A tortured tale of quattro restoration,
Discussion
Flatinfourth said:
Nice project! Our October 1982 Quattro had Flat, not sloped single headlsmps, analogue dash and fuzzy brown and green teddy bear interior, including the headlining! That should identify an early right hand drive.Digital dash carrs from memory had leather, sloping lamps
The first digi-dash cars had flat fronts, orange tails, 8" wheels and either rather lovely leather or the (IMO) least attractive interior which was cloth with a leather strip up the middle. The rear valance was 'pushed out' on these cars with a plastic bodge, to better match the new wider wheels. Sloping fronts came in after a few months, with black tail-lights and refreshed interior.Flatinfourth said:
and restricted engines to try to cut the omissions. I remember the advice on oil consumption with a perfectly healthy engine!
Not sure about that, the WR engine wasn't modified so far as I know from 1980 - '87.
I had one in the mid 1980's, X reg, LHD and a similar interior colour scheme!
It takes a while to get used to the turbo lag - power on going into the corner, you just had to wait for the turbo to cut in and the 4 wheel drive would pull you round and out of the corner at speed!
OP - looks a lovely job you doing there, do keep us updated.
On the parts front - there are quite a few parts for the quattro that also fit the standard coupe (and possibly other models) the only two I remember are the crank sensor (the one that fits at the back of the engine and takes it's pulse from the flywheel) and the handbrake cable. Obviously they cost substantially less when not in 'quattro' packaging!
It takes a while to get used to the turbo lag - power on going into the corner, you just had to wait for the turbo to cut in and the 4 wheel drive would pull you round and out of the corner at speed!
OP - looks a lovely job you doing there, do keep us updated.
On the parts front - there are quite a few parts for the quattro that also fit the standard coupe (and possibly other models) the only two I remember are the crank sensor (the one that fits at the back of the engine and takes it's pulse from the flywheel) and the handbrake cable. Obviously they cost substantially less when not in 'quattro' packaging!
soxboy said:
That looks like it will be great when finished.
It was the horrible thought of that amount of work and that much hidden nastiness that made me sell mine. In some ways I feel I almost gave it away but then when you look at what's involved and realise that there's no such thing as a simple Quattro restoration I begin to almost feel quite relieved.
It's interesting seeing the rear end repair. Mine had had a shunt at some point - I thought little of it until somebody pointed out the crease in the boot floor and then when it was also pointed out that the rear window didn't have 'quattro' on it that I realised it could be quite serious.
Yours was too early for the 'quattro' rear glass script though.It was the horrible thought of that amount of work and that much hidden nastiness that made me sell mine. In some ways I feel I almost gave it away but then when you look at what's involved and realise that there's no such thing as a simple Quattro restoration I begin to almost feel quite relieved.
It's interesting seeing the rear end repair. Mine had had a shunt at some point - I thought little of it until somebody pointed out the crease in the boot floor and then when it was also pointed out that the rear window didn't have 'quattro' on it that I realised it could be quite serious.
Yertis said:
Flatinfourth said:
Nice project! Our October 1982 Quattro had Flat, not sloped single headlsmps, analogue dash and fuzzy brown and green teddy bear interior, including the headlining! That should identify an early right hand drive.Digital dash carrs from memory had leather, sloping lamps
The first digi-dash cars had flat fronts, orange tails, 8" wheels and either rather lovely leather or the (IMO) least attractive interior which was cloth with a leather strip up the middle. The rear valance was 'pushed out' on these cars with a plastic bodge, to better match the new wider wheels. Sloping fronts came in after a few months, with black tail-lights and refreshed interior.Flatinfourth said:
and restricted engines to try to cut the omissions. I remember the advice on oil consumption with a perfectly healthy engine!
Not sure about that, the WR engine wasn't modified so far as I know from 1980 - '87.Flatinfourth said:
Can't remember when from, but the quattros 10 valve engine lost 40bhp in the quest for emmissions until the 20 valve was released. It must be possible to build a 10 valve with 9:1 compression, decent management and a roller bearing turbo now, but then they had an Atco lawnmower's compression ratio, K injection, huge boost, oil smoke and monumental lag, fantastic!
No, sorry. I think you're confusing the UK euro-spec car's WR and MB 10-valve engines (both with 200bhp) with the US-spex WX, which was about 40 bhp down due to emissions equipment, as you rightly say. The MB series are actually slightly faster than the WR (at least in the sense that they have more torque lower down – there nothing much in it real-world speed-wise).That said, the WR is easier to tune, uprating the MB engine is (apparently) very difficult/impossible, not that I'm about to try.
Yertis said:
soxboy said:
That looks like it will be great when finished.
It was the horrible thought of that amount of work and that much hidden nastiness that made me sell mine. In some ways I feel I almost gave it away but then when you look at what's involved and realise that there's no such thing as a simple Quattro restoration I begin to almost feel quite relieved.
It's interesting seeing the rear end repair. Mine had had a shunt at some point - I thought little of it until somebody pointed out the crease in the boot floor and then when it was also pointed out that the rear window didn't have 'quattro' on it that I realised it could be quite serious.
Yours was too early for the 'quattro' rear glass script though.It was the horrible thought of that amount of work and that much hidden nastiness that made me sell mine. In some ways I feel I almost gave it away but then when you look at what's involved and realise that there's no such thing as a simple Quattro restoration I begin to almost feel quite relieved.
