Josh's progress thread

[afcbjoshd]

Yeah cheers Rob - cant wait to get ssome logging done! Oh and the unfortunate and very annoying thing is that a cab driver decided tto reverse into me yesterday.. :-( and then ttried to cclaim there wwas no damage! It was pitch black so u couldn't see much sand it was low speed
but run ur hand over the bumper and you can ffeel the indentation...

 

[afcbjoshd]

Right well eventually the taxt driver paid up so that's sorted. my car logged 205.87 g/s with some boost leaks so need to get those sorted!

Anyway the n249 delete is done now :

as you can see also did the fpr hose with the spare pipe.

Also did the full LED interior lights mods - thanks trups!

- front dome/maps

- rear dome

- red door lights

- door puddle lights

- number plate LEDs

- boot lights

also have done the glove box and sunvisors but forgot to get pics of those!

 

[afcbjoshd]

On Sunday I had a quick detailing session to enhance the S3. I'm by no means the greatest valeter/detailer in the world and like most of us I just like to have a clean looking car. Luckily I'm able to utilise the jet wash at work, but we don't have sno foam or anything fancy like that! Just a standard jet wash, traffic film remover, alloy wheel cleaner, washed off then left in the shade to drip dry for a second then chamoid/microfibred off. Then I mopped the bonnet using a cutting pad and then used siwrl remover on a finishing pad - there was some light scratches to get rid off. Then polished the whole car using ultra deepshine as my friend had some and recommended it on dark colours so gave it a go. Tyre glossed and went over the black/trim etc and that's as far as I got. Unfortunately due to the thought of my car being clean I forgot to take some before shots but here's the finished result. Please note it's my 2nd time of using the mop but I reckon it's come up good!

Results:

 

[vrbob]

Looking nice n shiney mate good work

gotta give mine a good wax this summer so as i have a couple of weeks off in august i will give it a go me think and get my RSTT`s finished and back on the car.

 

[afcbjoshd]

yeah i'm off august so will give u a hand! cheers nate

 

[afcbjoshd]

Right a few more bits have been done in my time off, PCV delete, did run a catch can then took it out due it slightly touching the gear linkages and causing slight issues getting it into 4th and 6th. so just running simplified pcv system at the mo until i can get a smaller catch can. also red dog bone mount, ah fabs V2 FMIC, and some porsche 996 front callipers! (running 10mm spacers on the front to be safe) got some 20mm rear hubcentrics on order..! So the pics,

dog mount -

PCV Delete/ Catch can
rehousing the wiring looms/connectors

brake servo line cut and reconnected

blue t piece into side of rocker cover

oil filter housing pipes

all connected up to the catch can, which then I removed due to it being slightly too big to be housed there as it sat just touching the gear linkages and affected 4th and 6th

so here it is just running a simplified pcv system until i get a smaller catch can

the old pcv system removed -

Ah Fabs V2 FMIC

bumper off all ready to start with SMICs already removed and crash bar off

crash bar marked ready for cutting, measure twice cut once!

where one of the original smics was removed from

one of the old smics

new pipework

bumper back on and all fitted, kept forgetting/ couldn't be bothered to do a full 'how to' as there's enough on here plus refitting the bumper was a pita and took up enough time without taking pics!

here's some of trups' led sidelight bulbs as the ones i got from ebay a while back and documented in this thread weren't bright enough for my liking. picked these up for a fiver at AITP!

flash on

flash off

 

[afcbjoshd]

And now probably my favourite mod out of all done recently, my porsche 996 callipers and custom carriers.

All done! those are custom HEL braided brake lines, I'm not running banjos as they don't pass enough fluid and Tom kindly had these made up with proper fittings from HEL. You can just ring them and they'll fabricate it for you, fittings from a 996 front calliper to S3 8L.

I must say thanks to future (Tom) for his help/advice/guidance with most of the above! And vrbob (Rob) also. Top Blokes.

Just a boost gauge, 20mm rear spacers.. maybe some 6000k headlight bulbs left to do now.. and probably a lot more. like the o/s/f indicator housing in the wing clip is broken so got one of those on order and sourcing some headlight strips! well one of them because I only have 1 and it looks stupid!

Josh

 

[superkarl]

996 fronts on 312mm discs?

 

[future]

looking very good mate even better when the spacers get here!

 

[afcbjoshd]

yeah as they were brand new discs pretty much, found a guy who does these carriers that allow to run standard 312mm discs with 996 fronts. fired off an email and and within a week (pretty much) they were in my hands. really good quality too. then when i change discs when mine wear out i'll look at upgrading the discs to grooved/drilled etc if i feel like it. they're still bedding in only put them on yesterday. but feel good

 

[future]

996 fronts on 312mm discs?

oui, and they work very nicely too! :thumbsup:

 

[superkarl]

same setup that westy uses. nice and relatively simple too.
good work. that fmic looks so nicely made, and compact too.

 

[afcbjoshd]

thanks mate, the fmic is huge took loads of bumper cutting/trimming and it still bends it slightly! plus my fog grills keep popping out occasionally . although made it to AITP tho without coming out! how did u get on with that protein bar recipe?

 

[s3gazz]

looking very good mate keep it up

 

[superkarl]

having fitted a wellycooler i know allll about wrestling with a bumper and chopping the crap out of it lol. No i've not got round to trying the recipe yet unfortunately.

 

[afcbjoshd]

looking very good mate keep it up

thanks mate, just getting into the mechanical side of things and really enjoying it!

having fitted a wellycooler i know allll about wrestling with a bumper and chopping the crap out of it lol. No i've not got round to trying the recipe yet unfortunately.

you should mate, I haven't made it for a while.. but I have more recipes... would you like to try... Protein Cheesecake??!! thought so.

