4ringsinutah

So i have been moving through Audis very fast these past few months...Traded the 90 CS for a 2000 s4 stage 2, liked it but it is too much for a daily driver. So now i am selling the S4 and have my eye on the Audi cabriolet. I really like the look, But it is hard to find solid advice on the web, so i am coming to my forum of choice in hopes that you guys can answer me some questions

First, the basic problems, known gremlins, pain points, and option choices

second, easy to do upgrades (electronic climate control for example)
would also like to know, did all come with heated seats? Is there any way i can swap a front set of 90 sport seats into a cabrio? I know the back wont, but i think i can get a good set of 90 sport seats that will match my back for not too much, i love the bolsering and support of those seats....the ones in the cabrios i have looked at have been kind of "bleh"

Finally, the go fast/have fun bits

-I know these cars are not inherently fast, but i think that with the right upgrades a cabrio could be the perfect canyon cruiser!

-Steering rack swap, audi TT, feasible?
-suspension mods, maybe lower a few inches, adjustable coilovers, polyethylene bushings, the works
-Front and rear support bars, can these be pulled from a 90 cs?

Now for the big one, let me start out by saying i have a budget of about 2800 dollars after the car purchase itself so the goal is to build a rare, tasteful eye caching daily that i can actually daily.....I am going to keep the engine the same because i love torque but the automatic has to go, i cannot find any manual cabrios in my area :/.....Is a manual from a b5 a4 plug and play? or is there extension modification needed to make it work?

I know i have a lot of questions, i just got really lucky with the S4 being worth what it is, and i finally have a little extra to build something classy, sporty and classic. thanks for any advice you can give

aTOMic

GIAC chip. Turns it into an entirely different animal.
Afraid you'll have to live with that autotragic trans, unless you're an experienced fabricator.
HTH
Tom

grillage

There's no fabrication required for a manual swap. (and you can't find any because there weren't any made in the US with manuals)

You'll need a bunch of stuff from a FWD audi 90:
pedal cluster
shifter and linkage
transmission
front axles
Clutch and Flywheel

it makes a big difference!

there are actually a lot of threads on here that go through it.
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/aud.../#post18179420

I documented a little bit of my swap on my motorgeek thread:
Ben's '94 Cabriolet build :: motorgeek.com

4ringsinutah

With the swap, will it work with a 98?

grillage

A 98 cab?
Yes but you'll have to deal with the OBDII stuff that I didn't with my 94

CRAZY_RUSSIAN

I've converted a 97 cab for my friend to a manual, night and day. the car just becomes so much more to fun to drive. My recommendation would be to find a donor B4 fwd, could be obtained for around $400 +. One thing you will have a headache with is the exhaust and cats. if you are in california, good luck, all i'm going to say.
as for lowering, we had issues finding rear shocks that would work with the lower spring. so he got a deal through 2bennett kit, which i wasn't to impressed with personally. If you can find KW coilovers (if they make them for the cab) that would be the way to go. I think he still might have the springs if you are interested.
as for the steering, good luck, your only option is to find one for S/RS2
as for go fast: 1.8t swap would be the way to go, and if you can find a B5 1.8t with a FWD manual, you can use that for your donor.

kennedyanyanwu

Theres somthing about a FWD Audi that makes my ***** itch, not sure what it is. I owned a couple years ago but the thought of it now is like uuuuuuhhhhwtfwhy lol.... yup manual B4 cabrio didnt come to us but best way foward is a donor B4 2WD 5spd.
Imm do me a Cabrio 4WD 5Spd some day

grillage

A quattro cabrio would be great and all but the time and money required is not practical.

I've never wanted to drive in the snow with the top down.

varia

audi liked the idea too, cos they made 3 quattro cabriolet in the beginning

Hybrid_Hatch

If you wanted a 'fun' cabriolet, I would highly recommend going with a 1.8t and a manual transmission swap. Find a FWD manual B5 A4 and drop in the engine and transmission and enjoy the **** out of it.