This thread will document a build taking place to prepare for a journey from north Florida to the west coast and back. The build will not be a typical one, as the car will be used for rallycross, trail runs, and various climbs across national forests. The primary goal is for two friends to enjoy a trip across the country while making various stops at Rally Ready in Austin, a sanctioned rallycross, BMW/car group meets, Zion, Moab, and other trials in the western part of the US. The journey should be a live, extended version of a Top Gear episode with a few roadside repairs along the way.
Hooners: Skeen - Needs no introduction. The mikeskeen.com. He looks like Dale Jr. and can drive the wheels off of anything, but he's super humble. Drives anything and makes it go faster. @mikeskeenracing JFrank - Mining engineer who supervises a phosphate operation in north FL, works a lot, mechanical/electrical/welding jack of all/master of none, drinks like a wahoo but isn't one.
The Car:
2001 BMW 330i
One of the best values around. The car was acquired in north FL for not much more than a band. It's a little rough around the edges, but it's a 5 speed manual with quite the storied past. A few reinforcements and improvements should get it ready for such a large trip. BMW builds a great all-around car, but problems such as the rear subframe mounts (crack addicts), cooling system (holy plastic), suspension bushings (played out rubber), rear lower control arms (salad tongs), window regulators (plastic-notso-fantastic), and power steering (EPA fines) all need to be addressed. Luckily, many of the known problems can be addressed with a few parts from trusted vendors who helped develop these cars a decade ago.
We chose the E46 because of it's well-rounded nature. Originally, we began the search with E30s, but the E30 tax is so high and there are so few around these days. For less money, we get a much more comfortable, more refined, more capable car to go across the country and back. Mike and I have both owned E21/E30/E36/E46 cars in our past, but the E46 was a no-brainer for the value and comfort it provides.
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The Vision: Front and rear ride height will be raised 1-1.5" Bilstein HD shocks/struts Skid plates for front end, diff, and fuel lines HDPE fender liners and mud flaps 3.38 welded diff or trick 3.46 SE46 style diff Car came with an intake - we will improve it Fresh synthetic fluids throughout, hopefully solving our 3rd gear crunch ebay shifter must be replaced - holy hell this thing is awful Reinforced front and rear subframes Bushing improvements throughout - it's a BMW with >60k miles TireRack 16x7.5" Sport Edition "winter" wheels special fit for the 330 brakes BFGoodrich 215/65/16 T/A KO2 tires LED Lights
The Trip: More details to come - to occur in mid-June 2016 North FL to West with many stops
Partners: Hawk BFGoodrich Condor Speed Shop Others? Help us choose a hashtag#
Progress: Headlight dissection and troubleshooting Window regulator removalssss Awful tint removal and pressure washing Garage space finally open Large tire fitment Sport Edition wheels in 16x7.5" fitment Hawk brake pads Skid Plates
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Somebody had installed a set of AL bi-xenon headlights without any relays or additional wiring harness. Both ballasts are dead and only the high beam H7 halogens work. We are going to install some Morimoto ballasts & igniters with ZKW lenses along with LED H7s. Small LED lights have been ordered to go in the place of the old fog lights that were cut out long ago. The headlights have been quite a pain to diagnose and troubleshoot, as the bulbs and the ballasts were both bad.
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The wash made quite a substantial difference and had my driveway looking like the Valdez.
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I've also re-coated the AFE heat shield and sealed up the gaps
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