Audi B6 420-TS - The Build.

[Nollywood]

Hey guys!

First, let me apologise in advance for the skewed chronology. Most of what I'm posting here has been done, so the dates may be messed up, as I'm copying and pasting from other fora.

I've just fallen back into B6 ownership, and this will be my third B6.

I'm a fan of the B5, though I have a soft spot for the B6, especially in Avant guise. I previously owned a 3.0 Avant Quattro Tip SE, and made it mine, with a colour change from dark blue metallic, to Ibis White, with a genuine Vortex kit, I prefer it to the more common Ultra Sport. The kit is no longer available, I purchased the last kit from Germany, via my UK dealership. []

I also fitted a set of genuine Audi A8 D8 8.5"x18" Fat Fives.

This was followed by a 1.8T (163) Avant Quattro 5-MT SE, in Ice Blue Metallic. Kept totally stock, as I never really "bonded" with this car.

My just sold B5 was a 4.2 V8 40V swap, using the 340hp motor from my old 2005 D3 4.2 Quattro Sport, a first as far as I'm aware, using a D3 motor. That was my 5th V8 swap, my first was done back in 2009, which spawned a craze for B5's, with a V8 rumble.

My newly-purchased B6 has engine issues, which the seller is not sure of. Not a big deal. I will be doing a 6MT 01E swap, using the 01E from a 2000 B6 A4 2.5 TDI Quattro. It's being delivered on Thursday, then I'll assess the non-start issues. If the motor's dead, for convenience, I'll throw in another 3.0 V6, though my plan is to toss a 4.2 V8 40V, from a D3 A8 into the engine bay.

Why not buy a B6 S4? My answer is simple. Reliability. The chain-driven 079-series V8 motors, is one of Audi's modern day disasters. Toss scored cylinder bores into the mix, and you have a ticking time bomb. Oh yes, I've owned a 2005 B6 S4 Cabriolet, and I know what that was like. Ugh.

I will be updating things as I go along, the car has the original 7"x16" alloy wheels, which look pretty tiny, with the Votex kit. I will also be adding some genuine B6 S4 door blades.

My Dark Blue B6 3.0 Avant Quattro SE Tip, pre-Votex, Fat Fives and colour change:









My Ibis White B6 3.0 Avant Quattro SE Tip:









My Ice Blue Metallic B6 1.8T Avant Quattro SE 5MT:









My current Denim Blue Metallic B6 3.0 Avant Quattro Sport Tip:

 

[Nollywood]

The car was delivered this morning, just before 08:00 hrs. I was just about to leave for work.

Pretty clean, a depression in the rear bumper, left-hand side, about the size of a dime. I'll get that fixed. It's also missing a jacking point cover on the Votex skirt, left rear. Surprisingly, it's still available from Audi, I expected it to be NLA.

I purchased a brand new battery from Audi too, tried starting it tonight. Just "click". The starter motor is certainly drawing current, which suggests the motor is locked. Sounds like the timing belt's bust. I can either pull the heads, and replace bent valves, or just get another 3.0 ASN / AVK and throw it in for now. My V8 swap won't be happening until summer. Too cold to start it now, and building a V8 from the ground up, takes time...

 

[Nollywood]

With a snapped timing belt, I couldn't really be bothered to pull the heads. My time is valuable, and if the carnage is worse than I thought, and any of the valves have snapped, the pistons would be a mess.

Since I want to swap in a built 077-series 4.2 V8 40V, to run boost, I'll also be swapping the stock Tiptronic for an 01E 6-speed. I don't want to fit the V8 just yet, as the weather's changing, and building any naturally-aspirated motor to run boost will take time, and carefully selected parts, if done properly. I don't want to stack gaskets.

I'm most likely going to purchase a complete B6 3.0 Quattro 6-speed manual, and simply yank out the motor and 01E, and shove it into B6 420-TS. At least, I can run the car as it is then, until summer.

I have measured the B6's engine bay for length. It's longer than that of the B5, that's for sure, and I've managed to stuff V8 32/40V motors into those.

