road racing e30's??? Options

[35th_Anniversary...]

Ok so a friend of mine is "giving" me a e30 BMW. It has some rear fender damage and a cracked rear wheel.

But we need to rebuild the I6 motor, and I wwant to slap a turbo on it. But the question is are there any actual race classes for W2W racing for these things? If there is I want to stay within the rules.

So any advice? Heard they made a forged crank for the diesel models and the diesel used the same block and the diesel manifold can be bolted up to it for the turbo.

[Soma07]

Ok so a friend of mine is "giving" me a e30 BMW. It has some rear fender damage and a cracked rear wheel.

But we need to rebuild the I6 motor, and I wwant to slap a turbo on it. But the question is are there any actual race classes for W2W racing for these things? If there is I want to stay within the rules.

So any advice? Heard they made a forged crank for the diesel models and the diesel used the same block and the diesel manifold can be bolted up to it for the turbo.

Im sure it fits into BMW club racing somwhere. With a turbo you'll probably be stuck in some unlimited class though.

Good luck, I've never driven one but the E30 325i's are supposed to be great cars.

[35th_Anniversary...]

just had a thought... ONE LAP OF AMERICA!!!

I already know several people who participate... Just either need to convince my friend or get someone else to run with me.

[Ojustracing]

just had a thought... ONE LAP OF AMERICA!!!

I already know several people who participate... Just either need to convince my friend or get someone else to run with me.

Now that the way to think. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/drink.gif) (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/drink.gif) (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

John

[JKnight]

E30s are a blast to drive. Much more light and nimble than the E36 chassis.

Here's the BMWCCA Club Racing calendar:

http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/events/events.aspx

I'm not sure what class they run in, but there's a KP E30 for sale on that site, so that's at least one class they run in. There's a Spec E30 series for these cars, which I think is a NASA series, but I'm not sure where that series has a following. Here's the website for that:

http://spece30.northamericanbavarianracing.com/

The thing I really liked about the E30 was the headroom. My helmet rubs in my E36, bumps the roll bar in the Camaro, and ust brushes the headliner in my Sentra. But there was plenty of room in my 325i. There's plenty of aftermarket support for the car from some pretty well known tuners (Bimmerworld, Turner Motorsport, perhaps TC Kline, to name a few).

As far as the engine, if you're looking for a race ready engine, Metric Mechanic builds them:

http://spece30.northamericanbavarianracing.com/

I hear the name Chuck Stickley for BMW race engines frequently, but I'm not sure if he does the M20 or not.

If there was more activity with E30s in SoCal I wouldn't have started down the se-r route as I did, and would have stayed the course with my 325i.

Here's the BMW Club Racing list of cars and weights. It lists the class that the cars run in as well.

http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/Archives/2...s_Rev021123.pdf

I don't know anything about diesel versus gas blocks and such, unless the discussion moves to E23 745i's. Unfortunately Mrs. Knight has been quite clear about me getting one of those. And I think that my wallet thanks her.

Post some pics!

Jason

[35th_Anniversary...]

the NASA Spec e30 looks too restrictive on rules... you can't go from a 405hp vette to a 168hp e30 and have fun on WGI. I NEED POWER.

cross-post. I guess I need an ECU...
http://www.e30tech.com/forum/viewtopic.php...ghlight=#272588

I also need to fix the fender.

[jensend]

Lower HP cars can produce respectable times at WGI as long as you maintain momentum. I regularly ran laps of 2:29 with a 2.0L Neon 4dr. that made 114 hp at the wheels. A good Spec Miata can run consistent 2:25s or better. Don't sell the E-30 short. Momentum cars are a blast to drive and put a real premium on precise driving. Besides, the lower hp cars don't have the braking issues that the heavy higher hp cars have. You can take them absurdly deep compared to most F-bodies. I wish my F-body had the braking of my old Neon ACR.

[wdtiger]

I had an '84 318i. That car was a lot of fun to drive. As mentioned, it's light and nimble. I loved the steering response that car had, you had to do little more than THINK of where you wanted it to go and that's where you went. Of course, the 318i only had the 110hp (or whatever it was) 4 cyl, but with the 5-spd it scooted along ok. I'm not trading my f-bod in anytime soon, but i'm still thinking an e30 325 will be in my future at some point.

[35th_Anniversary...]

i really want to go road racing. All road course cars are momentum cars in the sense that if you don't carry momentum you will be losing a lot of time b/c it affects how fast you go down the straigtaway. I'm sure I'll have fun, just thought it'd be more fun with more power.

