E30 M3 Steel Bodywork Conversion

[Dj Buttchug]

everytime you post I always think its an update and I get all excited just to see you reply to another post haha.

this build dominates all. more please!

[bmwmech1]

everytime you post I always think its an update and I get all excited just to see you reply to another post haha.

this build dominates all. more please!

Haha, that's the reason I post so much! I bet if you go back and remove all the fluff, there are really only 4 posts with updates, lol! Seriously though, I try to keep up with everybody who posts... the last one was from London, even! I'll have more this week, parts keep coming in almost daily, so I have plenty to do. I have family in town this weekend, so no updates until first of the week...:(

Garey

[bmwmech1]

While I've been waiting on some more stuff to arrive, I started working on the core support/oil cooler mounting/electric fan mounting. I trimmed some unnecessary pieces off the core support, made up some basic mounts for the oil cooler and welded them on and then started thinking about the best way to mount the fan. Since this will be the only fan, I really need to make it as efficient as possible, so no just mounting it to the front of the radiator and hope for the best. As I was looking at the core support, I realized that combined with the way the radiator sits against the back of the core support and the hollow area in front, where the AC condenser usually sits, that area could be made into a shroud, if I made a piece to fit in the opening and welded it in, effectively sealing that hollow off. Then mount the fan to the front of the shroud and bingo... a nice, full surface area, sealed shroud, about an inch deep, that will force all of the air from the fan into the core of the radiator. I made the shroud in 2 pieces, to make it easier to cut the opening for the fan, then butt welded the 2 pieces together. Then I started welding the shroud to the core support, but I ran out of welding wire about 1/2 way around, so that was all for tonight. I did get the holes drilled to mount the fan and added some speed nuts to run screws into, instead of nuts and bolts, so I could take the fan off and on from the front without having to remove the radiator to unbolt it. Pics...













Things like this are why this build will have taken 2 years to finish, by the time it's done... ugh! But, at least it's done right, when it's finished. Easy to service, should I need to, functional and it will look like it belongs, not an afterthought...

Garey

[JGood]

Nice work!

How did you cut the half circles?

[bmwmech1]

Nice work!

How did you cut the half circles?

Electric nibbler... amazing that it took 2 hours to make the shroud, weld it together and then start welding it to the core support... why does shit take soooo long... argh! I'm off to bed, I'm beat...

Garey

[Jean]

Garey - nice pics and progress man! I found one from one of the SCCA officials I can make my rad support removable if everything is in the same location.

[JGood]

Electric nibbler... amazing that it took 2 hours to make the shroud, weld it together and then start welding it to the core support... why does shit take soooo long... argh! I'm off to bed, I'm beat...

Garey

Oh cool. I've been playing with an air nibbler that I picked up... it's a pretty cool tool but sometimes takes off on it's own path, haha. And it leaves these gnarly edges that look like a giant shark bite. Probably operator error.

Sooo, you're going to put flaps in that shroud that swing open with air flow, for when the car is in motion... right? ;)

[Cletonius]

Sooo, you're going to put flaps in that shroud that swing open with air flow, for when the car is in motion... right? ;)

I was wondering this too. Seems like a lot of the radiator to have permanently sealed off.

[JGood]

I was just joking. I think it's spaced far enough in front of the radiator that it won't be a problem.

[Jean]

F430 style flaps lol :) Cletonius, actually thats how it is on many cars and will just SUCK the air through the rad.

[bmwmech1]

F430 style flaps lol :) Cletonius, actually thats how it is on many cars and will just SUCK the air through the rad.

Jean, good news on the core support! Makes life much easier, especially for a track car, where servicing becomes a regular event.

To your point on the radiator, Cletonius... The ram air effect of air being forced through the radiator at speed is what needs to be simulated while sitting still. Since I am not running a engine driven fan, I need the efficiency of the electric fan to be as high as possible. Air will still be forced through while driving, enhanced by the electric fan, but the shroud will ensure that all air, whether generated by the fan or forced through can only go through the radiator core, not around it, or through it only at the "footprint" of the fan, thereby creating hot spots. This fan setup will run at all times, ensuring airflow through the radiator, no matter what speed the car is moving...:)

Garey

[LJ851]

This fan setup will run at all times, ensuring airflow through the radiator, no matter what speed the car is moving...:)

Garey

Garey, a moving fan (fan on) will block air above 40 mph or so and marginalize your cooling potential at speed. I actually agree with the flaps on the shroud, but only if the air flow at speed proves to be not enough. You may want to rethink having the fan on constantly, you would be wasting HP and reducing your radiators potential.

[kingston]

Garey, a moving fan (fan on) will block air above 40 mph or so and marginalize your cooling potential at speed. I actually agree with the flaps on the shroud, but only if the air flow at speed proves to be not enough. You may want to rethink having the fan on constantly, you would be wasting HP and reducing your radiators potential.

Wow, I did not know this. Veddy good food for thought. Thanks for posting that!

[bmwmech1]

Garey, a moving fan (fan on) will block air above 40 mph or so and marginalize your cooling potential at speed. I actually agree with the flaps on the shroud, but only if the air flow at speed proves to be not enough. You may want to rethink having the fan on constantly, you would be wasting HP and reducing your radiators potential.

Looks like I'll need to do some more research on this... maybe the flaps might be necessary, dunno. I hate to have to re-engineer it after it's done, so I'll look into some refinements before I finish it up. I still plan on using a thermal speed control on it, so maybe I'll add a manual cutoff also...

Garey

[Jean]

Maybe speed sensitive cut-off ? :)