 

[s3gazz]

ye i agree pal its good when u get into it.

iv also fitted the welly cooler but not yet trimed the bumper

 

[vrbob]

Looking good mate i is well jel of some of your kit so my bargain hunting cap is on lol

 

[afcbjoshd]

ye i agree pal its good when u get into it.

iv also fitted the welly cooler but not yet trimed the bumper

good luck with that, if i did it again i'd trim slightly more off one side because one side sits flush and the other side is bent outwards. we trimmed the back of the grey bits around the grill very slightly and cut loads out of the black fog grills. only have 1 set of clips left in each of them now!

Looking good mate i is well jel of some of your kit so my bargain hunting cap is on lol

thanks Rob, well when you get it we'll fit it! just look on ebay for jasmine porschalink as they're always breaking boxster s/996s etc. or if u wana be really tough like tom u could get the 6 pots!

 

[afcbjoshd]

Right well in today to change thr front wheel bearings and a rear brake pipe which went smoothly enough - vas works again. went also to tweak the stage 2 map since fitting the intercooler etc but it was on boost 9 and timing 5 and they didn't really want to put either any further up so we left it at that. goes well still. just fluctuates under load at lower revs in 4th 5th and 6th. however had a thought it's the spring in the dv - im running the mdium one - need to put the hard one in and see if that makes a dif.

 

[Sam_]

I'm not running banjos as they don't pass enough fluid

Eh? They're fine with my 6 pots...

 

[afcbjoshd]

i jus feel better running proper fittings - plus it does free up more fluid etc as they are the correct fittings allowing it to flow with less restrictions. not saying banjos aren't adequate etc

 

[afcbjoshd]

whilst in for some diagnostics and service today at midland vw the car was dynoed on a non happy dyno aka the realistic ones at 272.9hp @ 5425rpm and 293.7lbft @ 4325rpm. happy with that. got some pics of the printout. doesn't go into much detail though...
IMG_3937 by J2thed, on Flickr
IMG_3936 by J2thed, on Flickr

 

[*P3nfold*]

Very nice, Josh. Stage 1 or 2 buddy?

 

[afcbjoshd]

revo stage 2

 

[vrbob]

Now you have proof lol

Will have to log your airflow again on Saturday when we meet and see if it gives the same figure or not

 

[afcbjoshd]

I reckon it will be the same! but yeah some logging sessions are def in order. we'll do urs as well and compare.. does urs still have ur stupidly high figure?!

 

[Danny Cawsey]

You can feel free to log mine on saturday

 

[vrbob]

Logging session then lol, We can use the bit of road we did last time as its only round the corner from Beaulieu Motor Museum.

Yeah my g/s readings still say I am pushing 280-285bhp and they have been quite consistent the few times I have done it. But not gonna say anything until its been on a proper dyno at some point.

 

[future]

thats some good results there mate will have to have a meet up soon!

 

[vrbob]

thats some good results there mate will have to have a meet up soon!

Defo as you need to help me fit my poly top mounts

 

[afcbjoshd]

thats some good results there mate will have to have a meet up soon!

tom mate you have to be the worst texter ever!

 

[*P3nfold*]

Looks like healthy power. So whats next Josh???? (Relentless Manifold, hint hint)

 

[afcbjoshd]

haha probably not immediately!!

 

[future]

Defo as you need to help me fit my poly top mounts

deal i think my cooler needs to go on finally as well!! will be back for 3 weeks at easter so should be enough time

And josh i am possibly the worst texter ever! sorry mate! get you back for a weekend in easter for late night hitting of things with hammers?

 

[vrbob]

Easter it is then as I will be off for a couple of weeks too, Possibly going on hols for a few days but that's it.

About time we got that cooler fitted to your car Tom!!

You maybe the worst texter but check your email too as I sent you one this week as I wanted your opinion on something I found.

Me likey hammers and axle grinders I can cause mucho damage with both mwahahaha

 

[afcbjoshd]

easter sounds like it will be amazing then. ive got some leave booked in at easter so I will be free also!

 

[markyR]

Car is looking good man! ref the fk budget coilys have they been ok so far? Been thinking of them myself but cannot decide between them and the ap spring and shock set. Saw vr robs in a previous thread and it looked too low at the back than the front on the ap set up, is this just the photos? Cheers Mark.

 

[afcbjoshd]

cheers mark, the fks have been fine i'd recommend them for the money definitely. a few people run them on their s3s on here and say the same., there was a few sets that suffered with the rears leaking but as far as im aware they got them replaced foc and mine haven't leaked so happy days. ref the lower at the back than the front it's maybe just the pics cos having seen robs car quite a bit it does sit pretty even to me. both are god set ups, the fks can go lower than the spring set up and are adjustable but its up to what u fancy at the end of the day. I wouldn't say mine are overly hard ride but the aps are definitely softer and handle just as well. it's all an improvement over the oem perishing items anyway!

 

[vrbob]

Yeah the pics of my car are taken on my parents drive which is quite a steep slope so may exagerate the look of height at the front.

There defo is a difference though as the front of my car is a tad higher than the back on even ground but i have a set of poly top mounts to fit that should give me another 10mm drop which i think will look spot on. If you are fitting new suspension i reccomend replacing your top mounts anyway (i wish i had lol)

I really like the ride in my car as its also fully poly bused too Josh`s car has a nice ride too but as he says it is firmer.