Pitchblack Motorsports Rally e30 318i (now with M50) - and some Porsche 924S stuff.

[irish44j]

(there are photos down below, in case you don't want to read, lol)

Final Event (WDCR SCCA) and Season wrap (though I am running a Susquehanna Region event next weekend up in PA):

Big turnout today at Summit with 55 cars in attendance. Weather was perfect, and Adam Kimmett and his guys laid out the best courses of the year, including a double-loop section that I enjoyed quite a bit.

Coming into the event, I had a really, really outside chance of catching Gorka for 2nd for season points, but I would have to win the day and have him finish 5th or worse, I think. Shawn already locked up first for the season but knowing him he wanted to take 1st today after Gorka took it last time.

Morning runs were over 100 seconds for the MR cars. It was largely dry (with a few damp spots) and we also used the FULL "back straight" and I was able to use 3rd gear for the first time this season, extensively. We were getting up into the 60mph vicinity in that area, and some of the AWD cars were getting higher than that to boot.

Shawn started out the class run for the day with a dnf, forgetting to do the double-loop (first time we've had that setup, and he wasn't the only one), so that pretty much opened up first place to Gorka and I to fight out for the day, barring any big mistakes.

In the morning I ran right after Shawn and with four long runs in dry conditions I had a 4 second comp lead over Gorka at lunch break. Car was driving well and I pushed it harder in the speed sections than I had previously this season. Gorka was pushing it too, but I had him in raw times on all runs, I think. Unfortunately, I got 7 cone hits in those 4 runs and he only had 3, so my advantage was minimal.

We ran first in the afternoon, and with a trackday going on next door, the water truck did two full rounds of the course before we started. DAMMIT. That more or less erased my possibilities unless I drove perfect and Gorka screwed up.

First two runs were VERY wet and slippery, and Gorka's fresh rally tires had much more bite. I was all over the place and after 2 runs he had gotten 11 seconds back and taken a 7 second lead. As it dried a bit and I figured out some new ideas, I laid down an AWESOME third run - In my book, it was almost as perfect as it could be. AND......of course there was a timing issue (the timer said my time looked like it must have been one of the subarus, lol). So I had to re-run. The next try I was pretty good and still managed to beat Gorka by 1/2 a second. With 1 run left, pretty much had no chance barring a big mistake on his part. He didn't make that mistake, and ran it fast and clean. I ran the same time as him, but trying to eke out some time I clipped 3 cones (my vid shows they are all "just barely," but that counts of course...)

In the end, finished in 2nd, 12 seconds back with total times of almost 800 second for the day. WIthout the water truck I'm pretty confident that I could have taken the day, but water truck is part of rallycross, so that's the breaks!

Shawn pushed it hard and ended up adding a spin to his DNF, but otherwise his times were pretty similar to mine all day - so that's good since he was destroying me earlier int he season. I doubt he's regressing, so I guess I'm getting better. Time will tell.

Chris Nonack pulled off 4th behind shawn in his V6-swapped MR2, and Jason Reyonlds and Pat Henry took 6th and 5th respectively in their ETA-powered 325. Shawn's co-driver finished behind them. Nick and Bobby had issues with the e28 and called it a day at lunchbreak, leaking several different fluid types :P

Season:
For the season,
Shawn 1st: 56 points, 5 first place finishes
Gorka 2nd: 48 points, 2 first place finishes and a second.
Me 3rd: 41 points, 3 second place finishes.

Overall pretty pleased with this first season. I'm within striking distance and me and Gorka were tied until the last two events when he put the new tires on. So I'll come back next season with some fresh tires, 40% more power with the M42, and a few other tweaks and we'll see what happens.

WOrd is that Shawn is putting his interior back in and moving to PR, and Gorka will be running MA is the Audi rallycar he's building. Roberto (whose car Gorka drove this season) is reportedly moving up to MR after winning PR for 2 straight years. So he will be my main competition. We'll also likely have 4 or 5 BMWs in MR next year, plus the MR2s and we'll see what else.

results for the day: http://www.wdcr-scca.org/RallyCross/...3/Default.aspx

And a few pics real quick. More later :)

Gorka/Roberto's RX-7 (1st in PR, 2nd in MR for the season)


Spencer


The ETA boys


my "aero" mod. I actually was faster with this stuff up ther, lol


Gorka and Roberto


Scott Crowner, SR champ




Arun James in his PR Peugeot 505


The Euro crew:


M4 season champ Matt Berkebile in his H6-swapped impreza


SA champ Mike Golden


SA runner up....Jim Golden


Mike Newkirk in the Scirocco


Julian's last run, we left him a little present at our work station


grm style


actual stage rally car.....very fast


not as fast, at least not on this run


this freaking guy.....


dave shindle's nice lancia (not rallycrossing)

[kts]

That Lancia is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.

