Thats a lot of work and you have done really well. Nice attention to detial
Thanks man. I try to do everything “proper” but we’re all human. I dug up some old pictures of my mk3 GTI today. I lost a lot of the pictures, but I found a few. I remember one night scrubbing the block with a small wire brush before painting it. Here is my old Craigslist add… it makes me sick to think about all the time and money I put into it. :
1997 volkswagen GTI vr6 make offer (salem)
1997 volkswagen GTI vr6
condition: good
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: fwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 127000
paint color: black
size: compact
title status: rebuilt
transmission: manual
type: hatchback
Selling my beloved gti. I’m considering possible trades. I’d like something awd or turbo. please don’t waste my time. I don’t really want to sell it but I bought a new car. This car runs great and has a ton of new parts. I have all receipts and proof of the parts.
Recently done:
*Newer engine with 118,000 miles out of a OBD2 97 jetta vr6 (single wide upper chain)
*rebuilt head
*new 02j transmission (mk4 tranny)
*02j mk4 shifter tower swap
*stage 2 ceramic 6 puck clutch kit
*header
*cold air intake (filter is down in the bumper away from the engine heat)
*magnaflow exhaust with cat delete
*18" enkie rims with brand new tires (300 miles on them)
*new Gorilla wheel studs with lock key
*Koni cup kit with neuspeed race shocks (lowered about as far as you can go)
*new upper strut mounts
*new front wheel bearings
*all new brakes
- new inner and outter tie rods
*alignment just performed
*hood pins
*new serpentine belt
*new water pump
*coolant flush
*power steering flush
*brake fluid changed(Lucas oil synthetic)
*oil change(only use Mobil 1 synthetic)
*transmission fluid change(Lucas oil synthetic)
*1.8t air intake sensor relocate
*secondary air intake deleted
*new thermostat and housing
*new crack pipe
*new oil catch can
*new coil
*new mk4 spark plug wires
*new spark plugs
*polished and painted upper intake
*polished and painted lower intake - all new upper gaskets and orings
*polished throttle body
*new silicone radiator hoses
*new heater core
*new dash instrument cluster
*aftermarket cd player with auxiliary input
*new aftermarket alarm with keyless entry and new door lock actuators
*leather door cards
*new windshield
*rolled and pulled fenders all around
*rebuilt cv axels
*jetta front end swap
*badgeless grill
*new wiper blades
*rear hatch spoiler
*tinted windows (dark as legally allowed)
*Silvania headlights
*egr delete
*air conditioning delete (still has pump but no condenser or lines)
I’m sure I’ve done more to it but that’s what I can remember right now. The car runs great. It runs strong and pulls hard. It’s not too loud but sounds great on acceleration. This is my weekend car and it doesn’t get driven much anymore. It always sits in my garage. I’ll entertain reasonable offers. I know what my car is worth. It does have a reconstructed title (previous owner hit a deer) This is as clean as it gets unless you build it yourself or pay someone to build it. "
Just thought I’d share that. Thanks for the kind words.
Sounds like a great car. Have any pics of it?
Yeah let me upload them so I can post them.
Here are a couple pictures of my gti and my RS6
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/Vinny%20431_zpsqhmu3viv.jpg
Here was the engine right after i got the car
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/Vinny%20439_zpswfwsdsst.jpg
I started digging into it and found this:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/Vinny%20438_zpsmhxa1alp.jpg
Here is the engine after it threw the upper chain.
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20150331_223031_zpsljbjpbao.jpg
I cleaned and painted the block, and the intake and a bunch of other stuff. I can’t seem to find any of the good pictures. …but here is what I have:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20150401_162621_zpsocroitll.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20150401_162552_zps18ux2kbf.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20150408_114500_zpshoqlevne.jpeg
Here is the reason I have the S4
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20151102_092707_zpsox74tv8a.jpg
And here is the RS6 the day I bought it. I have a ealkaround video too showing the condition.
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20150517_133742_zpsaeazsrxj.jpg
Sorry for the off-topic posts. This last year it’s just been a struggle
Good stuff on the GTI. I’ve always been a fan of the old school rabbits. :).
Not sure if I missed it. Do you still have rs6?
