Discussion
cragswinter said:
nice build mate 
might be you in your old car on this video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_N116VnQA0&lis...
Nah that's not him in the vid. Nice Vid though.might be you in your old car on this video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_N116VnQA0&lis...
I've been to the ring each time in that old M3 and it was only ever overtaken once and that was by a UK plate red Evo 8.
Change of plan... after my patience finally running out with the current mechanic my car is booked in with Redish Motorsport on the 5th April.
In readiness for this and as iam off to the states next week, ive ordered a load of parts to meet me when i arrive. These are
Rear trailing arm pocket reinforcement plates
Adjustable swaybar stabilser link set
Delrin brake pedal bushing set
Delrin cluth pedal bushing set
75d Polyurethane rear diff mount bushings
Aluminium steering flex shaft coupling
Vorshlag camber/caster plates & perches
Treehouse racing eyeball arms
Monoball rear control arm upper inner bushing
Solid rear subframe busihings
Monoball rear trailing arm bushings
Once i have these home all the suspension will be powdercoated and built up ready to go onto the car, the 323 items will be used for dry build purposes.
Once the dry build has been completed the car will be striped and painted at the end of April then put back together in full.
With any luck the car should be ready for a shake down mid June.
I will update pics in due course
In readiness for this and as iam off to the states next week, ive ordered a load of parts to meet me when i arrive. These are
Rear trailing arm pocket reinforcement plates
Adjustable swaybar stabilser link set
Delrin brake pedal bushing set
Delrin cluth pedal bushing set
75d Polyurethane rear diff mount bushings
Aluminium steering flex shaft coupling
Vorshlag camber/caster plates & perches
Treehouse racing eyeball arms
Monoball rear control arm upper inner bushing
Solid rear subframe busihings
Monoball rear trailing arm bushings
Once i have these home all the suspension will be powdercoated and built up ready to go onto the car, the 323 items will be used for dry build purposes.
Once the dry build has been completed the car will be striped and painted at the end of April then put back together in full.
With any luck the car should be ready for a shake down mid June.
I will update pics in due course
mat205125]mdub said:
Interested to know how you do the swaged holes. I've seen tools to use in a fly press, however not seen them put so neatly into interior panels like you've managed.
YOu can get portable ones, a punch and die which bolt together, you drill the right size hole, put the die on the back, bolt the punch into the die from the front and tighten up, bingo. They're amazingly useful for stuff like this!Right, got back from Florida this morning with all my new bits 
Treehouse Racing Eyeball control arms
AKG Motorsport Delrin cluth and brake pedal bushings
AKG Motorsport flex shaft coupling
AKG Motorsport adjustable stabilizer link set(Heavy Duty)
AKG Motorsport 75D Poly diff mount set
AKG Motorsport Rear Trailing Arm Reinforcement Plates
Turner Motorsport control arm subframe monoball set
Turner Motorsport solid rear subframe race mount kit
Vorshlag Racing aluminium camber/caster plates
Only thing iam waiting on now is the Turner Motorsport monoball rear trailing arm bushes as these were out of stock.
Tomorrow the reinforcement plates are going to be welded to the car, and the underside fully etch primered and seal sealered around welded plates.
The front and rear subframes are also going to be stripped, strengethening plates welded and then all set off for powder coating before new bushes are fitted.
Treehouse Racing Eyeball control arms
AKG Motorsport Delrin cluth and brake pedal bushings
AKG Motorsport flex shaft coupling
AKG Motorsport adjustable stabilizer link set(Heavy Duty)
AKG Motorsport 75D Poly diff mount set
AKG Motorsport Rear Trailing Arm Reinforcement Plates
Turner Motorsport control arm subframe monoball set
Turner Motorsport solid rear subframe race mount kit
Vorshlag Racing aluminium camber/caster plates
Only thing iam waiting on now is the Turner Motorsport monoball rear trailing arm bushes as these were out of stock.
Tomorrow the reinforcement plates are going to be welded to the car, and the underside fully etch primered and seal sealered around welded plates.
The front and rear subframes are also going to be stripped, strengethening plates welded and then all set off for powder coating before new bushes are fitted.
Edited by Bmdub on Wednesday 14th March 16:48
Bit of an update, been a busy couple of weeks.