[irish44j]

when he pulled up and opened his trailer, we expected to see his usual eclipse rallycar....and then everyone there was like "wtf?" when he pulled the Lancia out. I think he went over and ran at the trackday over on the main circuit.

[irish44j]

apparently some guy in a new baller Ferrari spun it in the turn near the rallycross course and destroyed it into a tire wall....didn't get to see it though....

[shEck3lls0]

apparently some guy in a new baller Ferrari spun it in the turn near the rallycross course and destroyed it into a tire wall....didn't get to see it though....

I think I heard that.

[irish44j]

you may also have heard that Porsche GT3 that spun screeching into the corner and into the dirt, but saved it and got back on track. That was freaking loud tire screeech....

[phenryiv1]

I'll come back next season with some fresh tires, 40% more power with the M42, and a few other tweaks and we'll see what happens.

WOrd is that Shawn is putting his interior back in and moving to PR, and Gorka will be running MA is the Audi rallycar he's building. Roberto (whose car Gorka drove this season) is reportedly moving up to MR after winning PR for 2 straight years. So he will be my main competition. We'll also likely have 4 or 5 BMWs in MR next year, plus the MR2s and we'll see what else.

results for the day: http://www.wdcr-scca.org/RallyCross/...3/Default.aspx

Oh the disrespect!

[irish44j]

Oh the disrespect!

lol.....well, he's the defending PR champ, and his car beat me with a different driver this year. So he is the "main" competition initially since he's faster than me right now, so he's the one I'm chasing.

You guys will tighten up for sure once you're all set up and get more time in the car (just like I did this year to Shawn - he killed me early, but I pulled closer every event). But initially Roberto is going to be who I'm shooting for. If/when you guys catch up to me, I'll worry about it then :?

[irish44j]

Back to mechanicals. Tonight we look at the new flywheel/clutch stuff.

I got this for about 1/4 of the "new" price:
- M20 single-mass flywheel (resurfaced nicely)
- M20 sachs clutch (brand new)
- 323i throw out bearing (new)
- M20 starter (new)
and a few other parts.

Anyhow, the M20 conversion is said to save about 4 or 5 lbs in overall rotating mass vs. the stock M42 stuff. Some people lighten it further, but I don't think I'll do that. Of note, there are about a dozen different methods that people say to do this conversion on the various e30 forums, so I've been trying to sift through the chaff and find out what the real deal is.

I think the method I'm going to use is the simplest:
- Don't change the M20 flywheel at all, other than to use the spacer off the M42 flywheel to make the M20 wheel clear the oil pan bolts.
- Use the M20 clutch as-is, of course
- Use the 323i TOB (though some people say the 325/318 one is fine)
- Use the M20 starter as-is (though some people change the gear onto an M42 starter for some reason).

Some pics of the parts below and more thoughts on the above. But first, let's take a looks at weights. I checked this scale using some workout weights, and it's good within about 1/2 lb give or take. Close enough for me.

so here's the M20 flywheel alone. About 16lbs.


Now the M42 flywheel alone. Remember, it's dual-mass. About 26lbs.


Now the full M20 clutch/flywheel assembly together. About 30lbs.


And the full M42 clutch/flywheel assembly together. About 35 lbs.


So, as expected that's about 5lbs saved weight from this swap.

Now, on to some other details:
Here's what they look like side-by-side. The M42 left and M20 right. The M20 mounting face on the engine side is recessed about 3/16" or so from the lip it's sitting on, while the M42 FW face is flush with the mounting circle. So they're not "even" in this pic.


Also note on that how the M42 overall height is much taller. The M20 pressure plate splines do stick "out" more, but its overall height is still maybe 1/2" shorter (e.g. farther away from the throwout bearing once installed).



Here's a comparison of the TOBs. The 323i on the left and 318 stocker on the right. Though people say you can use the stock one, others use the 323i one. I assume this is to compensate for the difference in "height" of the clutch/fW assembly. Will measure more in the future.



And the starters. They are identical in size and both fit the bellhousing mount points. The length of the gear and its assembly is the same on both from what I can tell. Only real difference is that the M20 gear is smaller in overall diameter (I measured them, but forgot the numbers). Long and the short is that the M42 gear won't fit the M20 flywheel. Some people just swap the gears, but it seems to me that the M20 starter should work as drop-in, from what I can tell (and from what some other poeple have said).



