BMW takes 1st and 2nd.. at the 24hours of lemons race this past weekend. .

http://jalopnik.com/cars/racing/the-top-44-lemons-of-24-hours-of-lemons-313355.php (http://jalopnik.com/cars/racing/the-top-44-lemons-of-24-hours-of-lemons-313355.php)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/24hoursoflemons/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/24hoursoflemons/)

They destroyed a 740 IL for the peoples Curse award..

There will be one in FL next year..

Cant wait..

I dunno how that team managed to get a 740iL free... But kinda to bad they ripped it apart.. That would be soo much fun to do.. ideas ideas...

Not to bring up a dead horse. But, a couple of guys work at a BMW dealer. The 740 was crapping up the place for over a year as some kind of dealer lean. The dealer wanted it to get off the lot. It ended up being a free car to the people envolved.

There will be one in FL next year..

Cant wait..
I vote for a BF.c car. start combing the junkyards for a good e30!
Jake

Yea but the 740 engine alone was worth more than the $500. either way the car was trashed with a backhoe? and still was able to keep running and be used in the race. It has to say alot for BMW.

Yes I allready have purchased a pair of e30 325e cars for $500.. one has been rearended and the other has a cracked oil pan. So I have found about 14 persons that want to do this. The promoters are working with a track in FL so we will know in a few weeks if its going to happen next year.

So I currently am looking for Cheap 15 inch rims. Ideally sets of 2 or 3.. so there not matched and really cheap.. Since i Only have about $200 to spend on upgrades for each car.

The front of the 740 was all bashed in prior to running the race as well. The main thing is to have all the appropriate paperwork to prove to the judges what the cost of the car was. That will get you in, but it won't save you from the people's curse. :)

Our 525 was an insurance total with the rear bashed in. We just stripped it, threw in a cage, welded a huge bar on the front and rear, got some new tires, and went for it.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2180/1749483858_a83ad8d194.jpg

Although, some key learning here, huge bars might be good for protection, but if they're hit from the side, they can come off and drag on the ground, generating tremendous amounts of sparks and a black flag. :eyecrazy Definitely an interesting engineering problem though, surviving this race, turning some good times, and making it to the end. Not unlike road racing, but not exactly the same thing either. Definitely a fun weekend though. :D
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/1748654109_8324e76019.jpg

yea well after the last race there is a new Rule RE Big bumpers and Nerf bars.. They are no longer allowed. I guess there was to much contact since some of the car were armored with bars over the wheels etc.
So from now on there has to be stock bumpers and no tubing past the stock sheetmetal.
I still plan to reinforce the front end to protect the radiator and the Tie rods.

B

I don't entirely get the need for radiator protection. If you don't ram anyone from the back, your radiator will be fine. We won the July race at Altamont and had no additional reinforcement up front (or really anywhere -- we went for light weight rather than beefy.)

We did have bent suspension pieces and such from side impacts, but nothing that hurt us that badly. Our worst problem had nothing to do with impacts -- we just blew head gaskets and water pumps. Overheating was our enemy.

Thanks that is good to know. RE temp issues , FL will also be hot.

I am not planning on ramming any one, but I also have read on the board about being hit from the back and pushed into someone. Therefore damaging the radiator. I am not talking about massive armor, more some smaller tubing around the front of the radiator.

I also plan to bring out a complete spare front suspension. I may also try putting in a larger radiator, I have some from the Big BMW 6 laying around.

Another thing to consider is that the FL event will be on a road course not a oval. So hopefully it will be a faster course and less traffic.

Another thing to consider is that the FL event will be on a road course not a oval. So hopefully it will be a faster course and less traffic.
I am really going to see about doing this. I'm sure I can find a nice (hahah) e30 to use for it...
Jake

Take a rear suspension also. At least control arms. The people curse 740iL was almost side lined becasue of an impact on a rear whell that killed the upper control arm. Some jury-rigged welding fixed it for the rest of sunday.

yea well after the last race there is a new Rule RE Big bumpers and Nerf bars.. They are no longer allowed. I guess there was to much contact since some of the car were armored with bars over the wheels etc.
B

Exactly my point - if we hadn't had these 62lbs monsters on either end of the car, we wouldn't have had to spend as much time in the pits re-attaching the darn things when they got hit and fell partly off. Furthermore, with 10 minutes to go, one wouldn't have been pushed into the side of the radiator puncturing it for the second time. 1st time was the typical radiator neck deal.

On the 1st yellow about 20 minutes into the race, we gradulally rolled to a stop as traffic bunched up behind an incident. A few people behind didn't notice and rammed the back of our car hard enough to appreciably dent the gas tank and knock our seat off its rails.

Keeping your nose clean, and keeping the car running, even if slowly is the key to doing well.

Well I feel lucky being able to learn from the others that already have done a few races.
1. For Nerf bars Dont use the original bumper mounts.. build brackets that attach to the frame in 4 places. Use smaller tubing so that it will bend before the frame.
I know its not a big deal now with the new rules..
I do plan to cage around the front wheels under the fender sheet metal, so there still will be protection but its allowed and hidden. I also am going to do in front of the radiator. Last of all boxing/ supporting the back trunk area so that the ass end doesnt get pushed up if hit.
I dont plan on using roll cage tubing there something about 1/4 the size. Doing a birdcage type structure like a Frame on a Ducati bike.
2. is to bring spares. So your not sidelined due to a broken part.

Since a few team members have trucks and trailers and i can tow both the cars on my set up. We are planning on bringing Air tools, generators, Welders, Engine hoist. Pretty much a complete spare drive train, ecu , front and rear suspensions. An extra set of wheels for each car.
Another team member has a 30 foot camper to use..
Can you think of any thing else?

Thanks