Rear subframe dismantled and sand blasted
Diff cradle seam welded and strengthening plates added
Rear control arms strengthened
Rear trailing arm mounting point reinforcement plates welded on
Harness mounts welded and drilled
All welded areas rust treated and primered.
Battery mount made and welded into car behind passenger seat
Fire extinguisher mount welded to car
Kill switch mounted to floor, this will be under the passenger seat
Fuel system mocked up in old battery location, this all sits on a carbon plate with we have covered in masking tape until the final fitment
Fuel hoses fitted and run through boot floor
Fuel hard lines run under the car as well as wiring loom which will run alongside
Next job is to lengthen the front wiring loom so that it can run under the front wheel arch, fit dash and run fire extinguisher pipes
Rear subframe dismantled and sand blasted
Diff cradle seam welded and strengthening plates added
Rear control arms strengthened
Rear trailing arm mounting point reinforcement plates welded on
Harness mounts welded and drilled
All welded areas rust treated and primered.
Battery mount made and welded into car behind passenger seat
Fire extinguisher mount welded to car
Kill switch mounted to floor, this will be under the passenger seat
Fuel system mocked up in old battery location, this all sits on a carbon plate with we have covered in masking tape until the final fitment
Fuel hoses fitted and run through boot floor
Fuel hard lines run under the car as well as wiring loom which will run alongside
Next job is to lengthen the front wiring loom so that it can run under the front wheel arch, fit dash and run fire extinguisher pipes
Edited by Bmdub on Monday 9th April 20:00
Edited by Bmdub on Monday 9th April 20:02
Update from the weekend.
First job was to extend the front loom so that it could be run through the passenger wheel arch, this meant mocking up the front of the car.
With this done, we set about fitting up the dash, first job was to weld the side mounts to the cage, these can no longer be attached to the shell in the usual places as the cage is now in the way.
Next we dropped the dash into the car and sat it on the mounts, its already been cut to fit around the cage although it will need tidying up still.
Fuse box then fitted into the glove box
Once the fuse box was in position we knew what space we had to fit the brake bias valve, so the glove box was removed and said valve fitted.
with the dash more or less now mocked up we moved onto the fire extinguisher, air box, header tank and ecu cover plate put back in, so that we know where to run the extinguisher lines.
And the two bulkhead pray nozzles fitted up
O/S
N/S
Both together
We then hit a slight snag, in that the wiper mechanism is hitting the cage where is passes through the bulkhead... Solution; Shorten the arms on the mechanism so it moves everything around by 45 degrees but still giving the same amount of movement.
Hopefully collecting my catchtank and external switch mounting box tomorrow so that they can be mocked up
First job was to extend the front loom so that it could be run through the passenger wheel arch, this meant mocking up the front of the car.
With this done, we set about fitting up the dash, first job was to weld the side mounts to the cage, these can no longer be attached to the shell in the usual places as the cage is now in the way.
Next we dropped the dash into the car and sat it on the mounts, its already been cut to fit around the cage although it will need tidying up still.
Fuse box then fitted into the glove box
Once the fuse box was in position we knew what space we had to fit the brake bias valve, so the glove box was removed and said valve fitted.
with the dash more or less now mocked up we moved onto the fire extinguisher, air box, header tank and ecu cover plate put back in, so that we know where to run the extinguisher lines.
And the two bulkhead pray nozzles fitted up
O/S
N/S
Both together
We then hit a slight snag, in that the wiper mechanism is hitting the cage where is passes through the bulkhead... Solution; Shorten the arms on the mechanism so it moves everything around by 45 degrees but still giving the same amount of movement.
Hopefully collecting my catchtank and external switch mounting box tomorrow so that they can be mocked up
Quick update.
As previously mentioned the original fuse box has now been moved inside the glove box... so what to do with the void where the original fuse box sat?
The solution get a catch tank made in the shape of the original fuse box, just made a bit slimmer on the n/s to miss the rollcage.
So today i collected the first mock up of the catch tanks from Pro Alloy
How it looks inside the car
And the best bit, the original fuse box cover fits on top
Once we are happy with ther fitment, it will go back to pro alloy to be finished off and powder coated satin black to add to the OE fuse box look.
