My first car build / project

[ashley cox]

Right where to start.... hi all first off I’m new to the site but already had helpful advice and read great posts so awesome work guys I was given a 2001 a3 1.8t aum car as part payment for a job it’s a bit of a nail cosmetically however I’ve always wanted to have a Petrol turbo project so here I am it’s totally bone stock and covered 100k service history is unknown but runs and sounds and pulls spot on with no knocks or rattles and gearbox is working as should. Now my goals for the car ....... keep the exterior looking as is and stock looking / sleeper but rebuild / upgrade the engine with a bhp of between 330-400 if possible for this engine?? If not what bhp is more realistic for a budget build ?? reliability’s a must I’m not heavy footed so won’t be redlining every time I’m out in the thing. It’s not going to be a daily driver as I’ve got my work van so mainly a weekend toy . Any help and advice I can get will be Hugely appreciated as I’m new to all thing vag related it’s not going to be a quick build as i work away all week so more a long term project my pockets ain’t deep so will be a budget build with the intention to add and upgrade as and when funds allow. if possible advice on other people’s builds would be a great starting point for me to start research and for me to see what goes into a build

Engine build specs
Clutch & gearbox
Suspension
Break upgrades
Exhaust

The journey begins

 

[Erikn89nl]

Hi, and welcome I'll try and help you on your way a bit...

Now my goals for the car ....... keep the exterior looking as is and stock looking / sleeper

Loving this plan

rebuild / upgrade the engine with a bhp of between 330-400 if possible for this engine??

Very possible, several routes to get there.

If not what bhp is more realistic for a budget build ??

Depends what the budget is...

reliability’s a must I’m not heavy footed so won’t be redlining every time I’m out in the thing.

When using good quality parts, this depends largely on the way it is mapped. Try to squeeze out every last horse, and reliability will suffer.

Couple questions to help understand your needs and wants:
What is your level of comfort/experience with doing this sort of work on a car?
Will you be performing the work yourself, or having it done? (budget related question)

Great build threads to read (if you have a lot of free time, haha) are @Prawn's thread and @<tuffty/>'s one as well, though the latter is a big turbo (BT) build, which is a fair bit more involved.

I look forward to seeing how you get on with the project

 

[ashley cox]

Thanks Erikn89nl I’ll be doing as much of the spanner work as possible myself as I’m not too shabby in the spanner’s (15 years experience) on and off. Fab / machine work isnt something I’ll be willing to tackle mind you when I say BUDGET I’m not going into this with an end figure £ in mind as such I just want to only change / replace parts that are a MUST to achieve my goal but with reliability in mind also and not just for the sake of changing them if that makes sense??

 

[Erikn89nl]

Problem with these turbo builds is, the turbo you pick dictates both the powerlevel you CAN reach (if supporting parts are all good) and which parts need replacing/upgrading.

Turbo options available that I can think of, which are capable of achieving your power goal (provided supporting parts are in order):
K04 hybrid, conversion from S3 parts (fairly easy)
K04-064 conversion (lots of custom fab needed)
BT Build (also lots of custom)

Once you decide which turbo to go for, the supporting parts can be bought over time, but the turbo choice ultimately dictates the overall price.

 

[Stuart B]

Hi and welcome to the forum

I'm still a total beginner but think you should be starting with a budget. if you want to spend 5K you can get A,B and C if you want to spend 10K you can get A,B,C,D if you want to spend £500 you can get A.

if you don't have a budget you will not know what you can get.

but you certainly will not get 400+ BHP without a lot of parts
air in
turbo
air cooling
fueling
air mixture
engine insides
air out
engine control
vehicle control
vehicle stopping

but 200BHP is reachable for a software map?

I love watching projects, I cant do this with my S3 - I'm just constantly fixing it

Prawns A3 Thread is an excellent read

 

[ashley cox]

Hi and welcome to the forum

I'm still a total beginner but think you should be starting with a budget. if you want to spend 5K you can get A,B and C if you want to spend 10K you can get A,B,C,D if you want to spend £500 you can get A.

if you don't have a budget you will not know what you can get.

but you certainly will not get 400+ BHP without a lot of parts
air in
turbo
air cooling
fueling
air mixture
engine insides
air out
engine control
vehicle control
vehicle stopping

but 200BHP is reachable for a software map?

I love watching projects, I cant do this with my S3 - I'm just constantly fixing it

Prawns A3 Thread is an excellent read

Cheers Stuart B i see what your saying bud I’d be happy around the 5-6k mark is where I’m at for the build

 

[Tj 0785]

Ko4 hybrid be your best bet then have a look at the badger5/aet hybrid will see 380-400 bhp if done right

 

[ashley cox]

Ko4 hybrid be your best bet then have a look at the badger5/aet hybrid will see 380-400 bhp if done right

Cheers Tj 0785 I’ve just seen a thread by badger5 on his mrs Lupo might have to give him a bell as that looks a good set up but without the WMI

 

[<tuffty/>]

I would recon an engine as best you can as a start point personally... you can buy 1.8t's for not a lot and build the engine while using the car... you can then run it in under your existing hardware and plan for power after that...

I did it the other way around and was constantly trying new ways to get the power it should have made only for it to be the wear and tear on the engine to be a key limiting factor..

Rifle drilled rods are a must (with new big end shells obvs)... if bores are worn even moderately (ovality is also an issue) then bigger power can be compromised...

