Rotrex powered R32

[Blue32]

AGK said:

Are you still running the original gear ratios?

Yep still using the standard gears/gearbox. Rev limiter has been raised to 7200 which helps.

NumberoftheBeast said:

Awesome project; some time and dedication (not to mention money) there.

Out of interest, what's that white 911 on your first video? That shifts.

Thanks, not too sure what the 911 was, couldn't catch him.

mwstewart said:

It may just be your technique, but there's a little bit of clutch slip every time you get back on the throttle after a gear change. Have you looked into that?

Beautiful car though.

Thanks, I noticed that as well in the videos. I don't think it is slipping, more likely it's my poor technique
The ECU software does have full throttle gear change(when I remember to use it), it cuts the spark when the clutch is pressed. It can be heard at 1:05 in the exhaust video

[Blue32]

Here is some of the damage caused when the undertray took off, you can see where the fixings have been torn out of the bumper.



Passenger side wheel arch liner


Passenger side engine side cover was pulled down and dragged along the track


Driver side engine cover, you can see where it has been pushed against the pulleys and belts.


The bit of aluminium at the top was fitted the day after Vmax to try and hold it together to protect the belts while I got replacement side covers.



To repair the bumper, I bought a sheet of checker plate aluminium from B&Q. I used checker plate as it was the thickest they had, strips were cut to go round the inside of the bumper on both sides.

The strips were fixed using glue and rivets.


Replacement undertray from a R32oc member.

I cleaned the old paint and rust of the metal bar, treated with rust remedy and repainted shortly afterwards it rained.


Replacement driver side engine cover.

Cut to fit around the SC and bracket, I decided to leave extra plastic to help keep it away from the belts and pulley.


When I replaced the passenger side wheel arch liner I found all this lurking behind the plastic

Didn’t get an after picture as it started raining when I cleaned it out.
The replacement passenger side engine cover was cut to fit around the oil cooler for the SC


I'm looking at getting the bottom engine cover/noise insulation from a TDI Golf to help keep the water away from the air filter and streamline the underside of the car.

There is still a little voice in the back of my head telling me to change the rods and turn the boost up

[Blue32]

mwstewart said:

This is a bit of a Golf issue. I bought my G/F a TDI and the under-tray fixings on that are also below par.

I like what you have done with the aluminium.

Yep it's all a bit flimsy, especially as I have had to cut the side covers to fit around everything. It's almost like those parts of the car were never designed to cope with 170mph. An alternative to all the plastic is one of these: http://www.dieselgeek.com/MK4_Jetta_Golf_New_Beetl...
I’m not sure if it would fit mine as the SC might be in the way of some of the fixing points.

pad58 said:

crazy about cars said:

Very nice sleeper! Extra points for keeping it looking as standard as possible without succumbing to the stance/dub look.

Thanks, I almost went with the “crowd” and considered fitting BBS CH’s, but decided I preferred the stock wheels. Cant “stance” it anyway, as it would never get on/off the drive.

[Blue32]

The R reached the 100k mark this week and running well.


Still really happy with it and cant think of anything else id rather change it for as it still brings a smile to my face when I put my foot down

Just about to embark on a new project, the aim is to fit a current VW RNS510 with voice control and bluetooth.

Leads to make it play nice with the stone age MKIV electronics.

Just waiting for the rain to stop and a couple of other bits, then the fun can begin.

[Blue32]

mwstewart said:

I shall look forward to this next instalment. I'll be interested to see what approach you take with the trim; I've seen a couple of approaches so far.

Thanks, I haven't decided about the trim yet, there are two options.
1. Use the Passat sport trim as it's the same brushed aluminium effect.
2. The black plastic trim from a Caddy van.

I made a start on the RNS510 install today, started with connecting everything up to make sure it would work.
And it did, the CAN interface worked straight away, the navigation info came up on the dash display.

The only thing which didn’t work was the radio display as it should show the station at the top of the display.

On the up side the Bluetooth and voice control worked.

I found a spot for the Bluetooth microphone, I always wondered whet the little grill in the interior light was for.


It just so happens it is the correct size for the microphone.


I spent a few hours up in the man cave (aka garden shed) working on the radio cage. Had to cut quite a bit away to make it fit, and have lost the cup holders.

Just need to get some nuts and bolts to fix the RNS to the cage, if all goes well should be fitted by tomorrow afternoon

[Blue32]

The RNS510 install is now complete, I did waste a fair bit of time trying to fix the V71 motor in the climate control at the same time while the dash was in bits. The motor controls the re-circulating flap and has been making a grinding noise for a while.
It took a couple of hours to get the motor out.


Only to find the wiper arms for the position feedback were broken


I managed to find a replacement motor on EBay, so drove around for a week with the dash in bits while I waited for the motor to arrive.

Anyway onto the RNS install, had to cut a lot of the material away from the radio cage to get the RNS to fit. Before Left, after Right



All fitted


And finally back together.

Success I now have a working fully integrated RNS with Bluetooth. It sticks out a bit more than I wanted, it won't sit back any better due to the pipes for the vents and the heater matrix.

The last bit to do was the fascia trim.

I started with a Caddy fascia, as I decided the Passat sport trim would be a pain to work on as I would have to peal the aluminium off before cutting and try and get it back without splitting it


Made a template from card


Stuck the card template to the fascia and cut the excess material away.


After a bit of sanding I got it fitted, looking much better.



In a couple of weeks time the wheels are being refurbished so I decided to replace these

With these

I think they look a bit better then the old plain bolt covers

I have also had the United Motorsports haldex flash added, I think there is only 2 cars in Europe that have it so far. The flash changes the software in the Haldex controller so it engages quicker and send more power to the rear.
I don’t drive the car particularly hard, but I can feel the difference especially in the last week when it was a bit damp, just pulling a way it feels like the rear is pushing the car more. There is a lot less torque steer under hard acceleration and when having some fun on A roads it feels like the rear is pushing the car round the corners instead of the front pulling. So all in all I'm very happy with it .

[Blue32]

missing the VR6 said:

Amazing car, something like that would be my sort of dream daily driver.

Regarding the RNS510, is it 5 or 7 digit postcode finder? You probably know but if it's 5 you should be able to put the latest 7 digit dvd in and it will update the unit to 7 digit postcode finder.

Thanks, the whole aim of the project has been to keep it as a useable daily driver.

The RNS510 is running the latest maps with 7 digit postcode.

Roverload said:

I'm in love, you took the best looking hot hatch of them all IMO and gave it the welly it needs, top man! Top car!

Thanks

[Blue32]

Update time

The car is currently residing at KDS in Gillingham. Back in March I booked it in for a full re-spray as the clear coat was starting to lift in a few places.

They started off by going round the car with a paint depth gauge to assess the current state of the paintwork, Factory paint should read around 120um.
Unfortunately they found a few issues, the worst was the boot lid




Yep that's 2mm of filler there! they were surprised it had staid in for all this time...

Drivers side



They found some original paint on the passenger side rear quarter

This all came as a bit of a shock to me as I have owned the car from 2 years old, when I bought it I was told "the car had never been near a body shop sir" or had any accident damage. So much for an approved used VW

Due to these problems a lot more work was going to be needed, as various parts of the car will need taking back to bare metal to ensure there won’t be any future problems and all the glass will have to be removed.

I was almost at the point of not bothering, however my heart overruled my head and I decided to goahead

As of today the car is in the paint booth


Based on previous examples of KDS work, when it’s done it will look better than a factory fresh car so can't wait to get it back

[Blue32]

cliffe_mafia said:

Awesome thread and car! I just love the noise in the videos. I can't wait for the next update - she'll look brand new

When I last spoke to KDS I think the plan was for the glass to go back in on Wednesday, so hopefully might get it back on Saturday. So if all goes to plan I will be able to update with a few pictures of it's new coat.

big dub said:

Just read the whole thread. A stunning, very well looked after R32.

Thanks

[Blue32]

big dub said:

Looking forward to the pics!


Taken from KDS FB page

Wow can't wait to see it tomorrow

[Blue32]

I collected the car today and all I could say was WOW, I was amazed with the quality of the finish it looks better than a new car. Kelly and his team have done an amazing job I’m really happy with the finish, they also gave me a memory stick with over 400 photos showing the process from start to finish.

