Dj's 1999 M3 Project

[D_Eclipse9916]

Summit Hyperfest Prep:
After Shenandoah I had a month to prep for Hyperfest, this involved fixing the coolant tank and getting my new wing on. But first a pic...of the wingless look:


The next step was to prepare for the new wing! Justin Gallamore was in town and willing to help me out. We first laid down a bunch of strings to help center the wing...We then also took the time and created templates for where to drill into the trunk of the car. This took a little more time than just going at it. But the wing centers just like I wanted it to. Thank you again Justin!



All mounted up and ridiculous looking (doesnt look as high in person)...



After that it was time to start prepping the car for when it would get the cage. I had someone buy my entire radio setup including my head unit, all 8 speakers, amp, and harness. That way I could just pull everything out. So out comes the harness, surprisingly easy to do with the interior removed! Just unclick and run it through the car. Done!



I also wanted to have ready for hyperfest was a coolshirt setup. After looking at options, I balked at the 3-400 dollar price of these. Its just a damn cooler with a pump! So I went online and found coolers for ice therapy systems. Same concept, its a big cooler made to hold ice water and pumps it through lines. It also has the advantage of being medically sealed, and adjustable flow rates. Ordered off of ebay for....30 bucks...yes! First step done. Then I went to OG Racing and bought a shirt. I considered buying a bladder and making my own shirt, but after the shirt, bladder, and effort, it would be only 20 bucks difference. So I bought the nice coolshirt shirt for $110 bucks. I took it home to see what adapters I would have to make fit. But then I noticed something, they look eerily similiar. I took my coolshirt lines, and plugged them into the ice therapy system....click. Sealed, water tight, and locked............ Holy shit, my luck is epic. I fill it with water to test, run it, and then go oh shit, I bet its not dry-break fittings for the ice therapy system. Oh well id spend 30 bucks. So I disconnect the lines over the sink and....wait...no they are dry-break. So wtf is coolshirt making people spend 3-400 bucks on shit? Damn! Plug and play, and only $140 bucks, not too bad.



Lastly, I wanted a power-source away from the center cigarette lighter that I could have things hooked up to. That way they wouldnt be in the way, and I wanted multiple sources. Such as say running a traqmate, my coolshirt setup, and being able to charge my camera's battery. So I built a tray real quick, itll be cleaned up to be pretty when I get the time. The tray had to accomplish three things.
1. Be moveable, in case I need to put it somewhere else.
2. Absorb Vibration, in this case I used foam between tray and inverter.
3. Clear lines and have plenty of ventilation. Using that I made sure the bottom was open and grinded off certain parts to ensure fan had good clearance.

Here is how it ended up:


As for the cooling system. I ended up being a bad coolant hose, so replaced, and this time double-clamped as the aftermarket aluminum radiator is slightly smaller allowing slight movement of hose. Double clamping seems to have done the trick.