Update on my track car build

[northloop]

A short report this time.

I spent a fair of yesterday working on the beemer again.

The heated front windscreen has arrived. When the time is right we will have this professionally fitted. No point breaking it for a few quid.


My brake bias valve and bonnet pins have also arrived.



The car was moved into a bay ready to start work



My friend Jimmy arrived and set to work cheese wiring the window aerial off. This took a little elbow greese.



Next up he removed the tool box foam surrounding, that was a hell of a job too.

With the plastic windows in place and the retainers removed there is nothing to stop them falling down. brackets were made and fitted to stop this happening.



With that done we carried on with the ally door panels and nibbled the first door out. A little more came out after this picture was taken and the edges cleaned up. It is amazing just how light the door now is.



After that Gareth took to rationalising the wiring. If it had no business being there it was removed. Again the weight which came out was suprising.


I continued with scraping the tar out of the inside of the car. Something I started about 8 months ago


When the doors have been finished all that remains is for the inside to be completley cleaned and any remaining trim removed. Then it's off to the spray shop for 4 weeks. That should be happening in 2 weeks time.

While I was there I had the chance to drive another friends golf. With a circa 200-210bhp engine and properly sorted suspension and brakes this was a very nice experience. Even on Shrick (spelling) cams the car would pull cleanly from 1500rpm and I really had no need to go above about 5500rpm. I look forward to having a passneger lap in this at the ring shortly.



Next update to follow.

[schuey]

Good effort-I know what you mean about the tool box foam too! That golf is nice

[northloop]

Good effort-I know what you mean about the tool box foam too! That golf is nice

When the car had standard power and sorted suspension and brakes it was VERY capable. The upgrade in power will make it much more of a tool

[northloop]

Another full day working on the car today. Well almost a full day the first hour was spent fixing my run around after an altercation with my mates L200




Once that was done my beast was rolled out


Ok OK so that's not it

There was loads to be done in preperation for the car going to paint in the next couple of weeks.

I started off with the angle grinder removing the various studs which are in the cabin to hold wiring looms and such like in place.


The windscreen came out. To be replaced with a heated version when the car is painted.




The back window was removed to allow me easy access to the nasty glued sound deadening in the back of the car. After alot of elbow grease and petrol this was removed.

[northloop]

Next up Gareth set about adding the final fillets for the cage. It now touchs the car at 20 points. More than enough I think





I removed the front lights



Gareth cut out the second front door card


Gareth decided that the air con cooler and fan needed investigation. It was going to be left for extra cooling, but when we saw the weight of it there was no choice but to remove it. I would suggest a 5kg saving in this area alone.



Gareth air chiseled out redundant brackets.


The seat was dummy fitted ready to sort the mountings out.


The side mounts in place it was obvious that modification was required as the mounting holes were in mid air

A bracket was made an welded in position



Finally the seat, harness and steering wheel were dummy fitted prior to being removed ready for painting.


One more full days work to fit the bonnet pins, nibble the rear doors, fit the ally door cards and a couple of other jobs ...... then it's off to the spray shop for a few coats of paint

[oldroydsr4]

Hi gary.

what thickness are the perspex windows?

looks great.

Cheers

[northloop]

We decided to go for the same thickness as the original glass. That way you can easily use the original rubbers. They are 4mm.

I went for Acrylic rather than Polycarb, simply because it is cheaper. It doesn't fail quite as safely though. Polycarb is the ideal

[oldroydsr4]

Cheers

[manu6]

Lovely !

Just discovered this topic .

Excellent , so he have the same H&R suspensions , I curious to have your impressions once the car on track .

I start next week to remove all the sunroof , have to be a not easy job .

And if you never drove a 325 E30 in a circuit , a big , good , surprise is around the corner .

Cheers .

[Geeman]

Awesome thread... loving it!

Makes my track slag look somewhat amateurish!

G.

[northloop]

manu6.

If this is the same as yours then yes, we have the same suspension

[Davenotouring]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!

[handpaper]

Very pretty, Gary. Is that a standard strut reworked by H&R, or is it all new? Would be interesting to see what difference there is between this and a 'home conversion' using the kit from Demon Tweeks or Rally Design.

[Brian28]

Very pretty, Gary. Is that a standard strut reworked by H&R, or is it all new? Would be interesting to see what difference there is between this and a 'home conversion' using the kit from Demon Tweeks or Rally Design.

Few hundred quid for a start . Looks like worked from a standard strut, the weld line is below the red adjuster. IMO only, have never seen one other than the one in the photo.

[northloop]

The struts are replacement from H&R, you have to supply your old un-bent ones to the factory

[greasy]

These are the reworked originals, but they have done more than just add the threaded collars. The damper insert has been removed, and whatever they have fitted now has a nut fastening it at the bottom of the strut tube, through a drilled hole. As far as I could tell, they have made no alteration to the alignment of the cast hub at the bottom, though.

Nice kit to fit. Everything spot on!!

[northloop]

Hi Gareth, my reply didn't make that very clear did it

I have been told I can collect my deposit on the struts we took off the car months and months ago this weekend.....Didn't take long at all H&R are notoriously slow with this side of things

[northloop]

Another brief update. Excuse the pictures they were taken from my phone.

The rear doors were fully stripped and cut out. We made up ally panels to tidy them up.


Bonnet pins were fitted. We used these holes in the front for the 2 front ones, that was easy enough


For the rear ones we turned the old bonnet brackets upside down, modified them slightly to get them flat then added an extra bracket for the pins to go through. It worked very nicely.


Some rubber spacers were found to pad things out.


The bonnet was fitted.


One more stay is required at the front in the middle, that is yet to be decided on how we acheive it.

The last few bits prior to painting were removed. The brake bias valve bracket fitted, so now it's ready to go to paint.




Gareth had an intersting Vette in at the weekend too

[d-anie-l]

looks like this is going to be a really cool car.

[John22]

Thought about spraying that Frame?

[Dan318-is]

PM Sent mate!

[northloop]

Thought about spraying that Frame?

Frame?

[northloop]

PM Sent mate!

Talking to my builder about it. Will get back to you asap

[Dan318-is]

PM Sent mate!

Talking to my builder about it. Will get back to you asap

NP

[northloop]

Cheers for the offer Dan, but at the moment they aren't for me. Thanks anyway

Gary

[AlpineAde]

Ye Gods! What an awesome project!

I know I've come in on this one late but I'll definitely be following it the rest of the way.

Sensational stuff.

[northloop]

Wave bye bye as it goes for paint.

When it gets back we can start putting it back together and looking at the running gear

[schuey]

Coming along nicely
Its got loads of doors though

[northloop]

Coming along nicely
Its got loads of doors though

Which is what makes it different

[Jhonno]

weld the back ones shut

[crossie]

what colour is it going to be??

[Jhonno]

pink with a hint of marigold flip?

[northloop]

what colour is it going to be??

997GT3 RS orange

[schuey]

what colour is it going to be??

997GT3 RS orange

[Weeman]

what colour is it going to be??

997GT3 RS orange

You hope