One of our great customers, Chuck Henry, recently completed the transformation of his Imola B5 S4 2.7t into the B5 RS4 widebody. The amazing thing about this particular conversion is that Chuck completed most of the work himself, in his garage. Over the course of many months he has faced trials and set-backs but we are honored to give you an inside look at the process from start to finish and some pictures of the journey along the way:

” I purchased my S4 in 2005 after deciding that my Mini Cooper S wasn’t going to work as my daily driver.  I travel a lot for work and living in the Rockies this meant a lot of winter driving as well.  I wanted something that was fun to drive, and this quickly narrowed it down to four cars that were possibilities.  The STI, the Evolution, the R32 and of course the S4.  The Japanese cars offered the highest levels of fun, but I couldn’t fool myself into thinking the stripped down interior wouldn’t bother me on a 8-10 hour drive, so I was down to the German rivals.  The S4 was bigger, more powerful and a good deal cheaper so that was settled.  I actually intended to get a tiptronic (my first automatic transmission) but after comparing the TIP with the 6 speed, it was obvious I had to get the manual.  I was also shooting for a docile color like silver, but the Imola yellow model I drove just felt like a better car in every way, and secretly I did like the bright color.  An offer was made, and the S4 was mine.

While I was still sporting temp tags I had the car chipped before heading out of town for a road trip.  I absolutely loved the car and knew I had made a good decision.  After finding that a Grease Monkey installed air filter had  folded in two, I found myself in need of new turbos and opted for the standard KO4 upgrade, but really nothing else.  In this tame trim I took it out to Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, CO (6000 ft elevation) to run it in the ¼ mile and ended up with a 13.5 second time, which was pretty impressive at this altitude.  I purchased some black Team Dynamics Racing wheels to give it some personality and put black Audi rings on the front door.  This really made it my own.

Henry S4 hauler

The next major modification to come was coil-over suspension.  In addition to really making the car handle better, it gave the car a much more sporty stance while making it a better “all around” car.  Having come from a well-modified Mini, the handling in the mountain canyons was a little bit of a disappointment.  Although the extra power more than made up for it in terms of owner satisfaction, upgrading the suspension definitely helped close that gap a bit.  I later began fiddling with tweaking the software and moved to larger injectors to give her that extra oomph which was missing with the K04 turbos.

Henry S4 at the track

The car was fast; it handled pretty well, and really did everything I wanted a car to do at that point in time.  But I never felt as though the styling was anything that someone might call inspired.  I began stock piling parts to start the transformation to the fabled B5 RS4, most of them used or cast-off body panels.  Once enough parts had been compiled to take the plunge, I decided that doing it myself would save a large chunk of change and so I started with installing the front fenders and front bumper.  At that point a friend with an RS6 let me borrow his wheels for a test fit and it looked SO good that I almost stopped right there.  Little did I realize that there would be many times over the next two years that I would desperately wished I had.  Nevertheless I proceeded, attacking one side at a time.  I installed the rear RS4 door on the passenger side, cut the fender loose at the door, and then used a fender roller to pull the bodywork out to match the door.  This almost worked, but there wasn’t enough material there and the lines were all wrong.  It also distorted the arch of the body, which I would come to realize later.  I cut the arch off, made slices in the fender, and then re-worked the bodylines to match.  Using “lead-free” lead, I filled in the openings and to be honest it didn’t look all that bad… until I stepped away and discovered another problem with that arch.  Looking from the side and top (where I worked most of the time) you might think it was spot on, but the arc of the wheel arch didn’t follow that of the tire and it was obviously very wrong.  This was the closest I came to abandoning the whole thing.

