JackBenny's 1991 318is Project

[jackbenny]

Josh,

The issue with any aftermarket seat is that if you want to keep the factory seatbelt, you have to figure out how to attach the buckle recetpacle to the seat (or to the car body). I have both 3-point seatbelts and 4-point Scrhoth harnesses in my street E30, but I have stock sport seats.

The difference between 5- and 6-point harnesses is the attachment of the sub link. On a 5-point, it's a single strap, which requires adding a central attachment point under the seat. On a 6-point, the two crotch links go to the lap belt mounting points, which makes it easier.

Mark MacMahan in Arkon, OH makes some of the best bolt-in roll bars and cages. I've had one in my previous E30, and it fit so tightly that I had to scrape off BMW seam sealer off the floor to make it fit. Take a look at some of the pics in the gallery. The web site is very simple, because Mark doesn't have to advertise: http://www.rollcageguy.com/ VSR would be me 2nd choice. Another good choice, if you want your rollbar welded to the chassis, is Izzy's Custom Cages in St. Louis (although I'd go with MacMahan first): http://www.izzyscustomcages.com/BMWE30Rollbar.html It won't cost much more than the bolt-in type, and will have much better reinforcements/boxing of mounting points, and can go to the rear shock towers instead of wheel wells.

I don't want to hijack your thread, so feel free to drop me a PM when you're ready to start looking at roll bars, seats, seat brackets, and harnesses. I went through the same thing, before building a full-blown race car, and hopefully can save you a few headaches and dollars.

Alex

Will do Alex.

Nice looking update josh. Ive been a bit under the weather and now im in orlando, so i havent been able to get to making the valve cover stickers. I will try to get on them when i get back home later this week.

Are you planning on polishing or clearing the tail lights? ive had extremely good luck with polishing them with just some 3m rubbing and polishing compound. No need to get the plastic polish if you already have compound for buffing out cars. Just be careful, its easier to burn the plastic compared to the paint.

Those door panels look great. a bit of a suggestion though. I LOVE contrast in the interior. Would love to see something other than black around the carbon inserts. Maybe tan or a light grey?

When you go for looking at cages talk to me about it. Ive built cages and roll bars in the past for several purpose built racecars. Or if you just need a simple harness bar thats definitally doable as well.

I've got some clear on the way for the tails so I will spray them after I turn teh amber into teh red. I am going to try and get them finished this weeks so I can take them to the barn and try them out. We'll see if that happens. I pick up the wife at the airport at lunch so I'll probably take the afternoon off to work on it and spend some time with her.

I considered a different color on the door cards but I am going to stick with black. I will use a red strap for a means to pull the door closed like the 911 RS's use. The steering wheel has red stitching as well so there will be a few red highlights.

I'll be out of town next meeting unfortunately but on the plus side I will be picking up the car from the barn!

[bejbis]

Nice looking update josh. Ive been a bit under the weather and now im in orlando, so i havent been able to get to making the valve cover stickers. I will try to get on them when i get back home later this week.

Are you planning on polishing or clearing the tail lights? ive had extremely good luck with polishing them with just some 3m rubbing and polishing compound. No need to get the plastic polish if you already have compound for buffing out cars. Just be careful, its easier to burn the plastic compared to the paint.

Those door panels look great. a bit of a suggestion though. I LOVE contrast in the interior. Would love to see something other than black around the carbon inserts. Maybe tan or a light grey?

When you go for looking at cages talk to me about it. Ive built cages and roll bars in the past for several purpose built racecars. Or if you just need a simple harness bar thats definitally doable as well.

[flipper325es]

My intention is that if I do go from the standard 3 point harness to a 5 point, a 4 point cage would be employed. Most likely I will go with the VSR roll bar as I really like that setup. I will not use a 5 point without that bar. But at the same time, I don't want to use the 5 point on the street. I would prefer to use the standard 3 point when daily driving and the 5 point on track excursions.

Going with the speeds would also enable me more time to save up for the cage and harnesses until I am ready to use them. so i guess that's a plus. I am open to suggestions for places to buy them other than what google tells me. I am contemplating black with the red logo only because there will be a few red accents in the cabin. As always, I am open to opinions and suggestions.

Josh,

The issue with any aftermarket seat is that if you want to keep the factory seatbelt, you have to figure out how to attach the buckle recetpacle to the seat (or to the car body). I have both 3-point seatbelts and 4-point Scrhoth harnesses in my street E30, but I have stock sport seats.

The difference between 5- and 6-point harnesses is the attachment of the sub link. On a 5-point, it's a single strap, which requires adding a central attachment point under the seat. On a 6-point, the two crotch links go to the lap belt mounting points, which makes it easier.

