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85 URQ Joins

129K views 204 replies 10 participants last post by  team illuminata 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi, my name's Paul Eddleston and I finally got round to introducung myself to this group. I recently took delivery of a beautiful 85 quattro that was previously owned by an Audi friend. I thoiught I'd start a journal-like thread about it and post some pictures

[Edit] SORRY some of the early pictures have been moved so the links are broken but go to the latest pages for current pictures and activity.















I know a few members on this forum already but some of you may know me from by business venture: Team Illuminata Motorsport, also known as TIM but not to be confused with the URQ owner Tim in the UP of Michigan. http://www.teamilluminata.com/

I grew up in England watching Rallying on TV but really got into the sport around the time the Group B monsters were arriving so you can imagine why I'm here now and why I'm so excited to finally have my quattro. I race a Subaru in RallyCross and autocross and do some track days too and I also crew at rallies for various teams if I'm not in the vendor area flogging our products.

Hope to see you and your cars at some events soon.
















So here is what I know about the car:

"One of the best examples of the classic ur quattro available. Very rare Canadian car. Original Tornado Red paint with black leather interior. 1 of only 17 quattros imported to Canada in 1985! Desirable and rare non-sunroof version. 167,000 KM. Clear Michigan title. Retains original metric instruments - I did not convert anything when I imported this car to the USA.

Over the course of the past 3 years, this car has been totally sorted out by Phil at Auto Europe in Birmingham. Phil was an Audi mechanic back when these cars were brand new. I basically gave him permission to check and correct anything that needed attention. The car was great when I bought it, but it's even better now! New hard fuel lines, clutch and slave cylinders, hydraulic bomb, alternator, starter, water pump, timing belt. tires, battery, master cylinder, rear differential bushing, center driveshaft bearing, etc., etc. The car has a modified head and a modified ECU to allow use of the Euro wastegate spring. A joy to drive. This must be what it was like to drive one of these cars brand new. No rattles or squeaks. Strong performer."

Certainly couldn't take issue with any of that and I've known Curt for a few years as a customer at my shop and when I worked at Auto Europe. I was just starting to think about buying a classic when this showed up. I thought I might import an Opel Manta from Europe. That's the car I had when I moved to the US around 20 years ago. I thought it was time to get one back. But then I saw this and it was obvious this was the car I should have. I grew up watching Group B rally in the forests in England and the quattro has always been my favorite Group B monster. Just the noise alone is enough to get my heart racing. Indeed, as I like to tell people, this car is why I now own a motorsports business and race RallyCross, autocross etc. Plus, it would be good that the car stay in Michigan where Curt could keep an eye on it.

I’ve had the car here for a couple of weeks now and driven it a couple of times. My goals for the car are to keep it in its original condition while fixing some of its issues and not-quite-original features. My list is already long but does not reflect the condition of the car but my mental condition of list making and nit-picking. Here are the highlights of what needs attention IMHO:


Restore leather seats
Hot starting issues
Small dent in hood
Should it have Center console?
How much clutch is left?
Oil change
Passenger door lock inoperative
Driver’s window seal loose
Handbrake boot fits poorly
Fuel leak smell
Passenger window sticks at 2” drop
Pass seat adjuster loose
Vent broken center
Passenger door pocket coming away
Rear diff damp-reseal
Right rear wheel creaks
Wipers slow
Gearbox play, mounts?
Rust spots, leading edge of hood, and fender in engine bay
Wrong headlights
Door bars missing
A/C removed engine bay, replace
Trunk carpet screws missing
Engine under tray missing right side
Radio too new and blingy
Upper front strut mounts loose
Rear brake lines rusty
Front ball joints
Lower control arm bushings iffy
Left front cv boot getting brittle
Volts-volt and oil temp meters behave oddly
Door carpet coming away
Non-original steering wheel
Trunk strut inoperative.
Key fob light
Exhaust crooked
Jack missing
Speaker cover loose
Non-original speakers


I might need help with some of these. Prepare yourselves for many questions. Obviously some of these are urgent and necessary, others trivial nit-picking but you can’t beat having a list. I’m sure it will grow rather than shrink even if I do check some off.

