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Pro3 build, day 2

 
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:46 pm    Post subject: Pro3 build, day 2 Reply with quote

Pictures of the car here:
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/89_red_325i/

Day 1 was Saturday, March 29th.
- test drove the car
- bought it
- pulled stereo, returned it to owner as agreed
- drove to car wash
- spent $20 and over an hour trying to get everything clean on the car, mostly succeeded
- post interior for sale (free!) note on local BB
- all panels except front right fender are original
- bald cracked tires
- suspension is shot
- brakes are good
- engine is strong
- 5speed shifts well, clutch feels solid
- rear diff howls constantly and gets louder the faster you go, 4.10 coming soon

Day 2 Sunday March 30th
- pulled interior, give to fellow Pro3 racer
- pull panel under steering, give to fell Pro3 racer's son
- strip panels out of trunk some to fellow Pro3 racer, some to garbage
- found major body work was done below the right rear window, they welded in a bunch of sheet metal. the car is square, but it is ugly under the skin in that spot.
- pulled out headliner, that was a pain, and sound deadner behind the headliner.
- tightened up loose alternator, it was really loose
- looks like the radiator cap is leaking, time for a new one


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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well here is a nasty surprise. Ugly, but I don't think it will hurt the strength of the body that much. We'll see, I'll have some experts look at it.
I'm pretty committed at this point, or I should be committed, the interior, headliner, everything except carpet and drivers seat, is out of the interior of the car.



Dale
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menuhin



Joined: 09 Dec 2007
Posts: 163
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

PostPosted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! An exciting project again!
I think the interior of my car may look much much much worse when the seats and interior were pulled out for fixing the rush holes
I am waiting for at average 68'F temperature to come, for the Por-15 to cure effectively
_________________
My E30 101 finished: Red 1986 325es (103K miles only)
- completed: tbelt, h2o pump, rust holes, tie rods, ca & m3 cab, sports s&s, backup light, tranny seals, 3.25 LSD, short shifter
FAREWELL my 325es! Sad
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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bummer... not the kind of surprise you want. But as long as the experts think the body's sound, you're good to go...

Good Luck Dale! We're ALL behind ya!
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Cosmo - 1985 BMW 325e, Single Owner, 265,000+ ORIGINAL miles and still going strong! But now on the East Coast and the salt air corrosion is eating my beautiful car alive... Sad

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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks 85 325e, appreciate it.

I talked to my body repair expert friends, and they said it should be structurally sound, just ugly. I'll likely cover it up with tin panels or something, so it won't be ugly for long.

Tonight I pulled the drivers seat and the carpet out. I found that it had some big time water leaks, the carpet is in good shape, but soaked. It's in the warm garage drying out now.

Installed my spare sport seat for now to move the thing around with.

Next up, install the suspension and decent tires/wheels.
Ground Control A/D shocks/struts
coilover struts in front
suspension techniques front swaybar
entire new rear subframe
- 4.10lsd diff
- delrin trailing arm bushings
- delrin subframe bushings

Added a couple more pics of the clean engine and front suspension.

I love a clean motor:

Before:


After



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85-325e



Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Engine looks cleeeeeeeean! Very nice Dale!

Is there anything you can mount over it, that you'd need in the car when you;re on the track, that can just cover it???
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Cosmo - 1985 BMW 325e, Single Owner, 265,000+ ORIGINAL miles and still going strong! But now on the East Coast and the salt air corrosion is eating my beautiful car alive... Sad

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wazzu70



Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 838
Location: Issaquah, WA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

With the addition of the cage I highly doubt the body panel replacement will even matter unless there was something I missed. At that point majority of the cars body is there for aero reasons more than anything.

You know we could cut some tagboard panels for the interior in the proper shape and then have them laser/water cut (or tin snips Smile) a stainless set for your two cars.

Also remember on this car to make the rear windows rivet to the inner frame and not the outer in the rear.

Making any progress with the white one? I would think you would be doing that one FIRST so you could get out there and driving.
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-Nick


1984 BMW 325e
1991 BMW 325i
1976 Honda CB400F Super Sport
"The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"
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menuhin



Joined: 09 Dec 2007
Posts: 163
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That looks so clean!!!
Dale, what have you used for cleaning?
_________________
My E30 101 finished: Red 1986 325es (103K miles only)
- completed: tbelt, h2o pump, rust holes, tie rods, ca & m3 cab, sports s&s, backup light, tranny seals, 3.25 LSD, short shifter
FAREWELL my 325es! Sad


Last edited by menuhin on Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What do I use for cleaning?
- do it yourself Car wash, lots of time on the low pressure tire/engine cleaner, then blast the heavy grease areas with high pressure, hot, soap
make sure the engine is cold when you do this
don't spray the electronics with high pressure, they get clean with the indirect splashing

" I would think you would be doing that one FIRST so you could get out there and driving."
The point is to get this one running and on the track in 4 weeks vs spending months completing the other one.
I think I can get this one raceable faster then I can the white one.
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wazzu70



Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 838
Location: Issaquah, WA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gotcha, I figure the other one would be much faster since its body/cage seem to be in good condition.
_________________
-Nick


1984 BMW 325e
1991 BMW 325i
1976 Honda CB400F Super Sport
"The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My white chassis has 3 things, body and cage, steering, that's it.
It needs all wiring done, brakes plumbed, pedals, suspension, engine, transmission, front suspension, rear suspension, interior bits, safety gear, wheels/tires, fuel system.

