Well the holidays were great and we had a really nice family vacation including some decent skiing but strangely enough my car did not work on itself during this time. Hmmm....

So, I'm keeping it at my house for the time being (for several reasons) simply so I can work on it at my convenience. We had a nice week recently so I took advantage of it and get the destruction started.

Couple notes/build specs here:

* Car weighs 2414lbs with 1/2+ fuel but with stock rear decklid/wing (FG lid/wing drops ~25lbs)
* I roughly measured, IIRC, ~48ft of tube, I do not have an estimate of the amount of tubing for the new cage
* New cage will be front tower to rear tower (I am running true coilovers in the rear), pick up diff/subframe, door bar design not completed, will strip the car to a bare shell including removing of glass - EDIT: Might not do front towers...contemplating some changes
* AST 4300 triple adjustable remote cannister dampers, Vorshlag CC plates and other bits
* Will utilize lexan front, rear, and side 1/4 windscreens
* Will retain stock doors for this year (they're friggin' heavy even with guts, crash bar, and some sheet metal removed, I'd say 30lbs or so but have not weighed yet, more work to be done on them)
* Aftermarket brake kit (TBA) with Tilton 3 pedal floor mount kit, triple masters, for now I'm keeping the ABS
* Will retain the use of 15" wheels, likely will run DOT tires for NASA, possibly slicks for BMW CR - Yeah, we'll see. So far this is not going so well. Sheesh.
* Steering - undecided
* Custom exhaust
* Engine will remain mostly stock with the exception of the MAXX A/N and GrpA CF intake system
* Seat will be a Recaro SPG Hans, Schroth harnesses
* Lots of misc lightening

That's what comes to mind right now, some changes are likely but I want to keep the design/rebuild as planned.

Photos or progress to date:

Next round.....

Now the fun begins....cage removal. I am removing the cage that came in the car when I bought it. It's a kit cage welded in, only 6 point, very basic. It's 1.5x.120 tubing. The extra door bar on the driver side I had installed quickly just so I could run a NASA race at Mid Ohio in June. It ain't pretty but it's also mostly gone. ; )

Couple more for now.....then the real fun begins.

The car will be stripped completely for misc bracket/metal removal. I think I will not end up dipping the chassis (we have another project we're doing that for) but I will do some undercoating removal. I want to try a couple things here....possibly media blast, or maybe just good ol' fashion elbow grease with a Crud Thug.

Some parts are trickling in but I'm waiting to order some depending on my ultimate decision of which ones I'll use. Hell I still have to finish the cage design, sheesh.

I was hoping to hit it again this weekend but looks like we're taking the kids skiing. Maybe this time it will work on itself a bit. ; )

Cheers.

Jack, go skiing and leave the wife and kids home to work on the car. Then it will be as if the car worked on itself. That's what wives and kids are for, as I understood it. Was I wrong?

Holy crap, if I went skiing and didn't take my oldest daughter I think she'd kill me...and she's only 6. Plus my 4 year old has been bugging me since Christmas...she was ill for several days so she couldn't go. I think the chances of me skiing by myself are slightly less than zero. ; )

That kid that's staring lovingly at the car wants to work on it badly.
He told me he expects that car will be his 16th birthday present. :-)

Carlos.

How cool to start with a car that weighs 2400lbs BEFORE you strip it.

How do you intend to handle the transition back and forth with DOT's and Slicks as it relates to spring rate and shock valving differences? This is something that I got wrong at the beginning and I haven't really fixed yet.

How cool to start with a car that weighs 2400lbs BEFORE you strip it.

How do you intend to handle the transition back and forth with DOT's and Slicks as it relates to spring rate and shock valving differences? This is something that I got wrong at the beginning and I haven't really fixed yet.

