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Project ResTToration

13K views 75 replies 20 participants last post by  Grimsvotn 
#1 ·
I acquired a lightly wrecked and heavily abused black 225 coupe in 2008 from a repossession lot along with a friend. It sat until 2013 due to finish engineering school, moving away to start my career, etc etc. In 2013, I wrecked my white 180Q coupe, and this initiated the rebuild. It's been a slow process that has seen progress start and stop several times, and a severed relationship with said friend resulted in me getting the car back this past weekend. I have a long build thread on the Vortex, but a lot of it isn't relevant. I'll be updating this thread as progress resumes now that I have the car back. Here's the car in it's current state, as I got it back this weekend.



Parts in hand/Modifications planned
2008cc shortblock, IE drilled rods, JE 83mm pistons, OEM FSI crank, King bearings
PagParts Vband turbo manifold with Tial WG and GT35R
Orange Haldex controller
H&R RSS coilovers
2 pair of CPT adjustable rear lateral links
Modified rear OEM swaybar
Clutchmasters twin disc FX725 "race" clutch setup
1200cc injectors with aftermarket rail and Aeromotive FPR
SEM large port intake manifold with 80mm throttle
VF side engine mounts

I have a CNC'ed QED large port cylinder head with Supertech valves, Cat springs and retainers, Cat adjustable cam gear, and Cat 3658 camshafts. This will get installed on the freshly built shortblock stroker that is in the car. I'll update this post this weekend with lots of pics as I start to work on the car and some pics from the transformation to it's current state. Obviously the exterior is ROUGH, but I'm more concerned with performance obviously, and may even christen it the RaTTRod and leave it patina'ed. I've also considered installing the white doors from my 180Q to go along with the white hatch, and make it a police look. :lol: Many options, but I want to get it running first then worry about looks. Stay tuned......
 
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#2 ·
Subscribed, glad you got it back!
 
#3 ·
Apparently, someone had bought this car for his misses on the side. Her idea of maintenance was putting gas in the car. When I got it, it was lightly wrecked in the front (aren't they all?). The hood was folded up, slightly bent driver's fender, bumper broken in a bunch of pieces, and the icing on the cake, which is why the repo lot finally found her/the car....the timing belt has frayed and bent all 8 exhaust valves and the middle intake valves. When I got it, the car was 7 years old, and was disgusting inside, so I started with ripping out the black interior and installing the fresh gray interior.

How the car sat for a long time.


This is what the hood looked like when I took delivery.


Condition of the interior really tells you a lot about the owner.......puke!


The water that came out of the carpet after I removed it and hosed it off looked like straight coffee. There were some fingernails, some hair extensions, some french fries, and lots of stains, all under the driver's seat.

This is what the interior looked like after the 7/8th interior swap (steering wheel, center console, carpet, both rear side panels, rear seat cushion, all the hatch trim, floor, and door sills.



Currently the car has no seats and is full of a few transmissions, wiring harnesses, and various other parts, but I have the still have the gray seats in these pictures, though they'll be replaced with aftermarket seats eventually.
 
#4 ·
After sitting for ~6 years, there was some surface rust on the hatch at the base of the glass, so the hatch came off.


And it was replaced with the mint one from the wrecked 180Q.


Here's the front subframe powdercoated, new steering rack, spindles coated, new bearings and hubs, Defcon's installed in control arms. The wheels and tires and KW coilovers in this picture have been replaced with H&R RSS coils and unsure on wheel/tire direction at this time, but they'll be at least 285's.


Front subframe bracing added before coating.


Rear subframe coated, all new bushings, new axles, trailing arms coated, two pair of adjustable lateral links, and an orange Haldex controller. The brakes in this picture will not be used, and the Neuspeed swaybar is replaced with a modified OEM bar.
 
#5 ·
Bottom end of engine during assembly, FSI crankshaft, IE rods, JE pistons, etc etc



I swapped in both engine harnesses from my AWP 180Q, so the engine will have wideband o2 sensor and the variable cam tensioner with approriate ECU.
 
