Pro3 Build Underway

[vndrsmth]

Longtime lurker finally reporting in with the details of my build. Big thanks to all here and the Pro3 community for hosting so much great information. I'm a big fan of the search function and have been able to find a lot of answers thanks to many of you.

I'll be updating the entire build here: http://vandersmith.tumblr.com/

Starting Point:


Project Order:
1. Pull/Cut exhaust and Detach Driveshaft
2. Pull Engine/Transmission
3. Drop Front Suspension - Add Coilovers/Bushings/Swaybars/Paint
4. Cut Front Towers for Camber Plates
5. Front Brakes - Rotors/Calipers/Pads/SS Lines/Ducts/Wheel Hubs
6. Tie Rods/PS Delete/ABS Delete
7. Install Front Suspension/Brakes
8. Drop Rear Suspension and Subframe - Add Coilovers/Bushings/Swaybars/Reinforcement/Paint)
9. Rear Brakes - Rotors/Calipers/Pads/SS Lines/Bearings
10. Condition Differential - Clean/Gasket/Plug/Redline
11. Engine bay - Radiator/Oil Cooler/Fan Delete/Elec Fan/AC Delete
11. Engine Work - All Gaskets/Seals/Oil Baffle/Scraper/Pressure+Temp Sender/Clean/Paint
12. Transmission Work - Clutch/Slaves/Mounts/Bushings/Shifter/Clean/Paint
13. Engine/Transmission Installed
14. Sort out wiring and Mount seats
15. Bleed brakes
16. Cage Install
17. Dash Re-Install
18. Gauges/Shift Light Wired
19. New Doors/Fenders Hood
20. Exterior Paint
21. Race wheels/tires mounted
22. Race Alignment and Suspension Setup
23. Go!

Parts:


Engine
Stainless Headers (exhaust to come after)
TMS Performance Wires
Bosch Ignition Cap/Rotor/Coil
Turner Head Gasket Set
Ireland Oil Pan Windage Tray and Baffle
Condor Solid Motor Mounts
aFe Pro5R Air Filter
GMB Water Pump / Thermostat
Timing/Alternator/PS Belts
NGK ZGR5A Spark Plugs
Rotella 10w40 Oil
Bosch Fuel Filter
Mann Oil Filters
Fan Delete Stud Nut and Electric Fan
TMS Valve Cover Gasket Kit
TMS Performance Chip
New Starter and Alternator
Ireland Urethane Alternator Bushings
Drivetrain
Short Shifter
Condor Shifter Bushings
Condor Solid Differential Mounts
Condor Solid Transmission Mounts
Condor SubFrame Bushings
Ireland Bronze Clutch Pedal Bushing
Ireland Driveshaft Center Bearing
Ireland Driveshaft Guibo and HW
Stainless Clutch Line
Differential Gasket
Transmission Shift Shaft Seal
Differential and MT Plugs
F1 Stage 2 Clutch
New Clutch Master and Slave Cylinders
UUC Selector Rod
New MT and Differential Oil

Suspension
D-Force Stars 15x7 Wheels with Toyo RA1 225/50/15 Tires
D-Force Stars 15x7 Wheels with Toyo RR1 225/50/15 Tires
Ground Control Race Coilover System (F-600 R-750)
Suspension Techniques Front and Rear Sway Bars (F22mm/R19mm)
New Front Control Arms Condor Control Arm Bushings
Adjustable End Links
New Rear Spring Pads/Front Mounts/Bump Stops (backups)
New OEM tie rods
Ireland Front Strut Bar
eBay Rear Strut Bar
Ireland Rear Camber/Toe Kit
Front and Rear Sway Bar Reinforcements
Condor Rear Trailing Arm Bushings
Condor Power Steering Delete
Ireland Urethane Steering Coupler
New Front Wheel Hubs and Rear Bearings

Exterior
Race Skids Skid Plate
OEM 325is Spoiler
Stock Black Kidneys
Generic Hood Shock
Yellow Headlight Tint
Still need new doors, fenders, headlights and a windshield to comply with race condition rules
Buckets of paint

Interior
Race Components Cage - will be installed locally by a pro
Momo 350mm Steering Wheel
NRG Hub and Quick Release
Condor Shifter and Bushings
Bride Low Maxx Seats
RaceQuip 5 Point Harnesses
Recaro Racing Seat Mounts
AC Delete

Brakes
Front and Rear ATE Calipers
Ireland Brass Caliper Guides
Hawk HT-10 Race Front Pads
EBC RedStuff Rear Pads
Ireland (OEM) Front and Rear Rotors
Stainless Lines
Harrison Brake Cooling Ducts + Hoses
Motul RBF600 Brake Fluid
New Sensors and Parking Brake Shoes

Welding Req’d Reinforcements - need to check Pro3 spec first
Ireland Front Sway
TMS Rear Sway
Ireland Rear Strut Tower
Front and Rear Subframe

The Garage Workshop:

[moreoff]

wow! you've got alot of work ahead of you! are you going to be racing this season !?!

i've got a few friends that race pro3, would love to get into it one day. watched a couple of races, looks sooo fun.

if you ever need help turning a wrench on the weekends, PM me i'd love to help out.

[SkiFree]

I'm a big fan of the search function and have been able to find a lot of answers thanks to many of you.

I'll be updating the entire build here: http://vandersmith.tumblr.com/

I'm a big fun of the fact that you're a big fan of the search feature! Also really enjoying your blog, it's quite entertaining.

Your parts list looks healthy, best of luck.