YES....and it only gets better when stripped! :D Mine is weighing-in (with really big driver and full load fluids) at a lot less than most folks might imagine! :D:D:D

We ran DOTs on my car (won overall) in one race in '06 and slicks in the other (second overall) and both seemed to work pretty well with minor shock / camber / pressure adjustments. Never considered any spring rate changes, but that could perhaps be an issue with the narrow tire setup it seems like Jack will be using with those 15" wheels. ;)

We had some difficulty with true coilovers breaking under extreme cornering on rear of my car in '06, but the issues could have also been related to the extra grip of the 18x10 slicks. The BMW OEM lower shock mounting point was a concern with the wide tires, but hopefully running the narrower tires will enable you to get the proper angles without having any sort of problem with the pieces not withstanding the load and failing right in the middle of a turn like mine did. Definitely a code brown! :eek:

How cool to start with a car that weighs 2400lbs BEFORE you strip it.

How do you intend to handle the transition back and forth with DOT's and Slicks as it relates to spring rate and shock valving differences? This is something that I got wrong at the beginning and I haven't really fixed yet.

Yeah. Course a newer chassis offers other benefits like not needing as much cage. ; ) I am quite pleased about how easy it is to get weight out though. I have a running list and I really should have no problem getting another 160lbs out of it plus removing the old cage. That does not include undercoating and misc metal/brackets either. Hopefully I can push that number to 200 without too much work.

As for set up, well, the thing is the car is not optimzed for DM. The engine will likely have less than 200RWHP (unless some cams/headwork show up ; )). I don't plan to be changing valving between BMW/NASA events so there will be a compromise unless I decide to run one tire vs another exclusively. So for right now the plan is to optimize for DOT's. We are doing many test/tuning days next year once the car is back together to get the set up right. There's a good chance we'll test both, or even multiple, tire configs. Of course, again, unless I commit to slicks any valving will be optimized for the set up with DOT's.

Oh, and while we've looked into using slicks we've not decided on which ones we might use yet either so that's another factor.

Cheers.

What no more J-Stock, looks almost legal ;). I gonna have to ride in this thing again sometime, actually that might be a bad idea.

I really would like to have the ability to install a passenger seat but we'll see, that's typically a good place for the fire system bottle. If I can't do that then you'll just have to drive it. Then again that might be worse than a ride. ; )

Jack,
Quick question, ?That looks like a DTM type shifter mounted to the body. What kind of motor & trans mounts are you using? Do you ever have any shifting problems?

Jack,
Quick question, ?That looks like a DTM type shifter mounted to the body. What kind of motor & trans mounts are you using? Do you ever have any shifting problems?

It is the AKG shifter, best race shifter I've ever used. I have urethane mounts currently (both motor/trans), going to either nylon from Vorshlag or aluminum. Never any shifting problems. I've discussed shifting problems with this type of shifter with people before and I find the ones who have problems are those still using stock mounts. This does will not work. The stock shifter system allows relative motion between the chassis and the shifter, the DTM style does not so when the motor/trans move around under braking/cornering the shifter is loaded and it should not be.

The nice thing about these DTM style shifters is they remove the factory carrier and many of the rubber/nylon mounting bits. The only thing that is really a wearable item left in my system currently is the little rubber buffer in the shift rod joint. I will be replacing that as well though. My only concern for all these solid piece is whether or not it puts additional wear on the transmission itself. Remains to be seen but for now I'm willing to risk it. ; )

EDIT: To qualify my opening statement, E30 trans' suck ass for shifting. I've had good luck in my E36 with the UUC shifter that came in it. I also tried a B&M which I liked but didn't use very much.

Cheers.

It is the AKG shifter, best race shifter I've ever used. I have urethane mounts currently (both motor/trans), going to either nylon from Vorshlag or aluminum.


The AKG urethane mounts? As far as I know they are the only urethane trans mounts made for the E30 M3. We have been hounding Vorshlag to make some, but the market is kinda small. I have recently been debating going to firmer mounts.

The AKG urethane mounts? As far as I know they are the only urethane trans mounts made for the E30 M3. We have been hounding Vorshlag to make some, but the market is kinda small. I have recently been debating going to firmer mounts.

