80 Quattro Turbo Conversion
Mark's Notes
I received this information from Javad in Microsoft Word format. I've reformatted it to be web-friendly and have added inline links to images that I think are pertinent. For a full project photo album, please check out The Photo Album.
Update 09/01/2000
Javad added some big brakes to his car. Here's an email to the qlist regarding the upgrade. Save your pennies now! More pictures: Big Brake Photo Album.
Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2000 23:06:26 EDT
From: JShadzi@aol.com
To: quattro@audifans.com
Subject: Big brakes for 80qt
One thing you notice real quick when you almost double the horsepower of
your car-some system on the car were not really designed to deal with it.
For the most part, it is a wonderful cassis that could easily handle triple
the power, but the brakes are severely hard pressed to slow the car after
repeated, rapid acceleration.
I opted with a 2Bennett kit using 993 big red 4 -piston calipers and 300
x 30mm two piece vented rotors. I opted for the Hawk street/track pads which
do take a second to warm up, but when they are hot you really know it.
Stainless DOT lines are included, and I also opted for studs all around to
make wheel changing easier. The kit retails for about $1980.
I don't think I need to say too much about the performance, the car just
stops, and threashold braking ability is increased due to more accurate
modulation. I can bring the car down from 100+ mph, the wheels chirping
happily the whole way down. If you have a lot of power, and track the car
very often, good brakes like this are a must.
Another benefit, and Dave E. has noted, the unsprung weight advantages
are amazing regarding the ride and the way the front suspension attacks road
irregularities. Overall, the ride is less "crashy" and stirring, being more
smooth and nimble when the road surface is really broken up. Mark Chang
kindly posted pics, and Alex G. will be doing the same soon on his site.
Check out Mark's site here-
www.mchang.org/audi or www.audi-quattro.org
Intrestingly enough, my brakes have become the most noticed and commented
mod. yet to my car. My uncle, who knows NOTHING about cars, pulled me aside
and said..."What are those big, red things inside your tire?" =)
Enjoy!
Javad Shadzi
80 quattro turbo with some serious brakes.
Update: 05/06/2000
Javad sent me some new pictures of the "final result". See them in Photo Album #2.
Preface
I love working on cars. I love Audi cars. I like accelerating fast. These three notions as an Audi owner have always contradicted in the past. Lets face it, the majority of the cars Audi has built are painfully slow. Even the famed UrQuattro does 0-60 in over 8 seconds stock. The only really fast Audi cars on the road are the S cars and the modified turbo cars; especially the lighter quattros that had been through a turbo conversion. So, after graduating from college and thinking about what car I wanted to acquire after procuring my first high paying, entry-level job (OK, maybe an oxymoron) it was either shell out the money for an S4, or buck up and finally do a turbo conversion- something I had been dreaming of doing ever since I saw my first complete 5000 turbo at the junk yard. Porsche Boxers beware!
At the time I was considering this decision, I had a very nice1986 Coupe GT (which can be seen at: web.csuchico.edu/~javad). I originally began planning this conversion for that car, but soon realized it was not the ideal platform to invest that much energy into. First off it was front wheel drive, and was already having traction problems with the massaged 130 hp I was likely getting out of it. It was also getting kind of old and creaky, and something more quiet and refined sounded better. Plus, because of the way I was planning on going about the conversion (more on that later), the lack of a knock sensing ignition was a big strike against it. The last straw was when a friend of mine offered me $3500 for it.
Although I think that the Type 89 Coupe Quattro is one of the most beautiful cars, it was just a little out of my price range. The 80/90 Quattro was the next logical step and I had recently seen one on the web with low miles for $3900. After about a week of bargaining the car was mine for $3000. The car was in really good shape, had heated seats and many creature comforts, without the heavy interior of the 90 or Coupe Quattro.
Before I started the conversion I installed Koni adjustable struts and a 2Bennett threaded coil-over set up, which did wonders for the handling.
Basics
Right about this time I also acquired the short block out of an ’89 200 Turbo with only 75K miles for about $300. I chose this motor because of its higher compression than the earlier MC code motors. I pulled the head off a 4000 Quattro and sent it out to be rebuilt by a reputable shop that had done my Coupe head. I had them install larger 40mm NG valves, MC sodium filled exhaust valves, seats with a 5 angle grind, new guides, seals, and lifters. I chose the 4000 Quattro head because I wanted to keep the vacuum pump for my power brakes. I cleaned up the bottom end and installed all new seals, belts, pulleys, and gaskets. The original factory hone marks were still on the cylinder walls, and there was no uneven wear so I left the crank and pistons as is. I torqued the head on next with a fresh head gasket-the long block was ready to go. Because I bought it for only $15 through work, I also threw on a brand new ignition distributor. I also spent some time porting a KH intake manifold. I enlarged and smoothed the runners all the way back to where the curve up to the intake plenium.
