1985 BMW 318 Stage Rally Build - 1988 Porsche 924S Street Build - Sequoia Build

Haven't done much on the car in a couple weeks other than some basic maintenance, cleaning, and checking things - also taken a break from the M42 while I figure out how to get the main crank pulley nut off. My old Snap-On impact couldn't do it, nor could a buddy's brand new uber-power one.....I may build a frame out of 6x6 lumber to stabilize the engine so I can put a monster breaker bar/cheater pipe on it - I don't feel comfortable putting 400+ ft/lb on it with the engine hanging on a smallish 750lb capacity tripod stand.

I did however get in a little box of parts from a RevLimited member (DJ Buttchug), which included a pair of very nice condition cam sprockets, a timing chain, a couple guide components in great shape, a bag full of fuel injectors, and an ECU (now I have three, guess I need to chip at least on of em!). And the best part was that they were very cheap :) So, moving along.

just a few random photos I took today..

the fleet

helper

airborne

cleaned the garage

Since we have a few new additions to the "team" here and I only had a few of the original batch made up, I had a handful of a newly updated team stickers done....with a bit of color this time :)

In case anyone is wondering, I got them from buildasign.com, and they're ordered as full bumper stickers, and then cut in half to make the individual stickers. So they come out to about a buck apiece....cheap fun.

You need more blacked out parts....

Speaking of Rallycross events, the Philly region has two on the calendar for 10/7 and 11/4 in Kempton. Details to follow.

yep, saw that on the email yahoo group. Will have to see what my schedule looks like. That's during my ski season weekend job timeframe where I actually earn the money I use to pay for this stuff, lol.

Ski? In November? In the mid-Atlantic?

Does not compute...

Ian F wrote: Ski? In November? In the mid-Atlantic? Does not compute...

I'll explain:

I'm a tuning tech at (arguably) the largest ski shop in the mid-Atlantic. I work on shop commission (piecework). People get their skis tuned before the snow get here in December/Jan and after our big season-opener warehouse sale (in September) they need all their gear set up.

November is the month of the year where I make the most money, because once the ski season actually arrives I have to deal with customers a lot more, meaning less work getting done, meaning less money ;)

Ah... Gotcha....

Waitaminute... Ski tuning?

(I'm a Tele skier)

Ian F wrote: Ah... Gotcha.... Waitaminute... Ski tuning? (I'm a Tele skier)

15 years experience. We rarely get freeheelers coming into the shop here on the east coast. I'm really more of a ski mount/binding guy (it's what I'm fastest and best at so it's where I make most of my money) but I'm a pretty good tuner too. Our "master" tuner has been doing it for close to 25 years (all part-time, just like me haha) and all he does is base and edge tunes.....rarely touches a binding, lol.

I'm actually considering picking up an A/T (randonee') setup this year, if budget allows :)

stylin yo....damn, 10 years ago in Tahoe....

dropping in at Whistler

Had some good times in that shop, I miss working there!

Jesse man, you should come back. There are literally like 3 of us total in the shop these days haha....

Been slacking a bit recently on the car while doing household projects and preparing for daughter #2 to arrive any day now (the sooner the better!).

In the meantime, a few things:

First - I finally caved in and ordered a rollbar. I planned to get one this winter anyhow but had a bit of cash come in from selling some things (and this month having 3 paydays) so decided to just do it. Ordered a Kirk from Bimmerworld, which has the best prices I could find (and less than the Autopower distributors, which is good since I prefer Kirk bars anyhow). For the time being I just want a bolt-in, which of course isn't as good as weld-in but gives me options for removal, ease of installation, and cost.

So, that will be good not only for safety (not that I expect to roll the car in rallycross, but ya never know), but also for mounting a camera, possibly some extra structural rigidity, and a bit of poser rally look :D

Not sure how long it will take, but hopefully just a couple weeks to come in so I can do it while I'm on work leave after the baby comes.

--

In little things on the car, I continue to round up parts for the M42 swap (I probably have about 90% of what I need, still looking for a few things) and still haven't gotten the crank pulley off.....so moving slow there.

Also was a bit bored today so trimmed down the rear "bumper spats" that I've always thought looked goofy with the tucked bumpers. Didn't want to remove them totally because that looks like crap and allows mud/dirt into the inside of the bumper, so just trimmed it up:

did a curved cut on the outside, just for looks (sure, why not)

and slapped a GRM sticker on the roof vent, just because

Also added a third row of "sorting jars" to the garage with a new little 2x4 perch, since my previous space was full and will be having many more jars in the near future

and spent some time lubing up the locks and door assemblies, since my key cylinders were rotating (grr).

more when I do something interesting.