Yes, AKG motor and trans mounts. I have the Vorshlag nylon motor mounts which I'm planning to switch to but of course I'll keep the AKG trans mounts. But I'm still considering going to all aluminum, we'll see. I also asked Vorshlag to make trans mounts but given the market, I can understand it not being a high priority item. If they make them I will switch, if not then no big deal.

Part of all this is dependant on my driveline choices. I'm looking into a few different things but cost, timing, and feasibility will determine the end results, that's why I didn't list anything about it on the build info, just not sure yet and still considering many options.

Cheers.

If I can't do that then you'll just have to drive it. Then again that might be worse than a ride. ; )

Probably not a good idea :devillook. But I'm curious to see how it feels with some real suspension on it.

great build. Small world too, I grew up in Brighton, graduated from BHS in '99

Jack, seeing that you're cutting the entire cage out, how is the chassis sheet metal strength affected from the previous welding? is the sheet metal weaker than before?

reason i'm asking is i've been contemplating changing a couple tube positions in my current cage but don't want to do so if the structure will be weaker without them there.

great build. Small world too, I grew up in Brighton, graduated from BHS in '99

Small indeed! One of my wife's brothers lives in Cary and we get down there 1-3 times per year. We'll be down at least once this year as we plan a little vacation around races at VIR.

Cheers.

Jack, seeing that you're cutting the entire cage out, how is the chassis sheet metal strength affected from the previous welding? is the sheet metal weaker than before?

reason i'm asking is i've been contemplating changing a couple tube positions in my current cage but don't want to do so if the structure will be weaker without them there.

Excellent question and I've been thinking about this a bit. First, the rear tubes dow not matter as I'll likely just finish them off right at the mounting plate on the wheel well, I won't be using that location for anything so I guess I'm gonna eat a lb or so.

The main hoop will be mounted in a different location (a bit further back) so again, should not be an issue other than some wasted weight.

The A pillar tubes are the ones I'm most concerned about. I may have that entire floor area cut out and redone, then the new cage mounting will be secure. I have to see how bad it's actually going to be though. Right now all the mounting plates are covered up with some goop which I'll have to clean off. Then it seems as though they are mounted on mini plinths. If that is the case I may be able to just grind them off at the welds and probably use larger mounting plates which may cover that area. I won't use plinths so if I can use larger mounting plates there may not be so much repair that needs to be done. Either way I will make sure all mounting areas are properly repaired (if needs be) and redone.

Of course I'll photo document how this goes as I get into it...hopefully this coming weekend I can finish the cage removal and then a bunch more stripping. I still have all mechanical bits to be removed...powertrain/driveline/exhaust....basically 90% of an operating car yet to be removed.

Cheers.

Dang it Jack.... You've contributed to my ongoing edumacation. Never heard of a plinth before today. I feel enlightened ;)

Jay

Oh there was a thread sometime back with a discussion of "plinths". I didn't read all that and I don't think I'd participated in it either but I vaguely recall it. I think there were even links to online dictionaries. ; )

What kind of arschlock links an online dictionary?

Oh wait. Nevermind.

Yes, AKG motor and trans mounts. I have the Vorshlag nylon motor mounts which I'm planning to switch to but of course I'll keep the AKG trans mounts. But I'm still considering going to all aluminum, we'll see. I also asked Vorshlag to make trans mounts but given the market, I can understand it not being a high priority item. If they make them I will switch, if not then no big deal.

Part of all this is dependant on my driveline choices. I'm looking into a few different things but cost, timing, and feasibility will determine the end results, that's why I didn't list anything about it on the build info, just not sure yet and still considering many options.

Cheers.

Are you not worried about cracks in the subframe running mounts that stiff? I've heard the increased vibration can cause cracks even with the usual subframe reinforcment.

