Track car prep, pedal boxes and stuff.

[unclemat]

Morning.

My track build is coming on a pace, I've nearly got a proper solid shell now, replaced lots of panels this week, new sill, two new inner rear wings, both rear quarters new, new scuttle and a few other repairs, I like it done right!

Next week its off to have a multipoint cage built for it by an amazing fabricator, his work is the best I've seen, the cage should be superb.

Now I'm starting to collect some more parts and first off is a pedal box, I've stripped the standard system out, the weight is just ridiculous! I've been looking at the following:

http://www2.obp.uk.net/catalog/product_ ... =25dc509f2

Has anyone seen or used one of these before? They sound pretty good, wondering on the quality.

I'll probably start asking more questions and seeking advice as the build is now starting to get somewhere so be prepared!

Cheers

Mat

[ross_jsy]

No, but that is the one I am looking out. Would be interested to hear peoples opinions.

[LANCER]

Looks like an impressive bit of kit and sounds very easy to fit. Are you doing away with servo assistance?

[ross_jsy]

You generally would with a pedal box.

Plenty more space then. Always surprised the s50 swappers don't go down this route.

[UweM3]

how is this going to work in an E30 with all the mechanical bits in FRONT of the pedals?

What is the reasoning behind floor mounted and hung pedal boxes? When I see floor mounted I always think BEETLE! And I hate them with passion

[GeoffBob]

Unclemat,

Floor mounted pedal sets are suited best to a low seating poistion with your legs extending almost straight out in front of you, such as in a single-seat open wheeler. If you want to achieve this in your car you'll need to drop your seat right down, shift it back, as well as lower your steering wheel and shift it back, otherwise you will find floor mounted pedals quite uncomfortable.

There are other pedal box options that you could consider. Tilton Engineering (http://www.tiltonracing.com) in the US makes a range of floor mounted, firewall mounted and overhung pedal assemblies. These typically include two brake master cylinders (with balance bar to adjust the front to rear brake bias) and a clutch master cylinder. The pedal ratio is typically 6:1.

The overhung 600 series here is useful where you have limited room inside the engine compartment for the master cylinders,

Some other useful information in Theo 325's thread here

[unclemat]

Hi guys

Thanks for the comments so far.

Yes, I'm getting rid of the entire braking system, ABS and servo in exchange for a decent twin M/C pedal box system. I liked the look of the OBP model I linked to above because it appears to have been designed specifically for the E30, master cylinders fit into the foot well with remote reservoirs mounted on the bulk head.

Good link Geoff, an interesting read on Theo's thread. I raced an off-road buggy for a few years that used floor mounted pedals, I really struggled with being low to the floor, legs outstretched and using floor mounts, it felt unnatural pivoting from the ankle with my heel staying put, if that makes sense! I ended up raising my seat so that I could bend my knee a bit. I do agree that the ideal solution is a top pivot system, I've used Tilton before and found them excellent quality so may well look into their options next.

I've read quite a few of your posts on braking systems Geoff so will pick your brains as I move into the business end very shortly.

Thanks again for the comments, have a good weekend.

Mat

[e21Jason]

One of the guys in Oz got a OBP pedal box and is less than happy with it and the parts i have had are average

Jason

[chrisroberts]

I had a play with a floor mounted pedal box in a e30 and with the cylinders in place the pedals must have been around a foot back from the bulkhead. The seat would have had to be moved as far back as you could make it go, then you would need to extend and lower the steering column, and visibility is decreased as the front right pillar is always in the way, or you can modify the bulkhead?. I reckon your best bet of a floor mounted one would be something like this http://www.hoverd.org/Tim/ttcp/wp-conte ... pedals.gif but that would lift your feet up a bit.

In the end i used a modified mk2 escort bias box which uses the backplate from the original pedal box which is like the overhung reverse mounted cylinder type geoff posted above. Not as nice as the tilton stuff but alot cheaper to make, but thats the type to go for if you want it to fit a e30 without too much hassle

[GeoffBob]

...but thats the type to go for if you want it to fit a e30 without too much hassle

Agreed. Has the disadvantage that the M/C's are ahead of your shins, so worth planning a bit of safety into the design. The crotch-belt on a 5-point harness will help prevent you from sliding down into the pedal-box M/C's in the event of a front-on impact. Also keep in mind that a fluid leak combined with boiling brake fluid could be very painful. Unfortunately, the overhung pedal-box is probably about the best solution that avoids having to use the linkage from right to left side of the car.