Great thread! I have spent the last few days reading it on and off... I am definitely going through a few of the same things that you have been through with my own e30, tons of helpful info. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, will try to keep it interesting. Or as interesting as it can be on a limited budget that doesn't include tons of power or bling wheels :)

So...we decided to have a bit of group solidarity fun for the bimmer group, so we got some "team banners" made up for all the e30s (and the e28), just for the hell of it. And because rallykar.

Are you going to go with a race seat and harness now that you have a rollbar going in?

Because you definitely should.

eventually....once finances allow. I have a 5-point harness, but it won't work very well with the porsche seats.

that said, I absolutely love the feel (both in comfort and support) of the Porsche seats, so it will be hard to switch....

EvanB wrote: Are you going to go with a race seat and harness now that you have a rollbar going in? Because you definitely should.

That is post 666 in this thread, so .......

So had one last day of work today before going on "paternity leave" as we will have our second daughter within the next 48 hours. Yeah, two daughters. Well, our first is 4 1/2 and already knows what all the tools in the garage are called, and likes to help put them away. Usually wearing a pink tutu or something, lol.

Anyhow, gonna take off work until probably the 20th, so being at home for all those days I should be able to get some little car projects done. One of those little projects will be to do some gauge installs, though I haven't decided exactly where I'll mount them yet - but probably will make a blank for the radio opening, and mount the radio in a self-enclosed box that I can take out the car quickly/easily for events.

Managed to pick up three VDO gauges for a good price in decent shape; only downside is that I would have liked the oil pressure gauge to be a smaller range, since I'm going to be sitting at the low end of this 150psi scale most of the time. But whatever, still will be nice to have. Also got an oil temp and volt. Now need to track down some senders and fab up a mounting plate for wherever I decide to put them.

I love the parcel shelf/rear seat delete! I just took some measurements to make my own...thanks for the idea!

thanks, it worked out pretty well, especially for carrying the track wheels flat without them flying around. Once I get the rollbar in we'll see how convenient it is, but at least I have a 4-door so that should make it easier!

For today did mostly yardwork but took a little break to do some arts and crafts work.

First, against my wife's protests as them being "the only thing I like about that car," I decided to nix the red mirrors. Too much red......and too reminiscent of a Mini. So back to black they went, but just to not be totally boring I used some of the crinkle paint leftover from doing various valve covers and other things. Came out ok I guess, lol

And while I was using up half-full cans of paint, I decided to kill some time and make my helmet more interesting, because a flat black helmet is just kind of boring. So, 2 nearly-empty cans of matte green and tan paint (why I have these colors, I have no idea), and half a roll of masking tape I bought at the harbor freight later, the result came out looking less like the intended jungle tiger camouflage and more like a......watermelon? :D Anyhow, I like it and it will look appropriate at a rallycross I suppose.

On a side note, the blue painter's tape bought at HF is about 1/4 the cost of the "name brand" stuff at Home Depot, and is just as good. Next time I'm there I'll probably pick up 10 rolls of the stuff, it's that good.

So, last update for a few days, as tomorrow is "new baby" day so I'll probably not be around the house and/or awake this weekend...

Two girls... that's chaotic. Good Luck!

irish44j wrote: eventually....once finances allow. I have a 5-point harness, but it won't work very well with the porsche seats. that said, I absolutely love the feel (both in comfort and support) of the Porsche seats, so it will be hard to switch....

I got one of these Bride replica seats. They are great for the price and it makes a huge difference in confidence while driving. Definitely one of the better things I have done to the car.

http://www.sonicmotor.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=S-K109-CLR&CartID=1

thanks, I'll definitely keep those in mind for over the winter! But for the moment.....

12 hours old is our Elyse. Old enough to start reading GRM and learning about cars, I think...

a bit of new representin' for Condor Speed Shop. Some of you here probably know Carlos and his shop from GRM challenge, LeMons, etc (their e30 was on the cover of GRM a while back). Anyhow, currently testing out some M10 motor mounts from CSS, and will be putting more stuff on this winter once the engine swap is done. They also do a power steering delete block, but for the time being I like having the power steering, especially with the quicker e36 rack :)