October is Halloween month! and so we have a very spooky race car. Mike Olsen's (Pro3_130) PRO3 #130!
Factory options: Seriously? I have no idea. The car was a 4-door grocery getter that came with cloth seats and a few power amenities that would have made most accountant-types or soccer moms happy. Me? I stripped the damn thing of all that was "factory" and of course, allowed for in the ICSCC rules, section 1316 "PRO3".
Color: Well, the original was Delphine Grey. It is now a combination of 1994 BMW silver and some generic silver. Under all that color is a veritable buffet of BMW color: Briliontrot, Bronzit, White, and Schwartz
Interior color: Black. It's actually a superglue-based undercoating called POR15. Awesome stuff. I chose black for glare reasons and that really helps when racing mid-summer in Spokane. Drop a nut or screw somewhere in there, and well, you're fishing with a flashlight!
Engine modifications: 675hp; 525lb-ft of torque! Just kidding. The Reaper is barely a notch above stock, OEM specs, per the PRO3 rules. Engine was refurbed at Accurate Engines in Kirkland with new pistons (Mahle), bearings, rings, etc., and balanced. The head has been mildly ported and polished and gasket-matched to the headers, as allowed for in the rules. The rocker arms remain stock, OEM BMW parts but have had the casting ridges ground off to help prevent a broken rocker arm (the weak spot in this engine). New valves, springs, seals, etc at the time of rebuild. About a year ago, it dyno'd at 163hp; 161 lb-ft of torque at CarbConn in Kirkland.
Exhaust: Gotta have it. Our tracks limit our sound to no more than 103db (98db in Canada). I run Ireland shorty headers coupled to a custom 3" pipe (no cat) running to a Magnaflow can out the back. I also had installed a ball joint about where the transmission meets the engine. That helps immensely when swapping trannies.
Transmission: 5-speed Getrag 260. Bone stock and generally well-used. In five full seasons of racing, I've gone through about as many transmissions. I've lost count. That happens when we use a transmission with 200k miles on it for racing!
Differential: LSD 4.10:1 BMW-spec, medium cased diffy. Nothing special. Rebuilt at time of original build by Northwest Differentials.
Suspension: Ground Control coilover conversion with adjustable camber plates (front) coupled with single-adjust Koni inserts. Spring rates are 650# front and 800# rear - a popular setup in PRO3. Racing Dynamics 25mm front adjustable anti-sway bar generally set to full soft. Rear bar was installed, then disconnected and eventually removed. Front strut brace is some $100 unit bought off Ebay.
Bushings are a mixed bag. I run solid aluminum engine mounts, a solid aluminum rear subframe bushing, Delrin differential bushing, stock transmission mounts, and Treehouse 'eyeballs' for the control arm bushings. The upper rear shock monts have been upgraded to the Bimmerworld variety.
Wheels: Wheels? I gots wheels! Lots of them. Primary setup is 15x7 Delta Force wheels from Bimmerworld, hub centric with stock offset. Even still, I run a 15mm spacer upfront...because I can. I have three sets of the primary wheels, a fourth set of Panasports that are 14"x6.5" I use in Mission, BC (shorter, tighter track where the gearing helps) and a set of BMW Basketweaves (14") full-tread rain tires. The wheels are held on with 19mm BBS lug nuts from Bimmerworld and the wheel studs are bull-nosed, coated 92mm studs from Bimmerworld. These are the shiznik for quick wheel changes at the races and especially during Endurance Racing pit stops.
Per the rules, we can run either 14" or 15" tires and wheels and must use either the Toyo R888 or Toyo RA1 tire. We are allowed to shave, and I run a 4/32 shave as my dry tire. Full tread depth for rain tires.
Exterior modifications: It's a 1990 from the firewall back; a 1987 from the firewall forward. The bumper shocks up front have been shortened for a cleaner look. The valance is a late-model unit with the 'is' lip. Headlights appear stock, but are four high-beam units used for night racing.
Interior modifications:
A/C Delete
PS Delete
PW Delete
power lock delete
Horn delete
wiper switch delete (replaced with toggle)
turn signal switch delete
ignition key delete
headliner delete
door card delete
Well...you get the idea. We have to run the padded dash and have the heater core installed in the car per the rules. Other than that, most things in the interior can and should be removed prior to racing. Sound deadening insulation especially. It's heavy and happens to really burn/melt well in a fire.
