Update on my track car build

[northloop]

No idea, you will have to ask greasy that

[northloop]

H&R coilover kit sprung specifically for the Nurburgring now fitted.



Parked next to my mates golf which has had more money spent on it then he cares to mention for comparison

[Weeman]

Almost there gary

[325eye]

Good work Gary

[JimmyC]

H&R coilover kit sprung specifically for the Nurburgring now fitted.

out of interest what spring rates you running?

[northloop]

Jimmy, I am not sure if i'm honest.......


Another update. I went to see the car again on Friday.

The cage is now in and finished. We are still unsure whether to fit the front triangulation though. I would like it in, my builder who will no doubt read this is unsure It looks like it might be very close to the accelerator pedal too



The seat belt mounts are also welded in place. We have also gone for the door bars being mounted quite low. This is to hoepfully aid access which isnt great at the best of times.

We cut the dash for the cross car bar while I was there. That will go for flocking in the next couple of days.


We have decided after plenty of consultation to run standard ARB's with poly bushes in the first instance. If needs be these will be uprated in the future.

The new number plates are ready to go on


I had a sitting to find the optimum position for the seat


Next step is to get plastic windows and ally door cards made then finish prepping the car for painting.

[Stevin]

Very nice... I like that cage, even though it seemed like a real PITA to get in there.

A question... would it be possible to fit a cage without cutting out the B-Pillar like that ? I dunno, I'm not into really cutting away at the pillars of the car, seems to me like it would reduce structural integrity ?

[northloop]

No it wouldnt have gone in without the cut. It's been plated back over making it solid again and the cage which will be tied to the body in numerous places will become part of the structure itself. The cage is made to fit an M3 not a 4-door i'm afraid.

[Stevin]

I understood that from your original post... I'm just curious to know if a custom made cage would have the problem of having to cut the b-pillar ?

Maybe dimple the pipe, by the b-pillar it's really a problem ?

Oh, yeah... awesome build up so far

[northloop]

The cage is made for a 3 - door car which due to the structual rigidity of not having rear doors has thinner 'B' pillars. The door bars collide with the 'B' pillar lon the 4-door as they are wider. Therefore you either kink the door bars or mod the 'B' pillar.

[325eye]

looking nice Gary

[Stevin]

The cage is made for a 3 - door car which due to the structual rigidity of not having rear doors has thinner 'B' pillars. The door bars collide with the 'B' pillar lon the 4-door as they are wider. Therefore you either kink the door bars or mod the 'B' pillar.

Dont u mean 2dr ... lol. Thanks that answered weather it would be safe to dimple the pipe.

[northloop]

Just been to visit the old girl again.

Not much happened over the last month due to other obligations.

The plastic windows have now been made courtesy of the local glazing company. I have gone for windows without the slide openings for the moment. I want to keep a degree of security in the car and I need to be able to partially open the window for the barrier at the 'ring' and ventilation. With that in mind we are using the winder on the drivers window and seeing if the plastic scratches or not. If it does we will put glass back in that window alone.

My new spoiler and bonnet have arrived. Thanks to TrackM3 for those It was too windy to get the bonnet out so spoiler pictures only. It is led ontop of the old one for the moment, before anyone points it out





Next up is ally panelling and cutting the inner doors then a good clean up prior to painting.

[Theo]

Like the spoiler, been toying with the idea of something like that for mine. Do you think it will make a noticeable impact on downforce?

[northloop]

I have no idea, it will on mpg though so I guess the answer is yes

[dazleeds]

excellent work fella

looks like this is gonna be a serious piece of kit

[schuey]

It will have an effect on drag,and nothing else. Nice build though chap!

[maxfield]

and downforce more grip in corners

Maybe better on a short circuit but the ring is a very fast track

[schuey]

hmmmm,if it was going to increase down force it would be at (much) higher speeds so ideal at the ring,however it would then need some extra front downforce to avoid the front end being a touch light,not ideal! It will look nice though.

[e21Jason]

Hi

That looks like an EVO—a 3 wing, there is published wind tunnel data for the m3 with various type wings some where on s14.net and that wing does generate down force. It has a proper aerofoil section not some chav stick on, and the gurney flap should be adjustable. Front down force is the easiest thing to achieve on a saloon car a simple splitter made from 3mm ply would do the job, but for high speed running I would try to duct the radiator and cut a several vents into the front of the bonnet.

