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A Bluestar from Germany...
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 12:33 pm    Post subject: A Bluestar from Germany... Reply with quote

Limey and I have just completed a 1400 mile round trip in 56 hours!! I’m a little tired to say the least.

The trip in question was to collect my latest project. A Bluestar. I’ve had a Bluestar before but it was Diesel and just a run of the mill van. Not that Bluestars aren’t nice… they are but I wanted something a little more rare and with the extra parts. I wanted a petrol so that I could have air con and eventually after 3 years of looking, this turned up on ebay.de a few weeks ago.

After a lot of working out finances and talking to Kathryn (have to have the bosses approval!) I decided to put in a bid and lo and behold I won Smile

It’s a 1989 2.1 DJ Bluestar with the following factory accessories.
Air Conditioning
Cruise Control
Electric windows
Electric mirrors
Central Locking
ABS
Power Steering (with Buschmeide replacement flexi pipes)
Westfalia towbar

Other things which have been added at a later date:
Webasto heater (air heater, not water)
Aux battery
240V heater with thermostat
Additional lighting (lots of it!)
Outside temperature digital display (housed in a factory heated set housing in front of the steering wheel

Amongst the parts which have been replaced in the last 6 years are:
New engine
All new brakes
Bilstein front shocks
Koni rear shocks
Fuel pump and relay
Exhaust silencer
Electric window motors and mechanisms
Speedometer

Also with the van came:
Camping cabinet
Awning (used once!)
Roof rack
Roof box
Bike rack (clamps to the tow-ball)
2 KW Generator
Fire extinguisher
Fly screen for sliding window
H&R springs and a set of Koni shocks
Lots of other spare parts…!

There is a long list of things which don’t work, including the air con, ABS, central locking (only the sliding door doesn’t operate), power steering pipes make an awful racket – have a feeling that whoever fitted them removed the first section of rubber pipe and this will quieten it back down, the rear seat is wrong – it was stolen along with the front window switch surround (drivers side) and carpet. There’s a little bit of rust on a few seams and especially around the lower B-pillar seams which need work now before they get too bad.

It drives fairly well and picks up very quickly. I have a feeling that there’s a gearbox or engine mount away as there’s a fairly heavy thud from the back as you accelerate and then decelerate.

Now the work begins…

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I need a garage just to store this stuff!

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One of the first things to go will be the rear lights. The stock Bluestar lights (they're smoked from the factory) are included. Then it'll be get it ready for an MOT and registration!

MG
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the caveman
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

how easily did your 16 incher pull the van and trailer all that way?
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice score! Wish mine had ABS
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purplepeopleeater
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 2:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the caveman wrote:
how easily did your 16 incher pull the van and trailer all that way?


x2
I want the trailer
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the caveman wrote:
how easily did your 16 incher pull the van and trailer all that way?


No problem. Fully loaded, I had to drop to third on the steepest hills but the speed never dropped below 50mph.

Oil temps never got above 95oC but I think that's to do with it being very cold out and my tweaking the AFM before setting off so it wasn't throwing fuel in.

Limey did 22mpg (that's imperial 4.546 litres to the gallon) over the trip.

MG
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Future plans for this project include the following running gear:

Audi AAN engine (from Audi S6), 2.2 20V Turbo 230bhp.

Porsche 996 Carrera 4 gearbox, propshaft, front diff with VC.

Porsche 996 brakes all round.

Koni Coil over shocks and some form of rear anti-roll bar.

MG
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 2:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

SyncroGhia wrote:
Future plans for this project include the following running gear:

Audi AAN engine (from Audi S6), 2.2 20V Turbo 230bhp.

Porsche 996 Carrera 4 gearbox, propshaft, front diff with VC.

Porsche 996 brakes all round.

Koni Coil over shocks and some form of rear anti-roll bar.

MG



Drool...the AAN is probably the sweetest petrol engine VAG ever produced
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 2:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh yeah, and pulling off the blacked out window film!

Not sure if I'll have to soak the window in hot water or just use a heat gun...

MG
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jabba
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I gonna follow this "autobahn killer" new project.
Very nice choice Mike!
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 5:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DJ with a cat? Never seen that before, do you know anything about it? Nice van BTW, and i love your projects!
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Soak the tint, or find yourself some tint remover spray, no heat gun. And I want the tail lights, shipped to Maryland.... Lemme know... PM me..
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James 93SLC
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice find.

Curious about the ABS setup. Can you get some pics of the system (if it's readily accessible)? I've heard of Vanagon's with ABS but have not seen any pictures.
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ThorAlex wrote:
DJ with a cat? Never seen that before, do you know anything about it? Nice van BTW, and i love your projects!


I've not come across it before either. I have a feeling that the van will have come with an MV but the engine was replaced in 2004 (15,000 KM ago) with a DJ so I expect that it's running the MV Digifant system. I've often wondered how this would work out... now I get to play with it!

The cat will be removed asap as we don't need them over here. That should free up some hp Smile

Thanks 78BayDriver, I'll try that. I need to remove the rear window anyway as the tailgate needs painting so I'll do that then. The sliding windows are slightly more tricky. Will PM re rear lights.

James, the ABS sits under the drivers seat and takes up space where the aux battery would have been fitted. There is an extra light on the dash just above the handbrake warning light which should come on when the igntion is switched on and then go out once the engine is running. There are a lot more brake pipes!! I'll get some photos up.

Cheers Jabba, I'm looking forward to getting the engine/gearbox installed.

MG
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

definitely jealous. i would love to take on this exact project.

so why not go full porsche? $$$? not that the audi motor is a slouch, but still.

also, is it difficult to match the R&P's of the carrera 4 and syncro front diff?

and with all this talk of the ABS are you going to be able to keep it ABS when moving up to bigger brakes?

cheers!
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 4:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike,
The next time you cross France don't miss to tell me. In June, with few of my friend we organise a meeting near La Rochelle if you want to come you're welcome.
Stéphane.
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll be using the 996 front diff as well and 996 sized tyres.

Reason for not using the 996 engine? Money! They fetch silly money and have an achillies heel (intermediate shaft support bearing) which goes regularly and writes off the engine. I think a new engine from Porsche is now over £20K!! On top of that, the wiring and ECU etc involved is expensive. You have to go to Porsche to get everything coded up.

Stephane, thanks for that. I will do. These trips tend to be just hours of driving with very little time for breaks.

MG
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

SyncroGhia wrote:
ThorAlex wrote:
DJ with a cat? Never seen that before, do you know anything about it? Nice van BTW, and i love your projects!


I've not come across it before either. I have a feeling that the van will have come with an MV but the engine was replaced in 2004 (15,000 KM ago) with a DJ so I expect that it's running the MV Digifant system. I've often wondered how this would work out... now I get to play with it!

The cat will be removed asap as we don't need them over here. That should free up some hp Smile


Have you taken a closer look on that cat? I did the same assumption when I got my Doka (also with a DJ), thought it was a cat, but on closer inspection it turned out to be a second silencer which was a option for the T3 and would make sense on a Bluestar!

Nice bluestar!
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 23, 2011 5:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi,
Yes it's a CAT, there's a receipt for 1400 DM for it in the file of stuff which came with the van.

MG
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SyncroGhia
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I wish I could get this thing unloaded and start getting it ready for an MOT... but I've got other stuff on for the next 2 weeks Crying or Very sad

I managed to give it a wash today. Looking better for it!

I also had it running long enough to realise that we have a fuel leak and I think a coolant leak... then it ran out of fuel!

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I have since removed the rear lights and put the stock ones back in. More photos when I have something more interesting to post Smile

MG
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The ABS is rare. You do not see it in the North American market versions. The rest of the options seem to be standard for what we would see in the US. I do not miss it.

Save the cat, put in an empty one. Works fine.

Not sure what else is different in the DJ, other than the compression ratio being higher than the MV.

It is easy to spot if you have the MV Digifant or the DJ Digijet installed by a quick lookie see.

Keep having fun....
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