8-Point roll cage fabbed and welded by Ron Piercy Racing in Federal Way. He did great work, but is an NHRA dude and the cage is reflective of that. If I were to do it again, it would have NASCAR door bars and be done by TCMotorsports in Auburn.
Story behind the car:
I searched hard for about four months before finally settling on this one. I looked at about a half dozen cars and this four-door e30 really spoke to me. Mostly because the engine had equal compression across all cylinders (165psi). I made no midifications to the engine, transmission, or clutch before my first Novice race in October 2005. I spent the summer of 2005 getting the car prepped and ready to race, saving many of the modifications for later as my skills improved. I blew the head gasket in Portland in June 2006 and that was my prompt to put together a better engine package. Same bottom end, but improved the head and clutch. A noticable gain in horsepower was had.
In Spokane, 2008, a fellow racer forced me off track on the first lap and sent me off-roading at about 60 mph - re-entering the track without any traction I side-swiped another e30 and bent the front end pretty severely. Rather than scrap it and start anew, I enlisted the services of Eastbay Collision in Gig Harbor to perform a front clip transplant. They saved the Reaper and their work is fantastic.
At that time, I also installed the newly rebuilt engine, and some new suspension goodies, and proceeded to put the Reaper somewhere we had not previously been: on Pole and out front!
2009 was my best season to date. I finished 6-points behind 1st place after attending all 12 races for that season including two enduros.
The car and I have 9 podium finishes and 3 first-place finishes out of 60+ race starts (and only two DNFs in PRO3). I've got countless hours of track time on the car including test days and fun days.
This is my pride and joy. The Reaper, as it is known throughout the paddock in ICSCC racing, is now a fixture in the PRO3. The car has become an extension of me and my driving and we work really well together. We have a special bond and there's just something about knowing your car as well as I do. From stem to stern, there isn't a bolt or screw I haven't touched or replaced.
The dents? Well, there's a few. It happens in racing. The Reaper isn't the shiniest car on the grid, but it's proven and I refuse to change it...for now.
Pictures:
Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBF7Pn80C60 Part.1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVD5yCoo_c0 Part.2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNHtvBxiLks Part.3
Factory options: Seriously? I have no idea. The car was a 4-door grocery getter that came with cloth seats and a few power amenities that would have made most accountant-types or soccer moms happy. Me? I stripped the damn thing of all that was "factory" and of course, allowed for in the ICSCC rules, section 1316 "PRO3".
Color: Well, the original was Delphine Grey. It is now a combination of 1994 BMW silver and some generic silver. Under all that color is a veritable buffet of BMW color: Briliontrot, Bronzit, White, and Schwartz
Interior color: Black. It's actually a superglue-based undercoating called POR15. Awesome stuff. I chose black for glare reasons and that really helps when racing mid-summer in Spokane. Drop a nut or screw somewhere in there, and well, you're fishing with a flashlight!
Engine modifications: 675hp; 525lb-ft of torque! Just kidding. The Reaper is barely a notch above stock, OEM specs, per the PRO3 rules. Engine was refurbed at Accurate Engines in Kirkland with new pistons (Mahle), bearings, rings, etc., and balanced. The head has been mildly ported and polished and gasket-matched to the headers, as allowed for in the rules. The rocker arms remain stock, OEM BMW parts but have had the casting ridges ground off to help prevent a broken rocker arm (the weak spot in this engine). New valves, springs, seals, etc at the time of rebuild. About a year ago, it dyno'd at 163hp; 161 lb-ft of torque at CarbConn in Kirkland.
Exhaust: Gotta have it. Our tracks limit our sound to no more than 103db (98db in Canada). I run Ireland shorty headers coupled to a custom 3" pipe (no cat) running to a Magnaflow can out the back. I also had installed a ball joint about where the transmission meets the engine. That helps immensely when swapping trannies.
Transmission: 5-speed Getrag 260. Bone stock and generally well-used. In five full seasons of racing, I've gone through about as many transmissions. I've lost count. That happens when we use a transmission with 200k miles on it for racing!
Differential: LSD 4.10:1 BMW-spec, medium cased diffy. Nothing special. Rebuilt at time of original build by Northwest Differentials.