 

[Nollywood]

I washed the car today, so I could assess the paintwork. It was really filthy, and I wasn't sure what I was going to find under all that grime. It's actually pretty good. I might get a lower half paint, though, from the door mouldings down to the skirts.

The factory Votex kit is pretty good, I prefer it to the more common Ultrasport. The left-hand skirt was missing a jacking point cover at the rear, and it bugged me each time I looked at it. I called up Audi, to enquire about a replacement. Surprisingly, it was available as a separate part. The actual Votex kit is NLA, I purchased the last kit from Germany back in 2011, when I built my Ibis White car.

It's supplied in grey primer, ready for paint. I also purchased a paint kit from Audi too, which is essentially a twin-pack. Base and clear coat, and after painting the cover, and letting it dry, I fitted it, so all good.

If this car was just a stock SE or Sport, without the Votex kit, I would have gone the B7 RS4 route. The panels, bumpers, skirts, grille and all that's required are cheap enough, certainly cheaper than the same for the B5, by at least £3,244. But, I actually prefer the exclusivity of the original Votex cars, which are becoming increasingly rare. The Votex kit precedes the Ultrasport by at least 2 years, being mostly fitted to early B6 3.0 and a handful of 2.5 TDI V6 models.

 

[Nollywood]

Some pictures, after a darn good shampoo, dry and wax:

 

[Nollywood]

Short-term plans, are...

Exterior:

OEM B6 S4 grille.
OEM B6 S4 door blades.
OEM Seat Leon Cupra R front lip - matches the profile of the B6's Votex front lower bumper perfectly.
OEM Audi 8.5"x18" wheels, similar design to what's currently on the car, but powder coated Pearl White.
OEM B6 Xenon headlamps.

Interior:

OEM B8 S-Line leather interior, or from the current A3 Sport.
OEM B6 A4 instrument cluster, with colour DIS.
RNS-E / Audi Navigation Plus.
Carbon fibre belt line trim.
OEM B6/7 electric rear blind, or retrofit one from a B6 Volkswagen Passat Variant.
B7 ESP, FUNK and rear blind switches, and matching blanks, to lose the cup holder.

 

[Nollywood]

I've just pulled the trigger on another Audi.


2003 B6 Quattro Sport 3.0 Manual. Picking it up tonight, and I'll be yanking out the engine and 6-speed manual, and fitting it to my Avant auto.

 

[Nollywood]

So, I picked up my donor B6 3.0 Quattro 6-speed manual, and drove her 205 miles home.

I haven't really driven a manual B6 3.0 any great distance, so I was pleasantly impressed. It pulled strongly through all the gears, and all the electrics work, bar the driver's window regulator. Motor is working, but nothing happens. Broken cable. Still, it's a moot point, as I bought the car for the motor, and the manual gearbox components.

I'll begin the teardown over the weekend.

 

[Nollywood]

I drove the B6 3.0 Quattro Sport, 6-speed manual to work today, which is pretty much the first time I've seen it in daylight. Come to think of if, it's the first time I've seen under the hood.

After letting the wash shop at work loose on it, it kind of seems a shame to tear into it, taking the motor, transmission and all the manual conversion parts off, then flipping the rest to get some money back. It's that clean. But, needs must. Currently, it owes me £525 / $680, which is what I paid. I'll make a profit on what's left, including the tip transmission in B6 420-TS. I went through the service paperwork, and discovered that Audi supplied and fitted a brand new replacement transmission in April 2014.

Some pictures of both cars:

 

[Nollywood]

Tomorrow, Saturday, will be the last time the silver sedan will be driven. Sunday is strip down day.

I'm just going to drop the motor, 01E 6-speed and front subframe as a single assembly, with the front axles and driveshaft attached. The clutch throw-out bearing is noisy, so I might as well throw a new clutch in there, while it's all out of the car. It'll also be an idea to do a gearbox oil refresh too. Depending on what the gearbox output shaft seals look like when it's all out, I might replace them, too.

