Author Topic: madone_si - A4 Avant 1.8T RED Quattro (Read 103639 times)

Madone_si · « **Reply #70 on:** 14 September 2012, 01:38 »

Now repeated this for other two legs as well.

Now installed legs onto the base unit and tested middle platform to make sure legs are correct angles. After a few adjustments, everything was as required and to the height need too.

Now installed into the Audi and in first test, everything fitted as required, even tested the Air tanks as well.

Now moving onto making the air tank brackets, but due to someone in the family, deleting my camera SD card, I lost a lot of my pictures of these steps, but I used the same format as the legs, but started out with getting the height right by using wood and then cutting precut brackets, which I then adjusted and cut to fit to hold Air tanks in place.

Finished Air Tank brackets with tanks installed

And installed in the Audi

Once I have everything in place I will be covering all of the platform, brackets and legs with black paint

Next update will be the Compressors installed onto the platform with water traps and manifold and E-Level AccurAir equipment.

Madone_si · « **Reply #71 on:** 27 October 2012, 19:06 »

ok been busy with work and family, so not made alot of progress, but I went and changed my mind on the way I am going with Air ride set-up, here is how the new set-up will be.

hold on, spare wheel is back?!

I see something!

New layout!

So I will be going for a trunk and inside the car view - two views of my set-up.

Front view, the E-level unit will be angled and into the floor

Rear view, the VU4 will be hidden under the floor.

I will have Hardlines from compressors going to the top tanks and then hardlines from rear ports to each tank and then hardlines from bottom end ports to VU4, I will have a hidden set-up under the floor, that will allow me to add Air tools, my Digital monitors few other goodies, that I will show off once completed.

Now I have finalized on my design, I ordered all my Fargola fittings

Now onto making my new floor for trunk.

Using the current trunk floor, as guide, you can see where the tanks, Vu4 and compressors will be.

I ordered new Exo Rings and have drilled and screwed together the top and bottom rings around the tanks together, again not seen this done before.

exo Rings

Measuring up tanks on MDF before cutting up to size in Audi.

First part of floor cut and in the car

Second part of floor cut and in the car

and final part

Tthe blue tap on the edges is to stop MDF scrapping my side panels.

Next setup will be me cutting up the new floor to complete installation of tanks, compressors and hardlines to VU4 and explaining what tools, materials you need to do hardlines, how to do it.

I also managed to find a automatic Water traps, so that they will automatically flush water in traps out the bottom of the car.

Madone_si · « **Reply #72 on:** 19 December 2012, 23:31 »

ok been busy with family due to death

, but been spending evenings working on finishing off main tanks set-up, which I will allow the pictures to speak for themselves.

I've also raised the trunk floor by 3'' and have it setup just like OEM set-up, will post those pictures over weekend.

Top tank Drainage setup

Top tank to lower tank drainage setup

Underneath lower tank

I now need to take everything apart and carpet the whole setup so it is OEM Gray trunk carpet color and then bolt everything in place.

Next will be putting all back in Audi Trunk and cut the floor MDF to go around bottom tank, so I can then install compressors and water traps, to finish off the hard lines.

Madone_si · « **Reply #73 on:** 29 December 2012, 00:09 »

here are pictures of the tanks set-up tested in the Audi's trunk with the new flooring, lets just say it fits as I planned

The flooring around the bottom tank is not cut yet...!

Make sure everything is in right place from inside the car view. As planned tanks are 25mm away from the top and 2.5'' from rear of the seats.

View with rear seats down, love these

Now to prepare template so I can cut the final rear trunk floor piece. Took off the hard lines from top to bottom tank
and removed top tank

Now using cardboard, cut and sized up cardboard so its the same size of last flooring piece.

Cut the cardboard in half, this allows me to cut cardboard for back and front of tanks easier.

Then taking my time, I placed cardboard up against tank as far as possible and started marking and cutting until in place.
The rear piece was easy to do

The front piece was a pain in the A%*$, as needed to cut around the tank ends and hard lines.

So now I will use the templates to draw up against the floor MDF to then cut and test.

Madone_si · « **Reply #74 on:** 03 January 2013, 01:05 »

Here are the details of final construction of the trunk.

New floor sides & final floor piece cut to fit around bottom tank.

New floor sides

First started off by removing the trunk side cargo lacks.

I then cut the side pieces (weird I can't find any pictures of doing these

) so I will explain how I did it.

I used cardboard and measured both sides, I then cut the cardboard again and again until I got the perfect fit. I placed smaller wood underneath the cardboard to get two heights I required to make sure I got the main and top pieces to the required sizes.

Here you can see the main piece and top piece with the screws. I did the set-up this way, so I can lift the top pieces out, so I can still get access to the trunk sides if required.

you can see here the rear screws on side piece, the rear top floor piece will go over this and bolts will screw through the top of rear top piece of floor and the sides.

Same set-up on the other side

The top side I cut again so they are single pieces, as in the pictures above I had to make more adjustments to get the fit I required.

Here is me testing out the trunk floor, you can see the rear floor piece goes all the way across both sides, so I can secure that piece via the trunk cargo holders with bolts.

Here you can see the front piece in place, everything working as required.

Last part is to make sure the middle and front piece of floor can fold up as per OEM Floor and it does

, just need to add hinges.

and picture of new trunk floor complete.

