My very own update thread by BaseDrifter

8 minute(s) of a 155 minute read

What a pain in the ***, almost done though.

I started with the driver's side and disconnected the lower shock mount and sway bar first. Went up top and undid the 3 upper shock mount bolts and dropped it down a few inches to get at the 2 bolts holding the shock to the mount. I was able to remove those but the shock would not budge from the mount. 

I ended up pulling the pinch bolt and popping the front upper CA out. That freed up the shock mount and I was able to break the shock from the mount.

After another 10 minutes of wrestling with the shock trying to get it past the spindle and axle I got it free.

Pulled out my favorite tool, spring compressors! Always makes for an exciting friday night.

I got everything swapped and tightened and realized I forgot to line up the lower and upper mounts to an 11 degree offset. Another round with the spring compressors and I had it swapped and installed. No problems with the reinstall, everything torqued to spec (lower shock mount torqued under compression.)

Now that I knew what I was dealing with I had the passenger side out pretty quick. I decided to take out the pinch bolt and remove the whole shock mount this time. It made removing the shock an easy deal. Slipped the shock mount out and had plenty of room to lift the shock up and over the CA.

Shock part swap went well. Everything was going just swell! Then I broke the damn pinch bolt on reinstall.

Tomorrow I'll go to the local bolt specialist and pick up a replacement. I should've taken the time to get new hardware and new bump stops. Oh well. 

I don't know how to say this...but I think I found my power steering leak. The driver's side looks like it has the wrong boot on it as well.

2-11-2013

Finished installing the fronts yesterday. The drop is noticeable but not drastic, as expected. Haven't noticed any real handling improvement, but I haven't really pushed it yet either.

Now it actually sits at a normal car height instead of a 4x4 with negative rake.

Finished piecing together the fog light kit.

2-14-2013

In the process of installing facelift fog lights right now. I decided to take the bumper off for the first time to give myself more room to relocate the horn and to see how much trimming would be required with the treadstone intercooler, doesn't look too bad.

Found out I'm missing a screw. I'll snag one tomorrow.

And my solution to relocate the 2nd horn. It SHOULD clear the bumper..I'll know in a few hours.

2-15-2013

Got them temporarily wired up to test everything out and they look great! Tomorrow I'll get the wiring I need to finish it off.

2-20-2013

All done! Next up...new headlights/HIDs.

2-23-2013

5-6-2013

Well, it's been awhile. I've been preoccupied with my other hobbies and school so my car has been neglected for awhile. I graduate in a few weeks and have finished most of my work, so it's time for an update.

The cluster swap is still not done. I've had problem after problem trying to input the new mileage into the zeroed out cluster. It seems to me that I'm running into problems since I'm still using an unregistered copy of VCDS Lite. At this point, I will probably end up buying a legit vag com cable. It's been quite frustrating getting in the car and staring at my old cluster knowing how many hours I put into wiring up the new cluster, so close...

I picked up a blasting cabinet the other day, blasting stuff can be addicting!

I picked up a couple valve covers a few months ago and blasted the first one. Forgot to take a before picture, but here are the results.

On another note, I'm still losing 2-3lbs of boost. This has been going on for at least 3 months now. I believe I've got a funked up waste gate that isn't closing all the way. My plan is to pull a K03 out of the junkyard for $65 and hope for the best.

In addition to the diminished boost, I'm getting fairly close to timing belt time. Oh joy! Massive maintenance time...

Parts list:

1. Timing belt kit and tool rental from Blauparts - $310

2. Cam chain tensioner and valve cover gasket kit - $120

3. 034 Silicone breather hose kit - $150

Since I have to drain the coolant to replace the turbo, I will probably do all this at once. Which may end up being a mistake if something goes wrong...

I've also got my new intake manifold to install, which requires draining the coolant. So I might as well do that too! I've already got all the gaskets, new injector seats, and clips ready. I also picked up a new upper coolant pipe and throttle body that I will be blasting and possibly powder coating.

Ouf....