Discussion
Since buying my car (which I first put a deposit down on a year ago today), I have been trying to trace the first owner to take it to Ireland. I knew his name and previous address, but last week I heard he'd moved to New Zealand. Not being someone who gives up easily, I called another number from those 118 fellas and managed to get his mum! Result! Anyway, on Saturday I got an email from the guy in question and I'm really pleased I kept searching.
Not only does the chap still have extensive service records, invoices, original German log book etc, but he also has proof that my car was originally a demonstrator for Hamann Motorsport. In fact, it was their show car during 1990/91 and appeared on their stand at the Munich Motor Show. It was they who did the work to the rear arches, that allows it to run 17" alloys, with 245/40's and no rubbing issues. People often remark on how nicely the arches had been done and now I know why. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the Hamann literature and have mailed them to see if they remember the car itself, as it was then bought by a Hamann employee.
I'm hoping the new rotor arm and cap arrive from C3 today and I can do a service before Santa Pod next Sunday.
Not only does the chap still have extensive service records, invoices, original German log book etc, but he also has proof that my car was originally a demonstrator for Hamann Motorsport. In fact, it was their show car during 1990/91 and appeared on their stand at the Munich Motor Show. It was they who did the work to the rear arches, that allows it to run 17" alloys, with 245/40's and no rubbing issues. People often remark on how nicely the arches had been done and now I know why. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the Hamann literature and have mailed them to see if they remember the car itself, as it was then bought by a Hamann employee.
I'm hoping the new rotor arm and cap arrive from C3 today and I can do a service before Santa Pod next Sunday.
Yes I must admit, finding that out has been an added bonus and I'm looking forward to seeing all the old history and photographs etc.
Well the new cap, plugs and rotor arm arrived as promised. C3 always seem reliable. Anyway, changing the cap was simple enough but the rotor arm is held on by 3 small allen bolts. Unfortunately 2 of which are rounded out and the key simply can't get enough purchase to undo them. Rather than attempt to slot the bolts myself, to get a large flat head screw driver in there, I cleaned up the contact on the old arm and left it in place. I'm about to pop down to see Joe at Avers Racing and see if he has any tricks? One good thing though, cleaning the contacts solved the slight miss/hesitation so all should be well once the new one is in.
I'm still searching for a deep reach, thin wall socket in 11/16 ths for the plugs though. If anyone knows a supplier please let me know.
Well the new cap, plugs and rotor arm arrived as promised. C3 always seem reliable. Anyway, changing the cap was simple enough but the rotor arm is held on by 3 small allen bolts. Unfortunately 2 of which are rounded out and the key simply can't get enough purchase to undo them. Rather than attempt to slot the bolts myself, to get a large flat head screw driver in there, I cleaned up the contact on the old arm and left it in place. I'm about to pop down to see Joe at Avers Racing and see if he has any tricks? One good thing though, cleaning the contacts solved the slight miss/hesitation so all should be well once the new one is in.
I'm still searching for a deep reach, thin wall socket in 11/16 ths for the plugs though. If anyone knows a supplier please let me know.
e21Mark said:
Yes I must admit, finding that out has been an added bonus and I'm looking forward to seeing all the old history and photographs etc.
Well the new cap, plugs and rotor arm arrived as promised. C3 always seem reliable. Anyway, changing the cap was simple enough but the rotor arm is held on by 3 small allen bolts. Unfortunately 2 of which are rounded out and the key simply can't get enough purchase to undo them. Rather than attempt to slot the bolts myself, to get a large flat head screw driver in there, I cleaned up the contact on the old arm and left it in place. I'm about to pop down to see Joe at Avers Racing and see if he has any tricks? One good thing though, cleaning the contacts solved the slight miss/hesitation so all should be well once the new one is in.
I'm still searching for a deep reach, thin wall socket in 11/16 ths for the plugs though. If anyone knows a supplier please let me know.
Great story, bet that'll add some value! Such awesome cars. 8 years ago I looked at an S3, an E36 M3 and a £7000 E30 M3. Man I wish I'd bought it!Well the new cap, plugs and rotor arm arrived as promised. C3 always seem reliable. Anyway, changing the cap was simple enough but the rotor arm is held on by 3 small allen bolts. Unfortunately 2 of which are rounded out and the key simply can't get enough purchase to undo them. Rather than attempt to slot the bolts myself, to get a large flat head screw driver in there, I cleaned up the contact on the old arm and left it in place. I'm about to pop down to see Joe at Avers Racing and see if he has any tricks? One good thing though, cleaning the contacts solved the slight miss/hesitation so all should be well once the new one is in.