I also asked Vorshlag to make trans mounts but given the market, I can understand it not being a high priority item. If they make them I will switch, if not then no big deal.
We hear ya... just trying to catch up on other major design projects. Its on the list of "things to do". Still, we made E30-S14 motor mounts in 3 bushing flavors, and they aren't exactly flying off the shelves like our E36/46 versions do. So we have to balance our design time with demand from any given chassis. (shrug)

http://www.vorshlag.smugmug.com/photos/233382258-S.jpg http://www.vorshlag.smugmug.com/photos/222026688-S-1.jpg
Various Vorshlag S14 motor mounts...

Are you not worried about cracks in the subframe running mounts that stiff? I've heard the increased vibration can cause cracks even with the usual subframe reinforcment.
Heh... yea, the E30 subframe can crack with stock rubber mounts. I think the Nylon mounts are fine in his car, with a reinforced K-member, but they are not for everyone. Our two poly motor mount options are a bit more "sane" for the S14 motor and its increased vibration tendencies over the inline 6. Time will tell, I suppose, but where there's a crack there's a welder with some steel to reinforce it. :D The driveline slop in these cars with worn stock mounts is staggering.

edit on 3-12-08: the S14 poly motor mounts have since started selling rapidly (sold out of the first batch and making a lot more; the 70A durometer seems to be the bushing of choice), we've completed our E36 trans mount design/prototypes and we're about to tackle the S14 trans mounts!

We hear ya... just trying to catch up on other major design projects. Its on the list of "things to do". Still, we made E30-S14 motor mounts in 3 bushing flavors, and they aren't exactly flying off the shelves like our E36/46 versions do.

A little off topic but if I were to run a JTD trans mount on an E36 which Vorshlag motor mount would be best for that application? I was thinking of the nylon ones as the JTD mount is supposedly really stiff and I do want to switch to an AKG shifter so I don't want the motor moving around a bunch but the JTD mount I have does have rubber bushings, perhaps the polyurethane ones would be best? The subframe will get the typical (Turner Motorsports) reinforcements.

Thanks,
Carlos.

Are you not worried about cracks in the subframe running mounts that stiff? I've heard the increased vibration can cause cracks even with the usual subframe reinforcment.

Nope, not at all. Cracking in most of these cases does not occur from vibration, it occurs because rubber mounts fail and the forces put to the hard points cause fatigue. Vibration can certainly cause failure due to fatigue but I've yet to see specific evidence supporting this. In fact, I'd rather use more solid mounts than rubber. Using anything in between like urethane is fine as well. Vibration may cause other things to come loose and rattle and in some cases failure due to this but I'm not worried for one second about subframes or other mounts failing due to vibration.

Cheers.

Wow....how'd I miss this thread???

Looking good Jack! That headliner/sunroof pic brings back bad memories for me. It took me a couple of hours with a air cut-off wheel to get mine out. Unfortunately, I realized that a mask would be a good idea about half way through the job. Yep, the taste of metal bits is not my favorite :(

What size slicks could you fit on the car? With my car as it sits right now...I believe I could run slicks and still be GTS2.

Cheers!

Damon in STL

p.s. Thanks for posting your build....it's got me motivated! But, it looks like no more follow/lead at Putnam....just follow/follow (for me) :eek: LOL...

Edit:

p.s.s Okay...I'm a dummy. I just found that there was a "Track Car Build" sub forum. :rolleyes

Wow....how'd I miss this thread???

Man o man....I've been so friggin' sick the last few days, phew. My wife was really sick last weekend so I didn't really get out to work at all, bummer. Now all the kids are sick, I'm sick, she's sick again...friggin' sucks. Sorry so long to reply.

Looking good Jack! That headliner/sunroof pic brings back bad memories for me. It took me a couple of hours with a air cut-off wheel to get mine out. Unfortunately, I realized that a mask would be a good idea about half way through the job. Yep, the taste of metal bits is not my favorite :(

Yeah, I've got quite a bit of interior work to do yet but I guess that's the teardown part. I still have the front/rear glass to remove, the remaining interior stuff, grind down the old cage tube and possibly/hopefully cutaway some of the mounting plates. I also have to check the A pillar mounting area to see if it needs repairing. Gotta get the sunroof cassette and all those bits out...plenty to do. I'd try to work this weekend but we'll be in MA, maybe next weekend.

