Grassroots Motorsports: The Hardcore Sports Car Magazine

In a perfect world, we’d add our missing 100 pounds to the right rear corner.

We’ve done a lot of work to the BMW Spec E30 project lately, including some pretty dramatic weight-changing things like removing the heavy stock exhaust and replacing it with the very light spec system. It was time to put the car on our Longacre corner-weight scales and see how it measured up.

The rules state that our car must weigh a minimum of 2750 pounds with the driver in place. Our fuel tank was much closer to full that it was to empty, so rather than try to drain it out we topped it off to the brim. Knowing that street gasoline weighs approximately 6.2 pounds per gallon, our 16.5-gallon BM1B-style fuel tank gives us an approximate fuel weight of 100 pounds.

If you can’t read the numbers in the photo, the totals were:

LF: 729 RF: 743
LR: 691 RR: 591
TOTAL: 2754 lbs.

This means that even with a nearly overflowing fuel tank and our driver in place, we’re just four skinny pounds over the MINIMUM weight. Looks like we’re going to have to add some ballast.

This blew our mind a little bit, as the car was weighed with a spare wheel/tire and carpet in the trunk as well as fully operational all-glass power windows still in the doors. Our driver weighs about 175 pounds in regular clothing, probably closer to 180 with a helmet and driving gear on.

The passenger footwell was less than spiffy.

We rerouted some wires, cleaned it all up and touched up the rusty bits.

Our neighborhood AutoZone had a great deal on a case of Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil.

It’s got what engines crave.

We used a spring punch to mark our drilling location for the hood latches.

Steel rivets should keep the latch mounts firmly in place.

The new latches keep the hood most of the way closed, even when the factory latch is disengaged.

We swapped out our impromptu washers for some Factory 3 Performance tie-down hooks.

Factory 3 Performance also makes this cool oil pan guard. Step one is to measure and mark.

We carefully bent the panel using our bench vise. For the big section, we used the edge of our workbench and had Ashley stand on a big piece of wood to work as a human vise.

Now Per’s not the only one with cool skidplates on his cars.

It’s not quite as structural as the ones for rally use, but it should defend the fragile pan from the occasional curb.

It amuses us that the shiniest part of our entire car is underneath everything.

Our first race of the 2008 season is just a few weeks away at Roebling Road, so we spent some time during the past couple of weekends making a few minor upgrades and doing some routine maintenance.

Step one was some simple housekeeping. The passenger footwell was something of a mess, with various wires crossing the floor and some surface rust rearing its head. We went crazy with the zip-ties, rerouting several wire clusters so they’re permanently out of sight. Then we cleaned up the rusty bits and performed a tactical strike with Rust-Oleum and then a coat of some generic metallic gray we had from our Volvo wagon days.

A new season is also a great time to do some minor maintenance. We checked the fluid levels and changed the oil and oil filter. Last season we ran Castrol GTX High Mileage, but when we went to the local AutoZone for some new dino sauce they had a killer deal on Valvoline VR1 Racing Oil; $12 off a case of 12. The total for 12 quarts was just 26 bucks. We’re not sure if we’ll see any benefit from the supposedly Extreme Race Level Protection, but it can’t hurt.

With the spring cleaning out of the way, it was time to perform some minor upgrades. First up was a set of hood latches. Last year, we had a qualifying session ruined when the hood popped up on our warm-up lap. A dose of spray lubricant seemed to remedy the hesitant factory catch mechanism, but a set of external latches are further insurance against stupid pit stops. Per was installing a set of rubber latches on his Saab, and when he placed the order at Speedway Motors he was kind enough to grab a second pair for the BMW. They’re just $5.99 for a set of two.

After eyeballing a good location, we marked the location of the intended holes and then broke out the spring punch to mark our drilling spots. Some steel rivets with washers ought to keep everything snugly in place. With the latches mounted, we pulled the hood release and were pleased to see that instead of jumping forward half a foot in the air, the hood nudged up about an inch at its highest point and was securely retained.