Mark MacMahan in Arkon, OH makes some of the best bolt-in roll bars and cages. I've had one in my previous E30, and it fit so tightly that I had to scrape off BMW seam sealer off the floor to make it fit. Take a look at some of the pics in the gallery. The web site is very simple, because Mark doesn't have to advertise: http://www.rollcageguy.com/ VSR would be me 2nd choice. Another good choice, if you want your rollbar welded to the chassis, is Izzy's Custom Cages in St. Louis (although I'd go with MacMahan first): http://www.izzyscustomcages.com/BMWE30Rollbar.html It won't cost much more than the bolt-in type, and will have much better reinforcements/boxing of mounting points, and can go to the rear shock towers instead of wheel wells.

I don't want to hijack your thread, so feel free to drop me a PM when you're ready to start looking at roll bars, seats, seat brackets, and harnesses. I went through the same thing, before building a full-blown race car, and hopefully can save you a few headaches and dollars.

Alex

[jackbenny]

Josh,

Recaro Speeds are really nice seats, assuming you fit into them.:) Recaros are on the narrower side, compared to Italian seats -- this applies to both shells and recliners. Make sure you sit in one before you buy it.

With respect to harnesses, you can run a 5- or 6-point harness with a recliner like Recaro Speed with no problem, if they come with a crotch slot. I suggest you buy them with a slot, even if you plan to use a factory seatbelt or a 4-point harness -- makes them more versatile just in case.

One point of caution on the harnesses: if you don't have a cage or a rollbar, then the harness is usually attached to the back seatbelt mounting points. The problem with that geometry is that shoulder straps are not horizontal, but instead angled down, and can put squishing pressure on your spine when tightened. Especially if you're on the taller side. And especially if you wear a HANS device. At the very least, consider a harness bar, if you want access to the back seat.

Alex

Thanks Alex. I've only tried out the sparco evos and recaro pole positions and the pole positions were just too narrow at my shoulder. I sat in a cobra R and those seats are similar to the speeds and I fit very comfortably in them. I would still like to find a set to sit in. I would get the 5th hole for a harness.

My intention is that if I do go from the standard 3 point harness to a 5 point, a 4 point cage would be employed. Most likely I will go with the VSR roll bar as I really like that setup. I will not use a 5 point without that bar. But at the same time, I don't want to use the 5 point on the street. I would prefer to use the standard 3 point when daily driving and the 5 point on track excursions.

Going with the speeds would also enable me more time to save up for the cage and harnesses until I am ready to use them. so i guess that's a plus. I am open to suggestions for places to buy them other than what google tells me. I am contemplating black with the red logo only because there will be a few red accents in the cabin. As always, I am open to opinions and suggestions.

Today I think i'm going to go and work on the other tail light and paint my euro grills. My kidneys are pretty trashed so I'll probably paint them black to see how it looks. If it's ugly, I'll source some new kidneys. I'll post some pictures later today.

[flipper325es]

Originally I was going to go with some fixed back seats in the car. Life has me rethinking the purpose of the car, it certainly won't see any wheel to wheel racing. Mostly HPDE and autocross and driving around town. With a kid on the way (a boy we found out last week), I would like to include him with the car. For that reason I've been considering the Recaro Speeds. I know 5 point harnesses require a fixed back depending on the club you are with so I think these might be a good compromise. Feel free to interject your thoughts on the matter, I am open to suggestions.

Josh,

Recaro Speeds are really nice seats, assuming you fit into them.:) Recaros are on the narrower side, compared to Italian seats -- this applies to both shells and recliners. Make sure you sit in one before you buy it.

With respect to harnesses, you can run a 5- or 6-point harness with a recliner like Recaro Speed with no problem, if they come with a crotch slot. I suggest you buy them with a slot, even if you plan to use a factory seatbelt or a 4-point harness -- makes them more versatile just in case.

One point of caution on the harnesses: if you don't have a cage or a rollbar, then the harness is usually attached to the back seatbelt mounting points. The problem with that geometry is that shoulder straps are not horizontal, but instead angled down, and can put squishing pressure on your spine when tightened. Especially if you're on the taller side. And especially if you wear a HANS device. At the very least, consider a harness bar, if you want access to the back seat.

Alex

[jackbenny]

best door panel idea yet.

Thanks Farbin. Let's hope I don't screw it up!

[stegosaurus]

I love this thread.

[Farbin Kaiber]

best door panel idea yet.

[jackbenny]

With the wife down in Florida visiting her sister and the house to myself, I thought I would use this weekend to try out some of the ideas other users have used on their projects. I'm still waiting on parts before I can head back to the barn but they should be here this coming week. For now, it was nice to sit back and play in the garage.

Simon S had the idea of painting the channel in his taillights. You can see the post here:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=1828187&postcount=9

The stripe is very subtle but I liked the way it came out. My taillights are less than pristine so I thought I would practice on them. If I didn't like it, look for some new lenses. If I screwed up, look for some lenses. If I did like it, so much the better. At the worst, I would be out what I spent on tape and spray paint.

Taping for the stripe is tedious. I probably had 2 hours taping just one light.



You'll note that I've sanded the lenses. All of the raised impressions on the lenses are gone now so they are completely flat. I'm experimenting on one lens and if I like it, I'll do the other one.

All of the lenses are taped up.





And I taped up the back a bit so I could clean up the black portion of the lights.



The paint of choice around here seems to be SEM Black Trim and I picked up a can last week to see what it's all about. I followed the instructions on the can and wiped down the surfaces. Instructions say 2 to 3 coats every 3 to 5 minutes. Better do what the can says...



I think I smoked the lenses too dark.







It's nice paint and goes on very well while giving me the finish I wanted. The paint takes around 48 hours to cure so I think I'll be finished for a while on the lights. But, I might as well take off the tape:





Like I said...subtle.



The work on the lights is not complete however. My intention is to go all red on the tails. So ll pick up some metalcast and I have some spraymax 2k on the way as well. Hopefully it will look nice.

The second theft of ideas comes from Newman's build.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=1897022&postcount=534

Newman got the same carbon fiber interior panels I got. My original plan was to cut the top of the door panels off and mount them like he did for his skyline project. While I liked the way it came out, I wanted to do something around the perimeter of the panel so it would look nicer next to the door. I took one card and stripped off the leather. Got out some markers and played with the design. This is what happened:

A little tape to protect the finish of the carbon fiber...



plus some straight lines...



and a cutting tool gave me ...





put them together and you get ...



So the door card will be covered in alcantara and uses the carbon fiber uses the same holes to fasten it to the door. I still have to work out the details but I think it will look pretty good. There is still a ton of sanding to do so I can straighten out the lines but I've got time.

For the rest of this weekend, I will probably work on the other light. I'll probably get a new battery for the E21 so I can drive it some more as well. I've been rethinking my M10 build on it and reconsidering the M42. I just really like that engine. Maybe I'll sell my father my carbs for his 2002.

A couple of other thoughts regarding the build. Originally I was going to go with some fixed back seats in the car. Life has me rethinking the purpose of the car, it certainly won't see any wheel to wheel racing. Mostly HPDE and autocross and driving around town. With a kid on the way (a boy we found out last week), I would like to include him with the car. For that reason I've been considering the Recaro Speeds. I know 5 point harnesses require a fixed back depending on the club you are with so I think these might be a good compromise. Feel free to interject your thoughts on the matter, I am open to suggestions.

Kevin Chinn has completed my headliner so I am looking forward to seeing it this coming week. He makes some quality stuff so I am eager to see my alcantera headliner.

And I sent Matt at the Racer's Market a gift so I should be ordering a chip from him soon as well.

But next weekend will be the first time I get to see the car painted. I can't wait to finally wrench on it!

[White325is]

Them mirrors look great. This whole car is going to look great. Cant wait to see it all together.

[M42Technik]

:up:

[jackbenny]

Sweet! Will do. :D

[bejbis]

Ive worked at a sign shop going on 10 years now off and on. If you make it to the meeting bring your original cover and i can replicate you a stencil for it.

[jackbenny]

Oh man! Congrats on being a Dad shortly here. It's a fun experience and will completely blow your mind. My little guy is nearly 5 months old and I still can hardly believe how amazing he is. Heh, watching them grow up is incredible ;)

So you went sans Alpina Tac strip. I was thrilled when I put mine on, but to each his own. I didn't have the rings... which I sort of regret after seeing how yours turned out. I also missed the gas gauge! Now it's going to bug the crap out of me.

I know, I can't wait. It's going to be fun...when i get to sleep!:p

I went back and forth on the strips and after all the hemming and hawing I went with my gut. The good news is that if I change my mind, I'm getting pretty good at taking the cluster apart! :D

[ck_taft325is]

Oh man! Congrats on being a Dad shortly here. It's a fun experience and will completely blow your mind. My little guy is nearly 5 months old and I still can hardly believe how amazing he is. Heh, watching them grow up is incredible ;)

So you went sans Alpina Tac strip. I was thrilled when I put mine on, but to each his own. I didn't have the rings... which I sort of regret after seeing how yours turned out. I also missed the gas gauge! Now it's going to bug the crap out of me.