(formerly) The $700 1988 245

[towerymt]

Coilovers would definitely be the next big step suspension wise, but I never thought about just using smaller diameter springs.. Would also probably be nice to get stiffer shocks for the rear. Currently it's Billstein HDs in the rear and Bilstien touring struts, 25mm front bar and stock (19mm?) rear. I'm not in a hurry to buy more parts since I actually really like the way it feels. A tighter steering rack and more predictable lsd would be nice though.

I also plan on selling the wheels and getting something a little wider with backspacing.

Here's the ancient thread...Project: Budget Handling write up -- some ride height photos on pg 2.

Project: Budget Handling

1990 244 DL, M47, LH3.1, stock suspension with 145,000 miles when purchased, now at 155,000. Struts and strut mounts were original, but the mounts were fine. Rear shocks had been replaced with Boge. Torque rod bushings have been replaced with poly, and one rear trailing arm bushing has been...

www.turbobricks.com

Increased roll resistance on the front may help the diff work a little better, but that thing may never deliver fully on expectations.

I'd also agree on not being in a hurry now that the car feels good. Make one small change at a time and evaluate.

Some useful info here if you should choose to have Bilstein HDs custom valved. There's at least one place in NC that does it, I think...I still have a pile of strut inserts I need to send them, and a few rear shocks too.

Dave's 245 Turbo Spec Sheet

I have used the 400/100 'stiff' R-sport rear shocks and I generally liked them with stock springs on a DD and we put them on our lemons 245 with cut overload springs. I can dig up the specs on the set I had done which worked very well with 475lb front springs and 200-250lb rear springs. The struts were 250nm/110nm, and I think the shocks were close to Dave's rear shocks at 300/120. The higher rebound (300 vs 225Nm for the original HD shock) is what makes the most noticeable difference because the rear doesn't pop up over dips anymore. That gets worse with more spring rate, too.

 

[Cwazywazy]

I'm not in a hurry to buy more parts since I actually really like the way it feels.

I lied.

Perfect ride height.

These are JVAB coilovers with 12" 225lb springs. I can definitely feel the firmer springs but it still rides pretty good. I bought these used and they were kind of a pain to get bolted in. The threads on top of one strut were wiped out and I had to grind down the ball joint studs to make them clear the bottom strut threads. (These struts are weird, I don't know what they are.) Then I realized the ball joints they came with were both passenger side units.

I'm not really liking the strut mounts these came with too much, they seem to allow for even less camber than stock springs. I'm seeing about .6 degrees positive when slid all the way in. I have BNE plates and luxe steer, but it'd take some work to make them fit these struts. I'm thinking of trying to drill new holes in these first.

 

[Cwazywazy]

I found some bearings and bronze spacers which, after converting the spacers to metric on a lathe, allowed me to use the BNE strut plates and luxe steer on the coilovers. I have negative camber now! Barely, but some! I also swapped out the standard HDs in the rear for the revalved HDs that came with the coilovers. I hated it. Roads that I previously thought were smooth suddenly became very bumpy. I threw some old KYBs in which is an okay middle ground but I still want to soften up the front at some point.

After that I did some work on the cooling package. When I track it I've always had to either run with the heater on full or take multiple cooldown laps per session, usually both. In a log from Palmer I saw 230f coolant temp after just a few laps.

I tried a few easier things first, quite awhile ago I completely rewired my efan setup with 4 relays so that the ecu can control both speeds on the main fan and kick on the ac condenser fans when things are getting too toasty. I set it up to run only the front fans when the AC is on, mostly to keep it from draining the battery at idle on hot summer days. I then swapped out the chunky all metal Nissens rad for a new stock replacement cheap plastic/alu Nissens unit. This made for a pretty minor but noticeable improvement in cooling, plus it cut a not insubstantial amount of weight off the front end. Then last year I swapped the stamped impeller water pump for a cast one; this made no noticeable difference at all. I haven't done anything with the (82c) thermostat but I don't think I have any reason to suspect it.

So, I went with a wide 7/9 radiator, swapped the bent up crash damaged klracing intercooler for a do88 group a style unit, and swapped the oil/air cooler for an oil/water setup. I intended to relocate the battery but I took the lazy weight saving route of buying a tiny one instead. Then for charge pipes I needed to go from 2.25 to 2.75 on the hot side so I tried printing one out of ASA which promptly blew apart at about 2psi, but an engineer at work printed me one out of nylon on an SLS printer and it looks sick! And it works! On the cold side I just used some silicone hose.

I also fixed the ac (again) and got it working better than ever. It's still crappy 240 AC but good enough to keep me happy on the highway.

What this thing really needs now is top end power. I have the turbo pretty much maxed out at high rpm currently, peaking around 30psi with the rising target boost curve, but it's still just kinda disappointing. Still runs on 87 though!

 

[vwbusman66]

And after all these years, that mystery meat diesel M46 I sold you is still holding on.
A testament to the indomitable human spirit.

Excellent car as always.