Barry's 2001 B5 S4 Build Thread

[AvantGuard]

Regarding your garage-I'd be embarrassed to post a picture of mine. I have a 3 car garage with 4 cars in it, large air compressor, huge tig welder, wire welder, milling machine , lathe acetylene outfit, and a twin post lift. Really impressed by your organization.

[q20v]

AvantGuard not sure how you cram all that stuff into a 3-car! Sounds well equipped too, making me kinda jealous. I try and keep my garage open for two car parking considering my driveway can fit 3 but is pretty tight, so 2 ideally, and there’s 4 cars. Just means I’ve gotta keep things extra organized in the garage. Plus I’m sure I have a mild condition of OCD :s

[q20v]

Picked up the S4 from winter storage today! Gotta say it's really nice to have the car back.

Nothing major planned this summer except finish the bottom end rebuild on the spare block I have. Current plan is to pull then engine this winter, swap the bottom end, and if I can swing it in the budget, stage 3.

[happy2B5]

Nice thread. Aspire to get my garage and car in order and this is inspiration. Really appreciate the oem+ look and have always liked those wheels on our B5's. Nice work!

[q20v]

Thanks happy2B5, I pull my inspiration from other threads here and other forums, glad I can return the favour!

[happy2B5]

I hear ya. My current B5 is not the cleanest example I have owned. Its been frustrating and there is only so much I can do. Its not at all bad, just some paint issues that will need professional intervention. Due time I guess...

[R490]

Great progress so far! Looks amazing. It's always nice to see people keeping their cars clean, and doing the proper maintenance before going to big power!

[q20v]

I've had my share of cars that had body issues I couldn't fix properly / afford to have fixed. I know the feeling. Do what you can within your capabilities and budget to keep in under control for now (prevent it from getting worse) and address it properly when you can. These cars are worth the effort!

[q20v]

Thanks R490. My goal exactly, get the car as sorted as possible then do the big upgrades. I’d say it’s about ready for the power at this point :)

[happy2B5]

I've had my share of cars that had body issues I couldn't fix properly / afford to have fixed. I know the feeling. Do what you can within your capabilities and budget to keep in under control for now (prevent it from getting worse) and address it properly when you can. These cars are worth the effort!

Biggest issue is my driver doors have clearly been resprayed or replaced...miscolored. It drives me crazy. Was quoted $2200 by a great shop to respray the driver side. That or get it wrapped...
Sorry to photo bomb...that is all

[MCP]

Id wrap it at that point for the same price.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Audizine mobile app

[Silverex]

Wow that color is way off!

2200 seems pretty steep for just 2 doors unless there’s body work that needs to be done. FWIW I was quote $1200 to respray bumper, hood, fenders, and blend front doors with zero body work.

[AvantGuard]

2200 to respray doors is insane. Find another shop for a quote.

[q20v]

Yeah $2200 sounds like a lot! For some reason I thought your issue was massive rust or something, but your car looks really clean!

Back in the day I “polished” my black Audi 90 with a turtle wax product that had grit or something in it, and it was basically like sanding my car down but I wasn’t smart enough to realize I should stop. Had a guy try to polish it out but it was never the same. Bothered me for the 10 years I had the car. Debated getting the car painted but never ended up doing it.

[happy2B5]

Wow that color is way off!

2200 seems pretty steep for just 2 doors unless there’s body work that needs to be done. FWIW I was quote $1200 to respray bumper, hood, fenders, and blend front doors with zero body work.

2200 to respray doors is insane. Find another shop for a quote.

I dont want to litter q's thread any more. Sorry man.

The $2200 is for the entire driver side including fixing the shit fender roll on both front fenders not just driver doors. I would not go anywhere else in my area. The shop is the best around me.

[q20v]

I dont want to litter q's thread any more. Sorry man.

Not a problem at all!

[q20v]

I got the car windows tinted today at Goldwing Auto Care, 35% ceramic. I debated between 20 and 35 because I was under the impression 35 would barely be noticeable, but it actually came out a lot darker than I anticipated. I realize it's a cloudy day so it'll look darker, but I think it looks great.
Hoping the little bubbles around the back window edge goes away after a few days. This is my first window tint experience so I don't really know what to expect.









Next to my Avant which I believe has 20% tint.

[happy2B5]

Did you do an air 80 (or similar) on the front windshield? That keeps the heat out of cabin as much as anything.

The tint looks good. I would have guessed more than 35% too from the pictures.

[q20v]

Nothing on the windshield. Never even considered it TBH! I might investigate to see what’s allowed in this province.

[happy2B5]

Research air 80. Its a clear film and wont look "tinted"

[harryn]

Wow, what a beautiful thread!! Thanks for sharing, q20v!!

How did you get your S4's headlight lenses so clean? Are you thinking about repainting the door grab handles on the door panels one day? I am rearing up for that project after I do my full suspension refresh on the S4 in a couple weeks!

[q20v]

Thanks harryn!