Also picked the external switch box, for the kill switch and fire extinguisher switch. This sits on the scuttle panel through a hole made in the plastic trim so that it sits neatly under the bonnet. The front is even curved to follow the line of the bonnet.
How it looks on the car, once finished it will be fixed to the shell and pained with the car.
Other than this the wiper motor has been modified to fit with the roll cage and has been tested... all good
Fire extinguisher lines run down the chassis legs to the front of the car, held in with p-clips riv nutted to the shell.
internal sfire extinguisher spray nozzles fitted, into exisiting holes and mounted onto carbon fibre back plates (taped up at the moment)
Also been experimenting with what to use on the dash to build it back up and reshape around the cage... bumper repair didnt take at all.. however araldite epxoy resin worked a treat, so this will be used to build up the area and then sanded down to recreate the standard dash lines around the cage before being flocked.
More progress to follow.. 12 days until it goes off to be painted
As previously mentioned the original fuse box has now been moved inside the glove box... so what to do with the void where the original fuse box sat?
The solution get a catch tank made in the shape of the original fuse box, just made a bit slimmer on the n/s to miss the rollcage.
So today i collected the first mock up of the catch tanks from Pro Alloy
How it looks inside the car
And the best bit, the original fuse box cover fits on top
Once we are happy with ther fitment, it will go back to pro alloy to be finished off and powder coated satin black to add to the OE fuse box look.
Also picked the external switch box, for the kill switch and fire extinguisher switch. This sits on the scuttle panel through a hole made in the plastic trim so that it sits neatly under the bonnet. The front is even curved to follow the line of the bonnet.
How it looks on the car, once finished it will be fixed to the shell and pained with the car.
Other than this the wiper motor has been modified to fit with the roll cage and has been tested... all good
Fire extinguisher lines run down the chassis legs to the front of the car, held in with p-clips riv nutted to the shell.
internal sfire extinguisher spray nozzles fitted, into exisiting holes and mounted onto carbon fibre back plates (taped up at the moment)
Also been experimenting with what to use on the dash to build it back up and reshape around the cage... bumper repair didnt take at all.. however araldite epxoy resin worked a treat, so this will be used to build up the area and then sanded down to recreate the standard dash lines around the cage before being flocked.
More progress to follow.. 12 days until it goes off to be painted
Small update from tonight
Mounted the final two fire extinguisher spray nozzles.
One on the air box heatsheild, pointing towards the alternator area.
The other under the front slam panel pointing towards the exhaust manifold area.
First we had to make a mounting bracket
This is how is will fit
After this we tackled the auxillary switch panel.
Switch panel blanks were drilled to accept switches, not as easy as it may seem as they need to have a flat on them to stop the switches turning.
Came out perfectly
Switches will be
P1 - Lift Pump
P2 - Main Pump
FO - Fan Overide (Set to highest speed at all times)
HL - Headlight flashers
In order to stop them all falling out a metal plate was made to fit behind
The middle hole is blank at the moment but is for a rain light switch if we ever require one, the wiring has also been put in place for this.
How they look in the panel with the starter button
Now that the switches were in the correct positions the wiring for them and the starter button was finished off
We are now starting work on filling, shaping and sanding the dash to fit around the cage before it goes off to be flocked.
We are almost at the stage now where the car can be stripped down for final prep before it goes off to be painted.
Mounted the final two fire extinguisher spray nozzles.
One on the air box heatsheild, pointing towards the alternator area.
The other under the front slam panel pointing towards the exhaust manifold area.
First we had to make a mounting bracket
This is how is will fit
After this we tackled the auxillary switch panel.
Switch panel blanks were drilled to accept switches, not as easy as it may seem as they need to have a flat on them to stop the switches turning.
Came out perfectly
Switches will be
P1 - Lift Pump
P2 - Main Pump
FO - Fan Overide (Set to highest speed at all times)
HL - Headlight flashers
In order to stop them all falling out a metal plate was made to fit behind
The middle hole is blank at the moment but is for a rain light switch if we ever require one, the wiring has also been put in place for this.
How they look in the panel with the starter button
Now that the switches were in the correct positions the wiring for them and the starter button was finished off
We are now starting work on filling, shaping and sanding the dash to fit around the cage before it goes off to be flocked.
