Basil's mild improvements thread

Look what's just been dropped off by sh***y link !
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vcds a gogo
:)
baz
 
Slowly sadly fella :(
had a few things to deal with and been on the bank fishing at last !
got a solid flywheel and VR6 clutch in the boot waiting to be fitted , also about to buy some 20mm rear spacers then its coilovers but won't be for another month or so !
How about you ?
 
Slowly sadly fella :(
had a few things to deal with and been on the bank fishing at last !
got a solid flywheel and VR6 clutch in the boot waiting to be fitted , also about to buy some 20mm rear spacers then its coilovers but won't be for another month or so !
How about you ?

Ah ha! Vr6 clutch ay! Sounds good. Yes, definitely need some spacers on the back, especially with ET42 and going low. Mines going well, managed to fit a new front wing, get some new front seats, got it lowered on shocks/springs, some RS6 wheels and little bits here and there to tidy her up! Not sitting low enough for my liking so going down the coilover route aswel! Are you fitting yours yourself? I can lend a hand if you want to lend me a hand with mine at the same time!?
 
At last an update !
after months if being stupid busy at work I've finally managed to get down to the two poster and SMF my transmition :)
out with the old ruined dual mass set up
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And in with a mk3 golf gti 16v flywheel :)

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forgot to take a picture of the Sachs friction and cover plate but you get the idea :)
the difference is staggering :0 no more banging and clattering or squealing release bearing BUT the BIGGEST difference is how the car now revs due to a flywheel half as light as the old one OMG it pulls so much quicker through the rev range :)
best £170 I've ever spent :D
 
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Nice one Basil. I know you had a ramp, but how long did it take you? This is on my (ever-growing) list of things to do.
 
From driving in to driving out 2 3/4 hours BUT I spent ages getting the old dual mass off as the inner had spun slightly meaning the access holes didn't line up with the flywheel bolts ! I actually ended up smashing the inner part of the dual mass off to gain access to the bolts :0
its actually quite an easy job , take your time , be methodical and the rewards are unbelievable :)
 
Thanks mate, that'll be an all-dayer for me then upside down in the cold :)

Glad I'm not the only one that goes "to hell with it" and breaks whatever is getting in the way. There's nothing an angle grinder, a hammer and some aggression can't fix.
 
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Well after a big absence I'm back :)
December last year saw me purchase myself a nice new discovery so I mistakenly let Basil's MOT,tax and insurance lapse !
A couple if weeks ago I even took pictures if him ready for him to be put on the bay ! However to sell him he really needs an MOT otherwise I'd be lucky to see more than a couple of hundred quid ! For an MOT he needs a few bits and I thought WTF why should someone get the benefit of all my hard work and money !
SO I've decided to become a 2 car man :) .
Firstly I've been to ECP today and treated basil to this

And from here he's going to be back on the road as my toy not my daily so it's time to step this up a couple if gears and not just mildly modify but make him into a snorting beast !
Few issues to address first , rear beam bushes first then I really do fancy some brembos , coilovers , spacers and then we're moving onto fmic , wmi and BT finally ending up at badger 5 :) .
Keep em peeled , were back :D
 
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De wipered :)










Couldn't get the last picture to do it justice due to the sun but it's looks just like the glass but is infact a PVC domed sticker which looks great and only a few quid from the bay :)



Baz
 
Seen a few in Braintree offering the same service, should really get mine serviced :p
 
Found this box in the shed , must of had it a year !!!!


And inside :)


Also pat turned up with these today :)


Just waiting on my new subframe, ARB bushes and replacement steering rack to turn up and that's this weeks project sorted :)

But for now
Before :(


After :)


Neaten end up no end

Baz
 
Update :)
Tuffty style , I've painted something :)

New subframe along with replacement rack , drop links and ARB bushes , should be going on Thursday night :)

FINALLY managed to track down a facelift lower valance :D for next to no money :D dropping it off at the body shop this week to have the actual valance colour coded while leaving the grill inserts black slightly S3 style :)


Yesterday went to see a mate and we ended up doing my rear beam bushes :D

The new ones is bought a year ago !!!!