[Cabriolet]

This is going to be great! great job planning ahead. you may want to try the bosch plugs, i've liked them better over the years and that's not usually the best water pump but i've never bought one so no personal info. and dont forget to change all the fuel lines with high end lines.

[Zreberlcoe]

I like where this is going! Keep us updated!

[deutschman]

Cool build!

[vndrsmth]

Week 1 Update:
Lots of work left but we're making progress.
Dry iced interior sound deadening.
Cooling system is out.
Front Suspension and Brakes are out.
Engine, Transmission and Driveshaft are out.
AC and Power Steering Deleted.
Transmission, Intake Manifold and other parts are ready for paint.
More parts have arrived - Thanks Turner Motorsports!

Tomorrow:
Cleaning underbody, wheel wells and engine bay.
Prepping a few parts for paint.
Removing Headliner and some wiring.

Week 1 Start (Saturday the car was running):



Radiator out and headlights out:



Radiator Comparison (CX Racing Left/Stock Right)



Removing front suspension/brakes:



Drilling Out and Tapping Rotor to Hub Bolts:




Day 1 of Teardown Complete:



Day 2-
Manifold Off:



Engine/Tranny Ready to Pulled:



Break Time:


1.


2.


3.

Out!



All of the parts we've pulled so far:




Day 3: Cleaning
30 Years of Built up Grime and Grease:



Engine Preview before cleaning and rebuild:





Degreasing Transmission and Brackets:


More cleaning and prep tomorrow. Waiting for my internals to arrive before taking engine apart.

[JCarp90]

I'll be watching this. Subscribed.

[iwantspeed]

Nice work so far just checked out your blog.

Subscribed

[Jparkr]

Sweet. Need anything PM me! You planing on being at the 6 hour on the 6th @ the Ridge?

[KEVORM]

Welcome to the world of PRO3! Look forward to following the build and meeting you at the track. As you probably already know, between the Yahoo group/facebook/and R3v there is enough information out there to make the process pretty streamline.

If you have any questions about the novice program I did it last year and would be happy to help or give advice.

Good luck and keep that rules sheet handy!

-Kevin
#304

[vndrsmth]

Sweet. Need anything PM me! You planing on being at the 6 hour on the 6th @ the Ridge?

I'll see you there! - The car most likely won't be finished (hopefully its getting the cage installed that week) but I'll be at the Ridge volunteering for that. I'll be in the IRDC Licensing course the day before

[vndrsmth]

Week 2/3 Update:

Nearing the final phases of the tear down. Busy couple of weeks!
-Updated Main Build Page: http://vandersmith.tumblr.com/
-Painted Transmission
-Painted Engine/Transmission Mounts and other brackets
-Removed Rear Suspension and Subframe
-Engine Rebuild Started

Rear Subframe and Suspension Removal:

First things first, check these rear brakes out:



Pulling the Differential Out First:


3.73 LSD Condition:





Time to get started on the Subframe:


The car came from a city near the the Pacific Ocean, "Ocean Shores" and it appears the PO took it for a few spins on the beach as you can see a few pounds of sand in my garage that fell out of the bumper when we were trying to hammer the subframe bolts out. There isn't any rust on this car anywhere except here. Throughout the entire tear down we'd been joking about what the first real snag was going to be as pretty much everything had been going pretty smoothly. That changed pretty quick.

Subframe Bolts were a nightmare. They were both bent and frozen. The Steel had fused to the Aluminum sleeves within the OEM Bushings due to corrosion. We had to use an air chisel to remove most of the bushing then a long 3/8" drill bit to make holes in the top hat where the bushing meets the frame. With a little more hammering and prying we were able to get it to drop. Many on the forums had mentioned torching the bushing out and I think you'd have to be insane to put heat that close to the fuel tank. No business but monkey business here.

Since the bushing came out leaving the bolt still fused to the sleeve, we had to grind and sawzall those mothers out.



Here's what the bolts looked like after the battle:



Rear Suspension Graveyard:



Primer Gray Transmission. May end up going a little brighter:


Engine Clean Up

Starting Point:




Couple of Bottles Later and a Wire Brush:



First Wave of Cleaning Done:




Few More Waves with Wire Brush:




Final Wire Brush - Almost Paint Ready:



Engine Rebuild Begins:







More Goodies Arrived!

Turner Motorsports Delivered:
-Head Gasket
-Exhaust Gaskets
-Recaro Seat Mounts
-Oil Filters



Ireland Engineering delivers!
Congrats IE on the new building and thanks for getting these out the door so quickly during the move!
-Front Strut Bar
- 14” Electric Radiator Fan
-Rear Billet Strut Mounts and Reinforcements
-Brass Brake Guide Bushings
-Oil Baffle and Scraper
-Poly Steering Coupler
-Poly Alternator Bushings
-Brass Clutch Pedal Bushings
-Frame Reinforcements
-Driveshaft Bushing and Guibo


Roll Cage Arrives!
Provided by Roll Cage Components out of VA who specialize in selling precut kits for thousands of cars and applications. We ordered their E30 kit with 1-3/4” x .120” DOM tubing, NASCAR style doors for driver/passenger, dash cross beam, rear x-bar and 6 mounting points.
Welding starts as soon as we finish the engine rebuild and bolt up the suspension. Waiting on a few parts until we can get that started.



M5's Last Track Day (for now)

The M5's final track day is this Saturday at The Ridge in Shelton for my IRDC Competition Licensing course. This is the next big step in meeting all of my requirements for Novice racing this season in Pro3 before getting out there with the big dogs. I'll take plenty of photos and will try to get some video of a few laps.

Cheers!

[MyE30]

this build is moving along fast. great updates!