ROLL CALL: Mt. Tremblant with BMW CCA Aug 7-9

[lucid]

I'll take my newly acquired E30 M3 to Mt. Tremblant with BMW CCA Aug 7-9. Anyone else going?

[Gearhead999s]

No but I got invited to instruct there on Aug 20-21.[I] would love to try go but my own Trackday is the 19th at Shannonville and I am pretty sure that I will be in Calabogie on the 14th.

Hey tell us about this E30?

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

No but I got invited to instruct there on Aug 20-21.[I] would love to try go but my own Trackday is the 19th at Shannonville and I am pretty sure that I will be in Calabogie on the 14th.

Hey tell us about this E30?

Too bad you can't make it. I could have picked up a few things from you.

I bought the E30 M3 last week. Owned and maintained by local instructors/advanved drivers. Stripped. Full proper cage, seats, and harnesses. All suspension components replaced within the past few years. Riding on Bilstein shocks and H&R sport springs. New exhaust. Stock calipers with EVO rotors (ducted properly). No rust underneath, just a few spots on body panels. Straight frame. Clear title. 2.3 S14 Motor with 171k has good compression numbers, but the leak downs are ~11%. It started right up although it was in storage since September. It might need a rebuild over the winter just to be on the safe side. Haven't weighed it yet, but I suspect it is around 2600lb. I got a set of new 15" wheels & cup tires (they were on blowout for $125 a piece). The wheels weigh 34lb each! Currently at the shop for fluid flush. I will run a new set of XP10s on it. Overall, it is in pretty good shape, but it needs to be sorted out a little. Thinking about replacing the dash with a CF panel and going over the wiring. Might get rid of the instrument cluster. Might replace some of the glass with lexan panels. Might replace hood with CF racing hood. Might go to stiffer mounts. Might redo shocks and springs. Need to drive the car first on a track!

Basically, I wanted a safe caged car and to go down in hp and weight, but not all the way down to Miata territory. This seemed like a good way doing that. I'll post pics from the Mt. Tremblant event.

[4u3]

I too wanted something a little lighter, less HP, so I did not go has far as you did, but picked up a 06 Cayman S with 1,800 miles on the engine, and suspension.A good friend Mike Levitas, at TPC racing in MD purchased a 06 when they came out, and replaced the engine with his turbo racing engine, and the suspension with racing suspension, same with the trans. He designs and builts turbos, and superchargers, mostly for Porsches. Now the 09 Caymans are out so he purchased one, to design the turbos etc. So he put the original engine and suspension etc back on the 06 Cayman S, and sold it to me for lower price than most are selling for with 30,000 miles on them. Perfect track car, basic, just Porsche racing seats 19 inch wheels, racing brake pads. Only have about an hour seat time in it so will withhold judgement, for a street /track car I do not think anything will be better than my 09 E92, but this should be fun

[von_zoom]

Congrats on your new ride. My son races an E30 M3, J prepared and is very competitive. (in the background my sig pic) He is very fond of it. He runs away from me - car is like a roller skate, and once it gets going, it goes. You should have a lot of fun with the E30. I hope that the S14 is in good condition.
vz

[lucid]

Originally Posted by von_zoom

Congrats on your new ride. My son races an E30 M3, J prepared and is very competitive. (in the background my sig pic) He is very fond of it. He runs away from me - car is like a roller skate, and once it gets going, it goes. You should have a lot of fun with the E30. I hope that the S14 is in good condition.
vz

Thanks VZ. If I ever decide to race, it can easily be turned into a J prepared car. The engineer who has been servicing the car for the past 6 years is confident that the motor is fine, and it did seem to run strong when I drove it around, so I don't think it will give me any problems this year. It is probably best to do a rebuild for next year though. This is an interesting motor. I didn't know a whole lot about it before considering this purchase and I learned a ton in the process. It has individual throttle bodies and is somewhat high strung.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by 4u3

I too wanted something a little lighter, less HP, so I did not go has far as you did, but picked up a 06 Cayman S with 1,800 miles on the engine, and suspension.A good friend Mike Levitas, at TPC racing in MD purchased a 06 when they came out, and replaced the engine with his turbo racing engine, and the suspension with racing suspension, same with the trans. He designs and builts turbos, and superchargers, mostly for Porsches. Now the 09 Caymans are out so he purchased one, to design the turbos etc. So he put the original engine and suspension etc back on the 06 Cayman S, and sold it to me for lower price than most are selling for with 30,000 miles on them. Perfect track car, basic, just Porsche racing seats 19 inch wheels, racing brake pads. Only have about an hour seat time in it so will withhold judgement, for a street /track car I do not think anything will be better than my 09 E92, but this should be fun

Good to hear you got a track car as well. Will you cage it?

[Gearhead999s]

Lucid.Congrats on the E30 as they were always a great track car.The pistons in that era of M car were always on the loose side and the piston slap when they were cold was something else.If the thing is making good power and not laying a smokescreen,I would not worry too much about a the leakdown figures and just run it till you have a better reason to tear it down.
One thing that became an issue up here is with caged cars,the belt expiry dates are being enforced for the 1st time this year.ie;2 years on SFI & 5 on FIA.This has caught a lot of people out in Solo 1 & drivers schools.I would double check on the requirements at Tremblant.
A buddy races a E30 M3 that has all the 2.5L EVO upgrades and he terrorizes most of the GT1 cars up here.He has been dynoed at about 290 RWHP and weighs about 2200 lbs.Here is a video of him on pole at Calabogie playing with a GT1 Vette.
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[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

Lucid.Congrats on the E30 as they were always a great track car.The pistons in that era of M car were always on the loose side and the piston slap when they were cold was something else.If the thing is making good power and not laying a smokescreen,I would not worry too much about a the leakdown figures and just run it till you have a better reason to tear it down.
One thing that became an issue up here is with caged cars,the belt expiry dates are being enforced for the 1st time this year.ie;2 years on SFI & 5 on FIA.This has caught a lot of people out in Solo 1 & drivers schools.I would double check on the requirements at Tremblant.
A buddy races a E30 M3 that has all the 2.5L EVO upgrades and he terrorizes most of the GT1 cars up here.He has been dynoed at about 290 RWHP and weighs about 2200 lbs.Here is a video of him on pole at Calabogie playing with a GT1 Vette.

Wow, once your buddy got going he really got going--like VZ said. Why did the #75 Viper get on the brakes like that in the last lap? Good thing the Vette didn't make contact.

They report that the 92 DTM car had 255 bhp. I know 2.5Ls can be made to deliver 350hp crank. There you go. I was supposed to step down in power, and I'm already thinking about messing with the engine. Thanks!

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Thanks for the info on harnesses. I think they have 2 years left on them, but I'll have to double check based on the info you provided. I didn't see any special warning in the BMW CCA website.

I am pretty sure the engine is not smoking or anything like that. You are probably right in that I should leave it alone. I just don't want to end up with bent valves or a damaged block, etc. The rod bearings and the oil pump were done 40k ago. And it is going to need a rebuild in the next 2-3 years or so, why not just do it now so that I benefit from it right away. But that depends on how long I plan to keep the car I guess, and I really should drive it to see what it like first! I should also probably put it on a dyno and see what it is doing.

[von_zoom]

It is probably best to do a rebuild for next year though

My son was doing a major upgrade to the car, which included a engine rebuild this summer, and when the block was sent out for work, it was discovered that the water jackets were bad, and unrepairable. In checking what a replacement S14 would cost, his 401K could not stand the expense. Soooooo, he is now in the process of changing engines. Most likely will be a M52 which he will fresh up with all the goodies. This will provide a lot more HP, but will also move him up in class. Hopefully, the car will be trackable in Sept for the Tarheel BMW HPDE at VIR. It sounds like you have a solid car, and the weight difference and handeling will be phenomenel. This is the car that started BMWs racing in the USA, and there are not that many around anymore. Good luck with it.
vz

[lucid]

Originally Posted by von_zoom

My son was doing a major upgrade to the car, which included a engine rebuild this summer, and when the block was sent out for work, it was discovered that the water jackets were bad, and unrepairable. In checking what a replacement S14 would cost, his 401K could not stand the expense. Soooooo, he is now in the process of changing engines. Most likely will be a M52 which he will fresh up with all the goodies. This will provide a lot more HP, but will also move him up in class. Hopefully, the car will be trackable in Sept for the Tarheel BMW HPDE at VIR. It sounds like you have a solid car, and the weight difference and handeling will be phenomenel. This is the car that started BMWs racing in the USA, and there are not that many around anymore. Good luck with it.
vz

Thanks VZ.

Surprisingly, Tischer still lists the S14 short block. $8250.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0

My understanding is a rebuild on this engine by a reputable builder will run like $6k-$8k depending on what needs to be replaced. I hear you can't find BMW pistons for it anymore though (if you really cared about keeping everything stock). For me, the S14 is an integral part of the car--its history, character, etc. I can see how a competitive racer would look at the cost/benefit issue differently. Good luck to your son with the engine swap.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by lucid

Wow, once your buddy got going he really got going--like VZ said. Why did the #75 Viper get on the brakes like that in the last lap? Good thing the Vette didn't make contact.




.

There was 25 second a lap slower traffic ahead that was racing all over the track.There was no problem between the Viper & Corvette drivers as they were both drinking beer together after the day was over.

[skierman64]

Originally Posted by lucid

I'll take my newly acquired E30 M3 to Mt. Tremblant with BMW CCA Aug 7-9. Anyone else going?