#6 ·
Do the TT come standard with twin reverse lights in the USA :?:
 
#7 ·
YELLOW_TT said:
Do the TT come standard with twin reverse lights in the USA :?:
Yes, they do. Want to trade a taillight? PM me to discuss.

Correct oil pan installed with level sensor.


Crankshaft drilled and dowel'ed to pin the timing gear.


Engine will have SEM large port intake manifold and 80mm throttle and ATP fuel rail.
 
#8 ·
I installed the Mk4 power steering line as it doesn't run up and over the driveshaft/exhaust tunnel. I like to leave the power steering connected and remove the pump from the block when I take the motor out of the car. That way you don't have to deal with replacing fluid, and this line makes that easier.


I also mounted the steering reservoir the same way I had it mounted in my old GTI, using a short stand off and a nut underneath, mounted lower on the frame rail. This let's the line run under the motor mount instead of above, making the bay less cluttered when the engine is in.



During the wiring harness swap, I was left with this patch of neglect caused by battery acid spills over the years.

After a little grinding and cleanup....

And a little paint after taping up the ground (earth to you guys) locations....
 
#10 ·
3TT3 said:
Nice work!, proper resto
Even on the bits Ive done, suspension and a few other things, my best efforts have been wire brush the loose rust and slap on the hammerite/rust remedy :) .
Where I live in the southern US, we don't get bad enough winter weather to salt the roads, so rust isn't too much of an issue for me.
 
#11 ·
CollecTTor said:
After sitting for ~6 years, there was some surface rust on the hatch at the base of the glass, so the hatch came off.


And it was replaced with the mint one from the wrecked 180Q.


Here's the front subframe powdercoated, new steering rack, spindles coated, new bearings and hubs, Defcon's installed in control arms. The wheels and tires and KW coilovers in this picture have been replaced with H&R RSS coils and unsure on wheel/tire direction at this time, but they'll be at least 285's.


Front subframe bracing added before coating.


Rear subframe coated, all new bushings, new axles, trailing arms coated, two pair of adjustable lateral links, and an orange Haldex controller. The brakes in this picture will not be used, and the Neuspeed swaybar is replaced with a modified OEM bar.
I would so love to do this to my car, I'm jealous

Good work
 
#12 ·
This is what i call a proper build thread with proper power :eek:
 
#14 ·
DazWaite said:
Looking good dude....how did you do your bore squirters?

Relief on piston?
Copper washer spacer?

Daz
I somewhat "pioneered" copper washers (even though it's a crude solution) on the squirters back in 2008, so I just went with the same jets and washers from my previous motor.

Pistons are notched, but I always check clearance regardless. Here's the oil squirter on piston #4. I only use one copper washer here and milled the body of the squirter down to increase clearance on the trigger wheel/crank position wheel. The other 3 squirters have two copper washers. It's TIGHT on clearance, but I ran this setup for over 50K miles in my GTI so should be fine.

 
#15 ·
Finally a proper build thread again. Going to follow this with interest.

Keep the good work going [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
 
#18 ·
Gonzalo1495 said:
About damn time Adam!

Btw, unless you want nasty nasty GRIP, I really don't think you can beat the HTR Z II for the price here in the states. $430ish shipped from tire rack in 275. I imagine 285 would not be much higher either.
No, I prefer nasty grip. :lol: HTR ZIIs have horrible reviews and a 360 treadware rating. I'm not building a luxury cruiser here. :twisted:
 
#20 ·
A proper restoration thread, brilliant.

As the car gets older and rarer, more and more of us will be referring to this in years to come. Very, very useful and thanks for sharing.

Good luck with it! [smiley=cheers.gif]
 
#21 ·
CollecTTor said:
Gonzalo1495 said:
About damn time Adam!

Btw, unless you want nasty nasty GRIP, I really don't think you can beat the HTR Z II for the price here in the states. $430ish shipped from tire rack in 275. I imagine 285 would not be much higher either.
No, I prefer nasty grip. :lol: HTR ZIIs have horrible reviews and a 360 treadware rating. I'm not building a luxury cruiser here. :twisted:
They have mixed reviews, I've seen great reviews as well, and for the price they have exceptional performance. That 360 tread wear isn't the worst thing ever, most people squeeze 20k out of these tires according to reviews.

But you're right, they are not the 'grippiest' tire out there by far. What options where you looking at anyways?
 
#22 ·
Gonzalo1495 said:
They have mixed reviews, I've seen great reviews as well, and for the price they have exceptional performance. That 360 tread wear isn't the worst thing ever, most people squeeze 20k out of these tires according to reviews.

But you're right, they are not the 'grippiest' tire out there by far. What options where you looking at anyways?
7 out of 10 on Tirerack would buy again. I wouldn't trust 7 out of 10 strangers to tell me what's good for lunch, much less what's a good tire. It's one of those things where someone may consider themselves a spirited driver, but they're doing about 6/10th's what a true aggressive driver is doing, but rate the tires based on "giving them all the car had," which may not have been much to begin with. :lol: Expectations are different for different people. When the time comes, I'll probably lean towards something like the Dunlop Direzza ZII's, that's what I've been running on my daily the last few years.
 
#23 ·
CollecTTor said:
I'll probably lean towards something like the Dunlop Direzza ZII's
Now that's a good tire! Dunlop Dirrezza ZII, BFG g-force Rival S, Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R, Hankook Ventus RS3 (v2), and Toyo Proxes R1R are in a class of their own, everything else (street tires in the US) is basically crap compared to these for the use that you have for the car. The tire Gonzy suggested is like a donut spare tire compared to the tires listed.
 
#24 ·
Madmax199 said:
CollecTTor said:
I'll probably lean towards something like the Dunlop Direzza ZII's
Now that's a good tire! Dunlop Dirrezza ZII, BFG g-force Rival S, Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R, Hankook Ventus RS3 (v2), and Toyo Proxes R1R are in a class of their own, everything else (street tires in the US) is basically crap compared to these for the use that you have for the car. The tire Gonzy suggested is like a donut spare tire compared to the tires listed.
It's also a spare tire price compared to some of those! Almost 40% less money compared to the RS3's (which I wish I could afford to put on my car given how expensive my repairs are gonna be).

I really don't think you can beat the HTR Z II for the price here in the states.

Would I love to run the RS3s, R1R/R888, G-Force Rivals etc? Ofc. But my comment was strictly based on a tire with optimal performance (8.5 traction /10 and low 8's on steering response and cornering) matching a cost of average street tires.
 
#25 ·
Madmax199 said:
CollecTTor said:
I'll probably lean towards something like the Dunlop Direzza ZII's
Now that's a good tire! Dunlop Dirrezza ZII, BFG g-force Rival S, Bridgestone Potenza RE-71R, Hankook Ventus RS3 (v2), and Toyo Proxes R1R are in a class of their own, everything else (street tires in the US) is basically crap compared to these for the use that you have for the car. The tire Gonzy suggested is like a donut spare tire compared to the tires listed.
:lol: @ donut spare. R1R's don't come in anything bigger than 255's. :( Forgot about the RS3 v2's, I've had a set of those before as well, but I've loved the Direzzas the last two sets.
 
#26 ·
Gonzalo1495 said:
It's also a spare tire price compared to some of those! Almost 40% less money compared to the RS3's (which I wish I could afford to put on my car given how expensive my repairs are gonna be).

I really don't think you can beat the HTR Z II for the price here in the states.

Would I love to run the RS3s, R1R/R888, G-Force Rivals etc? Ofc. But my comment was strictly based on a tire with optimal performance (8.5 traction /10 and low 8's on steering response and cornering) matching a cost of average street tires.
Performance costs money. Cornering ability is important to some of us. Tires are the biggest factor there. An 8.5 out of 10 rating for traction from a random group of people with different cars, different experience levels, and different uses for the tire in question will all have different judgement on "traction." Take those Tirerack reviews with a grain of salt and remember that they come from all corners and all walks of life. Bargain basement tires are just that, bargain, aka economy. The RS3v2 are $232 for a 275/35/18. If you can only afford HALF that per tire, you're in the wrong hobby.
 
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