richard.pykett

Thanks Cam Yes there probably is a formula to use, but it's difficult to sift through the mine of info and misinformation out there. Recommendation from Steve Murch was to only go to a 70mm TB to retain response (response is what we are after, as I don't think that power is going to be the issue). As far as I understand it, the crucial things are the transfer ports, the cross sectional area of which need to equate to the cross sectional area of the TB. The shape and volume of the main plenum was probably more packaging driven than anything else - definitely no CAD flow analysis! Some of the cones go down to a smaller diameter at the minor end, but would become even more of a pain to fabricate, so mine is 70 to 35.over 550mm. Main plenum is 80 x 120 x 550. Time will tell.

Bit more progress on the intake manifold - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elan-Motorsport/662026323873874?tab=public&view

Hi Blair - I have the E36 M3 box on Trademe. It may be possible to cut and shut the bellhousing - probably graft on the front bit of an Autobox. Kayne Barrie will have some idea of whether this can be done or not. Cheers Richard

Eurotech Auto Repair Centre are the approved BMW repair centre in Auckland (only shop accredited for the new composite BMW's). They are in Mt Wellington just around the corner from BMW, but well worth the effort to get the car there. I believe they have loan cars. Good folk with all the latest gear and they turn out consistently excellent work. Call Marino or Dave on 573 1093. Cheers Richard

Hi Ash - not going to run ITB's as there is apparently no gain on FI. Plan is to do a single TB feeding into a conical plenum (Audi rally car) and then into a more normal plenum. Rama does do a complete M5x ITB setup for $1500 AUD. https://www.facebook.com/rama.rhdengineering Cheers Richard. New update just posted on facebook - TTI.com sequential etc... https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elan-Motorsport/662026323873874?tab=public&view

Good condition. Came out of a 5 speed conversion and was working well at the time. I have robbed the bellhousing from it, but otherwise complete with torque converter and flex plate. Need it gone or it's off the the scrappers - $50, pick up Manurewa. Thanks - Richard

Hi All. Just posted an update on the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elan-Motorsport/662026323873874?tab=public&view Be sure to check out the RHDEngineering M50 ITB manifold we are using as a base for our dual plenum setup. Excellent value from https://www.facebook.com/rama.rhdengineering?fref=ts Thanks for looking Richard

Hi Mike. When you have probably $2.0m of gear (plus all of their stock) 8-10 guys and leasing premises in the middle of Newmarket, nothing is ever going to be cheap. Most of Tom's crew have been there for over 20 years (so that speaks volumes about the place) and all of them are at the top of their game. I personally don't think Tom charges enough for the quality and service that they offer. Tom is an old school engineer and builds gizmos for all the tricky jobs that lesser folk would be stripping out or scrapping (Subaru crank pulleys in situ etc... etc...). Clever bugger and a great guy to boot. Always something interesting on the floor in there.

Tom at Taylors is the man. Have used Taylors for years with all our cars and can't recommend them enough. He doesn't charge enough... Cheers Richard

Rear gearbox mount rubber bobbins... M8 or M10 male thread either end, higher duro # than standard. Recommended for racing. Picture on my build thread https://www.facebook.com/662026323873874/photos/pcb.679360682140438/679358572140649/?type=1&theater

Now that we have taken the decision to go sequential in the E21 Group 5, we have available a Getrag 420 6 speed from an E36 M3, Gearbox has just been apart and checked over by Kayne Barrie Motorsport and pronounced sound. New seals fitted whist it was apart. Will also throw in some new rear mount bobbins sourced from Kayne. $2200 Pickup Manukau area, will ship at buyers expense if needed. Richard

Hi Anthony. Kayne Barrie has a spare M3 6 speed of mine which I would sell and Kayne is the BMW gearbox man. By all means PM of call me on 021 991 900 to discuss Thanks Richard.

Hi Niroy - thanks. It will be a while before we actually build the engine - will almost leave it until last so that it doesn't have to sit for ages before getting fired. Lots to do before then, however plan is to do Molnar rods, 8.5 pistons and leave it at 2.5 to make it a revver. Steve Murch has a nasty grind for the cams and reckons it should run to 8000 quite happily. Not far off starting the inlet and exhaust manifolds. Planning on around 600 flywheel hp and hope that the weight is around 1000kgs. R

Thanks James - yes Clecos are brilliant thing, but buy 3 x more than you think you need! Got both my lots from Trade Tools (last 100 they gave me a deal on and I think were $1.79 + GST) Understand that Aviation Parts in Albany ( http://www.apparts.co.nz/) will do them for around $1.40. I just use a 1/8th stub drill rather than the recommended #30 drill. Seems to work just fine. What are you building? Richard.

