jon dee

When I was a kid sheep used to eat grass. Have you got some kind of Kobe Sheep that need special sheep feed and you massage them each day ? If so, I'll take a leg of hogget when they are ready Cheers... PS: “Hogget is simply lamb with wanderlust and a decent education. It’s killed when it’s between twelve and eighteen months old, so it knows a thing or two about flavour. It doesn’t overwhelm like old mutton, yet still bleats with ovine delight.”....Tom Parker Bowles: Let's Eat Meat

Just because BMW call it a Sequential Manual Gearbox does not make it a sequential gearbox. It is a conventional manual synchromesh gearbox with an electro-hydraulic system to change the gears in a Steptronic fashion. A true sequential box (dog box) is a totally different animal, and I am not aware of a dog box ever being sold in a standard production car. As explained in this video, a true sequential gearbox is a specialised tool for racing, and although superior to a synchromesh box in virtually every way, the noise of straight cut gears and the abrupt shifts are not suited to production car use. A dog box does not need the incredibly complex control and operating system of the SMG or DCT, but the latter certainly appears to have achieved a performance level that keeps M car drivers happy I looked long and hard at getting a sequential box for a previous car, but considering the cost and the fact that the car was not a dedicated race car, I gave the idea away. For an average punter such as myself who does not do track days, a Steptronic auto with a flash is plenty good enough !!! Cheers...

Sadly, just when I thought it could not get any worse...... it got worse Seems that the grille is no longer essential for cooling so instead of making it smaller and less conspicuous, it got changed into a styling "design element" that looks like a closeup of a fly's eye !!!!!!

Yuss... looks like DCT alright. The SMG and DCT seem to operate under much the same control strategy, and so the controls are also similar. Live and learn Cheers... PS: Quite like that colour. Generally I don't like black wheels but they look OK with that red body colour.

Good point.... I saw a couple of videos on SMG to manual conversions. So I guess converting a manual gearbox (if you can find one) to SMG is just a matter of swapping all the accessories over ? I'm doing a bit of learning here I was looking at this car https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors/cars/bmw/m3/listing/3198627891?bof=WD5GfN4f and although it is described as automatic, looking at the shifter pic I'm thinking it is actually SMG ... right ? Cheers...

I was expecting a couple of guys with guns to show up at any minute and take it for a test drive Cheers...

Yeah... I was just having a read up on the SMG II M3 system and I see that you get 10 seconds to knock it into gear after switching the engine off. Kind of like having a certain time to roll the windows up after you switch off... clever stuff Otherwise it will just sit with the clutch engage but not in gear. I guess if you leave it in gear when switching off you don't get bing'ed Now I have to go and see if I can find a pic of the gearbox internals... got me interested now. I know that the SMG seems to get bad mouthed a lot, but it actually sounds like it should be a cracker if it is working correctly. EDIT: Judging by the lack of repair information on the box itself, and the the fact that BM only wanted to supply a complete SMG trans if something went wrong inside, I can see that owning one of these could be problematic when they get into the 100K plus kms bracket. I think that I will just be happy with the standard steptronic box in my E92. With the xHP flash it works pretty good !!! Cheers...

I'm going to assume that the engine must be running or at least the ignition turned on to get the clutch to engage ? Cheers...

I believe this to be the juvenile version of the above... not yet showing its adult plumage....

If the clutch is not engaged then putting it in gear won't do anything to hold the car. Cheers...

Here is a picture of the trans brake that is actuated when you put the shift lever in PARK. The lug on the pivoting arm engages with the toothed wheel attached to the trans output shaft and locks the output shaft against turning. This is the standard park brake setup for just about every auto trans with torque converter. The pull-up lever or foot pedal commonly referred to as the hand brake or E-brake operates on the rear wheels of RWD cars and is additional to the trans brake on auto trans cars. A typical automatic car will have a torque converter so at standstill there is no mechanical connection between the engine and the wheels. The engine cannot provide any braking force so the manufacturers provide the trans brake to lock the driveshaft against rotation. It is ALWAYS recommended to put the shifter in PARK when parking. Not only to prevent the car rolling but in most cases to prevent the car from being started in gear. On the other hand, a manual transmission has a mecanical connection between the engine and the wheels when the clutch is engaged and the car is is gear. It is also recommended that the car be put in a low gear when the car is parked on a slope so that the engine can supply some braking force to augment the hand brake. On steep hills it is also recommended that the front wheels be turned into the kerb, as if the hand brake does not hold the car may slowly edge forward as cylinder pressure leaks down. The SMG is a special case of an manual transmission without a torque converter, where the clutch action and gear shifting are achieved with an electro-hydraulic system. Thus to obtain the benefit of engine braking force the car must be parked in gear WITH THE CLUTCH ENGAGED. This is achieved by turning the engine off while the car is in gear as described above. Turning it off while the gearbox is in neutral means that no gear is selected and no engine braking assistance will be available. As for all cars it is recommended that the hand brake be used in conjunction with the engine or trans braking for safety reasons, and it is a good habit to get into Cheers...