What size slicks could you fit on the car? With my car as it sits right now...I believe I could run slicks and still be GTS2.

Well, funny you should ask as we've already looked into this last year...which is sorta a driving force behind the other build. There are plenty of slicks that will work well on a 15" wheel. I think my partner has the Hoosiers, can't recall which compound. I won't be able to run slicks and still be in GTS2, I'm going to be pushing it on weight if I do anything at all to the motor. If your car is JP legal weight with a relatively stock motor then you could likely run slicks in GTS2 without too much of a weight hit.

p.s. Thanks for posting your build....it's got me motivated! But, it looks like no more follow/lead at Putnam....just follow/follow (for me) :eek: LOL...

Well, we'll see how "great" it is. It looks good on paper but lessee if it turns out to be the signing kind or the wiping kind. ; )

Cheers!

I've said it in other threads and will say it again.. Very happy with the nylon Vorshlag mounts under my S14.. Some trans mounts *would * be nice... I decided to go with 6 series mounts and will be installing them friday.

I've said it in other threads and will say it again.. Very happy with the nylon Vorshlag mounts under my S14.. Some trans mounts *would * be nice... I decided to go with 6 series mounts and will be installing them friday.

I would not recommend mixing solid and non solid mounts, very bad idea. The trans mounts will wear much faster. Mixing mounts of signficantly different stiffness is generally bad practice. I'd recommend getting the AKG trans mounts or waiting to install until our buddies at Vorshlag do the trans mounts.

Cheers.

Managed to scrounge a couple hours today, did a few things.

1. Removed the remaining large parts of the cage, now left are the stumps and mounting plates. I sorta started grinding them a bit, not fun. Fortunately the only place I really need these removed is the A pillar mounts. There I can actually cut the sheet metal out and redo the entire area so that it's correct. The other areas would end up as wasted weight unfortunately. I'll grind some more, we'll see how much I get out.

2. Removed the sunroof mechanism. I was going to do the cassette too but I think I'll just have the fabricator do that when it goes in for the cage.

3. I cut off some misc brackets/studs and removed a few more misc items that don't need to be there anymore.

Not a super long day but productive nonetheless.

Pics......last pic is the obligatory "I'm the king of the world!" pic. ; )

Jack,

You will need to do something in the center of that composite hood to keep it from raising-up and making a large parachute at high speeds. The internal bracing may appear to be adequate, but it won't prevent this from happening.;)

Good luck with your build.:)

-Mike

Whats the consensus on hood seals and venting and aero and anti-ballooning? Is it best to remove the hood seal all together? or to cut the back out? or cut maybe 6" sections out in the rear corners?

Whats the consensus on hood seals and venting and aero and anti-ballooning? Is it best to remove the hood seal all together? or to cut the back out? or cut maybe 6" sections out in the rear corners?

Well, right now I simply added the hood and it currently has the EVO3 hood seals (only the sides) which seal the hood to the fender. There is also another seal that runs along the front between the bumper and grill support cross piece. I will add this part, or similar, during the build.

Right now I'm still mulling over all the airflow possibilities through the engine compartment. I have to do some reading on the subject as well. I have several ideas but right now they are just unorganized thoughts, not plans.

During the testing I did at Autobahn last fall the hood was just fine, rock solid. But that was only on the ACC short course so obviously we will have to test at a couple high speed tracks to make sure it's ok. We'll also test a few aero concepts at this time. These will not necessarily be highly developed/engineered devices but rather reasonable solutions which will work nicely with the build.

Cheers.

or to cut the back out? or cut maybe 6" sections out in the rear corners?