Just getting my head around how to post pictures here. Some progress shots of the Group 5 build this week. Rear wheel tub fabrication. More at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elan-Motorsport/662026323873874?tab=public&view Thanks for looking - Richard

Hi Jon - the Historic Touring Car class would be fantastic for us, but not sure that we would be considered for it. Car will have no historic significance and mechanically be quite different from the M12 engined cars of the 70's. Externally it will be close, but the front guards are going to need to be a bit more DTM to clear the 18's. Plan is to paint it in the Faltz / Hans Stuck Jagermeister livery - a nod to our first BMW many moons ago - an Inka Orange E21 M10. R

Thanks Martin. Plan is to get the car going and see how it handles with the subframe almost solidly mounted - suspect that is where most of the squigeiness will be. If it still handles like a marshmellow, then we can start to look at removing more rubber from the arms. There is a reasonable range of adjustment in the stock eccentrics and we have had the luxury of mounting the subframe where we liked in the frame. This means that we don't have massive axle angles and massive negative camber to get rid of as is usual with extreme lowering. I only did a bit of mechanical engineering years ago, but read time and time again about scrutineers railing against rose joints placed in bending, as I think these are? Thought was that if we needed less flex, to machine a spherical bearing to fit the inner ends of the arms. Need to get it going first and understand it. What with dampers, springs and roll bars to fiddle with, we will be plenty busy trying to make sense of it all! I though karts were just a bunch of exhaust tubing and a lawn mower engine when we started....! R

Hi Martin - yes have 3 of them now, either dragged out of paddocks or donated. A thing of beauty. Just why they don't appear in hot rods is beyond me. Front end is also E39 - 6 cylinder 528 with a LHD rack we sourced through NZAD Darren Leckey. At the rear, we got rid of the hydraulic chassis bushes, bored the holes round in the mill (the BMW extrusion necks when they weld it) and made nylon bushes to direct mount to the cage. Diff is an E34 case with my own rear cover to mount in the E39 subframe and I made a larger cover bulge with a heat sink. At this stage we have the 540 axles. Remains to be seen if they stand up or we need to go to M spec. R

Thanks guys. Progress is very slow as I stand looking at it trying to nut things out, for about twice the time I'm cutting steel! Not too much in the scrap pile yet helped by so much 'CAD' work - cardboard aided design. Starting some sheetmetal bits at the moment, so this is always good fun. Been a bit of feature creep since the original concept around E39 540 brakes and an S54. Front brakes will now be Super Tourer rears from Racer Products with Porsche 6 pot calipers and Iv'e recently bitten the bullet and ordered a 5 speed sequential from TT Industries in Nelson. Kayne Barrie is doing the diff (large case 3.85) and now has a spare Getrag 420G 6 speed (let me know if anybody needs this). Steve Murch has supplied the turbo and I'm not far off starting the plumbing for this. Hoping for around 600 flywheel hp and around 1000kgs. Coilovers are double adjustable Konis from Stocks with my own front strut tubes. Dan - yes aware that it's a bit outside the regs, but the intention was never to build it as a racecar. The boys and I had several years of karting, ending up not far off the pointy end, but unfortunately the fun drained away and we definitely didn't have the pocketbook to consider single seaters. When we bought the 1M and Claytons gave us a BMW Driver Experience day at HD, we said - why don't we build a trackday car a bit like the 1M. So a trackday car with 2 seats is the target. The bodywork is all going to be hand formed from 1.6 aluminium, so leaning on somebody, or having them lean on us, doesn't have much appeal. Plan is to run customer rides for our insurance clients as a thank-you. We have lots of petrolhead clients! The odd hillclimb has appeal and perhaps we might get invited to the Festival or similar when it is finished and sorted.

Hi Folks Making some progress now on the rear sheetmetal for the build. Not sure if I have previously posted the link, but now have a facebook page on progress. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elan-Motorsport/662026323873874?tab=public&view Richard

Hi Andy - research seems to suggest that this may be a 3.9 ring and pinion?

Now sold thanks - manifold, injectors and fuel rail.

Hi Andy. Not sure of my 7 series specs. Presume the 735 has a large case diff? Any idea what the ratio is please? Thanks Richard.

Hi folks - can anybody tell me what my M50 E34 525 NV inlet manifold and TB are worth please? Have the complete inlet setup including fuel rail and injectors which we won't be needing for the E21 Group 5 turbo. Thanks Richard.

Thanks Darren - after a 3.91 (735?) for the spaceframe E21 project.