Though many turbo conversions are carried out by swapping the entire MC fuel and electrical system, I wanted to avoid doing that. I guess I just wanted to be different-plus have you ever seen that rat nest under the dash! ;) My plan was to build a supplementary fuel system with an additional EFI injector in each runner that would pulse under boost. After consulting with many people I respect, and being told it would never work, I decided to continue with my project.
About that time I had accepted a position at Eurospec Sport to do some product development. It turned out that one of my projects would be do help design a stand alone EFI system with an engineer from a leading EFI company. Through the work I did with him, I was able to develop a fueler for my car also. It has two inputs, boost and RPM, and is programmable via a lap top. The system can be road tested and adjusted on the run, making it very user friendly and useful. Extremely small injectors (only 55 mm long) allowed placement at the top of the intake runners in a KH manifold. I fabricated injector bungs out of billet 6061 and welded them into machined holes in the tops of the intake runners. I also fabricated a fuel rail out of 6061, and the injectors press into the bottom of the fuel rail. A rising rate fuel pressure regulator maintains 40 psi through the rail. A separate dedicated fuel pump from a Coupe GT, with its own filter, supplies the rail preventing any pressure drop in the CIS system.
I basically used the whole intake system out of a KH motor due to the simplicity of plumbing for things such as the throttle body and ISV. I could have just as easily used an MC manifold too, but the KH was available to me for very cheap. Initially, to maintain simplicity, I was going to use an early oil only K26, but later decided that the water cooling was valuable. It is a stock water-cooled K26 out of a 5000 turbo. I also considered a K-24, but at the boost levels I was hoping to run (15-18 psi) the K-26 was perfect.
While I had the motor apart I decided to try to clean up parts as well as I could, and painted many parts with high-temp paint. I used some Ceramakote on the intake manifold and some other areas. I spend the better part of the fall of 1999 working on the motor and fuel rail, my goal was to start the project in the beginning of 2000.
On one eventful commute home last fall, the top inlet on my wonderful plastic radiator broke off, leaving me stranded on the side of the road. This was the perfect opportunity for me put in an all metal 4000 Quattro radiator, and ditch my auxiliary radiator in the front to make room for the intercooler. I used the bottom radiator hose from the 4kq, with its associated water temp housing. In my mood of rip it out…muha ha ha!..I also relieved my 80 Quattro of its AC system- which proved to eliminate about 72 headaches which would have been incurred during the conversion. I know that some of you out there really want to keep the AC in the conversion, so go for it. It is possible, and I can still do it if I want…ya right, bring on the boost!
OK, so its about the middle of February, and in my garage is a complete MC long block with manifolds and auxiliaries properly tourqed. Only the alternator and a few other things are still missing. Basically I am yearning for a stretch of time to work on this beast, and the thought of spreading it out over 6 months is not appealing. Every thing fell into place when I finally became fed up with the politics at my job and decided to leave. This would give me a good 2 ˝ weeks to get the car up and running.
The Execution
Getting Started
In order to actually do this type of work many tools are needed, as is a good, clean shop to work in. I bought a big, red engine hoist and floor jack. I already had a good collection of tools so I was set there. The week before I started I totally cleaned out my garage and mopped the floor. All my tools were put away and organized so I would know where to find them. A fresh jug of fast orange and a new supply of rubber gloves finished the preparations. Nurse, hand me my 13 mm open ended wrench please…
The night before I started the swap I filled the tank with fresh 92 octane, pulled the car in the garage, took off the hood, and went and got a good nights sleep.
Because I did not want to disturb any more systems in the car than I had to (such as suspension and axle components) I decided to pull the only the motor out of the top of the engine compartment. Others have decided to remove the front bumper and pull the motor out of the front, or drop the subframe and bring the motor out of the bottom, or both with the transmission still attached. Because the front of the 80 radiator support just unbolts, it is actually quite easy to pull the motor up and out of the front. In fact, I pulled and reinstalled the motor completely by myself only using the engine hoist. It is really quite easy. Mark all wires. I will not go into too much detail in removing the motor because any good manual can show you how to do that. Get the motor out and begin prepping the chassis.