The area near the back of the hood is usually high pressure, right? I'm not sure they would "vent" very well.

...

The area near the back of the hood is usually high pressure, right? I'm not sure they would "vent" very well.

Just ask the guys w/ cowl induction muscle cars. (Yes, it is usually high pressure, but not always. It should be high pressure on an e30 or e36 body. I know for a fact that it is on an e46 body although I didn't bother measuring how much.)

Are you going to remove your sunroof cassette?
He mentions having the cage builder take out the cassette.

-tammer

He mentions having the cage builder take out the cassette.

-tammer


I was just modifying my thread to reflect my lack of ability to read when you replied. Doh!

The area near the back of the hood is usually high pressure, right? I'm not sure they would "vent" very well.

Right, i guess it was dumb to put that in the list. Currently i have my E30's stock hood seal w/ 6" cut outs at the back of the side pieces. the rearcowl part is intact. I don't however, have anything at the front of the hood. Was there something there stock? I wonder if air rushing in there would pull air from the kidneys up and over the radiator.

Just the cutouts i have now reduced all visible ballooning w/ the hood pins in front and stock hood. It was actually so bad before that there are indentions in the hood where the hood pins pulled against the ballooning hood.

Pedal kits are here so we'll start to do the mounting design. Plan is to have a base set up to level it then a plate on top. The plate will facilitate multiple mounting configurations. We are also moving the seats back several inches for improved weight distribution. We've looked at a lot of different pedal mounting schemes and short of a couple pro level designs they've been quite unimpressive. Seems a lot of people prefer overhung vs floor mount.

Ordering body panels, steering column stuff, misc interior bits....it's Christmas in spring. ; )

Anyway, weather is fine, work should move forward again....finally.

Cheers.

Seems a lot of people prefer overhung vs floor mount.


I'm in that group. Just a feel thing w/ respect to the direction of the arc the pedal travels in.

I'm in that group. Just a feel thing w/ respect to the direction of the arc the pedal travels in.

And that's exactly the reason most people cite. I think it's certainly understandable from an ergonomic standpoing, the majority of people are used to overhung pedals vs floor mounts. We'll see how I take to it, I have little experience in cars with floor mount pedals. I don't expect any issues but if there are then, well, that'll be funny in a sad way. ; )

Cheers.

I'd bet you'll be happy either way. It took me about 30 minutes to acclimate. After that I didn't notice it. Which pedals did you go with?

I'd bet you'll be happy either way. It took me about 30 minutes to acclimate. After that I didn't notice it. Which pedals did you go with?

That's what I'm hoping. ; )

I've got the steel kit, the Tilton 72-680, still waiting for the throttle linkage kit though. Love to do the nice aluminum version but at more than 3x the cost it was a bit unjustifiable....sorta like the carbon-carbon clutch kit. ; )

Well the season was pretty good but I was pretty much too busy to ever work on the damn car. It got covered, then surrounded, now it's finding its way out again. The motivation level is high again, time is making itself available. I'm actually going to get going on it again, seriously. Penned in shakedown is Putnam Park in April, possibly sooner but unlikely. Maybe DaveCN will show up. <ducking>

Things to hopefully accomplish in the next week:

1. Remove front/rear glass
2. Remove stock steering column...or at least get it to the point of being easily removed in preparation for the cage
3. Cut out useless brackets/metal...get a start on it anyway, stuff that would interfere with the cage must come out first
4. Some general clean up and contined prep for a cage, calling McMahan tomorrow to see about a drop off/pick up date. Hey that means I'm gonna need to finalize my cage design...ok. If the stars align maybe I can get all this done before Christmas...orginal (updated) plan was to have the car back mid Jan.
5. I did receive the throttle linkage kit from the last post. ; ) Also have a few other nifty items here...some brake parts, additional suspension stuff, reinforcements from iC model, lexan.

Not an exciting post but part of my motivation plan to get this moving again. Alright then, moving forward.

