blalor's ZHP project journal

[blalor]

Seems like all the cool kids are doing one of these, so I thought I'd join in, too.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2892/12433952893_fd7283572e_c.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/jWKg1a)

(Yes, I *know* those aren't the ZHP wheels. They're in the trunk.)

PD98162 is an '04 330Ci. I bought him (name TBD) two weeks ago from the 3rd owner with about 104,000 miles on the clock. Lots of preventative stuff's already been done, and the car spent about a week with Kieran at Bell Buckle Motor Works in Bell Buckle, TN for a PPI and to address the check engine light (the vanquishment of which was a precondition of the sale). After 42 hours and 1,100 miles of travel with a stop-over at my dad's in Raleigh I made it home with no real issues, save a cracked wheel courtesy of the Tappan Zee Bridge.

https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/11581_409471082530127_2066000658_n.jpg

So the car's home and safely tucked into my garage. It's on summer tires and we've had actual winter weather here since I've been home. The nerve.

Between my wife and I, we've got two '06 MINI Cooper Ses and now the ZHP. Neither of us drive to work. We do love roadtrips, however. I'm a trackday enthusiast and amateur road racer (LeMons mainly). We're planning to return to the Bonneville Salt Flats for the 3rd time late this summer and will be taking the ZHP. My focus is going to be on handling without sacrificing comfort or drivability.

Before bringing the car home I had to buy new tires. I don't know how anybody manages to end up with dry-rotted tires on a daily driver, but maybe that's because I haven't kept a set of tires for longer than two years. I'm hoping the tire on the cracked rim isn't damaged, but that's a likelihood. At least it holds air…

The long drive really pointed out some slop in the front end. I've got new Powerflex front control arm bushings and heavy-duty front sway bar end links that I'll be installing at a new DIY garage up in Newton, NH on Sunday. I'm hoping that will tighten things up a lot.

Other items on the list to fix or buy, in no particular order:

•*shocks
• 2nd key (only got one from the PO)
•*battery
•*windows don't index correctly when opening the doors
• subframe reinforcement
• strut tower reinforcement
• replacement shift knob (done, thanks to MiniD)
• fix/replace leaking washer fluid reservoir
• floor mats
• A, B and C pillars (fabric's sagging)
• slight wind noise at driver's door
• replace OEM nav with Business CD
• arm rest delete
•*refurbish steering wheel (Alcantara, but with the texture of dried boogers)
•*clear reflectors on front bumper
• black kidneys
• braided clutch and brake lines
• clutch delay valve-ectomy
• bluetooth audio of some kind (Raspberry Pi, perhaps)
• sunroof reversing before closed
• heated seat retrofit

For the most part, this is what I expect for a 10-year-old car with over 100k miles. I'll be updating this thread as I work my way through the list!

If anyone wants 3 18" Style 269 wheels (7.5" front, 8.5" rear, I think) let me know. I'll be selling the ones that are still round. :-)

[gmurphy]

Can't wait to see more! Nice car


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[brettbimmer]

Congratulations on the new edition. Look forward to more on your projects, and if you have a chance, I would love to hear more about your Lemons experience.

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[blalor]

Thanks! I've been racing an '87 325is for …*I guess this is the 7th year. Hard to believe. Harder to believe it's continued to run this long. My team consists of BMWCCA members from the White Mountain chapter. The initial cadre were all MINI owners, but we're now a solid crew of MINI and BMW aficionados. The car's a legitimate $500 piece of crap. It had 250,000 miles on it when we got it and there are a few spots where you can see through the floor and body. We stripped out every bit of extra weight we could, to the point that the doors, trunk and hood were down to flimsy pieces of steel without any reinforcement. We actually removed *too much* weight and now keep an extra set of wheels strapped to the trunk floor for better balance. The car's been pretty much bullet-proof despite the 15+ races we've done. We did break a couple of rocker arms in 2012, but that's not really surprising. It's a fun, fast car. I'd be totally happy driving nothing else on the track. It's so fast it feels like a cheater, but it honestly isn't. There are some opportunities now to take a LeMons car and run with other non-crapcan bodies, like the SCCA. We're probably doing our last year with this car and would like to get something that we can build a little more safely. Our cage -- a bolt-in Autopower job -- looks pretty marginal and I don't think any of us would be thrilled if we got into a big smashup with it.

We jumped at the chance to run LeMons when they first came to Stafford Springs, CT in 2008 (?), and then we did all the New Hampshire events plus the one at the Monticello Motor Club in NY last April. We pretty consistently finish in the top 10 (and there were 140 cars at the last race in October!). We're not an overly organized group of fellas; while we do a handful of work days before each race, we pretty much show up and hope for the best. :-)

I've been doing 5-7 days on the track per year for about 10 years, now. I did the BMWCCA club race school at NJMP last June with my BRZ (which was replaced by the ZHP). My teammates are all experienced HPDE students (with one instructor). Some of the yokels you see on the track at a LeMons event have never been away from traffic lights and road signs before (and some you'd swear had never seen the inside of a car). So there's a pretty wide range of ability. The racing (and organizing) have become more civilized since we started. Most folks behave well on and off the track, but with 140 cars and a minimum of 560(!) drivers, you're bound to have some moments. I absolutely love getting to go wheel-to-wheel with other cars, and it is "real" racing, as far as I'm concerned. 140 cars is too damn many by half and you spend a good part of the first of the two days in traffic or under yellow. That can be really frustrating.