Modifications
Now the motor is out and the engine bay is empty. Stand in the middle of the engine compartment, because you may never again have that perspective! Begin by cleaning out the engine compartment with Simple Green, it works really well. Plug up the two fuel lines, and put the fuel distributor in a safe place. Others have drilled out the spot welds, but I just cut out the battery tray with an abrasive disc. In its place I installed a large fuse holder with a 200 amp fuse. I ran a 4 gauge power wire to the trunk. The stock battery sits perfectly in the passenger side wheel well. I grounded the battery to the passenger side frame rail, then ran a heavy gauge ground from the frame rail in the front to the lower starter mounting bolt. There is actually a really good 8mm bolt below the air box that can be used as a ground.
For the tie rod I ordered new ones from 2Bennett, one bent and one stock for the drivers side. Easy and cheap, only $95 for the bent one. Done there.
Change the motor mounts now, it will never be easier. I fabricated a heat shield out of galvanized sheet metal for the passenger side mount. It is basically a big washer that slides down over the motor mount bolt. I also ran wires and a vacuum hose through one of the old holes for the AC system. At this time I also wired up my custom ECU, which tapped into the hall sender wires. I also replaced my 3 wire oxygen sensor with a newer 4 wire, the fourth wire is just an additional ground. I built a harness for my EFI injectors and wired that too. I also put in a new fuel filter for the CIS system.
Pull out the passenger headlight. I had to cut out about half of the vertical support on the inside of the headlight to make room for the stock turbo inlet hose. I also cut a notch out of the top of a lower support beam to allow the 5000 Turbo intercooler to sit lower in the front grill opening. Other cutting will include the hood latch support in front, and a small notch so that the intercooler will fit. With those modifications, the stock intercooler fits perfectly behind the stock grill using stock intake plumbing. The grill has some long plastic extrusions on the back of it, cut them off to fit. I also modified the front motor bump stop to make room for the intercooler inlet. Just cut off a metal lip on one side of it.
I also had to run an additional fuel line, from the second fuel pump, up to the front. I used a combination of steel and high pressure hose to run this line. I fabricated a rubber mount for the second fuel pump, and used a plastic tee to supply both fuel pumps from the gas tank.
I installed a 3 gauge cluster from a 90, and used volt, oil pressure, and air/fuel ratio gauges. I used a stock oil pressure sender that also contains the stock pressure switch in it. The A/F ratio gauge I got from Summit for $30, it works very well. I also put in a large boost gauge on the drivers A-pillar in an Autometer housing. While at it I replaced both A-pillars with new ones from the dealer, only $27 each side.
I also finished prepping the MC with the 80 Q ancillaries. I swapped the motor mountings, alternator, and other little things that are needed. The clutch was quite simple in my case. Because I was keeping the stock ignition, I could use my stock flywheel. I did, however, upgrade to the 240mm clutch and pressure plate form a Type 89 Coupe Quattro. I had the flywheel resurfaced, and a new sealed bearing installed. As of this point the clutch seems to be more than enough. I had to pay $50 for a clutch alignment tool-ouch! I put in all new CIS injectors and fuel lines that I got from work. I had to use the MC fuel lines because the 80 fuel meter does not use the banjo fittings but high pressure fitting.
It was time to drop in the MC motor now, just get it in place and wiggle it onto the input shaft. Wala. I decided to drop the MC in with turbo and manifolds all bolted up. Because the down pipe was so close to the passenger frame rail, I spaced the passenger side motor mount up about 3/8” using a few washers stacked on top of the mount center bolt. It looks really close, and I was initially very concerned, but so far it does not sound like it is really hitting at all. I used a 5000 Quattro down pipe and cut it off right where it comes down out of the subframe. Initially I mated this to the stock exhaust using flexible exhaust tubing and an adapter I made that bolted up the stock cat. I then had a muffler shop piece it together. Right now the car is quick and quiet running through the stock exhaust. I will upgrade it in the future if I feel a need to. For all you normally aspirated guys out there, it is amazing how much power the turbo can make running through the stock exhaust. Loud does not mean powerful.
Next I began hooking up the necessary vacuum lines and engine breather lines. I took out the crank breather housing from the 200 MC and installed an older style housing with a smaller opening. This replaced the ever clogging metal tube with a nice rubber hose. Begin hooking up all sensors for the harness, clicking in connectors as you go. I had to extend the length of the cold start injector and throttle switch harnesses to reach the new locations. For the throttle and cruise control linkage I made adapters out of pieces of throttle linkage I got from the junk yard. For the throttle I took a linkage with a ball on one end and a wire body, and bent it so that it would accept the stock throttle wire end, even with the clip that holds it together. For the cruise control I took a linkage with a ball on one end and a tube body and cut it to the right length, then flattened the end a bent it 90 degrees. The cruise control link just attaches through a hole drilled in the 90 degree tab on the end of the link. It may be hard to visualize, but once you are in there it is not too complicated.
