olethalb's white R-line bora - schmidts + air ride fitted.

bit of a late update - had a lot on...

unfortunately last saturday (weekend before Edition) i hit a badger at <40mph, the results were;

a destroyed front bumper

mashed intercooler

broken radiator

smashed front panel

grills oblitterated

Map sensor smashed

splitter damaged

so tuesday 2nd september i had it all to do, luckily the car was booked in with a bodyshop to have the wings painted so i asked them nicely if providing i could get the parts they'd paint me a new front bumper as well as smooth out the repeaters in the wings, smooth out the number plate holes and washer jet holes in a new bumper. also if they could paint the new splitter in gloss black and my debadged grill.

after several manic phone calls it seemed 90% of the parts were available within a day or two, the make or break part was going to be the genuine R front bumper - the last one had to be shipped from vw china and took 5 weeks. out of nowhere my good mate Faisal sourced me a brand new genuine bora .:R bumper and arranged his dad to collect it for me - what an absolute legend, without his help i'd have not made it to Edition.

so he managed to get it at his house on wednesday so i got the mrs to run me over to his and collect the bumper, i dropped it off at the bodyshop at 2pm wednesday and told them i had to have it ready for friday morning!

well they pulled out all the stops and got it done, i'm not 100% happy with the colour match but given the time frame i cannot complain, while this was going on i had to trim my new front panel to fit the new fmic, the fmic also had to have new alloy elbows welded onto it too which was also done late thursday as a favour.

i'm absolutely broke now, have to budget now for the rest of the month so i can make it to wastside and players but given the weekend at Edition and meeting all the lads it was well worth the struggle.

i'll get some pics up hopefully later and still need to update with a few air ride install pics.

oh if anyone got any pics of it at edition please throw them up.

bit of whoring - thanks to those who got snaps at edition :-D

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Ive only just had time to catch up with this tread, all i can say is wow well done chap i think bora's like this will help it become a future classic for sure. How low can it actually be driven? And how well does it handle? Again top work cant stop looking at it.

been meaning to update with what pics i got of the air install from when i fitted it a while back

pulled the carpet out of the vast boot

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

decided i wanted to keep the spare wheel and mount the tank to the side so made a wood (MDF) base

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

the compressor was destined for the space behind the wheel so made a partition from MDF

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

to keep the vibrations/ noise down from the compressor i decided to change the stock mounts for polo fuel pump mounts

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i decided to keep the vast amounts of management loom etc out of the way and mount it on the underside of the parcel shelf on another peice of MDF

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

with an idea of the task ahead pics took second place to fitment, here's the layout diagram

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

mounted the compressor, but after a while i decided to add some sound deadening and a lid

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

then i put the tank where i wanted it and cut the carpet so i could still access the wheel

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

once fitment was mocked up it became clear i had two open ports in the tank

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

so off to the local plumbing shop to get a couple of blanks

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i routed the pipe and pressure sensor loom behind the boot liner to go to the end of the tank

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

with the tank and compressor set i now mounted the management and began to hook it up

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

things moved quite quickly now most of it was in place so here's the management mounted up

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

the compressor was linked to the battery and a relay switched by ignition live i tapped into, next was the strut and line mounting - not forgetting the level sensors.

part 2 - less pics

i ran the air lines down a channel inside the car on either side and bought the fronts out at the back of the wheel arch

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

run through a rubber grommet and then undersealed to add extra protection

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

budget coilys removed and compared to bag struts

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

fitted the front struts and rear set up to guage the travel of suspension and tasted the travel

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

fully down in the chassis notch

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i tested the travel several times and the lock to lock positions so i could mount the lines in the correct place to allow movement without straining anything or rubbing.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

the rear bags were easier and just went straight up behind the dirt shields to the top of the arch and through a drilled hole into the boot.

next was the level sensors which require precise mounting to ensure the correct amount of travel on the arm or the sensor can be damaged. once a position was decided i welded the ball joint to the beam (on the rear) and the bolts to the body to secure the sensor

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

with them in place i undersealed the areas, mounted the sensor and fitted the link bar

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i repeated this method all round the car then set about running the looms (less pics as time was getting on) - drilled a hole and fitted a grommet to run the wire through

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

this meant i had to chop the looms to pass through the holes and solder them up to the correct lengths but made for a tidy job

