Wow, Mike. I can't believe I missed this until now. Took me two evenings to go through the entire thread, but enjoyed every minute. Pretty awesome engineering you've done there

Question - Will a T4 mount up to an Audi 5-speed or a Boxter 6-speed trans? (I could use an extra high gear, or two). If not, what other options are there for us old-school air-cooled lackeys?

The problem is the starter location. The 914 and 911's have the starter mounted on the transmission backside. Ie: 901, 915, 930, etc... The later model cars have the starter mounted in front of the tranny next to the engine.

If you can machine and weld, it would be possible to mount the starter on the backside but this is not for the beginner. If you remember the automatic 914 that used an Audi 5000 transmission. This had a starter machined into the rear bell housing.


On a side note... The car is going to the dyno tuner today. a full update and pictures later...

[quote name='Andyrew' date='Sep 22 2012, 11:10 PM' post='1743052']
sway away custom axles? So 914 outer cv and boxster inner cv?

Why did you switch to boxster stub axles then instead of just going with the audi units? (I assume since they are custom axles they can make it for any cv...)
[/quote]

[quote name='kg6dxn' date='Aug 4 2013, 11:40 AM' post='1904219']
[quote name='76-914' post='1904212' date='Aug 4 2013, 08:21 AM']
If it weren't for the fact that my axle angle was too severe, I would have left the 5 speed in there for a while. I needed the 108mm flanges from the 6 speed to use 930 CV's. I tried to buy just the axle flanges but none of the Porsche dismantlers would sell me just the parts. Now I have all the parts, I just have to make it work...
[/quote]

Very interesting build thread. Interesting alternative to the Subi-swap for those looking for modern liquid-cooled power and smooth shifting.

My apologies if I missed the answers somewhere, but was curious about the two comments above.

First, why the Boxster axle stubs instead of the Audi's if you were doing custom axles?

Second, what was the issue with the axle angle? Was it due to the height or the length of the engine? Are the axles on the 6-speed in a different location relative to Rear face of Block compared to the 5-speed? Or did the 6-speed just allow the use of 930 CV's which should be more tolerant of the large axle angle (which is unchanged from the 5-spd?).

Thanks,

I mounted the engine and trans as far forward and as low as possible in the chassis. This was to maintain the F/R balance of the car. By doing this, the transmission output flange is no longer lined up with the center of the swing arm axle stub. The tranny is forward. Additionally, the car is lowered and the transmission is lower, This raises the swing arm stub center while lowering the tranny center. Thus creating a compound angle on the CV's.

The total angle was at the limit of the 100mm 944 CV joints (22°). So I switched to 108mm 930 turbo CV's. These have a max working angle of 30° and these are used by high power sand rails. A sand rail operates at severe angles all the time.

Audi makes a 100mm and a 130mm axle flange. The Boxster S/Cayman S 6-speed has 108mm flanges. Early 911 swing arm stub axles are 108mm and a direct bolt on for my 5 lug conversion.

I could have modified the Cayman S transmission stub axles to fit into the Audi tranny with a simple spacer but none of the dismantler's would sell them too me. They are $400 each from the Porsche dealer. I found a complete Cayman S transaxle in England and had it shipped to me for a total just under $1000.

The 6 speed has better gear ratios and the flanges I needed. Win, win for me.

The custom axles are off the shelf EMPI units from Pacific Customs. They cost $275 and each one is a different length. Both sides splined for 930 CV's. No custom machine work required and they can handle more HP than I will ever have.

To summarize, This was done with all bolt in parts. Even the shifter and cables are off the shelf units.

On a side note, The tuner called in sick today so no dyno tune until I return from the PCA Escape...

^

If you remember the automatic 914 that used an Audi 5000 transmission. This had a starter machined into the rear bell housing.

I don't think that quite qualifies as 'machined'

Well, it looks like they used some sort of machine to do that

How did the Retune @ 034 go?

They have had the car for 2 weeks and have spent 2.5 hours working on it. The tuner left for SEMA and my car awaits his return...

Ahh... Sema...

They must have been prepping their GTI,80Q,A4 for sema then..

That sucks.

Looks like their GTI won the Grand Turismo award.

They did replace my: Silicone cobra head, MAF housing, coil pack & spark plugs.

I was a little pissed off at the service manager for not working on the car. Now I just want it to be done. I have no idea how much money I will owe when done. Right now it's $400 in parts and 2.5 hours...

.... They went and changed all the parts that they have their own name on....

I'm running an OBX fuel rail...

They're dyno tuning time is $250 per hour so I hope the finish quickly!

What did they replace the cobra with?

My aluminum cobra with their silicone "high flow" version.

Just for fun, here is a pic of my wife and me on the Mulholland Highway. This is a couple miles past the Rock Store, biker hangout...

Click to view attachment

So their branded $60 version vs the universal rubber version they also sell for $30..

They change all the coil packs to the new version (The $15ea replacement version)?



A poor condition MAF could have been a real cause to your fuel issue. Also if your MAF is to close to your air inlet you'll get issues.. Changing out the coil packs could have been them ruling it out.. Its not a bad thing for the future..

I would really hope they give you some serious price breaks for all the stuff they are doing.

Nice pic BTW!

Cobra head was $60
Coil packs $30 each x4
MAF housing I had did not have the square mesh diffuser since it was aluminum. Their housing was $130.
Spark plugs were a deal at $4 each...

I got my car back today!
I got there and they said my turbo was falling off so they couldn't tune anymore until it was fixed. So I drove it home with an exhaust leak that got worse and worse. 5 miles into the trip, the Wastegate FELL OFF! 2 bolts backed out and that's why it was load and would not boost higher than 16psi. Duh. Oh well, easy fix. The tuner said he thought is was 90% done before the exhaust leak started. The WG was dragging on the ground after it fell off. Hopefully it's not too damaged.

At 16psi it did 229HP on a 4 wheel drive mustang dyno. Add 15% and that equates to 263HP at the flywheel. Probably more drive line loss since it was turning the front wheels too; maybe 20% or 275HP.

Either way, before the WG fell off... Holy shit! with a major boost leak this car moves!

Overall I'm happy. Once these guys got back from SEMA, the buckled down and got to my car. I wish they would have found the WG problem and fixed it and finished tuning. The tuner said he could have it wrapped up in about 30 minutes on my next visit.

Now I have to fix the CV boot shredding problem. 3 boots in 2000 miles. I think some sand rail units are in my future...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKF7fviKzM8


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Dyno looks great! For a comparison this is my dyno. I believe the boost controller was set to 19psi and I had 91 + 3 gal of 100 as I was going to crank up the boost but didnt due to my AFR being high.

What CV boots are you running?

Also what did they set the redline to?

I'm running 930 CV's

Not sure where the redline is. I won't be going above 6500rpm.

They did say it was still making power at 6500. Once the WG is back on and we can boost higher... We shall see...

I took mine regularly to 7200. I found it kept making solid power increase until just over 7k. People have run to 8k on virtually stock heads before and the valves done start to float until the high 7's.

Are you running Aftermaket boots (Over the shelf non oem) or OEM boots? Try getting some high end boots from Raxles.com or similar.

Hey Mike, car sounds great love the sound it put's out. John

It does sound cool! Sounds even better with the exhaust sealed. At the end of the video you can hear the exhaust leak "tapping" from the wastegate. When the exhaust is working properly, the turbo makes a cool gurgle noise as you come off the gas..

Well there's your problem... There's a hole in the exhaust manifold... No wonder it was loud and not making boost!

Looks like the bolts just backed out. Then it fell and dragged on the roadway. Look at the pic of the wastegate and you can see the self machining that happened. I ordered a new 90° adapter, it took the brunt of the damage. The WG has a little grinding on it so I may replace it too. So far the repair is $29 for the 90° and a couple bolts. Not too bad. I should have it running this weekend!

For the rest of you bean counters, the dyno tune with labor and parts cost me $1200, with $400 of it in parts. They only charged me to install spark plugs once. The first set were non resistor and the ECU went haywire. The second set were colder and resistor which made the ECU behave. I also kept all the old parts removed just in case. In CA the law requires mechanics to turn over parts if the customer requests them.

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Got the car fixed and took it for a shake down run...

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!!!

This thing is super fast. Almost scary fast. The suspension, brakes and roll bar keep it from being scary. It's boosting to 20psi. Nice and smooth boost. I can get full boost under 3000rpm. I can hit redline in 2nd & 3rd very fast, too fast. I keep having to shift...

I like it. I thought I heard a slight detonation at 20psi and above 5000rpm. I dialed in my methanol and it seemed to go away. I still need to take it back to flash out the ABS alarm so at that time I may have them look into the ping and maybe turn the boost up.

They set up the factory boost solenoid. No other boost control is needed and the factory valve keeps a nice boost plateau mitigating spikes.

Throttle response is great! Even at +0% in traffic all the way to 100%. Give it gas on the freeway and you're quickly moving at 100+mph.

I need to get this on a track and see what it can do! The PCA is having a DE event right before Thanksgiving at Laguna Seca. I'm not sure I can get in this one but for sure the next. I think I need to put my racing seat in and get a new 5 point harness...

So 034Motorsport has redeemed themselves. Even if they had the car for 3 weeks.

I highly recommend an Audi conversion. It's way faster than my V8 and easier to control. It's way smoother than the rotary and easier to control. The Audi drives like a factory engine until you put your foot into it. Then it roars to life as a big HP motor. My v8 was 250hp, my rotary was ~500hp. This is somewhere in the middle. Based on the "seat of the pants" dyno, I have to be nearing the 300hp mark. Which meets my original build goal. Just a little more tweaking here and there and I will be "just driving" and done wrenching...

Who wants to go for a ride?

Hey Mike.....

Hope to see you and your wife in Monterrey this coming June.

Glad to see you down here in the LA area..........

No more museums though!

Take care and see you in June......take my wife for a spin in your car so I can get the green light on a new motor...lol. Awesome car.

Rob

Rob,

We had a blast hanging with you and yours. I will be in Monterrey in June. My son graduates around the same time so the timing still needs to get sorted. See you there!

Mike

Mike,

Less than half way through the 3.3 conversion I've learned it's very easy to say, "I'll just stick a bigger engine in there, it'll be great." But doing it is soooo much harder. You really engineered that car into your own thing. Getting the brakes and suspension to match the engine output without overdoing it... well... ... Nice work.

Nice work Mike!

Went for a good shake down run toady. Car runs great with BIG power.

It is evident that I will need a new clutch soon. The car make too much power for the SPEC Stage 3 clutch. In between the 2-3 shift it feels like it slips a little. Once in 3rd at full boost, it does not slip at all. It's only when it grabs does it feel loose. I also smell burning rubber and hear a squeal in 3rd, 4th & 5th @ WOT and 20psi. it is either the belt slipping or the rear tires slipping. I think it's the belt.

I also need to figure out a CV joint solution. The 930 cv's are not going to last. I can hear both sides clicking and the passenger side got real load after a few full boost pulls onto the freeway. Marty (MSDS) gave me a lead to some 4000hp CV's and I might have to go that route...

Mike that sounds a lot better

Sounds like my 1.8T. And if you EVER needed more power you could bump the boost up or throw a larger turbo on.
Sounds like you have a proper 350hp now. With meth, 20psi and that turbo you should be between 330-350 crank.

Take an in car pull, I'd like to see the speedo

I went out to Manteca today on my shake down. On the way back I took Altamont Pass Rd. I was just tooling along, only a few mph above the speed limit. This dude in a Honda came out of nowhere and started riding my ass. I hit the corners a little faster to see if he wanted to keep up. We then hit traffic, three trucks and a trailer. I found a safe spot to pass, hit 3rd gear and poof! I was gone. I don't know what happened to the Honda dude. He did not want to play anymore...

I don't think I need anymore power. Did I really say that?

I'm more worried about what going to break next!?!?!?!?

The Renegade CV's are VW type 2 units. I have a set with axles sitting around.

My problem is the angle. I haven't measured but I'm guessing more than 22°.

As for power, you can only go so fast... This is way more power than my V8. The low end torque is less but that allows the tires to hook up. Then the turbo and engine with help from the lightened flywheel spool up very quickly. This thing needs a PDK! As soon as I shift, I have to shift again...

Ha ha ha, I know exactly what you're talking about. Fun isn't it? I think those Hondas must have run into a a lot of MGB's, so now think all older two seaters are wimpy. They do sober up pretty quickly though, don't they?

I left my outer CV's stock so they'd break instead of the 901. So far that's what happened, and I've broken three. I have a stronger transmission now so am thinking that maybe I should upgrade. I was going toward the 944 CV's, but if there's something better I'm all ears. I'm curious to see what you come up with.

I will be in the Bay Area for Christmas

PM me when you're in town and we'll see if it works out.

awesome
Which turbo project will last longer before blowing up, Mike B's or McMark D's??
Have fun

PS - Sir Francis Drake Blvd through West Marin was just re-paved. No lines painted yet...still some construction. I'm hoping to inspire a West Marin 914 weekend cruise loop as soon as it's done. This is all part of Excellence Mag's various "test loops" as I've seen local landmarks in many of their photos. It's been epic fun now that it is no longer pot-hole riddled crumbly road

I'm going to say... Mine will blow up first




This is loosely based on horsepower levels and driving styles...

Did you ever figure out what happened? kinda kicking myself that I didnt want to drive it. Maybe next time I come up I will ask

I know I will be up in the area for some Vintage Racing in Sonoma, hopefully some of you guys will be there as well!

I blew a fuse that operates the wastegate solenoid, O2 sensor and MAF. Not sure why. When I replaced the fuse, the ECU is holding the WG solenoid open all the time. Not allowing any boost to build.

When I saw you, the fuse was blown so I had too much boost without the MAF or O2 working. I can't believe I didn't blow up the engine.

So the car has been sitting for 2 weeks with the battery disconnected. If the ECU will not work the solenoid, I may put in a manual boost control until I can either swap out the ECU or repair it.

I will play with it this weekend and see what happens...

Given your experience with aftermarket ecu's are you still happy with running the factory computer? Seems like a lot of drama

When it runs good, it runs better than any aftermarket system I have tried. At low or no boost, it runs like a stock Audi. Perfect! When the boost comes on it runs like a raped ape! As much drama as it has been, the car only spent about 4-5 hours being tuned on the dyno. Compare this to an aftermarket system and the benefits show. Most of us don't own a dyno so with an aftermarket system you will be tuning for days, weeks, months and it will still run crappy in certain areas. Most aftermarket ECU's look at hundreds of variables per second. Factory ECU's look at thousands per second. Driveability are big issues with aftermarket ECU's. Poor Jim with his Microsquirt can't get rid of low rpm bucking. I can idle forward and feather into the gas and the car runs smooth as silk. So far the cost is about the same. I'm into the ECU and injection about $2k. An aftermarket system will cost you about the same after you buy all the peripherals.

So I had a phone call with my tuner on the way home today. After some phone call troubleshooting, it sounds more like I popped an intake tube off or torn a silicone coupler. The WG spring is 10psi. If the solenoid malfunctions I should see 10psi boost minimum as this is the pressure of exhaust that will push it open. I am seeing 1-2psi max which is more indicative of an intake leak. I have some piping that is really hard to get to nor can you see it. So I will have to remove some parts to get in there and look. When the fuse first blew, it was spiking boost over 30psi, so it could have esily popped a tube off.

I will know for sure this weekend... Stay tuned...

I agree it sounds like you popped a hose. When did this happen?

Fuse blew 2 weeks ago when I swapped my 5 speed back in. I only drove it a short while since but is had spiked to over 30psi during the drive since the WG was not functioning.

Well a nice 30psi spike would definitely cause some popped hoses...

Why did you swap the 5 speed back in? Issues with the 6spd?