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Thread: BMW Compact Rally Car Build

  1. #1
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    BMW Compact Rally Car Build

    I'm getting started on a build that's a bit different from most of the others in this forum, I'm building a car to go get dirty.

    Figured I'd start with a quick 'how did I get here' rundown. I got hooked on racing about 10 years ago on a frozen lake in the mountains of Colorado. I've been bitten by the auto-x and rally-x bug, racing an Impreza RS, Miata, 323 GTX, and most recently an Evo. After a few years racing in parking lots, I got the itch to get more serious about playing in the dirt and put a cage in my Mazda GTX and brought my wife along...literally...as the navvie calling out the pace notes. We had some fun in the Mazda, but it was old and beat so we upgraded to the Evo IX. We've had great fun with it and some pretty good success, but we're really interested in getting out into the woods with some stage rallies.

    After careful budget considerations, we've come to the conclusion that rallying a top level AWD turbo car is a bit out of reach, so we're looking to build a 2wd car and will save the Evo for Pikes Peak. I always had great fun in the Miata, so I knew we'd be looking for a RWD car, but most of the common RWD stuff is 1970s era, and I've had enough with rallying old vehicles after the GTX. After some youtube'ing of rally videos from Europe, I stumbled across the BMW Compact Cup, and I was sold.
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTxohlQnxQA[/ame]

    I started looking for a 318TI and found one a couple weeks ago. It was a high mileage car at 240,000 miles, but the most important thing was that it is rust free.



    Here's a shot of it on the scales. 3100 lbs on the nose with 2 people in it. It weighed 2820 with an 1/8th tank of gas. Waaaaay to heavy, so lets get started!



    This is what she looked like after a day in the garage. Most of the interior is gone, but I've yet to tackle the dash and associated wiring.



    End of day two, and the motor is almost out. Rear bumper and back half of the exhaust was removed as well.



    That's all I've got for now, thanks for reading!

    Dave
    Last edited by DaveKern; 02-08-2010 at 12:01 AM.

  2. #2
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    Looking good, I'll be following this build!
    Also got any pic's of the Evo?


  3. #3
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    I've got two large build-up threads on the car. Not sure if you need to be a forum member to see or not. Since I can't add pics from my hard drive onto this site, I'm a bit limited on what I can post up. Here's a link to a page with a bunch of info on the car: http://www.amsperformance.com/d_kern.php

    Here's the initial build-up from the start:
    http://forums.evolutionm.net/motor-s...peak-bust.html

    Here's the 2009 updates:
    http://forums.evolutionm.net/motor-s...9-edition.html

    Here's a quick vid of us on the last practice day from PPIHC this summer (we pop in at ~40 seconds):
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai75qcXvZ4I[/ame]

    Dave

  4. #4
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    Looking forward to watching this come together. What are the drivetrain plans?
    Paul P.
    1981 Camaro getting prepped for CP

    I don't give "advise".

    Help Stop Lung Cancer
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by gimp View Post
    Looking forward to watching this come together. What are the drivetrain plans?
    The car will be getting a 1995 S50 motor & transmission swap. Should arrive early next week. I still need to figure out what to do for a rear end, but I'm thinking that I'll end up with the mid-sized diff with a pretty aggressive lockup. For diff ratio, somewhere 4.10 or higher range will probably work. I want top speed to be ~125-130mph. That's argueably a bit high for rally use, but I'd like to be able to use the car for track instruction vehicle for my wife, and I think 130mph is about what BMWs will see at High Plains Raceway and Pueblo Motorsports Park.

    If a drivetrain sponsor mysteriously appeared, I'd be happy to run a full sequential with top speed of 105 or so, just like the Euro guys. I had a Hollinger dogbox in my Evo and loved it, I just don't think its going to be in the cards for this build based on how frequently they need maintenence. Not privateer budget friendly IMO.

    Dave

  6. #6
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    "After some youtube'ing of rally videos from Europe, I stumbled across the BMW Compact Cup, and I was sold."

    -That video is sick, but I can never tell what gear he is in. hahahahahah
    Regards, Nate.
    www.DriveFasterNow.com

  7. #7
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    And so it begins (again)...

  8. #8
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    I think 130mph is about what BMWs will see at High Plains Raceway and Pueblo Motorsports Park.
    Dave[/QUOTE]


    It's more like just over 120mph at either HPR or Pueblo. Good luck with your build.
    Last edited by jmmiv; 11-24-2009 at 04:24 PM.
    ManMarg / MissMarg Top Shelf Margaritas
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  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmmiv View Post
    It's more like just over 120mph at either HPR or Pueblo. Good luck with your build.
    Thanks for the info! I had heard both 120mph and 140mph, so I figured I'd split the difference. Thinking back my open lapping days at PMP, miata on R-compounds was 115mph in "CSP" trim and 130mph "StreetMod" trim. The Evo in PPIHC spec was 150mph but that was on street tires, so I was giving up alot on corner entry. Taking that all into consideration, 120mph in a N/A BMW makes alot more sense to me.

    Dave
    Last edited by DaveKern; 11-24-2009 at 04:35 PM.

  10. #10
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    sounds like a 3.91 lsd would work perfect for you.

  11. #11
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    Awesome, will definitely follow this build!

