Gathering interest in custom race parts

[MJG]

Hi all, I'm pretty handy at fabrication and a mate works with all the machines and tools necessary to make various parts. Most of these/all of these are going to go on my drift e30, and I thought if others were interested we could make up a few batches. Hope mods don't consider this trading, as it's far from it lol.

Solid subframe bushes - £50 pair
Solid trailing arm bushes - £50 set
Solid diff mount bushes - £40 each
Rosejointed tie rod ends - £60 pair
Spherical bearing short shifter kit (I hate all BMW gear sticks/shifter mechanisms and am not happy to pay to just bodge the original rubbish design) - unconfirmed but likely to be around the £80 mark
Solid engine mounts - £45 pair
Solid gearbox mounts - £35 pair
3.5 conversion engine mounts (same positions as e30.de mounts, but made better as they can be improved on IMO), I'm making some for my own that remove the rubber bush bolting straight to the crossmember. I run solid mounts in my car at the moment and they are great but no point in having a metal "bush" when I could just have a metal arm straight from the crossmember at a better/stronger angle. - £80 pair
Solid lollipop bushes for max camber, can be supplied welded into original housings for £50 for a pair, including sending a pair of standard items or paying a £15 core charge.
spherical lollipop mounts (similar caster angles to the Treehouse ones probably, and a similar small profile for big exhausts etc) - £70 pair

All solid items would be made in aluminium and/or nylon depending on what people want, but I'd recommend aluminium as it's a lot more hard wearing and obviously looks nicer than beige nylon, although it would transmit slightly more harshness.

All mounts/kits would include brand new allen-head high tensile fasteners and priced sensibly for the time involved to make them and material costs. Prices are estimates at the moment.

This does seem like a trade thread but it's just me and a mate making stuff in our workshop and offering things that are hard to get for trackday/performance e30 enthusiasts.

PS - don't be put off by solid bushes, I run solid engine/gearbox mounts and have done all year with my 3.5 and have had no subframe cracking issues etc and it's hard to say as my car is stripped out and hardcore anyway, but the vibrations aren't really that noticeable at all and I'm going to happily drive the car every day in a month or two

I just wanted to post up this thread to see if there's any interest/discussion etc, if you are interested then please leave your username and what products you may be interested in and any feedback. This is not a binding "group buy" etc, just to see if it's worth our time making extra for others in the UK unable to source this sort of thing.

[1an]

Mike a couple of quick questions as im intrested in a couple of bits when others have possibly tested them,

solid lollypop bushes, trailing arm bushes and solid rear beam mounts care to give me a few more details, i already have powerflexbushes but what would be the advantages of these? obviously noise and will be a stiffer ride not that im bothered as im turning the car into a road legal drift car.

[MJG]

Subframe mounts will be like a proper version of powerflex. Powerflex offer a good product for pussies who want a slightly firmer ride, solid bushes provide no mercy no deflection "power to the ground" kind of support. The trailing arm bushes will prevent stupid camber/toe changes under load and hold everything together better.

The lollypop bushes will REALLY help. I fitted treehouse ones to mine, best mod I've done to the car, the front end now feels AMAZING compared to how it did before. I'm going to be making some solid ones as a cheap option compared to forking out for treehouse ones, and the spherical jointed ones for a bit more caster (better self-centering on the wheel) and much more free room for exhausts etc.

Most items will be trialled on my own car with pictures etc before I'd expect anyone to buy them, so I'm only producing tested and proven products, and any items not tested on my own car will be tested on another car from Tramp Drift or one of the local e30 boys.

[shorty73]

Interested in solid gearbox and engine mounts and short shift kit.

As long as it's in the new year as I'm skint as ar5eholes at the moment!

[MJG]

Will be in a couple of months yeah, batch sizes aren't so important so pretty much if you put your name down you can get what you want, I don't need minimum numbers but no point in us going to the effort of making stuff if nobody is interested in things

[1an]

mike, they sound good but a couple of things im concerned about, if i was to soild mount the rear subframe and trailing arms would i need to reinforce anything obviously only time would tell but if it doesnt break on your car it certainly wont break with me driving, new year ill defintaly be intrested.

[MJG]

Nah, people always run solid mounts on various cars and never had a problem. I havn't fitted any to mine yet but will be doing soon enough and will let you know how it goes. If it starts to pull my floorpan apart then I'll report back lol.

[1an]

ill have a cheap set to try on the subframe and trailing arms and ill let you know how they go as a daily driver and practise car and if they rip the floor apart ill let you know

[MJG]

Ha, nice try, but I'll have them on my own thanks! Anything I can't fit to mine though I'll give you a shout, appreciate the offer.

[1an]

let me know when you go ahead of them as im gonna want a few bits as said above.

[MJG]

OK cool, cheers Ian I'll keep you up to date

[MJG]

Bumpy bump

[UweM3]

Hmmm, some interessting stuff and sensibly priced! Makes me wonder why I waste my time making it myself. Keep it coming! I am a bit busy at the moment and can't work on my car, but before I am going to make anything myself I will deffo have a word with you.

[MJG]

OK cheers Uwe.

