my new 4kq <long>

[Dave Hord]

First off a HUGE public thanks to Martin Pajak for loaning me his Bentley.  It
sure made this project a whole lot smoother!  The car was fully licenced last
Tuesday.

Last week I tore the suspension out of the car, replaced all four wheel-
bearings, tie-rod ends and then installed Koni Yellows and B&G lowering
springs.  Lowered the car 1.4" from factory height.  Seeing as this car was
sagged out completely, it actually raised the back end a bit and slammed the
front! Ride quality is fantastic.  I have the rears ajusted halfway between
full soft and full hard. The fronts are full soft.  The ride feels factory.  I
don't feel the cracks or bumps in the pavement, but it handles pretty well
around the corners.  Pot-holes or other such 'sudden bumps' cause the front end
to slam a little...but I had expected this to be the case. Body-roll is still
an issue, but not nearly as much as before.

I also took the time to install some fairly serious Kenwood speakers. 220w 6.5"
speakers in the door and 250w 4-way 6x9's in the rear deck.  The rear speakers
still need to be fit better, as I have some sheet-metal cutting to do.  I wired
them up through my 450w Sony amp in the trunk, and the sound quality is
incredible.  It sounds like Bach and the symphony are cruising along with me in
the back seat.  There is a wee bit too much mid/high in the car for the
opposite end of my music tastes, so I think I'll probably install one of my two
10" pioneer woofers to bump up the base end a little bit. The engine bay looks
a little too ricey with my 4 gauge wire running off the battery, but the sound
quality is fantastic!  I'm looking forward to getting my Panasonic Deck with
it's MP3 playing features.  Keep your ears peeled folks, for a killer deal on a
Panasonic 6 or 10 disc changer.

It's funny eh, this car started off as the "buy it quick, fix it up a bit and
sell it" sort of project.  But I have to admit, I LOVE this car.  I was still
thinking of selling it until I drove into Huntsville from the cottage last
week. I was taking Muskoka rd 10, which is paved and all curves.  The sunroof
was open, windows down, and the stereo playing...It's the perfect "european
sports sedan".

Kinda nice to have a normal car again. I have added the car to the registry if
anyone wants to take a look:

http://www.audifans.com/registry/view.php?action=viewCar&carid=1542

That photo is washed, no wax yet.  I still have a few rust spots to attend to.


I could use a hand on the following:

1) Car-bra options.  Normally I hate the look of a bra, but the car is black. A
bra will probably blend in...and save the hood.
2) Panasonic disc changer. I'm waiting for the killer deal. My buddy Matt found
a 'repaired' unit at Kromer for $75 this year.  Keep your eyes peeled!
3) Alignment shop. I have it fairly spot on, but would like to have a GOOD job
done. Suggestions?
4) A/C. This car is still R12...but does not blow cold. System holds pressure.
Suggestions on what R12 equivalent to put in it, and where to have it done?
5) Rear anti-sway bar. End links aren't a problem, neither are bushings. The
big question is how to I mount the middle of the bar to the subframe?  Custom
metal pieces, cut units off a spare front subframe? Ideas?


Thanks in advance!

-Dave
--
86 4ksq 266,600km new to me as of March 5th 2003... will it stick around??
89 90q  330,000km as of Feb 26th.
Rally Conversion...perpetually in progress...
Roll cage shots available at:
http://home.the-wire.com/~spokes/rollcage/page1.htm