It's safe to say we know why there was so much banging coming from the back now :eek:



Going going back together and the drive now is silent and very compliant which is lovely :)
 
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Update :D
The valance is back from the painters :D
Mega pleased with it , the old pre facelift oem was letting the look down , took me ages to find a facelift one with the 2 outer grills but I managed it :)
Asked a body shop mate to paint it the correct silver after high build primer to remove the grained plastic effect , got to say he's done a great job :)
How I got it back


Before , front end seemed very high as the black valance blended in with under the car being dark :(


During



After :) love it , slightly S3 without it being an S3 one :)






If this post is all out of sync it's because of the new layout which IMHO is **it :( can't use photobucket on my iphone with it and re arranges my new pictures how it sees fit :( oh and has made my phone laggy as hell :(

:edit: ive had to turn my laptop on to delete multiple duplicates which were all turned on their side , WTF ?
guess i wont be posting with my phone anymore :( !
 

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Lovely! How much did that cost? I think it's a real shame that they haven't done that on A3s, though I suppose you have to differentiate somehow. But I see S3s around and I think, that looks a hell of a lot cooler than mine...it's the valance I swear!
 
it is the valance < the difference it's made to mine is awesome :)
the valance was £20 on the bay and painting cost me a box of jaffa cakes :) pmsl but expext it to be around £80 .
money well spent , i've decided to do the sills next but leave to door blades black then it's just decide what to do with the rear bumper ?
ive seen them colour coded bot feel it too big an expanse of silver with nothing to break it up !
so i'm either going to leave it how it is or S3 rear bumper (however i dont want an S3 replica) OR get my clever mate to graft in a audi A1 lower valance complete with exhaust cutout and hex mesh into my lower rear vanance :) which sounds like the winner ?
 
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Nice one bud.. Making some great progress :) where did you get those wheel bolt covers if you don't mind me asking? And when do you want to do this air box deal lol!
 
Bolt covers were eBay and from china , roughly £7 delivered :)
Air box deal can go ahead whenever really , you still on nights at boreham ? If so I'll pop up one evening next week :)
 
Bolt covers were eBay and from china , roughly £7 delivered :)
Air box deal can go ahead whenever really , you still on nights at boreham ? If so I'll pop up one evening next week :)
Ah the good old Chinese on eBay! I don't work there anymore buddy I work in Braintree now. What deal did you want to do? 2 x airbox + used filters for silicone hose set LOL. I can travel to you if need be to make the deal slightly more tempting for you
 
I can meet you half way , which is roughly boreham as I'm from near rayleigh :eek: , just one air box will do and I don't need filters as I have a pipercross panel :) straight swap silicone pipes for 1 air box , ok ?
Basically I've opened up my air box with a hole saw and can't bare the noise ! The induction roar is just too max power for me :)
 
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I can meet you half way , which is roughly boreham as I'm from near rayleigh :eek: , just one air box will do and I don't need filters as I have a pipercross panel :) straight swap silicone pipes for 1 air box , ok ?
Sounds good to me sir! Next week sometime? How desperado are you for the air box?
 
The noise at the moment is doing my head in :(
However I'm off to turkey on Tuesday morning so will on you once I'm back if that's ok ?
Yes no worries at all matey Going away on my birthday how dare you. Hope you have a good holiday bud!
 
Result of the week !
I've won a black S3 headlining on eBay for the grand sum of 99p !!!!
Almost felt guilty taking it off the bloke :)
So this week I'm changing that along with the A pillar trims and fitting a front end rebuild ( subframe with bushes , lower arms , drop links , ARB bushes , new bolts for EVERTHING (££££) and best of all a LCR rack :) )
Progress pics to follow
Oh and from my purchase list you'll also see I've treated basil to a new badge being as I removed ALL of his original ones ;)
 
Result of the week !
I've won a black S3 headlining on eBay for the grand sum of 99p !!!!
Almost felt guilty taking it off the bloke :)
So this week I'm changing that along with the A pillar trims and fitting a front end rebuild ( subframe with bushes , lower arms , drop links , ARB bushes , new bolts for EVERTHING (££££) and best of all a LCR rack :) )
Progress pics to follow
Hahaha nicely done sir! I'd feel guilty too... I'm sure it'll wear off though .

