Audi TT off-road project

[thetim]

Evening all,
My daughter and I are neck-deep in a 4x4 build. We've taken a TT Quattro, lifted the suspension, fitted Land Rover Discovery tyres, a snorkel, bobtailed it...
I'm Youtubing it, but not sure whether I'm OK to post a video link here and don't want to get myself in trouble

Rear view:


Front view:

[davemakesstuff]

Cylon2007 said:

OK I'm in but have tov ask why?

It's a fair question and a bit of a long story. My daughter wanted to learn some mechanical skills, so I bought an A3 with failed gearbox; the idea was that we broke it for parts, and once it had paid me back, the rest of the money was hers. It worked pretty well. Now she'd really like to learn to drive (she's nearly 11) so I figured that an off-roader would be the way to go. So we bought a TT with her profits from the A3 and it was game on.

Clearly a TT isn't an off-roader, but it does have 225hp and four wheel drive, so with a few modifications, it could hopefully be a car that wins the "what was your first car?" game for all time...

On top of that, I have to own up to outside motives; I wanted to launch a YouTube channel, and "here we are driving a Discovery" probably wouldn't stand out!

[davemakesstuff]

mudnomad said:

As an owner of an offroad Mr2 I wholeheartedly approve of this, but for the love of God - work a bit more on that snorkel! ??
Did you know you can get an aftermarket haldex controller so you'll have constant 50:50 front : rear torque split? It would make it much more fun to drive.

An off-road MR2 is a fantastic idea. What would you recommend on the snorkel? I'm a bit concerned about rainwater getting in, so at the moment the top's tied up in a plastic bag while it's not running. Though just now there's no engine on the other end, so it perhaps doesn't matter at the moment!

And no, I hadn't realised that I could get an aftermarket controller; that does sound very interesting. Having the rear drive cutting in and out continuously is probably neither good for the drive nor good for the Haldex.

[davemakesstuff]

thebraketester said:

That’s amazing.... can you please record the conversation with the insurance company when you try to get her cover?

Oh, I'll definitely not be insuring her; she'll be driving it off-road only. I imagine the conversation would be a) short and b) hilarious.

[davemakesstuff]

Reshaping the passenger side wheelarch. Very pleased with how it turned out.
Finishing the inner skin:

Getting the outer skin pieces in shape took quite a lot of hammer forming:

View of the whole car:

Welded:

Filler going on:

Sanded back and in primer:

[davemakesstuff]

Thankyou - sound advice. The 2.0 has a hybrid steel/alu sump which is a direct fit and tempting, but it will definitely be getting a bash plate regardless. And not least because I need somewhere to mount an anti-roll bar; the TT one doesn't fit with lifted suspension and a Golf one doesn't fit with the rear propshaft, but a Land Rover 300tdi rear ARB, mounted forward of the axle, looks ideal.

[davemakesstuff]

Well, compression testing the engine did not go well - No.3 was 40psi down on the others! This wasn't a surprise as it was putting out a lot of white smoke when purchased. The seller was sure it hadn't done that when it arrived... but I bought it anyway on the basis that it was worth triple in parts what he wanted for the whole. I was expecting a cracked head but got a cracked block and consequent worn rings instead (i.e. it had run like that for some while). So we had some fun craning engines in and out: https://youtu.be/u8AbwE27Xnw
Engine's not quite running yet but everything looks a lot happier than it did.

[davemakesstuff]

Yes, some proper mud tyres would definitely suit it. My other off-roader project is running Insa Turbo 33s. They're too big for the arches on this one (though they'd look awesome) so I'd be looking for something a bit less extreme.

[davemakesstuff]

We needed a front bumper that was more in keeping with the off-road aesthetic. I was in the metal yard looking for bumper steel and came across some tube with perfect curvature... so built a bumper. It's not quite finished - there'll be a part 2 - but it's definitely changed the look of the front end. Build video here for anyone interested: https://youtu.be/fgBrjKUdC9I

[davemakesstuff]

Yes, it will absolutely be road legal. I'm eliminating sharp edges and sticky-out bits as I go - I'm aiming for "the world has ended but we still have MOTs".

[davemakesstuff]

Quite a lot of welding and grinding later and we have a front bumper:


Build video pt2 here: https://youtu.be/kdSot8x_8e4

[davemakesstuff]

Hmm, that's a good shout. I hadn't intended to, but I am quite a fan of keeping the coolant inside the radiator.

[davemakesstuff]

Made a frame to hold the radiator and headlights in a sensible position:



Also, finally got the engine more-or-less together enough for a brief first run. It's rough but it's running. At least one of the 02 sensors is plumbed into a disconnected exhaust pipe, and all the vacuum lines are plumbed into the turbo inlet (which isn't connected to the engine) so some odd running is perhaps not terribly surprising. I will compression test it though, just to be on the safe side.

Video here: https://youtu.be/5X7sxYbRXKE

[davemakesstuff]

I figure it's worth giving her the opportunity to learn; if she wants to stick with it I'll support her; if not, that's OK. As long as she learns not to fear trying new things, it'll have been worthwhile. This car belongs to her; we broke an Audi A3 together on the understanding that once we'd sold enough parts to pay me back for buying it, the profit was hers; that profit has bought and funded this project!

I'm not sure whether it's safari or Mad Max. Probably not enough visible rust and damage for the latter, though I guess the liberal use of scrap metal and scaffolding bar fits the bill...!

[davemakesstuff]

/The front end has changed it from 959 Dakar style to Scrapheap Challenge./
Oh no! Dakar good, Mad Max good, Scrapheap Challenge... bad. What sort of design would you have wanted to see?

I'm a fan of the Mad Max style as well as safari racers like the Dakar 959, but I think having it a bit more bash-proof is probably the safer bet given that my daughter will be learning to drive this thing!

[davemakesstuff]

Now there's an idea. I have a good contact with a laser cutter who might be able to help.

[davemakesstuff]

I sold the original grille. I was wondering about something bespoke, but maybe discretion is the better part of valour and a chrome Audi badge off the Bay of E might be a better choice. It will need a plate behind it to mount to though, and that ought to follow the outline of the badge, so some lasering might be required at some point...

[davemakesstuff]

Made a bit more progress. This time, we've got an exhaust so I can run the engine without making myself really unpopular. It's modified to work with the radically chopped back end; despite the large size of the silencer, it doesn't actually worsen the off-roading performance. At least, I hope not; it's still on the drive so it's hard to tell...



Build video here: https://youtu.be/iZEoy_nbmoI

[davemakesstuff]

Pretty sure the engine would die if I submerged it for any length of time; I agree that a proper 4x4 - say a 300tdi diesel Land Rover - is much better for the whole "submerge and keep going" thing. But one place it will help is if I'm fording at a "reasonable" depth - ingesting a slug of water would hydrolock the engine and kill it dramatically, which hopefully a snorkel will prevent.

That said, I struggle to argue with a straight face that this is really about building a serious four wheel drive...

[davemakesstuff]

Spotlights, you say? Hmm... I've got some huge lights and was going to do roof spots. Quad 9" lights, formerly fitted to a HGV. Of course, they'd be less vulnerable on the roof, but maybe two on the front instead would really make it look good.