Taddraughn's C5 S6: Progress Thread

[taddraughn]

Man, that engine looks perfect! My 4.2's may look that nice at some point when I restore both of them, but for now I'll enjoy looking at yours.

Also, nice thinking on the injector filters, my trick was roughly the same- but I ran the screw through a small 2x4, stood on both ends and yanked... when I did the ones on my S6 I spent the <$10 for the 'tool', which is essentially the same screw inside a plastic twist-style puller.

Awesome job on your S6, I can't wait until you get to drive her once again!

Thanks man! Really happy with how the engine has turned out. Although with everything assembled it won't be super visible even though I don't intend to put the engine covers back on...

I might try making a custom cover or something out of carbon fiber to hide the vacuum pods or evap equipment at the rear of the engine. I bought a Gast vacuum pump a while back so I could try vacuum infusion but haven't had an excuse to try it out yet.

[taddraughn]

Didn't get tons done on the car this weekend due to needing to remove millions of leaves from my yard. I did finally get the metal slave cylinder in from USP though



So I installed it along with the new throw out bearing and installed the SST hose on the master cylinder



After having delayed working on the brake shields, I decided just to drop them into some Muriatic acid to get the rust off. Pretty nasty stuff, but it works really really fast and you can just neutralize it with lots of baking soda after you are done before disposing of it.



Metal comes out looking quite nice, you just have to rinse, dry and coat in WD40 immediately to prevent flash rusting.

[JMURiz]

Ooooh, I'll have to try that acid trick for some old 911 and 914 parts I need to clean before I sell off.

[taddraughn]

Ooooh, I'll have to try that acid trick for some old 911 and 914 parts I need to clean before I sell off.

Would definitely only suggest it for parts like these shields, sheet metal parts, and stuff that doesn't have critical surfaces.

Also there is a possibility that the metal can become more brittle from being in the acid so if that matters for your specific parts, then other methods like blasting might be better. Works great though!

[taddraughn]

Got back in town from visiting family back in MS yesterday and borrowed the engine hoist again.

Today I got the flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, and transmission onto the engine! Like everyone says, the spacer needs a little grinding to fit the bottom starter bolt.











So once JMURiz mails me some Magnaflow downpipes and I weld some V bands onto them, I'll be ready to get this engine/trans assembly back into the car!

[AudiAR01]

Looks beautiful man. Excellent attention to detail. I got behind on my build. My wife and I got hit with the Rona. Man that stuff is hardcore. We were both down for a week straight. I haven't missed work in almost 6 years. This stuff caused me to miss two days straight. Thank goodness I was off Friday for Vacation. Then was off sick Monday and Tuesday. Went back Wednesday. Then worked all that weekend. Then week was Turkey day on Thursday. We had dinner at our farm house for the wife's side of the family. Then Saturday we did a dinner at my mom's for my side. Plus we had cheer competition for my little girl. So I didn't get to work on it much at all. But I finally did manage to get 5 outta 6 pistons back in the block. Spec'd all my bearings. Had one bad oil ring spring in a brand new pack of rings. So I had to order a new pack. Waiting on them to finish installing the last rod and piston. Then onto oil pans, pump, ECT ECT. Great thread btw. Keep up the phenomenal work man.

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[taddraughn]

Looks beautiful man. Excellent attention to detail. I got behind on my build. My wife and I got hit with the Rona. Man that stuff is hardcore. We were both down for a week straight. I haven't missed work in almost 6 years. This stuff caused me to miss two days straight. Thank goodness I was off Friday for Vacation. Then was off sick Monday and Tuesday. Went back Wednesday. Then worked all that weekend. Then week was Turkey day on Thursday. We had dinner at our farm house for the wife's side of the family. Then Saturday we did a dinner at my mom's for my side. Plus we had cheer competition for my little girl. So I didn't get to work on it much at all. But I finally did manage to get 5 outta 6 pistons back in the block. Spec'd all my bearings. Had one bad oil ring spring in a brand new pack of rings. So I had to order a new pack. Waiting on them to finish installing the last rod and piston. Then onto oil pans, pump, ECT ECT. Great thread btw. Keep up the phenomenal work man.

