Audi UR Quattro Rally Build
Posted by BRAIDusa
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
We are checking things off pretty quickly lately and are starting to feel as if we might actually finish this phase of the project someday.
One major victory was getting the intake sorted. We had settled on a simple cone filter next to the turbo but were never really happy with it. 
We really wanted a Group B Kevlar tube taking cold, pressurized air from the cowl but that was a bit of a stretch for us and we have a dirty great MAF to accommodate so we couldn’t just buy one. 
So, we came up with a compromise. We’d build a filter box in the cowl, under the bonnet louvers where the Group B filter was and send the cold air into the passenger foot well, through a 90 bend and out into the engine bay through the firewall. Then we’d snake some 3” silicon tube to our MAF sensor. Let’s see how that went. 
BFH 
We used the connector off our cone filter to attach the filter housing bas to the tube coming up from the cowl. 
We even managed to come up with a heat shield. 
 Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Alex Staidle Mod Moderator Location: Δx = ħ/2Δp Join Date: 08/21/2009 Age: Settling Down Posts: 1,719 Rally Car: Various Heaps |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
It’s been a little while since our last update but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been beavering away on the car. It just means we’ve been too busy to write an update. Let’s rectify that now.
We finalized our mounting system for our spare and tool kit and jack. 
Then installed our intercom and Rennline fire extinguisher mount. 
And then found room for one of these fancy Element fire sticks. 
We even installed the co-driver’s map light! 
Does it look like we are running out of things to do? Feels like it too. Don’t worry, there’s still lots to do but it does feel like we might get it into paint this year! Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
One of our favorite aspects of this build is how many friends in the local car community have helped us with it; so, you can imagine how thrilled we were when we got the opportunity to work with a personal friend on the car. The original works cars used a canvas dash pad/cover held on by snaps that was somewhat unique. Our friend Jean is a dab hand with a sewing machine and we were excited when she agreed to help us make one. We secured the appropriate snaps and period correct canvas and invited her over. We were stunned by the result.
Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
In order to move the project along at a quicker pace and to implement the wiring at a much higher level than we could manage we have engaged the services of Jonathan Carlini of SportsCarTecnologies.com To build us a custom, race specification wiring harness for the project. The first part of this was the battery and power cables he built and delivered so we were very excited to get them installed, as you can imagine. First, we installed the battery wiring.
...and then we ran it through the rear firewall towards the dash mounted cut off switch. 
Next, we’ll send one of these to the alternator, starter and then move on to the engine harness, dash harness and body harness. Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
PLAYING THE SLOTS
Building this car was always going to be a gamble but we had no idea how addictive it could be. And so, it was proven when we started to consider putting the screens into our bumper slots. We always thought they would need cleaning up a little but the closer we looked the worse they looked. We soon realized they were all the wrong shape and even, to some extent, in the wrong place! Oh boy; another rabbit hole. Here’s a comparison between ours (below) and a works car from back in the day. 
It might not be obvious but you can see how the large, upper slots are supposed to have fillets in the corners. They are also supposed to be equi-spaced and centered about the centerline of the bumper. Ours weren’t. Even though most these will be covered by giant spotlights we just couldn’t live with it so set about fixing them. We assumed we could live with the lower, thinner slots as they were however. Using a suitable size socket, we estimated how much radii we needed in each corner and drew a template and a buck (right term?) to shape the slots around. We thought we’d need to use fiber-glass to add the needed material but as the fillets ended up being really small, we just used reinforced body filler instead. In fact, on many of the slots we were just removing material, they were that far off. So, after hours of filling and sanding over and over we finally had our big slots perfect-ish. 
Unfortunately, we then looked at the smaller side slots. They were even further out. 
Check back later to see if we managed to leave the lower slots alone. (spoiler alert: we didn’t) Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
It worked very well.
Inspired with how the mesh screens turned out in the bumper we looked at the hood slots next. They were a mess too, not surprisingly. 
So we set to work with the filler and files again. 
Once perfect we made individual patterns from cardboard and transferred them to taped mesh once again. 
We used the same method of clamping and weighing while we glued the screen down and were very pleased with the result. 
Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
TEAM ILLUMINATA MOTORSPORT 2023 FLEET REVIEW
83 QUATTRO RALLY BUILD: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/quattro-rally-build We are closing in on finishing the dry build phase of this project. Once we get the wiring done, we can disassemble the car and prep the shell for paint. Hi-lights this year include, power steering pump mount, hood pins, A-pillar gussets, handbrake lever delete, radiator ducting, cold air intake, spare tire, intercom, fire extinguishers, map light, dash cover, power wiring and the bumper and hood slot mesh.
84 911 RALLY CAR: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/84-porsche-911 Not a lot of work on the 911 rally car this year but we got to drive it quite a bit. The year started out with some new wheels and tires as we upped our game with tire width. Then we replaced the front anti roll bar bushings and fixed an oil leak. We took the car to plenty of cars and coffee events but the standouts were our attendance at the Woodward Dream Show at M1 Concourse with around 15 other rally cars as part of the Woodward Rally Cars (WRC) Group. We were also invited back to the American Speed Festival at M1 where we demonstrated the car’s track capabilities and the Empire Hill climb again. Not a bad year for the little car that can. 