My red one needs, front suspension, rear suspension, cage, safety gear, wheels/tires, maybe exhaust, and a chip.

With a bit of luck the red one will be done before the end of April.
The white one will be done ... eventually.
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:39 am    Post subject: Pro3 Build, Day 5 Reply with quote

Today I worked on the suspension.

Parts list:

Front Suspension:
- 1x front Wheel Hub 31-21-1-131-297 SKF part from CarQuest in Bellevue(I only needed 1, the other was fine)
- 2x front rotors, Brembo OE, 34-11-1-160-915
- 2x brake cooling ducts, got these from Bimmerworld with a 3" duct,
and a "C" shape so you don't have to pull the hub to install $245/pair
for plates only, http://www.bimmerworld.com/
- 2x rotor retaining bolt
- 8x 12x1.5x75mm wheel studs and nuts, from Vorschlag
- 2x E30 camber mounts from Vorshlag
http://www.vorshlag.com/camberplates.php
- 2x modified E30 strut housing, 16" long tube, perch at 12-3/4"
- 2x Ground Control, Advanced Design double-adjustable strut inserts
http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/category.php/CA=128
- 2x Hypercoil 7" x 2.5" x 650lb springs (blue ones in the pics)
- 2x Ground Control 2.5" adjustable spring perch
http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=540/CA=6

Rear Suspension:
- 2x Ground Control, Advanced Design double-adjustable shocks
- 2x Eibach 5" x 2.25" x 800lb springs (red ones in the pics)
- 2x Ground Control 2.25" adjustable spring perch
- 2x Ground Control shock mounts
- 2x rotor retaining bolt
- 8x 12x1.5x75mm wheel studs and nuts, from Vorschlag
- 2x Ireland Toe/Camber adjustment kit, $85x2

Tonights goal was to assemble all these parts to insure I had everything
I needed to install the suspension and brakes this weekend.

Starting with the struts, I pulled out my old pair of strut housings that I've used for years, and bent the one in a crash in 2006. I had Pat at Pat's Autosports in Auburn fix the bent housing and reweld it so it is now better then it was. I also had him modify 2 new strut housings at the same time as he had the original set there to take measurements from. If you want to do this and you are in the Seattle/Tacoma area, bring your housings to Pat, he'll take care of you.

The basic measurements of my strut housing are 16" overall length of the tube, including it's mounting point in the spindle base, and mount the spring perch at 12-3/4". When you modify a factory strut, you cut out the original spring perch and cut off the top portion where the threads for the strut retaining nut live and weld it back together at the new length.

Looking at one of the pictures below you can see the one that originally came with the car I bought, and it has worked fine for years and many many races, but the weld doesn't look that strong. The strut on the right is the one that Pat modified, and it looks like a better weld to me.

Next up is insert the AD strut into the housing and tighten down the retainer cup, my original one went fine, but oops, I overlooked something.
I need a 3" long piece of 1-3/4" pipe (approx, better measurements tomorrow) to put in the bottom of my new strut tubes to act as a spacer to hold my strut snug against the top retaining cup.
My original strut housing already had that in the bottom is it was fine and I could assemble it all the way.
a) insert strut into tube
b) install retaining cup, tighten down the best you can, I'd love to safety wire this thing, perhaps medium strength Loctite
c) slip bump-stop over strut shaft
d) add spring height adjuster
e) set spring on the adjuster's perch
f) install adjustable camber mount on the top of the strut.
g) add nuts, snug down
h) install brake cooling duct, 3x 10mm bolts

more to come ...


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sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta


Last edited by dale on Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
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wazzu70



Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 838
Location: Issaquah, WA

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even with material removed from the strut housing you still need spacers for the AD dampers? Wow, those things are short!

Pat is a cool guy and everyone in the area really seems to like him.

Glad to see you are making progress on the car. I thought your white one had wiring in it already. It would definitely take you a while to get it up and going since thats the case.
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-Nick


1984 BMW 325e
1991 BMW 325i
1976 Honda CB400F Super Sport
"The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten"
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:17 pm    Post subject: Day 6 Reply with quote

Tonight I finished up the rear suspension adjustment prep.
I had the tabs welded onto the rear subframe a couple of months ago,
tonight I ground out the slots, and cleaned it up and painted it black.

Next I'll install my newly assembled 4.10LSD diff, and solid subframe
bushings. Then the whole rear suspension will be ready to install in the car.

I also picked up 2x pieces of 1-3/4" exhaust pipe, 3" long, from a local Midas shop that is down the road from me. Scuffed them up a bit and shot them with black paint to keep the rust at bay a little bit.
Slid it down into the strut housing and it's a perfect fit, 3-1/8" may work better, but this is good.

Talked to Scott Adare today, he owns Adare Motorsports based in Spokane,
WA. Ordered a new set of Schroth belts from him, and a couple of other
goodies, he's bringing them by this weekend so I can try everything out
before buying it.
http://www.adaremotorsports.com/
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finished cleaning and painting the rear subframe, it's ready install trailing arms on.

Got the other strut put together with the new high-tech spacer.

Pulled the A/C compressor off and block bracket. I really wanted that out
of the way before I started putting the headers on! Smile

After the suspension and rear subframe and diff are all installed, and brakes rebuilt, _then_ I'll worry about the headers and exhaust.
I don't need headers to race, I do need the suspension ready to go.

Also spent a little more time cleaning the engine and prepping the rear
suspension and subframe with Kroil penetrating oil, great stuff.

Dale
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