I'll keep this thread updated, with pictures.

 

[Nollywood]

Ordered a genuine Audi clutch.

I did a bit of mixing and matching. The throw-out bearing is pretty generic across different platforms, and transmissions, the pressure plate however are flywheel type specific. So with this, I ordered:

B5 RS4 throw-out bearing.
B6 S4 clutch friction disk.
B6 A4 3.0 clutch pressure plate (flywheel specific).

My reason for mixing, are come next summer, I will be going back to my favourite motor - the belt-driven 077-series 4.2 V8 40V, with some major upgrades. I want a clutch that most parts could be reused. I could possibly use the 3.0 flywheel and matching clutch pressure plate on the V8, but I doubt the clamping load will hold up to 680Nm.

I will be going with my favourite flywheel - a custom TTV item, designed for the V8, with the same stack height as a 2.8 30V flywheel, yet designed to accept a B5 RS4 clutch pressure plate. I might look into a new design, working closely with TTV, using the same flywheel, but designed to accept a B7 RS4 clutch.

 

[Nollywood]

Progress today.

I pulled the motor and tip transmission from B6 420-TS, complete with subframe, lower arms, ARB, front axles and tip shifter.

I'm glad I've got a complete car as a donor, as the subframe of the blue car is quite rusty. On one side, where the rearmost lower arms attach, is pretty bad, with 2 extra holes that Audi obviously didn't intend to be there. One of the CATs is also an aftermarket item, with dog **** welding. Both flexi joints were in pretty bad shape too. The donor car has a decent subframe, and both CATs are genuine Audi items, replaced 2 years ago.

I'll pull the motor and 01E 6-speed tranny from the donor car in the week, separate them, and fit a new clutch.

Pictures of the day's work. I had to get my angle grinder on the CAT / downpipe sleeve joints, as they were so rusty, PB Blaster wouldn't work here either - the 17mm nuts had corroded to the point there was no Hex left, they literally crumbled when I attempted to bash on smaller sockets.

 

[Nollywood]

A rare opportunity to thoroughly wash and wax the engine bay, and I'm going to use it. I might as well was the donor car's subframe too, and get it painted in fresh satin black.

 

[Nollywood]

After 92,000 miles, the engine bay was looking decidedly grotty. Baked-on oil, and road grime.

With the engine bay free of the ASN motor, I attacked the dirt. First, scalding hot water, then more hot water, with regular car shampoo, using a medium-duty brush. The oil / road grime was so baked on, I ended up bringing in my favourite reinforcement.

DIESEL.

It broke the dirt down with ease, after letting it soak for a couple of minutes, it just washed off, with nothing more than a microfibre to agitate it. I followed this with more hot water and shampoo, using a toothbrush to reach into the tighter nooks and crannies.

I dried it all, then applied a liberal coat of tyre shine foam, then rinsed it off after 5 minutes. It's looking great. Tomorrow, I'll apply a coat of protective wax, to finish it all off.

Both scuttle area drain bunts were blocked solid with sediment. I pulled both off, cut off the cross-split ends, then refitted them. Nice and free, I thoroughly washed the scuttle chamber, and dried it all out.

Pictures:

 

[Nollywood]

So today, my clutch turned up, or at least, part of the kit. Friction disk, and throw-out bearing. The pressure plate was on back order, and will be with me on Friday.

And the B6 "S4" grille I purchased off eBay turned up, too. In going with my desire to keep the aesthetics OEM, I have shied away from the many black plastic diamond mesh grilles out there, as well as the OEM-look slatted ones that have been debated. I'm super ****** though, as it turns out, it's just a stock B6 A4 grille. I purchased it used, and it clearly said B6 S4. I've gone through eBay / PayPal to get my money back, due to a misrepresented item.

I've ended up ordering the correct grille from Audi. I originally purchased one for my Ibis White B6, and at the time, I was not aware there were two options - chrome, or satin black surround / trim. Oddly enough, the black grille costs $14 more, and as it has to come direct from Germany, I won't see it until next week. But, I like the look of the satin black surround, and I'm more than willing to wait. It's not like I can drive the car without an engine and transmission, anyway.

