The comings and goings of the "Project/Track" car.
AND
Living the Dream of a Track Adventure.
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The Quote of the Project Car build
Couple of months ago while shopping online for E30 parts my wife leans over and asks me,
"Is this going to be like a boat"?
My reply "OH no Honey . . . . this is much worse. You will have wished we had bought a boat"!!!!
She is the best. . . and has let me play and buy and drive and work tirelessly on the project car and doesn't give me too much grief.
_________05/2007___________________________________________10/2007
_________12/2007___________________________________________2/2008
_________03/2008___________________________________________3/2008
2 Photos above by ETECH Photo from the first track event!!
First Outing at Summit Point Main Track / NCCBMWCCA Driving School 3/2008
NCCBMWCCA Driving School at Summit Point - Shenandoah Circuit on 10/11/08
NCCBMWCCA Driving School at Summit Point - Shenandoah Circuit on 10/11/08
4 Photos above by Dennis @ Race Day Photo
AND below pics from 4/4/09 Shenandoah Circuit SCCA PDX Event
MANY THANKS TO MY SPONSORS
I have had much help with this project,
I would like to thank;
Mercy Rock (AKA the wife!)
for allowing me to play in the garage night after night,
for coming to rescue me in Winchester Medical Center in the wee hours of October
for putting up with all my dreams that have to be fulfilled!
Jeff Wise (AKA - Jeff Wise Automotive - The Crew Chief) - the mentor, garage guru and sometimes Garage scrooge, welder, idea man, and general all around pit boss and great friend to me and the family)
for allowing me to be the "Gypsy in the Palace"
for the patience and wisdom
free advice and for the great friendship
use of the dream garage!!!!
MAINLINE AUTOMOTIVE
http://www.mainlineautoparts.com/
To;
Marvin; thank you for the barters, ideas and premium pricing, and for the friendship, tips and suggestions.
To;
Clark for assisting with each and every buy, with the good sense and advice.
OG Racing
http
https://www.ogracing.com/pages/Home
To Brian & Matt Thanks for all tips, assistance and help with my parts purchases and for generally assisting with your track knowledge.
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Page Content
1. The Dream and the photo album
2. Replace the radiator and brake bleeding
3. Auto crossing event pics
4. Valve adjustment, intake cleaning
5. New wheels and tires
6. The suspension upgrade
7. Prepping for the first track event
8. The first track event Summit Point Main
9. Words from the track adventures
10. Begin the rear suspension upgrade
11. Rear suspension upgrade
12. Track side, Summit Point, Shenandoah Circuit
13. Pics of Summit Point, Shenandoah Circuit
14. The Parts Car
15. Gutting the interior, cage and race seat prep
16. Driving the 2009 season with the new track car
17. Spring and Summer 2009 driving adventures
18. The 2009 Driving Season is over
19. October Vounlteering not driving
20. The Engine Rebuild begins in a sea of dirt
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Above pics then and now
I have wanted a project car for some time, however no place to store has been the problem for years. Then I found my friend Tom's garage which he graciously lent me for this project. This has been a year long search for just the right car. My bro in law Duffy found this car through a friend and turned me on to it with the advice that this was the car I should buy. I was skeptical at first as the car was in such great condition, but after looking for several more weeks I returned to this buyer who still had the car for sale. I bought it on the spot form the previous owner after I took a second look at the car. I got everything I was looking for, 325IS model, all matching numbers, street ready, BBS wheels, Mtech steering wheel, all power and sunroof - and all at a price I could afford. This puppy followed me home on May 7, 2007.
The plan;
Phase 1. Get car MD inspected, change all fluids, hoses, belts, brake pads, rotors, exhaust system, get racing wheel and tire package. Then have some fun at a few auto x events before the cold weather sets in.
Phase 2. Garage the car this winter and install SPEC E30 approved suspension - H&R springs, Bilsteins, sway bars, strut braces, etc. Then attend as many NCCBMWCCA driving schools as I can along with the SCCA PDX events, and tune the car as best as I can.
Phase 3. Strip interior and all extra weight. Then add the cage and safety gear and attend as many NCCBMWCCA driving schools as I can along with the SCCA PDX events.