It's interesting seeing the rear end repair. Mine had had a shunt at some point - I thought little of it until somebody pointed out the crease in the boot floor and then when it was also pointed out that the rear window didn't have 'quattro' on it that I realised it could be quite serious.
I think OP said his rear screen came with the car but not fitted. AFAIK they only came in on the '86 model year or somewhere around then. My '84 definitely didn't have one.
BUT Audi were a bit mix and match with Quattro production. For example, plastic bootlids were apparently used / not used at random throughout the production run. My '87 and '88 both have/had plastic boot lids (and excellent all round rust protection, my 20 valve didn't have either.
BUT Audi were a bit mix and match with Quattro production. For example, plastic bootlids were apparently used / not used at random throughout the production run. My '87 and '88 both have/had plastic boot lids (and excellent all round rust protection, my 20 valve didn't have either.
DeanR32 said:
Cracking work there mate. Love threads like this!
You don't live anywhere near Romford, Essex do you??? Could do with a bloke like you close by!
ha ha! Sorry Dean, I'm miles away from you matey in the midlands.You don't live anywhere near Romford, Essex do you??? Could do with a bloke like you close by!
You know there was a time when I couldnt weld, paint, do the mechanicals or body stuff...its just a practice thing I think.
One of the best books I used to read to get familiar with bodywork was a haynes bodywork manual, lots of stuff in there to get you up to speed, if I can do it anyone can really I'd say.
Door apertures masked, degreased and ready for epoxy primer which I'll start putting on in a couple of hours, photos will follow.
Edited by 4v6 on Tuesday 28th January 11:03
Flatinfourth said:
Nice project! Our October 1982 Quattro had Flat, not sloped single headlsmps, analogue dash and fuzzy brown and green teddy bear interior, including the headlining! That should identify an early right hand drive. Digital dash carrs from memory had leather, sloping lamps and restricted engines to try to cut the omissions. I remember the advice on oil consumption with a perfectly healthy engine!
Truly awe inspiring car, did a car swop with a friend for amorning when he bought a new Impreza in the late nineties, and he was blown away by the Quattro's shear presence. Later on I drove it into a petrol station full of Japanese drift kids, and they were equally blown wawy.
Would love to rebuild one for a client
The sound and shape was what grabbed me all those years ago, it still does.Truly awe inspiring car, did a car swop with a friend for amorning when he bought a new Impreza in the late nineties, and he was blown away by the Quattro's shear presence. Later on I drove it into a petrol station full of Japanese drift kids, and they were equally blown wawy.
Would love to rebuild one for a client
It surprises me that people are still so captivated by them after so long but its a pleasant one all the same.
I absolutely love these cars. My father had an Audi 100 in the 80's and once when he and I were at the dealer (Loders Audi in Dorchester), a customer turned up in a Quattro. Pearl white, digital dash, 86 ish I would have thought. We spent ages chatting to him and the guy eventually let the salesman take my dad and me out for a spin - it was sensational. The noise, handling, the sheer acceleration. True, my 16 year old brain had little to benchmark it to but it was a memory that has stayed with me for 30 years.
If my numbers come up, I'll be buying this.
http://suchen.mobile.de/auto-inserat/audi-quattro-...
Back to your car 4v6, I thought all UK cars were either the early LHD 4 headlamp models, or twin headlamped RHD cars with RHD wipers. Your car is RHD but has LHD wipers. There's some chat here too...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I also thought that the all twin headlamped cars had the digi dash, but I'm mistaken, right?
If my numbers come up, I'll be buying this.
http://suchen.mobile.de/auto-inserat/audi-quattro-...
Back to your car 4v6, I thought all UK cars were either the early LHD 4 headlamp models, or twin headlamped RHD cars with RHD wipers. Your car is RHD but has LHD wipers. There's some chat here too...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I also thought that the all twin headlamped cars had the digi dash, but I'm mistaken, right?
Dapster said:
I also thought that the all twin headlamped cars had the digi dash, but I'm mistaken, right?
Yes, I once test-drove an A-reg car in Lancashire that had the flat headlamps but still with the analogue dash. Helios blue, as I recall it. I can't remember whether the wipers were RHD on that car or not.Well I actually managed to get somewhere today, the epoxy went on lovely.
I've still got a few niggles to sort out but relatively minor stuff.
Tomorrow may yield a repainted engine bay, which would be a mighty fine thing as I can actually start bolting things back on the bloody heap such as the steering rack, subframe/suspension,brake servo- I'm not using the old hydraulic "bomb" type, instead I'm using the ones fitted to the audi 100/80/90/coupe quattro etc so that also means I can start fabricating up brake lines and sorting the runs out.
About time as well.
Todays progress.
I've still got a few niggles to sort out but relatively minor stuff.
Tomorrow may yield a repainted engine bay, which would be a mighty fine thing as I can actually start bolting things back on the bloody heap such as the steering rack, subframe/suspension,brake servo- I'm not using the old hydraulic "bomb" type, instead I'm using the ones fitted to the audi 100/80/90/coupe quattro etc so that also means I can start fabricating up brake lines and sorting the runs out.
About time as well.
Todays progress.
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