Suspension: Ground Control coilover conversion with adjustable camber plates (front) coupled with single-adjust Koni inserts. Spring rates are 650# front and 800# rear - a popular setup in PRO3. Racing Dynamics 25mm front adjustable anti-sway bar generally set to full soft. Rear bar was installed, then disconnected and eventually removed. Front strut brace is some $100 unit bought off Ebay.
Bushings are a mixed bag. I run solid aluminum engine mounts, a solid aluminum rear subframe bushing, Delrin differential bushing, stock transmission mounts, and Treehouse 'eyeballs' for the control arm bushings. The upper rear shock monts have been upgraded to the Bimmerworld variety.
Wheels: Wheels? I gots wheels! Lots of them. Primary setup is 15x7 Delta Force wheels from Bimmerworld, hub centric with stock offset. Even still, I run a 15mm spacer upfront...because I can. I have three sets of the primary wheels, a fourth set of Panasports that are 14"x6.5" I use in Mission, BC (shorter, tighter track where the gearing helps) and a set of BMW Basketweaves (14") full-tread rain tires. The wheels are held on with 19mm BBS lug nuts from Bimmerworld and the wheel studs are bull-nosed, coated 92mm studs from Bimmerworld. These are the shiznik for quick wheel changes at the races and especially during Endurance Racing pit stops.
Per the rules, we can run either 14" or 15" tires and wheels and must use either the Toyo R888 or Toyo RA1 tire. We are allowed to shave, and I run a 4/32 shave as my dry tire. Full tread depth for rain tires.
Exterior modifications: It's a 1990 from the firewall back; a 1987 from the firewall forward. The bumper shocks up front have been shortened for a cleaner look. The valance is a late-model unit with the 'is' lip. Headlights appear stock, but are four high-beam units used for night racing.
Interior modifications:
A/C Delete
PS Delete
PW Delete
power lock delete
Horn delete
wiper switch delete (replaced with toggle)
turn signal switch delete
ignition key delete
headliner delete
door card delete
Well...you get the idea. We have to run the padded dash and have the heater core installed in the car per the rules. Other than that, most things in the interior can and should be removed prior to racing. Sound deadening insulation especially. It's heavy and happens to really burn/melt well in a fire.
8-Point roll cage fabbed and welded by Ron Piercy Racing in Federal Way. He did great work, but is an NHRA dude and the cage is reflective of that. If I were to do it again, it would have NASCAR door bars and be done by TCMotorsports in Auburn.
Story behind the car:
I searched hard for about four months before finally settling on this one. I looked at about a half dozen cars and this four-door e30 really spoke to me. Mostly because the engine had equal compression across all cylinders (165psi). I made no midifications to the engine, transmission, or clutch before my first Novice race in October 2005. I spent the summer of 2005 getting the car prepped and ready to race, saving many of the modifications for later as my skills improved. I blew the head gasket in Portland in June 2006 and that was my prompt to put together a better engine package. Same bottom end, but improved the head and clutch. A noticable gain in horsepower was had.
In Spokane, 2008, a fellow racer forced me off track on the first lap and sent me off-roading at about 60 mph - re-entering the track without any traction I side-swiped another e30 and bent the front end pretty severely. Rather than scrap it and start anew, I enlisted the services of Eastbay Collision in Gig Harbor to perform a front clip transplant. They saved the Reaper and their work is fantastic.
At that time, I also installed the newly rebuilt engine, and some new suspension goodies, and proceeded to put the Reaper somewhere we had not previously been: on Pole and out front!
2009 was my best season to date. I finished 6-points behind 1st place after attending all 12 races for that season including two enduros.
The car and I have 9 podium finishes and 3 first-place finishes out of 60+ race starts (and only two DNFs in PRO3). I've got countless hours of track time on the car including test days and fun days.
This is my pride and joy. The Reaper, as it is known throughout the paddock in ICSCC racing, is now a fixture in the PRO3. The car has become an extension of me and my driving and we work really well together. We have a special bond and there's just something about knowing your car as well as I do. From stem to stern, there isn't a bolt or screw I haven't touched or replaced.
The dents? Well, there's a few. It happens in racing. The Reaper isn't the shiniest car on the grid, but it's proven and I refuse to change it...for now.
Pictures:
Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBF7Pn80C60 Part.1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVD5yCoo_c0 Part.2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNHtvBxiLks Part.3
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