85 QUATTRO: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/85-ur-quattro This year we got to drive and show the 85 Quattro a few times. We are still chasing some minor drivability issues and the passenger side window regulator is awaiting its third fix attempt but we can now enjoy the car. We got it fully detailed, paint corrected and ceramic coated at Auto Europe early in the year and it has never been cleaner. We really enjoyed showing the car at the DeutscheMarques show at the Gilmore Museum and a concours in Northville as well as numerous cars and coffee events. 
89 944 TURBO: https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/89-944-turbo Early in the year we got a new addition to the fleet. A 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo (951) fully built race car and all its spares. We are not sure what we’ll do with this one yet or how it will fit into our marketing plans but it does look good in the showroom. As it’s not even close to being street legal we haven’t driven it much but we did shake it down at a local autocross in the summer where, despite its wide Hoosier R7 tires, it performed very well and was very easy to drive. The only real mechanical work we have performed on the car is to give it some proper BRAID wheels and more autocross and track day friendly tires. Hopefully we’ll have some opportunities to get this beast out on a track during 2024 so we can see what it can really do in the environment it was built for. 
2005 CAYENNE (TIMSYBERIA): https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/timsyberia The Timsyberia Cayenne continues to fulfill its daily driver and TSD rally roles admirably while keeping us on our toes mechanically. No Cayenne nightmares have appeared and it has never let us down but we have had to fix a small oil leak, and replace the hatch struts during 2023. We gave it some 17” BRAID wheels and Blizzak winter tires recently and some rust protection from Krown as it’s just so clean. We took the car up the actual Sno*rift rally and also used the car to discover Northern Michigan’s trails on two separate occasions. We also participated in the Son of Sno*Drift TSD rally in what passes for winter these days. We were entered for the Press On Regardless TSD rally in the Fall but a back injury saw us withdraw a couple of days before. We’ll be back to conquer that one in 2024 however. 
2015 SPRINTER (RALIVAN): https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/ralivan2 Of all our vehicles that actually drive this might me the one we’ve used the least this year. About the only proper road trip we’ve used it for was when we dragged our 911 up to the Empire Hill Climb again. Before we could do that, we had to address the cooling issues it had exhibited the last time we did this. To be sure we didn’t have any more issues about a month before the event we replaced the radiator and viscous cooling fan and give it some new coolant and a transmission service. Other work on the van involved wiring the heating elements of our amazingly comfortable Scheel-Mann seats and installing a bulkhead to separate the cargo area from the cabin. We also took the van to the Mercedes dealer in Novi for a recall and to have the 70mph governor deleted from the ECU. We now can rip at around 85 if we want to!  Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
We are running out of things to do again so are picking away at bits an bobs before we send the car out for its wiring harness. Here’s a few little things we managed over the last few weeks:
The shape of the curve on one of the rear arches has always bothered us. We got the body filler out and fixed it. 
We want a strut bar in this car so, of course, we are going to try to replicate the works version, as best we can anyway. We don’t have many images of it but it looks and mounts like this. 
We’ll need to reinforce those mounting surfaces but otherwise it looks doable. After a bit of trial and error we came up with this. 
The uprights are a bit long right now but we want to wait till the wiring harness is in as it comes into the engine bay at about the same height so we don’t want this to be in the way. One thing we’ve been meaning to fix for a while is the inlet to the intercooler. The inlet hose has always impinged on the bumper bar brace so we needed to alter the angle of the inlet so it would clear. A good a time as any. 
Fits. Just tacked for now. The works cars had windshield retainers so our will. Especially as they were easy to make. 
With no glass in the car yet we had to use our other Quattro as a model to get the angle correct. 
Next time we’ll make the doors fit and prep the car for its wiring harness installation. Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
TEAM ILLUMINATA MOTORSPORT 2024 FLEET REVIEW
83 QUATTRO RALLY BUILD https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/quattro-rally-build The Quattro rally build was away most of the year getting wired. Wouldn't we all want to do that! It should be back when you read this so, once again, we can say we're going to finish it this year! 
84 911 RALLY CAR https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/84-porsche-911 Our little 911 rally car was quite popular this year. Lots of cars and coffee events, M1's Woodward Dream show and American Speed Festival, Northville Concours d'Elegance, and an impromptu hill climb because our 944 got shy at the last minute. The only repairs were a new fan belt and a replacement heater blower. 
85 QUATTRO https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/85-ur-quattro The 85 Quattro continued to keep us busy in the workshop this year. Although it was driving nearly perfectly it still had us fix its handbrake lever boot, window regulator (finally), and a loose dip stick before finally giving up completely in September. We have tried to getting running yet as it never goes out till May but we did send out the passenger seat to be partially re-covered. 
