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Tag Archives: Trackcar
New Wheels for the Stealth
I made the big wheel and tire swap last week. Since the BMW is almost done, I’m returning the MINI to normal–well closer to normal. I swapped out the R-comps on the MINI race wheels for a street tire. I took out the rear strutbar and removed the splitter. I also sold the MINI 15 inch wheels and moved the RA1s on to a new set of 15×7 lightweight wheels for the BMW. I also picked up another set of 16 inch wheels to put on the BMW with my old Goodyear F1 Tires. The 15 inch wheels have already sold and a couple of people are interested in the Hankooks. I should be close to break-even when all the dust settles.
It was a beautiful day for an August autocross–not too hot and not too humid. The NCC course at the Maryland State Police Training Center was fairly simple. There was a slolom, Chicago box, a couple of sweepers, and a skidpad circle at the end. I haven’t swapped out the driveline yet so I still can’t hammer the throttle, but I managed to win my class (I’m not saying how big the field was….) I’ve been working on smoothness and steering as the rack in the BMW isn’t as fast as the MINI. I really enjoy driving it even if the power is at the wrong end.
Stealth Ready for Shakedown
With more than 24 hours to spare, I finally finished the F-22 for the first track outing of the year. Since I was running out of time, I had Dan Martin’s shop finish the front suspension and fix the cam gear seal.
I’m really impressed with the Bavauto springs. The ride height is aggressive but not slammed. The ride is firmer but not harsh. I’m looking forward to getting it on the track and seeing if I still need to upgrade the sway bars. Compare the ride height to the 20 year-old stock set-up.
I also had them install the IE front strut bar as well. The bar looks really slick in basic black.
Now all I need are some go-fast stickers…
Stealth Springs into Spring
Thanks to the break in weather, I was able to start the suspension work this past weekend. The photo above shows the difference in size between the stock rear spring and the Bavauto spring.
Shorter springs require shorter shocks. This photo shows a comparison of the Bilstein HD shock with the Sport Shock.
This photo shows the stock spring prior to removal. Changing springs and shocks on the rear is fairly simple.
- With the car on jackstands, remove the wheels, and support the differential with a floor jack.
- Lower the exhaust by disconnecting the two rear brackets and the rubber hangar. Support the exhaust in the lowered position.
- Remove the bolt from the differential housing that mounts the differential to the subframe. Slowly lower the jack. This will take the pressure off of your axle shafts. You may have to disconnect your speedometer sensor if the wire is too short to drop.
- Remove the nuts that hold the swaybar to the trailing arm. Use another jack to support the trailing arm and disconnect the shock at the base. Disconnect the shock from inside of the trunk, but don’t let it fall. Remove the shock.
- Press down on the trailing arm. If your springs are really worn out, you may be able to remove them by hand. I didn’t have that luck so use a spring compressor to carefully remove them.
- Replace spring pads and reinstall new spring. Jack up the trailing arm a bit to hold it in place.
- Install the shock from inside the trunk. Now is a good time to replace the gasket under the shock mount. Think about adding reinforcing plates or a strut bar at the same time.
- Reattach the lower shock bolt. Tighten all bolts to torque specifications.
- Repeat for other side.
- Raise the differential and reattach bolt. Torque to specification.
- Attach swaybar bolts and wheels. Remember to torque the lugs.
- Attach exhaust hangar and brackets.
The photo above shows the new springs installed. Notice the difference in height by the gap at the top.
I also added the strut bar. I even changed out the brake calipers while I had everything available.
This final picture shows everything put back together with the new RA1s and Konig wheels.
Compare that to the off-roader height from before the change.
The final change was the addition of a new lip spoiler. It’s actually not the right one for this car, but with the lowered ride height and shallower design, it has a better chance of remaining attached after multiple autocross cone-crunches. Notice the ride height in the front. That will come down when the front springs are changed out.
Stealth Enters the Home Stretch
I had some time on my hands the other night, went out to the garage, and much to my surprise, there’s nothing left on my punch-list to do on the BMW. Sure there’s plenty left to do — just not much I can do myself. The new suspension components have started to arrive. Once the new brake calipers get here, I’ll throw on the rear springs and shocks and take it down to Dan Martin to install the front struts/springs; fix the leaky cam gear seal, and flush the brakes. The first CCA track weekend is in less than 3 weeks. I should be in a good position to base-line the car. I won’t do the full Spec E30 suspension right away. I’d rather get some seat-time and understand how the car handles with only minor changes before going with a full race set-up.
Not “Old” but Historic
The wait is finally over. The F-22 turned 20 this month and can be registered as a “historic vehicle”. Since I purchased the car out of state, I would have had to go through the Maryland’s bureaucratic inspection goat-rope, aka the mechanics & bureaucrats work protection act. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for safety, but this process makes no sense. I actually got the car inspected so I’d have a punch-list of things to correct, but found the inspection checklist was of little value for sorting out the car. For example, here’s a list of things my car failed:
- No rear seat-belts (because there are no rear seats).
- Hole in fender (where the antenna used to be).
- Window tint uneven (on a rear passenger side window).
- Window won’t go up due to bad switch. (I can understand why not going down would be a safety issue, but up?…)
But what didn’t the inspection turn up? A cracked and crumbling flex-joint in the drive-line; one of two transmission mounts was sheared as well as both engine mounts (meaning that the lone remaining transmission mount was all that was holding the engine & transmission to the chassis). And the speedometer didn’t work at the time.
So rather than fixing things just to get registered and then turning around in the Spring and ripping them out when autocross season starts up again, I thought I’d just wait for historic eligibility and skip the State inspection process since I have to get a technical inspection before I can go out on the track anyway.
So here’s where I’m starting the year:
- Weight Reduction: Items removed so far — Cruise Control; AC Compressor, AC Condensor/Dryer, & Electric Fan; Mechanical Fan; fog lights; stereo, four speakers, & electric antenna; automatic locking system; trunk trim; rear seats and seat-belts.
- New Items: Adding some weight back — seat-covers; new electric fan.
- Repairs: Timing belt; fan belt; PS belt; valve cover gasket; coil, spark plugs & plug wires; water pump & thermostat; replaced all hoses; rear shocks; catalytic converter & muffler; instrument cluster; driver’s door lock; control arms, tie rods, control arm bushings; brakes, rotors, stainless steel brake lines.
I don’t have enough miles on the car yet to know anything about it’s reliability. My plan is to take it down to Dan Martin to get the Guibo fixed and get his assessment of what needs to be done to be track worthy by March. Depending on how that goes, I’ll start driving it more regularly and then prioritize what needs to be done to make it faster.
