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+--- Thread: Das Race: My '97 M3/4/5 (/showthread.php?tid=10430)
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - SlimKlim - 09-30-2015
Did you have to use the motor brace?
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - ScottyB - 09-30-2015
Jake Wrote:With the fine motor skills of an angry gorilla
oh, you too? :lol:
i'm with you on not dicking with the rod bearings. i don't think that job's as easy and care-free as one could be led to believe, and very easy to make it all go wrong. those engines are tanks anyway. if it was a subaru though....
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 09-30-2015
SlimKlim Wrote:Did you have to use the motor brace?
Oh, yeah. Thanks for letting me borrow that! :thumbup:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 09-30-2015
ScottyB Wrote:i don't think that job's as easy and care-free as one could be led to believe, and very easy to make it all go wrong. those engines are tanks anyway. if it was a subaru though....
It's really not that bad, but you do need an angle torque wrench.
I don't blame you for not doing the rod bearings, every M50-style motor I have torn apart has never had anything that needed rod bearings. S54s though...jesus.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 10-02-2015
Well as for progress last night, I uh... bolted the power steering pump back on?
I had the subframe bolted up loosely but then realized I forgot to attach the steering column to the coupler. So, back down it went and then ^*&($ I can't get the thing to slide in all the way. I can tell it's on the splines because the entire assembly will turn if you grab any one part of it. DJ recommended cleaning the splines and inside the coupler with ATF and a brush, so I'm going to try that tonight.
Once I get that slid in, the rest of the reassembly process should be simple.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Beej - 10-02-2015
That job may not be as bad as it looks, (holding motor up, dropping subframe) but it's one I'm dreading ever having to do. Is Loctite on the subframe bolts enough to ensure they don't drop out?
Steering coupler (assuming that's the giubo type thing?) Is on my radar, though. It won't go back on without re-dropping the subframe?
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 10-02-2015
No need for Loctite on the subframe bolts, they'll stay in place. It's really not a bad job, just takes time and patience (one of which I ran out of last night).
The coupler is that guibo/u-joint thing that connects the column and the rack, yeah. If you're just working with the steering components, you can pop the rack off (who doesn't love fondling a nice rack) and align it all that way. But, given every front end component of my car is currently flopping around, I don't really want to add another piece to the "not bolted to anything else" puzzle yet.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 10-07-2015
OK, the car is back on the ground.
Thanks to some tips from Joey, DJ, and a Chump Car friend Brandon, I was able to (easily) get the steering all hooked up. Turns out it's better to bolt up the subframe with the steering column disconnected, then unbolt the rack from the subframe and line it all up. My first attempt had the column locked at dead center and the wheels pointed off to the right, oops. Got back under there and made it mostly line up.
Added fresh Rotella and topped off the power steering fluid.
Replaced the clutch pedal bushings with Delrin from Bimmerworld. I had tried that job once before but with UUC bushings, which were a problem in that they were made so poorly I couldn't fit the clutch pedal back on the rod. The BW bushings went on much easier. Fun fact - apparently I lost one of the two OEM bushings when I did the original UUC song-and-dance, which explains why my pedal sat cockeyed.
Oh, and I replaced my motor mounts. One had rubber torn, and the other was like this... probably from my banging around the subframe trying to re-align it all and old/weak metal and rubber all gave way:
![[Image: rr3vsM4h.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/rr3vsM4h.jpg)
To be clear, I never drove on it like that, but both sides had really fucked-up rubber that was definitely driven on. They were likely original to the car.
Time for VIR, leaving on Friday!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 10-12-2015
VIR "Oktoberfast" 2k15
Well, as the season starts to wrap up, we got one final weekend at VIR in for the year. There was no Friday test/Comp school day, so I worked an extra day last week (eww) and drove down Friday around 1 PM. I-95 was awful all the way to Richmond, because I forgot it was a holiday weekend, but once I got to 360 it was smooth sailing.
Arrived at VIR right as the gates were opening at 6 PM:
![[Image: hpsWoDn.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hpsWoDn.jpg)
Got things unloaded, had dinner with Justin/Casey/Felton and the MM student crowd showed up shortly thereafter. Very impressed at how many students came out - keep that up!
Saturday was a good day with kind of "meh" weather - overcast, no rain save for a little sprinkle around 3 PM - and I was turning consistent 2:19.xx laps all day. Consistency is good but I was really wanting some 18's (or better, 16-17). Got to take every MMer who wanted a ride (except Josh, took him out on Sunday) out in some capacity, whether it was a pace lap or some hot laps, and also got them in some DE 3/4 cars.
The "MM & Friends" paddock was strong this weekend, including a special guest appearance from Maeng
![[Image: a6aoSCV.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/a6aoSCV.jpg)
OG Racing party included some great wins - my friend Rob's first Spec3 win (!!) and DJ taking 1st in GTS3 with his new M3, after telling me how awful it was to drive that morning.
![[Image: BFDcgE7.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/BFDcgE7.jpg)
Back to the MM trailers for some grilling and cold beers. Had to take a pumpkin-beer selfie. Basic actions for basic people, you know. It felt "just like old times" with all of the people, conversation and grilling. We need to keep that up, please and thank you.
![[Image: YsPoUYo.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/YsPoUYo.jpg)
Sunday was full of better weather (about 75-80* and sunny!), some carnage, and better driving on my end. Got my friend Jim in the car first thing in the morning and he gave me a few pointers and was overall very impressed with my driving, which was good to hear. I can drive by myself all day long and turn respectable laps, but hearing someone else say "you have really good control of the car, a great line, and awesome traffic awareness/management" is nice confirmation of your internal thoughts and like, hey, I don't suck.
So, went out and did some TT stuffs, finally got back into the 2:18's on Sunday and felt better about it. My braking at T1 is getting better, but I still need to do more at T14 (end of back straight). I can brake later and I'm too chicken to do it. Oh well, next year. Jim finally got me to take the Uphill Esses 100% flat in 5th gear, a brief brake and then flat in 4th down the hill at South Bend. It was, as I told him in the car "tremendously uncomfortable" but felt good when I got to Oak Tree.
Did some pacing and had to collect the field a few times. HPDE 3 was all over the place on Sunday. A first-gen Viper rear-ended a Gulf-liveried Aston as part of a red flag drill which was no bueno. Ended up grabbing the field for the Thunder race at some point, you can see Jim's M3 in the background:
![[Image: XPl6m7S.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/XPl6m7S.jpg)
Realized that as this season winds down, I've been TTing for two years (eek) and have also known my friend Christina for about that length of time. Our cars are all matchy-matchy ("same same, but different, but still same") and we had this moment of "holy crap it's been two years with these busted piles?!" on Sunday afternoon.
![[Image: w5YhY3A.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/w5YhY3A.jpg)
Overall a really, really solid weekend. I think all the new MMers who came out had a fun time - several commented on wanting to come back and start driving when money frees up. Ryan did very well in DE 2, according to Christina, who instructed him all weekend. Congrats!
Already looking forward to Summit Point in four weeks and whatever comes in the 2016 season!!
![[Image: mAbwdYp.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/mAbwdYp.jpg)
Of course, no post is complete without videos...
[youtube]e8MOetwP5X8[/youtube]
Both "early morning" TT sessions had a lot of cobwebs that had to be shaken off from me and other drivers. Caught some of them on video and, I mean, everything is better with Yakety Sax involved.
[youtube]lkW_OfR4rTw[/youtube]
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - rherold9 - 10-12-2015
Jake Wrote:got me to take the Uphill Esses 100% flat in 5th gear, a brief brake and then flat in 4th down the hill at South Bend. It was, as I told him in the car "tremendously uncomfortable" but felt good when I got to Oak Tree.
That's how I felt when I finally did it. It is for sure a bit scary. Flat out in 4th, brake a tiny bit and down south Bend in 4th. Your postioning on track similar to mine coming off the top of the esses too.
Nice job on the 2:18s. Keep shaving them tenths off!
Thank you again for letting Shelby ride along for a pace car lap.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-02-2015
Got a new seat installed, finally. I've been wanting a halo seat for a while, and seeing my buddy Will's Spec3 crash only sped up the timeline to buy one. He was effectively T-boned, and a HANS won't help you there as it only helps the front-to-back neck motion.
So, I got a Sparco Ergo. The halo bit is detachable but I'll probably not take it off, ever. I picked it out because of how I fit with the shoulder harness openings.
![[Image: ltsmnt6h.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/ltsmnt6h.jpg)
Also got some ballast from DJ. I've been running old spare wheels/tires and hoping the weight came out to something reasonable. He sold me about 106 lbs of metal plates in various increments (8 and 6 lbs, and one 17 lb). I installed ~73 lbs of it and will be able to tweak track-side. It's currently bolted to the spare tire well. Not ideal for location but it's at least centered. I'll move it behind the passenger seat when I have more free time.
I had to move the evap/charcoal thing away from dead center, so that was a third hole to drill. I can cap the lines later and delete the system, but didn't have the stuff to do it properly this weekend.
![[Image: 5oeOfGrh.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/5oeOfGrh.jpg)
NASA Fall Finale in 4 days!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - .RJ - 11-02-2015
Does nasa require the HANS for TT? You could use something like this - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.isaacdirect.com/html/product.html">http://www.isaacdirect.com/html/product.html</a><!-- m -->
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-02-2015
.RJ Wrote:Does nasa require the HANS for TT? You could use something like this - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.isaacdirect.com/html/product.html">http://www.isaacdirect.com/html/product.html</a><!-- m -->
They don't (TT safety rules are the same as HPDE) but I have had a HANS for the past two seasons.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-09-2015
Summit Point - Fall Finale
The weekend started off on a pretty crappy note and ended on a (relative) high.
I went out for the first session of Saturday (DE 4 and TT practice) and was the first car in line. We "self-paced" i.e. I had my hazards on for the first 2/3 of the lap, then the flags dropped and it was party time. Weather was a bit rainy - just a drizzle, nothing more - but the track was super slick - I could tell on the pace lap. Almost considered just pulling in, but elected to stay out and "just go really slow." Hah.
Green flag flies, I wave to the start stand, and enter the brake zone for T1. Slow down, 3rd gear, turn in, gently gently gently reapply throttle at like 40 mph. The car gets to about 45 mph (like I said, gentle and slow) and as I exit T1 and head for T2, I don't even get to unwind the wheel before the back end has stepped out on me. I tried lifting a very little bit and adding countersteer, which just made the back end snap the other way and head toward the outside of the track. My next thought was "fuck the back has to be cut and welded" so I added more throttle and spun the car more, which placed the front driver's corner directly into the berm on the outside of T2.
[youtube]G3goi64d0u4[/youtube]
My shiny new halo seat did some serious work here. I felt (and still feel) fine. Tried moving the car forward/backward and realized quickly that I was immobile. EV came out and got me out of the car, and called for the tilt-bed. While I was waiting on EV (still strapped in to the car) I ran my hand along the outside of the door and mentally noted how expensive the large dents felt.
![[Image: MNFo3ZG.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/MNFo3ZG.jpg)
The tilt-bed driver was great, dropped the car off at my paddock spot and we got jackstands under it before he dropped it completely. I had to turn around and work for a few minutes, and when I came back, Sean Schutte and Ana Broyles had all of their tools out and were ripping into the car so we could start fixing it. Pretty amazing.
The damage ended up being a bent tie rod, destroyed control arm - bent like a taco shell and ripped the balljoint out entirely, tire folded over onto the wheel (so it's half as wide), destroyed front fender, severely damaged front door, dented rear door, bent hood (still latches), broken bumper cover, and damaged nose piece.
I had a random guy come up to me and bring me a brand new Meyle tie rod, asking no money for it. My friend Tom's dad ran into town after I called Carquest and they promised they had a control arm - then "oops sorry we don't" when he got there. I called Eric Wong and he was able to get one through his Worldpac account. Goodspeed was planning on coming to Summit anyway, happened to be in Alexandria when I called him, and was gracious enough to run up to Gaithersburg (I think?) and meet Eric at a Harris Teeter to get the part and deliver it to me.
The control arm was delivered around 1:30, Eric Donovan and his dad lent me a set of Apex wheels with tires for the remainder of the weekend, and I did a quick eyeball alignment of the new tie rod while laying in the gravel. Ziptied a few things back together and fired the car at 3:38 PM. Another DE 4 / TT practice group was out as I fired it, so I grabbed my helmet and took a few laps. It was squirrely at first but overall drove well given what I did.
![[Image: cdAYcpL.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/cdAYcpL.jpg)
Went out for the final timed session for TT on Saturday and ran it all day Sunday, too.
![[Image: dz3Nz9W.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/dz3Nz9W.jpg)
Kaan was kind enough to bring his welder on Sunday morning and re-welded a cracked fender support. The car has been wrecked before (by a previous owner, a long time ago) and this support had been filled with Bondo, which all fell out when I crashed. We got it welded back "good enough" as it's not really structural.
![[Image: qdYOMbf.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/qdYOMbf.jpg)
I need to check overall points standings for TT for the season, but I believe I'm pretty up there for ranking, which is cool. I'm hoping to continue to find more aggression next year, and can't wait to head to Road Atlanta in four weeks!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - *insertusernamehere* - 11-09-2015
Heeeeell yeaaahhh!!
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Beej - 11-10-2015
Badass story. I bet you were thrilled about both the Denali/trailer and the halo seat once the dust settled. Though I don't understand why anyone would bondo that area...PO's are weird.
Any science to how you eyeballed the alignment? I tried that once and was way off.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - rherold9 - 11-10-2015
Beej Wrote:Any science to how you eyeballed the alignment? I tried that once and was way off.
My shitty eyes and others then he drove it around paddock and track to see how it was. Probably off but wayyy better than it was. He had severe toe out once he got the new arm on and had to bring the front of the wheel in...
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - D_Eclipse9916 - 11-10-2015
rherold9 Wrote:Beej Wrote:Any science to how you eyeballed the alignment? I tried that once and was way off.
My shitty eyes and others then he drove it around paddock and track to see how it was. Probably off but wayyy better than it was. He had severe toe out...
Just FYI, I have a set of toe plates in the trailer, better than eyeballing. I know it doesn't help now, but in the future :thumbup:
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-11-2015
D_Eclipse9916 Wrote:rherold9 Wrote:Beej Wrote:Any science to how you eyeballed the alignment? I tried that once and was way off.
My shitty eyes and others then he drove it around paddock and track to see how it was. Probably off but wayyy better than it was. He had severe toe out...
Just FYI, I have a set of toe plates in the trailer, better than eyeballing. I know it doesn't help now, but in the future :thumbup:
Yeah, we got it "okay enough" but it's going off for a real alignment now.
Cobetto had toe plates as did Chris Davis... but I was honestly too busy to try and keep tweaking it given I've never used them before. It'd be good to get a lesson in how they work before I need to use them again (if ever).
I'm pretty sure I've found body panels at a junkyard in Mt. Airy, MD. They have 5 E36 sedans, three of which are black. So, Joey and I are going up there on Saturday to try and grab what we can. Alex has new vinyl for me as well.
Re: Das Pace: My '97 M3/4/5 - Jake - 11-16-2015
Well, I was supremely lucky at Crazy Ray's (I'll probably never call it LKQ) on Saturday. Joey and Matthew tagged along and we found, almost immediately, all the body panels I needed to fix the M3.
She'll be receiving the hood from a 318ti, the driver's door from a 318i, the fender from a 328i and the nose panel from a different 328i:
![[Image: EuuGeiah.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/EuuGeiah.jpg)
Total parts cost was about $185.
I'm going to need to paint the door and hood (both are white), so I ordered primer, clear, and the correct Cosmos Black from AutomotiveTouchup.com. I've used them for smaller touchup paints in the past and had good results. They custom-mix the paint when you order it, and in this case, are sending it to me in spray cans. The plan is to strip the panels, sand well, and spray 'em in the garage or backyard.
Started getting the fender and hood cleaned up. Had to strip the hood of the insulation, washer nozzles, etc. I am not sure if the nose piece and fender will be painted. They're already black, just not the sparkly metallic black that the M3's got. My plan is to see how much paint is left over after the white parts are done.
![[Image: JCrG121h.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/JCrG121h.jpg)
Car is off at RRT for an alignment and I am hoping to pick it up Wednesday after work. Onward!