s65e90

I hate rebuilding axles. It's just such a mess. I am doing both mine now on my car. This is one area I see no reason to use OEM. I use the universal Dayco boots that are cut to fit. They feel nice and very rubbery, and to secure I use metal thin zip/cable ties for the clamps. I used the same boots in my turbo many years back and they've been fine since.

964Luftballoon

Off topic, what's a good solution to clean off the axle grease? I'm planning to do my front inner CV boots this summer and not looking forward to this rite of passage.

s65e90

Many cans of brake cleaner.

s65e90

I also sacrifice a shirt/pants for the occasion.

964Luftballoon

I was thinking of cutting up a garbage bag and wear that hahah

cobalt

Yep. I have a full draw full of sacrificial clothing for occasions just like this and painting. I don't mind oil but grease.

I don't get it. Lots of inner CV joint kits but very few for the outer and why not sold as a set? You need to remove the inner to get to the outer unless you have a boot expander. The outers go long before the inners most of the time.

s65e90

Yea, I don't mind oil either, but there's something about grease... And even the universals I buy only come as a one, they should be sold in pairs, who is taking everything apart to just change one? The outers always seem to go first, especially on the AWD car fronts where they articulate more. Inners seem to last a long time; I don't expect to have to do this again anytime soon.

cobalt

I went through my inventory I have 4 sets of axles all needing boot replacement including these I have collected over the years. I am thinking to just production line them. Make one big mess and be done with it. Although until I open them up I won't know exactly what kind of condition their in so I will make a few good sets. Having spares on the shelf is nice. I always do these in pairs anyhow. Part of tracking these cars is constant maintenance. Racing means I need to have spare parts on hand at the track. I am so glad I collected some of this stuff when it was affordable.

964Luftballoon

I'm with the consensus. Oil over grease any day.

Doing my research in old threads I found a place called CV of Ocala. I reached out via email to see if they still offer the boot change service. Seeing how my front inner boots have been torn (not sure how long) It might be better to have someone inspect the bearings and race(s) to see if they are ok or need to be replaced. Could potentially save me some time as I have other things to make correct before attempting my first DE with the local PCA later this year.

cobalt

I spent a few summers in Ocala working on a Horse Farm called Red Oak Farms way back when Ocala was only Horse country. I believe I had heard of them most likely the same threads. Inspecting all the parts is critical. I went to replace the boots on my 60k mile C2 which felt fine when tested on the car but when I opened them up I found wear I wasn't expecting. I won't know what axles are good until I open them. I guess that will be step one before ordering boots. I can leave the ones in the car for now and replace with what I make good from inventory.

Meanwhile Spring is upon us and I need to get the other cars out of hibernation.

GL with your first DE. The 964 is a challenging but rewarding car to drive at the limits. That takes time to build up to so just get used to driving on track first. I think you will become addicted quickly.

964Luftballoon

Thanks! I'm nervous but excited. Getting addicted is probably more worrisome as parts are no longer cheap hahaha.

cobalt

Believe you me I do understand. I have 2 cars i am running with 3 divers. My car bill with me doing all the work on these 2 cars was more than my first years take home pay but that was eons ago.

No need to worry. First time out it seems like you are driving faster than you are. There is so much to learn and concentrate on. I ran a full season 15+ years ago with my wife as a novice co driver in a stock 964. I was not happy but she learned how to drive a stock car first and then we made small changes over time. She is a far better driver because of it. I go out to have fun. I am not the fastest by far but neither is my car these days. So I just drive the car and don't worry about anyone else. Tires and brake pads and fuel will be your biggest expense. I recommend an endurance pad for long life but you won't be needing much until you start to push the car. A bit more money up front but you will get double the life and they won't burn up your rotors too quickly.

I learned years ago that the time to buy parts is when you don't need them. If you see a good deal on parts you might need buy them. There is always someone unloading stuff here or on Pelican. I buy them cheap and have them in reserve for when they are needed. If you think this will be ongoing for you it doesn't hurt to consider what you might want in the future and keep your eyes open for deals.

Enjoy. The 964 has the ability to be a very formidable machine in the turns but that comes with time and a few mods.

2swoosh

just don't lift

cobalt

So I found Greased lightning lives up to its name. It helped remove the residue after wiping off as much as possible.

A huge mess covered everything.


Dripped and spewed everywhere. The inside of the rear rotor was covered.




It was easy enough to clean with the help of the degreaser. So Spray 9 for oil and greased lightning for grease. Who would have thunk it. LOL


A bit of work but cleaned.

So I went through my pile of spare axles and found one in perfect condition. I purchased the boot kits at $14 each but figured time was of the essence so for now I am just going to swap it out. I have another event in a few weeks and I have to get things done. Pool is giving me a hard time so I have to focus on other things as well. Rebuilding axles is not high on my list of projects so I will revisit that in a few weeks. I will still need spares.


Just a few I have acquired over the years. A few sets of shocks I should consider selling as well. The H&R supercup are a very nice but more track focused suspension I no longer have need for. These have been NLA for over a decade or more.

Pulled the exhaust and will grit blast and paint prior to reinstalling. All I should have left to do is adjust the valve lash again and we should be set this time.🤞 Took advantage of the open space so I bled the clutch slave one more time. A little air did come out.

cobalt

I was hoping to post more pictures but as soon as I had the car up and running perfectly my son showed up with his '01 Audi B5 S4 Avant and asked if I could quickly change some brake lines. So now into day 3 of the Audi saga I will be rebuilding and replacing the entire rear portion of the braking system for him. i hope to have more pics soon. But the lift is occupied for at least another day.

The valve lash was mostly fine. I set everything loose as they tend to tighten once the new valves are seated but I was happy to see that all the seals and even the 30 year old magnesium covers did not leak nor did any of the rocker shafts. Just shows that most of the snake oil everyone buys into isn't necessary when you just take the time to clean and install things properly.

The only shot I had time for.

Not my idea of a picnic. I hate doing valve lash this way but sometimes it is all you can do.Had it back together in 2 hours and then my son showed up. I need to get him to understand the magnitude of some of these jobs.


I have nice video of the car running but I can't post it here.

It sounds great sorry you can't hear it.

I also blasted the exhaust. Not anything special but I wanted the oil gone and I painted it with high temp paint.


Now black.


These really are underrated and a lot of fun. This one has 144k miles so it has been some work.


Sadly my son paid an Audi tech to replace the rear axles when he first got it. Scary what I see come from dealerships and independents sometimes. Thankfully I looked up while doing the brake lines and saw that they did not torque down the rear half shaft. Just shows you that even the pros mess up and they do quite often.