We are almost at the stage now where the car can be stripped down for final prep before it goes off to be painted.
Quick update before bed
Started mocking up the internal and external kill switch and fire extinguisher buttons.
Internal buttons will sit on a carbon plate inside the centre console ashtray, ashtray will still have lid on so the buttons can be covered when not on track
The fire extinguisher module will sit in the rear ashtray in the same way, needs a bit more fettling to fit nicely.
The centre console is an old one for mock up purposes, have a mint one at home
Now that we have cardboard templates made for how the dash needs to fit around the cage, we started to build up the areas with araldite.
Once this has cured it will be filed and sanded into shape.
Then we test fitted the alloy box which we have had made for the external kill switch and fire extinguisher buttons.
After a tiny bit of filing it fits snuggly into position, with the scuttle trim cut neatly around the box.
This is how it looks with the bonnet closed.
This will now be sent back to pro alloy to finish off and powder coat in satin black to match the scuttle panel.
Catch tank was also test fitted and needs a little bit more work to get a perfect fit but generally is looking good.
Started mocking up the internal and external kill switch and fire extinguisher buttons.
Internal buttons will sit on a carbon plate inside the centre console ashtray, ashtray will still have lid on so the buttons can be covered when not on track
The fire extinguisher module will sit in the rear ashtray in the same way, needs a bit more fettling to fit nicely.
The centre console is an old one for mock up purposes, have a mint one at home
Now that we have cardboard templates made for how the dash needs to fit around the cage, we started to build up the areas with araldite.
Once this has cured it will be filed and sanded into shape.
Then we test fitted the alloy box which we have had made for the external kill switch and fire extinguisher buttons.
After a tiny bit of filing it fits snuggly into position, with the scuttle trim cut neatly around the box.
This is how it looks with the bonnet closed.
This will now be sent back to pro alloy to finish off and powder coat in satin black to match the scuttle panel.
Catch tank was also test fitted and needs a little bit more work to get a perfect fit but generally is looking good.
Edited by Bmdub on Thursday 19th April 23:36
Couple of bits weve been working on this weekend.
External fire extinguisher and kill switch buttons fitted into ali box.
They look wonky but both sit on the same centre line, think its just that they are different sizes... anyway thats me being fussy
With that done we looked at the hole that is left where the fuse box wiring used to pass into the cabin.
We decided on a carbon fibre plate, so a template was made.
A removable panel was put into the plate, as we are extending the engine wiring loom to go inside to the fuse box, we need a way to be able to pass the large plugs through if we ever need to remove the loom.
In the car with grommets where loom passes from fuse box in the cabin.
With the plate in place the engine loom was extended as required.
We then started to strip everything back off the car, starting with the rear fuel system, loom etc
The rest of the loom and heater box will come out tonight followed by the engine and box.
With this done, the last of the plates and studs etc will be added or removed as required and the areas treated and primered.
The dash will be made to fit around the cage perfectly before going off to be flocked.
Carbon fibre footwell panels and boot floor need to be cut and fitted.
Doors and boot lid need to be stripped and trial fitted as they are new to the shell.
Then its off to paint on Saturday
Anyway more updates to follow.
External fire extinguisher and kill switch buttons fitted into ali box.
They look wonky but both sit on the same centre line, think its just that they are different sizes... anyway thats me being fussy
With that done we looked at the hole that is left where the fuse box wiring used to pass into the cabin.
We decided on a carbon fibre plate, so a template was made.
A removable panel was put into the plate, as we are extending the engine wiring loom to go inside to the fuse box, we need a way to be able to pass the large plugs through if we ever need to remove the loom.
In the car with grommets where loom passes from fuse box in the cabin.
With the plate in place the engine loom was extended as required.
We then started to strip everything back off the car, starting with the rear fuel system, loom etc
The rest of the loom and heater box will come out tonight followed by the engine and box.
With this done, the last of the plates and studs etc will be added or removed as required and the areas treated and primered.
The dash will be made to fit around the cage perfectly before going off to be flocked.
Carbon fibre footwell panels and boot floor need to be cut and fitted.
Doors and boot lid need to be stripped and trial fitted as they are new to the shell.
Then its off to paint on Saturday
Anyway more updates to follow.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff