I have run out of energy to "restore" my 88 90Q to "daily driver" levels of quality. Friday night when I was working on pulling the subframe to put in 034 solid mounts, I was hammering my sockets onto the rusty fasteners, chiseling away the dried grim seepage around the axle flange bolts, and thinking "this horse**** is not what i like about working on cars". A while later, the incandescent bulb in my work light _exploded_ about 1ft away from my face. Thankfully, i was illuminating the work area instead of my own face, and the metal shield kept glass from ruining my eyesight.

I stopped work for the night and thought about things. If i had damaged my eyesight, all to save money on trying to restore my ****ty winter beater to almost-as-good-as-stock drivability.. would i have come out ahead?

No.

I demand daily-driver like features in a... daily driver. And my 90Q is my winter driver.. and I am in a rush to get it ready for winter. Getting it to where I am happy with it will take a ton of money and time, and when I'm all done, I'll have a 20 year old car that isn't anywhere near as safe, quiet, or reliable as a more modern Audi.

My wife wants me to unload the thing - she hates it - and I am in the market in the next year or so for something with vastly better structural safety (visit iihs.org sometime).

So I am facing the prospect of selling my B3, even though it is a work in progress. I don't expect I can get much money for it.. and only the right kind of buyer would be interested. Unless i can find the right enthusiasts, the extra bling i've added wont fetch any extra money.. so i am thinking I should probalby part and sell that stuff extra...

Here is the data

88 90Q - tornado red
2x audi 14" rims, one with blizzak WS-50s
2 sets of drivers front seats
A/C components removed and boxed
Mance Solid Mounts
RS2 lights + relayed 10ga wiring harness
Rebuild shifter
New rear wheel bearings
new rotors, calipers, p-brake cables, pads, SS lines, all around.
Rebuilt P/S hoses
Rebuilt steering rack
Head + tranny replaced before I bought it

The bad

- paint isn't very good. B3 hood has paint/metal rot along the leading edge.. for about 2 inches.

- 200k miles

- A pillar trim panels missing

- Power steering leaks.. 3 separate PS pumps and fluid still shoots out of the resivoir..

- Usual CIS startability problems

- Blower only works on Speeds 3 and 4

- Factory seat heater wiring melted.. removed complete harnesses and switches

- Factory foglights inoperative

- Recent! - broke the diff lock actuator while pulling the diff (****)

- Exhaust is ****

Some more good:
When the car goes back together, it will have 034 solid alu subframe mounts, poly diff mount, allroad tranny mounts, new OEM diff mounts, new OEM engine mounts, and 034 poly snub mount

I also have a 034 fuel rail, mount kit, and CIS-EFI inserts, to go with the completely built Megasquirt 2 brain, relay board, relay cable, and labelled wiring harness. This car needs some injectors and some miscellaneous bits and it could be running standalone on the NG motor (which can net a ton of power/drivability, etc)

It seems like i should pull the Mance Solid mounts and RS2 lights + harness and resell that stuff.. then re-install my junk US lights and some generic ****ty mounts.. put the new engine/suspensino mounts i bought back in the car.. and put the car + all the spare parts i ahve for it in the paper..

I could sell the MS2 stuff separately perhaps..

I don't know who would by the 10v standalone parts from 034..

Anyway, its a great winter car for someone that has never experienced a german car or an audi before.. but i don't have the time any more to fight with something this old if i want it to be a good daily driver..

If i had space to store it / work on it now and then for about 2 years, i'd keep it and make it my winter monster / rally cross car.. but i've picked up an old BMW and already put a bar + race seats in that thing.. that is getting my attention for go-fast parts and old-car wrenching.. i don't need 2 old cars with roll bars. (not yet, anyway)

If anyone is interested in _everything_, let me know. I'm in the Fargo area. Car is currently on stands while i saw through the ****ing diff bolt that is seized into the rear diff bushing.

 

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