I still find it immensely ironic that, considering that I’m so into rally, have a rally related business and love to drive sideways that I bought a car that I can neither drive in the snow or on the loose. I guess I’ll have to limit my fun to wet roundabouts, the three or four that exist in SE Michigan. I may do the odd autocross in it or maybe a track day. Do they have track days for classics? I already took it round Waterford Hills track at the recent track day but only during the parade laps at lunchtime. Twas quite fun. Probably, this is what I’ll do most with the car. Just take it to local motorsport events and shows so people can enjoy seeing it. I am going to slap some BRAID wheels on it and a discreet windshield banner in white “BRAIDUSA.com” though as it has to earn it’s keep somehow.

These are the wheels that are on a boat in the Atlantic right now. What do you think?




I chose them because they are very reminiscent of the works wheels used on the S1, at least in my opinion. I ordered them in the same specs as the originals. I’ll use the Kumho 225/50-15 tires that came on the OE Ronals. Curt also gave me a set of BFG 215/50-15 which was the OE size but I’m not sure what to do with those yet.

Hopefully I’ll remember to update this page with news of the car's development and outings. Meanwhile, if you have any questions or suggestions let me know. I’m all ears, as some of you already know.
 
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#72 ·
More unbolting today.

I was advised to remove the tie rod ends so I could free up the adjusters as I will need an alignment when I'm done.




So I did, then sprayed it with PB Blaster.




This is where it bolts to the rack. Interesting arrangement.




I took a gearbox mount off to change it but it looked new so I bolted it back on and crossed it off my list.




Have an exhaust leak from here. Had to cut the bolts with a hacksaw blade. Going to need a new donut.




Drained the coolant and flushed the system.




Removed the heater valve as I have constant heat. Seems to close though. I think I will replace it anyway.




Monday I shop for parts and do my taxes.
 
#73 ·
Disassembled both front struts today. Wasn't too hard.




The only problem is the free Bilsteins I have aren't going to fit. They are off a later model. So, I need some inserts. Koni or Bilstein. Can't seem to find them in stock anywhere. Anyone have any sitting around?

Need quite a few parts before I can put this thing back together. namely:

Blue upper mounts
Dampers, Koni preferred
Front 86-2086 sport 2-6 weeks
Rear 86-2087 sport in stock at Koni
Front Strut bellows
End link
Wheel bearings
heater valve
coolant G12 or regular green stuff?
Exhaust donut
 
#74 ·
Koni inserts are on their way from a fellow URQ owner. Thanks Martin. I've found nice German top mounts and wheel bearings and most of the other parts I need. Still looking for the anti roll bar bushings and I'm not sure if I want to spend over $200 on an OE ball joint.

Took my struts and control arms to see my Freind Mat at MCE Tuning. He pressed out the wheel bearings for me no problem.




Old worn out bearing on the floor.




Inner race stayed on the hub! Mat got ot off.




Then cleaned up the wheel bearing hosings so the new bearings will go in nicely.



Next I start working on getting the control arm bushings out.
 
#75 ·
With parts sourced over the weekend it's time to tackle the rear suspension but I'm clearly not going to get at these from the trunk. Not with an impact gun anyway.




Had to take the back seats out. Looks like a race car :)




Had to use my bendy and impact gun to get the strut nuts off.




Everything loose, legs hanging. Had to use the ball joint tool kit again but now I'm an expert they just fell off.




My quattro is now "legless"!




The wheel bearings are better than the fronts but I think I'm going to change them anyway. Ball joints and tie rods seem ok so they can stay. Not excited about removing the strut inserts on these though. A lot rustier looking than the fronts were :( The left handbrake cable looks a little worse for wear but I have a pair on the way.
 
#76 ·
I got the rear struts apart yesterday. They were not as bad as I thought. I held the nut in a vice, applied heat and hit the steering arm with a hammer till it came loose.

People have suggested powder coating all the suspension components while they are off the car. I have been reluctant to do this as I am trying to not restore the car but maintain its originality. However, looking at the surface rust on the rear struts I feel I must at least POR15 the springs, rear struts and top hats just to preserve them.




With that in mind I degreased them with Marine Clean yesterday after removing loose rust with a wire brush.



Today, if I get chance, I will prep them and paint them with POR15 black.

 
#78 ·
Huge parts haul today. Coolant, front wheel bearings, top mounts, handbrake cables. Control arm bushings etc.




I think I may be starting put the car back together. After installing the new heater control valve I added coolant and put the steering arms back in the car today.



After that I dropped off the control arms and bushings at a friend's so he can attack them with his new press.

Have a good weekend.
 
#79 ·
It's KONI time in the shop this week!



Time to start putting this car back together but one question to resolve before I do that is where to set the adjustable KONI inserts. I like a responsive ride, my other car's a race car, but don't want to ruin the ride quality especially as you have to take these buggers out again to adjust them. So where to begin, #1, #2, #5?. Anyone have any experience with these?
 
#80 ·
I started to re-assemble the front struts this afternoon. Pressed in the wheel bearings.






Pressed the hub on and inserted the Koni inserts.




Need to decide on settings before I install the springs. Currently on 2 out of 5. Anyone know where these go?




The POR15 was a bit glossy so I went over the top hats and springs with some flat black.




I also re-installed the control arms and new right side ball joint. If I get chance tomorrow I'll install the springs then put the front struts back on the car!
 
#81 ·
Semi productive day today. I was hoping to have the car back on its wheels, maybe even driving but alas, I was thwarted by a wrong part. Seems I have a ball joint for a 4000 instead. Bugger!

Still, I got all four struts assembled and the Konis set. I went with 1 turn on the fronts, 1.5 in the rear. If I don't like it they are easy to adjust.....NOT!

Installed all but the right front strut on the car. Even that is technically on the car. Just hanging from the upper mount for now. I ordered a TSW ball joint from Rock Auto as a back up. OE versions are very pricey. Tomorrow I will search locally for a decent one. If I can't find one I'll wait for the TSW one. That's what's already on the left side anyway.

Hopefully, if I get time tomorrow I'll drop the rear on the ground and tighten all the bolts, put the rear seats back in and maybe, if I can find some, replace the blown rear speakers. I guess I could also drop and tighten the front left too. I can also install the new catalytic converter gasket and cinch that up so I can start the engine and burp the coolant. Then an alignment and we drive it. Damn, wish I had a ball joint.
 
#82 ·
Looks like a car again. At least this side does.




This side's still missing a leg!




So, thirty years ago a small, select group of Audi engineers sat down together to eat pizza and hatch a cunning plan. "I know..." proffers one
particularly sneaky engineer "...... let's build a 4wd turbo car that looks just like the Coupe GT but uses non of its parts. NONE. This will really
mess with their heads in about thirty years time. HAH!"

See, it wasn't about rally at all. It was just a German practical joke!
 
#83 ·
It's funny what you'll do while your waiting for parts. I decided to have a look at the aftermarket speakers on the rear parcel shelf. They are ugly and sound really tinny.




Oh my! How do we improve on this situation? What is the OE configuration like? Anyone have an original parcel shelf? With speakers?



I tried some other speakers in there but they were too bg and still sounded tinny. Maybe my acoustic issue lies somewhere else.

Still no sign of another (probably wrong) balljoint so I decided to pull out the passenger seat. Why? Severe case of wobble-bottom due to suspected worn slider bushings. BTW easiest seat extraction ever!



Or non existent slider bushings.




Oh, here it is. Hiding in the slider rail. Yuk.




and here's the new ones I surreptitiously picked up off eBay. Yes, I did buy two sets but the driver's seat is not so bad just yet. maybe, when my wrong balljoint gets here I will decide it is aweful and swap them too.




Here, that's better.




Then, really desperate, I downloaded this to play through my new OE stereo.




I wanna go for a drive :(
 
#84 ·
Look what Postman Pat brought me yesterday.




It fits too!



OK, I know, it's not OE and will probably wear out in about 10,000 miles but it's a tenth of the price!

So here it is, finally, back on all fours.




So i fired up the quattro and backed it out to get it up to temperature. I needed to burp the cooling system and test my new heater valve. Heater valve works but still runs a little warm at full cold. It is not closing fully though it did on the bench. I think a small cable adjustment should take care of things.




Then I took it out for a test drive. I must say the Kraftwerk worked perfectly. Exactly as described. New suspension's not bad either. Initially the new dampers seemed crashy over small bumps but soon settled down. I was a little surprised that the dampers did not feel stiffer as I set them around half their range. I couldn't really get on it though as the front anti roll bar is still off and I only have an eyeball alignment. I'm sure I'm going to be very happy with it once it's aligned and fully together next week.

I put the old speakers back in place but didn't reconnect them. The front are fine for now. Would love to get a replacement parcel shelf and original speakers though. Anyone?

I also installed the new cat gasket/donut but I think it's still blowing a bit :(

So I'm done for now. There's quite a few things on my original hit list that I didn't do yet and a few new ones but it's time to drive this thing.
 
#86 ·
I took the car down to Auto Europe for an alignment Tuesday.





My eyeballed alignment was way off as you might imagine but Charles whipped it back into shape.



