Grahams81-Leon 4wd, Big Turbo - Back in the saddle :-)

[Applemobile]

Where the hell did you get 044's for £80?

 

[grahams81]

Where the hell did you get 044's for £80?

Ebay my friend, i thought they may have been fakes but he was listing them as genuine bosch ones so i took a chance.
They came with free postage and once i got my hands on them they are genuine. There is a few guides for spotting fakes on the internet.

Gearbox update

After considering options on cleaning the gearbox casings... i did consider having it shot blasted and painting it myself. But last weekend i decided to try and clean it up using some wire wheels.
The corrosion / crap came off it quite easily so i decided to buy various wire wheels / dremmel bits.

Before i started -

After a test clean of an area -

Cleaned the ID label off -

Getting there -

All done -

The finish is still quite polished, i'm gonna give it a once over with some scothbrite to take the shine off it once its built but at least its clean.
The gearbox was very badly corroded so the finish is still quite pitted, close up to show the pitting -

Gonna try and get the box built back up next weekend.

So long,

Graham.

 

[Applemobile]

Ebay my friend, i thought they may have been fakes but he was listing them as genuine bosch ones so i took a chance.
They came with free postage and once i got my hands on them they are genuine. There is a few guides for spotting fakes on the internet.

.

Thanks for the heads up, i found them for £80, just wait to see what turns up. Found some on there that were clearly fake.

You painting the box? It wont look shiny like that for long!

 

[grahams81]

Thanks for the heads up, i found them for £80, just wait to see what turns up. Found some on there that were clearly fake.

You painting the box? It wont look shiny like that for long!

Yeh there's loads of fake ones, i bought ones marked as Genuine Bosch 044's, Theres loads of 044 style ones, you need to be careful with the wording in the description...you can tell by the packaging / where its made and the fact the pick-up size is smaller.

Not planning on painting the box, not too bothered about it just wanted it cleaner than it was. I actually don't like it shiny so I'm gonna attack it with scotchbrite to de-bling it...

 

[Roffel]

Wow wow and wow!
Been imagehopping and have to say youre a absolute genius!
I'm yealous of the knowledge and way you take this Leon to the next level..

Applause!!

 

[ibeefa]

Love this thread!
Excellent build you got there Graham!

 

[grahams81]

Wow wow and wow!
Been imagehopping and have to say youre a absolute genius!
I'm yealous of the knowledge and way you take this Leon to the next level..

Applause!!

Many Thanks for your kind words, im no genius just a little crazy

Love this thread!
Excellent build you got there Graham!

Thanks Mate, appreciate the comments

Gearbox Update

Last time i was in the garage i'd just finished cleaning all the corrosion off the casing.
Today i started cleaning up the insides and removing all the old sealant, all ready to rock and roll with the rebuild -

Once i was done cleaning i cleaned the bench off and the lined it with some plastic sheet.

Next up i then mounted each shaft one at a time in the casings to check for approx preload / endfloat.

The factory way of doing this is too tighten the bolts and mount a DTI, then open the screws and measure how much the casings are pushed apart by.
As i hadn't changed any of the bearings i didn't bother with the DTI method, i simply installed the shaft then checked there was a gap between the mating faces of the casings.... This meant the bearings were not overly worn or poorly adjusted from the factory.
Anyways they were all ok so i started the assembly.

I assembled the box in true haynes manual style - ie assembly in reverse order of removal

To start off i lifted in the output shaft for 1-4..... Along with the new billet selector arms -

Shortly followed by 5-6 with their respective selectors -

Next up i dropped in the reverse gear / differential and then stupidly installed the selector mechanism.... Which i took back out 5 mins later

To install the input shaft you have to put the bell housing on the spin the gearbox over and take the other case off..... This then leaves all the gears mounted in the bell housing, unless of course you install the selector mechanism too early like i did

So after i back tracked and removed the selector mechanism it was all sitting in the bell housing -

Time to wiggle in the input shaft, it really is quite tricky to do on your own as you have to lift the other gears slightly out of their seats to get the shaft in..... Home -

I then dropped the other casing back onto the box and again turned it over so the gears etc were mounted in the back casing, this then let me re-install the shifting tower mechanism -

I then laid a 1mm bead of sealant round the mating face and bolted them up, torquing the bolts up evenly around the circumference of the box.
I haven't mentioned it but i freed off the setting pin for the selector tower as it was seized.