I'm still searching for a deep reach, thin wall socket in 11/16 ths for the plugs though. If anyone knows a supplier please let me know.
Ref your socket: http://www.lockitsocket.com
"The answer for all 18mm motorcycle spark plugs, even the hard to reach ones like the 400 Honda. Ultra thin wall socket is a great tool for both on and off road bikes. The short length and small outside diameter work well with a variety of 3/8" extensions and swivels. Applications include many Honda outboards and many other motors with 18mm hex spark plugs including the S-14 BMW. Size: 18mm 2.5" overall length."
Edited by S3_Graham on Tuesday 23 September 10:39
S3_Graham said:
Great story, bet that'll add some value! Such awesome cars. 8 years ago I looked at an S3, an E36 M3 and a £7000 E30 M3. Man I wish I'd bought it!
Ref your socket: http://www.lockitsocket.com
"The answer for all 18mm motorcycle spark plugs, even the hard to reach ones like the 400 Honda. Ultra thin wall socket is a great tool for both on and off road bikes. The short length and small outside diameter work well with a variety of 3/8" extensions and swivels. Applications include many Honda outboards and many other motors with 18mm hex spark plugs including the S-14 BMW. Size: 18mm 2.5" overall length."
Thanks for that. It looks ideal. Ref your socket: http://www.lockitsocket.com
"The answer for all 18mm motorcycle spark plugs, even the hard to reach ones like the 400 Honda. Ultra thin wall socket is a great tool for both on and off road bikes. The short length and small outside diameter work well with a variety of 3/8" extensions and swivels. Applications include many Honda outboards and many other motors with 18mm hex spark plugs including the S-14 BMW. Size: 18mm 2.5" overall length."
Edited by S3_Graham on Tuesday 23 September 10:39
Well we ended up having the break up the old rotor arm, in order to get enough purchase on the old screw. It looks as though someone used loctite and then rounded out the allen screw doing them up! Anyway, new cap and arm fitted, along with fresh Bosch plugs, to replace the NGK. There's a definite improvement in the way it runs, which given how tired the old parts were, isn't surprising.
Hopefully I can get the new Tarox 6 pot front brakes on soon. I just need to order some Hawk pads to fit them first.
Well I seem to still have an issue around running and also noted the AFR gauge no longer displays LEAN on overrun. This coincides with my having replaced the exhaust manifold studs and cam cover gaskets, so I'm wondering if the throttle position switch, or its wiring harness, were disturbed? I guess the TPS switch itself could be deteriorating? This could certainly explain the intermittent hesitation.
So, once I've had some breakfast, I'll go take a look as I'm supposed to be heading to Santa Pod this weekend.
So, once I've had some breakfast, I'll go take a look as I'm supposed to be heading to Santa Pod this weekend.
Well for the past week or so, the rough running has gotten worse. I was pretty confident it was most likely down to either the throttle position switch or a failed lambda sensor? In fact, replacing both parts helped but the most obvious thing was the rear fuel filter. The date stamp on it was July 2001! It was so blocked you couldn't even blow through the thing! So obviously we replaced that too and the upshot is it now runs better than it ever has!
e21Mark said:
Any pics? I do love a toy car.
Since updating my phone to iOS8 I can't copy photo bucket pics but these are the cars. Brand new and still attached to the display box. http://www.topslotsntrains.com/topslotsntrains/fin...
g3org3y said:
A great thread to read, lovely stuff. 
(Loved those '02s too.
)
Thanks. I think next weekend will be the last real use I have of the M3 for a few months. Autumn has finally arrived here and I don't want to get the underside too muddy before it goes away. I'll probably stay using the blue 02 though. The white one is currently on a spit and having its last supposed "restoration" re done. I won't name the company in Maidstone, who call themselves BMW restoration specialists, but the work is some of the most shocking and dangerous I've seen. The rear suspension turrets were coated in filler and sculpted to look like the original metal work. Meanwhile, underneath, there was rotten metal just left to get worse. These people charged the previous owner a tidy some for their "specialist" know how. In fact, we were lucky the rear end didn't simply collapse all together. (Loved those '02s too.
)I like those models very much. I'll have to wait and see if Santa can hook me up though?
g3org3y said:
e21Mark said:
I like those models very much. I'll have to wait and see if Santa can hook me up though?
What you really need is some good 1/18 scale models.
They do '02s too.