 

[Nollywood]

 

[Nollywood]

So...sometime tomorrow, the grey car is going to come to its end. Meaning, this is the last day it will be driven. It actually feels wrong, as it's a pretty clean, well cared-for example. But, needs must.

Updates to follow, as the tear-down begins.

 

[Nollywood]

One issue that arises when boosting an engine that was originally naturally aspirated - in this case a 4.2 V8 40V, is controlling it. The hardware side is easy, a tune, less so.

I have looked at different means, whilst retaining Bosch Motronic, ME 7.1.1 as I'm not really a fan of aftermarket ECM's in a street car, that are likely to leave a lot of systems - cluster, ABS, climate control etc with limited functionality, or none at all. I am also aware of the PWM-driven cooling fans, which are controlled by the engine ECU.

I could very likely modify a C5 RS6 harness to work here, but with the C5 RS6 ECU working best when it can "talk" to the ZF5 HP automatic transmission, this won't be my favourite route. It will also not control the B6's cooling fans, without an external controller, like the controller utilised in the B5 S4.

I have opted for a different approach. It will retain 100% functionality in any linked sub-systems in the B6, and plug into the stock BCM / chassis connectors in the ECU plenum.

A pair of B6 1.8T 190 (BEX) harnesses, and ECU's. I have just purchased a pair. These will run the V8 40V motor, I intend to code just one of the ECU's for the immobiliser, and have the second one defeated. The main ECU will be linked to the cluster and various sub-systems via the chassis connectors, with the second one only connected in terms of the power inputs. The firing order for both coilpacks and injectors is easy to take care of.

I will most likely run 2 separate throttle bodies, the rest of both ECU inputs - VR signal, CPS, CKP, VVT, Lambda inc. wideband etc. will be split between both ECU's, using diodes where required to prevent feedback.

I have built Bosch harnesses in the past, when I first built my 1989 VW Golf II 1.8 16V turbo, controlled by a modified Audi S2 ECU, which involved cracking open the case, and modifying the internals to control a 4 cylinder motor. This was pre-1.8T motor, and it worked well, producing 347hp / 422Nm. It sounds pretty low by today's standards, but hey, this was 1992!

The twin ECU set-up I'm going to use here will also make engine control more flexible, and allow a higher rev limit for a V8 motor that isn't an 079-series high-revving unit found in the B7 RS4.

I will likely have to purchase a cheap FWD R&D B6 A4 for test purposes, when the time comes.

 

[Nollywood]

I have spent the last night going over the control systems of the BEX motor. The only snag I can actually see right now, is the MAF. I was planning to run a single fat snail, but with 2 separate ECU's, I might well need to make the snails twins, as it may not be practical to split the MAF signals between both ECU's via the twin harnesses.

Using diodes though, could possibly eliminate feedback and false readings if I decide to stick with a single. I guess it's a case of, suck it and see.

 

[Nollywood]

Yesterday, I pulled the engine and transmission, from the Akoya Silver car.

I'll be removing the clutch and smaller brake pedal, as well as the hydraulic lines and both cylinders. It's easier to install them into the Denim Blue car, with an empty bay.

I can then turn my attention to the driveline. I'm pulling the gearbox off the motor, to fit a new clutch, then I need to get the lot pressure washed, before installation. I'm also replacing the timing belt and tensioners / idlers.

The dead donor:

 

[Nollywood]

I got a fair bit done today.

I started with removing the pedal box, clutch lines and master cylinder from the Akoya Silver car. I've done a couple of manual swaps on B6 A4's, both were LHD, one was a 1.8T, the other a 1.9TDI.

One thing worthy of note - the procedure is totally different between LHD and RHD cars. It took me about an hour, mainly due to not having the tool the disconnect the brake pedal from the brake booster's pushrod. I installed it in the Denim Blue car, using the grommets from the donor car. Having a complete car makes all the difference.

