.2 could ever produce in that engine bay. As for the 6spd, no, i will not be upgrading to a 6spd. I prefer not having to shift as constantly, and the 5spd will be capable of handling the power...look at Aaron (Guruman), Rob, and Mike Hood...they all use the 5spd, so I figure since they run it, I should have no problem either...if it aint broke dont fix it :P

just ran scross this thread this morning actually on another forum... i was also wondering where u went lol great build cant wait to see how this goes! what do u do for a living? you look young.

I work in Property Management as a leasing agent. it's not a super glamourous job, but it pays the bills. Im 25 (will be 26 in 5 months), but i know i look alot younger than I am. I just don't go out and drink or go to clubs or bars hardly ever, so that saves me alot of money that I can blow on my car :)

Brian you should not need an introduction! If anyone on the b5 section does not know ur car then they should not be here lol

Ur car is amazing and I am glad you kept it and keep moding it, u make me regret selling my b5.. You, rob and Adam (tightt) should never sell your cars

^^^Agreed. All of us old time know who you are. No introduction necessary.....Always loved your work. Can't wait for this next stage

Haha, thanks guys! I truly appreciate it.

[A4_2.8tuner]

Currently I feel it is very much in need of some interior love.

Nice facelift center console conversion along with a facelift cluster with some gauge cluster rings would really set off the interior.
Hell, go ahead and get your self some homelink sunvisors to get in that garage of yours with style.
Those status seats are a piece of beauty.

By all means though, the exterior is pristine; thats the front end I'd wish i'd gone with.

Meh, center console will not be changed...for me that is not something I want to put my money into right now, plus, I gotta keep it at its roots...it's an old bitch! :P

Gauge cluster will stay the same for now, but I have also found write ups where I could change some of the lighting to white LED's...again, just not something I've done yet, but may. I've been thinking about that for a while!

a HUGE reason i will NOT change the gauge cluster is because with the difficulty of this swap, this gauge cluster is actually the best one to have, as most of the electronics run independent of the ECU. so if anything, i'll do like i said above, and make some of the bulbs white.

I appreciate the feedback though, however It will be left the way it is (for now)...my money has to go elsewhere though (getting this pig to run before i die, and whoop the crap outta some p-cars, ferraris, and lambos :) )

[savetheclutch]

I appreciate the feedback though, however It will be left the way it is (for now)...my money has to go elsewhere though (getting this pig to run before i die, and whoop the crap outta some p-cars, ferraris, and lambos :) )

Bring it on son, my cayman is under the knife right now to whoop some gt3 ass!!! Though the vr6 swap is an awesome option, I was building one right until I sold the a4

[A4_2.8tuner]

Really?! Damn who's the baller now? Lol

What all are you doing to it and what kind of power are you looking for bud?

[Euromike]

haha, there was a gnat up there earlier just buggin' the crap out of me so I squeezed... guess I squashed it. lol

No, no termites anymore. I just find it humorous when people come in someone's build thread and feel the need to say what THEY would have done. Understandable if it was constructive criticism or advice, pointers, help, etc... but some people just feel the need to voice their opinion(s) even if they have no experience or knowledge. There is a big gap between people who actually DO things they say they are going to and people who are just dreamers That's all I was trying to shed light on.

Euromike, you ready for your Steelers to win tomorrow? (stirring up the pot)

Haha oh yeah, i totally agree with you. just made me laugh how hard you came down on that unsuspecting dude. he probably shit his pants!

Definitely ready for the steelers to win! Shits going crazy downtown here. Last time we won they were blowing shit up / lighting couches on fire in the streets all night. Cant wait!

[$teady$upreme]

Sick build and definitely like the VR-T direction, just like all the VW guys, VR-T makes tons of power. Envy you!!!