Unfortunately I do not have the rs6 any longer. I ended up taking it back to the lot I bought it from. Long story, but they lied to me and I caught them in the lie and told them to give me my Mercedes back. After a little fight, I ended up reversing the deal. I had the car for a few months too…crazy! So to spite them, I bought my a4 from across the street. Lol
That’s a shame they sold you a lemon because the rs6 is one cool car!
Rs6 cars are crazy but they are maintanence monsters
Yes the RS6 was a maintenece monster (part of the reason why i no longer have the car. lol)
Well it has been a few since my last update. I took my car down to a friend’s shop and did some work to her yesterday. I loaded up my new springs and control arms and headed south. I was very fortunate to have access to a lift, otherwise this would have been a bad experience. lol. it still took a while to do, but i ended up getting everything installed without too much hiccups. I didn’t take a TON of pictures, but i figured id upload a few things just to show what i’ve been up to! enjoy!
So i loaded up the new parts. I planned on doing piggies and fixing one of the cv boots, but i didn’t have enough time:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_111026_zpsyossxvyr.jpg
i didn’t want to pack all my tools down, so i grabbed what i could fit into one of my spare tool boxes and headed down. My friend has every tool imaginable, but i didn’t want to get caught without something important, so i brought my tools anyways
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_111036_zpsbfylbvff.jpg
So we got it up on the lift and started pulling parts:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/b0ecd3d6-eeda-469f-a2b1-7cf52396317b_zpsjemdsfuo.jpg
here is a few photos of the shop i was at. They produce some nice stuff, and i thought you might like some eye candy 
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_154032_zpsdkretu31.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_154024_zps4hccu4h4.jpg
and we took a break for some burnouts: enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0TIw2JczLY
here is a quick shot of one of his other projects. The exhaust is a custom set of headers to a strait pipe back. this thing was sooooo loud i had to capture it. The video doesnt do it justice as to how loud it was:
http://s1039.photobucket.com/user/vinnybuffone/media/20160410_141221_zpsbsbdbhue.mp4.html
So i’m on a budget right now, so i ordered some lowering springs for my S4 instead of coilovers. I considered this a “just cuz” upgrade. I bought them … ‘just cuz’ i was changing the control arms and the struts needed to come out, so might as well change them while im at it. I ordered the REV motoring drop springs ($170). They lowered the car about 1.5" . i did not take a FTG measurement beforehand, so i don’t know exactly how much it lowered my car, but i can say this… it looks much better! They got rid of that monster truck gap in the front fender and made the car sit much better. almost with a slight rake from front to rear. here are some pictures of the install:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160323_131732_zps4wdpiyvq.jpg
old coils are black, new are silver:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_165335_zpszr4dvgzf.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_165335_zpszr4dvgzf.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_161409_zpswbpmmk7t.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_170435_zpsq1qx2cqn.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_171750_zpsiesxgny7.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_170304_zpslfiudtls.jpg
And this is why i was changing my control arms!
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160405_002319_zpsyv5jzzva.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_170739_zpsfuwsw8qe.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_170749_zps0jtbhc2d.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160410_170731_zpsdomp45a4.jpg
So here are the before and after pictures:
BEFORE:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160403_172103_zpsxpvbpocp.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20160406_165113_zpsmqywsw1o.jpg
and AFTER:
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160411_081511_zpsv3beoohy.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160411_084327_zpsnuwhaeol.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/20160411_081458_zpsybeildsf.jpg
Just wanted to give a little check-up on my progress. The car seems to handle ok now. I know my alignment is off a little bit, but i’m buying new tires (possibly doing rims not sure yet) and i will get an alignment then. My tires are already worn down due to the control arms being so worn out so i don’t think i can do tooo much more damage then has already been done (have steel belts showing on 2 tires). Thanks for taking the time to look!
Vinny
Nice work. Always nice to have access to a lift. Looks like an awesome garage.
Do you think the stock shocks can handle that drop and spring rate? What is the rate of the springs?
Yeah, the lift definitely helped. They sell the Springs saying that they are 10% stiffer than stock. If I’m not mistaken, the front spring rate is 491 and the rear is 496. So 10% stiffer than that is what they claim. I have only had them on the car for one day and have barely driven so I’m going to wait for them to settle in a little bit. My first impression is that they are actually softer than stock. There are times when I will hit a bump where it feels stiff but maybe it’s my brain. Either way, I am happy with it for now. It is not a permanent set up, as I plan on throwing better control arms and coilovers in the future. This was just to get me by for now because I had to change my control arms.