I also removed the cable from the ignition lock to the tip shifter.

While the clutch fell fine, the throw-out bearing was really noisy, so I installed a new clutch kit. The clutch pressure plate and friction disk looked fine, when I pulled the transmission from the engine. The throw-out bearing was completely shot. Noisy, and rough in operation. The plastic ring was so worn, it fell off. It was ridged, and the pressure plate had actually worn right through. All buttoned up, tomorrow I'll shove the engine and transmission into the bay.

The transmission...being an '03, means no 01E 6-speed here. It's got the later 02X 6-speed, which is nowhere as robust as the Getrag 01E. The 02X has a torque limit of 330 Nm, which a stock 4.2 V8 already exceeds. I have an 01E, from a B5 2.5 TDI, which will be bolted behind a built 4.2 V8 40V turbo, come next summer.

Pictures!





3-pedals installed:



Clutch hard line installed:



Clutch master cylinder feed line:

 

[Nollywood]

I finally completed the bulk of the work on B6 420-TS. The motor and manual transmission have been installed, and she's running great.

With regards to coding for manual transmission...I didn't go that route. I simply used the manual harness on the donor engine, with the matching ECU. I also used the donor car's instrument cluster, and of course, the car fired up right away.

I still have the ABS module coded for automatic transmission, and with the TCU and shifter no longer in the car, there's no way to code it for manual. I ended up removing the ABS module from the manual donor car, and tomorrow, I'll fit it, no coding will be required.

The left hand downpipe / catalyst flexi joint was so rotten, it practically fell apart, just when I was about to install the engine and gearbox. Luckily, I was able to use the downpipe from the original Tiptronic application. With the ZF5 tip transmission being so big, the downpipe has more than enough clearance from the 6-speed manual.

I have not fitted the front end, as I want to replace the timing belt tomorrow. Clutch all bled, I just need to swap the rear differential, then all the underbody stuff is done.

The previous owner had some nasty exhaust sleeves joining the downpipes to the rest of the exhaust. I mean, real nasty. A quick call to Audi, and 30 minutes later, a pair of OEM clamping sleeves were delivered.

Some pictures.

The dead left-hand downpipe, due to flexi joint failure. I'm buying a new flexi, and having it welded in:



OEM goodness:



Fitted:







How she is:

 

[Nollywood]

I still need to wire in the clutch switch, but I won't need to take the ECU connector apart, as since the harness is from a manual car, it's already got the wire in location #39.

I just need to wire up to the receiving socket in the chassis connector.

 

[Nollywood]

Timing belt replacement day!

I pulled back the covers, and the belt, whilst not having any cracks, does look quite shiny. I would be concerned driving any distance. In all my years of driving, I've never had a snapped belt, so I see no reason to chance the unpleasant experience at this point in time.

I've replaced the timing belt on the 3.0 V6 (ASN / BBJ) without using the cam lock tool, but it's best to use the tool, if you have access to one. I do, so I'm using it. Definitely use it, of you're not really experienced with replacing the belt on this motor! It's more complex than the 2.4 / 2.6 / 2.7 / 2.8 motors, and the cams seem more keen to "jump" under valve spring tension.

 

[Nollywood]

Timing belt fitted, and a quick test start confirmed all's well.

I ordered a new receiver drier, new O-rings, and torx-headed bolts. These are for the two hard lines that bolt to the condenser, as well as those that bolt to the drier. A drier that has had any pipes disconnected, and left even just 24 hours, should ideally be replaced, as it would have absorbed moisture.

I'll also swap in the ABS module from the manual car, then after the aircon stuff has been fitted, I can button up the front end.

 

[Nollywood]

I received a dose of OEM goodness this arvo.

 

[Nollywood]

I completed stage 1 of B6 420-TS's build.

I was quite surprised to find the driveshaft is the same on both the tip and manual. I didn't have to swap the rear differential either - both are the same, coded ETS.