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

Sorry to hear that man.. Hopefully you and your wife are on the mend without any lingering symptoms. My dad had it and still has issues with taste coming back months later. That reminds me I need to schedule my booster....

Been enjoying watching your progress. I've never done a full rebuild on an engine, but looking forward to when I finally get around to it. I have a spare Fulvia engine I disassembled that needs machine work and reassembly so that'll probably be first opportunity to go through that process.

[AudiAR01]

Sorry to hear that man.. Hopefully you and your wife are on the mend without any lingering symptoms. My dad had it and still has issues with taste coming back months later. That reminds me I need to schedule my booster....

Been enjoying watching your progress. I've never done a full rebuild on an engine, but looking forward to when I finally get around to it. I have a spare Fulvia engine I disassembled that needs machine work and reassembly so that'll probably be first opportunity to go through that process.

Yeah I still have no taste and smell. But that's it for the Rona. My wife usually battles through everything bc she takes care of the kids and school n stuff. But that stuff put her down down. First time in over 11 years I've seen her be that sick. It's nasty and I wouldn't wish it on any one.

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[taddraughn]

Small but important update. Thanks to JMURiz for being so quick to ship out the downpipes. They're scheduled to arrive tomorrow it looks like. Also got everything else i need ordered like tubing, v bands, etc.

In other news just gonna take a quick moment to shit talk JHM. Had to drill out a couple holes on one of the trans brackets and one of them has a nice banana shape from the welding. Their driveshaft spacer is either really poorly designed, the machine shop screwed up, or they sent me the wrong washers because there isnt enough clearance for the washers to sit flat.

Ordered some clipped washers from mcmaster but holy shit for the prices they are charging you think this stuff would actually work?

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[2.ohhh]

Good to see progress...it's really looking great! That said, I've found that lots of custom made parts are rarely without fault. I finally gave up on getting a perfect fit on my Miltek exhaust for the RS6 and was one of the reasons that I went with a custom high-flow res setup on the back end. Also had custom made brackets for my trans from Phil at Audis4parts...one side was waaaay off...had to weld that to a custom made backing plate and make it work.

On the flip side, huge props to SteveKen for his RS6 manual conversion kit! Custom made spacer, flywheel, starter, and bolt kit...would have been impossible for a home mechanic of my skills to pull this off without it!

Really looking forward to seeing yours back on the road soon...hopefully soon enough to get you to your booster appointment! I'm due in late December and will be one of the first in line....I lost a few friends and customers to this nasty thing....

[taddraughn]

Good to see progress...it's really looking great! That said, I've found that lots of custom made parts are rarely without fault. I finally gave up on getting a perfect fit on my Miltek exhaust for the RS6 and was one of the reasons that I went with a custom high-flow res setup on the back end. Also had custom made brackets for my trans from Phil at Audis4parts...one side was waaaay off...had to weld that to a custom made backing plate and make it work.

On the flip side, huge props to SteveKen for his RS6 manual conversion kit! Custom made spacer, flywheel, starter, and bolt kit...would have been impossible for a home mechanic of my skills to pull this off without it!

Really looking forward to seeing yours back on the road soon...hopefully soon enough to get you to your booster appointment! I'm due in late December and will be one of the first in line....I lost a few friends and customers to this nasty thing....

Yeah I kinda get it with the trans brackets. Warping can be hard to avoid and sometimes the $12/hour welder the vendor that makes them hired will get it wrong, but as a product development engineer the washer thing seems inexcusable to me. I sent an email asking about it but kinda doubt ill get any help from JHM. In any case think the clipped washers I ordered should take care of the issue as I only needed a couple mm to make it work.

Booster appts here are really easy to come by. I havent even scheduled mine but theyre available several days this week still at my local Walgreens. Probably just gonna get the flu and booster at the same time and WFH the day after.