For the headlights I used the same method for polishing the rest of the car: microfibre pad with jescar correcting compound followed by yellow Rupes pad with sonax perfect finish polish. Fortunately my headlights weren’t pitted much otherwise I’d have had to sand those out (check out YouTube for tutorials, but you basically start with like 400 grit and work your way up to 1-2000 grit, then polish).

For the door interior grab handles, I have some pieces to use as replacements on the driver side. My passenger side is fine.

Have fun with the suspension refresh and don’t hesitate to PM me if you get stuck or have any questions.

[q20v]

Hey guys,

Haven't posted anything in a while but figured a little update was in order. The S hasn't needed much this summer and I've just been enjoying driving it. The plan to Stage 3 is still on, planning for the engine pull this fall to swap the bottom end with the one I'm rebuilding. I've been thinking a bunch about the parts list for the build and as soon as money permits I'll start to acquire those. My company reduced pay during covid so that didn't help with saving for the build, but I'll figure it out. If things are still tight by the winter, at a very minimum, the engine comes out, I swap the bottom end, and rebuild the K03's. I don't want to cut corners on the build list for the stage 3, so if it takes another year to get the parts I want then so be it.

Onto the photo bomb...

Although I had recently rebuilt the complete rear suspension incl bearings, I had a wheel bearing fail and start making a dragging / droning noise. Threw the car on the QuickJack and was able to isolate the noise the passenger side bearing, so I swapped in a new one and noise is now gone.



The front control arms were only a couple years old (maybe less than 10k KM), and I had bought new ones for the B6 winter beater, so I decided to install the new arms on the S and the 2-year old arms on the B6.



My hood strut was shot and wouldn't hold the hood up anymore, and I happen to have a decent B6 strut kicking around, so I modified the ends to fit the B5.





The hood strut thing coincided with me wanting to do the driver side valve cover gasket, so I did that after.



Picked up a new shift boot last winter and installed that.





Also picked up both DS B-pillar interior trim pieces and the top PS piece. I didn't install the PS trim because mine looked to be in good shape. The car was in storage when I bought the new pieces so I couldn't check the condition, but I knew the DS was a bit beat up.

New - top, old - bottom:






New - left, old - right. I had to make the cutout for the alarm switch in the new trim piece.



Picked up some new tires, Yokohama Advan Apex V601. So far I love them.



While I was waiting for them to be mounted on the wheels, I gave the car a good clean including the wheel wells.







The B6/7 brakes are still going strong. I picked another set of these calipers for the B6 Avant winter beater, they are at the powder coaters now.



When the wheels / tires came back from the shop, I 2-step polished + waxed the wheels before putting them back on.











The paint still looks sharp after the paint correction a year and a half ago.

[happy2B5]

Nice update...no news is good news at times in the B5 S4 world. Good to hear you have been able to just drive and enjoy the car as it should be. Car is looking great!

[q20v]

Thanks! I feel fortunate that nothing major has happened with this car. My daily A4 Avant just blew the power steering rack and my DIY alignment that I did a few weeks ago cooked a front tire. And my other A4 beater needs the turbo rebuilt. They're dropping like flies! But I'll have the A4's up and running by next week so it's all good.

[SoundEfx]

Charles Barkley is right, he's not my role model, you are.....LOL. Nice progress on the S4. Now stop beating up the beaters because they're the ones indirectly keeping the S4 on the road.

[q20v]

Charles Barkley is right, he's not my role model, you are.....LOL. Nice progress on the S4. Now stop beating up the beaters because they're the ones indirectly keeping the S4 on the road.

haha thanks! Like I've said before I feel so fortunate to have this car after wanting one for so long (early 2000's). I can't wait to have it off the road this winter so that I can really get into the mechanicals of it.

The Avant is almost done, the power steering rack is out and the replacement is ready to go in. Should be done by tomorrow then it goes in for an alignment and tires next Thursday. It'll be good to have that one sorted out again.

[q20v]

The stage 3 wheels have been put in motion. As winter is around the corner and the daily cars are now all sorted out, I'm getting excited to start on the S4 as the winter project. I've been doing a lot of thinking on what direction I want to go wrt the stage 3 components and I'm picking up parts as the opportunities present themselves.

The original plan was TTE550 turbos but financially I couldn't justify it at this point. ActiveMonkey pointed out a good deal on OE PJK04's for a little over $1800 USD, less than half what the TTE550's sell for. Power wise, I'll try and max out what the K04's can produce on 93 octane (E85 not an option) and that'll be that. Nothing is permanent and I may change turbos at a later date, but for the foreseeable future it's K04 for me. I'm not disappointed with that at all, for me the K04 level of power is new to me so I figure it will be exciting for a while. I still get excited with my stage 1 power and this will be a decent upgrade from that.