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaveKern View Post
    Thanks for the info! I had heard both 120mph and 140mph, so I figured I'd split the difference. Thinking back my open lapping days at PMP, miata on R-compounds was 115mph in "CSP" trim and 130mph "StreetMod" trim. The Evo in PPIHC spec was 150mph but that was on street tires, so I was giving up alot on corner entry. Taking that all into consideration, 120mph in a N/A BMW makes alot more sense to me.

    Dave
    No problem...look forward to seeing you out at the track next season.

    Mac
    ManMarg / MissMarg Top Shelf Margaritas
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    #14 TTB

  13. #13
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    Got the motor & transmission pulled today. Managed to pull everything as a unit, still attached to the sufframe and suspension.



    Empty engine bay. I'll be back on Friday to continue stripping the car down.



    Dave
    Last edited by DaveKern; 02-08-2010 at 12:03 AM.

  14. #14
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    Very nice. I've been following the WRC this year. It seems like a lot of fun.

  15. #15
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    I like the end of that video, the woods section is sweet, there is a right hander where they apex on a substantial tree, very nice!!

    I do ice racing as well, this year will be my 3rd season. I've seen the website for the "Our Gang" club. Looks like Solo2 type stuff, is that the club you were with? Some cool looking big horse power jeeps with sick studded tires.

    Looks like a great start, looking forward to see the progression.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by citterly View Post
    I do ice racing as well, this year will be my 3rd season. I've seen the website for the "Our Gang" club. Looks like Solo2 type stuff, is that the club you were with? Some cool looking big horse power jeeps with sick studded tires.
    I actually got started with a group called Pikes Peak Sports Car Club at a place called Rainbow Falls. I have run a practice day with the Our Gang group, but IMO, they're rules are suited to the jeeps, not cars...primarily because of studded tires available in car sizes. They also use a "one & done" format, so if you lose your first race, its over for the day. That said, the jeeps with the bolt tires are downright incredible to watch.

    I've been working at the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs on the weekends (in addition to the weekday desk job) so I haven't had a chane to play with the ice jeeps in a few years. There are perks to working 7 days a week though...
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CcZ7dyIdVo[/ame]

    Dave

  17. #17
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    Dave - That's a sweet weekend job!! What an awesome facility to have access to, driving on snow and ice is just so much fun. All wheel drive looks awesome, keep the power down!

    I'm going to do some video this season, I know at least one person who'll be interested!! We do a wheel to wheel format, so it can get pretty exciting. The studded tires are making a come back in our club, maybe 7 or 8 cars this year.

    I love my Blizzak WS-50s, I think they were discontinued, what's the hot tire now?

    -Chris
    Last edited by citterly; 11-27-2009 at 06:22 PM. Reason: typo

  18. #18
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    Still working on the interior. It appears the windshield will need to come out to allow for dash removal. There might be another way, but the windshield's cracked and its got to come out for the roll cage, so I'll try to get to that tomorrow.



    Here's the car up on rally-style pin stands. The nice thing about these is that they don't take up much of any room under the chassis, so you have plenty of space to work on it if/when needed.



    Shot of the car from the back looking to where the rear subframe used to be. Its getting lighter, and I can now lift up on the frame rails and move the car.



    Finally got the dash out and just about everything is off the firewall. Wiring is still a bit of a mess, and I need to spend a bit more time labeling everything before I try to string it through the hole on the driver's side.



    Dave
    Last edited by DaveKern; 02-08-2010 at 12:07 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost

  19. #19
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    Dave,
    This was my old rally car. I have a few sets of Compomotive Rally wheels and Michelin rally tires if you are interested. PM me with your email address and I can get you some pictures.





  20. #20
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    that first video was great! Those pin stands are a good idea too, I might go look for some. Looks as though it gives that extra bit of room compared to traditional jack stands

  21. #21
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    I spent another afternoon working on the car today. Made some good progress, removed the ABS module, windshield, hood, hatch, and finished fishing the wiring harness through the little hole in the firewall. Even did a bit of vacuuming to remove all the leaves.



    Also, finally a picture of the engine we'll be using once things start going back together. Its a 1995 S50 B30. This engine will give us a few options for what class to race in thanks to the 3.0L displacement.



    Dave
    Last edited by DaveKern; 02-08-2010 at 12:10 AM.

  22. #22
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    Hey Dave, I just noticed your other car in the November Issue of GRM (pg 139). Keep up the great work!!
    Regards, Nate.
    www.DriveFasterNow.com

  23. #23
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    Thanks for the head's up. I'm not sure I get GRM anymore, so I'll have to make sure to ask around for a copy.

    More progress to report. Nothing like working in a non heated garage in 15 degree weather.

    Useless brackets removed from the interior. The weight just keeps coming off.



    What the floor looks like now.



    Shots of the front and rear shock towers, lots of misc. brackets removed, and any mounting tabs or bolts that I won't need anymore have been cut out too.





    The car should be getting the liquid nitrogen treatment next to remove all the rubberized coating, and get it prepped for seam welding.

    Thanks for following along!

    Dave
    Last edited by DaveKern; 02-08-2010 at 12:17 AM.

  24. #24
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    Keep the updates coming Dave; making good progress.
    Matt Olson
    RRT Racing
    DC Metro's premier BMW service and racing facility

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by mjOlson View Post
    Keep the updates coming Dave; making good progress.
    Jeez, they let anyone in here...

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