OLLIE

The pressure was on, with not long before the next race (my deadline) it turned into a bit of a rush and this is where the photos thin out a bit. I have a few though. The engine bay half way through cleaning it up, I am so glad i spent the time doing this, it makes the car so much better to work on with a clean engine bay Brand spanking supersize SA radiator and new hoses While all this was happening i was sorting out the paperwork too, logbook, roll cage homologation papers, roll cage padding, car club membership etc... using CAD, laser cutting and NC controlled sheet metal bending machines i fabricated myself a cold airbox. I don't have any photos of me reassembling the head or the motor and no it's not because i cheated it's because my camera broke. And that my friends is pretty much it. Once the motor was in, i had the exhaust built, i gave it an oil service and ran in the head gasket. Then i took it into Gavin at Hi Velicity for a dyno tune and after a bit of trouble and a new dizzy rotor we had it running well and putting out 117 HP. 2 days later I went racing at the Tasman Grand Prix at Pukekohe - it was January 2008, I finished practice and after fixing a broken steering universal joint i completed all three races and didn't even come last at all. Infact i think by the end of the weekend i had knocked 4 seconds off my practice time and was lapping at 1.21's or thereabouts. A year down the track now, i have ironed out all the little problems and have a safe and reliable race car that is competitive mid pack and I hope to finish in the top 25 for this season just finished. Looking forward to next season i have a couple of developments to do and some driver training so I hope to move further up the grid.

I know i finished the car a long time ago now and many of you have seen it in the flesh, on TV or at least photos of it. Nonetheless i feel i should update this thread so you can take a small step back in time and see how it all came together. So my last update other than that exhaust write up was about painting inside the car, reconditioning the head and assembling the suspension components. After the inside of the car had dried i began to fit all the race bits such as seat brackets, gauges, harnesses aluminium floor plates etc... Doug gave me endless sh*t for my white pedals - but why bother masking them? harness shoulder straps - have since had aluminium brackets made to keep the from sliding sideways. Dashboard back in (what a mission) great fun with the saber saw though. and gauge panel fitted and wired so that they light up when the lights are turned on. I still need to fit them to the senders. Driver adjustable seat rail and brackets fitted. Crotch harness attached notice the tidy cable conduit. And putting all the front suspension in - not a very difficult job really The rear suspension - fully installed In the meantime i was working on re-assembling the cylinder head ready to put back on and i made the decision to remove the rest of the motor and gearbox and clean up the engine bay and block. Out it all came Mandatory bimmersport engine bay dragon Whilst the engine bay was empty i got in there and fixed a couple of small bits of rust, cleaned up all the steering rack and subframe, painted the subframe and the engine bay and got it all ready to drop the motor back in 2 weeks after we'd taken it out.

When the time came to build the exhaust system for the Bimmersport E30 series race car I met John at Pitstop Albany. I'd heard good things about his work and it was convenient that pitstop was right next door to where i weas working at the time. John has many years experience building exhaust systems and had worked on plenty of road going E30's and a couple of the E30 race series cars before I met him ... He even made a side exit exhaust for a 318 to test on the dyno, it turned out the straight pipe was better but this kind of development was what i wanted to see. From the get go I was confident I had found the right person for the job. So .... The plan The plan was for a 2 1/4 inch pipe from the manifold with a small coby halfway and a vortex muffler at the back, All mandrel bends to ensure consistent inner diameter for improved flow and finished with a Polished SS tip of course. I drove the car in one saturday, the drive there was an event itself with no exhaust on the car sounded grouse but damn it was slow without the backpressure. We chucked her up on the hoist and i watched as the new exhaust was created in 1 and a half hours. /images/DSCN0445.JPG The end of the pre facelift 320 exhaust manifold /images/DSCN0446.JPG The 2 - 1 pipe we made using part of the original exaust /images/DSCN0452.JPG Flange to attach the exhaust system to, makes for easy removal. /images/DSCN0459.JPG Cutting the mandrel bends ready to weld together /images/DSCN0462.JPG Some quality spot welding with his eyes shut /images/DSCN0466.JPG Ready to put that middle coby on ... but which way round? /images/DSCN0472.JPG A few more bends and straight pipes /images/DSCN0474.JPG Attaching the Vortex muffler /images/DSCN0481.JPG and finally the Stainless Steel tip. /images/DSCN0486.JPG This should give you an idea of what the finished result looks like, a quick spray to prevent rust and it's done! /images/DSCN0483.JPG The exhaust produces a great tone, especially at peak revs (4,500 rpm) and it the car has been consistantly powerful throughout the 2008-09 season. I never managed to dyno test it properly but will be doing some comparissons between this and a new exhaust system before the 2009-10 season to see if we can get some more torque early in the revs and the goal will be to produce 2 systems to use for different tracks, hampton downs will be especially interesting and I can't wait for the next season to begin. Thank you John and the guys at Pitstop Albany. Pop in and see John, mention you saw this article on bimmersport.co.nz and he will look after you. You won't be dissappointed. Pitstop Albany 2 Volkner Place Albany Auckland P 09 448 2009 F 09 448 2026 Driving Directions [email protected] /images/albany.jpg

you wouldn't want me to overact, otherwise you'd be like .... "eurova-acting" and i'd say nah "eurova-reaching girl"