I will be there. I've gone the last 3 years. However, I won't be driving on the track unless a miracle happens. I have a lake cabin a few hours away from Tremblant and I always tow my SeaDoo (behind the beater Subaru) and Ski Boat (behind the SUV) so I'm out of drivers when it comes to bringing the M3 up here.

I'll be driving a Silver GMC Acadia with South Dakota plates. I will hanging out near a guy with a black 4 door E30 325iii, a copper colored E36 M3 and a gold re-engined E30 2 door.

I'm probably coming in Saturday about noonish, going to the dinner at the top of the mountain Sat night and then leaving Sunday afternoon. I think we're staying at the Roster on the mountain (my best English translation)place. It's about 1/3 of a mile from the track entrance.

I might have an opportunity to drive my old E36 M3 on the track. My bud, who now owns it, offered to let me drive it, but I'm not 100% sure how serious he was about that.

I have my helmet and my video cam with vehicle mounting system here with me, so I'll be sure to post some videos.

Look for me, my name is Mike. Are you towing or driving the E30? What color is the E30 and what type of tow vehicle?

I look forward to meeting you.

By the way there's no requirement for newer seat belts for HPDEs? Since race belts aren't even required and most folks are running stock factory belts.

[Gearhead999s]

[QUOTE=

By the way there's no requirement for newer seat belts for HPDEs? Since race belts aren't even required and most folks are running stock factory belts.[/QUOTE]

The funny thing about all this that if the car does not have a cage,stock belts are fine even if they are 20 years old.Have a cage and you are subject to same safety rules as road racing.The fastest car at Mosport was a Z06 with 3 point belts and no cage.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

There was 25 second a lap slower traffic ahead that was racing all over the track.There was no problem between the Viper & Corvette drivers as they were both drinking beer together after the day was over.

Yep, but the hard braking after the pass still seemed unncessary in the video, but what do I know. I didn't mean to imply the 75 car did anything wrong intentionally.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by lucid

Yep, but the hard braking after the pass still seemed unncessary in the video, but what do I know. I didn't mean to imply the 75 car did anything wrong intentionally.

I have done the same thing to a chaser when a hole closed up when closing at over 30 miles an hour faster than the lapped traffic.The difference is that I was the one going backwards after getting punted by a W/C Vette during a 24 hour at Mosport.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

The funny thing about all this that if the car does not have a cage,stock belts are fine even if they are 20 years old.Have a cage and you are subject to same safety rules as road racing.The fastest car at Mosport was a Z06 with 3 point belts and no cage.

This is what the tech form linked to the BMW CCA page for the event says:

"Aftermarket harness belts must be properly installed according to the manufacturers instructions and cannot be in use past the expiration date listed on the harness belt. SFI approved belts expire two years from the date stamped and FIA approved belts expire at the end of the year stamped."

That is the standard form, so they haven't made any changes.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by skierman64

I will be there.

Great. I will tow the E30 M3 with a silver 04 Expedition--red trailer. Looking forward to meeting you there and I hope you'll get a chance to drive for at least a few sessions. I haven't driven the track, so I'm looking over vids on youtube. I should also reserve a room. I didn't have time. The cheaper the better after the puchase of this car.

[skierman64]

Looks like I'll be able to drive my buddies E30 325iii. It's a black 4 door with a roll cage in it.

That's assuming the school has openings. I'm going to track down the registrar and find out more.

I will be driving my Acadia as mentioned above.

If you're looking for a less expensive place to stay the "Cock of the Mountain" place is right across Lac Moore from the Paddock. That's where I'm staying.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by lucid

This is what the tech form linked to the BMW CCA page for the event says:

"Aftermarket harness belts must be properly installed according to the manufacturers instructions and cannot be in use past the expiration date listed on the harness belt. SFI approved belts expire two years from the date stamped and FIA approved belts expire at the end of the year stamped."

That is the standard form, so they haven't made any changes.

The CASC stuff got changed for this year.but I guess you guys already had those rules.These are also the rules for lapping and schools.

http://www.casc.on.ca/forums/attachm...1&d=1245723753

[lucid]

Originally Posted by skierman64

That's assuming the school has openings. I'm going to track down the registrar and find out more.

Simon is the registrar. He is a really good guy. I am sure you can work something out. I didn't get the feeling they sold out. Website shows 78 registrations.

[urbo73]

Originally Posted by Gearhead999s

I have done the same thing to a chaser when a hole closed up when closing at over 30 miles an hour faster than the lapped traffic.The difference is that I was the one going backwards after getting punted by a W/C Vette during a 24 hour at Mosport.

From what I can see in this video, I don't see any hole closing up fast. IMO that was unnecessary braking - agree with Lucid. The Vette should have gone on the inside on that one, but tough call if he didn't plan it ahead of time. On that double pass, I would have dove inside or not done the double pass at all.

Anyhow, I want to see this E30 lucid! Are you driving it around town?