Here's the part list of the major components to hopefully achieve right around 400whp:

OE K04 turbos
SRM v3 Intercoolers
85mm MAF (brand unknown at this point, probably 034)
Bosch 0280158298 Injectors (60 lb)
TTV Lite B5 to B7 Flywheel
B7 RS4 LuK Repset Clutch kit
XS-Power 2.5" Catless Downpipes
Exhaust (leaning towards Billy Boat)
AEM water/meth injection V3 30-3300

I've collected the K04's, flywheel + clutch kit, intercoolers and injectors at this point. I have a few other little things to tackle in the next month so the engine pull will probably happen mid-november, realistically.

A few pictures with my dad's summer car










This flywheel... sooo nice. Shame it's never seen once installed.

[happy2B5]

Can I make a suggestion to adjust your exhaust setup to 3" dps mated to a custom 3.5" single exhaust with mid muffler only (magnaflow or vibrant). This has been far and away my favorite exhaust setup on previous B5 S4's. It purrs at highway cruising speeds/rpms and roars at WOT. S.E.P makes a nice 3.5" single from what I have seen. I had an 034 setup much like this and wish I could find one or they still offered it.

https://www.sepautoproducts.com/prod...d-mid-pipe-kit

Car is looking great as usual

[q20v]

Can I make a suggestion to adjust your exhaust setup to 3" dps mated to a custom 3.5" single exhaust with mid muffler only (magnaflow or vibrant). This has been far and away my favorite exhaust setup on previous B5 S4's. It purrs at highway cruising speeds/rpms and roars at WOT. S.E.P makes a nice 3.5" single from what I have seen. I had an 034 setup much like this and wish I could find one or they still offered it.

https://www.sepautoproducts.com/prod...d-mid-pipe-kit

Car is looking great as usual

Thanks man!

For the exhaust, I appreciate the input. I think for max performance what you described is the way to go, my worry is sound though. At the moment I have the xs-power downpipes installed with stock exhaust and kinda like the noise level, although I wouldn't mind a bit louder. Definitely don't want any cruising drone and want the part throttle noise to a minimum. I've been through a lot of cars in my day with exhausts that range from almost straight pipe / side exit to completely stock on the daily, and everything in between, and for this car if I have to sacrifice a bit of power to get a more refined exhaust note then I'm willing to do that. I'll put some thought into what you recommended though, thanks!

Barry

[happy2B5]

Thats just it though, the 3.5 setup described is very mellow and refined when you are not mashing the gas pedal. Just my experience. I have had several "tru dual" setups from "better" tt borla to the popular "lower quality" xs power stuff. The exhaust note and tone was much more daily friendly with the single 3.5 with mid muffler only (no rear). So much that my wife even noticed straight away until it ramped up to WOT. Just something to consider.

[q20v]

Thats just it though, the 3.5 setup described is very mellow and refined when you are not mashing the gas pedal. Just my experience. I have had several "tru dual" setups from "better" tt borla to the popular "lower quality" xs power stuff. The exhaust note and tone was much more daily friendly with the single 3.5 with mid muffler only (no rear). So much that my wife even noticed straight away until it ramped up to WOT. Just something to consider.

Interesting... Any cats in that setup?

[happy2B5]

I was catless

[q20v]

Picked up a few more pieces of the puzzle:

- AEM 30-3300 v3 WMI kit
- Bosch 60 lb injectors
- RS4 MAF and Accordion hose
- SRM v3 Intercoolers (core measures 9"x8"x4.5", inlet/outlet - 2" / 2.25", their latest version is 10" tall I believe and have 2.5" inlet/outlet with step-down couplers)

[diabolical1]

really nice thread. i really enjoyed it up to this point. i like your approach and attitude. it's refreshing to see someone building, but using some restraint because the enjoyment of the S4 is more important.

[q20v]

really nice thread. i really enjoyed it up to this point. i like your approach and attitude. it's refreshing to see someone building, but using some restraint because the enjoyment of the S4 is more important.

Thank a lot! I’m getting close to pulling the engine and will be posting a lot of pictures / details about the build. I’m in the process of making a neat part for the build that I’ll share later this weekend once it’s done.

[R490]

Car is looking fantastic! So many people trash these cars just trying to build the most powerful thing ever.

[q20v]

Car is looking fantastic! So many people trash these cars just trying to build the most powerful thing ever.

Thanks! And ya, 100% agree. I'm building mine with a long term reliability mindset. I want to enjoy this for as long as I can without having to pull the engine every so often.

[AudiSportB5S4]

Great thread and also great choice of turbos. I ran my RS4 K04s for 12 years and had 80K miles on them and when I took them out they were still in good shape.

BTW what did you use to clean up the B pillars on the exterior? Just regular compound and your wheel?

[q20v]

Great thread and also great choice of turbos. I ran my RS4 K04s for 12 years and had 80K miles on them and when I took them out they were still in good shape.

BTW what did you use to clean up the B pillars on the exterior? Just regular compound and your wheel?

Thank you!

For the b-pilars you are correct, Sonax Perfect Finish (polish) and my Rupes yellow pad (what I use as a final polishing pad on light coloured cars)