[AudiA4_20T]

I did not even consider the 4.2 as an option. It is too crowded in the engine bay for my likings, and way too heavy. I'd rather do the vr6 with a BAT and have a TON more power than the 4.2 could ever produce in that engine bay. As for the 6spd, no, i will not be upgrading to a 6spd. I prefer not having to shift as constantly, and the 5spd will be capable of handling the power...look at Aaron (Guruman), Rob, and Mike Hood...they all use the 5spd, so I figure since they run it, I should have no problem either...if it aint broke dont fix it :P

I like your attitude, but you need to take a deeper look. Not sure if Aaron is the one with the CQ because he uses an 01E, Mike Hood is on his 4th or 5th trans, and you are also referring to 1.8T guys. This motor will shred up 5 speeds, Brian went through 2 of them in a week with his VRT project. I'm not saying you can't do this, but it seems like you need to do a bit of research and talk to guys that have done this.

Also, the V8 is an easier swap then the VR, that's the only reason I asked

[A4_2.8tuner]

I like your attitude, but you need to take a deeper look. Not sure if Aaron is the one with the CQ because he uses an 01E, Mike Hood is on his 4th or 5th trans, and you are also referring to 1.8T guys. This motor will shred up 5 speeds, Brian went through 2 of them in a week with his VRT project. I'm not saying you can't do this, but it seems like you need to do a bit of research and talk to guys that have done this.

Also, the V8 is an easier swap then the VR, that's the only reason I asked

I appreciate your honesty and feedback, however I will cross that bridge when I get there. Im gonna stick with the 5spd for now, as I stated earlier I do not drag race my car, nor hard launch. The only type of hard driving this may see would be on the highway from time to time, however the car gets driven less than 2000 miles/year. I'm not saying that the transmission is bulletproof and it will NOT break, any transmission is susceptible, however with the way I drive, I feel like it should last for a while, and If i need to swap it down the road, i'll do it. At this point though, my focus is on getting the motor built up and starting on ripping the old motor out and shaving the bay. :)

[AudiA4_20T]

Cool, whose doing all the custom work? Or can you weld?

[SoFresh]

I like your attitude, but you need to take a deeper look. Not sure if Aaron is the one with the CQ because he uses an 01E, Mike Hood is on his 4th or 5th trans, and you are also referring to 1.8T guys. This motor will shred up 5 speeds, Brian went through 2 of them in a week with his VRT project. I'm not saying you can't do this, but it seems like you need to do a bit of research and talk to guys that have done this.

Also, the V8 is an easier swap then the VR, that's the only reason I asked

The 5 speed should be fine for a few years on this build. Like Brian said, he rarely puts any miles on the car as is. Only hard runs on this transmissions will be on the dyno and highway pulls, so it should only slowly slip through clutches over time. But that's expected as would be any wear and tear or breakage on a 600whp car. It would be different if he were doing hard launches with the stock transmission. Mike Hood races his car and has it setup for hard launches. Brian's car will be mainly for sunny days, GTGs, dyno days, leisure drives and car shows, not to mention the highway pulls on the way back and forth [Closed track of course]

Curious to know why you say a V8 swap is easier however... but let's not let this thread get off topic.

Cool, whose doing all the custom work? Or can you weld?

Depends on which custom parts you are referring too. The intake mani will be welded by a local guy in the vdub community.

[A4_2.8tuner]

No, I cannot weld (well i'm sure I could but i would be terrible at it). However my roommate's dad owns a cryogenics company that works on huge tanks and he welds and bends/flares tubing all day long, and he's on board to help with welding in any way he needs to...He's an amazing welder. I also have a custom intake manifold being made for the car by a local guy (Nubworks) who also made Aaron's IM for his CQ. I will have either of them weld up the IC piping when the time comes to route that.

I'm mechanically inclined enough to take on the other tasks of the project, however, so i'm not too worried about that at this point (except for tuning the standalone). Im also fortunate enough to have the owner of a local VW/Audi performance shop as one of my good friends, so any questions/concerns I have I generally give him a ring, which is great.

I'm not trying to claim to know everything on this swap, as i dont, and I will be learning a TON along the way, but you only learn by trying. I've learned alot already in the time i've been researching and collecting parts, but I will never know it all. Any feedback is welcomed and preferred, as long as it is constructive.