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

the fronts were a similar method passing the wires through a hole next to the air lines and ran across to the sensors.

fitment was 90% done, the keypad was left loose until i could decide on a decent location,

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

so wheels on, car down and set the system to auto calibrate which was really wierd seein the car raise and lower itself, the Accuair system is digital management and sets itself up on base settings

1 - 10% of the total suspension travel
2 - 50% of the suspension travel
3 - 90% of the suspension travel

once it's calibrated itself the you can save presets 1-3 at whatever height you desire.

next day i decided to mount the pad in the ashtray and get some daylight pics

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

the system i chose can independantly control each wheel individually and comes with a remote keyfob which is fun to mess around with when not near the car and see peoples faces.

i'm planning on ripping the management setup out and making it more showey or nicely presented.

thanks for reading - Olly

duuuuuuuuuude! should of got a coffee before reading all of that! need air on mine! only had it a short while but the bumpers been off three times now! props to you buddy!

I am so gutted that i havent had a chance to see this is in the metal yet. Look s,s,s, stunning mate well done. I have a bagged project in mind this system looks alot better than other ones i have seen in the US, whats the ride like on it? is it quite spongie? I will need a set up that will restrict wheel movement on the move as the wheels will be quite close to the outer arches. Cheers Alex.

thanks for the comments chaps, bora was taken off the road after players, in the meantime i got this to drive around
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

then i sold it before i started thinking about dropping a 20vt in it and bought this

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

however this is up for sale now to make way for something else....

while titting about with other cars the bora has been neglected, so last week i decided to re do the air install in the boot - at the time i had no idea how big the task ahead would be.

as i now have a second car i decided i can live without a spare wheel, so i removed the bits from the well and tried to get a mock up of how it was going to be laid given the large (long) tank

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

it was either as above or the tank straight down the middle - it just wouldn't fit any other way, so i made a floor for the well from 12mm MDF

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

when i placed the tank ontop it sat too tall due to the well sloping up to the rear of the car so i had to cut the floor down just to cover the level part.

i decided the tank should go straight down the middle and i'd get another compressor to fit on the other side of the tank so i mocked it up

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

drilled holes to mount the compressors and tank and counter sank them to sit flush

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

now that had been decided i needed to make a wall to go around the curved part, after looking at a few options i decided to go with 3mm MDF but double it up to make it more rigid

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

once dried i fitted the tank and tried it in the well

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

next was to knock up a section the other end, i wanted a part i could display my E-level ECU and make it look a bit more pretty

first i knocked up a wall the tank could pass through

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

the from there i made a raised section of floor to account for the sloping wheel well and a box either side to display bits (batteries died in the camera so no real in between pics)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i'd cut out a section on the right to mount the ecu but on the left all i had was my remote receiver. now i could see with just the tank and two compressors it was going to look a little empty.

i decided to ditch the flexi pipe and the compressor braided pipe and go for hard lines in 10mm copper, i thought i could fill the space better with the hard lines so i had a mess around

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

now i had to match it for the other side

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i was going to run the pressure shut off switch in the spare port on the side of the tank but thought it'd look better if i ran a pipe into the space under the left box

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

with most things set where they were going to go i finished the sides to the box and screwed it all together

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

also put some more dynamat down in the well

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

and tried the box again

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

once i had it fitting in the wheel well right and changed the box wall thickness it was time to cover the inside. carpet and leather trim had crossed my mind but i thought i'd have a go at flocking - i bought 2 x kits from Frost, these turned out to be pretty rubbish but it's all a learning curve.

i applied the adhesive as instructed and puffed the flock on with the absolutely useless bottle that was supplied, trouble was it took so long to get it puffing out of the bottle the MDF was absorbing the adhesive.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i redid it but is far from perfect but i can live with it, i did the right hand box but left the left as i was undecided what i was going to do with it

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i started to mount it all up again

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

also decided to paint the hard lines candy white to contrast a little

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

now with the indecicion and currently fairly empty left hand side box i thought for looks purpose only i'd install a VIAIR illuminated pressure guage. i thought seeing as i had the pipe run into there for the pressure shut off switch i'd tap into that.

so i cut a hole of where i wanted to mount the dial

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

and screwed the remote receiver down to get a feel for it

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

next was the fun part, connecting the original pipe i'd run to go to the guage - not only that but i had to T into the line for the pressure switch and with very limited space this was not fun!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

then was the next problem, the sensor + adaptor brought the sensor out of the box and would hit the wheel well so i removed the T and chopped it down, redrilled it and cut a 1/8 BSP thread into it and re threaded the sensor to the same and to lose the taper so i could get it in further to increase clearance

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

so refitted it in place

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

once i'd got it all spot on and tightened down the guage sat flush in the cut out, now that was set i removed it all again and flocked the last bit (still wet in the pic)

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

...and refitted it again

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

just waiting for the other compressor to arrive then i can get it bolted in and hook up the electrics and start to make a cover.

this is obviously hugely summerised and doesn't include all the dramas ordering fittings (incorrectly) and waiting on parts etc etc

been a looong job so far and it's the first time i've done a boot install type thing so don't be too harsh if it's not 100%

Really nice work! Love it!!

Holy shoot i look away for what seems a second and you go and do that lot amazing, love it, great work! this is going to look fab when its all done keep at it man .

thanks 07jettamk5

thanks for the comments dirty dubber i'm hoping it will look proper once complete.

the second compressor hasn't yet arrived so decided to start knocking up the cover

drew around the carpet to get my rough outline

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

cut it out trimming here and there to get it to fit snugly

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

once that fitted in it came to the tricky part - working out where exacly the holes needed to be in relation to the bits underneath (along with deciding what shape and how big they'd be)

after much adjustments and mad scribbles i've ended up with this

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

as you can see i'd also fitted some LED strips as backlights, i'm quite happy with them - i think they'll look better when the cover is finished off.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i think they work much better at night though.....

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

still need to trim the cover and fit some perspex in the cut-outs to keep it free from dust

Olly, this is one SICK install. Hope to catch you soon to have another nose around!. Nice work buddy! seems you're waiting on something though eh? lol! trust me I'm more impatient than you on this one! I need my stuff!

Also - Hardlines look sweet and the showing off compartments are ace!

This looks dope dude i cant wait to start on my audio install this winter i love doing this type of stuff! I cut my teeth into the modified car scene some 16years ago as a custom audio installer and have never looked back but theres not much call for it these days and to be honest i really miss it. What reason did you have for wanting another pump? Excuse my ignorance but im not to clued up with bagged stuff yet. Im guessing it will give a much smoother rise?

Dirtydubber wrote:This looks dope dude i cant wait to start on my audio install this winter i love doing this type of stuff! I cut my teeth into the modified car scene some 16years ago as a custom audio installer and have never looked back but theres not much call for it these days and to be honest i really miss it. What reason did you have for wanting another pump? Excuse my ignorance but im not to clued up with bagged stuff yet. Im guessing it will give a much smoother rise?

as I understand it the 5gallon tank will allow the car to go up and down about 3times before requiring a fill up. The single 400c compressor that Olly is running does a fill in like 2mins 10sec or something? basically adding a second pump will reduce the time to fill the tank = less noise and quicker usability for showing off

Ah thanks for that i guess now that you put it that way i can see just why you would want it i kind of forgot that once youve used the air it will need to be replaced common sense really doh!

just a quick update, been off work sick all week and finally found the energy to get out of bed today so decided what with all the snow and cold i'd do some inside work, i'd had the materials to continue with the boot floor for a while now but hadn't had time to do it. thought i'd make a start and see how i feel / get on.

first thing was to fit a piano hinge to the two sections of boot floor so it becomes one piece

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

next i rebated the cut outs with a router so i could mount my 6mm perspex once covered

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

now that was done i could start to trim the top cover, i wanted to go for a thicker look so cut some 1/4" wadding to size

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

now was the long part covering it all without glueing it down to get it flat - due to the lack of extra hands to pull it tight at this point i didn't get and during pics

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

i pulled the material over the edges and used alphabond to stick it and staples (from a gun) to hold it in place, while it was laid out face down i cut out the three sections of 6mm perspex and mounted them in the rebate. i had a bite to eat and a cup of tea while it was setting.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

once i'd left it a while longer i decided to trial fit it in the boot and make sure it was all ok given the extra mm created by the wadding and material, luckily with a little tap it all fits in snug

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

hopefully the compressor will arrive one of these days and i can get it all together 100% fitted, at least i have time to tweak any imperfections though i guess.