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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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 Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 3:01 am Post subject: Pro3 Build, Day 7 |
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See Pro3 Build, Day 2 for the start of this saga.
Pictures of the project here
Today I pulled the car into the garage for the first time! Up to this point I've done the work to the car sitting in the alley behind my garage due to the cabrio being in the garage.
I pulled the front struts, and control arms, and sway bar off tonight.
Bad news #1, the sway bar mounting tabs on the subframe are broken off. It should be quick work for a welder to fix this up, but its a delay in a tight schedule.
Installed the coil over struts and camber mounts and new factory BMW control arms, using my GC solid control arm bushings.
Started pulling the cat-back portion of the exhaust off so I can pull the subframe.
Bad news #2, the right rear subframe mount wasn't mounted correctly due to the pinch weld being bent up by the mount. I'm going to have to straighten that out and get it welded up to insure it stays solid.
The subframe looks like it will come off easily enough. We'll work on that a bit more Sunday afternoon as time allows. Sometimes the bushings get really stuck up in the body mount, but this just plopped right down when I zipped off the 22mm nuts.
Sprayed everything down with Kroil again, so stuff should come apart easily tomorrow.
One bit of good news, I had expected to have to chop up the top strut mount to get clearance for the adjustable camber mounts. This style of mount appears to need less clearance then the GC mounts, so far it looks like I won't have to cut up the tops of the struts. Cool!
Pics a little later...
Dale
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wazzu70
Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 838
Location: Issaquah, WA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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What upper mounts are you using? Thats one of the next things I need to do to my car since I have the stock hats.
Sounds like you are making good progress. This thing is coming together quickly.
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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
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:26 am Post subject: |
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Today I got my new seat delivered, I splurged on this one and got the Recaro Hans seat, safety first. New steering wheel stuff, and Schroth belts.
Finished up the front suspension, just have the sway bar mount left to fix, and mount up the sway bar. I'll run a Suspension Techniques bar I have and see how I like that.
On the rear, pulled the exhaust the rest of the way off.
Pulled out the heat shield.
Disconnected a brake line to drain the brake system.
Got all the ABS sensors pulled off and stored away.
Pulled rear sway bar.
Only 6 more days until it goes in for a cage!
Gotta pick up the pace a bit! 
I need to do:
- finish rear suspension
- rebuild front brake calipers
- rebuild rear brake calipers
- new pads and rotors all the way around
- fix front sway bar mounting point
- fix rear subframe mounting point
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:24 am Post subject: |
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Got the rear suspension off.
Pulled the trailing arms off, pulled the parking brake mechanism off,
tossed the old rotors in the recycle pile.
Got 1 backing plate trimmed down so its only large enough to support
the brake line junction from hard line to flex line to the caliper.
Cut the rest away to allow more air to rear rotors for better cooling.
Axles and rear wheel bearings sound and feel good, so I'll just run those for now. Some new wheel bearings are on their way here so I'll replace them after a couple of races so I know what I have back there.
Dug out the delrin bushings I've had sitting on the shelf for a while, I'll push
out the stock rubber ones tomorrow and install the solid delrin ones.
- Reassemble rear suspension
- install rear suspension
- install diff
- fix front sway bar mount
- install front swaybar
- rebuild 4 brake calipers
- install calipers with new brake lines and new brake pads and rotors
- bleed and test the brakes
- alignment
- install good cat-back exhaust, for trip to cage builder
4 days and counting until the track day Friday.
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 1:53 am Post subject: |
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- Reassemble rear suspension, try out toe/camber adjusters - done
- install diff - done
- install rear shocks - done
- change 1 rear wheel bearing - done
- press out old trailing arm bushings, install new solid Delrin ones - done
- remove old subframe bushings, install new solid Delrin ones - done
- installed 2 new brake lines
Wed/Thursday
- install rear suspension
- pickup Redline oil for diff
- fix front sway bar mount
- install front swaybar
- install calipers with new brake lines and new brake pads and rotors
- bleed and test the brakes
- alignment
- install good cat-back exhaust, for track day friday and trip to cage builder
Friday
- track day
Sat
- rebuild 4 brake calipers
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:40 pm Post subject: |
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Today I went and picked up a friend's '89 325i Pro3 car. Changed oil and filter, and swapped over a set of my brake pads and wheels/tires.
