thank you!
Any tips on removing the lower control arms?
There is not a lot of space under the car and the bentley just says " REMOVE BOLTS 2, 3 and 4"
I can’t get an impact gun or ratchet in there to remove the links from the car… I am getting frustrated.
The front lower rear control arms need the subframe to be lowered to have enough room to get the boot in and out unless you want to destroy your plastic undercarriage. The front lower front you can get to no problem. The rear control arms need the rear subframe lowered to be able to remove the front bolt from the inside of the lower control arm and the inside bolt of the upper control arm. I ended up having to use a combination wrench for a lot of this.
thank you!
Hey Jimmy its David your former resident c6 s6 customer…unfortunately car has gone to car heaven, wish you would have been able to drive her post proper exhaust, filters, new intake manifold carbon clean, and all new control arms. Was in tiptop shape, I’ll start another thread soon but my hopes are to go full tilt on a d3 s8, hopeful we can sync up on my plans and actually get back in line the count on tuning again…
Anyways, those brakes look fantastic, how do they stop post install? Love to see your car in action again, I live in Richmond now but still in DC quite often. Any new track times?
Hey Jimmy its David your former resident c6 s6 customer…unfortunately car has gone to car heaven, wish you would have been able to drive her post proper exhaust, filters, new intake manifold carbon clean, and all new control arms. Was in tiptop shape, I’ll start another thread soon but my hopes are to go full tilt on a d3 s8, hopeful we can sync up on my plans and actually get back in line the count on tuning again…
Anyways, those brakes look fantastic, how do they stop post install? Love to see your car in action again, I live in Richmond now but still in DC quite often. Any new track times?
Hey David, that sucks man! I wish you luck with finding a nice D3 S8. Those are really nice cars. I had a purple one that I worked on at Alexandria and it was one of my favorite cars whenever he brought it in.
Thanks. I have not installed the brakes yet. I still need to finish up my engine work so I am working on that. I didn’t want the brake rotors to sit outside in the rain and rust while I am working on the rest of the car so the brakes are the last thing to go back on before I drive the car again. Don’t have any new track times. Need to finish everything else first and then break in the new parts. This Fall I should have some faster times though.
Got some more work done on the S4.
I took the front end of the car apart. Here is a shot with the front bumper off.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0256_zpsjebjzvn6.jpg
Got the core support off.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0257_zps4ngktpoo.jpg
Took all the supercharger brackets off.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0354_zpsn9tr6sgp.jpg
Took the alternator off and disconnected everything from the engine, transmission, and front subframe.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0355_zpsv8chxlxy.jpg
Removed the transmission crossmember and installed my engine support bar to hold the engine, transmission, and front subframe in place.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0356_zpsy8msms2s.jpg
This next step is the scariest few moments of this repair. I removed the front subframe so the only thing holding the engine and transmission in place is the engine support bar on top. That is a lot of heavy and very expensive parts hanging in the air while we get the drivetrain table in place.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0357_zpsrjsl3jao.jpg
We got the engine and transmission on the drivetrain table and raised the body of the car up out of the way.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0358_zpsgulpxvjd.jpg
This is what the engine compartment of the S4 looks like with the front end, engine, transmission, supercharger, and a bunch of other stuff taken out.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0359_zpsdc7pobfq.jpg
Here is a side view of the engine and transmission on the drivetrain table. Look at the pretty long tube headers!
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0360_zpsa4jhspc2.jpg
This I lowered the car back down and covered everything up so that the rain stays off my parts.
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll37/Jimmybones777/SAM_0363_zpslpywoise.jpg
Lookin awesome Jimmy.
Yeah that’s super impressive!
thats pretty sweet. is that an mobile lift? looks like its not really bolted into the ground.
Thanks guys.
It can be a mobile lift if I get the casters for it. The lift is totally free standing and it doesn’t need to be bolted down. It is a really neat lift. The company sells a lot of attachments for the lift like a sliding middle platform, a hydraulic jack platform that goes in the middle of the lift, a crane attachment that can be used to pull engines.
thats ideal, a modular lift. I must have missed it, but what service are you doing to your s4?
I think Jimmy honestly just likes to take things apart and put them back together…haha
Honestly though I think he has built JHM heads laying around…or fixing his leaking valve stems maybe.
I have lift envy, I’d really like to put on in my new house, but it will probably be a few years before I get around to that. I really like those Ranger quick jacks right now, I’ll probably pick up a set of those this year sometime.
just put it in the backyard 
Mec, there is a few things that I am doing but the big ones are replacing the cylinder heads with JHM rebuild cylinder heads, doing a timing chain service, installing the new version 2 mid-length headers, and reinstalling the stock sixth gear set in the transmission. Euro is right that I have leaking valve stem seals. Then the engine has 104K miles and it has never had a timing chain service plus that stuff has to be opened up to replace the heads anyways. I got the version 2 mid-length headers too since I was taking everything else out. The old version 1 longtube headers are already sold so that helps. Finally I have run into a few instances where I need the stock sixth gear set in the transmission like driving through the mountains and on certain road courses like VIR. I hit like 150 mph in fifth gear while going up the back straightaway long before I crested the hill at VIR and then shifted into sixth gear which doesn’t go much faster. With the stock sixth gear set I bet that I can hit 7K rpms in sixth gear which puts me around 175 mph.
Euro, there is always a plan when I take stuff apart. I can’t afford to just take stuff apart for the fun of it when I have so many people that want me to work on their cars locally.
A lift is such a nice investment! I wish mine was inside so that I could work on stuff year round and regardless of the weather. One day I will add on to this house and make a spot for two lifts but that is a few years and hundred thousands of dollars away.
I might be interested in that 6th gear if you want to sell it.
Ok, once I get it out then I will let you know.
Anyone call dibs on the v1 headers yet?
edit: shit…
I’ll probably get the V2 headers in a little bit. If so you can have first dibs on my V1 headers.