Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by FRUNKenstein » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:32 pm

Hey DeckMan, there's a VR6 Corrado on BringATrailer.com right now:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992- ... ado-vr6-4/
1992_volkswagen_corrado_vr6_1547225801e00a9DSC_0120-940x623.jpg
1992_volkswagen_corrado_vr6_1547225801e00a9DSC_0120-940x623.jpg (183.56 KiB) Viewed 4943 times
Thought you might get a kick out of the auction.
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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TheDeckMan
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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by TheDeckMan » Mon Feb 04, 2019 5:29 am

Yeah I have been watching that one. I figure it is a 3200-3600 car with the hatch rust, the crappy matched paint job on the drivers fender. The dented hood is a killer as hoods are $$$$ these days.

Being a 1992 they have the early dash which is not desirable like the 93+ interiors. The market has been climbing on them in the past couple years, hopefully they start to be worth more together than they are in parts.
996TT - Widowmaker Project -RWD, UMW Tune, H&R RSS, Phenix Engineering Control Arms/LCA's, GT3 6 Pistons, SpeedTech 3" X-Pipe, Ported Headers, 997 GT3 Shifter, GT3 Buckets, GT2 Clutch/PP, GT2RS IC's, RSS Roll Bar, GT3 Brake Ducts, Joe Toth Aero/Ducts, Champion Thrust Arms
997TT - LSD, Chrono , UMW Tune, DSC, Phenix Engineering Toe Links & LCA Bushings, Tubi Race, 3" eRams, 964RS Engine Mounts
Audi TT Track Car
Corrado SLC
https://phenixengineering.com/

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TheDeckMan
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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by TheDeckMan » Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:55 am

Here is a much nicer example of one.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1992- ... ado-vr6-3/

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Being that it has leather, paint looks in much better shape as well as the engine bay is correct with nothing seeming to be missing. With 155k miles I ten years ago this would have gone for $5k, thinking this one might be in the $8,000-12,000 range. ABS is having issues, most likely needs some attention which is not too bad, most likely a speed sensor, or back date to a Non-ABS setup for more reliability.
996TT - Widowmaker Project -RWD, UMW Tune, H&R RSS, Phenix Engineering Control Arms/LCA's, GT3 6 Pistons, SpeedTech 3" X-Pipe, Ported Headers, 997 GT3 Shifter, GT3 Buckets, GT2 Clutch/PP, GT2RS IC's, RSS Roll Bar, GT3 Brake Ducts, Joe Toth Aero/Ducts, Champion Thrust Arms
997TT - LSD, Chrono , UMW Tune, DSC, Phenix Engineering Toe Links & LCA Bushings, Tubi Race, 3" eRams, 964RS Engine Mounts
Audi TT Track Car
Corrado SLC
https://phenixengineering.com/

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by FRUNKenstein » Mon Feb 04, 2019 1:57 pm

No question as to which I'd rather have. :D
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by TheDeckMan » Wed Feb 06, 2019 1:40 pm

Like all good things, it takes time to get the right parts...some times even more time to get the other parts to use the right parts! In this case it was the long wait on the oil pan ordered up in December for the Corrado, of course while ordering one pan, I figured it would be a good time to pick one up for the Track TT. To my delight they showed up Friday, now time to put the Corrado pan on and continue the forward progress or so I thought.

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Out with the old pan and time for the new
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Checking out the ARP goodness on the bottom end of the motor with her skirt off :D
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Then things began to not go well. The pan did not seem to fit, after a couple tries to see what was causing the pan to not want to seat against the block, my memory was jogged that these pans were shorter....Yep 4.5" vs 5" so the pickup was hitting the pan. Turns out that a MK5 R32 pump and pickup is needed in order to run the pan.
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So the last up was to put the freshly powder coated rebar back onto the Corrado.
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Stalled out with the Corrado, I ordered up a new oil pump VW part number 022115105E. So I turned my attention to the 9-3SS rehab project, with it tying up the lift and wanting to get it rolling so the doors/interior could be swapped it was time to tackle the control arms and fix the oil sender leak.

A quick battle with the control arms to replace them was the easy task. Then turning attention to the oil level sender did I discover to reseal it you normally drop the oil pan...With my oil pan success being 0-1 so far, I discovered using some safety wire I could push the sensor into the pan after draining the oil then reseal and pull it back into its position without dropping the pan. Also putting a piece of metal on the other end of the safety wire ensured that the sensor could not slip into the pan completely with the safety wire.

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With that sealed up, an oil change and new filter and she is ready to move finally. Hopefully on the road for spring.

With the car work done as it could be and the warm weather on Sunday, it was time to move the new flooring up three flights of stairs to get it ready for the closet. The good way to round things out is to grab a beer and paint some walls.

16 trips up three flights of stairs is good cardio for a Sunday.
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To be continued....
996TT - Widowmaker Project -RWD, UMW Tune, H&R RSS, Phenix Engineering Control Arms/LCA's, GT3 6 Pistons, SpeedTech 3" X-Pipe, Ported Headers, 997 GT3 Shifter, GT3 Buckets, GT2 Clutch/PP, GT2RS IC's, RSS Roll Bar, GT3 Brake Ducts, Joe Toth Aero/Ducts, Champion Thrust Arms
997TT - LSD, Chrono , UMW Tune, DSC, Phenix Engineering Toe Links & LCA Bushings, Tubi Race, 3" eRams, 964RS Engine Mounts
Audi TT Track Car
Corrado SLC
https://phenixengineering.com/

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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by TheDeckMan » Mon Feb 11, 2019 1:13 pm

ade some good progress this weekend on the Corrado now that the new oil pump showed up. First up was to get it all set to go together and installed to the motor.

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Next up was the tight fitment of the pan which took a couple tries to make sure everything cleared.
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Then turned attention to punching out the new fire wall heat shield with this awesome kit by Mayhew Tools from down the road.
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I increased the size of the heat shield to reduce the amount of possible heat thrown into the cabin due to all the sound deadening having been removed.
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With the oil pan on and motor aligned and bolted down finally, it was time to do the last two torque sequences on the ARP Head Studs and put some assembly lube on the DRC 268* cams.
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Once torqued and the valve cover was back on I had a little time to get the fender liners in and the bumper back on the car. Now can turn attention to some fabrication projects for the PCV and intake pipe.
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996TT - Widowmaker Project -RWD, UMW Tune, H&R RSS, Phenix Engineering Control Arms/LCA's, GT3 6 Pistons, SpeedTech 3" X-Pipe, Ported Headers, 997 GT3 Shifter, GT3 Buckets, GT2 Clutch/PP, GT2RS IC's, RSS Roll Bar, GT3 Brake Ducts, Joe Toth Aero/Ducts, Champion Thrust Arms
997TT - LSD, Chrono , UMW Tune, DSC, Phenix Engineering Toe Links & LCA Bushings, Tubi Race, 3" eRams, 964RS Engine Mounts
Audi TT Track Car
Corrado SLC
https://phenixengineering.com/

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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by TheDeckMan » Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:22 am

With a solid day an a half available for some time in the garage with the Corrado it offered a perfect opportunity to work on the interior harness. With the Corrado's main focus being a bare bones simple car for back road runs and the occasional track day there are many things that are no longer needed.

Item slated for removal in the interior were the following:
1. Heated Seat Wiring
2. ABS Wiring
3. Radio Wiring
4. Automatic Seat Belt Wiring
5. Stock Alarm System

First step was to pull the door cards, remove the speakers and pull back the wiring for them.
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The auto belts, ABS and radio had already been removed so removing all the wiring was the next step prior to beginning interior assembly.

Radio wiring. Found a couple additional prior installs as well :eek:
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Along the way found some prior installs of what looked like an alarm system which needed to be fixed.
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Finished pile of the harnesses that could be removed ended up with a final weight of 15.2lbs
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Damaged sections were re-wrapped and then put back into place to have a very clean result.
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Final part of the weekend was to get the carpets cleaned up and in, these having suffered having the old heater box foam on them as well as sitting around for the past nine years in various spots in the garage made sure I had my work cut out for me.
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With some time with a vacuum and then cleaning with a carpet cleaner resulted in almost new, minus the old roll cage holes cut in the carpet. Perhaps at a later date I will run across some NOS ones to put in now that the cage has be moved to the rear cross section.
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996TT - Widowmaker Project -RWD, UMW Tune, H&R RSS, Phenix Engineering Control Arms/LCA's, GT3 6 Pistons, SpeedTech 3" X-Pipe, Ported Headers, 997 GT3 Shifter, GT3 Buckets, GT2 Clutch/PP, GT2RS IC's, RSS Roll Bar, GT3 Brake Ducts, Joe Toth Aero/Ducts, Champion Thrust Arms
997TT - LSD, Chrono , UMW Tune, DSC, Phenix Engineering Toe Links & LCA Bushings, Tubi Race, 3" eRams, 964RS Engine Mounts
Audi TT Track Car
Corrado SLC
https://phenixengineering.com/

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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by TheDeckMan » Tue Mar 19, 2019 6:09 am

Where does the time go I always wonder, with a break from plowing and shoveling snow with having some nice weather this weekend, it was time to focus back in the garage on some projects. Being that Corrado's are scarce birds these days, I was asked if mine would be done for New England Dustoff...which got me thinking about having a hard date to at least focus on.

However before that focus could be dialed in, I needed to deal with an unfortunate aftermarket part failure from two weeks ago. The daily 04 Saab had snapped a H&R Coil spring on the front right....for the second time, luckily I knew the sound and then limped the car home from work. The fist time the spring failed I had lent the car to a friend who had no idea what the noise was, this resulted in not only a ruined strut mount but also a destroyed Bilstein Shock as well.

Not good, that is the strut mount bearing hanging out right there.
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So first thing Friday night was to pull the springs out...then enjoy my tasty beverage and asses the plan for the weekend. I ended up ordering a new set of springs as I had not heard back from H&R on the warranty for the 2nd time, figured they will drag their feet so I could steal the fronts from this kit while waiting on the others to show up. Then the kit could be used on the 06 2.8t car later this year.
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The spring compressor being all mounted up, was still needing some last fixes prior to use. So with coffee in hand an early part of Saturday morning was removing the spring detents, re-welding the broken tab, then thru bolting the adjustments. Being that I only need it once in a while, the time lost with the bolts vs spring detents is not a major loss for a home hobby shop.
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With that done it made for quick work putting the new strut mounts and bearings from FCP in, I am sure I will be needing another set in the future of getting this old girl to 300k miles.
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However, one must be aware these days that most places selling kits might not actually check their parts for total fitment. The strut mount hardware was ~7mm too long and would hit the strut bearing so the old hardware was used.
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With the 9-3 all fixed up, it was time to focus on the Corrado. I was not happy with how the oil cooler setup was, so I decided to take it apart to remove the factory coolant/oil exchanger. In process discovered two issues. First issue was that the threaded adapter was too long and would need to be turned down, the other issue was that the flange had made it by QC or lack there of and needed much deburring/cleaning.

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While I cannot remember where I got this adapter kit from, it is something folks should be aware of when buying and installing aftermarket parts.


Some deburring and viola after a quick run through the ultrasonic cleaner.
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Next was to shorten the feed tube up.
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With weight savings still a large part of the build, I found an old early two piece accessory bracket and cut off the AC section. And milled it to remove some more weight.
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Next up was to start getting an idea for the intake setup, looks like some extra work of not only making an intake pipe, but also having to figure something out for the coolant hose will be needed.
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Since I was remounting the HID ballasts to the rebar with nutserts, some of the openings on a set needed to be milled open a little more.
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I had already done all the doors over in the heater box, so doing the gaskets for the various pipes for the foot and vent heaters was the final project as I needed to chase down some adhesive after work this week.
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Wrapping up the end of the weekend was enjoying another Lord Hobo while assessing the upcoming plan for buttoning up the wiring and getting the dash into the car.
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Now the big question is if it can be finished and running for April 28th :eek:
996TT - Widowmaker Project -RWD, UMW Tune, H&R RSS, Phenix Engineering Control Arms/LCA's, GT3 6 Pistons, SpeedTech 3" X-Pipe, Ported Headers, 997 GT3 Shifter, GT3 Buckets, GT2 Clutch/PP, GT2RS IC's, RSS Roll Bar, GT3 Brake Ducts, Joe Toth Aero/Ducts, Champion Thrust Arms
997TT - LSD, Chrono , UMW Tune, DSC, Phenix Engineering Toe Links & LCA Bushings, Tubi Race, 3" eRams, 964RS Engine Mounts
Audi TT Track Car
Corrado SLC
https://phenixengineering.com/

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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by sweet victory » Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:53 pm

Love this thread! Everything from the garage build to the cars - it's all awesome.

That oil pan is a work of art. I also really like your porsche posters. Mind sharing where you got them?

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Re: Widowmaker Project (Building a Faux GT2)

Post by TheDeckMan » Mon Mar 25, 2019 7:29 am

sweet victory wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 11:53 pm Love this thread! Everything from the garage build to the cars - it's all awesome.

That oil pan is a work of art. I also really like your porsche posters. Mind sharing where you got them?
Thanks! If you asked me ten years ago, I would have said a dream space like this was unattainable for an average car guy. Lots of hard work and a little luck said otherwise!


Most of the artwork is from 8380 Labs, which covers most of my Audi/BMW/Porsche Art, I have another 25 posters that I have not had time to frame up yet from other sources like Petrolicous and a couple places in the UK which I cannot remember. Here is the link for 8380 https://www.8380labs.com/


Made some heavy progress this weekend on the Corrado as shooting for firing her up the second week of April, so thus the big push is on.

Needing to finish up the interior items prior to going onto the two post lift for the brake lines and exhaust, first project for the weekend was to get the new bias valve mounted up.
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Then milled it up square and took down the hole locations for the old rear arm rest mount.
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Then finished drilling and then could bolt the Tilton bias valve in. This will replace the factory unit that runs off the rear axle beam on the car, due to no ABS I wanted to be able to adjust this perfectly.
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Next up was to get the HVAC all cleaned up, the new controls in and cables hooked up. Then finally the dash.

Ah yes, being inverted hooking up the cables
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Then to wrap things up was to finish mounting up the power distribution block, running the battery cable to the back of the car.
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Next up was to begin the mounting of the ECU to the body, so I began to make up the bracket assembly that will hold the ECU in place.

More sawing
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Then milled down the bracket and drilled out the mounting hole.
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996TT - Widowmaker Project -RWD, UMW Tune, H&R RSS, Phenix Engineering Control Arms/LCA's, GT3 6 Pistons, SpeedTech 3" X-Pipe, Ported Headers, 997 GT3 Shifter, GT3 Buckets, GT2 Clutch/PP, GT2RS IC's, RSS Roll Bar, GT3 Brake Ducts, Joe Toth Aero/Ducts, Champion Thrust Arms
997TT - LSD, Chrono , UMW Tune, DSC, Phenix Engineering Toe Links & LCA Bushings, Tubi Race, 3" eRams, 964RS Engine Mounts
Audi TT Track Car
Corrado SLC
https://phenixengineering.com/

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