From YourSITE.com
Project DIY RS4 (B5): Hood, Doors & More
By by: JJ Larson, photos by author
Apr 27, 2007, 13:14
There’s something about seeing a project begin to take form that quickens the heartbeat of a car geek. Seeing parts go on, or in our case paint applied to panel, starts the imagination spinning. Of course if you’re building it, you’ve seen the car countless times in your own head, or maybe even on your computer screen if you bear some talents with Photoshop. Still, there’s nothing like the real thing. As we enter our third week of our Project DIY build, the paint process continues – transforming our B5 S4 to a more modern shade of Audi ‘s Ibis White.
Though many new panels will be applied to our B5 before we’re done, one panel being retained is the steel hood of our project foundation. If a car’s been driven, it likely has some hood damage – from pock marks to dents and dings, there are always imperfections. In as much, the hood of our B5 received a little TLC. A small dent and numerous rock chips were fixed, and the hood prepped for primer.
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At the rear, all three seams of the newly added rear quarter panel have been attended to. Smoothed out, the quarters were first prepped, then moved to the paint booth for priming.
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At the same time, the front fenders were also prepped and primed.
One area the RS4 differs from the S4 is the doors. The RS4 units come without the beltline rub strip or door blades of the S4. In an effort to save on cost, we opted to smooth the current doors to duplicate the look without purchasing even more replacement parts. All work areas have been primed and now sit ready for a shot of color.
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Though the car was white, it wasn’t Ibis White. Owner JJ Larson’s attention to detail wouldn’t allow him to simply repaint the exterior with a close-but-not-exact shade of white left in telltale areas such as engine bay or doors. For instance, the insides of the doors have been resprayed in that same vibrant white that can be found on the R8.
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With body work rapidly progressing, the next installment will now focus on the shell’s reassembly and a full repaint.
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 For more discussion on this story, click on the link to our discussion forums to the left. |  For more photos of the car in this story, click on the link to our gallery at the right. |
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