So....will tackle assembly of this stuff once the engine is off the stand. Also not shown is the spacer that I removed from the M42 flywheel for use on the M20. It's a thin spacer but enough to make the flywheel clear the back of the engine/oil pan without milling or grinding of anything.

Also, my two Getrag 240s. This one came with the first engine, and the owner said there were no issues with it. I don't see any issues.....but that means nothing :)



Here's the one that came with the "new" engine. The inside of it is nasty with oil. So I'm guessing the rear main seal on the second engine is shot (though I don't see any oil on the back of the block or anything, so who knows...)


The engine is coming along, with all accessories installed with new adjuster "ladders" off the second engine that are in great shape.




getting a bit crowded in here...


One side project, Pat gave me his diff cover to press in a urethane bushing. So I have to do that sometime this winter as well.


He traded me a GRM t-shirt, brand-new, for my effort. BUt more because it's a large and he likes a medium to make him look more buff, lol.


Oh....one last thing. Also got an M42 ECU with the Jim Conforti chip - which is supposedly good for an extra 15 hp or so. As you can see, also have a bunch of regular M42 ECUs (every parts deal I've gotten seems to include one or two, lol).

[irish44j]

more on the clutch stuff. Did some mocking up to see what method is actually best. Here's my take:


My workbench is PERFECTLY level, first of all.
I used some blocks of EXACTLY the same thickness underneath the assemblies, simulating the mouting face of the block. So this display shows the relative heights of the entire assemblies AS MOUNTED on the engine.

All bolts are tight, and the pressure plates are cinched down to spec, with clutch plates inside.

FIRST TEST:
This is the M42 stock assembly on the left.
On the right is the M20 assembly WITH the little spacer underneath. As you can see, the ring gears on each are perfectly even. Both have a standard E30 TOB on top. As you can see, they are PERFECTLY level with each other.

So, the bottom line on this setup is that the full M20 assembly here, with the spacer and stock TOB, is exactly the same overall thickness as the stock M42 stuff.

M42 vs M20 w/spacer and stock TOB:




TEST 2:
In this test, I took out the spacer ring from below the flywheel, and put the slightly longer 323i TOB on top instead of the stock one.

Results: The ring gear is a bit off. The overall height is exactly the same. So basically, this setup should work fine as well. I'm thinking that the 323 TOB method was developed before someone thought of using the little spacer to allow use of the M42 TOB. The only thing here is that the backside of the FW would have to be milled a bit to clear the engine/sump bolts. So this method involves a BIT more work.

Looking at the starter pinion gear travel, it appears that the M20 starter OR the M42 starter with the M20 cone should both work perfectly.

Thoughts?

M42 vs M20 without spacer, with 323i TOB.




EDIT: Here are shots with the level of the "ears" on the TOB. As you can see, the 323i TOB on the right sits "higher" by exactly 3mm. According to those who use it, it still works either with or without the spacer.

[silence]

I used an m20 flywheel clutch & pp in my old m42. I used the M42 starter with the m20 pinion gear. I did have to shave/notch my block in one small spot because the flywheel was hitting.
Also remember, you do not need to compare the top part of the throwout bearing, but the small arms where the clutch fork pivots.

[phenryiv1]

One side project, Pat gave me his diff cover to press in a urethane bushing. So I have to do that sometime this winter as well.

He traded me a GRM t-shirt, brand-new, for my effort. BUt more because it's a large and he likes a medium to make him look more buff, lol.

Wow, you are just CLUBBING me today!

[irish44j]

I used an m20 flywheel clutch & pp in my old m42. I used the M42 starter with the m20 pinion gear. I did have to shave/notch my block in one small spot because the flywheel was hitting.
Also remember, you do not need to compare the top part of the throwout bearing, but the small arms where the clutch fork pivots.

yep, I forgot to do those last night - I plan to compare them tonight and add a photo :)

[irish44j]

Wow, you are just CLUBBING me today!

just givin' you a hard time,......you have to read the tongue-in-cheek, since I know that you're gonna read what I write here Pat ;)........also since I had just looked at pressing that bushing out and was like "damn you Pat..." since none of my press cups are large enough (so I'll have to use the burn/cut method to get the old one out).

[silence]

yep, I forgot to do those last night - I plan to compare them tonight and add a photo :)

sorry, i'm not being clear. What i am referring to is your level, It needs to rest on the small arms of the throwout bearing, not the tops of the throwout bearing.. the arms are what contact the clutch fork, the tops dont contact anything.