I put a lot of thought into what I would do for the air-box. The Bennetts cut out the fender, and Dave close flipped his top around. I used the a modified 5000 Turbo air boot with a aluminum mandrel bend going straight down to high temperature silicone impregnated fiberglass hose that I got from Spruce Aircraft Supply. This wire reinforced hose is good to 500 degrees, and needs to be since it runs within an inch of the turbo and down pipe! I wrapped the down pipe with exhaust wrap beginning from the turbo flange back about a foot to help keep some heat out of this area. It all fits really tightly but seems to be holding up well, and it looks really stock, more so that the other solutions in my humble opinion. For the air-box bottom, I removed the hot air intake mechanism and the stock air intake pieces. I used some sheet metal and high temp silicone to seal up that opening. Then I cut about six 1.5” holes in the front right corner of the air-box right behind the headlight. A K&N airfilter now has air filtration duties.
Since my CIS ECU will not be controlling boost, it is entirely dependent on the KH wastegate I am using. I modified the wastegate top so the spring seat was attached to a threaded stud that can pre-load the spring. Right now I am running a KH spring pre-loaded to 6.5 psi. of boost. Without a pre-load it was good for about 4 psi. I also have an UrQuattro spring (good for about 9 psi.) and a Charlie spring that is supposed to be good for about 15 psi.
For the oil-cooler, I got some metric to -10 adapters form 2Bennet, and installed an aftermarket Setrab oil-cooler (long 9 row, about 5” by 12”) with Aeroquip hose and -10 fittings. It fits perfectly behind the lower grill. I had to cut out the solid areas on the lower grill to allow airflow, and fabricate a few brackets to mount the cooler. It seems that the car is running cooler with the water-cooled turbo than it was before with the NG motor! The oil-cooler must help cool the entire engine quite a bit.
Conclusion
All in all, the whole process took me about a week straight of working 12 hour days. I did have one big scare, however. I had the motor aligned to TDC using all the factory marks, but something was telling me that I may have done something wrong. The MC motor is interference, and the fear of bending valves was keeping me up at night. Before my official key turning, I decided to just rotate the motor by hand to see if anything was contacting. Lo and behold, I could feel contact inside the motor, in one place, as I turned the crank. I pulled the # 1 spark plug, and with all marks at TDC the #1 piston was half way down in its bore! This was a problem! Using a screw driver in the spark plug hole, in conjunction with the flywheel mark, I was able to set the motor to TDC. It turns out the crank pulley mark was about 30 degrees off! Whew, close call. Remember to triple check, then once more, when your motor is at stake.
After determining that the starter was not properly grounded and installing the ground wire in the front, I was able to crank the engine and prime the oil pump with the ignition coil and fuel pump disconnected. After about 45 seconds of cranking, I reinstalled the fuel pump fuse and the ignition coil. About 10 seconds of cranking and the motor roared to life and settled into a nice idle! Let me tell you, turning that key was not easy!!
Even with only 6.5 lbs of boost currently, the car is running like a dream. The stock CIS will support at least 6 psi. of boost, my custom ECU will only really be needed for higher boost levels above 10 psi. This whole project could be performed on a bone stock 80 Quattro (with an MC long block of course) without any of the MC fuel and electrical system! I have even spoken to one other who has done this same conversion on his 4000 Quattro with the same results (though a lack of a knock sensing ignition scares me). Acceleration is quite effortless, torque just rolls off the throttle about 3000 RPM up, and triple digits come really quickly. In a friendly battle the other evening I was able to overtake a Porsche Boxer on the way to a merging freeway on ramp. Not bad, eh? Pulling away from Honda racers is a pure joy, their blue headlights and droning exhaust fading behind me!
The Bottom Line
All in all, I did this project very affordably. Because of my connections and the ability to do so much of the work myself, I would estimate that I spend about $2000 on all the parts to build this car. And this over 6 months or so. I now own a very quick car with a completely rebuilt head, many new parts throughout the engine compartment.. With the initial investment of $3000 for the car, I have spent about $5000 on a car that will soon be running 250 hp. I am very satisfied with the results thus far, I know you will be too if you choose to take on such a project!
Please contact me with any questions:
jshadzi@aol.com
Javad Shadzi