This year we're going to do the NJMP race in May, plus a couple of others. I'm personally trying to strike a balance between racing, vacationing with my wife, doing track days with the ZHP, *repairing* the ZHP, plus doing other non-car-related stuff, all on a fairly limited number of vacation days. In addition to my day job I'm also working with a startup in Seattle (Autosport Labs (http://autosportlabs.com/)), and I'm hoping to get out there to do a LeMons race with them in July. Crap, that's a lot…

Uh, what else can I tell you? :-)

[Avetiso]

I think your current wheels are one of the few better styles for the zhp.

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[blalor]

Thanks. I like the look, too. Unfortunately I've only got three of those, now. *sigh* The staggered setup bothers me, both from handling and tire-rotate-ability perspectives. I'm going to be buying wheels for track use, and I also need a set of winter wheels. I was planning on selling the 269s to put money toward a new set (something square, possibly 17"). They appear to be flawless and are worth some money… The ZHP wheels are a bit rough, and the PO thinks one has a crack leading to a slow leak. If that's the case I'll just get it repaired (oh please let it be repairable!). I don't think I'm going to spend the $800 to get them refinished, however. At least not right now.

[JKO_ZHP]

Congrats on the purchase! You are the coolest of the cool kids since yours is a coupe, plus bonus points for silver grey.
:rofl......:shifty

[blalor]

Ha! I wish it were a slick-top. And a brighter color. Those'd make me sub-zero! One MINI's Chili Red with a black roof and viper stripes, the other's Hyper Blue with a white roof, and the BRZ was Wicked Rare Blue -- er, sorry, World Rally Blue. They're all awesome colors. The Silbergrau is pretty, but it's still a bit BMW Boring. Imola Red or one of the lighter blues (LeMans, or Interlagos, neither of which were available the ZHP, I don't think) would be ideal.

[ELCID86]

Congrats on the purchase. Sorry about the wheel woes. Hope at least the tire is ok. But wait,,, "I bought him..." I thought all cars were girls!?

[brettbimmer]

Thanks! I've been racing an '87 325is for …*I guess this is the 7th year. Hard to believe. Harder to believe it's continued to run this long. My team consists of BMWCCA members from the White Mountain chapter. The initial cadre were all MINI owners, but we're now a solid crew of MINI and BMW aficionados. The car's a legitimate $500 piece of crap. It had 250,000 miles on it when we got it and there are a few spots where you can see through the floor and body. We stripped out every bit of extra weight we could, to the point that the doors, trunk and hood were down to flimsy pieces of steel without any reinforcement. We actually removed *too much* weight and now keep an extra set of wheels strapped to the trunk floor for better balance. The car's been pretty much bullet-proof despite the 15+ races we've done. We did break a couple of rocker arms in 2012, but that's not really surprising. It's a fun, fast car. I'd be totally happy driving nothing else on the track. It's so fast it feels like a cheater, but it honestly isn't. There are some opportunities now to take a LeMons car and run with other non-crapcan bodies, like the SCCA. We're probably doing our last year with this car and would like to get something that we can build a little more safely. Our cage -- a bolt-in Autopower job -- looks pretty marginal and I don't think any of us would be thrilled if we got into a big smashup with it.

We jumped at the chance to run LeMons when they first came to Stafford Springs, CT in 2008 (?), and then we did all the New Hampshire events plus the one at the Monticello Motor Club in NY last April. We pretty consistently finish in the top 10 (and there were 140 cars at the last race in October!). We're not an overly organized group of fellas; while we do a handful of work days before each race, we pretty much show up and hope for the best. :-)

I've been doing 5-7 days on the track per year for about 10 years, now. I did the BMWCCA club race school at NJMP last June with my BRZ (which was replaced by the ZHP). My teammates are all experienced HPDE students (with one instructor). Some of the yokels you see on the track at a LeMons event have never been away from traffic lights and road signs before (and some you'd swear had never seen the inside of a car). So there's a pretty wide range of ability. The racing (and organizing) have become more civilized since we started. Most folks behave well on and off the track, but with 140 cars and a minimum of 560(!) drivers, you're bound to have some moments. I absolutely love getting to go wheel-to-wheel with other cars, and it is "real" racing, as far as I'm concerned. 140 cars is too damn many by half and you spend a good part of the first of the two days in traffic or under yellow. That can be really frustrating.