Been talking with my partner in crime and we will be making some initial bits this week and putting some R+D into our more interesting items. This thread will stay updated with our progress and hopefully have some pictures of products in stock in a week or so.

Any other bits that people may be interested in then let us know, we can make pretty much anything.

[TRACKCARDAVE]

Hi Mike,

I would be interested in a short shifter kit - l

Please keep is posted!

[oldbimmer]

Hi,

I too would be interested in a short shift kit...

Let us know how you get on.

[SteMarsden]

+1 for the short shift kits.
Looking forward to seeing the pics!

[JimmyC]

+1 for the short shift kits.
Looking forward to seeing the pics!

TUT, TUT, all these parts are against PBMW regs

Would hate for you not to be allowed out at your first race because of a tech breach!

PBMW regs give the BMW part number you are allowed to use

Been watching this thread to see if anyone else showed an interest from PBMW

Jimmy

[e21Jason]

Hi

Engine gearbox mounts + shifer

Can you do soem custom stuff, ie rear spherical bushes for the traing arms.

Jason

[1an]

Mike ive been having a think,

the rear beam is steal and the bushes you are making are gonna be made from alloy, wont the alloy wear and then have play in them? aslo the same thing will happen with the trailing arm bushes wont it or will they be sleeved in the middle to prevent this?

[SteMarsden]

Jimmy,
Its actually for my road car... But good to see that your policing it nonetheless
Isnt it just the Z3 one for PBMW?

You have PM btw...

Ste.

[MJG]

Done some initial development on the short shift kit, will be kinky and cheeeap.

Also done some thinking about the lollipops, we will be offering the push-in steel bushes welded in place for max camber, but also going to basically make cheaper versions of the treehouse bushes with no reduction in quality. Would make rosejointed ones but getting them to mount would be difficult and a suitably sized rosejoint would take up more space than the steel ring treehouse style ones. They will be cheaper than the treehouse but just as good

e21 Jason - we can do most things, PM me with details and I'll let you know, sounds definately plausible though.

1an - the aluminium bush thing has been used in many many drift cars over here for years, no problem. Aluminium won't wear in the subframe bushes, but you raise a valid point they could gradually wear slightly on the trailing arms.... We will sleeve them. Thanks for the input

If these things aren't PBMW legal then fair enough, they will all be fairly easy to spot anyway and we are not trying to get anybody cheating, but for a fun track car or for any other motorsport all these mods should be legal.

[shorty73]

Jimmy,
Its actually for my road car... But good to see that your policing it nonetheless
Isnt it just the Z3 one for PBMW?

You have PM btw...

Ste.

Drop a 2.5 in it and go TTRS then!

[MJG]

Due to my heavily custom setup, and lack of friends with standard cars. I am after gear linkages from a standard 325i including the lower rod. I have a couple of 2.5 gearboxes and a 1.6i gearbox with linkage, and a 318iS gearbox with linkage, but I don't have a linkage that I can confirm to be from a 325i. I need both rods with the rear bracket and the gear stick itself. If anybody can send me one then I'll return them a short shifter for only £50. Send the £50 when we've completed the short shifter so we aren't under as much pressure to produce it in a hurry. We want to make a better item than the crappy UUC one.

[1an]

Mike i did think that was the case regardign the subframe bushes and im still in for subframe and trailing arms.

[oze30]

The tie rod ends, are they a straight swap for the original? Pics?

[shorty73]

Due to my heavily custom setup, and lack of friends with standard cars. I am after gear linkages from a standard 325i including the lower rod. I have a couple of 2.5 gearboxes and a 1.6i gearbox with linkage, and a 318iS gearbox with linkage, but I don't have a linkage that I can confirm to be from a 325i. I need both rods with the rear bracket and the gear stick itself. If anybody can send me one then I'll return them a short shifter for only £50. Send the £50 when we've completed the short shifter so we aren't under as much pressure to produce it in a hurry. We want to make a better item than the crappy UUC one.

Might be able to sort that out. I'll let you know asap.

[MJG]

oze they will be straight swap yep, pics when we've made some. This is a "gathering interest thread" and, thankfully, it seems there is interest in most items

Shorty - let me know yeah, thanks pal.

[UweM3]

not too much work with unibal. These ones can be had for Eur200

[harry_p]

would road use / dirt grit etc destroy them quickly, or can you get some sort of rubber boot to cover them?

[MJG]

Most drifters have adjustable arms with exposed rosejoints. I hadn't seen them done like that before. Can do them no problem for a lot cheaper than 200 euros.

[Gunni]

not too much work with unibal. These ones can be had for Eur200

I belive the cost was mainly the rose joints, as those are pretty big for maintstream rose joints.

I´ll try and think of something you can make me ;)

[MJG]

Yeah let me know Gunni, I'll make sure you get a good price. We can get rosejoints at decent prices hense our general low costs

[Gunni]

Totally forgot about you when I was thinking about this
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... highlight=

Nothing much, just has to sit on the crank and have a recess for the Woodruff key.

[MJG]

If you can get me measurements then that'll be no problem. Looking at about £40 since it has to be a decent (ground) surface finish. Is it used as a bearing face at all? Ie does the outside rub against something?