All done -

Next weekend i'll check the transfer box over and get it all cleaned up and bolted back onto the gearbox.

I've really enjoyed learning about the gearbox, i kinda wished i found it worn in side, just so i could have rebuilt it with new bearings throughout and shimmed them all up properly etc ...... But if it ain't broke don't fix it lol !

Thanks,

Graham.

 

[grahams81]

Small Update

I snook in the garage for a few hours today. I started off by priming the clutch slave cylinder..... Dunno if you need too but seemed a good idea, i just compressed the piston in my hand submerged the pipe in brake fluid and slow released the piston.

Fitted to the gearbox -

I then cleaned the transfer box up.... Shot of the number stamped into it -

Fitted to the gearbox, bolts torqued up. Then output flanges fitted with bolts torqued up to spec.

So thats the gearbox completely finished now.

Next job is cleaning up the subframe / suspension components

 

[cupra-barn]

Wow, I havnt logged on for months but glad to see you're still pushing on where you can Graham

 

[grahams81]

Wow, I havnt logged on for months but glad to see you're still pushing on where you can Graham

Cheers Barn, i am still pushing on when i can..... I've got next week at work then a fortnight off to work on the car so hopefully get then front suspension built up and engine / gearbox back in

 

[Asce]

Seems like its picking up the pace now. Should an absolute beauty when back on the road.

 

[grahams81]

Seems like its picking up the pace now. Should an absolute beauty when back on the road.

Thanks Mate

Update

After completing the gearbox last weekend, i decided to concentrate on the front end suspension... i thought it'd be a good idea to get the subframe back in before mounting the engine / gearbox.

Just for those that can't remember the front suspension set-up is off a Audi TT 3.2 V6.

I started on the front subframe, lifted it up on the bench and started to clean it up -

I then set about stripping it down to clean it all up.

When i undid the ARB and then found some sleeves on the ARB that were cracked.... i've not had the ARB's out before so i don't know if this a factory part or something that someone has added to take up wear in the ARB bush
I also can't find them listed in the Spare parts manuals.

Picture of the cracked sleeve -

Next up i removed the steering end ball joints and then removed the steering rack.... i do have a nice Powerflex black series steering clamp bush

Looking bare -

I then decided to remove the mounting bushes... which are split in two pieces by the way.

Hears a shot of the bushes removed -

You can see there is a little corrosion on the subframe -

I was going to have all the suspension bits shot blasted and powder coated so i was a little undecided on what to do so i put the subframe to one side and started stripping the wishbones.

I mounted the wishbone in the vice and removed the lower ball joints.... then the crappy job of removing the bushes, i wasn't looking forward to this part but it was quite easy really.

Obviously there's more than one way to remove these, but i chose the method of drilling holes through the rubber parts to weaken them, then i gripped the inside of the bush in the vice and turn the wishbone until the rubber sheared... i then pushed the middle of the bush out and then using a small chisel cut / knocked the outside part of the bush out.

I didn't take any photo's along the way... sorry

All bushes removed -

A while back i stripped down one of the hubs, but hadn't got round to doing the second one... so i decided to get it stripped and knocked the bearing out / removed the ABS sensor.

The hubs were in a bit of a state, actually looked like they were fitted to the titanic...

I was going to get all the suspension bits shot blasted and powder coated... as i'm feeling the pinch at the moment i decided to try and save a bit of money by cleaning them up and painting them myself.

I got some POR15 products a while ago, excellent stuff by the way -

I started with the hardest things first, that being the hubs.

