The Project Pad

Hello all- I have been working on a high mileage late '83 Urq now since spring 2007. I have used the resources of the knowledgeable online to help me swap in a 3b with the 200s transmission.

I had a very early '82 Urq back in the late '80's which I had a love/hate relationship with. After having too many wiring problems I sold it at quite the loss. Like many relationships years later I had forgotten about all of the problems and only remembered the good, and I always liked the muscular look of it. So, I searched for a high mileage minimal rust car to put a 3b into, high mileage because I wouldn't have any guilt about not keeping it stock and I wanted something that would start at 11,000 ft. which the old low compression WX with CIS was always reluctant to do. I found my car quickly down in Denver so I could even look at it in person before purchasing it - not that that helps because I always have blinders on when I want a car, I always think its perfect and find the problems later which were obvious from the start if I were to have been impartial.

I have modified and rebuilt most of the car and have the interior and paint to do now, except Hank has made all of these great parts to make the mechanical even better. So I am back at the mechanical....

Plans are 01E which is ready, higher pressure steering rack so I can use the newer pump (and get rid of the horrible pump noise at idle), and an RS2-ish set up with an AAN ECU. I will move the pins and use the distributor for the cam position sensor for now. I am planning to keep the AAN ECU because of the huge changes in altitude that I see (sometimes 7,000 ft in a day) and I don't want to mess with constantly trying to tune a standalone. I also don't need huge power (yet). I have been procrastinating the work lately because the garage is a little cold still. Today it's 40* out so it is definitely getting warmer so maybe it's time to start...

When I bought it-





Recently -




Thanks to the old audi community here and elsewhere on the internet!

Welcome Rick! I am hoping to have your RS2 assembly back from balance by weeks end and get this party on the road!

I kindof liked the white borbets on tehre. Not that I don't like your current wheels.

I know pictures can be deceiving , but that looks like a great car to start with. I love white on the Urq. Welcome to the forum......just the kind of project we like to see!!

Welcome, I love white URQs as well!!

durq wrote: I am planning to keep the AAN ECU because of the huge changes in altitude that I see (sometimes 7,000 ft in a day) and I don't want to mess with constantly trying to tune a standalone.

Good standalone should be able to compensate for altitude changes, not matter how much.

Thank you Iroz's! & Ben- I think the last part of that line is more important.

I will post more photos and list the changes I've done (mostly so I can remember them) in the coming months. I would like it to be running again by summer and the loftier goal will be Battleborn. I really enjoyed the afternoon down in Colo. Spgs. during the hill climb with all of you. It's not often that I get to be a car geek.

Nice project, Rick. Looks like a nice car in solid shape. I also am a fan of white URQ's!

Looking forward to updates and what you end up doing with it.

I am internet familiar with your car- very nice! I actually prefer dark cars but white was what I found. This car is rougher than the photos show, but it's not too bad. Having 300k and original paint it is in really nice shape. I don't drive it in the winter anymore because of the mag-chloride that they use up here which is a bummer, it is so much better in the snow than my daily (a 2004 flying pig - CTT).

I would like it to be running again by summer and the loftier goal will be Battleborn.

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. A man after my own heart! We'll be expecting you.

I'm really liking the the white too. When I had one, that was the plan for the future.

Hi Rick, glad to see you here, it was cool to meet you in Pikes Peak.

Get'r done, it would be great to see some Co guys for Battle Born this year.

So rRick, when did the interior turn red? I don't remember the interior in red when I saw the car in Colorado!! I guess when one drives a red car you get used to seeing red, but please tell me it wasn't red last year. I'm not even sure I could do a red interior in most cars, but I kind of like it with the white.

I love the CE red leather! Looks really good on the cars they came in (Alpine White and Graphite Metallic). Very nice Urq.

Well John I have to break it to you- the interior was red at pikes peak. The leather is pretty stiff and faded so I am planning on having the original diagonal pattern redone in red along with the door panels, maybe with some alcantara in the doors - maybe the diagonal pattern in the seats too. I like the red and I am usually pretty conservative. I also prefer the early seats with the pattern, larger bolsters and lighter weight.

Mike you are correct it is a CE interior, it came from a junk yard in ohio. I wanted the black parts since my original brown and tan had a dash that was 1/2 '83 and 1/2 '85+ . The graphite is my favorite color on these cars and I think the red looks great on that color. Since it needs paint I am tempted to repaint with a color change to the graphite, but that is a much bigger project than repainting the white. There was a silver one in Germany with a red interior and I thought that was nice also. I knew the interior is a love/hate kind of thing but I think all of us that work on our own cars do thing that some love and others don't love so much. That's what is so great about these types of forums!

Oh no!! I guess after following Hank's red Urq 800miles all day, I had blanked out all red and was just admiring the white. I think red with white looks pretty good.....I like Dereks white 4k20vt with his red interior. Looks hot.....come to think of it, his car runs quite well also.

Awesome,

I like it!! White is really srarting to grow on me. I think my new project car will be white also.

I think the red seats really suit the car.

