richard.pykett

Hi folks. Dunno how it's happened, but the brake pedal return spring seems to have gone AWOL on my old E24 633. Apparently they are the same on the E24, E28 and E30. Does anybody have one around the South Auckland area please? Thanks - Richard.

Hi Grant, well it seems that they f**ked it up the first time and haven't been able to fix it the second time, with no doubt the original bits long been thrown out... It costs me a day each time to take the boosters out, take them over there and then reinstall and bleed the bastard of a system. What pisses me off most is that I could have machined up the pistons myself from the originals, but trusted them as they have been around forever. Way forward from here is to get hold of an original to measure, or bite the bullet and get two rebuilt and tested units from the UK.

Hi All, long time no post... Not much progress on the Group 5, but have been doing a refurb on the old 633 along with some stainless headers etc... I had the dual remote boosters refurbed by Sterling Brake and Clutch, which I gather involved the usual sleeving process and the manufacture of new pistons. Unfortunately we now seem to have a brake binding issue with the engine running. If you pump the brakes with the engine running, all 4 wheels are lightly locked. As soon as you kill the engine and thus the vacuum, the wheels are free to rotate normally. I've had the car into them for diagnosis and then dropped the boosters back in for checking. They reckon that they deepened the pushrod holes in the back of the new pistons to give more clearance, but on reinstalling them today and bleeding up the brakes again, the same problem exists. Because there was some considerable delay in me reinstalling the rebuilt boosters, obviously the old pistons have been thrown out, so I have no way of cross checking their dimensions. Does anybody have a pair of boosters that I could buy or borrow so that I can pull mine apart and go over the dimensions please? Clearly something is not right with the new bits they have made. Mine is the early E12 based car. Thanks. Richard

Hi Folks Bit of a break from the E21 Group 5 to give the old 6 Series a long overdue birthday and have decided to make some headers for her. Bought a couple of M30 header flanges from Autobend (incorrectly supplied in MS rather than the requested SS 304) but they are a bloody awful fit - the bolt holes are off and the ports are not in quite the right place no matter how they are turned around. Plan is to squash and smack the 1.5" primaries to fit through the flange and weld both sides. Whilst they have reordered the flanges correctly in SS 304, there is so much work to make them right that I think I will start from scratch and get them waterjetted just down the road. Does anybody happen to have a CAD drawing file for the M30 headers that I could have a copy of please? I have a PDF with a couple of dimensions, but really need a DFX file or similar. Many thanks - beer available or a hot lap or two in the Group 5 once done and sorted. Cheers, Richard

I no nuffinck about composites... Mind you, I don't know a heap more about aluminium, but have friends who are gods with it and I've built all of the required gear, so Ali it is. A flat pack body kit from Ullrich... Thanks for the comment and for following the build. I'm blown away by the interest!

Dunno Nathan... Originals has body kits in glass with around 50 different iterations. Our needs to be subtly different around the front end to accommodate the 18's (originals ran 16's) so flares will end up higher and more DTM than original. Hopeful that all up weight will be around 1000kgs.

Long time no post. Looks like it is easier to attach normal pictures now. Well done to the admins if this is the case. Lots of progress I guess since my last post with the mechanical fabrication almost complete. Radiator cores should be here for Christmas from the very helpful Norm Whiteside at Adrad in Penrose and the rear caliper dogbones are being munched this week on a 5 axis CNC machine by a friend. GGS Performance can then come in and do the s/s brake hardlines and then its back on the jig table to start building the buck for the body panels. Panels will all be 1.2 and 1.6 aluminium. Expect that the panels and wing will be a 12 month exercise part time.

Looking for a couple of stuffed axles so that I can pillage the outer splined ends from. Just need them so that I can preload the hub bearings on the Group 5 build without actually installing the axles. Anything from 520 to 540 will fit. May be that 7 series will fit as well. Thanks. South Auckland area would be great

Cheers Andrew - sorry have only just seen this. Looking forward to hearing it bark ourselves

Have just messaged him Andy. Not sure how often he checks, but if you haven't had a call in a day or so, give me a bell on 021 991 900 and I'll find another way of getting hold of him. A mate of mine crews for him, so he will know. Cheers, Richard

Andy, if you would like an M6 race car (E24) I can put you in touch with somebody. Top car, no expense spared. Cheers Richard

Hi Don Could be interested in the front kidney and possibly the indicators. Would you like to PM me with a price and closer shots please? How are the bulbholders in the indicators and the sealing boots? Many thanks Richard (Group 5 Project)

Thanks also James! Big push over the next few weeks. Feel free to keep up with us on Elan Motorsport facebook. I post a bit more on there.

Thanks James - you are very kind! Just chugging along making it up as I go and making as much as I can in house to keep the costs down. Currently about to machine some toothed pulleys for the diff mounted alternator - go to remember how to use a dividing head and a fly cutter. Been a few years... Big push on to get the car to a stable rolling state, as I've been asked to show it on the Euro Car Club stand at the 4 and Rotary National show at the end of January. Lots to do! Cheers, Richard

Shifter progress

Hi Nathan - hoping for around 1000kg without driver Engine should be circa 600hp (flywheel) when we get it going and lots of torque. Murchy reckons it will pull from around 3500 and run through to 7500 or 8000. Gonna leave it at 2.5 to make it rev and keep the rod stoke ratio up there. Gearing with the TTi sequential 5spd 1:1 top will give us around 245 over the stripe at HD at 7500

Thanks Troy! The rears are ex Supertourer 280/680/18's and the fronts are Porsche Cup 240/640/18's

Boot area sheetmetal progress

Just need to make sure it is louder than the 1M - only criticism of our car. Mind you, it's out of warranty now, so may 'drill some holes in the muffler' so to speak

Speak with Steve Murch, Cam

Chris - you need to speak with Kayne Barrie. He will be able to help.

Wheels have arrived. Rears are 11.5 x 18 -67. Looks like we have stuffed up on the fronts and the offset is 25mm too much. Mocked up the tyres for the front to get a better idea and am much happier with that. Need to order some new fronts, but we can now progress with the rear bodywork whilst the rims are made and shipped.

Progress on the boot area plumbing

Cheers Jono! BIt slow at the moment as I'm heading into uncharted waters with the bodywork. Started to make the ali boot lid frame and flanges but needed a bit of input from Mike Roberts (metalshaping god extraordinaire) to guide me back onto track with panel gaps and heights etc... Lots to learn!

Nice cars - we have 2 x 2012's, a 135ms DCT and a 1M