89 944 TURBO https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/89-944-turbo The 944 got a new suit and is now looking like the real race car it always has been. However, that didn't cure its shyness and it has fought us all year with what seemed like fuel starvation issues but clearly wasn't. We finally fixed it in time for the American Speed Festival but it missed the Empire Hill Climb. Towards the end of the year, it got called up for a photoshoot and video with Cruis'in Media. Look for that this spring. Statically speaking it showed well at quite a few events such as Woodward Dream Show, American Speed Festival and a few local cars and coffee events. Mechanically it got new engine mounts, new ECU and plates. Yes, it's now road legal! 
2005 CAYENNE https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/timsyberia Our Cayenne "AKA Timsyberia" has done sterling work as our daily drive and occasional parts hauler but it started 2024 off having fun in the snow. In January, we let it do the Son of Sno*Drift TSD rally then in February it helped feed the workers at the actual Sno*Drift rally disguised as an ice cream truck. Well, it had the chimes anyway. Service-wise it got a new starter (royal PITA) and an oil change (POC). 
2015 SPRINTER (RALIVAN) https://teamilluminata.com/blogs/ralivan2 Nothing exciting to report. Just works and continues to drag cars around the mid-west with aplomb.  Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
WIRING PREP
This feels like one of those Project Binky updates! Been quiet here as a few months ago we took the car over to Racing Tech (https://www.racing-tech.net/) in Grand Rapids, Michigan to get a full wiring harness designed, built and installed. Obviously, this required a bit of prep. First off, in case Racing Tech wanted to turn the engine over on the key we needed to make sure it actually still turned. You see, we bought this engine so long ago now that we didn't know if it still did that. So, first thing we did was take the plugs out and squirt some lube down the cylinder bores. Then we took the valve cover off and coated the camshaft in assembly lube. Once that was done, we finally turned it over with a big wrench on the crankshaft bolt. Thankfully it turned quite nicely. 
Next on the list was to find every bit of electrical equipment that wasn't yet installed on the car and also the old wiring harness in case any of the connectors were needed. Dumping the wiring harness out of the tote box it has been stored in for ten years reminded us why we are not using it. 
When we'd finished bolting everything on, we realized the car was now the most complete it had been for probably 20 years. So, we weighed it. 
Not bad. It's only really missing glass and wires in this state. Then we showed it the door, the trailer and, finally, the inside of the trailer. 
The drive to Grand Rapids took about two hours. We can't tell you how the car drives but it we can report that it tows really well! Here it is in its new, temporary home. 
Here are some action shots curtesy of Racing Tech: 
The car should be home soon so we'll give you a full review then. Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
It's back! Yes, the car is finally back from @racingtech where it received a full racing spec wiring harness. It is technically alive!
It was a bit of a trial getting it home, what with the weather, van troubles and having to drag it into the shop with the 944. It might have brake lights now but it doesn't have brakes; nor does it run. 
But now we can push the project towards finishing the dry build and getting the shell painted. That might even happen this year! First on the agenda: finish mocking up the strut bar. We couldn't finalize the location before as it might have blocked access for the wiring harness but not anymore! It currently sits way too high and needs the mounting brackets fabricating and the existing structure reinforcing. Here's what ours currently looks like what it will look like. 
We'll let you know how we did in the next update. Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
So, we've been working on the strut bar and finally have it in a form that resembles that of the works cars. It's not fully welded in yet but we'll get to that when we start to strip the car for paint. Here are some shots of the process:
We lowered it a bit to check clearance: 
Once we were certain it wouldn't interfere with anything we committed and chopped it down to size: 
Then we fabbed up some top brackets and tacked them into place: 
Once we get the car apart we'll weld them up and add some reinforcement to the mounts. Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
Paul Eddleston Professional Moderator Location: Birmingham, Michigan Join Date: 09/06/2012 Age: Ancient Posts: 563 Rally Car: Subaru Outback Wagon EG33, 911 Carrera |
We're getting very close to finishing the dry build on our Quattro rally car and stripping the shell to paint it. Just a few final details need to be taken care of:
First, we decided now was the time to repair the cowl lip next to the right-side strut mount. At some time in the car’s life, it had got crushed and went a bit rusty. A bit rustier than we expected. We removed the crushed bits, cleaned up the rust and made a new part. We'll weld it in next time we're in the area with the welder. 
Then we moved on to selecting and mounting the clutch fluid reservoir. We initially tried a third brake fluid reservoir but it seemed bigger than necessary and proved hard to find a spot for. So we set about using a small Honda unit and coming up with a suitable location for it. We weren't really happy with any of them until we settled on this, mostly because it allowed us to make a speed hole! More welding later. 
Next on the list was adding some side vents to the HVAC system. Originally, we'd thought about just leaving the vent tubes open, assuming they would not be impeded by the impending wiring loom. 
But once that was in, we realized we might just have some room to terminate them in the exact same vents we had used in the dash. After trying one, we knew what we had to do. I ordered some more and some better ducting. 
 Paul Eddleston BRAID Wheels USA www.BRAIDUSA.com Team Illuminata Motorsport www.teamilluminata.com |
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