Looking forward to the updates.

Cheers,

Craig Cook.

Rick your car had as many people gathered around it as any other UrQ at the lodge. Nobody could believe the mileage either, its great you're moving forward with the project and keeping this one on the road. I wanna see when it hits the half-mil mark.

Ha Ha! Thanks Sean- I know that's not true. The Helios from MN and the Alpine from CA were real show stoppers and being able to drive the mafias red beasts put mine very far in the back ground. I was hoping to be able to see your car there but I guess I'll have to see it as the next Gen Urq in person later.

Craig- Thanks! - your car (and Seans and Martins for that matter) are real inspirations as to what is possible. You have taken a 30 year old car and made it everything a modern sports car should be.

Here is another photo for you all


and on a different note... my morning commute

Mt Bross on the left and Mt Lincoln on the right. My house is a little below timberline on Bross

Hello project pad. been a while since I have posted although I still lurk to learn.

I am having some small issues with the overhaul I have been working on -
1st is the AAN tach issue - I have tee'd in a 2k resistor but now tach does not work at all. It was working at idle but would stop working when revved. Any input or ideas would be great.
2nd is I can't find reverse on the 01E. Seems I don't have enough room at the shifter to move it over far enough? I have Iroz adapter parts which all seem to fit great. Any ideas here would also be great.

Thanks in advance!

So I have narrowed the shifting down to the transmission & not a linkage adjustment - the trans doesn't want to go into reverse. I got it in while it was on the floor but now that it is in the car it doesn't move (the shift rod at the trans). Could it be a bad transmission? I got it from a questionable character so I don't know its true condition. Is reverse a weakness in the 01e (6 speed btw)?

The tach issue is completely over my head - is it possible that i have a loss from the wire connections which makes it work at idle and then stop when revved?

For the tach, the urq/4k/gt instrument cluster isn't compatible with the AAN tach signals. Don't quote me as I can't remember which side is which, but one side is outputting a square wave, but the other side is expecting a sawtooth wave. It could be the opposite but that is the problem. I can't recall who, but someone makes a converter box that fixes the problem. Back in 2012 it was around $130 for the box.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing this car someday.
-
Dave
84 urq with RR 20VT
83 urq soon to have 3B 20vt
88 80 rally quattro with MC

Thanks for the reply Dave. It has been done by others teeing in a 2k resistor as a drain (I assume since this is over my head) into the tach input. It just isn't working for me. I suppose I need to check the condition of the wire from the ECU to the tach.

I hope to drive it again soon - looks like I need another trans or a rebuild.

How exactly do you have the resistor connected?

I don't know this 100% for sure but I suspect the AAN ECU tach output swings from 0V to 5V, and maybe the urquattro wants a signal that goes from 0V to 12V or thereabouts. I'm using a 0V-12V signal in my 80q and it works, but that and $1.00 will get you a cup of coffee.

Anyhow, if what I think is correct, you'd want the tach signal connected directly from the AAN ECU to the tach, and the resistor connected from that signal to +12V. Is that how you have it wired?

If the hookup is correct, you could try fooling with some different resistor values. Do NOT go too low... I'd say 1.5K minimum, or you could fry something. But having too high a resistance value won't damage anything - you could try 3.3K, 4.7K, or 10K.

Edit: I can't remember and dont' have my Bentley at hand but my recollection is the 4K/urq tach is connected to the car's engine or ignition ECU and not directly to the coil. Do you know if that's correct? If the tach was originally connected to the coil you'd want a different type of circuit. It's not a complicated circuit - an example is on this page, look for "high voltage tacho out": http://www.msextra.com/doc/ms1extra/MS_Extra_Hardware_Manual.htm#tachoout

FWIW, The 4k/urq tach is attached directly to the coil for the tach signal.

Connect the Motronic tach signal wire to the urq tach.

tee in a 2k resistor to ground on the same tach wire.

Works great.

Cheers

Hi Craig,
Your method is what I used- good news is that I chased through my wiring and the tach now works! I believe I had a bad ground.

My trans is no bueno though. Going to have to replace it with a different one.

So I figured that I need to update what I have done. The car has not been driven for almost two years. The original plan was:
01E
aluminum flywheel
Iroz billet RS2 turbo
wagner RS2 evo exhaust manifold
install RS2 intake (that I have had for a long time)
AAN ECU & use distributor for cam position
Steve Eiche/shadetree programmed AAN ECU

How it has evolved:
picked up a barely used 7A aluminum flywheel & spec clutch (ended up welding on a larger reference pin when I had a no start condition)
RS2 turbo (since billet RS2 does not exist)
Wagner Evo manifold
AAN head (for cam position sensor)
ARP head studs
RS2 rep injectors

Next is VEMS - (bought Pat's setup largely because of Marcs support)
Future is Volvo k24 7400/k26 hybrid which I just picked up
& will need better short block (ie. rods)

photos of it today, before I pull the motor again & new 9x17 wheels offset 22mm (Rays LM GT2's). I think the fronts fill the fenders nicely.