Henry early modifications

Henry S4 temporary repair

Henry S4 compared to B5 RS4 avant

After a few days to calm down I re-evaluated the situation and starting playing with it some more.  The metal had been worked so much that it really just couldn’t take any more.  I purchased a new RS4 quarter panel from Avalon (where I also acquired the remainder of the parts I needed) and enlisted the help of a body shop friend.  We completed one side and I took a short break to recover financially while I basked in the glow of one do-it-yourself completed side. A few months passed, we finally got the other side done and I was the happiest I had been in a very long time.  I then proceeded to install the rear bumper but because there were no B5 RS4 sedans made, this meant more custom work on my part to match the stock S4 rear to the RS4 rear fenders.  Basically, you are faced with two choices here; modify the RS4 bumper to fit, or modify the S4 bumper to fit.  The problem was that I really wasn’t keen on either option and wanted something more like the new B7 RS4 bumper.  So, that’s what I decided to replicate.  Taking my S4 bumper, I heat molded it to be roughly flush with the bodywork along the sides while bending it out to the new fender line.  I molded in the lower spoiler and the pieces that clip below the taillights so that it was all seamless and more modern looking.  I then filled and smoothed using an amazing 2-part plastic product from Lord, which I found could take a real beating.  Meanwhile I stashed away some money for paintwork and finished prepping it for the final touches.

Henry S4 Harlequinn style

Henry S4 progrss shot

Henry S4 getting close

Months went by, and I found myself very busy with work.  Enthusiasm for the project waned and I lamented ever getting it finished.  In a final act of desperation, I took the car to Maaco and got an estimate.  It turned out that I had just enough money for their paint service I started making plans to strip the car down and get it over to them.  I confessed the plan to my close friend Andrew (from AR Design) and he told me I was NOT allowed to do that.  He talked to his friend Jeremi, a.k.a. Choko, who has years of experience in custom paint work, and we worked out a deal that would save me from the heartache of masking years of blood, sweat and tears with a relatively sub-par paint job.  Jeremi presented me with alternative color options as well, which was not the case with Maaco, and I fully entertained the possibilites.  During the months leading up to this I had pretty much settled on staying Imola because it was seemingly easier than a color change. Plus I figured the car would retain its resale value better by keeping it an OEM color, if for some reason I ever had to sell it.  The fellas convinced me that anyone buying my car wouldn’t be doing it because they wanted something ‘stock’ and so I went for a color I had been eyeing for quite some time; Mandarin Yellow.  I saw it on a 1999 BMW R1100SA motorcycle and it was just perfect for what I had envisioned.  So I gutted the car completely, except for the carpet and front seats, and got it to the shop.

Henry S4 ready for paint

Henry S4 gutted

It took about a month of preparation but it was finally ready for paint.  We pulled an all-nighter getting it ready and I sighed in relief as, at long last, the new color was applied.  I went home very early in the morning, showered and headed to work where, needless to say, I was not extremely productive.  Once the day finally passed I grabbed the door latches and hurried back to the shop.  I threw on the hinges and drove it home as it was, no interior, windows, nada.  It certainly got some curious looks but I really couldn’t care less.  After two very long years, it was done.

Henry S4 primer

Henry S4 paint progress

Henry S4 painted before final assembly

Henry S4 late night completion

Now I was faced with a new challenge. I had a huge pile of parts in my garage, and the region’s largest VW/Audi car show, Dubs Along the Rockies (DATR) was in 5 days and I was determined to have the completed project there in Avalon’s booth.  I was both elated and exhausted and I knew the only way to make this possible was to solicit the help of everyone I could scour up. So the dilemma was shared with my friends on the QuattroWorld Rocky Mountain forum and every single night people showed up, some of whom I had never even met before, and we strategically pieced her back together.  The car was filthy at that point, parts were strewn everywhere and the first night Pat spent hours just trying to get the interior clean enough that I could start putting it together.  David spent the entire afternoon just cleaning the wheels and I focused on the exterior, thinking that I would be lucky just to get that done before the show, let alone the interior assembled.  The next night Matt came by and scrubbed the rear speaker deck and carpets.  Pat returned the following night to work on the headlights and taillights, which were scratched and hazy and I just continued plowing forward.  Thursday the guys came out to put the rear glass in and I mounted up the bumpers, completing the exterior.  It was late at night so I took it to a nearby parking garage where I would have some decent light to take some pictures. When I stepped back to take the first shot I could hardly believe my eyes.  It was near the end of the road, and it looked like I had dreamt it would.  Admittedly, part of me believed it would never get to this point, but I pinched myself, took some pictures, drove home and slept like a log. With all the extra help I received I actually ended up with an extra day to work on the car before the show and I went ahead and put the interior back in.  Because I had done this so many times it only took a few hours and it was finished with time to spare!