Fab'd up a battery bracket to keep the battery in place.
I'm headed out to the track on Friday, Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA, for a BMWCCA driving day. I feel like I need some seat time.
Also picked up the Redline for the diff, gotta get this installed.
Dale
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wazzu70
Joined: 26 Jul 2005
Posts: 838
Location: Issaquah, WA
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| Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:31 am Post subject: |
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Whos car is it? Good luck at the track day. Should be decent weather.
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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
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| Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:32 am Post subject: |
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Steve's black car. He's out of town so he can't use it himself for a while.
Spent some time tonight cleaning up brake calipers in prep to rebuilding them. I had no idea these calipers were so bad inside, I think I pulled them off the cabrio, ugh, lots of brown sludge in the bottom of the bore.
They should clean up fine, we'll see how it goes.
Dale
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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My buddy Greg came by today in his Alfa cabrio and his tig welder setup!
He welded new front tabs on my subframe to the sway bar has a mounting point, and welded a reinforcment piece on the body for the right rear subframe mount. The pinch weld was bent up there and that lower support bracket wasn't attached to anything when I bought the car.
We then put the subframe up in place, got the new solid bushings bolted in, and the 19mm bolt/nut that hold the back of the diff up.
Now I'm going to finish the brake rebuild, hook up all the brake lines.
Connect the shocks, recheck the torque on all the other bolts, and put some wheels/tires on it for a test drive!
These pics show what the front subframe swaybar mount looked like:
http://www.e30m50.com/E30/projects/swaybar/tornmount1.jpg
This is what the normal mount looks like:
http://www.e30m50.com/E30/projects/swaybar/subframe%201.jpg
Installed, looks like this, notice how this guys is bending already?
http://www.e30m50.com/E30/projects/swaybar/front%20mount.jpg
Dale
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Last edited by dale on Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:51 am; edited 1 time in total |
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 1:45 am Post subject: |
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OK, so didn't get to the test drive stage, but I'm close!
rear suspension, rear brakes are ready to go.
Didn't finish rebuilding the brake calipers, figured I'd take my time over the next week doing that do a complete job on them.
Since I'm trailering the car down, I'm not going to spend time putting the exhaust on it before bringing it down.
Tomorrow,
- bleed and test the brakes
- mount up the front sway bar
- put some wheels/tires on it
- alignment
- and take it for a test drive
See how it feels. Hope the new rear differential was put together correctly!
Dale
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85-325e
Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 4712
Location: Southampton, NY
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| Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 2:01 am Post subject: |
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Good luck Dale... Hope it's as smooth as silk  !
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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... 
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject: |
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Spent a good part of the day cutting the sunroof tray out of the ceiling of the car. That's a painful job.
Got stuff tightened up, put some street tires on it and took it for a test drive.
Fun, loud, fast! Just like a racecar should be!
It's raining here now and I'm driving around with the windows down, no sunroof, and no interior except the drivers seat. Fun stuff!
Dale
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killerbeem
Joined: 01 Aug 2005
Posts: 496
Location: Detroit, MI
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| Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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Cutting out the sunroof tray? I am missing something somewhere I think....
I will tell you there is no greater satisfaction then working on a project, and getting it done.... I can't wait until I wrench the last parts back on my car tomorrow am...
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Currently looking for a good e30 to rebuild
1994 318i - Jeni (sold)
1991 325i - Lynn (Sold)
1984 325e - Rachel (Sold)
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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To lower the center of gravity, we remove the sunroof tray and all related hardware. Then, weld the sunroof panel in place.
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dale@unofficialbmw.com
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dale
Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA
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