Long term non BMW project teaser

[ZM Blue Devil]

cleaned up the engine bay, lots of leaves from being stored outside...

[ZM Blue Devil]

so.... Waiting for parts on the e28, waiting for Kish to stop by to fit seat to finish up the track car, we had some pocket of time to do some quick things on the 16v....

Centered the single wiper arm.

[RainierHooker]

So like, so want...

Please tel me you are gonna do some outlandish DTM livery on this thing

[Emre]

A couple of better pics from earlier today:



The car is much better than we were expecting. California car since new, until the current owner drove it over to Boston last summer. Straight chassis without any accident history and zero rust. A compression test showed that the engine makes exactly 180psi across all 4-cylinders. The close-ratio, Euro dog-leg Getrag box is perfect (just needs the shift linkage tightened up). The only problem is the sloppy rear diff, but that would have needed to be strengthened for track use anyway.

Now we've got some big decisions to make:

• Factory Gruppe-G springs with custom-valved Bilsteins, or H&R Nurburgring-spec coilovers?
• Leave the 2,3-16 body stock, or build a full-on 2,5-16 Evo II replica?
• Run it in vintage racing, or build for NASA GTS?

The fun begins...

[RickSloan]

this is amazing, compomotives are the sex and this give me one more reason why i need to get the hell over to the shop!

[ZM Blue Devil]

Took a while...

We bought wheels...

We bought a steering wheel...

Now we have a car. It just arrived. Couldnt be happier. Zero rust, engine checked out at 180 straight across all 4 Cylinders... Interior needs work and some minor other things but a perfect car for the plan...

More pics and project plan to follow...

[freeride53]

pics please!

compomotives are absolute sex. MO's look absolutely stunning on anything.
my relatives near dusseldorf have a 190 2.3 and a 190E 2.5-16 (i think)
one is the rare version, whole shabang, and the other is plane jane one with those lol benz hubcaps

[Emre]

I have decided that I must have a set of Th Mono's, even if I have to sell both sets of rims I have.

Talk to Levent. he's got a deal with Compomotive and he was saying something about maybe putting together a group buy. I'll be looking for a set of TH's in 17x9" for the 2.3-16v and another set in 16x8"/16x9" for the 560SL. So that's two sets right there.

I'll also need another set of wheels for my E30. I'll probably go with another set of 15x7" TDR ProRace 1.3's from Bimmerworld. But I'll consider a set of Compomotives in 15x8" as long as they clear my big brakes. Either MO1580 (left) or TH1580 (center); too bad I can't afford the TS15 (right):

I would definitely like to see this unfold.

We'll keep you guys posted as things develop.

[Holland]

I have decided that I must have a set of Th Mono's, even if I have to sell both sets of rims I have. I would definitely like to see this unfold.

[tehwickerman]

yeah thats the thing that stopped me from getting one.
cossy engine parts=========mega money.

[Emre]

I love w201's, it'll be a lot of work getting it even close to an evoII though. GL with the build!

The cosmetics are basically a matter of money. The big issue is whether the Evo II kit will be allowed for vintage racing. If not, we'll have to abandon it. But that's fine: the stock 2.3-16v kit is still pretty cool.

The engine is also a matter of money. We have contacts with Cosworth here in the USA. The parts are all still available. Even a build to full Evo II engine spec is still possible (if you want to spend the money).

The transmission is relatively easy to find. But the stock close-ratio, dog-leg gearbox on the 2.3 is good enough.

The many suspension tweaks to the Evo II would all be pulled out and tossed in the trash on a track car anyway. So that's not an issue.

The only issue is the trick rear diff. But most race cars would have that pulled out and replaced with something stronger anyway.

In the end, it wouldn't be an exact replica. But it would be close enough that only the biggest Cosworth geek would know the difference.

[tehwickerman]

I love w201's, it'll be a lot of work getting it even close to an evoII though. GL with the build!

[Emre]

Hey, Kish. How's the cage?

emre, i am sure you can race it in a NASA GTS class...

In the US, we got the 2.3-16v from '85 through '87. That makes them potentially viable for vintage racing, hillclimbing, and classic rally. That's the kind of thing I have in mind.

BTW, since the E30 M3 was first introduced in '87 it's also eligible for VARAC Group 70+ ( the cutoff is 1988 ). I'd love to take part in some classic M3 vs. 16v action...

...they are power/weight but it may not be competitive.

The car is pretty heavy in stock form. You can get it down to around 2500lbs without too much trouble. You can get over 300hp from a well-built and tuned 2.5L stroker ... but that would be a grenade engine. A reasonable output for a stock 2.3L build would be in the 200-210hp range. For a 2.5L, you can push 240hp without giving up too much reliability. In other words, we're in the same ballpark as an E30 M3 with S14B23 or S14B25 power.

Basically, I just wanted to do something different. We've been driving E30's in my family since 1984. I've run my current 318is track car since it was new in 1991. I'm just looking for something slightly bigger, faster ... and cooler :pimp:

[jackbenny]

Yeah, I flipped out when Levent showed me those 16x8" Carlssons he found. They'll be perfect for street tires. For race rubber, we'll be looking for 17x9" turbines for that old school DTM look. Maybe something like the Compomotives on this Evo I:

[IMG]www.comp.co.uk/gallery/pics/merc%20th1880.JPG[/IMG]

[IMG]www.comp.co.uk/gallery/pics/merc.JPG[/IMG]

mmmm compomotive th monos in 18X8



I look forward to seeing the progress on this project.

[CorvallisBMW]

wow, I am looking very forward to this project! Keep the updates coming!