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[AudiAR01]

Small but important update. Thanks to JMURiz for being so quick to ship out the downpipes. They're scheduled to arrive tomorrow it looks like. Also got everything else i need ordered like tubing, v bands, etc.

In other news just gonna take a quick moment to shit talk JHM. Had to drill out a couple holes on one of the trans brackets and one of them has a nice banana shape from the welding. Their driveshaft spacer is either really poorly designed, the machine shop screwed up, or they sent me the wrong washers because there isnt enough clearance for the washers to sit flat.

Ordered some clipped washers from mcmaster but holy shit for the prices they are charging you think this stuff would actually work?

Sent from my SM-G973U using Audizine Forum mobile app

That's JHM for ya though. I ordered quite a few bushings when I started my build. And not one fit right. I had drill out the centers andsandthe outsides to fit in the shift linkage. His turbos are Chinese knockoffs that he marks up 400%> I look hard everywhere else before I spend a dollar with JHM. Although sometimes that's your only choice. Other than the shift trio I wouldn't buy anything else from him. Especially any tuning from him. I've heard so many horror stories about tuning from him on the newer B7s and up. And as well as in shop work. But I can say the trio for the 01E is worth every penny. But if you have the coin to spend the extra for the Coolerworxs it's worth it. For the shifter. Then use the other two out of the trio. I don't mean to bad mouth his business or to put him down. But products and work done out JHM is a NIGHTMARE....

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[taddraughn]

Good news, the clipped washers worked a treat. McMasterCarr shipping speed makes amazon prime look slow too.



Clipped side sits nice and flat next to the machined radius



Also got some new transmission to engine bolts from McMaster. 90, 100, and 120mm lengths needed. Longest ones were needed for the starter.



Also got parts to make a poor mans SST back purge set up and realized my expensive miller regulator isn't going to work with this.. so a cheap 35 dollar amazon reg is on the way that I can just pop out when I need back purging (not often at all).




No downpipes today; looks like they're still in the DC area so no clue why Fedex moved the estimated delivery up to today. who knows.. Still, should see them sometime this week.

[NWS6]

I've had the stainless Magnaflow downpipes with the high flow cats on my O1E converted S6 for a few years now.
Since being installed, they have worked well with absolutely no problems.

It may be slightly different with your transmission, but here's the changes I'd like to make over the stock Magnaflow downpipes:

Straighten the bends designed for the auto transmission
Install brackets on the downpipe to use the stock spring exhaust transmission brackets (C5S6 did a nice job on this)
Improving the oxygen sensor clearances and mounting


I'm unlikely to remove my downpipes anytime soon. If they do come off, I'd like to do these changes.

[AudiAR01]

Do you still have the links for the tranny bolts? Still by chance or the size other than length? When I pulled my motor. My tranny only had 10 of 17 I believe there is lol.

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[taddraughn]

Do you still have the links for the tranny bolts? Still by chance or the size other than length? When I pulled my motor. My tranny only had 10 of 17 I believe there is lol.

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

https://www.mcmaster.com/93474A239/
https://www.mcmaster.com/93474A240/
and the 120 was only available in black phosphate finish vs yellow zinc
https://www.mcmaster.com/98093A234/

They're M12 x 1.75, then sort by 16mm hex width and it'll show you all the flange bolts lengths available in different finishes. Flanges are a little larger that the OE Audi bolts but just barely. 17?? I think using the 01E spacer and the 0A3 trans there are only like 8 or 9 that actually line up on this engine

[AudiAR01]

I just found the whole list and sizes. Incase you need it as well. If not I can delete it. There's 15 total. Not 17 I couldn't remember off of the top of my head. But I knew it was more than. The 9-10 I took out. Lol

Screenshot_20211201-141110.jpg

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[taddraughn]

I've had the stainless Magnaflow downpipes with the high flow cats on my O1E converted S6 for a few years now.
Since being installed, they have worked well with absolutely no problems.

