badtoyz build thread.

B6/7 S4/RS4
#1

starting a build thread because I have a but load of parts coming and a ton of modifications Im looking at doing. the car is a 2007 phantom black RS4 with 95k miles on it.

as most of you know my current mods are: JHM full exhaust, intake spacers, and 93 tune. ive also just had a carbon clean. and had my trim wrapped gloss back.

this is whats going on my car over the winter.

H&R spings B5 perches.
painted mirrors.
headlights painted and clear corners.
led taillights.
5R clutch with lwfw.
jhm trio.
jhm stage 1.

that’s it for now but as I get into it im sure other things will come up like mounts and so on.

I started with the mirrors toda and as I was searching for info on disassembly I never actually found anything specific to the rs4 but I did come across a thread on rs246 where sar (member here) said he was about to remove a friends mirrors and would do a write up. I then sent him a pm here and he helped me through it and shared this link.

http://forum.rs246.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=105561

I got the mirrors off and noticed on my driver side I had some corrosion (apparently quite common) because it was directly under the mirror I never actually noticed it before.


http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141027_005827_zpsra0jqzcx.jpg

because the hole through the triangle piece is not large enough to fit the connectors through u have 2 options to remove the triangle piece.

  1. remove the entire door card and from what ive read is a total pain in the ass and the connector is still really difficult to get to disconnect.

  2. cut the wires and putem back together later.

because im confident in my soldering skills I just cut the wires and popped the triangle off.

I then sanded the corrosion and the entire triangledown with 320 then 400 and then scotch brite. and used some tremclad rust inhibiting flat black and re painted the triangle.

the passenger side was in perfect shape and after painting the drivers side and making sure it matched I decided not to bother re painting it. I know in the one pic of them side by side it looks like don’t match but really they do, its just the way the light bounced off them.

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141027_011612_zps2p1hhebo.jpg

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141027_014812_zpsh8ozufgd.jpg

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141027_014910_zps2nz6cyoe.jpg

good as new! no more corrosion.

I then moved on to the mirrors following the same sanding process. I bought some tremclad hi build fleet coating gloss black to do the mirrors with. Ive never used this before but thought id give it a go. I wanted to paint them in the basement because of temperature but my wife would have none of that. losing that battle I hung them in the garage and put a coat on them. the paint itself looks good but because it was so cold I have a bit of sagging and one run so I now have heaters running in the garage and will san and respray tomorrow.

fyi I planned on 3 coats.

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141027_041954_zpssi1j0yuw.jpg


http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141027_043718_zpssrfq7hfm.jpg

#2

Subscribed!! How hard to pull the mirrors off?? You got some beefy forearms so shouldn’t have been to bad right???

#3
#4

its just scary because u think youre gonna break them. the glass I just got as many fingers behind it as I could and it popped right off. separating the silver piece from the black triangle piece took some serious muscle. I rocked it back and forth (not up and down) until she popped free.

ive repainted the mirrors and they look good. there is a 7 day cure time on this paint so they are just hanging in the basement until I feel they are dry enough to put back on. the amount of force u have to use will put finger prints in it if they aren’t 100 percent cured.

#5

while I wait for the mirrors to cure im gonna start on the springs tomorrow.

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/10626394_10154529637190512_207741072645274228_o-1_zps47gteajl.jpg

#6

The mirrors look great! Very professional job with the mirror hanging.

That is really not that difficult. It is just scary because you break a few clips every time and it sounds terrible.

#7

and I always do lol, and honestly I cant stand rattling and that was my biggest reason for not taking the door apart. I clipped the wires nice and far away and have more than enough room to solder and shrink wrap. in my mind that’s easier and safer.

I debated taping and spraying while still on the car but after seeing the corrosion that option went out the window.

I also think it would be really difficult to get between the upper and lower arms with paint as well. even with them off the car it was difficult but I managed a good flow without runs once the garage was heated.

#8

What’s your garage heating setup? One of those big box heaters you can mount on the wall or just a spot heater?

#9

currently im using an infrared box furnace. the heater I have on top in the pic I used to heat a 4 car shop with and it works really well. it runs on 220 though, I need to get an electrician to run me some 220 power to the garage. I have a couple welders that are 220 and a 50 gallon compressor and that heater. my garage has like 3 plugs it sux.


http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141028_150140_zpsebcyq1oe.jpg

#10

No kidding 120v sucks. Can’t believe how long it takes for the kettle to boil! Europe is spoiled with 240v

#11

Making 120…240 is pretty easy. I wouldn’t recommend messing with it yourself…

#12

soldered shrink wrapped and taped the wiring for the mirror back together today.

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141028_200932_zpsfjpnj09o.jpg

http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141028_201600_zpsq2bgkcna.jpg

and a little bit of electrical tape and were good as new.


http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141028_202125_zpsud4emdxo.jpg

#13

so with that wiring finished up and waiting for the mirror caps to cure I decided to start the springs and hit my first snag.

I hit everything a few days ago with liquid wrench. the bolt that holds the upper ball joints in is absolutely seized solid (fuckin steel through aluminum, yay electrolysis) I heated it up as hot as I could, all I have is propane plumbing torch. I have beat on it, it will not budge. I put a Johnson bar on the head of the bolt and I turned it a quarter turn but just the head so its gonna break.

do any of you tech guys have advice or tricks, you must see this 2 different metals thing all the time?

should I just grind the head of the bolt off and drill it out?

I do have a 12 ton press, do u guys press these out when theyre stuck?

FYI im following the kw install guide to do my springs heres the link.

http://docs.kwsuspension.de/eah25310051.pdf


http://i1270.photobucket.com/albums/jj615/Garrett_Hargreaves/Mobile%20Uploads/20141028_231329_zps3pmypfb7.jpg

#14

I ran into this issue a couple years ago and ended up giving up and just brought the knuckle to a local shop. They just did the same thing I did and you are doing. They said I didn’t get it hot enough. I was using the yellow bottle torch you can get at Home Depot. I heard the blue one is hotter, is that true anybody? Point is you’re not getting it hot enough.

#15

The new color on a triangle piece looks much better than OEM. Sort of satin black vs matte black(OEM) and matches weather stripping better.

Btw nice mod list for the winter!

#16

ill just go buy an acetylene one, so many times ive needed it and usually borrow one or bash my head against the wall try to beat something out.

its honestly like the last big tool I need.

#17

it looks like that until you touch it. soon as u rub a finger across it it goes a bit shinier.

thanks man. cant wait for the spring and am looking forward to the quality time with my car lol.

#18

I always cringe when laying down a bunch of money on tools. But I eventually realize how much time and money they save and wish I had bought them earlier. I have a few tools I need to buy for the garage myself.

#19

Tell me about that, I can’t wait for the next season. I do however look forward to the winter and hope we get some decent snow this year so I can have some fun in the snow hehe

#20

I could do that with the compressor cuz it doesn’t draw a ton of amperage. but my welders no way! that would cause a fire. my panel is literally directly underneath the garage man door so I just need to blow a few holes and run some wire, breakers and plugs.