Audi B5 420-R: The Build

[Nollywood]

Hi ladies and gents,

I just thought I'd introduce my B5 projects.

My original aim was to build a V8-powered B5 Quattro, with 6-speed 01E and a D2 S8 32V motor. I originally purchased an early B5 2.6 Quattro 5MT (1995) as the basis of my project. I installed the S8 motor and 6-speed 01E, then proceeded to completely gut the interior.

I got the car running, then began looking at B5 RS4 goodies. By this time, I traded in my DD 2001 D2 S8 for a 2005 D3 A8 4.2 QS.

Fast forward 2 years, I decided to move on from D3 ownership, and opted to part her out. Sold a ton of parts, netting me more than I'd originally paid for the car. With space being tight for myself, wife and 3 kids, we decided to move, and I had a decision to make.

My D3 was buy now pretty stripped, though still running, the front air suspension had been sold, so had the entire front end, interior, MMI control panel, headlamps, brakes and a whole heap of control units. I would have to transport this car, together with my B5 approx. 205 miles to our new home.

With B5 facelift cars circa 2000 having dropped in price a great deal, I decided to transport just the D3 A8, and pull the D2 S8 motor and 6-speed 01E out of the early B5, then look out for a facelift car.

I bagged a 2000 B5 A4 2.5 TDI Quattro. At this point, I was still thinking along the lines of a stripped-out B5, with RS4 bodywork and of course the D2 S8 motor. I traded my 2002 Toyota Truck for this car. The B5 was picked up, I drove her 237 miles home. Santorin Blue, black leather, aftermarket HID kit, and some nasty aftermarket 18" alloys. I'm talking real NASTY here. I actually prefer stock 16" steel wheels with plastic hub caps.

[Nollywood]

Then an unforeseen dilemma...

...I have ended up with 2 V8 motors, and 2 6-speed 01E trannys.

So the hunt was on for another B5. I bagged one closer to home, a 2000 B5 A4 2.8 30V Quattro in Pelican Blue.

The eBay pictures were vague, and obviously taken with a camera phone, the car was parked out on the road, and hadn't been washed prior to taking the pictures. I got hold of the seller, and agreed on a price, £400 ($630).

When I did see the car in the metal, my opinion changed a bit - I still felt it was an average B5, and would build a stripped-out RS4'd and V8-powered car. However, when I got behind the wheel and began the journey home, my opinion changed. This car drove great, felt right, felt tight. It handled great too!

By the time I got her washed the next day, my plans changed. They had to! This car was way too clean to strip out the interior.

My plans are thus:

Pull the 4.2 V8 40V motor from my D3 A8, and install it in the Pelican Blue car, mated to my spare 01E (pulled from my old Europa Blue B5). As I have an entire parts D3 A8, I intend to use as much of the goodies in my Pelican Blue B5 - auto dim interior mirror, electric rear blind, front brakes, rain sending wiper / automatic headlamp module (top of the screen).

Exterior will be OEM B5 RS4, though the colour will remain the same.

The Santorin Blue car will be gutted, and the D2 S8 engine mated to the existing 01E 6-speed manual. This car is unlikely to get the B5 RS4 exterior, but we'll see. The colour will certainly be changed.

Right now, I am purchasing B5 RS4 parts. I have been in touch with my bodyshop, and they are looking at late June / early July to commence work on Pelican.

[walky_talky20]

Pics. Of. The. Pelican.

(Much want Pelican things)

[Bordom]

Subscribed

Everything graciously mispelled by Android

[Nollywood]

The Pelican Blue car:

[pbcrazy]

I would kill for that original v6 tdi....

[walky_talky20]

I want the Pelican car *sooo* badly that it physically hurts me.

At least I know it's in good hands.

[Bordom]

I would kill for that original v6 tdi....

Already sent him a PM regarding shipping it to me vs swapping an ABZ into my car. I have dibs

Everything graciously mispelled by Android

[Turbo_B5]

Sub'd. Can't wait for more... Would you consider a trade, my right nipple for the pelican?

[Mad Cow]

For some reason I've got an incredible urge to fly to Britain and bring a B5 back with me. If you can get a car like that for that price I'll pay whatever it takes to ship one across the ocean, that's just insane.

[Bordom]

For some reason I've got an incredible urge to fly to Britain and bring a B5 back with me. If you can get a car like that for that price I'll pay whatever it takes to ship one across the ocean, that's just insane.

x2. Nolly, would you be willing to do a group buy for those of us in North America for B5's of that condition shipped across the ocean?

Everything graciously mispelled by Android

[Nollywood]

Thanks guys!

I must say, the Pelican / Kingfisher Blue car is the first Audi I've owned, that I don't feel the need to change the colour.

[Nollywood]

x2. Nolly, would you be willing to do a group buy for those of us in North America for B5's of that condition shipped across the ocean?

Everything graciously mispelled by Android

I have no issues with this, but they are RHD. They would have to be sourced from Germany or France.

[Nollywood]

I spent the afternoon pulling the D3 A8's rear parcel shelf with the electric rear blind, and LED high level brake lamp. I may trim it down to fit the Pelican B5, or remove the actual blind cartridge, and install it in the B5's parcel shelf.

Tomorrow I'll remove the A8's auto dimming rear view mirror.

The D3 A8's rear parcel shelf, with integrated electric rear blind:

[Nollywood]

The big brute currently holding the V8 hostage:

[Mad Cow]

I have no issues with this, but they are RHD. They would have to be sourced from Germany or France.

I've looked into it a bit before and UK cars seem to be a lot cheaper than German cars, unless I was looking in the wrong places. Converting to LHD shouldn't be too difficult if you have a parts car.

[Nollywood]

I've looked into it a bit before and UK cars seem to be a lot cheaper than German cars, unless I was looking in the wrong places. Converting to LHD shouldn't be too difficult if you have a parts car.

That's a fact.

[down_n_dapper]

you sir do not mess around, amazing work and nice to see you treat a V8 swap like another day at the park!

Subscribed for sure!

[Nollywood]

^^^ Thank you, Mr Dapper.

[Nollywood]

To bring this project up to date, it is essential I back-track 3 years, to when this project originally began. And to the original concept, which is very different to what it has evolved into today.

[Nollywood]

January 2012.

Hi ladies and gents!

I have decided to start a second project. Keen Motorsport fans will remember how Audi dominated the BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) back in the '90's. Audi kicked off with the B4 Audi 80 Quattro. The rules of the BTCC were simple - maximum engine capacity, and no turbochargers or superchargers. So all the cars were 2,0 I4 engines.

Power output of the cars were in the 270 bhp range. The Audi A4 Quattro replaced the Audi 80 in 1996 in the BTCC, with similar engine spec. The 2,0 16V engine used in the A4 was unlike no other in terms of the regular road cars. There were no 16V engines in production A4's, indeed there were no 2,0 versions. With AWD, the Audi A4 was the heaviest car in the series.

The manufacturer entrants were as followed:

01) Vauxhall Vectra 2,0 16V
02) Renault Laguna 2,0 16V
03) Volvo 850 2,0 20V
04) Peugeot 406 2,0 16V
05) Ford Mondeo 2,0 16V
06) Honda Accord 2,0 16V
07) Nissan Primera 2,0 16V
08) Toyota Carina 2,0 16V
09) Vauxhall Cavalier 2,0 16V
10) BMW 320i
11) Audi A4 2,0 16V.

[Nollywood]

Audi performed remarkably well, too well in fact, that a weight penalty was imposed on the A4 Quattro in a bid to slow them down. It didn't work, as Audi remained dominant, and came first with 289 points, with the Renault Laguna runner up with 197 points.

My project car will be based upon an Audi A4 Quattro B5, will have the Touring Car theme, in terms of colour, spoilers, suspension and interior, but as I'm not govered by BTCC rules, I'm not limited to a 2,0 I4 engine. I have taken delivery of a complete 1998 Audi S8 4,2 V8 32V engine, complete with wiring harness, ECU, manifolds, airbox and most importantly, the ignition key with the transponder components (decoder box).

This engine is different from the one in my 2002 Audi S8. Being a 32V engine, at 340 bhp, it's 20 bhp less than my daily driver. The lower power output won't be an issue, as the A4 Quattro is a lot lighter than the S8. My spec will be as follows:

[Nollywood]

Base car: Audi A4 B5 2.6 V6 Quattro, completely stripped out:

01) Rear seat removed.
02) Passenger seat removed.
03) Driver's seat removed, replaced with lightweight bucket seat.
04) All electric windows mechanisms removed.
05) All side glass removed, replaced with plastic (Lexan).
06) Aircon / heater removed.
07) ABS removed.
08) Carpet removed.
09) Head lining removed.
10) Audio / stereo removed.
11) Dasboard removed, cut down, leaving just driver's side to hold instrument cluster.
12) Airbags removed.
13) Central locking removed.
14) Inner door cards removed.
15) All wiring not essential to vehicle operation (electric windows, central locking, ABS, aircon, heater and airbags) removed.
16) All sound proofing removed.
17) Both catalysts removed.

All the above saves a lot of weight, I want to end up with a car that weighs about 1,000 kgs or at least close.