Those control arms needed to come out. Looks like a good day of wrenching. Im not too much of a lowered look guy but other the before and after pics look good.
Whats next on the list of projects for the car
i agree on the lowered look. but If a car is lowered correctly, i’ll like it. The front end of my car sits about a half inch too low…but ill deal with it until i can get some coilovers. Next on the list is to get new tires (possibly new wheels too, not sure yet) and to finish the trunk install. i have actually made more progress on it, but i’m waiting until i get some more pictures to make a decent update so i’m not always bumping my own thread to the top… lol I would like to upgrade the rear sway bar. I’ve heard that the RS4 rear sway bar is a good upgrade… anyone have any first hand experience with this? or have any ideas of a better option on a budget? I’d love to drop a few grand into my car, but im in the process of buying my first house, so for now, if i want to upgrade, i have to keep the budget in mind.
I also am going to black out all the chrome on the car, including the rims and mirrors. I’m actually debating on throwing some black into the headlight housings for that rarely seen look. will be doing that soon!
I have been running the RS4 rear bar on my Avant since July 2011, and I like it a lot; it’s really neutral unless I seriously get too hot into a corner. Then it pushes.
I also have a Hotchkis 29 mm rear bar (no longer available from JHM) that I’m trying to decide whether or not to try. That one should make it more tail happy for sure.
My RS6 had upgraded sway bars… i just want to be able to get the rear end to rotate a little easier
The more I think about it the more I want to upgrade the rear Sway bar. One thing I did notice was on one Web site it says you need to use that one with a front bar… it isn’t required is it?
No its not. Often they suggest that you use both front and rear upgrades to get the most out of the sway bars
Really depends on who you talk to. Me personally i run the Hotchkis upgraded RS4 front and rear bar. i can tell you that with all the mods ive done to my car (the list very extensive imo) this was by far one of the most noticeable mods. Absolutely loved the difference. I highly recommend the hotckiss front and rear RS4 bars.
IF your only going with a rear sway i would suggest 034’s rear sway. Just a bit less stiff than the rear bar i run now AND they actually recommend staying with your stock front sway. They said it gives the car a bit more of a rear push in cornering. I also LOVE 034 Motorsports products and customer service. If you do order from there Ask for Jeremy and tell him Eddie Lizotte told you call him. See if he will give you 10% off. He normally does for me and my father. Ive dealt with him almost every time i called there and i even met him last year when he came out to waterfest. Cool guy.
I have no experience with their rear sway but ive seen a lot of people recommend and who are happy with it. I do run ALOT of thier other stuff though.
Awesome information guys! i really appreciate it. I always see people throwing information out there on something that they know nothing about or have no first hand knowledge. thats one of the reasons why i like this site.
Well the time has come. My poor B7 desperately needed new shoes. I was comparing the cost of tires to the cost of some tire wheel packages and it was really on like 200 or 300 different so i went with all new wheels and tires. I think this is the first time i have ever actually gone to the wheel store and bought brand new wheels. I didn’t get the ones i got to please anyone else…more for my own enjoyment since ive always wanted to own a set of rims in this style. either way… what does everyone think?
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20160414_154223_zpswywuafag.jpg
http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a479/vinnybuffone/Mobile%20Uploads/20160415_092645_zpslr9upqwp.jpg
So i threw the lowering springs on her last weekend. i figured this week i would get new wheels and tires and an alignment. The front couldn’t be aligned perfectly due to the drop…but he got it close. I’m thinking that the next time i get tires ill throw on some adjustable upper control arms so i don’t have to run as much camber. How much negative camber is considered too much ? and i’m asking about handling vs tire wear. i’ve read elsewhere that -1.5 is about the max, but i think mine came in around -2.0. im planning on rotating the tires very often to combat tire wear.
so one thing i have noticed since the control arm job, is the rear has started to settle in and the car sits a little better now. i don’t want the front end to lower down any more than it is, but i like the rear and how it sits.