I am (personally) a firm believer in keeping the brakes on the opposite side from the exhaust manifold. In order to fit a pedal-box to my RHD R5Turbo project I opted to fit a Jap engine with the exhaust on the left. That way I had ample room for the three M/C's under the bonnet (just below the intake plenum)

However, if I were to build up an E30 exclusively for track use only, I wouldn’t hesitate to convert it to LHD (or start with a LHD car if I could find one down here). It seems to me that putting the exhaust on the opposite side from the driver in a front engined RWD car helps avoid a lot of complication.

Only a thought, not a suggestion by any means

[Stevin]

...but thats the type to go for if you want it to fit a e30 without too much hassle

Agreed. Has the disadvantage that the M/C's are ahead of your shins, so worth planning a bit of safety into the design. The crotch-belt on a 5-point harness will help prevent you from sliding down into the pedal-box M/C's in the event of a front-on impact. Also keep in mind that a fluid leak combined with boiling brake fluid could be very painful. Unfortunately, the overhung pedal-box is probably about the best solution that avoids having to use the linkage from right to left side of the car.

I am (personally) a firm believer in keeping the brakes on the opposite side from the exhaust manifold. In order to fit a pedal-box to my RHD R5Turbo project I opted to fit a Jap engine with the exhaust on the left. That way I had ample room for the three M/C's under the bonnet (just below the intake plenum)

However, if I were to build up an E30 exclusively for track use only, I wouldn’t hesitate to convert it to LHD (or start with a LHD car if I could find one down here). It seems to me that putting the exhaust on the opposite side from the driver in a front engined RWD car helps avoid a lot of complication.

Only a thought, not a suggestion by any means

I'm on the search for a lhd chassis, just a better base to build off of.

[UweM3]

...but thats the type to go for if you want it to fit a e30 without too much hassle

Agreed. Has the disadvantage that the M/C's are ahead of your shins, so worth planning a bit of safety into the design. The crotch-belt on a 5-point harness will help prevent you from sliding down into the pedal-box M/C's in the event of a front-on impact. Also keep in mind that a fluid leak combined with boiling brake fluid could be very painful. Unfortunately, the overhung pedal-box is probably about the best solution that avoids having to use the linkage from right to left side of the car.

I am (personally) a firm believer in keeping the brakes on the opposite side from the exhaust manifold. In order to fit a pedal-box to my RHD R5Turbo project I opted to fit a Jap engine with the exhaust on the left. That way I had ample room for the three M/C's under the bonnet (just below the intake plenum)

However, if I were to build up an E30 exclusively for track use only, I wouldn’t hesitate to convert it to LHD (or start with a LHD car if I could find one down here). It seems to me that putting the exhaust on the opposite side from the driver in a front engined RWD car helps avoid a lot of complication.

Only a thought, not a suggestion by any means

I'm on the search for a lhd chassis, just a better base to build off of.

There are no LHD or RHD chassis. They are all the same.
A friend of mine has a very nice rust free two door (no sunroof....) shell sitting in his yard (dry stored for years).
I always kept an eye on it just in case I am planning a re-shell.
As far as I know he is running out of space and the shell is up for sale. Would you be able to pick it up from Germany?
I could fetch it for you but you need to threaten me with ££££'s

[crossie]

uwe I take it your friends shell is not a left hand M3 shell??

[UweM3]

uwe I take it your friends shell is not a left hand M3 shell??

no just a "normal" E30 shell. But I had my eye on it because it is really rust free and dry stored for a few years now. With my shell beeing a bit rusty, I would just have swapped the M3 specific bits and rear fenders. I don't care about the M3 VIN, my car isn't stock anyway and not much is left of the M3.
Better having a solid shell IMHO, sod the VIN