Cheers.

Looking forward to it Jack.

My revised plan is to have my car down at McMahan just after yours leaves in January.

Mike

Looking forward to it Jack.

My revised plan is to have my car down at McMahan just after yours leaves in January.

Mike

Have you finalized your design yet? I assume you saw John's cage in his build thread. Mine was originally to be very much like that but in the interest of getting this thing done (and some different longer term E30 M3 plans) I will make some compromises here.

As I joked on another list, it will be somewhere between prepared and mod level...mod smart or mod chic. ; )

When I call McMahan tomorrow I'll mention you as well....best to get in the que early.

Cheers.

Thanks! Pretty much the same as John did, but maybe some changes in view of recent information.

Definitely want to talk to you before I get the car down there.

Mike

Go Jack Go!

Road Atlanta is O'fest 2009...

Thanks! Pretty much the same as John did, but maybe some changes in view of recent information.

Definitely want to talk to you before I get the car down there.

Mike

Well ya best start thinking sooner. I called McMahan today (well several times in the last week cuz I got so antsy) and the plan is to take my car down there in the next week. I'll have it back before Thanksgiving. That's the kick in the arse I need to get this timing back on track.

However, sadly in the short term, I'm considering some different powertrain options as I consider a, uh, bigger S14 build. ; )

Let's chat Mike...like in the next week or so. Cheers.

Go Jack Go!

Road Atlanta is O'fest 2009...

I'd love to come down and run RA, that would be a blast. I'll get my arse handed to me but hey, I'm sure I can beat someone in DM. ; ) There won't be any Spec Miata right? Oh wait, BMW CCA...excellent!!

Cheers.

Jack,

Does this mean you'll need the truck and trailer next week?

In regard of the floor mounted vs hanging pedals. I drove an e30 M3 racecar last week with floor mounted pedals. The change in ergonomy did not strike me at all. Maybe because I am used to hop between my e30 M3 (hanging pedals) and my 2002 (from the floor). But what stroke me the most, was that without the booster, I had to press much, much harder on the brakes, anticipate a lot (braking much sooner) and I felt I lost some of sensitivity and "finesse" as I really had to mash the brakes to get "results", which had the front wheels squeal often to almost locking up.

A bit like when a mover carries a very heavy box, it cannot be placed so precisely as the muscles are working hard on the weight. Probably I need to grow more leg muscles, but overall, it was not too my tastes. I hate overboosted systems, but think that the stock e30 assist is not too much.

Question to Jack. I like very much your Tilton pedals. Can the pivot point to the MCs be adjusted in height? Increasing/decreasing leverage?

Then again. Maybe with smaller MCs, or a bigger leverage, it could help regain some sensitivity.

Question to Jack. I like very much your Tilton pedals. Can the pivot point to the MCs be adjusted in height? Increasing/decreasing leverage?

Then again. Maybe with smaller MCs, or a bigger leverage, it could help regain some sensitivity.

The original Tilton set I bought was a 2 pedal overhung kit. That comes in a couple different ratios. The 3 pedal kit I not believe has any ratio adjustability but honestly, I've not looked at it lately nor that closely as of yet. I decided on the 3 pedal kit as it made sense due to the same being installed on the #217 car as well. Plus I originally wanted to go to floor mount and replace all the stock pedals. The indecision inbetween was simply trying to keep things a little simpler....but then it got more complicated. ; )

I have not spec'd the MC's yet partly due to having gone back and forth on my brake kit choice. And somewhat due to that I'm also in limbo about my wheel/tire selection. Fortunately those things do not need to be decided upon for at least a couple more months if not 3 or 4. I'm trying shift my focus back on the things that must be done now...namely the cage and then making a couple key decisions on powertrain and driveline.

Cheers.

Jack, I am curious how the floor pedals will fit. When I was building my car (e30 325) I tried to fit Tilton floor pedals but even moving the seat a few inches wasn't going to help. I would have needed to cut some holes in the firewall to allow the back of the cylinders and it seemd too much work at the time. I ended up with hanging pedal. With hanging pedals the access for cylinder swap is a real pain. I would like to know how you are doing it.