Phase 4. Get competition license and race the car in NASA SPEC E30 and possibly BMW CR events.
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Living out the plan has its obstacles . . . .
Car was successfully MD inspected. Only needed one tire, muffler, side marker lamps and tie rods. I installed all the parts myself and the car officially passed MD Inspection and I am now a very happy Bimmer driver.
But the muffler took many hours as the 4 flange bolts had to be cut off with a sawzall. A real treat with the car on stands - a contortionist adventure. Then I had to put the driver side flange in a bench press and drill out the bolt - a 1 hour job. The pass side flange still attached to the exhaust (cat converter) took almost 3 hours to drill out the two old bolts while not so comfortably lying on cardboard under the car. The new exhaust went in almost without issues, just a few bends, pushes and squeezes to make things fit. Next was the tie rods which went in with no issues at all. A simple remove and replace. The kit from Pelican Parts is "sweet" with all the parts needed to do the complete job and they fit perfectly.
I spend time in May and June getting the basics taken care of to have a baseline to begin with.
I replace BMW emblems on hood and trunk and on all 4 wheels. I put on a wax job of Nu Finish and it shines up and looks terrific. I put the car up on jack stands and pressure wash the entire underneath of car, engine compartment and everything I can get to. Spray paint rocker panels, inner wheel wells, and much under the chassis. Replace all belts, air filter, oil and filter, plugs, rotor, cap, wires. Drain and fill the trans and diff with Red Line oil.
6/22/07
Well things change quickly around here. Started feeling shitty back in June and thought I had the flu. When I wasn’t feeling better went to ER and found out it was Lyme Disease. Geez talk about feeling like crap. Anyway not able to work on car for several weeks as a result.
7/20/07
And then a slight mishap at the garage on August 20th. I was attempting to install the new rotors on Friday afternoon. I was trying to break the front left caliper bolt free and the 1/2 inch breaker bar slipped off the bolt and the force was stopped by my thumb and the inner metal fender. Ouch. Off the ER for 5 stitches and a splint and a piece of humble pie before the wife. So I am officially grounded for the next 3 weeks.
8/12/07
Got the front rotors and pads on yesterday in spite of and sporting the thumb splint. Installed ATE slotted rotors and Hawk Plus comp pads. Even put some high temp paint on calipers to keep things clean. An uneventful removal and install. Finished the afternoon putting the rear on jack stands and getting ready to remove and install the back rotors and pads.
8/13/07
Back brakes are going easier than fronts. The caliper bolts and hex bolts came off easy. The rear passenger was completed last night.
8/15/07
Completed the brakes by finishing the drivers side rear tonight.
I take it for a ride to bed the brakes, wow what a diff in stopping power. I did the recommended bed in and let them cool down completely. Then I took it out for a "fun" ride to see what high speed braking would do. Stops like a champ. In fact it is hard to not lock up the tires even though the brakes stop so quick.
8/26/07
After driving the car a couple of times I notice that the brakes seem to squeal quite a bit and there is a very slight grinding sound coming from the pass side when braking. Today I pulled all 4 tires and disassembled the calipers and pads to check everything. I reassembled all pieces and put some grease on all the contact points in an attempt to cut down on squeal. Afterwards the car brakes much better and quieter.
9/22/07
Ordered valve cover gasket a few weeks ago from BuyAutoParts.com. I decided this weekend was valve adjustment time. I used the Bentley manual and the 101 book from Pelican for the procedure. It took some time to get the plugs, wires, dist cap, and air filter box outta the way and the valve cover off. The bite was finding a way to be over the valves to see the lobes facing downward and yet be able to turn the engine. I ended up tightening the Alternator belt and using a screwdriver on the water pump pulley bolts. All went easy after all this was done and the valves were adjusted as detailed in the manual. Next time it should go faster. Car runs much better now with smoother and more responsive acceleration.
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stay tuned . . . .
OH and the little guy riding shotgun, that's my "Buddie" Rocco. I will have to design a custom Sparco race seat just for him, he goes with me everywhere in the red Bimmer.
