new interior w/ rollbar

[SC87325is]

P:\My Documents\My Pictures\MVC-020F.JPG

[SC87325is]

momo acropolis, driver's side. Momo start passenger side.

[OPTIMO]

It looks nice and light. Got any more pics?

[SC87325is]

back brace attachment

[SC87325is]

front with my e23 in the background

[SC87325is]

top of bar

[SC87325is]

mid ohio at the carousel

[SC87325is]

mid ohio carousel

[SC87325is]

again

[SC87325is]

third try

[BimmerFanatic]

:clap: thats pretty cool, is it custom or is there an actual brand that makes a rollcage for the E30. The drag strip in my area requires a cage for a 12 second 1/4 mile. So i was thinkin' if i ever get high 12s:awink: out of my E30(i wish) i gota get a cage like yours.

Currently my best run is a 15.4 with a hella sorry reaction time (not bad for 240k miles on it)

[BimmerFanatic]

also just currious how much weight did u dump when u striped the interior? my friend strip his AC, interior cosmetics and seats, and trunk stuff. We weighed the big pile of crap at about 380lbs or so.

[SC87325is]

I got a local guy to do it for me-he does the cages for several of the local big plants, like Michelin, bmw, etc. He also almost always has a car or two that he has worked on in one of the big series, currently a lexus in the speed vision cup.

Unless you really need to have a removable unit, ie if the car is a daily driver, I would suggest going with a welded in unit. They are much safer, much stronger. The problem with roll bars (besides the not being able to use the back seat) is the weight that they add. Mine used 26 feet of bar at 5 pounds per foot.

The pluses of weled in is that they fit much closer-I can't get a peice of paper betweeen the topof th roll bar and the roof in spots. This is safer.

Installation costs on the roll bar and the seats/harnesses was right at one thousand dollars. Not cheap, but well done work.

[BimmerFanatic]

:clap: Coolness! :clap:

[SC87325is]

Interior weight: 220 pounds
front end: aircondtioning at 38 pounds
trunk: carpet, spare, etc., not sure.
roll bar + 130 pounds
seats and mounts 20 pounds each.

Net change=not much.

Next to go: sound deadening asphalt, at + or - 50 pounds
front bumper 50-60?
lighter wheels-15s

I'd like to get the car down to 2300 pounds without driver. I expect that to take about 3000 more dollars. And a few years.

[BimmerFanatic]

yeah thats about what i thought, although i think we had alittle more interior weight we striped. did u keep most of the cosmetic dash stuff?

[BimmerFanatic]

the M20 engine is very resposive to weight reduction. After we raped his interior we went for a little test drive and I was shocked at the performace gains.

[SC87325is]

What you see in the first picture is what there is-heater box, stereo head unit, and side speakers. full dash, driver's side is without the knee bolster, the passenger side still has the glovebox. I have also kept in the driver's and passenger door panels, at five pounds each they are heavy, but worth the safety factor, until I replace them with carbon fiber panels anyway.

I also still have in the electric window lifts, as well as electric lock system. The windows will come out on nice days at the track, but stay in until I get a garage or car cover. Between the speakers and the windows there is probably still about fifty pounds I can drop for free.

[BimmerFanatic]

SC325is, do you know what your 1/4 mile time is? and what other mods you got goin' on the E30? Just curious, I my self have a 325 yet its a M20 2.7 eta motor not the I, scores real high on the butt-dyno(210 lbs of torque) though.

[SC87325is]

Haven't taken it to a 1/4 mile track. The clutch is getting a little old, at 220+ K miles. I hopefully will get some weight and HP numbers soon though, which should allow us to get a good idea of what is going on in terms of times.
In third gear I was close to a 328ti in acceleration at Mid ohio. Not that that means anything.

[Bry]

Wow, that looks like a very nice cage. The bars look kind of thick, but I think that is about right. Why didn't you make it a full cage? I'm guessing for reasons of ease. Does the car still see street driving?

Very nice setup overall!

[SC87325is]

The car still sees some street driving, and will until I get my tow vehicle situation set. (Looking for girl with truck, send picture of the truck) It is not a daily driver though, as a couple things are illegal (unregistered, five point harnesses as the only seat belt). I ddin't get the full cage because that usually costs 3500 from the guy I got it from, and that is a little much for me right now. His are worth it, as I believe I have more protection now than some of the full cages sold as bolt in kits. I got the roll hoop because I was getting new seats because I was sliding out of the old ones. Once I got the new seats,I thought I should get the five point harnesses, once I got the harnesses, needed a bar, and the money just happened to be available. Sometimes things work out.