I just bolted a lighhtweight carbon fiber trunk lid to my car and rather than trying to make the stock latch mechanism fit I was considering getting some pins or latches for it. What have you guys used? I noticed bimmerworld has some "spring latches" for this purpose. Would I need 2 or those or just 1?

Anything I could pick up locally to hold it down?

I've got an old motorsports car. It's still got the old style pins. we had to make small aluminium plates to support the carbon. everything works fine.

http://www.tecmarkautosport.com/images/car03.jpg

this is a pic of the car back in 95. we still have the same decklid and pins

I don't like the spring latches, as they tend to rub the paint. I prefer the rubber latches. You should be able to find them at most any roundy-round shop or race parts supply catalogue.

I don't like the spring latches, as they tend to rub the paint. I prefer the rubber latches. You should be able to find them at most any roundy-round shop or race parts supply catalogue.

Agreed. I switched to the rubber "draw latches" from pegasus and really like them. They're very secure and dont damage the paint if they hit or rub.

any ideas for a e30 besides pinning it?

any pics of the rear of the e30 andrew? may be able to use the draw latches

http://www.swisscarsightings.com/bmw/BMW%20E30%20M3%20052.jpg

not my car but a realy clear pic

Can't link directly...all you get is a banner

http://e30m3performance.com/now_showing/gallery/af-gra/Croft%20BMWCC%2021_07_03%20B+H%206.jpg
ive only seen them pinned, 4 on the top or 2 on the top and 2 on the back like this. what kinda pins are these on the back? im afraid with a good wing it will brake the pins

You can use hoodpin style latches as well.

Mmills, which motorsport car do you have?

it was originally Deiter Quester's 1995 Gruppe N Austrian Touring Car. The blue red bull car. I dont know but i think it may have been the 1st red bull car. It is more wishfull thinking than fact. In 96 Walter Swick "Tecmark" brought it in with PTG and he ran it in World Challenge GT for a 6 years. The problem is when he sold it the guy that bought it totally screwed it up, but the chassis is straight and it never had any tubes replaced. We have been sorting it out all year. It's getting pretty good but we are not there yet. Its a 95 gruppe n Motorsports chassis. I thinks there is only about 4 in the country.
Here are some old pics of the car at PTG in 1998

http://e30m3performance.com/tech_articles/cage_symposium/e36-1/index.htm

Gotcha, check your PM :)

Andrew,
This is how Prodrive did my touring car

http://www.s14.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2953&sort=1&cat=500&page=2

The spring latches on mine dont really rub the paint off at all.
They seem to work pretty well.
If I were to put a lightweight lid on my silver car, this is probably what I would do.
Cheers
jimmy p.

Ok so every time I try to post a picture it doesn't work,,, so the link is:
http://www.s14.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=2953&sort=1&cat=500&page=2

Pretty simple.


ive only seen them pinned, 4 on the top or 2 on the top and 2 on the back like this. what kinda pins are these on the back? im afraid with a good wing it will brake the pins

Jimmy, is that "btcc" e30 currently racing?

It does not have any Door bracing, so i assume its a track car or its a collectors?

I believe the ones Watts is talking about that they used to use are called "rubber draw latches"

Pegasus has them

http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/Images/L/3034.JPG

Jimmy, is that "btcc" e30 currently racing?

It does not have any Door bracing, so i assume its a track car or its a collectors?

Its pretty much still "in the process".
I've had it for almost 3 years.
I bought it not really knowing any history on it.
I took it completely apart, did some research on the chassis number then put it all back together replicating its livery when it raced professionally.

I didnt do it 100%,,, If I did I would have stripped the entire shell and repainted it, but the paint was pretty decent so I left that for phase 2 after I retire haha.
My plan is to get it 100% track worthy and go vintage racing with it.
It had two fully reliable outings at track days this year so I'm feeling alot better about it now.
I want to "change" it as little as humanly possible to keep it as period as it can remain given it was a 1987 build (chassis 068), but I realise I may have to beef up the door bars to take it vintage racing.
I have not read all the rules of the various groups yet,,, but that is how all the early Matter E30 M3 cages came from the factory, (single door bars).

Near as I can dig up it raced for Prodrive (BMW's werks team in BTCC during the E30 M3 era) in '88, 89, 90, 91, then was sold to a privateer team in '92, then sold off to a collector in Spain.
Its been a labor of love for me and my brother, between us we own 4 E30 m3s.
Cheers
jimmy

Awesome. All you need is one bar to be added to complete the X, add a gusset or two and you are in business.

Does it have the normal dogleg tranny, or is there a true racebox in there?

Sorry for ot :) But e30's are just perfect

Awesome. All you need is one bar to be added to complete the X, add a gusset or two and you are in business.

Does it have the normal dogleg tranny, or is there a true racebox in there?

Sorry for ot :) But e30's are just perfect

Thanks. Its really a dream for me to have the opportunity to own this piece of history.

Trans is a dogleg 1st, magnesium case Getrag Grp A crash box.
Lift & shift.
Very close ratio (1st gear will do up to 60-ish) with a 4.10 rear diff.
RPM drops are around 800-900 RPM. Its a blast to drive.

I'm a little partial to the e30s myself ;)

Cheers
jimmy

I saw another one of the older dtm cars, air jacks, center lock wheels, straight cut tranny, etc. Pretty sick. He had trouble getting it going though, that first gear definitely is rough :)