Nafi Coker

If wanting a boosterless set-up with twin masters and balance, and with minimal fabrication, I suggest contacting Mike Bonkalski from Motomotions.com as he offers stock BMW pedal assemblies, modified to accept twin masters and balance bar. The masters would be bolted directly on the firewall. So no access problem.

motomotions@gmail.com

Jack, I am curious how the floor pedals will fit. When I was building my car (e30 325) I tried to fit Tilton floor pedals but even moving the seat a few inches wasn't going to help. I would have needed to cut some holes in the firewall to allow the back of the cylinders and it seemd too much work at the time. I ended up with hanging pedal. With hanging pedals the access for cylinder swap is a real pain. I would like to know how you are doing it.

Nafi Coker

Well, this part of is a design-in-progress if you will. We have the floor plate designed but have not set it all in place to see fitment. I'm not sure how far I'll be moving my seat back yet, remains to be seen. But as we move forward with the pedal stuff we'll be sure to share.

I mentioned it previously that I originally bought a 2 pedal kit (for sale BTW, not needed) but have since decided to do the 3 pedal kit.

Cheers.

Busting hump to get the car to down to McMahan's for the cage tomorrow. I still have several little things to do in the AM but should be good to go. This eve, pulled the front and rear glass, had to test fit a new fuel rail (yeah, not really helping the cage plan), pull the wiper assembly, and tomorrow before buggin' out I'll the heater core and a few misc things inside. Maybe a bit more but maybe not, it's ready for the cage...more or less. ; )

Oh, I took a pic of my hand...some minor damage from the windscreen removal process. Ooops. If you don't like a little blood, well, be a man fer chrissakes. ; )

Enjoy, I'm having some beers.

http://webpages.charter.net/dmodm3/2008GTS/102708_WINDSCREEN/IMG_2496sm.JPG

http://webpages.charter.net/dmodm3/2008GTS/102708_WINDSCREEN/IMG_2495sm.JPG

http://webpages.charter.net/dmodm3/2008GTS/102708_WINDSCREEN/IMG_2494sm.JPG

Oh there was a thread sometime back with a discussion of "plinths". I didn't read all that and I don't think I'd participated in it either but I vaguely recall it. I think there were even links to online dictionaries. ; )

The E36 LS1 thread.

There was one long before that.

There was one long before that.
This one possibly? http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=658347&page=2

Finally dropped the car off at McMahan's last nite - thanks Shea for equipment usage! ; )

The car has no glass, no heaterbox, no interior, etc of course. I didn't get all the stripping done that I had orginally wanted but that's a comromise I had to make to meet timing (which has already slipped). It's still 95% of what I was aiming for so I'm not terribly disappointed. And of course all that means is I have a little extra work before paint prep. No worries.

I'm quite excited about this, will have it back early-mid Dec to begin reconstruction for the April '09 shakedown date. You have probably seen our other car, #217 GTS E30 M3 (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=943715), as John had his cage done last winter. My cage will be very similar, some minor changes here and there. I don't have good drawing of it to post but live pics will be up in several weeks anyway. Basially different door bars, some different gusseting here and there...that's pretty much it. Oh, and though I wanted to I'm not integrating the seat mounting into the cage. I am going to reinforce the floor mounting are though.

Man I cannot wait to get it back! Cheers.

Awesome man, can't wait to see you back on track. Hey you might actually be ahead of schedule, that might be a first for you :D

Awesome man, can't wait to see you back on track. Hey you might actually be ahead of schedule, that might be a first for you :D

Yeah, amongst several big changes here I'm trying to stay ahead of my, uh ahem, revised schedule for this offseason. We have a lot going on and it's keeping my nose permanently to the grindstone but oooooo it's good stuff! ; )

Cheers.