The V8 Owners Forum -

Update: 11th May, 2016.

My external oil cooler pipes turned up this arvo.

They are PTFE, encased in stainless steel braid. I did consider rubber reinforced hose, pushed onto barbed ends, and secured with worm clips. With rubber though, there is the risk of the hoses softening with heat, or the hoses actually coming off the barbed ends.

These ones were made to my required length, with 1/2" BSP couplings, 90 degree angles at one end, straight at the other. I should be fitting these tomorrow with the cooler, and doing an oil / filter change.

My aluminium radiator has a pinhole leak from the core. Rather than fix it, I'm taking my spare aluminium radiator to get the pipes on the left hand side removed, and welded over. And new pipes welded in place to match the V8's hoses on the right. So the bumper is still off for now, till the radiator is done tomorrow.

Still, I couldn't resist taking the car for a spin. It pulls like a train, very different from my previous swaps, and definitely different from the very healthy 2.8 V6 30V. I can drop speed down to 25 mph in 5th, stomp on the gas, and it still picks up great. I'm pleased with how it's all worked out.

It's got an occasional 2 second "rev hang" between shifts, and an intermittent jerk when pulling away in first. Classic symptoms of a clutch switch not being connected between ECU pin location 39 and white body connector pin location 13. Then of course to the clutch pedal switch, with the other side teed in to the brake pedal switch (cruise). I have ordered the clutch switch, minor detail.

I had quite a few stares as I blasted down the back roads, people walking way ahead turned to stare. A B5 is at it's most aggressive with the front bumper missing, leaving the black condenser, twin fans and black bumper mounts jutting out. The soundtrack of the big V8, through the B6 S4 Millteks, through the stainless B5 S4 exhaust and finally exiting the twin tips is deep, and amplifies the V8 rumble. It's aggressive without being too loud. I'm pleased I opted for the B5 S4 stainless system, with the twin pipes all the way, through the mid and finally into the rear muffler.

It'll be great to have the radiator done, the front bumper in place, then I can get the car tested and finally hit the open road.

I temporarily installed my C5 RS6 instrument cluster into B5 420-R, so I could extract the 4-digit PIN, and discovered it's IMMO3, meaning different software to do the job is required, which has been ordered. It will also adapt the mileage to match my current original.

Basic settings of the needles has been done, as well as the modifications required to get the instrument lighting compatible with the B5. I also purchased a 2005 C5 Allroad cluster to pull out the LCD cluster, with which I built the RS6 cluster. I prefer the OEM VDO LCD, aftermarket versions are generally too bright, and don't match the clock and mileage LCD panels.

One ready C5 RS6 cluster. I love the white needles, which I took out of a 2000 B5 S4 cluster:



B5 S4 cluster - I was able to extract the 4-digit PIN. It's a nice cluster, but compared to the C5 RS6 unit, it looks quite bland. It'll be easier to sell with the PIN though:

First drive. Need to break in the clutch. I also need to hook up the clutch switch to cut out rev hang.

https://youtu.be/M5g3QvyECBo

The clutch has now been fully broken in, over 722 miles since the V8 swap.

Just a short video, where I've tried to capture the exhaust note. Exhaust system consists of a pair of B6 S4 Miltek stainless down pipes, (no CATS) mated to an unbranded, stainless dual-piped, dual silencer B5 S4 CAT-back:

Well done on the conversion, much more complicated than most of us would try !

Sounds great as well

Mark wrote:Well done on the conversion, much more complicated than most of us would try !

Sounds great as well

Thanks. I must be a glutton for punishment.

Hi guys!

It's been a while. Audi B5 420-R was run in, and tested extensively. She drove flawlessly, and raised quite a few eyebrows at car meets. A real sleeper, down to the 2.8 Quattro badge at the rear, and stock 16" wheel! But, as soon as the gas pedal was prodded, the V8 roar was unmistakable.

I got so much interest, I put out a "for sale" feeler on eBay, and my phone never stopped ringing. She ended up going for solid money, such is the demand, and fascination for a B5 A4 Quattro, with a V8 motor swap. My only regret is, I don't have any more to sell!

I have picked up a new car, another V8 project. Still an Audi, of course. All will be revealed in due course.

Well, if the money you got paid for your time, you have a business!

Chris.