It may be slightly different with your transmission, but here's the changes I'd like to make over the stock Magnaflow downpipes:

Straighten the bends designed for the auto transmission
Install brackets on the downpipe to use the stock spring exhaust transmission brackets (C5S6 did a nice job on this)
Improving the oxygen sensor clearances and mounting


I'm unlikely to remove my downpipes anytime soon. If they do come off, I'd like to do these changes.

They just got delivered a couple minutes ago so I'll have a look at them this evening. I was only planning on welding on v bands and then welding on brackets for mounting once it's in the car. Are O2 sensor clearances tight?

[taddraughn]

I just found the whole list and sizes. Incase you need it as well. If not I can delete it. There's 15 total. Not 17 I couldn't remember off of the top of my head. But I knew it was more than. The 9-10 I took out. Lol

Screenshot_20211201-141110.jpg

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

Feel free to leave it up.. someone might be wondering in the future lol. Must be different from 4.2 to 2.7 as there definitely aren't than many places for bolts in the 4.2. You can see in the photo above (flywheel pic) number 8 on the diagram is not drilled and tapped on my block at all.

Edit: just realized that 15 isn't all bolts lol.. So 10 total bolts and I think my set up now I have 8.

[AudiAR01]

Feel free to leave it up.. someone might be wondering in the future lol. Must be different from 4.2 to 2.7 as there definitely aren't than many places for bolts in the 4.2. You can see in the photo above (flywheel pic) number 8 on the diagram is not drilled and tapped on my block at all.

Edit: just realized that 15 isn't all bolts lol.. So 10 total bolts and I think my set up now I have 8.

No there's a halfmoon bolt with a nut, there's I think two flat bolts with nuts. Then I think 11 actual bolts. I can't remember what exactly they are off of the top of my head. And I didn't even think about you have the 4.2 and didn't even pay attention you were using the 03A tranny. Lol so that useless to you.
2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[taddraughn]

No there's a halfmoon bolt with a nut, there's I think two flat bolts with nuts. Then I think 11 actual bolts. I can't remember what exactly they are off of the top of my head. And I didn't even think about you have the 4.2 and didn't even pay attention you were using the 03A tranny. Lol so that useless to you.
2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

Well I'm using the 01E spacer between engine and trans, but I'm using the 0A3 trans from a b7 S4. Forget the code but it has the 4:1 center diff.

What do you mean by halfmoon bolt?

[NWS6]

The O2 sensor locations will probably work fine, but the wires coming out the top of one my O2 sensors could have more clearance. Might be a good idea to do a test fit, with the O2 sensors in, prior to bolting the downpipes up.
The V-bands sound like a great idea. C5S6's exhaust pictures provide a good example of the brackets and the V-bands. He's the only one I've seen use the stock spring mounts, and it looks like a great idea.

Making the brackets, then tacking them in place, and then doing final welding on the uninstalled downpipe, is how I envision doing mine. If you're able to get it done well with downpipes installed, I'll follow your lead.

[superdlux]

Everything is coming along nicely -
Did I miss earlier in the thread somewhere where you discussed the Downpipes?
Which are they and what were they originally intended for?
TIA


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[taddraughn]

Everything is coming along nicely -
Did I miss earlier in the thread somewhere where you discussed the Downpipes?
Which are they and what were they originally intended for?
TIA


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

They're Magnaflow downpipes (#24061/24062) so intended to be a bolt on fit for the car. I just wanted to have V bands instead of the slip fit connector so I'm hacking off the necked down portion and welding on straight tube and V bands.

[superdlux]

Awesome - thanks.


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[taddraughn]

Still waiting on my cheapo regulator and 409L filler metal to show up, but since I've never welded V bands before I was doing a little reading. Seems warping them is quite common and can be hard to avoid, so I decided to make a little chill block/purge set up with some material I had laying around.



Had to file some on the top piece to get it to sit on the angled bit of the v band



Just epoxied all this together, so hopefully it will hold up to the heat. Think this stuff is only rated for like 200F but I expect the other half will get hotter than this half. And yes, that is a bearing race from an old bearing off the car lol.