Madone_si · « **Reply #75 on:** 03 January 2013, 01:06 »

Final floor piece cut to fit around bottom tank

So in two updates ago, I cut the cardboard for final trunk floor piece.

I cut that template up more, so I could then tape it back together so I had only two pieces, so I can take one piece out in the future from the Rear, to access the setup underneath the new flooring.

I then placed the two cardboard templates on top of the trunk floor piece and draw around templates. I cleaned up the straight lines, so the cuts are perfect. I also drilled hole on each side, on where the hard lines go through the MDF.

Cutting time!

I then cut the tank and tank holder shape out and also the drainage piping hole.

Then tested out. I had to make few adjustments on the drainage hole and ends of tanks, but now fits as I required

Now onto the front piece

I cut out the tanks shape and then tested, again slight adjustment at the ends and it fits perfectly as I require.

I then got the compressors and placed then in the trunk and guess what?

?!! They only fit perfectly aligning up with supports underneath. This is why I plan a lot, so I only have to do all this work once.

To say I'm happy with the results is an understatement!

I love this photo

I then took everything out of the trunk, so I can finish off the compressor > Water Traps > Top Tank piping and to carpet everything and complete wiring. Next update will be covering this and more details on how I did hard lines.

Madone_si · « **Reply #76 on:** 22 January 2013, 05:32 »

So with parts waiting to arrive to finish of the trunk/boot setup, I picked up my rear air bag plates this evening. So here are the rear bags with plates when I first bought them

Plates before sending off to painters for powder coating

Fresh wet black powder coated paint

I was going to go red, but you won't see these once new rims/wheels will be on. I will be making up the rear bags over the week, will post up details once done.

Madone_si · « **Reply #77 on:** 27 January 2013, 00:00 »

So here is me building back together the RE5 Rear Air Bags for the Audi.

With the new painted brackets done, build time

Here are all the parts that make up the rear Air bags for RE5

So first step is to install the air fitting into the bag. I am using a 1/2 NPT to 3/8 DOT line PTC.

Using 22inch spanner, I tighten it up until I felt it was secure. This was 4.5 turns

Now place plate on

and then install the bolts, with washers

and tighten bolts.

Now to attach the other plate to the air bag

Install all three bolts, make sure the plate is centered, this is key.

I now have one Air bag ready for installation, you can see second one in parts still, but not for long?!!

I then repeated the process for the second air bag

Sadly when I come to final bolt to install on the second air bag, I noticed that a hard plastic washer was broken, so I will get another one of those tomorrow, but here is the finished rear air bags completed!

Madone_si · « **Reply #78 on:** 28 January 2013, 04:07 »

Securing tank brackets together

One of items that I have left for a while was securing both the tanks together via the EXO rings. You can see the setup I have in picture below, but I need to adapter the rings to secure them.

I took the top tank off and then disconnected the Exo Rings

Here is how I need the rings to secure together, there are threads at the bottom of each Ring to secure to a floor

Measure the threads on rings, they are 5/16'', so I got a Thread ROD, which to make up my custom threads to secure them together.

So Securing ring in Vise, using a 1/4'' drill I drilled out through the ring. Ideally you want to use a secure drill, instead of hand drill, but I've done this loads, so just took my time.

First hole

Second hole

Now using my Tap and die set, generate the right 5/16'' thread in new hole.

The 5/16'' tool

You should take your time when doing this, I also use both hands when doing this kind of work, so I don't pull the tool to any side and get clean threads in the whole.

Here is the Thread ROD all the way through the Exo ring

You can see here how the thread goes through and will secure into the next Exo ring

I then repeated the drilling and tapping for both Exo rings parts

Test thread rod securing two Exo rings, works perfectly. You see a gap between the rings in the pictures, this is due too I didn't tighten up the thread, that will disappear once I cut the thread rod to the required lengths.

So tapped the thread where I require to cut it.

Now securing thread rod in Vise and using Dremel tool cut the thread rod

Time to clean up the ends of the Thread rod piece with file.

Here you can see thread rods one filed down (left) and one from just being cut (right). Key to get these nice and straight and then using die/tap tool make sure threads are as needed.

Only thing left to do now, is cut straight line at the end of the each thread so I can use screwdriver to screw then in. Used Dremel to create these.

One set of rings complete, see how they will install.

Threads install in top rings, top side

Bottom side of rings

Ring installed, you can see thread on left half way threaded in and one on the right completely in.

With the first Exo ring installed, now need to tape up and paint tops of screws, even though they won't be seen, its my OCD...!!

Here is the end result, with both rings installed, one painted.

and the other one painted. Another to do item completed.

Madone_si · « **Reply #79 on:** 20 February 2013, 05:55 »

Update on final piping work I did before I took everything apart to do the carpeting.

Added the hardline pipes for the Manifold Exhaust, the end of the pipes will have PTC fitting and then be routed into spare wheel area and then through metal to outside, with filters added and metal cover to protect filters from weather.

Then added to hard lines pipes from manifold which will connect to each corner air bag. These will be cut to length to have 90 degree PTC fittings, which I will then connect DOT line down into the spare wheel area and then connecting to another 90 degree PTC fittings going through metal using Bulk head fitting to outside of car.