Paid a visit to the guys at Rally Prep today and am taking the white M3 shell to be dipped tomorrow. It's going to be built to Historic regs, so the front brakes found their way onto my car. 
One good thing about the Compomotives is just how much room there is behind them.
The braking performance is now pretty impressive.
Next job will be to have the suspension rebuilt by Gaz.
One good thing about the Compomotives is just how much room there is behind them.
The braking performance is now pretty impressive.
Next job will be to have the suspension rebuilt by Gaz.
I spent a few days last week, trying to source new pads for the Tarox 6 piston brake callipers that I fitted. For some bizarre reason the pad template Tarox used was a commercial one, usually found on Ford Cargo or Mercedes G wagon, so it looked as if I would have to stick with the OE Tarox pads. A few calls though and I secured a set of Ferodo DS2500's, although I was advised that they might require some slight modification to fit. They weren't wrong! There was a small tab on the backing plate that had to be ground off, but the worst job was removing a few mm of the pad material itself. Obviously I wanted to keep the pad face flat but I also needed to be careful not to put too much heat through them. Anyway, I eventually got there and I have to say I was really pleased with how well the 2500's work with the 6 pots. The braking performance is just so much better and really progressive.
I've also been speaking with the good folk at Bilstein and they are going to rebuild the coilovers over the winter. The cost is a little under £100 per corner and given the cost of new units, I think that's pretty reasonable. I also intend on having the paintwork sorted, the dashboard flocked and new carpets. The final job will be new cams from Schrick but that will be once the other stuff is sorted first.
I've also been speaking with the good folk at Bilstein and they are going to rebuild the coilovers over the winter. The cost is a little under £100 per corner and given the cost of new units, I think that's pretty reasonable. I also intend on having the paintwork sorted, the dashboard flocked and new carpets. The final job will be new cams from Schrick but that will be once the other stuff is sorted first.
M3 is currently off the road and stored at Avers Racing. Whilst there the cage is being fitted correctly (including floor strengthening plates) and the inside repainted. The dash is also being flocked and a matching Ridgard passenger seat fitted. Final jub will be electrical cut-out switch and extinguisher. All being well I will enter the Crystal Palace Sprint next year.
Rally E21 with 306 bhp!
Rally E21 with 306 bhp!
e21Mark said:
M3 is currently off the road and stored at Avers Racing. Whilst there the cage is being fitted correctly (including floor strengthening plates) and the inside repainted. The dash is also being flocked and a matching Ridgard passenger seat fitted. Final jub will be electrical cut-out switch and extinguisher. All being well I will enter the Crystal Palace Sprint next year.
Rally E21 with 306 bhp!
Best time to do this sort of stuff when the weather's all grotty - mind you, it has been comparatively mild this winterRally E21 with 306 bhp!
I bet that E21 us fun
I should have timed it better, as I would have liked to take advantage of todays quiet roads and gone for a hoon. I'm looking forward to the list of ''jobs to do'' getting shorter though and finally entering the Crystal Palace sprint in a more competitive car. It's been a dream to compete in an M3 since I first saw one back in 1990 or so.
Well with the inconvenience of Christmas and New Year, things have been moving more slowly than I would have liked. The E21 is supposed to be getting painted next week, but the E30 is also getting some love.
With the dash off for flocking, we have been chopping out any wiring we no longer needed, such as the heated seat switches. The dished steering wheel has also been replaced as I never really liked them.
The cage came out, in order that it can be re fitted properly this time. This means strengthening the floor, and we are also going to re paint it, once any surface rust is dealt with and the small hole beneath the throttle pedal has been repaired. I'm also going to replace the driver side door bar. The seats are matching Ridgard with Safety Devices harnesses and full cage.
It should look so much nicer once it has all been tidied up.
There's never a shortage of E30 at ARM. The black M3 replica features E39 M5 power! The white car is a 318is
Fingers crossed the next photos I post will be a freshly painted E21.
With the dash off for flocking, we have been chopping out any wiring we no longer needed, such as the heated seat switches. The dished steering wheel has also been replaced as I never really liked them.
The cage came out, in order that it can be re fitted properly this time. This means strengthening the floor, and we are also going to re paint it, once any surface rust is dealt with and the small hole beneath the throttle pedal has been repaired. I'm also going to replace the driver side door bar. The seats are matching Ridgard with Safety Devices harnesses and full cage.
It should look so much nicer once it has all been tidied up.
There's never a shortage of E30 at ARM. The black M3 replica features E39 M5 power! The white car is a 318is
Fingers crossed the next photos I post will be a freshly painted E21.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff