91 318is Field Rat

[Gkwan]

Seat covers look good! I didn’t know that the perforated material was an option. Any close up pictures of the material?

[captain awesome]

So I pulled the trigger on new seat covers for the e21 Recaros. I ordered from zoomzoomzoom-ing and spent the extra coin for the German embossed material. I think the only major difference between these and the stock covers are the head rests. The stock ones are perforated and the ebay ones aren't. I'm kinda bummed about that, but oh well. As soon as I get the hog rings and pliers in I'll start putting the passenger seat together first.

[wworm]

11236071_1444499212511784_1663322517_n by el_wormo, on Flickr

this was the guy I mentioned's daily. They do look amazing but anyone who dailies a hardtail probably had a pretty rough childhood haha.

[econti]

Let's be real you don't hardtail a bike to ride it daily. Man they look cool.
Almost bought a XS650 for my first road bike myself

[captain awesome]

Hmm..weird. I bought parts from a guy who's main source of income was making xs650s into hardtail bobbers. He said it was a stupid idea but everyone wanted one...Good to know about the kz's. Makes me more interested. I've been on the hunt for a bike again.

Good to hear the boost train might be coming back

I put a hardtail on one about 10 years ago. Never finished it even though it only required a few final touches to get it roadworthy. Kinda glad I never did, cause it would have rode terrible and been way too loud. It sure was cool to look at though.

[wworm]

The boost train left a couple months ago. Sort of. I sold off everything only to start buying turbo parts again. I'll post an update when I get closer to actually using them.

The tt500 was fun, but was a terrible bike for anything other than off road. Xs650s are some of the worst vibrating twins on the planet unless you rephase the crank. Just sitting on the center stand they will vibrate/walk down your driveway into the road. The kz400/440 variants have crank balancers that help out vibrations. Way more tolerable.

Hmm..weird. I bought parts from a guy who's main source of income was making xs650s into hardtail bobbers. He said it was a stupid idea but everyone wanted one...Good to know about the kz's. Makes me more interested. I've been on the hunt for a bike again.

Good to hear the boost train might be coming back

[captain awesome]

haha! good to hear.
Loving how purpose built this is. Cant wait for b00st! :devil:

Also, really like that tt500. All those old parallel twins sound so good even though they shake your teeth out! I test rode an xs650 and my hands were so tingly afterwards

The boost train left a couple months ago. Sort of. I sold off everything only to start buying turbo parts again. I'll post an update when I get closer to actually using them.

The tt500 was fun, but was a terrible bike for anything other than off road. Xs650s are some of the worst vibrating twins on the planet unless you rephase the crank. Just sitting on the center stand they will vibrate/walk down your driveway into the road. The kz400/440 variants have crank balancers that help out vibrations. Way more tolerable.

[wworm]

Honestly the e30 sport seats probably are a better seat other than weight, but I am just guessing on that. The stock sports are more comfortable and I would say the bolsters are about equal. On top of that, bolting these Recaros in vs. stock sports is a nightmare. The stockers just drop in or unbolt with ease. The Recaros you have to stand on your head, rub your tummy and cross your toes. It's unnerving.

haha! good to hear.
Loving how purpose built this is. Cant wait for b00st! :devil:

Also, really like that tt500. All those old parallel twins sound so good even though they shake your teeth out! I test rode an xs650 and my hands were so tingly afterwards

[captain awesome]

How would you compare the e21 recaros to standard e30 sport seats? I've sat in the recaros, but not the e30 sport seats and am looking at getting a pair of them to reupholster but am curious about adequate bolstering for semi aggressive driving

Honestly the e30 sport seats probably are a better seat other than weight, but I am just guessing on that. The stock sports are more comfortable and I would say the bolsters are about equal. On top of that, bolting these Recaros in vs. stock sports is a nightmare. The stockers just drop in or unbolt with ease. The Recaros you have to stand on your head, rub your tummy and cross your toes. It's unnerving.

[wworm]

How would you compare the e21 recaros to standard e30 sport seats? I've sat in the recaros, but not the e30 sport seats and am looking at getting a pair of them to reupholster but am curious about adequate bolstering for semi aggressive driving

[captain awesome]

So mike.bmw brought to my attention that I am featured in the April 2018 issue of Grassroots Motorsports as the Internet Hot Rod of the Month! Still not sure why they picked my turd, but I'm not going to argue for them remove it.



Moving on, I am finally starting to knock some maintenance stuff off the list again. I bought some toe plates a month or two ago but kept putting it off; my tires were already starting to show abnormal wear. Front toe was in over 3/4"?! That explains it, so I set it to 1/16" toe in for now.

Rear toe before adjustment:



Front before adjustment:



Then I decided to go ahead and replace the radiator hoses as they were old and showing some cracking.





I bought a Meyle water pump with a metal impeller to put in just in case, but as it turns out the one that was installed looked brand new. I'll keep it as a spare I guess.







The plan for now is to get the coil over setup installed, poly cabs, poly diff bushing, riser poly subframe bushings to correct camber, Hawk HP Plus pads, stainless brake lines(maybe), rear and front wheel bearings, and trim front bumpstops before the first autocross of the season March 18th. There's not much time to get all that done, so I'll probably take a couple days off work as soon as all the parts roll in. I also have some new fancy seat covers for the e21 Recaros that should be here soon. The cold weather has caused mine to crack all over the bolsters and base.

[mike.bmw]

I had no clue! That's awesome though, thanks for the heads up.

No problem! I was reading through your thread (again) the other day and I recognized the photo and username that GRM used in the issue. PM'd you with the screen cap. Let me know if you aren't able to see the image.

Congrats!

[captain awesome]

April 2018. Advance digital copy. Sending you a PM with a screen cap now! Sorry, I thought you knew!

I had no clue! That's awesome though, thanks for the heads up.

[mike.bmw]

Which issue? So confused right now.

April 2018. Advance digital copy. Sending you a PM with a screen cap now! Sorry, I thought you knew!

[captain awesome]

Which issue? So confused right now.