Henry S4 widebody transformation complete

The ride to DATR was a blast and the car was a huge hit.  The number of folks that have followed the project over the years was staggering and they kept seeking me out to say hi and express how happy they were for me.  People in my office building and random drivers at stoplights were telling me how much they like it.  Even the old ladies at church asked if I would give them a ride in it, and I knew I had something special!  It’s easy to say in retrospect that it was worth the sacrifices put forth, but there were certainly many times I didn’t feel as though it would be. Thankfully the car wasn’t going anywhere as I had too much time and money in it to quit, and it certainly wasn’t worth anything until it was done.

Henry S4 ... pure joy

Now that the project is complete, I could probably actually find a buyer for it, but I wouldn’t dream of it.  It’s tempting knowing that the car is worth more now than it ever will be again, but we find ourselves saying this all too often rather than truly appreciating how great of a car we really have.  After all, what car can do all of the things that a B5 RS4 can do?  It’s got four doors for my kids, it’s very comfortable, it’s amazing in snow during our Colorado winters, it’s even reasonably economical getting 27-28mpg on the highway!  With the STaSIS 4:1 center differential and combined with the 4” wider track and 275/35-18 tires it carves up the road marvelously.  In the hands of a great driver like my friend Rick Snyder it is a rocket on the track, and fittingly the first car it ever passed on a road course was a Mini Cooper S, the car that it replaced.  On mountain drives I’ve actually had Ferrari F430 owners admit they couldn’t believe how rapidly my car would accelerate and go through corners, and now it looks great doing so.  Throughout the process I have come to truly appreciate even the stock bodied S4’s, now realizing that what a beautiful creation they are.  But the subtle changes that the RS4 body added to the  car’s lines make it simply stunning to me.  Every time I open the garage door, or walk towards it in a parking lot I know I will own this car for a very long time.

Henry S4 - Dubs Along the Rockies 2009

So what’s left?  Well the bodywork left me very little funds for anything else at this juncture and unfortunately the car is in desperate need of upgrades to make it reliable for track duty.  After just a few laps this summer, Rick was easily able to outstrip the capacity of the stock oil cooler, intercoolers, and obviously brakes.  It also needs sway bars and a few other items to pull it all together and at 130k+ miles the drivers seat and steering wheel could use replacing.  However, on the street the car is a champion and it continually amazes me what a joy it is to drive.  I recently spent 11 hours driving through the Rocky Mountains for work and after arriving to the hotel in Utah where I was spending the night, I just didn’t want to get out.  That pretty well sums it up. “

- Chuck Henry

Car Specifications:

Engine
KO4 Turbos
GIAC “Supertweaker” software (that I’ve supertweaked )
AR Design 3” downpipes with Race Cats
Borla Exhaust with Muffler Delete
Delphi 37# Injectors
APR Bi-Pipe
Bosch Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator
Lightweight Odyssey Battery
Home Depot F-Pipe
Open Element Intake
Custom JUSTA4 Heat Shield
Bosch to Hitachi MAF Conversion
Aftermarket Diverter Valves

Drivetrain
JHM Solid Shifter
JHM Weighted Solid Transmission Joint
JHM Delrin Shifter Linkage Upgrade
STaSIS 4:1 Center Differential
Southbend Stage 3 OFE Clutch
Fidanza Lightweight Flywheel
AWE Drivetrain Stabilizer Bar
Apikol Snub Mount
Apikol Rear Differential Mount

Other
RS4 Widebody Conversion
Vogtland GT Coilovers
18×9+15 Team Dynamics Racing Pro 1.2 Wheels
275/35-18 Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta Tires
JHM Weighted Delrin Knob
Trailer Hitch Delete

Weight 3620lbs w/ half tank & spare

Avalon Motorsports is the premier source for Audi, VW and Porsche service and performance in Denver. There is no finer choice for repair, parts, performance, custom tuning and friendly expertise. We look forward to giving you the best!!!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 11:36 am and is filed under Avalon Projects, Customer Vehicles, Events, Latest News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.