Late Introduction

[crazexr7]

Hey guys I've posted quite a few times on here already and haven't introduced myself yet. And this thread is here to correct exactly that.

My name is Josh, I'm 18, and the car is a casablanca white 98' a4 2.8 quattro 5 speed. My dad originally bought the car in 2005 used for about 12 grand with about 60k miles, and with his job it ended up sitting for a year or two from 2008-2010. As soon as I got my license I was able to save it from sitting any longer. It's kind of hard finding pictures of the car completely stock but here's the closest.


Little things were added here and there such as window tint, not sure what exactly but I believe we went with 20% tint.
Right away we replaced the belts and the water pump.


Later we corrected the issue of the 4x4 stock height. Neuspeed racing springs and bilstein sport shocks we're added along with new control arms from FCP Groton. I don't have any pictures of the install, which really sucks, but I do remember when we finally got done installing them, we took the car off the jack stands and as soon as the car hit the ground the song lowrider came on the radio. Couldn't ask for more perfect timing.

Lowering it ran in to a bunch of problems. First of all my driveway ended up ripping both flexpipes off, so we replaced the cats with cheap ebay ones (was a bitch to install). then one of them went bad and I replaced it recently with one off of ecs. The second problem I ran into was at work, driving in the parking lot which was dirt, I bottomed out and ripped the skidplate clean off. Which also gave me an excuse to upgrade to the evolution thor skid plate.


Then the next thing was upgrading the 2-piece headlights to Depo e-codes and getting clear side markers:


And that basically leaves off to where it is today. I've been driving the car now for 2 years, and I've put about 14k miles on it, It recently hit 110k . I plan on keeping the car as long as possible though, even though it has its problems I still love it. The introduction is kind of late, but better late than never I guess. For anyone that answered my threads before, thanks. Audizine has been a sort of guidebook for my car and it's infinite amount of problems. So yeah, thanks and here are some more pics of the car:







Future plans are wheel spacers, facelift fogs with the grilles, some sort of roof rack, and the ecs coilover kit. Eventually I'd like to upgrade to the s4 styling, but for now that's just a dream. Being a broke college student, things are going really slow but I hope to carry out my plans with it.

[TJN0923]

looks clean man, love the interior!

[coolgraymemo]

Funny that you say "better late than never."

I don't think I've ever actually introduced myself - I should though.


Lookin' good!

[crazexr7]

looks clean man, love the interior!

Thanks, It's kind of funny when my dad first bought the car I hated the interior, but now I love it. I've never seen another audi with this interior in person, kind of hard to find and I really can't see why I didn't like it in the first place.

Funny that you say "better late than never."

I don't think I've ever actually introduced myself - I should though.


Lookin' good!

lol you should! and thanks.

[envious]

casa white <3 and the interior <3

[SS92]

I want your interior. Looking clean

[crazexr7]

Not related to audi's but here's a project I've been working on for a while, 1968 Mercury Cougar xr7:



Trying to get the engine started, It's been sitting for 15 years. My grandpa bought it brand new and it's been passed down in the family ever since. Major plans for this also.

[Corrado_Guy]

The Cougar looks nice, if it has been sitting that long I would start checking the fuel system. If fuel sits a long time it starts to break down and gum up so you may need to check into this. Make sure it has fuel at the carb and it sprays when you open the throttle and check for spark. These cars are pretty simple and it shouldn't be hard to figure it out. What motor & transmission are in this car? Get those rear springs re-arched so you can remove those shackles.

[crazexr7]

The Cougar looks nice, if it has been sitting that long I would start checking the fuel system. If fuel sits a long time it starts to break down and gum up so you may need to check into this. Make sure it has fuel at the carb and it sprays when you open the throttle and check for spark. These cars are pretty simple and it shouldn't be hard to figure it out. What motor & transmission are in this car? Get those rear springs re-arched so you can remove those shackles.

Thanks, I replaced the fuel line from the tank to the pump, and plan on rebuilding the carb later. The car does spray but I'm not getting spark (probably since I didn't hook up the spark plug wires right). The car has a 302 with an auto transmission, which I don't think I mind since I hear the clutches in the standard's are pretty stiff.

[marknad113]

to me, that is the ultimate a4 interior! i love that color of the seats and i love the flat wood. sooo nice!!

[crazexr7]

Thanks for all the compliments!

to me, that is the ultimate a4 interior! i love that color of the seats and i love the flat wood. sooo nice!!

I try to maintain it as much as possible. I'd hate to have the seats get worn out on me, so its conditioned and cleaned quite often.

[walky_talky20]

Car looks so clean. Very tasteful. Me rikey the interior. It looks delicious. Nom.

[crazexr7]

Just found a really good deal on some fogs with the grilles. Someone was willing to trade if I pay their shipping on top of mine.