This year we're going to do the NJMP race in May, plus a couple of others. I'm personally trying to strike a balance between racing, vacationing with my wife, doing track days with the ZHP, *repairing* the ZHP, plus doing other non-car-related stuff, all on a fairly limited number of vacation days. In addition to my day job I'm also working with a startup in Seattle (Autosport Labs (http://autosportlabs.com/)), and I'm hoping to get out there to do a LeMons race with them in July. Crap, that's a lot…

Uh, what else can I tell you? :-)

Haha thanks, that's awesome! A passionate German car guy who just happens to enjoy running an E30 for Lemons! Having rebuilt a 1990 E30 in my past, I am not surprised that your race car is still running strong. Bavarian Motor Works seems to have the formula down for building quality engines, even if you need to keep up with timing belt replacements on the M20. As I am sure that you know, when one of them breaks, it can cause a heck of a mess. :facepalm Lemons is on my bucket list someday, having read multiple articles on the races, one of which was written by Sam Smith and his mis-adventures there. Sounds like a blast.

LOL at your commentary on some of the other "drivers". I would imagine that there is quite a diverse spread of experience out there which could make for a very interesting experience I am sure. Fantastic that you have a good group of HPDE students and one instructor on your team. You are probably heads above a lot of the other teams that usually ride the bus. Heck, I have seen some interesting drivers at the various HPDE events which I have attended since 2004 as well!

I was just reading the dates for the NJMP race, and it looks to be the weekend after the ZHP Mafia family reunion. Otherwise I was going to suggest that they add this to the mix of events during the meet, since it is being held in Cape May, NJ this year. Nonetheless, if you can break away the weekend before, the Mafia family reunion is highly recommended.

Anyway, welcome to the mafia and good luck with the new ZHP and MINIs. Perhaps a thread on the Lemons stuff as time permits with some photos if you have them would be great in the future. I know that I am not the only person on this forum that would love to see more on Lemons lunacy. :ducking

[blalor]

Congrats on the purchase. Sorry about the wheel woes. Hope at least the tire is ok. But wait,,, "I bought him..." I thought all cars were girls!?

Not all. :-) My wife's MINI is Buffy, and I think all of her cars have been girls. Of the cars I've named, there's been Mater (Jeep), Sputnik (MINI), Scrat (current MINI), Dieter (E30) and Alpha (BRZ). I really don't think of the ZHP as being feminine.

[blalor]

Haha thanks, that's awesome! A passionate German car guy who just happens to enjoy running an E30 for Lemons! Having rebuilt a 1990 E30 in my past, I am not surprised that your race car is still running strong. Bavarian Motor Works seems to have the formula down for building quality engines, even if you need to keep up with timing belt replacements on the M20. As I am sure that you know, when one of them breaks, it can cause a heck of a mess.

Yeah, we've kept up on stuff like the timing belt. We've had a couple of mis-steps, too, like forgetting to put coolant back in a couple of winters ago. Fortunately we only popped some freeze plugs. Ironically it was the timing *chain* in my M42-engined E30 that caused me a huge problem a few years ago. The idler sprocket failed, the chain jumped some teeth, and all the intake valves got bent. Fortunately I was able to find another one for $300 and refreshed that lump and did the swap myself, but it was a fair bit of work.



I was just reading the dates for the NJMP race, and it looks to be the weekend after the ZHP Mafia family reunion. Otherwise I was going to suggest that they add this to the mix of events during the meet, since it is being held in Cape May, NJ this year. Nonetheless, if you can break away the weekend before, the Mafia family reunion is highly recommended.
I'd really love to, but we're going on vacation for the entire week before and have the race a couple of weeks later. Not enough time, money or vacation to do 'em all. :-(

[johnrando]

:like

[blalor]

Feeling a little nostalgic for a trip I was on this time last year. We drove the length of the Trans-Labrador Highway with a group of half-a-dozen MINIs. 3,000 miles in a week. It was surprisingly not that cold. :-)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8098/8556756006_e7ab048515_b.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/e38BrY)

And from 3 years ago on the Magdalen Islands:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5137/5472276497_53315f71eb_b.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/9kyR9M)

The trips are roughly every-other-year, where a bunch of MINI owners take off for some adventure in Canada. It's called the ArcticMINI run, but I took the Subaru last year, anyway. It was a hoot. I don't think I spent more than 10 minutes pointed in a straight line the entire time. :-D

[PirateZHP]

^ Awesome!

[ELCID86]

Feeling a little nostalgic for a trip I was on this time last year. We drove the length of the Trans-Labrador Highway with a group of half-a-dozen MINIs. 3,000 miles in a week. It was surprisingly not that cold. :-)

And from 3 years ago on the Magdalen Islands:

The trips are roughly every-other-year, where a bunch of MINI owners take off for some adventure in Canada. It's called the ArcticMINI run, but I took the Subaru last year, anyway. It was a hoot. I don't think I spent more than 10 minutes pointed in a straight line the entire time. :-D
Pretty darn neat.

[Hornung418]

My favorite new guy. Brett and myself have been trying to get a LeMons car organized, but we can't find a time where we're all free to meet :(

Looking forward to your adventures with the ZHP!!

[blalor]

My favorite new guy.
http://replygif.net/i/413.gif


Brett and myself have been trying to get a LeMons car organized, but we can't find a time where we're all free to meet :(
It's not easy, but it's a ton of fun if you can pull it off!

[johnrando]

That's pretty cool!

[Avetiso]

Awesome!

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[danewilson77]

^ Awesome!

+1

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[blalor]

I'd hoped to have the new control arm bushings installed and have swapped back to the stock wheels by now, but I haven't been able to get into Ratchet Head just yet. Maybe later this week. I *was* able to spend a little time under the car and replace the sway bar end links, however.
12479
The old ones were probably original and the boots were torn. I ran errands afterwards and didn't notice any difference in either noise or handling. Didn't expect anything, either. :-) I knew the control arm bushings were shot, but I could easily make the control arms move around in them just by wiggling the wheel by hand a bit.

I was disappointed to find that the little door that should hide the plug on the oil pan was missing, and also that the aluminum reinforcement panel is pretty banged up. Looks like it's contacted the ground at least once, and the jacking point is mangled. I dropped the splash tray to make sure I was jacking on something substantial, and ended up trimming a hockey puck to fit into the rectangular indentation so that my floor jack didn't make it worse. For all the awesome engineering of these cars, you'd think they'd pay a little heed to the guys who don't have a lift. I also found both jack pads on the right side of the car are gone, so I had to repurpose one of the "jack buddies" (don't Google that) I made for my BRZ (just a hockey puck bisected and bolted to a 1x2" piece of steel to straddle the body seam that you're supposed to support the car with. Horrible design.). I drove onto a set of Rhino Ramps first and then raised the car from there, but when I was done I had a hell of a time lowering the car back onto the ramps. The wheels push the ramps out a little, but my driveway's uneven and I ended up with one of the ramps distorting a bit. I finally just used a pair of 2x6es under the wheels. In the future I'll skip the ramps. I hate doing it that way, anyway…

We drove to dinner last night and I realized that the shocks really need to be replaced, but I'm trying to take a somewhat scientific approach by only fixing one thing at a time. I'm looking pretty hard at Koni Sports right now: importrp.com has them for just under $600 with free ground shipping. I'll replace all the mounting hardware when I do the job, so figure another couple hundred on top of that; there's a bit of a thunk from the left rear over broken pavement (which is basically everywhere right now) that may be the rear shock mount. This car will see the track, so I figure it'll be best to freshen up all this stuff.

I think I identified the source of the windshield washer fluid leak: the pump feels pretty loose in its grommet. The reservoir itself looks fine.

Finally, I blew out the fender cavity that the hood hinges drop into. So much crap in there. Seems like it could be a good spot for rust to start. :-(

Hopefully I'll get the bushings and wheels taken care of by the weekend, and then I'll be looking for a home for the 3 remaining Style 269 wheels.

[ELCID86]

That door didn't come on a lot of cars. Many of us have ordered a replacement. I'm sure someone here can post the part numbers.

That sway bar had seen it's better days. Nice work.

[danewilson77]

That door didn't come on a lot of cars. Many of us have ordered a replacement. I'm sure someone here can post the part numbers.

That end link had seen it's better days. Nice work.

End link.

OP... Did you go with Lemforder?

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[johnrando]

You talking this:

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc481/johnrando/IMG_20131116_150017_947_zpscbc74590.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/user/johnrando/media/IMG_20131116_150017_947_zpscbc74590.jpg.html)

and this?

http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc481/johnrando/IMG_20131116_150044_513_zps9cea4e6a.jpg (http://s1214.photobucket.com/user/johnrando/media/IMG_20131116_150044_513_zps9cea4e6a.jpg.html)

Both are available from ECS and other places. Also, you can buy jack pad adapter from ECS but it sounds like you made your own. I'm looking for the oil door part, but BMW did stop putting them on the car but they are cheap to buy.

[danewilson77]

So, as summary, the only two part numbers you need are
51 71 8 212 164 (screw clip)
and
51 71 7 036 493 (trap door including screw and washer)


http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/51_71_8_212_164/

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/ES127041/

[johnrando]

Thanks Dane, you beat me to it.

[ELCID86]

Thanks Bosses. Or get them from a dealership (online or B&M).

[blalor]

@johnrando: yes, those are the bits I'm talking about. < $20 for the door and parts from ECS. Jack pads are ~$11 each if you shop around.

I just needed something in the short term so I could support the car without damaging the floor so I used hockey pucks. I'll be buying the replacement pads. I have a set of Craftsman jack stands that sit well directly on the factory jack pads.

I bought Meyle heavy-duty end links from ECS (http://www.ecstuning.com/ES1843949/).

Last night I went out and started to clean the Alcantara steering wheel. It has the texture of dried boogers. I started to wipe it down with a microfiber cloth and hot water. It was …*just …*so …*disgusting. I almost wish I hadn't started doing it because it was purely exploratory. The rag came away black almost immediately, and a couple of spots were actually foamy when I rubbed. And the spots that I merely got wet turned sticky.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/yelch.gif

I'm thinking about pulling the wheel off so I can work on it in the basement. I have half a mind to run it through the dishwasher.

[ELCID86]

there is a thread here. Use magic erasers.

[ELCID86]

Search is your friend: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?402-DIY-Restore-Your-Alcantara-Steering-Wheel-doityourself&highlight=alcantara

[blalor]

there is a thread here. Use magic erasers.

I've read it; it's worse than a magic eraser can cope with.

[ELCID86]

I've read it; it's worse than a magic eraser can cope with.
Yikes. Contact Coby!

[blalor]

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?7879-Cleaning-sticky-Alcantara-wheel

[blalor]

Yikes. Contact Coby!

After dampers, brakes, jack pads, braided lines, wheels… :D

[QC_ZHP]

After dampers, brakes, jack pads, braided lines, wheels… :D

:thumbsup I like your priorities

[blalor]

Heh. The dampers are going to come sooner than I'd expected, I think. I'm hoping to get on track with it in April.

[johnrando]

Family Search is your friend: http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?402-DIY-Restore-Your-Alcantara-Steering-Wheel-doityourself&highlight=alcantara

Fixed that for ya. :thumbsup

[blalor]

That steering wheel was disgusting. Like, *really* disgusting. Before/after:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/12784722733_cbe3510b7e.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/ktK3E2) http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/12784730123_be5ca58fde.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/ktK5Rr)

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5545/12785040864_f8e543cc31.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/ktLFe3) http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/12784619755_440a2b6eaa.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/ktJw3x)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/12785058104_cf4049c8a5.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/ktLLmh) (sorry for the blurry!)
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/12784733283_be0f1ef2dd.jpg (http://flic.kr/p/ktK6MV)

Cleaning it in the car just wasn't going to do (and not just because it was 26° in the garage). So I brought the wheel inside. Messing with airbags scares the hell out of me, but it didn't explode. …*This time …

I started out with water and some rags, then added a new, soft tooth brush with a drop of dish soap, and finally I just stuck the whole wheel into the sink and used my hands and some Dawn liquid to wash the damn thing. That seemed like the most gentle approach. After it was clean and dry I tried fluffing it with the dry tooth brush, but it didn't make a huge difference. Finally I used a Magic Eraser, which I think did more for fluffing than actually cleaning. There's some pilling that I wasn't able to remove, but it's about a bajillion times better than it was.

The more I look at the Alcantara the more I wish it were all just leather. It's got a nice feel, but the grey color looks a bit worn out and faded (even though it isn't).

[gmurphy]

Nice and clean! Good work!


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[ELCID86]

Very nice.

[blalor]

So, it's been a few days, but last Wednesday night I installed the Powerflex control arm bushings and swapped back to the original Style 135 wheels. The new bushings did remove some slop in the front end, but not anywhere near enough. I've been thinking a lot about new shocks lately and now wondering if those are largely responsible for the vagueness and lack of control. It's not un-safe, just not BMW-esque. I'm going to try to put my GoPro in a few different strategic places to try to see what I'm feeling.

I was leaning toward buying a set of Koni Sports (~$500 from Import Replacement Parts) but then I found the entire ZHP suspension "kit" may still be available (p/n 33500429577; $475 shipped from Tischer). I'm confirming that, and if so I may pull the trigger. Other possible wear items that would make the front end feel sloppy include the ball joints and the strut mount. Since the ball joints will eventually wear out, anyway. The kit includes control arms, dampers, sway bar, plus some other bits for just a few dollars more than the control arms themselves.

There's also some clunking from the rear that I need to chase down; possibly rear strut mounts, but it could also be bushings back there. Fun, fun.

Today I brought home the majority of the interior from an '01 M3 that includes the piano black trim where mine has the silver cubes. The black looks dead sexy. Can't wait to get that in. I've also got the A, B and C pillar trim to replace mine that's sagging. These barely registered on the list of things to fix or change, but I couldn't let them get away! I also have a pair of non-sport E36 seats that are going to get turned into office chairs. Because racedesk.

[gmurphy]

So, it's been a few days, but last Wednesday night I installed the Powerflex control arm bushings and swapped back to the original Style 135 wheels. The new bushings did remove some slop in the front end, but not anywhere near enough. I've been thinking a lot about new shocks lately and now wondering if those are largely responsible for the vagueness and lack of control. It's not un-safe, just not BMW-esque. I'm going to try to put my GoPro in a few different strategic places to try to see what I'm feeling.

I was leaning toward buying a set of Koni Sports (~$500 from Import Replacement Parts) but then I found the entire ZHP suspension "kit" may still be available (p/n 33500429577; $475 shipped from Tischer). I'm confirming that, and if so I may pull the trigger. Other possible wear items that would make the front end feel sloppy include the ball joints and the strut mount. Since the ball joints will eventually wear out, anyway. The kit includes control arms, dampers, sway bar, plus some other bits for just a few dollars more than the control arms themselves.

There's also some clunking from the rear that I need to chase down; possibly rear strut mounts, but it could also be bushings back there. Fun, fun.

Today I brought home the majority of the interior from an '01 M3 that includes the piano black trim where mine has the silver cubes. The black looks dead sexy. Can't wait to get that in. I've also got the A, B and C pillar trim to replace mine that's sagging. These barely registered on the list of things to fix or change, but I couldn't let them get away! I also have a pair of non-sport E36 seats that are going to get turned into office chairs. Because racedesk.

Sweet list! Those office chairs will be awesome! I probably need to do suspension here soon.


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[blalor]

Yeah, I've just gotta find some old chair swivel bases. Shouldn't be too hard to do…

Ah, I forgot: I also played with some IKE and LCM coding. My copy of BMW Scanner arrived. I turned on daytime running lights; have the clown nose flashing when the car's locked; have the marker lights flash when locking and unlocking via the remote; turned off the 37°F temperature warning; and have all doors unlock with the remote, instead of just the driver's door on first press. There's a bunch more stuff in there that I don't understand. :-)

[slater]

Yeah, I've just gotta find some old chair swivel bases. Shouldn't be too hard to do…

Ah, I forgot: I also played with some IKE and LCM coding. My copy of BMW Scanner arrived. I turned on daytime running lights; have the clown nose flashing when the car's locked; have the marker lights flash when locking and unlocking via the remote; turned off the 37°F temperature warning; and have all doors unlock with the remote, instead of just the driver's door on first press. There's a bunch more stuff in there that I don't understand. :-)

awesome - i need to get on this stuff. the light flash and temp warning, and i'd like to code the parking lights to be on for DRLs - is this possible?

peter

[blalor]

i'd like to code the parking lights to be on for DRLs - is this possible?

Yep! I tried that out, but decided I preferred the more traditional high beams at low intensity.

[blalor]

Haven't posted in a while, but I haven't been entirely idle. I now have all the major interior pieces installed (door and side panels, rear seats, 5 of 6 pillar trim pieces).

This past weekend I removed the 15% window tint from all but the back window. That was a total pain in the ass; I work slow (I wish I could say deliberately, but honestly, I'm just slow) and it took me probably 8 hours all together. I also swapped the front door panels, but still. I guess that's the penalty for doing things the first time… I did a little research on tint removal and it looked pretty frightening: razor blades and black plastic bags and ammonia and sunlight? Sounds like the recipe for disposing of a body. I found an Instructable that said using steam would release the glue and make the cleanup easier, so I bought a McCullough 1275 steam cleaner from Amazon for $113. The side windows were pretty easy, but the windshield (which had an "eyebrow" of tint across it) was a total pain. For the sides, I was able to get most of the glue to come off with the tint, but there were a few spots I had to go back and clean up. The windshield, maybe because it was angled more toward the sun, just refused to cooperate, leaving *all* the glue behind. I thought about tailgating a gravel truck, but in the end I got it cleaned up. Goo Gone didn't really work well on the glue, but a towel wrapped around one of the scrubbing brushes on the steamer (wear gloves!) worked very well. The difference is literally night and day. I'll be able to see other cars when changing lanes at night!

I picked up a metric boat-ton of parts from Turner yesterday afternoon (they're close; TOO close!) and installed the rear KONI shocks last night. Again, took me far too long. And this morning I found @smolk's howto video on adjusting them and now I realize I'll have to remove them to set them. Hopefully I can get the fronts and the idler and tensioner pullies installed on Sunday.

My biggest heartbreak so far has to be that the right rear jack point is bent. The pads were missing on the right side so I bought a new pair, but the rear frame point is tweaked enough (with a spot that's cracked!) that I ended up using a jack to get it to pop in place. The skirt is somewhat mangled, too. I must have been responsible for that, which makes me so damn mad.

Next week I'll be replacing the diff output shaft seals. The previous owner did the right one and completely screwed it up. The output shaft isn't staying seated and it leaked so much oil that the back of the car was wet when I got it home. Of course, doing that requires dropping the diff, which requires dropping the exhaust…

[danewilson77]

:respect

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[PirateZHP]

Aaammn... so much work! Good job!

[blalor]

It feels so good when something actually goes right. I get so frustrated with most of these projects because they take longer than they should, or I get stuck on something stupid. The right output shaft has been leaking (lots) and the shaft kept pulling out of the diff housing. The previous owner had replaced the seal but didn't seat the new one in far enough, so the snap ring couldn't engage. A couple of guys who saw it thought it was pretty sketchy (I agreed) and I thought I was going to be in for a huge project, dropping the diff, etc. Turns out that (a) for the right side, at least, you can easily replace the seal without any major disassembly; and (b) I didn't even need to do that. Once I stopped to look at how the shaft fit into the seal (using another I had intended to install) I realized that it was possible the seal was preventing the snap ring from snapping. I used the extra seal to seat the existing one further into the housing and *presto*! The shaft no longer pulls out with just my hands! Unfortunately, just before it was properly engaged, I fumbled it and dropped it on my face. I expect I'll have a nice bruise there tomorrow…

Last night I replaced the tensioner and idler pulley for the main drive belt, vanquishing the squeal from the front of the engine. Pretty easy to do (but my E30 was still easier to work on under the hood). The Bentley manual for that wasn't terribly clear, tho. YouTube has been a fantastic reference for this car.

Sunday I got the front struts installed. The ride is *so* much better. It's quieter, less crashy, more controlled, and generally much more enjoyable. The KONI struts are about 2.5" longer than the stock ones, so getting them in was kind of tough, but everything compresses back to normal with the vehicle's weight on them. I replaced *everything*, which was probably overkill; I tend to get bad cases of while-I'm-in-there-itis. Bump stops, dust boots, top mounts, and I added reinforcement plates. I need an alignment pretty badly, but it's nice being able to feel the difference on something I just fixed. Unfortunately I'm still chasing the cause of the loose steering, and I think I've identified the actual rack as the cause. I used my GoPro with the iPhone app to watch (and record) various pieces while I wiggled the steering wheel. The steering coupler looks fine, the tie rods look fine, and it looks like most of the play is where the steering shaft goes into the rack. *sigh* I could probably live with that, for now, but when I *do* replace the rack, I'll have to have another alignment done. Thinking I might just do it all at once.

The new-to-me piano black trim is in and looks really nice. I actually haven't seen it in daylight, yet, but from what I can see, I'm psyched.

Next up will be changing the fluid in the transmission and diff, installing braided brake and clutch lines, removing the clutch delay valve, and flushing the entire braking system. Then maybe I can go out for a drive! :-D

[johnrando]

Wow, good stuff. Pics of the new ride height please.

[blalor]

Wow, good stuff. Pics of the new ride height please.

Good call. I'll get some pics this weekend.

[ELCID86]

Nice progress!

[blalor]

Gah, I wrote this once but my browser ate the reply.

Ok, so today I spent another few hours or so under the car. This time it was on a lift, thankfully.

I was so proud of myself after I got the output shaft seated the other night, but when I got the car in the air today there was oil all over the damn place. Somehow -- even though I never refilled the diff and lost a substantial amount with the shaft incorrectly seated -- more oil came out *after* it was clicked into place. Fortunately I had another seal and was able to change it at the shop. That was a 2 hour detour I hadn't expected (in part because of the cleanup). I haven't looked since I've been back home; hopefully that's solved it or I really *will* have a reason to buy that LSD!

The rest of the time I spent changing the fluid in the diff and transmission, installing braided brake and clutch lines, and bleeding the system. Pretty standard stuff and it went relatively quickly. The brake and clutch pedals feel a bit more firm, now, and it's always nice to have clean, fresh fluid.

There's really been a marked improvement in how the car drives, now. The shocks made a *huge* difference. I want to do a little more research before replacing the steering rack with a rebuilt unit from the Rack Doctor, but that's probably going to be the next item I attack. Then an alignment. Then rotors and track and street pad sets. Ka-ching.

[Avetiso]

Nice.

[blalor]

johnrando asked for a picture. :-)

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/04/07/zuze7yqu.jpg

Looks about the same as stock, to me. The springs are the same, so it should be…

[johnrando]

Thx for the pic.

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

[blalor]

That's the first pic without tint. Gawd that stuff was dark, and a pain to remove to boot. It's nice being able to see out at night, tho!

[blalor]

New mats and pedals:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/unuqe8yq.jpg

Made OBD2 port accessible from the rear ash tray. My big-ass feet get caught on anything hanging out of the port in the stock location. :-)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/aqa9uqyr.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/u6anugyb.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/7yraqumu.jpg

[328ioc]

New mats and pedals:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/unuqe8yq.jpg

Made OBD2 port accessible from the rear ash tray. My big-ass feet get caught on anything hanging out of the port in the stock location. :-)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/aqa9uqyr.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/u6anugyb.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/05/05/7yraqumu.jpg

Brilliant Idea with obdII port. I am actually in the prosses of doing something similar.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[blalor]

Brilliant Idea with obdII port. I am actually in the prosses of doing something similar.

This is the part on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GGPSK0U/ The full 3m is too long, but 2m might be too short. The extra can just be stuffed under the console. I had to cut a hole in the inner part of the ash tray (the one with the roll-up door attached) to get the cable through, but that's not visible (obviously!).

[328ioc]

This is the part on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GGPSK0U/ The full 3m is too long, but 2m might be too short. The extra can just be stuffed under the console. I had to cut a hole in the inner part of the ash tray (the one with the roll-up door attached) to get the cable through, but that's not visible (obviously!).

Awesome. Thanks!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[johnrando]

Nice pedals. Great job on the port. You should do a DIY on that.

[Vas]

Man I want a new set of mats. They look soo nice.

[blalor]

Nice pedals. Great job on the port. You should do a DIY on that.

Hm, I can probably do that! Since I had that panel above the pedals down already, it was super easy.

[blalor]

Man I want a new set of mats. They look soo nice.

Thanks! My old ones were trashed and the velcro backing had torn off. With the pedals, the interior looks almost new, now!

[blalor]

Hm, been a while since I've updated this thread.

Last weekend I replaced the steering rack with a rebuilt unit from the Rack Doctor. I've been chasing an admittedly-small amount of play in the steering wheel. The rack itself did have some play (input shaft from the steering wheel would turn a little but the tie rods didn't move at all), but there was still some wiggle. The power steering fluid was *foul*; I don't think it's ever been changed in almost 116k miles. I found the high pressure hose from the pump to the rack was weeping and making a bit of a mess, so I replaced that, as well. I went middle-of-the-road on that part; Rein, I think. $99 vs $238 for the OEM part. I figure I can replace it twice and still come out ahead…

While doing some research on what sorts of components fail on BMWs that see lots of track time, I learned that control arms are considered a wear item, so I ordered a set of Lemforder ZHP control arms. Seems the ball joints will fail catastrophically, so smart racers replace the control arms every couple of years. I started installing them tonight and got the passenger side removed pretty quickly, but I can't get the nut that holds the control arm to the subframe tightened with just a socket. I'll have to buy a 21mm combination wrench tomorrow.

With the control arms replaced and the new steering rack, there shouldn't be anything left to wiggle up there, since I've already replaced pretty much everything else. Maybe the steering guibo, but that's easy to do.

I also replaced one of my year-old Koni shocks. The front passenger one was leaking oil pretty badly. Lifetime warranty on those, so I ordered an advance replacement.

[az3579]

I learned that control arms are considered a wear item, so I ordered a set of Lemforder ZHP control arms. Seems the ball joints will fail catastrophically, so smart racers replace the control arms every couple of years.

It's so funny you say that, because I had a ball joint completely blow on me on the way to the track. I was pulling out of my favorite near-the-track gas station and the driveway is so steep that it hit just the right way and caused my ball joint to blow out. The steering wheel was almost 90 degrees off center at that point with a slurry of yellow warning lights on. The alignment was effed and so was my track day, before it even started. [sigh]

I then replaced with Meyle HD and regretted that, because those failed like a week or two before my track event the next year in the same month. They only lasted about 35k/1 year... epic fail.

I settled with the OE Lemforder ones that you got. They have been a solid choice and have lasted me 3 years or so with still no issues.
They are catastrophically expensive though, so I wouldn't deem them as preventative replacement items just based on the amount of time you've had them. I'd go more based on mileage. They typically last 90-120k miles.

[blalor]

How did they fail for you? Did the ball come out of the joint, or did the shaft shear? And how did that cause warning lights to come on? Glad you got so lucky.

My reaction to the expense was the same as yours, and then I was reminded that a set of control arms cost less than a track day, and that they're really a drop in the bucket in the overall expense of driving a car on the track. Especially if you consider the damage that could be inflicted on yourself, your car, or someone else if you suddenly find yourself at speed with no way to steer.

After poking around at the sample SpecE46 build sheet (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1015637), BMW CCA Club Racing tech bulletins (http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/information/Tech_Bulletins.aspx), and (accidentally, via FB) talking to the BMWCCACR chief scrutineer, I've decided to follow their example and replace them fairly aggressively, probably around 50 days on track if they don't wear out first. That'll be about biennially if I can get on track as much as I'd like to. :-)

[az3579]

How did they fail for you? Did the ball come out of the joint, or did the shaft shear? And how did that cause warning lights to come on? Glad you got so lucky.

I don't know how it failed. I didn't bother checking. The warning lights came on because the steering angle sensor was getting messed with due to the blown suspension component. My steering wheel was almost 90 degrees off when pointed straight, so that sets a few systems crazy.




My reaction to the expense was the same as yours, and then I was reminded that a set of control arms cost less than a track day, and that they're really a drop in the bucket in the overall expense of driving a car on the track. Especially if you consider the damage that could be inflicted on yourself, your car, or someone else if you suddenly find yourself at speed with no way to failed

I mentioned the expense because when I bought the arms, they were nearly $400 a piece! I don't know about pricing now though.

I don't really see it as being a dangerous no-steer situation... My ball joints faileded catastrophically yet I was able to steer just fine.



After poking around at the sample SpecE46 build sheet (http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1015637), BMW CCA Club Racing tech bulletins (http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/information/Tech_Bulletins.aspx), and (accidentally, via FB) talking to the BMWCCACR chief scrutineer, I've decided to follow their example and replace them fairly aggressively, probably around 50 days on track if they don't wear out first. That'll be about biennially if I can get on track as much as I'd like to. :-)

50 days on track is a LOT of track time so you should be good to go for a long time!

[blalor]

The control arms were $372 total from RM European. Not too bad. They don't have the ///M sticker on them, but otherwise look like the stock items.