EUROVA ....what does it mean? eurova weight? eurova the top? eurova compensating?

looking good dude. I love the colour also, it looks fast!

Cheer Jon. A pajero at less than half the price of a prado of similar condition is a tempting option. Yes it may not be quite as reliable etc but while it is working it will do the same job as a prado would. It's something to consider. I will have a drive of one and see what i think of them

look what i found - hilux

That pretty much is a prado, it's NZ new and it's older with a larger engine to guzzle more gas.

I just test drove a 3.0 TDi Prado, Automatic. I was impressed with the responsiveness of the diesel motor. The ride on the road was a bit rigid but not too bad. Everything else as i expected from a toyota. I just need to find a manual to drive What are the Mitsubishi Pajeros like? this one for example seems like a bloody cheap deal? They appear to be mitsubishis version of the prado, well actually the prado was in response to the pajero as far as i'm aware.

holy crap!

Thanks Brian, that is great advice. I have been reading up on the Prado and the 3.0l diesel is constantly raved about. So what do you people think about ditching the 540i for a Toyota Prado? ....

Some that I have found ... prado 1 prado 2 prado 3 Rang Rover HSE Land Rover Disco Bighorn

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-212690106.htm - pretty cool bighorn it seems the bighorns are the best value for money. The Nissan Patrols are too expensive. Can anyone give pro's and cons of the prado vs bighorn. Long wheel base, although not great for off roading, a necessity for towing.

I do like the Prados, hard to find good ones for under 12k but not impossible. Why do you say 3 door? personal preference? I think i'd prefer the extra space a 5 door would offer. Also similar is the Nissan Patrol which i quite like, any thoughts on those?

My 4x4 experience is somewhat limited, but I am keen to learn more about them and anticipate buying one sometime this year. I don't really know what I'm after, I just want to be able to drive over sh*t, tow and launch boats and cars easily. I've given up on trying to keep a 15 year old car in pristine (luxury) condition, and would prefer to have use of a more practical rugged vehicle that I can properly explore and enjoy this country with. At this point I can see it being the daily unless something convinces me that it is worth paying a second set of insurance, maintenance and registration bills. For example If I had an 318 E30 daily plus the 4x4 for weekends I would be pretty happy. So depending on what the outcome is i guess the criteria for the vehicle would be different, for example for a daily comfort, reliability and fuel economy are important where as they are not so important for a weekend utility vehicle. So I guess what i am asking is, what do you recommend for both scenarios? considering some of the bargains out there currently lets work on a budget less than 12k Something that needs some minor work could be ok or a bit of a do up project is kind of cool too. it would have to have some grunt - i.e no less than 2500cc, it would have to be manual. Why do some people not like hilux surfs? what are parts like for land rovers? and range rovers? I'm keen to learn anything and everything about 4x4's, links are all good.

Happy Birthday!

Awesome read thanks Ash! Keep us updated with changes you make to the car to get it perfect for you.

Happy Birthday Jon

first check that your wheels are all hubcentric and aren't missing any hubcentric rings if they need them. 2nd check that all your wheels are balanced. 3rd check for play in main control arm bushes (front). If they have play - replace them The other bushes generally don't cause the shimmy but if they are terribly worn then why not replace them drive shaft bearing was more a problem in the E39 I thought, but I might be wrong Engine mounts are not cheap, so only replace them if they are split or you feel like splashing out. Check gearbox mount, only replace if it appears to be in bad condition. Anyway, that's the order i'd do it ... good luck

first check that your wheels are all hubcentric and aren't missing any hubcentric rings if they need them. 2nd check that all your wheels are balanced. 3rd check for play in main control arm bushes (front) then follow your list after that.

looks good, I always find it is better to hang the fish. We made one a few years ago that sat over the bbq hotplate, we just chuck a tray of manuka chips on the hotplate, hung the fish and away we went. the result looks bloody good though. Plenty of rock salt and brown sugar?

awesome 6speed manual!

haha what a load of crap. the comments are funny though as if you'd have a vagina and a penis and be proud of it. ps. lady gaga looks like a bucket of smashed crabs.

Awesome deal Riley - go for it