Bonus shot of the downpipes mocked up on the engine

[C5S6]

Still waiting on my cheapo regulator and 409L filler metal to show up, but since I've never welded V bands before I was doing a little reading. Seems warping them is quite common and can be hard to avoid, so I decided to make a little chill block/purge set up with some material I had laying around.

Good work on that! I just tacked all four vband flanges to the respective pipes, then installed the clamp prior to fully welding to keep those sealing surfaces straight. I did alternate sides/pipes/sections to avoid flooding with heat. No leaks here!
Coming together nicely, almost makes me want to pull mine for that full-access gasket refresh...almost

[AudiAR01]

Well I'm using the 01E spacer between engine and trans, but I'm using the 0A3 trans from a b7 S4. Forget the code but it has the 4:1 center diff.

What do you mean by halfmoon bolt?

Idk if the 0A3 has a half moon bolt in the bottom of the bell housing or not. But the 01e does. The back side looks like a half moon. Then gets a nut on the other side. It goes opposite side of starter. But like I said idk if the 0A3 has one or not. I've never messed with that tranny. Only the tips and 01e

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[AudiAR01]

Good lord that tranny looks small against that big ol 4.2 v8 lol. But those DP looks really nice man. The Vband is a nice touch tho

2003 A6 2.7T 6spd Stage 1+ (motor pulled for stage 3+ upgrades)

2001 Allroad TIP Stage 1
2006 A3 2.0T 6spd Stage 1

[Quattro 4 Life]

The amount of room here + the size difference of manual vs auto is comical.

[taddraughn]

The amount of room here + the size difference of manual vs auto is comical.

Lol the Auto trans is just HUGE. Definitely not complaining about getting more room in the tunnel to work; Everything was pretty tight previously.

[2.ohhh]

I was thinking that the downpipes looked extra long up by the manifolds, but then realized that there are no turbos in between the manifolds and flex...

Seriously though, excellent progress and props to the fab skills!

[Quattro 4 Life]

Lol the Auto trans is just HUGE. Definitely not complaining about getting more room in the tunnel to work; Everything was pretty tight previously.

Yeah I just changed the auto trans range sensor and had to take off the driver side downpipe and trans mounting bracket to get it off. Classic Audi clearances.

Someday I’ll be doing something very similar to what you’re planning here!

One question I had after looking at the picture - is there a gasket that seals off the driveshaft CV to the JHM spacer? Curious about those holes in the outermost flange.

[taddraughn]

Yeah I just changed the auto trans range sensor and had to take off the driver side downpipe and trans mounting bracket to get it off. Classic Audi clearances.

Someday I’ll be doing something very similar to what you’re planning here!

One question I had after looking at the picture - is there a gasket that seals off the driveshaft CV to the JHM spacer? Curious about those holes in the outermost flange.

That is a really good question... i have a gasket for the driveshaft cv coming in today but no clue if it will seal off the holes the bolts go through.

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[Quattro 4 Life]

That is a really good question... i have a gasket for the driveshaft cv coming in today but no clue if it will seal off the holes the bolts go through.

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I’m also replacing my center diff/tailshaft seal so it was top of mind.

Maybe Jawsman or others will chime that are running this spacer.

[taddraughn]

I’m also replacing my center diff/tailshaft seal so it was top of mind.

Maybe Jawsman or others will chime that are running this spacer.

Yeah I hope so as I offered up the gasket and clearly it isn't going to seal up. Not sure how it's supposed to work

[taddraughn]

Cheap amazon regulator is lost in transit so I said f*** it and decided I could just fit the downpipes later on. Had some help from the guy that has lent me his hoist, engine stand, and trans jack. Another big shout-out to Dan as it would have taken me SO much longer without his help today.





Got a little dark but the engine is back in the car!



Feels good man!

[JMURiz]

So happy for you and the car ;)

[NWS6]

Congratulations!


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[superdlux]

You should have v-banded the flex pipes while you had them out - and made a couple of spares :)
(Although I don’t think the S6 goes through flex pipes like the allroads do.
Looking great.


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