Every tip / auto to manual swap is different. With mine, there's nothing to show it was ever a slusher. The engine harness is off the manual donor, meaning the reverse lamp issues didn't arise, and there's no redundant TCU connector in the electronic plenum. I also removed the cable that goes from the tip shifter, to the ignition lock, and got rid of the steering wheel, with the shifter buttons.

Also fitted from the manual donor, was the engine ECU, instrument cluster and the ABS module. Of course, the ABS module realised it was in a different home, and got pretty angry. I spent over 2 hours trying to code the damn thing, and it spent the same time saying no. One fault kept coming up - G85, steering angle sensor. It wouldn't go away, and of course, it's virtually impossible to code any module if there's a DTC stored.

It turned out the steering angle sensor was bad, and after swapping in the one from the manual donor, the code disappeared, and I was able to successfully code the ABS module. No more beeps!

I have an intermittent oxygen sensor - B2/S2, which I'll replace tomorrow. I'll also wrap things up with the clutch switch.

Pictures!

 

[Nollywood]

I just need to get the engine professionally cleaned, and charge the aircon with gas, then it's done.

 

[Nollywood]

I hooked up my clutch switch today, took about 30 minutes in total. Took the car for a short test drive, and tested cruise control. All working as it should. So the driver's knee bolster has been replaced, the interior looks more like a car should.

The engine was really filthy, old leaked oil from bad valve cover gaskets, that had collected grime and dust over time. I fitted new gaskets when I did the timing belt job, so that cured the leak. But the oily legacy...

I gave the engine a thorough steam clean, after dousing it liberally in TFR. I did this with the engine at operating temperature, and still running. It came up pretty good. Some pictures:

 

[Nollywood]

If there's one thing that worries me most, it's the thought of a snapped hood release cable. How many B6 users have a plan B in place, in the event of the cable breaking?

I've actually seen a B6 2.5 V6 TDI Quattro Sport, with a broken cable. It was taken to Audi, and 2 hours labour later, the hood was still firmly locked. In the end, the hood was destroyed with an angle grinder. The V6 TDI motor takes up much more space than the 3.0 V6 gasser, and getting to the latch from underneath the car proved a dead loss. Imagine the same with the B6 S4...

I have looked at the latch assembly, and observed that, like the B5, the latch is designed for both LHD and RHD cars. Meaning a cable can be fitted to the latch from either side. I am going to use a heavy duty electronic solenoid to operate the latch from the vacant LHD cable attachment point. I'm going to measure the pull force require to operate the release lever, and order an appropriate solenoid.

 

[Nollywood]

Since the manual swap, and engine replacement, I've put 3000 miles on the car, it's been faultless.

I ordered a pair of H&R hubcentric 15mm wheel spacers, with extended bolts for the rear, this will give me an ET of 30. I'm running the original 7.5"x17" wheels, with 235/45x17 rubber. I'll have a toy with the fronts, and see what I need there. I want the wheels to fill the arches, I will eventually get a set of 8.5"x18" wheels, with 255/35x18 rubber, so I'll need to keep those within the arches. I'm still on stock Sport suspension, though I'll go a bit lower.

Since 'FUNK" is pretty important to me, and I've got no use for a card / cup holder, I also picked these up from my local dealer this arvo.





They've been on back order for over a week. I've also ordered the switch holder / insert to replace the card holder. I will also be losing the cup holder on the other side of the console, and ordering a mixture of B7 blanks, passenger airbag warning, PDC and electric rear blind switch. Yes, I've picked up an OEM B6 sedan automatic rear blind, which I'll be adapting to fit the Avant.

 

[Nollywood]

I've noticed though my Avant is reasonably low for a stock car, it's got a slight reverse rake. The front sits slightly higher than the rear.

Obviously, this is due to the manual gearbox swap. The original tiptronic transmission is a lot heavier than the 6-speed manual, and of course, automatic cars have stiffer springs at the front. A quick solution would be to swap the front struts for those of the manual donor, but I don't think it's worth the effort, fitting 124,000-mile springs and dampers.