Prawns recent engine build would be a good place to start... nearly a 1.9ltr from a rebore and new pistons and a few other nice bits... you don't need to go quite as far into the build as Prawn but he is using the car for the track and will have a big turbo so needs to be half decent to be reliable..

Head refurb is also worth while as the exhaust guides wear which can cause valve failure from them flapping about... bare minimum would be guides replaced (normally just exhausts but sometimes inlets too) and supertech triple groove inconel exhaust valves with cat cams gold springs... std inlets would be fine when on a budget

Other engine parts can be replaced for peace of mind... main shells (use ARP mains studs instead of OE bolts as the price difference isn't that much considering the benefits), oil pump tensioner as this is plastic and almost always hard as nails (so can shatter) and have nice grooves in it from the chain, oil pump pick up as these clog and are very cheap to replace...

<tuffty/>

 

[ashley cox]

I would recon an engine as best you can as a start point personally... you can buy 1.8t's for not a lot and build the engine while using the car... you can then run it in under your existing hardware and plan for power after that...

I did it the other way around and was constantly trying new ways to get the power it should have made only for it to be the wear and tear on the engine to be a key limiting factor..

Rifle drilled rods are a must (with new big end shells obvs)... if bores are worn even moderately (ovality is also an issue) then bigger power can be compromised...

Prawns recent engine build would be a good place to start... nearly a 1.9ltr from a rebore and new pistons and a few other nice bits... you don't need to go quite as far into the build as Prawn but he is using the car for the track and will have a big turbo so needs to be half decent to be reliable..

Head refurb is also worth while as the exhaust guides wear which can cause valve failure from them flapping about... bare minimum would be guides replaced (normally just exhausts but sometimes inlets too) and supertech triple groove inconel exhaust valves with cat cams gold springs... std inlets would be fine when on a budget

Other engine parts can be replaced for peace of mind... main shells (use ARP mains studs instead of OE bolts as the price difference isn't that much considering the benefits), oil pump tensioner as this is plastic and almost always hard as nails (so can shatter) and have nice grooves in it from the chain, oil pump pick up as these clog and are very cheap to replace...

<tuffty/>

thanks <tuffty/>they will be added to the todo list

 

[Stuart B]

for 6K you can get an S3 and update it with B5-380, engine internals, downpipe, intercooler - 3+3 - or just get a 2005 4.2 S4 ? Broom broom

But, there's something cheep and dirty about turbo cars - I love mine - even though it's a shed.

 

[hydro s3]

I think there is more fun in doing a project like a s3 rebuild than juat going out and buying a car at the same price as what you would have spent on the s3 build.
I know that if that where me id still want to upgrade it anyway so id be back in the same situation only spending a lot more money.

 

[ashley cox]

It’s all about a project build for me all the way lol​

 

[Stuart B]

its the volume of new tools I have now - and I am not organised so they a great big pile like on the hogfather with the teeth

I made a great big pile

http://www.chud.com/articles/content_images/117/hogfather5.JPG

 

[ashley cox]

Right then bit of an update ..... I’ve had an accident at work and broke my back falling off a roof lol so I’ve decided to sell the car as it’s going to be a while till I can jump on it and don’t know howling I’ll be out of action SO if anyone’s after a motor give me a shout thanks for the advice and help already it’s a great site to be apart of and hopefully I’ll be on here again with another attempt at a build. I WONT BE BEATEN

 

[hydro s3]

Bad luck mate. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[ashley cox]

Bad luck mate. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Cheers mate

 

[Stuart B]

Right then bit of an update ..... I’ve had an accident at work and broke my back falling off a roof lol so I’ve decided to sell the car as it’s going to be a while till I can jump on it and don’t know howling I’ll be out of action SO if anyone’s after a motor give me a shout thanks for the advice and help already it’s a great site to be apart of and hopefully I’ll be on here again with another attempt at a build. I WONT BE BEATEN

Oh man that's terrible news, best of luck with your long journey of recovery.
Make sure everyone near you stays clean and wears the right gloves in hospital, make sure they test your blood when they are supposed to, keep an eye on your medicine charts so no accidents happen with dosages or mixed up patients. Be honest with your pain levels the only heros in hospitals are nurses, usually not the English ones (unfortunately)
Do not ever tick the box allowing a junior member to "attend" an operation. "Attend" does not mean watch it means learn on you and they learn by mistakes.

I hope you have a good lawyer to make sure you get the best offer, make sure you get a second opinion on the settlement in about 3 years. This life changing event will change your life, keep receipts for everything, understand that rarely does an insurance company compensate anyone else apart from yourself and your employer, so you must keep an eye on loved ones who will put on a façade of how they're feeling when really they are going to crumble. Especially, over times like this.

Best of luck Ashley to you and your loved ones. What hospital are you in? With accidents like this they tend to only treat the worse injury first so they might get around to other injuries in a few weeks. My brother in law was left with a broken shoulder for 2 months whilst sorting out a head injury, and whilst I was in hospital the person opposite had been moved to my ward after his broken back had healed enough to sort out his spiral fracture 6 weeks after being admitted.
I have some experience of post operation hospital infections etc if you want a chat at some point. Make sure you are honest with any mental health issues you are having and listen to the physio if you are immobile for more than a few days, muscles will disappear from your body within weeks from atrophy, my thigh is still small 7 years later.
Best wishes

 

[THQuattro]

Blimey mate this does not sound very good i wish you a good recovery, do update us on how you are doing.

 

[Erikn89nl]

Wow, bad news dude. Hope your recovery is smooth and quick, cars can wait!