I cant remember how far I was with the build to date, but I thought I would fill you in a bit.
The car is back from the painters obviously


The flocked dash has been put in along with the heated front screen

Next up was the seat and steering wheel


Then I could get in and fit the new door cards and handles.

We decided to keep the instrument panel and on board computer, it has a stop watch on it dont you know :wink: The heater controls were removed and blanked off ready for the new switchgear

The mileage was accidently set back to zero :wink:

Wheels off waiting for new brakes. Not going for big brakes quite yet, EBC yellow stuff with EBC discs to start with. Hopefully the old girl will be under 1000kg's and that should be more than enough.


Set of BBS's we had lying around are going to be refurbed and coated black tomorrow.

Gearbox out, new clutch fitted. While the box was out new and braided lines fitted

Quick shift from a 3.0 Z3 fitted, snick snick snick mmmmmmmmm
Brake bias plumbed in too

Induction kit fitted.
Bumpers off to paint, back in 2 weeks.
Holes for sliders being cut in plastic windows tomorrow.
The Bedford deadline is coming round quick, but fingers crossed the car will be 95% ready and driveable.
Now what am I going to do with that bit of carbon fibre I have lying around?

 

that is looking awesome gary


i hope to see it around at some point this year

 

Looking good

 

Top work as always, what sort of cost are you up to with it?

 

Gary,

fantastic. Very keen to see how it goes as I might go a similar way.

What is the bedford date? Also what's your first planned ring date this year?

cheers
Ed

 

Thanks for the comments guys.

To answer the questions ......

The build cost when finished will be between £5 and £6K depending on what's required in a couple of areas. A large chunk of that is in the paint. I could have gone without but wanted the car to stand out. It's also getting car mags interested in doing features which is good for Northloop.

However and it's a HUGE however I have paid pretty much nothing for the labour. I have been very fortunate in having a garage owning friend who wanted to build me a proper track car. I have tried to help where possible but I dont have the skill level he does. For instance he calculated the labour to fit the cage at around £1500 alone. Add to that the bushes, brakes, stripping, clutch, seat, dash, paint prep, dar de dar de dar and you get a big bill. Probably £4K at least.

I have another friend who builds E36 M3 track cars and he reckons £10K gets you a well prepped car without paint. But you have to add the running costs to that too, they are a heavier animal and thirsty as well. Mind you his cars are quick in the right hands.

Would I build another E30 over an E36? Ask me that again in a couple of months when I have tried it on track.


Hi Ed,
Bedford is 23rd Feb, Northloop are taking around 30 cars along so we are half filling the day. The organiser is circuit days and they are now sold out. Very unusual for the time of year.
My first ring trip was Jan 1st next one will be April I think, going to give Easter a miss this year with it sitting in March I have a bad weather feeling about it.

 

Gary, the more I redefine my needs for the ultimate car, the more I think you're building it. But tell me - is it road legal? Or has it been stripped of certain things which mean it wouldn't be? (It looks like there are no bumpers or indicators at present, but that doesn't mean there won't be on the finished article).

When you've finished this and you've decided you don't like it and want to sell it for 3k, give me a ring please?

 

Brendan.

The car will be road registered yes. I will have to put the passenger beam unit back in for the MOT though. The bumpers arent on as we were deciding what to do with them colour wise. We have also been taking weight out of them as they are foam filled along with removing the impact protection areas. They are now at paint, the majority will be black but the infils will be orange. They will be back and on in the next 2 weeks.

Thanks for the kind offer but I think I will hang on to it for a while yet

I need to get it weighed soon too, hope to get it under 1000kg's.

 

Bugger, off to San Fran on 23rd, was thinking of coming up just to watch

Ring in April could be good though!

 

Keep an eye on the Northloop forum and you will see the dates i'm going to be there

 

Have you opted for a heated windscreen so that you can ditch the heater and blower? You wont have to re-fit the lamp for the cars MOT, but youll probably have to remove the remaining one...

Simon

 

Correct ref the heater. Tis gone

 

My old Porsche 944-951 hybrid hill climber only had dipped beams (rising lamps replaced with fixed lamps behind a perspex cover similar to a 924 GTS) and it MOTd without any problem. You cant have a single lamp of course, but disconnecting the supply and fitting a blanking piece over the lens should suffice.

Simon

 

Nice project.
What engine is going in?

 

Thanks for the input Simon.

Joey, it will run a standard 325 engine for a while. When that goes pop and time and money allows maybe we will put something else in. BHP isn't everything

 

Another day at UB's to work on the beemer.

Gareth and Jimmy were preoccupied with taken the engine out of Gareths customers nemisis S3, so I decided to change my brakes.

They started out looking like this

These were going on

As usual the guys couldn't leave me to muck it up on my own they had to keep picking fault and giving me a hard time :whistle: I was sent to stand in the corner for a while


The S3 engine was out


I said I thought the crank issue would polish out. Back I went



Nick arrived to work on the golf


New pipework fitted to perfection


Nick let me have a run out in it. The seat position was far from ideal. I could hardly reach the clutch pedal let alone push the throttle to the stops. I likened the experience to poking a black mamba with a stick. Great car, great power, but hard to keep on the road even with the LSD
When the car came back I had bent a circlip on the short shift and the new piping had almost pulled itself off. Guess what


New brakes in place


Dirty engine with induction kit fitted. Will shield it when time allows.

My little pony bonnet pin - everybody say aaaargh


Drivers plastic window with slider fitted. Jimmy and chad watching in the background.

Gareth setting about the front inpact protection equipment. The part on the left is what's left, the heavy bit on the right discarded.



New tyres ready for fitment next week when the wheels come back from their refurb and powder coating.

A few electrical areas still to be finished, drivers flooring, bumpers back from paint and fitted. Then it's a good service, numerous minor issues and a wash and scrub up ready for Bedford. It's looking like the old girl will actually make it, although it wont be road legal by then.... Yeeehaaa

 

Getting there .......

 

They look fantastic Gary

 

Not bad for standard wheels from a now scrapped car refurbed and painted

 

Nice build , You know r888's make sense

 

Wheels and tyres fitted

 

Kwelll.!- crazy color scheme

Where are the bumpers

 

At the paint shop at the moment. Back next week.

 

looking good Gary

 

Fantastic Post - Looking great

 

Really do like this.

Well done Gary

 

Cheers guys it's nice to hear good things about the old girl. It's been a long hard slog to get it to where it is. Another couple of weeks and it will be useable.

 

Normally I hate Beemers with a passion, but I have to say Gary yours is looking

What did you do with the wheels, paint or powder coating

 

Powder coated.

 

Another early start and another good day

Charley had me up at 5.30am so there was no need for the 7.30 alarm. On the road for the 67 miles drive to UB's place and the car.

Picked up the bacon rolls on the way and arrived to find Gareth working on a real beast

Some big imported Jap pimp mobile with a WHITE steering wheel. I think Gareth was considering swapping it for the AMG :whistle:


Just after that Jason arrived in the Exige. It needed the exhaust changing with him having sold it. As is customery I got to have a quick go in it. A trip to UB's wouldnt be the same without me driving someones car :whistle: That thing is quick


After that the undertrays had to be removed to get it near the ramp let alone on it


Once in the air the exhaust was changed for a quieter version


I thinkered about with the old girl and took a couple of dusty pictures.


Jason cleaned the Exige. I was glad to see that he couldnt work the machine properly, got told off by Gareth who then took over Makes a change from it being me in the dog house



I had by now rinsed the beemer off and fitted its new sun strip.

Everyone out of the way it was 1pm and time to start on the beemer.

I took the rear spoiler off so that I could adjust the wing.


Then it was time to re-assemble and fit the rear bumper. This took a little doing as we had cut out most of the strengthening from inside.


That done the spoiler was refitted


Then we repeated the process with the front bumper first cutting out the impact protection bar.

I had been slightly concerned how the car would look with the bumpers re-fitted. Having got used to seeing it without I was worried it would change the look for the worse. I needn't have worried I think the car looks great, the photo's dont do it justice. Gareth said it look ''Ok''. That is the Gareth seal of approval.....




With the little time left Gareth set about cutting and fitting my footplate.



Another great day, several small jobs left, but nothing too bad.

Bedford here we come.