Stole this from an M5 forum but I think it answers the question... Cheers...

Seems that evolved into this billet design 3.0litre V8 good for 460hp @ around 10,000 rpm NA. Nice engine but I would probably go with a de-tuned Cosworth DFV if I was going to spend that kind of money. There are probably a few still knocking around Cheers...

And drop that 1500cc engine into one of these cars.... hell yeah... I'm in Cheers...

Or maybe use that 1500cc engine to replace this P45 engine that made 271hp @ 8,400rpm...

Makes 215hp @ 13,900pm out of a 1000cc NA IL4 engine. Be nice if they could make a 1500cc IL6 version that would drop into a stripped out E30 shell Cheers...

Yes, I could see from the pic of the rebuild that the man was fastidious in his workmanship. It is one thing to maintain a perfect finish on the outside of a car, but when the same level of care and attention to detail is applied to the to the parts that will not be seen when the car is assembled, that is something else !!! It is the hallmark of a true craftsman and enthusiast... someone who puts love into their work... and it shows Cheers...

Your neighbour has impeccable taste If that is an E39 six-pack Hemi stuffed in there that must be a handful on the track. As I am not a collector or investor, I personally have no problem with upgrading the drivetrain in classic cars so long as the outward appearance of the car is not changed. My interest is in the styling, and seeing these beautiful old cars doing what they were designed to do... be driven with enthusiasm !!! Some are rare and very valuable and I have nothing but admiration for owners who either drive, or allow others to drive them in events such as the Goodwood Revival and Festival. Cheers...

What he ^^^^ says. Get hold of a decent battery charger and hook it up in the engine compartment as shown in the pic. Positive lead to the positive terminal (green arrow) and negative lead to the grounding lug (yellow arrow). If everything works fine for a while and then the yellow battery symbol on the dash comes back and the problems start again, your battery is not charging off the alternator. Cheers...

Yusss... I think this car struck the perfect balance point to capture the true essence of what a sports car should be. There were a lot of other worthy contenders in the late fifties and sixties (MGA, AC ACE, XK150, Sunbeam, Triumph etc) but to me the Healey 3000 just put it together better, with that beautiful little hardtop being the icing on the cake Running gear was derived from other existing and heavier Austin models to keep things simple, so no exotic or fragile mechanicals. The bodywork refined and purposeful with long bonnet and short boot as a sports car should be, but without any quirky or outlandish design features to spoil the classic profile and age quickly. Lots of torque and enough power to have tail-happy fun. Enough space for two and an overnight bag... no attempt to pretend that this was a family friendly car !!! If they could replicate this car today using the same design and parts sourcing philosophy, I would be first in line to put my money down Cheers...

This car represents the epitome of British sports car design. It has a purity that cannot be matched by anything leaving the factory today. A true classic that has endured for sixty years and will still look good in another sixty years !!! Video here... https://youtu.be/ze6MTz0fkmY Cheers...

Pic lifted from here... https://www.bimmerboost.com/showthread.php?35181-N54-Valve-cover-gasket-DIY Clip doesn't appear to have any practical use, so I guess it is just something added by BMW to piss off DIY people Cheers...

Yeah... I know that feeling Had a few problems when I did my first flash, and having read a few stories about people "bricking" their DME's I was uber worried until I managed to sort it out. Cheers...

As you are no doubt aware, the SC14 is an old unit. It is getting harder to find a good one, and they are inefficient by comparison with newer Roots type blower designs. Twinscrew superchargers offer higher efficiency while retaining the driving characteristics of the Roots blower, but in the US in particular, centrifugal superchargers such as ProCharger are dominating the aftermarket for mechanical superchargers. In Europe Rotrex have done a lot of work in helping to develop centrifugal blower kits for BMW's. If you can get (or already have) an SC14, would be happy with a modest increase in power and a decent improvement in low end torque, then by all means DIY the SC14. However, unless you get lucky and can find someone who can help you with the mounting bracket design, ducting and intercooler layout, you will be on your own. Engine management may also be a challenge unless you change to an aftermarket ECU or have a friend who is clever enough to be able to modify the factory DME to handle the changes in fueling and ignition timing. The personal satisfaction to be gained from completing such a project is considerable, but do not underestimate the time and effort that will be involved. Do your homework before you pick up your tools and identify the parts of the conversion that you can handle yourselves and what parts may require help from experts. Good luck Cheers...