Jason

[schuey]

I'm not convinced,doesn't the M3 have a different rake angle on the rear screen to a standard e30 shell? If so that would effect the airflow over the wing a fair bit........
I am sure they will have some effect on the M3 as bmw don't usually stick stuff on for the sake of it,but on a standard shell I think the extra drag and the (small) amount of extra weight would not be worth the gains.
As you point out front downforce is the key-after all,understeer feckin sucks!

[maxfield]

They were used on M3 racing cars so it will have an affect on downforce.

And obviously the bmw race team knew what they were doing

[jimcameron]

Bit slow to twig, Hullo Gary...

Nice Beemer... You should have gone and had a spin in mine, I'd appreciate your tuppence worth!

[northloop]

Bit slow to twig, Hullo Gary...

Nice Beemer... You should have gone and had a spin in mine, I'd appreciate your tuppence worth!

Pretty sure I heard a clunk as the penny dropped jim

You restored a little faith in the 325 for me cheers Jim....... My 120bhp 205 seems to get round the ring so nicely that a 325 is going to have to be a good one before it will be anywhere near as good. I know you have the bigger engine but it was the handling I was impressed with. It seemed to rattle on very nicely

So thanks for restoring a little faith and I look forward to getting it finished and ready to play

[schuey]

They were used on M3 racing cars so it will have an affect on downforce.

And obviously the bmw race team knew what they were doing

A works M3 race car is an entirely different thing to a very nicely built 4 door 325i though
I know a bit about aerodynamics from my job

[northloop]

Another update.

It doesn't look too much different but plenty has been done.

The cage has been filleted in position completing that phase of the build



Most of the cars trim has been removed prior to painting.

The rear spoiler (thanks TrackM3) has been fitted. To avoid having to repair the holes or grommet them we decided to trim and leave the old spoiler in place too. I quite like the look. It's hard to see in this picture


The plastic windows made cheaply at a local glazier were trial fitted and they went in quite nicely.


The doors were stripped of all un-necessary removeable weight.

[northloop]

Ally panel are to be used on the doors once the inners have been nibbled out. First though brackets need to be made to hold the windows in position as all the retainers have been removed.


The front drivers window needs some kind of aperture for ventilation (no heater or blower) and for access to the ticket barrier at the ring. Gareth (the guy doing most of the work) hates the land rover style sliders and the porthole versions cost around £50 each We are therefore going to have a go at making something ourselves.

The heavy std bonnet was removed and replaced with this light single skin variant (thanks TrackM3 again). The weight difference is huge.


The flocked dash has arrived and looks great.



The next steps are to finish the work on the doors and prepare the inside prior to sending the car for paint.

The idea is to run the car on the standard engine until it goes bang, then we will put something more fitting in. This will give me the chance to learn the car and also save some pennies whilst we consider our options. Last week I thought I had picked up a US spec 240bhp M3 engine and box only to find it was a hoax......The likelyhood is we will go for something like a 328 or 330 depending on availability and funds.

Next update in a few weeks when hopefully it will be painted

Gary

[northloop]

My friend was there at the same time working on his near 300bhp Mk2 golf

[maxfield]

[schuey]

Lookin good,without sounding like a concours tart what's the fit like on the new bonnet?

[CraigG]

flocked dash looks bloody awesome. where did ya get it done?

[ed325i]

Lookin good,without sounding like a concours tart what's the fit like on the new bonnet?

I would like to know to

[northloop]

The dash was flocked by these guys..the guy is a member on here
http://www.suffolkflockingservices.co.uk/


The bonnet fit is good but you have to understand that we are talking about race spec parts. They are not like factory parts. The fit is good but there is a slight kink. There are two areas where the bonnet was made from a standard bonnet which need filling. These are where the washer jets were. I have to say that I am impressed with the parts though, Martin has done me proud

[maxfield]

The bonnet isn't flocked

[ed325i]

The dash was flocked by these guys..the guy is a member on here
http://www.suffolkflockingservices.co.uk/

Not far from me