[crazexr7]

Got a set of ecs wheel spacers for christmas . Ended up getting too small of a size for the rear so I'm going to swap for some 20mm. Managed to put the fronts on though which are 12.5mm, which ended up fitting pretty good. Here are some pics:

Before:


After:

[coolgraymemo]

looks soo clean.

[crazexr7]

Thanks man, the car is actually a little dirty but it was buffed a month ago so it still looks pretty good still.

[crazexr7]

Wait were you referring to the spacers? lol I think they both look pretty clean though, the rears should make it look way better when they go on.

[coolgraymemo]

No, I was talking about the last picture in post #14 - it just looks soo good.

E-Codes make a big difference.

[crazexr7]

Ah yes that they do. Thanks, I really like them a lot I just need to buy some chrome bulbs.

[coolgraymemo]

I have my Valeo's just like yours. I haven't bought chrome bulbs either.

[crazexr7]

I should be getting them soon I just have to find them.

And on another note, does anyone know if I have to take off the timing belt to install a timing belt tensioner? I was thinking if I loosen the tension I should be able to uninstall and install a new one without taking off the belt, no?

[crazexr7]

Just got these in the mail today:



The fogs are a little pitted but these were an awesome deal so I'm happy. Since my bumper's off right now they should be a little easier to make a custom bracket. Plan on going with a ddm HID kit with these eventually.

[crazexr7]

An update on the car with lots of pics, changed the timing belt tensioner on the car:



And my dad helped me mount the fog lights, and since the bumper was already off the car, was a little easier:



Here's the bracket we made:




The passenger side needed the plastic trimmed for an easier fit so an electric grinder was used:



Then I got the rest of my christmas present in the mail today:



So now I'm running 20mm in the rear and 12.5mm in the front Here's a before and after of the rear.

Before:



After:





And a driveway shot:

[discontained]

looks good with those spacers..

944... Mmmmmm

[crazexr7]

thanks man, the 944 is my dad's and is in a little crisis right now because it has a mold problem. It completely covered the steering wheel and has spots on the seats/carpet. It really sucks but we're going to be using steam and vinegar and water solution to see if that gets rid of it.

[legbuh]

This is a great thread. Thanks for sharing!

I just bought a 99 2.8 q as well...why? I missed the 328i I had a few years back, wanted a fun winter car and also something I could work on. You make it look like even the tb and wp is a piece of cake. My first job is coming soon... Replace the radiator and install the snub mount the previuos owner gave me.

[walky_talky20]

Liking the spacers. It's amazing how much you have to adjust the height and wheel spacing from stock just to make it look "right". Audi got the stance so wrong on these cars, it's hilarious. But once you dial it in = Cash Money in the bank.

Nice work on the fogs. That's so OEM+ of you.

[crazexr7]

This is a great thread. Thanks for sharing!

I just bought a 99 2.8 q as well...why? I missed the 328i I had a few years back, wanted a fun winter car and also something I could work on. You make it look like even the tb and wp is a piece of cake. My first job is coming soon... Replace the radiator and install the snub mount the previuos owner gave me.

Thanks man, it's an audi so a lot of the stuff was a PITA still but it was manageable. Make sure you have a service manual if your a DIYer, I use it all the time. Good luck with your first job and congrats on the new car!

Liking the spacers. It's amazing how much you have to adjust the height and wheel spacing from stock just to make it look "right". Audi got the stance so wrong on these cars, it's hilarious. But once you dial it in = Cash Money in the bank.

Nice work on the fogs. That's so OEM+ of you.

I agree 100% it's amazing how off the wheels are and stock height is like a monster truck haha. thanks btw, I still have to do some work on the fogs right now they're just for display lol. I kept my original fog bulbs but then realized once I installed the new ones that the new fog lights bulbs are different than the prefacelift So I think I'm going to get a ddm HID kit much earlier than I planned.

[crazexr7]

Learned how to lower cars in photoshop and put wheels on so I messed around a bit.

Here's the car with LM's and a bit of a drop:


Twists:


And I dropped the cougar a little bit too to see how it looked:

[silverman]

Woah, a fellow Josh from CT in a 98'! Looking good so far man, real jealous of the brown interior.

[crazexr7]

That's pretty funny! And thanks, nice cactus by the way. One of my favorite b5 colors.

[crazexr7]

Debadged the trunk today, and it really cleaned it up nicely:

[crazexr7]

took a picture of the porsche the paint looked so good today and the mold is out of the car finally

[crazexr7]

Pics later

[anmagro]

and what o what did we do with this ^

[crazexr7]

I'm not telling just yet. But pics will be up tomorrow

[crazexr7]

Well here was my project over the weekend:




Sanded:


Plastidip!




I'll get some pics of the car after I wash it since it is filthy

[crazexr7]

Here are the pics tell me what you guys think:

[coolgraymemo]

Looks good.

Now 'dip the grill surround.

[crazexr7]

Thanks, not sure if I like the look too much but the great thing about plastidip is I can just peel it off. I might do it tomorrow