Sounds like you've got a nice project on your hands, going to be like new... Only better. You about tonight or tomorrow?
 
:O neither sadly !
Mrs brush made a to do list as long as your arm while on holiday ! I'm upto my ears in at the mo ! I'm on nights next week so could meet you during the day if that suits you ?

And yeah I'm really aiming for a OEM+ look and at the same time über clean :)
 
:O neither sadly !
Mrs brush made a to do list as long as your arm while on holiday ! I'm upto my ears in at the mo ! I'm on nights next week so could meet you during the day if that suits you ?
Oh dear, fun times :/ Yeah whenever buddy there's no rush this end
 
Another week , another S3 based result :D
Piano black centre facia for only £10 and it includes AC controls so I now have spares :)
All I need now is the ashtray ! Anyone got one ( pre facelift , piano black ) ?
 
Afternoon :D
Late last year (sept / oct time ) basil had a very good go at killing me late one night !!
I'd finished a night shift and was driving home around 3:00am and taking FULL advantage of no traffic and approaching the last roundabout of my journey wondered HOW late I could leave my braking !!!
Wait , wait , wait !!!!!!!!! Wait wait NOW , foot went to the floor !!! Basil had burst the brake pipe that disappears over the fuel tank , thankfully there wasn't anything coming and I JUST managed to go 2nd exit instead of the 3rd one I wanted !!!!
After 20 minutes or so sorting my pants out I drive the remaining 3-400yds home on the handbrake and left him there to think about what he just tried to do to me :)
Fast forward to last week and the thoughts of summer turned me from my disco back to baz , I grabbed the key and gingerly walked up to him and nothing ! Unlocked him manually and popped the bonnet , battery out and on charge over night , re fitted and still nothing !! Drop tested the "new" battery ( well was just before basil tried to finish me off) and it's dead !
Quick call to ECP where I got it , "pop it in bud " was the chaps reply , so I did , he changed it for a new one no questions asked ! ( praise to ECP where it's due ) .
Fit battery , turn key , basil starts like he was switched off 30 seconds ago :D
Our fitter at work is going to collect basil on Sunday night and replace the offending brake pipe Monday :) .
So long story short , Basil's back and to apologise for leaving him all on his own over winter I've bought him some 20mm spacers for the rear :)

To be continued ...........
 
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Working tonight so had the day to my self , well some of it SWMBO left me a to do list !
Any way after a long discussion / arguement with the parts Waller at the local stealers ( he was Adament that these boxes don't need servicing and I was wasting my money !! I'll be the judge of that !! ) I bought 2ltrs of transmission fluid and set about changing it :)
Below is a small how too for anyone that would like to do it but feels it's beyond them , trust me it's a doddle :)
So what you need ,


Now I just drive the front wheels onto a pair of engineering bricks but get the car up in the air however you choose ( PLEASE not just a jack )


Next you need to identify the fill and drain plugs , the fill is on the front of the box by the end of the starter motor pictured here ,


The drain is on the bottom of the box just next to the small end of the dog bone ,

You will note it is a 17mm Allen key required to undo both , while on the subject of undoing , make sure you can undo the fill plug first DO NOT just drain the oil out then try to remove the fill plug or you may find you have a gearbox devoid of any oil and no means of filling it back up again !!!!!!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!
Right this stinky brown mess came out !!!!

Not nice and definatly wasn't 2 Ltrs of it as there should be , still at this sort of mileage it's probably leaked a bit and could explain why it was so brown and smelly :eek:

I was lucky with my bungs as they came out a doddle and even cleaned up well :)

Refitted the drain plug , filled with the oil using the pictured syringe until it just started to dribble out of the fill hole , plugged it up and went for a road test :)
No leaks and the gear change does seem smoother but could be psychological ?
Either way it certainly can't do any harm and is cheap to , even from the dealer :)
 
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