Sasquatch Part III Audi 1.8t transplant..., PCV upgrades finally... Options

[Andyrew]

Dude this is just killer!!!

Im confused on your overflow tank. Why is there 2 lines going to it?

[Mike Bellis]

Dude this is just killer!!!

Im confused on your overflow tank. Why is there 2 lines going to it?

It looks confusing since I have 2 tanks. One is the normal engine expansion tank. The other is the intercooler / heat exchanger tank. Both systems are setup to self bleed. Just like the factory designed...

[Andyrew]

Got it.

Didnt notice the Audi colored expansion tank in the pic!

[Mike Bellis]

Got it.

Didnt notice the Audi colored expansion tank in the pic!

Yea. The tank I used for the heat exchanger is a Mercedes unit and sender. I had to modify the guts of the sender to integrate it into the coolant level warning. Basically I turned it into an on/off switch. I'm running the 2 sensors in parallel to get an alarm to the dash. 3 sensors really since I also included the meth tank level switch. So if any of them go low, I get a "LOW COOLANT" warning on the dash.

[Andyrew]

Thats really cool! You integrated that into the VW dash?

[Mike Bellis]

Thats really cool! You integrated that into the VW dash?

It was much easier than it sounds. After dissecting the harness, the coolant level is just a simple ground switch. So I have 3 switches in parallel. Easy!

[Andyrew]

Thats really cool! You integrated that into the VW dash?

It was much easier than it sounds. After dissecting the harness, the coolant level is just a simple ground switch. So I have 3 switches in parallel. Easy!

I understood it, I just think its cool that you came up with the idea! You and your electrical background...

[Mike Bellis]

I started putting the wire harness in today and finishing some final connections. It took a while to get my head back into the wiring system. Lucky for me I labeled everything. Getting very close to cranking this thing over. I can hardly wait.

Engine harness...



Mounted in removable bulkhead...



In the car...



Here is my cool wide band to narrow band O2 converter (Left). It takes a linear 0-5v signal and converts it to a linear 0-1v signal. So I can feed the ECU with a scaled wide band signal, in stead of the crappy narrow band signal. The switch (center) will allow me to switch back and forth if I have any driveability or code issues.



Here is the flow meter and filter for the methanol system...



I cleaned up my Bilstein's too. Looks like I need a ~21" axle on the left and a ~22" axle on the right. I found a good source for axles from an off road VW place. It's going to cost around $200 for a pair. Pretty good pricing. I plan to clean up and reuse my 28 spline, 911 CV joints.

[Andyrew]

Link to axles? Thats awesome!

[Mike Bellis]

Link to axles? Thats awesome!

http://www.pacificcustoms.com/axles.html (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[ottox914]

You, sir, are mad.

And we are all that much better for it.

Fire that beast up and post up some vids!

Congrats on an awesome project.

[DBCooper]

http://www.pacificcustoms.com/axles.html (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Wow, a blast from the past. I bought a LOT of stuff from them back in the 90's when they first opened. Great guys, and good enough to point you to the best people in the industry to go to when they can't help any more. To me that's a good company, when they go out of their way to make sure their customers do well and are successful.

Your car looks great. Can't wait to hear your driving impressions.

[Mike Bellis]

I picked up one of these LSD units. Supposed to be a cheap alternative to the $2700 LSD for the Boxster.

http://www.phantomgrip.com/tech-tips


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGLXKLFiDpA


The testimonials look great. We will see how it works very soon.

Stay tuned!

[Andyrew]

Whats the price of these?

[Mike Bellis]

Whats the price of these?

MSRP ~$450. I found a vendor for $250 out the door with 650 ft lb spring upgrade.

[Andyrew]

Thats pretty killer right there! This is gearbox specific correct? This would simply be awesome in conjunction with that powertrain. But I bet it'll get quick sideways on you quite quickly! Cant wait to hear the feedback.

[Mike Bellis]

Finishing off stuff here and there.

I added a momentary toggle switch to allow cranking the engine from the trunk...



If anyone ever wondered about the Renegade Hybrids "500hp axle" kit is... It's a VW Type 2 axle with 33 spline CV's. Not sure if the CV's are T2 or 944... You can see the "VW 2" logo stamped into the end.

New axles are on the way from SoCal. Final measurements are 20.25" and 21.375".



I popped out the diff today to get ready for the Phantom Grip LSD. I was surprised how easy it was to get out. I took some measurements of the diff parts so you guys can compare to the 901 diff. I will as-built the LSD part when it arrives. This transaxle is an Audi 012, 5 speed. The spider gears are already machined flat, so I do not have to take it to a machine shop. The LSD pushes against both spiders equally to act like a clutch type LSD. If the spiders are not flat and true, the LSD will not work correctly. The other nice thing about this system; you don't have to reset any back lash since the 3 member and bearings are not really messed with.





18mm shaft



27mm between the flat surfaces of the drive gears

[tomeric914]

Trivial question (compared to the great work you've done (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif) ) what label maker did you use for your labels in orange?

[Mike Bellis]

Trivial question (compared to the great work you've done (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sunglasses.gif) ) what label maker did you use for your labels in orange?

I have a Brady ID Pal. It's pretty awesome! Various font sizes, tape styles, etc...

[Mike Bellis]

I got the Phantom Grip(PG) installed today. I did have to machine the drive gears and the spider gears for clearance. I drove to several machine and gear grinding shops today. None of them could do the job. No way to chuck them up in the machine. So I did it myself. I built a drill rig from a bolt and some washers. The drive gear has a recess on the face for the stub axle circlip. I chucked up the gear in my drill and while spinning at low speed, ground it on my bench grinder. I took my time and kept eye with a caliper and straight edge. It turned out better than I expected. Looks like a flat machine finish. I also had to clearance the PG axle hole a little. Since I machined the drive gear, the stub axle sticks through a little further. I opened the hole in the PG to allow the stub to slide in without binding. Normally the end of the stub would be in the empty center void.
2mm off the drive gears
1mm of the spiders
1mm clearance inside the PG

Light tapping into the 3rd member and done. Overall the quality of the PG seems good. The theory looks sound and the fit is snug. If I take the springs out, the system turns freely, no binding.

I took some measurements in case somebody wants to try to fit this into a 901
Fully collapsed springs in my vise








Most of the area machined has no impact on function. Only a tiny bit of the contact surface was machined, verified by the wear marks.




Installed. You can see the springs within the unit. These push on the drive gears to limit independant movement. It is very tight and cannot be rotated by hand. Once installed and wheels on, I will try to spin one wheel and see how much give the system has.



Looking into the drive gear splines. In the above picture of the gear you can see the recess for the circlip. I clearanced the PG so even the clip could go through. The stub stops on the top edge of this view. It has a shoulder the prevents the stub from going too far into the diff.