[Nollywood]

Engine spec is as follows:

Donor car: '98 Audi S8.
Capacity: 4,172cc.
Configuration: V8 2 x DOHC 32V.
Power: 340 bhp.
Torque: 420 Nm.

Transmission spec is as follows:

Donor car: '00 Audi S4.
Ratios: 6.
Type: Manual.
Clutch: Audi RS4 B5.
Drive: Quattro AWD.
Final drive ratio: 4,11:1.
Rear differential final drive ratio: 4,11:1.

The rest (suspension, brakes, wheels etc) is to be confirmed, I'll post pictures as the project progresses.

[Nollywood]

There were different colour schemes for the Audi A4 Touring Cars, but I'm opting for the silver livery as used in Britain for the 1996 / 1997 season. This is the look I want to get close to, ignore the 2,0 16V engine shot, as it won't be applicable to me. The external rear wing won't be available commercially, so I will have to construct mine out of lightweight aluminium. The same applies to the front under-bumper valance.

The Audi A4 Touring Car during the 1996 season:

[Nollywood]

20th January 2012:

Audi S8 4,2 V8 2 x DOHC 32V engine being delivered on Sunday, very hard to get hold of. I wasn't actually looking for one, but when I heard of this car being parted out, it was a steal! It would have been rude to have turned it down. This triggered this project.

The search is now on for an appropriate base car to build upon. Luckily Audi A4 Quattro B5's are easier to get hold of than Audi S8 engines! Watch this space.

[Nollywood]

And of course, the Audi 80 Competition, the Audi A4 STW's predecessor. The 2,0 16V engines were carried over when the Audi A4 STW replaced them in the Touring Car Championship. I did consider using an 80 Quattro as my base car, but feel it's fairly dated by modern standards. I can actually purchase an Audi A4 Quattro for as little as £400, sell all the parts I don't need, and achieve up to £700 in sales, meaning the car costs me nothing.

Pictures of the older Audi 80 Competition, as used in the Touring Car Championships:









Here's one minus the rear wing, and pretty much stock front bumper:

[Nollywood]

My reasons for using the 32V 340 bhp motor as opposed to the 40V 360 are simple - the 32V S8 runs solid inlet tappets, so more reliable at high rpm. It's also non-VVT, unlike the 40V motor. My daily driver is an '01 S8 40V, which replaced an older '98 S8 32V. Despite Audi's figures of 360 bhp for the 40V motors, it hasn't got the edge my 32V 340 bhp car had. Possibly the cable throttle makes it responsive, the valvetrain, or the 5V motors are that less responsive at low-end, I don't know.

The valvetrain is lighter too.

[Nollywood]

08th February 2012:

After several missed appointments, my S8 4,2 V8 32V motor was delivered last night, complete with ECU, wiring harness, air box, MAF, Lambda sond x 2, immobiliser interface with matched transpondered key.

I also pulled my old twin 12" cooling fans from the loft, from an older car.

I've done three V8 conversions previously, but every conversion is different, so will be studying the Bosch Motronic ME engine management system. I'm familiar with Motronic, but I'll be integrating this with the wiring in the Audi A4 B5 platform, where obviously the V8 wasn't an option.

Pictures to follow!

[Nollywood]

The main unit, the heart of the project. 4,2 V8 2 x DOHC 32V. It makes 340 bhp and 420 Nm torque in stock trim. More importantly, this motor revs to a heady 7,000 rpm, pretty high for a V8. There are plans to squeeze more out of the S8 motor, but later. Pictures:

[Nollywood]

Bosch Motronic ME ECU:



Bosch ignition POS (Power Output Stage) x 2:





Audi S8 immobiliser interface:



And the mathing transpondered ignition key, to make it all work:

[Nollywood]

Haven't had a lot of time on my hands, but I pulled the AHC motor out of the garage.

I had fun (not!) removing the torque converter and flexi plate. One of the three torque converter bolts had had a rough time - it had been gotten at by someone with the wrong sized tool. It's a T55. In the end, I removed two of the bolts, then by sheer brute force, levered the torque converter off with a massive pry bar, enough to get to the 10 bolts that secure the flexi plate. I then removed these bolts and pulled the flexi, with the TC still attached.

Tomorrow I'll tackle the TC-supporting bush in the end of the crank, just need to buy a pot of grease. I'll post pictures tomorrow.

[Nollywood]

Audi V8 engines, manual and auto share the same crank. The only difference being auto models have a steel bush pressed into the rear of the crank, to support the torque converter.

A manual transmission will not bolt up to an engine from an auto, if the TQ support bush is left in place. It will interfere with the nose of the trans input shaft. So it needs to be removed. Unfortunately, it's an interference fit, so extremely tight. I have not removed this bush from a V6, but have certainly removed quite a few from I5 and V8 models. These steel bushes won't come out easily with a pair of vise grips.