During:


















After










This is probably my favourite








Just to give an idea of the transformation of the paintwork finish, before:


Paintwork after:


It looked good for all of an hour, it now has bug splatters from the journey home and it has rained. Oh well out with the quick detailer.

[Blue32]

C. Grimsley said:

trashbat said:

Nice! May I ask how much the respray was? Feel free to be vague and/or PM if you like - and I understand if you'd rather not share.

I would like to know this too, it looks amazing.

Carl

It was just under £6k

Just got back from a day at GTI International, the paintwork is now covered with more dead bugs
Did 3 runs up the 1/4 mile drag strip

Run 1 13.39
Run 2 13.44
Run 3 13.36

It was my first time running on a drag strip, so I'm happy with the results even if they are a bit slow considering the power the car's running (at least they were consistent)

[Blue32]

aka_kerrly said:

SO so so so nice. Fantastic respray, outstanding mechanical parts and great to see it used properly - it can't get much better!

I'm being ultra critical (baring in mind I'd have to sell a kidney to build a similar car!) is the lower bumper grills, if you could modify the intercooler pipe to allow a standard trim to be fitted there would be no clues about the supercharger.

Thanks

I'm looking at options for hiding the pipework, been toying with getting it powder coated black to make it less obvious. However as you say if it could be hidden it would look a lot better.

[Blue32]

Glassman said:

Top job on removing/refitting the glass, Thanks

C7 JFW said:

£6k for a respray but my word it looks it - absolutely phenomenal.

You get exactly what you pay for with paintwork. Always have, always will.

Thanks,


Latest update, firstly the car needs a wash (Detailing world members look away now)

I had to use some country lanes this week due to the M25 being broken.

The car had it’s first service last week since the C38 was fitted, the service consisted of:
Engine oil and filter,
Fuel filter,
6X NGK spark plugs,
Pollen filter
Also the latest version of the United Motorsport Haldex software was flashed into the Haldex ECU.

It’s been one of those days today…
I managed to curb the front right wheel


I wanted to change the brake fluid, as it hadn’t been changed for a couple of years. Started with 1L of VW’s finest dot 4 fluid.


In preparation for this I bought a air operated vacuum brake bleeder.


I started with the rear left as it’s the furthest away from the master cylinder, hooked up the brake bleeder and after a few seconds got some pretty grim looking fluid out.


After going through ½ the new fluid it still wasn’t any better so I had a look at the master cylinder and noticed even though I had been adding fresh fluid it was still looking grim.


The filter was covered in a film of grime


Grime from around the inside of the neck,

I ended up using the vacuum bleeder to vacuum as much of the fluid out of the reservoir as possible.

After a few more re-fills and some pumping on the brake pedal the fluid started to look cleaner.


At this point I had to stop as there wasn’t enough new brake fluid to do the remaining 3 corners.

This is what I got out of the system so far!


Just as I was about to re-fit the wheel, I noticed a bit of metal in the tread of the tyre, gave it a pull but stopped when I got it this far…


I pushed it back in and refitted the wheel and went to a place that provides the “rapid fitting” of tyres to get it repaired.
Only to be told that I had apparently damaged the tyre by driving on it, the fitter showed me a mark on the sidewalls (was showing on both sides) where it was damaged due to under inflation and explained I would need a new tyre.
The fitter asked me if I wanted the same tyre again, to which the obvious answer was yes, after a quick check they found they had the correct tyre in stock. Great I thought, after a short wait the new tyre was fitted and I was on my way.
When I got home I was about to clean the tyre soap off the sidewalls and noticed 2 problems, the first was they have damaged the alloy and second they have fitted a Goodyear efficient grip instead of a Eagle F1 asymmetric like the original. So tomorrows task is to go back and try and get a matching Eagle F1 and get the damaged alloy sorted (yes I do feel silly for not checking before I left).

[Blue32]

I'm happy again, tyre fitters excepted responsibility for damage and have told me to get the wheel refurbished and send them the bill
They are also ordering the correct tyre which will be fitted on Tuesday.