After a few hours with a dremel and several rotary wire brushes i had one of the hubs looking great.

I then treated it to 30 mins of POR15 - Metal prep.... washed it off, then dried it off and mounted it on a old lower ball joint ready for a lick of POR15 Rust Preventer.

The Rust preventer stuff is really runny so gave it a very light coat -

Still got to give it another coat of Rust then give it a coat of TopCoat.

Thanks for reading,

Graham.

 

[rae1001]

Seriously amazing attention to detail here. Read this from start to finish a good while ago and been keeping up since, i am very impressed!
Cant be too far to go now before shes running again...

 

[cocadave]

Just replaced my suspension with 3.2v6 TT, really wish I'd have taken the time to clean them up so they were like yours.

 

[grahams81]

Seriously amazing attention to detail here. Read this from start to finish a good while ago and been keeping up since, i am very impressed!
Cant be too far to go now before shes running again...

Thanks Mate, thats dedication to read all those pages
I feel it's way off yet.... at the moment i'm going backwards taking the running gear all apart

Just replaced my suspension with 3.2v6 TT, really wish I'd have taken the time to clean them up so they were like yours.

Thanks Dave, i'm not sure it's a good idea, i spent a day on each front hub to get them really free of rust.... if i didn't then they would have just started rusting under whatever paint i put on.
After that it's put me off doing any more so i'm gonna have most of it powder coated.

Update time

I've been off work all last week so i've managed to get a few days in the garage..... but it seems like I'm going backwards at the moment, the car is absolutely bare now... no running gear or anything anymore....

After the last update i cleaned up the second front wheel hub and painted it, Still got to scotch them both off and put some POR15 Topcoat on to finish but i think i'll press the front wheel bearings in first.

Anyway shot of them together -

I'm not going to lie, it was a nightmare to get the hubs ready for painting... so i've decided to have all the parts shot blasted and powder coated. I'm gonna have them done just for a time saving exercise.... i would spend days cleaning the metal up and then days painting it all... time is what i don't have with me working away every week.

After making the decision about the powder coating my next aim was to get all the parts ready to go to the powder coaters with all bushes / bearings etc removed.

Next job was tackling the rear suspension as it all looks like its been at the bottom of the sea..... i know you can't see much of it but i can't leave stuff not 100%
I removed the rear hubs from the rear diff assembly -

I thought it was a long shot trying to remove the driveshaft nuts without a wheel on and still fitted to the car but i gave it a bash with my windy gun and the nut car right off

I then used a copper drift to bash the driveshaft out of the rear wheel hub.... all separated -

Lifted the rear trailing arms up onto the tool bench to start stripping it all down -

I then removed all the brake pipes / handbrake cables.... then knocked out the wheel hubs, then bearings.

Then i stopped and did some research on the rear tie arm bushes / rose bearings. I didn't want to ruin the rose bearings and find out replacements were expensive.
What i did find out was the rose style bearings were discontinued by VAG and replacements were just rubber bushes... apparently if the rose bearings fail they can seize and snap the tie arms.
As my rose bearings are in great condition with intact rubber boots i think they'll be much better than rubber bushes.

Close-up of the rose bearings i'm talking about -

I then found a nice piece of 1.25" sch10 pipe that fitted over the rubber boots and fitted perfectly on the outer race of the bearing... so i knocked them out.

All ready for blasting -

The brake pipes for the rear arms are very heavily corroded they are specials as they have short flex's built into them for the rear callipers.

Gonna have to try and make some replacements or see how much replacements are from VW.

Next up i decided as i still had quite a bit of work to do underneath the car i should lift up the chassis stands, so i jacked it up to the top.... got loads of room to work underneath now

Then it was the rear diff assembly's turn. I used some ratchet straps to take the weight, and along with a trolley jack i lowered it to the floor.

I then removed the rear tie arms, and found that the lower arms are bent
Looks like someone has jacked the car up from the arms.... so i'm gonna need to acquire another lower set of arms.

I removed the inner bushes from the top tie arms, so they can also be blasted and coated.