Regular readers will recall that we had an issue a while back with our tie-down chains pulling the Bilstein damper free of its lower mounting point. Our initial fix was to install a large washer at the end of the mounting bolt to prevent the damper from running away again, but Factory 3 Performance has an even better solution. They offer a simple tie-down loop that will both keep the damper in place and give us a dedicated mounting point for tying the car to the trailer. The loops cost $16.99 for the pair.

Factory 3 Performance also has a nifty Oil Pan Protector. On an E30 BMW, the oil pan is the lowest point in the front of the car. A few racers have found out the hard way that, given the opportunity, the curbing at some tracks loves to demolish this somewhat fragile piece. The Factory 3 steel panel costs $39.50 and works like a skidplate to protect this vital low-hanging part. The part ships totally flat, so it requires some simple measuring and a bit of bending, but we got ours measured up and mounted in about 45 minutes. The bolts and speed nuts required for mounting are included with the kit.

Hopefully that means we’re about ready for our race season. We’re going to put the car on our corner-weighing scales and make sure we’re still legal, since the exhaust swap shed a bunch of pounds. Look for us at Roebling in May.

We autocrossed our Saab yesterday with CFR SCCA in their Street Modified class, where it was a bit outgunned. No matter–we found that the car was a lot of fun to drive once the course’s tighter offsets were passed and the speeds increased. The car made it through the day with no problems and we saw no major oil leaks from the new drivetrain.

We were contemplating using a small AGM (Absorbent Glass Matt) battery in our Saab project, like the Powermaster which is very tough and wouldn’t be damaged by vibration and abuse but decided that a rally project needed at least as much power and reserve as it had when stock, if not more. We went with a Deka Intimidator, a full-size AGM unit. To keep it from getting baked by the header, we wrapped it in DEI’s battery wrap.

The battery is held down with 3/8-inch rod and thick plates on the top and bottom.

Scott and Per took the Neon to Tampa Rally’s April rallycross this past weekend. The car is still in the Stock Front class and we finished first and second in this class, as well as third and fourth overall.

The car survived all 16 runs and made it back home in one piece. The only issues that we noticed were some exhaust leaks and a coolant gauge that tended to run hot after a run or two. We’ve got a new radiator on the way, as well as a short-tube exhaust header from eBay.com

We finally got some video posted from the Sandblast Rally. Enjoy.

It’s also on youtube at GRM’s Saab 99 at SandBlast

Our checklist for the Saab is slowly shrinking. Here’s a look at what’s been getting done.

We installed an ADDCO rear anti-roll bar. Rally TN is a tarmac event, so we need more roll stiffness–and that’s how we’re getting it.

We reinforced the fuel cell mounting straps.

At SandBlast, we noticed the Hella map light was too bright, so we switched to the included red lens to cut the glare down.

The outboard harness mounts were moved even more outwards towards the sill to get a better angle.

Rally America rules require two hood pins or straps. We used these rubber straps which are very close to what the original Saab rally cars used. We removed the factory hood-pull mechanism, but left the safety catch.

Roll bars, that is. With a weekend forecast full of rain, it seemed like a fine opportunity to squeeze in some garage therapy. We’ve been able to do a bit more in the garage than usual this month, so after spending quality time with the Berzerkeley, Project Saab, and a small dabble with the Tiger restoration, it was good to get our hands dirty with something simple like our R-package Miata.

In case you haven’t heard, but plans are afoot for the R-car at GRM Speedfest at the Classic Motorsports Mitty. The event is just around the corner, so of course there’s plenty to do in preparation for the car’s big surgery. This weekend was dedicated to some safety issues, which we thought would be wise before adding another 100-plus horsepower with the Flyin’ Miata turbo kit. This weekend’s activities included some easy stuff— fresh brake pads, rotors, and braided stainless steel lines—but a Hard Dog Hard Core roll bar installation was on the schedule as well. Good thing we had eaten our spinach, because wrestling the bar in place can be a challenge with only two hands.