I'm not a fan of height-adjustable coilovers, so I'll be going with Bilstein Sport dampers, and Eibach lowering springs.

I've ordered H&R wheel spacers, with matching extended bolts - 12 and 15mm, that will address what my car's currently suffering from - a bad case of "Wheel Recession".

 

[Nollywood]

Aircon all gassed up, and blowing Siberian cold:

 

[Nollywood]

I like the OEM 6-spoke 7.5"x17" alloy wheels, though with an offset of 45, they sit quite inboard of the wheel wells:

 

[Nollywood]

The inboard stance was soon addressed with a set of fairly beefy wheel spacers. 12mm fronts, 15mm rears. This will give an ET value for the front and rear, of 33 and 30 respectively.

There are some cheap items out there, that are not machined dead flat, causing a nasty vibration at speed, despite being hubcentric. I opted for H&R spacers, with the appropriate extended bolts, with the same "bowl" profile as the originals, for OEM wheels:



And the resultant wheel position, in relation to the wheel wells:

 

[Nollywood]

Some random shots:

 

[Nollywood]

I think Denim Blue Pearl looks pretty good against the fall background. Blue contrasts nicely against the reds, browns, yellows, greens and russet golds:

 

[Nollywood]

I've been looking at styling options for my B6.

I love the Votex kit, and I wouldn't trade it for the more common USP kit. I was a bit hesitant and undecided about going the B7 RS4 route, as besides preferring the B6 front and rear to the B7, I want to retain the Votex kit. Oddly enough, a comment Old Guy made a while back, about losing the join between the Votex front and rear aprons and the bumpers, kind of decided things for me.

It's a big undertaking, making the front and rear bumpers one piece, a lot more complex task than doing the same on stock B6 bumpers. As the Votex kit is an underlay, meaning the lower section / valence of the original bumper will need to be cut away, to allow for a flush and seamless plastic welding, and smoothing of the Votex apron. The only concession to modifying the Votex rear apron, will be the exhaust tailpipe cutouts. They'll be reworked, to accept larger oval tails, but retaining the Votex design.

I was at my local Volkswagen / Audi Trade Outlet, and after casually enquiringly about B7 RS4 parts, I was surprised at how low the prices had dropped. I intend to go with the B7 RS4 bodywork, without losing the very essence of the B6 and Votex front and rear, albeit blended into the original bumpers, and the lowers widened to mate to the B7 RS4 arches. These are being "frenched" into the B6 rear quarter panels, below the swage line, retaining the B6 fuel filler flap. The rear doors will be reworked, to match the B7 RS4 flares. The B7 rear quarters will be fitted from the original B6 spot welds in the door shuts. The B7 RS4 front fenders will be cut up similarly, with the B6 fenders cut in the same areas, to accept the B7 RS4 bulges, starting from the trailing edge, by the front doors, again, below the B6 swage lines, to the lower leading edge, by the bumper.

I'm in the middle of a move, so it'll be after settling in my new location.

 

[Nollywood]

The donor car was picked up, and taken away by the wreckers today. And is now on its way to the Vehicle End Of Life facility. Sounds horribly final!

 

[Nollywood]

Some may recall, I have been considering having a second option to pop the hood. Cable breakages are pretty common, and the thought of a locked hood, and very slim means of getting it open, is a major worry.

I've seen this happen in a dealership, after exhausting all options, the hood was destroyed with an angle grinder. This was on a 2004 B6 2.5 V6 TDI Quattro Sport. Very limited space to work in.

I have considered using an electric solenoid, and I still will. But in the meantime, I'm going with a second cable. The hood latch is common to both LHD and RHD cars, with the release lever on both sides. I have ordered a LHD release handle, and cable. I will install this, using the stock LHD holes for mounting the handle, and feeding the cable into the engine bay, through a grommet.

All the hardware should be with me tomorrow, and I'll document the procedure, it should be the same as adding a RHD hood release to a LHD car.