Some have attacked the bush with a chisel and hammer, and eventually got the bush out. This tends to make quite a mess of the crank; it's worth noting severe shock can cause crank bearing failure, maybe not immediately, but possibly later down the line. Another issue which could arise (possibly) is imbalance issues, especially if the chisel takes chunks out of the crank, which will require finishing.

Some have mentioned applying heat to the bush, but in my opinion, that's a no-no. At best, the transferred heat will ruin the rear main oil seal, worse case scenario, distortion could occur, either in the crank rear face, the rear oil seal housing, or both. Either way, not good!

I remove them with just one method - good old hydraulic action. I'm going to list the procedure, the tools required, with photographs. The model in the following photographic sequence is a '98 AHC 4,2 V8 32V, (S8) though the procedure is the same for I5, V6 or V8. I removed the TQ support bush today, and it took me 6 minutes.

[Nollywood]

Tools required are:

01) A sledge hammer.
02) A suitable steel drift.
03) A pot of grease or Petroleum Jelly.

The principle is simple - hydraulic action. In laymans terms, the recess is packed with thick grease, though I used Vaseline (Petroleum Jelly). A steel drift which is just short of being an interference fit in the recess is then driven into the grease-packed recess with a sledge hammer. Naturally, the grease will resist the drift going into the recess, and actually acts as a shock absorber against the hammer blows, so the crank is not "shocked".

The grease then needs to be displaced by the drift, and the only way it can do so is to force the steel bush out. You may need to pull the drift out and re-pack the recess a couple of times, as some may escape. If your drift is too small, it'll take longer to do the job. The closer to interference fit it is in the bush recess, the more effective the hydraulic action is.

[Nollywood]

Tools for the job - as a drift, I used an Allen-headed bolt, with a 3/8 square drive as an extention, and I substituted grease with clean Vaseline. Then a sledge hammer of suitable weight.

[Nollywood]

Removing the bush:

Packing the TQ steel bush with Vaseline / grease:





The blows start:





After the third blow, the bush was being displaced by hydraulic action (Vaseline):





Voila!



It came out cleanly. The bush was good enough to be re-used, and the crank had no marks. It could well have been a manual, there was no sign a TQ bush ever sat in the crank recess:







Next step is to fit the Audi S8 flywheel. As some may know, the Audi S8 was never available in the UK as manual, so I've ordered a flywheel and clutch from Germany, I got blank stare from UK Audi main dealerships when I tried to order here, lol. Parts will be with me hopefully before the week runs out.

We're getting closer!

[Nollywood]

Update 06th August 2012:

My Audi S8 flywheel turned up today from the fatherland, Germany. Pretty stoked - it was on back order, and I was expecting it to take a lot longer to arrive. I only ordered it last week.

And I've purchased another base car for this project. I wasn't happy with the one I initially purchased. This one I purchased is all the way in Bristol, which is roughly 220 miles from me, and a three-hour drive, lol. I'll be picking her up on Saturday. She's a '96 Audi A4 2,6 V6 Quattro Sport. Only one owner from new, she's done 141,000 miles, and has full service history, as a bonus, she's MOT'd till June 2013, so just ripe for some serious modding! :)

Pictures to follow.

[Nollywood]

New Audi S8 flywheel, as supplied by Audi AG:

[Nollywood]

Update 11th August 2012:

I picked up my new base car today. All the way from Bristol, which is a 225 mile drive. I left at 13:35, arrived in Bristol at 1705 hours, so not exactly local. I've just gotten home at 2219 hours, absolutely shattered.

Initial impressions are good - the car drove well, pulled strongly all through the rev range, with no flat spots or hesitation. It's had only one owner from new, and has a full service history, which is a bonus, but not really relevant, as the stock 2,6 V6 2 x SOHC 12V is coming out, along with the 5-speed manual tranny, to make way for a beefy 4,2 V8 2 x DOHC 32V and 6-speed manual tranny.

Over the next few days, I'll be carrying out a thorough assessment, and putting the car on a strict weight loss regime. Anything not absolutely needed for the car to run, and still remain road legal will be junked. I'll post pictures of her tomorrow after Sunday service, after I've given her a thorough clean. Current color is Audi Europe Blue Pearl, but that's a moot point, as the current color is subject to change. What the final color will be, is anybody's guess. ;)

[Nollywood]

The car, as picked up yesterday, after a damn good wash and dry. Some scrapes. but that's to be expected. All the parts with scratches play no part in the transformation, so will be junked for facelift Audi A4 B5 items. 8)