We had read the instructions before getting started, so we had the drill and safety glasses ready when the time came to put holes in the car. Committing a destructive act on the car can be intimidating, but the instructions from Bethania Garage are fairly well-written and easy to read. We also used the walkthrough found in Keith Tanner’s book, Mazda Miata MX-5 Performance Projects which had some nice color pictures to clarify the tricky stuff. Thankfully there wasn’t much tricky stuff, and it certainly makes us feel better when we consider that one of the guys doing our turbocharger install literally wrote the book on Miata Performance. Flyin Miata head honcho Bill Cardell is the other guilty party in our Miata power injection scheme. Bill has been developing turbo systems and performance upgrades for Miatas practically since the car’s introduction, so it seems we’re in pretty good hands.

Once the bar was in place and torqued down, we could turn our attention to the brakes. We haven’t run into the instance yet where we really felt the need for giant brakes on any of the Miatas in our fleet, so we kept things simple by just ordering fresh rotors and pads. While we were in the system anyhow, it seemed like as fine a time as any to go ahead and replace the rubber brake lines. The strategy is to improve the feel and feedback from our stock-sized brakes without the weight penalty or expense of a bigger braking system. Again, Keith’s book came in handy with color pictures and practical guidance on all the steps in our task.

With the dirty work out of the way, we tried to church the cabin up with a vinyl rollbar cover. It’s hiding the foam used to keep our brain leaving our noggin when we aren’t wearing a helmet in the car. We also took a time out to apply some of stickers we’ve been collecting recently, including an ultra-rare sticker featuring the one and only Mr. Sparkle. Mr Sparkle lives to banish dirt to the land of wind and ghosts.

Before leaving for the school, we figured we should test fit some tires and wheels. We used these Nittos and Rotas for a tire test with our ‘07 WRX, and they fit the new car just fine. The rears looked a little close, but camber gain worked in our favor.

We stopped at the Russo and Steele classic car auction in Hollywood, Fla., on the way down. We parked in their special Subaru section.

Throw on some numbers, and it looks like a race car. Yeah, it probably needs some stiffer dampers.

The first day’s course contained a wagon wheel. It was brutal on the outside-front tire. We weren’t the only ones to strike some cords.

Even though we only had two sets of tires with us, we did this a lot during the weekend. A rough surface and limited amount of negative camber meant we had to monitor tire life and move tires around to maximize things.

Car does look cool, though. Despite the body roll, it carves nicely.

Here’s why we love autocrossing wagons: They’re easy to pack.

The WRX made its competition debut last weekend—okay, it was an autocross school, but the same stresses apply. In fact, we made a few dozen runs over the course of two days so the car got a serious workout.

We ran the car during the Evolution Performance Driving School in Fort Myers, Fla. The only mods were a set of shaved 225/45R17 Nitto NT01 tires mounted on 17x7.5-inch Rota SDR wheels leftover from a past tire test.

Things we learned:

- There was plenty of body roll, but the car was still quite composed and easy to control.

- There’s more low-down power than our old ‘07 WRX.

- The new shifter position is nice.

- The car needs more negative camber up front. We corded an outside-front tire. (The surface was super-abrasive, however, and others did the same.)

- Final tire pressures were in the 45 psi range.

- Thanks to camber gain, the rear tires cleared the fender lips.

- We turned the same times with and without the stability control engaged.

- We should have used our CG-Lock, as a few times we almost slid out of our seat.

- Brake modulation, even with the stock pads, was nice.

- Typical Stock-class mods—shocks, front bar and an alignment—should make a huge difference. Do we head there or take a stab at E Street Prepared?

We’ve done a lot of work on our Saab in the seven weeks since SandBlast. We’ve rebuilt the engine, installed a five-speed transmission and limited slip and we’ve even redone our fuel cell mounting straps. Our entry form has been sent in to NASA RallySport for Rally Tennessee and we’re currently working out the details for our entry into Rally America’s Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally.

Things to do:

Drivetrain:
1) Install new engine mounts
2) Adjust exhaust system to get rid of rattles/buzz
3) Break in new engine

Suspension:
1) Install front and rear Addco anti-roll bars
2) Get aligned

Interior:
1) Fix speedometer
2) Mount navigator foot brace

Trunk:
1) Mount/secure Rally America spill kit