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Re: Silver Ghost



Brett said:
>To anyone who hasn't seen Tom's 200, which I've nicknamed the "Silver
Ghost":
>(from Chris's page)
>http://members.aol.com/c1j1miller/20v3.jpg
>
>Very spiffy.  I'm especially noting the vents in the hood(an excellent
>idea!  Flow through is probably terrific) and the painted bumper+trim(hey,
>I have the same thing, only I'm factory; black is spiffy :)
>
>Tom, what can you tell us about it?  One of the more original type-44's
>I've seen.
>
It's actually arctic blue, which is sort of a silver blue with a pearl like
quality.
    The car is mechanically 100% stock although I have rebuilt everything
with the exception of the rear diff and rear susp.  I had the drive line
removed over the winter to repair some light body damage
and a cracked trans case(where the mounts attach). From there I just lost
control and decided to overhaul motor, trans and all aux components. R&L
Machine in Dover (NH) did the head and all bottom end
machining,balancing,resizing,etc. These guys build killer SCCA and circle
track motors. Pete Lovejoy, Porsche + Audi mech at Byrnes in Dover, did the
trans and driveshafts(yes,all of them). I did the motor reassembly and
rebuilt all the aux components, alternator, hydraulic pump, etc. All new
everything else; hoses(coolant, breather, vacuum, intercooler, ad
infinitum).
     I ended up using the Sachs sport clutch setup as an alternative to the
stock unit or Centerforce. I had heard stories regarding the balance
(radial) of the Centerforce units from my road racing buddies. Apparently
Centerforce balances the pressure plate before they install the centrifugal
weights. How bizarre !
    Got real lucky in meeting Chris Sanborn, (ur quattro in pro rally) who
donated an intercooler to the project. Have you ever tried to find one of
those used ? Impossible.
    I still run the UFO's, they stop the car without a problem. Anything
with as much swept area and a conventional caliper arrangement is going to
mean new wheels, making the price of the upgrade unrealistic given the value
of the car and what I use it for. I just picked up a set of Boge turbo gas
struts, and I may put on new UFO's when I install those. Any pad
recommendations ? ( I'd like to keep the pad wear sensors)
    The body was in great shape except for the hood and front bumper.But, as
is usually  the case with me, I lost control. Chevy Lumina Z34 hood louvers
would look great, and hey, they fit perfectly in the recess of the turbo
hood. They required a subtle relocation of the coolant expansion tank, but
other than that, they look as if they were born there. They sit just behind
the radiator fan outlet on one side and over the turbo and air box on the
other. I already had the euro lights but I wish I had waited after following
the deal that you and Chris Miller had put together. I did, however, save
some dough by making my own harness using the Audi boots and terminal
blocks.
    The overall look of the 44 cars, to me at least, needed to be updated a
bit. I love the look of the new A cars. Body color moldings and bumpers did
it for me. I think had I gone total monochrome it would have been a huge
step back into the early eighties. You may remember the body color grilles,
door handles, wheels, no chrome trim, no black trim, YUK. The big news in
the updates looks dept is that Todd Candy is making rs2 style front bumpers
for our cars. I'm hoping it is not to outrageous, just enough to take care
of the chinless look that the 44's suffer from and provide an area to mount
a very large intercooler.
      Over this coming winter.............I don't know.........maybe a chip,
rs2 bumper, huge exhaust.

BTW - Seen in downtown Tilton saturday afternoon- Pearl 91 200 tq sedan. A
lister ?
            Mine is the only one I've ever seen up here in pick up truck
country.

Tom Nestor
out of control in Tilton, NH
tnestor@cyberportal.net