Car now washed


Also added a new smiley

[Blue32]

Test driver said:

Lovely motor. Have you upgraded the haldex yet?

Mechanically and electrically the Haldex is as it came out of the factory, the software has been changed so it engages quicker and sends more power to the rear (up to 40% I think, as it's a 60/40 split).
More info here: http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?6947845-...

stuart-b said:

Seems a great re-spray. The factory spray isn't so good - on my BMW for example, you open the bonnet and you can see where the robot misses with the top coat, so it just looks unfinished. Pretty poor on a car that cost that much ...

A proper spray booth, equipment and attention to detail can't be beaten.

Out of interest, do you know the type of paint they used? Was it a 2 pack based paint, or acrylic - and do you know how many coats they applied and what depth the lacquer is ?

Cheers!

Sorry no idea about the paint process or type of paint. I'll see if I can find out.

[Blue32]

The car is booked in with KDS to get the wheels re furbished and gtechniq c5 applied to them to keep the brake dust at bay.

I fitted a new MAF today as the car hasn’t felt like it is pulling like it should

I had to swap the sensor from the OEM housing to the 4” housing


While swapping replacing the MAF I noticed a oil leak which needs sorting.

It looks like it is leaking from the sump, the sump is glued to the block with sealant so this will need replacing.

I am also looking at adding some aluminium honeycomb mesh to the 4” MAF. The OEM MAF has a plastic mesh which helps to stabilise the airflow.


There aren’t any problems with how the car runs, but as the OEM MAF had the mesh I thought it can’t hurt to add.

[Blue32]

Not much of an update, I visited The Phirm this week to get the oil leak from the sump seen to. The sump had to be removed so that new sealant could be applied.
I didn’t get any pics of the sump, but apart from a bit of discoloration inside it was clean, no bits of metal (wasn’t expecting any) or any other contamination.
I got a few pics of the bottom end, which was in good condition, the oil pickup was clean so nothing to worry about here either.


I was concerned that the crank oil seal on the gear box end might be leaking as it looked like oil was leaking from the clutch housing, however on inspection the back of the flywheel was clean and oil free and the clutch housing was dry as well.

[Blue32]

Due to the lovely weather we are getting at the moment, I thought it was about time I finished off the air filter housing shown earlier in the thread, as I didn’t want a repeat of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgRnTJwjs9g&li...

To finish the housing off I needed to add some inlets to connect the hoses to as the hoses ran up into the engine bay, hopefully away from any water splashes.
[IMG]http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh28/kieranp_photos/DSC01477_zps2194b4a5.jpg[/IMG

The inlets are held in place with bolts and silicone sealant.

Quick test fit before adding the second inlet


The air filter was sealed to the lid using more silicone


Intake pipe location in the engine bay


Finally fitted with both intakes connected, I added some zip ties just to make sure the lid doesn’t pop off from vibration etc..



I know it looks a bit bodge tastic and the intake setup allows it to draw hot air from the engine bay, but I would rather that than a rod through the side of the block!

Once the weather settles down a bit I'll take it off.

[Blue32]

I have had to back to the drawing board with the air filter housing as it started rubbing on the Rotrex oil cooler, so had to remove it before it caused any damage.

Anyway, another little project I have been working on:

I built myself a monitor to keep an eye a few important parameters when the car is running to save having a laptop and VAGCOM in the car. Also I want to improve my software writing skills so it seamed like a good little project.
The monitor uses a Arduino MEGA 2560 microcontroller board which is connected to a 3.2” 320x240 pixel TFT display to show the readings. The Arduino communicates with the ECU via OBD-II to UART adapter.

Code


Start up screen


Communicating with ECU

Readings with engine running


The code needs a little finessing and I need to check some commands as I’m not sure if they are supported by the ECU, but not bad for a mornings work.

Future plans are to set warning values e.g. if the water temp exceeds 100c the text will change colour and sound a warning.
Also I’m looking to replace the display with one which uses a SPI interface to reduce the amount of wiring as I plan to mount the display in the sun visor. The curent display uses a 40-way ribbon cable to connect to the Arduino, which won’t look too good running up the side of the windscreen