The pile of parts to go for powder coating is growing lol

The only thing remaining was the rear subframe / diff cradle.... so i tried to remove the diff and found the bolts are large spline cap head bolts... M14 head which of course i didn't have.

Today i went to machine mart and bought a set of large Spline drives.... i also splashed out and bought a wheel bearing puller set -

I came home and got cracking removing the differential. All done -

And the rear subframe -

I then put the new bearing puller set to work and used some parts to remove the bushes.

The bushes in question -

The threaded bar from the kit didn't fit through the bush so i used the threaded rod from a spring compressor along with various spacers / rings etc...

Then with the help of the trusty windy gun it pulled nicely out.... much easier than drilling holes and knocking the sh*t out of it.

All done

Last part was the supporting brace for the front of the diff, using the same system i pulled the bushes out -

So thats it on the suspension side of things, just to re-cap the following parts will be getting coated -

Front Subframe / Front Wishbones / Front ARB & Clamps
Rear Subframe & Diff Mount / Rear Trailing Arms & Mounting Brackets / Rear Upper Track Control Arms / Rear ARB & Clamps

All in gloss black.

Auxiliary Mounting bracket from Engine / Gearbox Mounting Bracket / Engine Mount

All in Silver.

I still have to buy some new bushes / bearings etc for the suspension rebuild...everything so far is getting polybushed or rose bearings.

I decided to go with Powerflex Black series bushes for the best handling, i won't really be doing loads of mileage once its on the road so longevity isn't a worry - hopefully i won't regret it - they are really stiff.... so it's probably gonna rattle and bump its way along the road but as long as its good through the twisty stuff that is the main thing.

So far i've got - or already on order -

Powerflex black -
Front Wishbone bushes, with a rose bearing for the large bush.
Front ARB bushes,
Steering Rack bush,

I will also be ordering -

Rear Trailing Arm Bushes,
Inner Control Arm Bushes,
Rear ARB bushes,

As i have had to destroy the subframe mounting bushes i am thinking of either ordering some solid mount bushes from the US.... either that or measuring up and having some made a local engineering firm.

I've also just put a £700 order in with my local VW garage for a lot of the remaining bolts / sensors / clips / seals etc required for the rebuild of the car.

This car will be like new once i'm done.... but it's costing the earth to get there.

Thanks as always for reading and any comments,

Graham.

 

[James23Parkin]

Awesome update as always Graham. Whilst more stuff is coming off the car, you're virtually at the point of fitting everything for the final time, so keep it up mate. It will be better than new once your finished with it.

When are you hoping to have the car road worthy?

 

[grahams81]

Awesome update as always Graham. Whilst more stuff is coming off the car, you're virtually at the point of fitting everything for the final time, so keep it up mate. It will be better than new once your finished with it.

When are you hoping to have the car road worthy?

Thanks for the encouragement mate, yeh i suppose next time i bolt something on... It'll be finished and for good.

Hoping to have it on the road by next April.... I think thats still achievable, the only thing is the money required to finish... Still some very expensive lumps to buy

 

[grahams81]

Diff Update

Spent a few hours in the garage today, i started by lifting the rear diff assembly up onto the bench and giving it a good dose of looking at

The Drain plugs are looking a bit rusty.

I removed the rear support brace piece then flipped the diff over and started to clean the years of road crud off..... it wasn't shifting very easily so i put the gearbox outside on the trusty workmate and gave it a good coating of POR15 Cleaner & Degreaser.

Left it to work for a while then used a paint brush to get into the corners.

Washed it all off and it's come up pretty nice.

I'm planning on replacing the oil & filter in the Haldex, and the rear diff oil.

So long.

 

[Ronin225]

Are you needing a few rear tie arms? I have about 4 sets

 

[grahams81]

Are you needing a few rear tie arms? I have about 4 sets

Yeh Tim, that'll be great.... I'm just trying to think of anything else i need from you.
I'll be in touch. Much Appreciated