[marka]

Howdy,

the NASA Spec e30 looks too restrictive on rules... you can't go from a 405hp vette to a 168hp e30 and have fun on WGI. I NEED POWER.

cross-post. I guess I need an ECU...
http://www.e30tech.com/forum/viewtopic.php...ghlight=#272588

I also need to fix the fender.

Aren't you the guy who's always bitching about being broke autocrossing?

And you're going roadracing?

And you're wanting something powerful?

What's wrong with you?

Mark

[35th_Anniversary...]

Howdy,

Aren't you the guy who's always bitching about being broke autocrossing?

And you're going roadracing?

And you're wanting something powerful?

What's wrong with you?

Mark

Yeah I was broke until I got my tax return in April...

I think I am braindead or I killed too many brain cells in Russia.

Well a "free" car pushed me over the edge. It's my friend's fault. He's liek I bought you a BMW... (yes we are nuts)

in any case, my tow vehicle runs on used fryer oil, so cost of getting to events is almost 0
my co-driver for the pros is supplying many tires at no cost to me

and this BMW is free for me, so the only real cost is shocks, springs, bars, brakes & tires.
then I need to look carefully at BMW's contingency program

I'm managing to break even autocrossing this year (or close enough to it) by being smart about which class to earn the most kumho money and having a few paying co-drivers along the way.

[BigEnos]

and this BMW is free for me, so the only real cost is shocks, springs, bars, brakes & tires.
then I need to look carefully at BMW's contingency program

Cage, suit, new helmet, wheels, tires, fuel cell, engine parts, machine work, turbo, bushings, motor mounts, battery box, cutoff switch, seat, harnesses... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[marka]

Howdy,

and this BMW is free for me, so the only real cost is shocks, springs, bars, brakes & tires.
then I need to look carefully at BMW's contingency program

FWIW, the "free" Mustang I got back in 2000 for CP has cost me $18k and currently doesn't move under its own power.

That's $18k in parts only mind you, and doesn't include the parts I had for a while and sold.

Prepping a car (and I suspect particularly a BMW) for reliable track duty is going to cost some reasonable money (figure $2k for a cage/seat... And that's assuming you can do the cage yourself). Then safety gear for the driver is in the $2k range as well (Hans, drivers suit, helmet, gloves, boots, etc.).

BMW motors that I've had experience with are _not_ cheap to build and that's assuming you're just trying to build a reliable stock motor, not some crazy supercharged thing.

Suspension parts for a bmw seem to cost more than most anything else I've played with, both stock and aftermarket.

Don't get me wrong, if you can afford it and want to do it... Go for it! But the "This should be cheap fun" vibe I'm getting has _never_ worked in my experience.

Mark

[Shortcutsleeping]

Race cars, boats, and aircraft.

Things with reasonable (or low) acquisition costs, but very high upkeep costs.



How do you have a small fortune in racing?

Start with a really big fortune.




Having roadraced powerful cars (well over 1hp/10lb) and very weak cars, I can say the fun is in the competitiveness. If there are a bunch of you all within a few tenths on laptimes it is much more fun that just going fast. My opinion, of course.

Costas
cars and such...

[jensend]

First rule of performance: "How much do you want to go Fa$t?"

[nape]

First rule of performance: "How much do you want to go Fa$t?"

I think you mean: "How fa$t do you want to $pend?" (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rotf.gif)

[35th_Anniversary...]

well obviously my first priorities are safety & legality. I'm not going to dump tons of money in the thing to get every 1/100th of a second out of each lap. I never even done a HPDE yet, so it is more important at this point to learn to drive and not get protested for something stupid.

[wdtiger]

Hey, he is Chapter 11 Racing, afterall. lol. I guess i'm with you, too. I have enough money for entry fees and that's gonna be about it this year... which is why i'm in F Stock. I've still got those crap DeCarbon shocks on my car. I want to run E/SP next year... this car is SO gonna kick my ass. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/buttkick.gif)

This post has been edited by wdtiger: May 23 2006, 06:54 AM

[patred]

Don't get me wrong, if you can afford it and want to do it... Go for it! But the "This should be cheap fun" vibe I'm getting has _never_ worked in my experience.

I will never build a racecar* from scratch again. I will never build a racecar from scratch again. I will never build a racecar from scratch again. I will never build a racecar from scratch again. I will never build a racecar from scratch again. I will never build a racecar from scratch again. I will never build a racecar from scratch again. I will never build a racecar from scratch again.

It is much easier/cheaper to buy somebody else's project car than to start one yourself.

* "Racecar" as in dedicated road-race car. Autocross cars that double as daily drivers don't count. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

If only I knew "Barney" was for sale at the same time I bought my Firebird 3-1/2 years ago.

Pat