So i've only put a few dozen miles on the car and the front anti-roll bar is missing but this beast has been transformed. No more boings and rattles from the loos suspension, goes where you point it and is very responsive. Just rolls a bit in corners as you might imagine. So everything is good. Not quite..........radiator started leaking yesterday. just a little froom the top seam:



and maybe the core



Can this be fixed, perhaps in situ? I don't want a new radiator as I love the look of the aged brass top.

I also have a small leak now from the power steering regulator but haven't yet isolated the source.

It never raiins but it pours (or weeps) with these cars. :):(
 
#87 · (Edited)
For the radiator, not in car repair, but I did get mine re-cored...keeping the ends.

It looks as if your coolant is green.

This can be bad.
I only use the blue VW/Audi coolant, as it has no phosphates..and it's less corrosive than most of the green stuff.

Just need to fully flush the system out before adding the blue..as it's been known on occasion to turn to jello if one mixed colours.
 
#89 ·
Quick radiator removal. This should be easy right?




It has more hoses going to it than my heart has arteries.




Finally got it disconnected and out of the car.






Uh, oh! Where's the isolator mount? Is this replaceable?






Off to the radiator shop for a re-core. Hopefully they can use the end tanks and side brackets.


Finally found a replacement for that decomposing breather hose.




OE exhaust bolts. How concientious is that?




Can't wait to get the radiator back for the shop and start driving this thing.
 
#90 ·
Recored UR Quattro radiator. I asked them not to paint it but now have to decide what to do to it. I was hoping to retain the original look with some of the black paint still on the top with the aged brass showing through but it rather got cleaned off in the process. Do I need to paint the core or can I leave the whole thing raw?




This is what it looked like before and what I hoped to retain:

 
#91 ·
So I decided not to paint anything, just threw it back into the car and drove it to the local track event by way of a shakedown. I hope everyone's cool with that.







Next on the list is to figure out why my washers don't work anymore. Low flow, just dribbles out. I also need to get the anti roll bar back on, detail it and rebalance the wheels. Then, hopefully, I can enjoy the car for a few months, so long as the clutch lasts. It feels awefully high on the pedal lately.
 
#95 ·
Well, looks like I haven't updated this thread for a while. I'm going to use the excuse that I have been driving the car instead of working on it. Who'd have thought?

I did finally get the anti roll bar back on. Had to order parts from the UK. I couldn't find OE bushings so had to settle for upgraded poly versions. I'm sure they are better but are a bit blue.





I also had to buy a pair of anti roll bar endlinks with bushings from the UK to replace the one I broke during disassembly. The very fist nut I tried to remove during the suspension rebuild.






I did put the original wheels back on for the summer



so my friend Tim could put them on his as he was headed to Pike's Peak.



Not a bad bit of exposure for the brand.

I managed to snag a replacement clutch in case mine gives out on me soon. It does feel quite high on the pedal now but is not slipping.





So with the car pretty much back together I have enjoyed driving it around for a few uneventful months and parking it next to other interesting vehicles (apparantly).

















I didn't park it next to these two beauties but I did get to see them in Europe, and about eight others just like them. Yes, they are real, unlike Tim's replica above. I even touched them!




So next on the agenda is to fix the washers as they are quite lame and this one leak.



OE gasket came in today. $3! must be the cheapest quattro fix ever.

Hopefully the car will stay together till winter when I think we may be putting a clutch in it. How hard could that be?
 
#96 ·
Great car, Paul! Thanks for sharing.

I just had my A3 serviced at my neighbor's repair shop here in Philadelphia and what do I see? A white ur quattro sitting there getting dusty. I think my heart skipped a beat when I saw it. With white wheels like yours, too. Now, days later I can't stop thinking about it!! D'oh!
Damn I want that car. :banghead:

Back when I was a kid (in my 20's) I had a '87 Coupe GT and always wished it was a URQ. I got rid of the CGT in '99 when it wouldn't pass inspection. 2 different shops gave me a laundry list of things wrong including cracked exhaust manifold with a price around $1700 to fix. That was it for me, I gave it to a VW dealer and bought a brand new Jetta. It was time anyways since after 7 years of daily driving the CGT was getting old to me. When I got the CGT it had 99k miles. When I was done it had 250k miles on it! All-in-all it was good to me. I remember I spent about $1,000 a year to maintain it.

Anyways, if luck has it go my way maybe I'll have a great white URQ in my possession sometime on the near future. If I do I will definitely share! :)
 
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