E28 Race Car Project Begins

[sbeckman7]

Hi all,

I've just begun the long process known as my senior year engineering project. I am currently a high school student with big ambitions: I am going to build a car. Taking the front and rear subframes, engine, transmission, final drive, wheels, brakes, and steering from an e28 535i, I am going to build a custom tubeframe from scratch to mount to the subframes. If I do it well, I should end up with a race car. It's taken months to get this rolling (and I'm currently only a Junior), but I have finally gotten the project approved. Nothing like this has ever been done at the high school (we dont even have an autoshop!) and so I will be paving a new path. I just bought the donor car yesterday, May 29th, an '85 535i that was hit on the side and has been sitting for years but miraculously still has perfect internals (I even heard it running before I bought it). In addition to the side damage, the car has a pretty useless interior, although some parts are still in decent condition, making it the prime candidate for the project. Actually, it still looks good enough that I had second thoughts about gutting it! anyway, as an added bonus it's got genuine 16" 3 piece BBS RS, eibach pro race springs, bilstein and koni shocks (I forget which are in the front and rear), and upgraded sways, as well as a complete head rebuild just 40,000 miles ago. All this for $625, and I am a happy camper. If anyone on here has interest in the development of this project, let me know and I would be happy to provide updates.

Spence

[fryerfighter94]

Very interested. Post your cad drawings pls? Id love to lend a hand. Are you trying to make something similar to a formula sae car? You cant post something like this without giving us more details! :grin:

[sbeckman7]

I'll try to post pictures asap! Don't have CAD drawings yet (like I said this thing is just starting to get going) but I will be starting sketches soon. As for the overall layout, I am not pursuing a formula SAE car but rather a caterham type layout. I was originally going to create a 1950's formula one car style but decided that two seats and wider dimensions might be better so that I can have a passenger and keep the dimensions about right (I plan on installing the subframes to the same mount points as they were in the car). I'll keep everyone updated, but things wont really get rolling until June 14th. Thanks for the positive feedback, and I definitely appreciate your willingness to help out!

[fryerfighter94]

This sounds sick. And no problem, I have been having a similar idea but no time lately. I have been trying to convince my grandpa to lend me his welder, honda 500 motorcycle motor (2 stroke ftw), his time, etc. to build a formula sae similar car. Something along the lines of this



But mine would be longer, wider, lower cg, etc. I was thinking of hacking up an e30 (but more practical would be an atv) for the suspension.

[sbeckman7]

yeah haha that sounds good. For this first time im just trying to use as many pre-engineered parts as possible. In the future I have a lot of interest in creating another car styled off of the maserati 250f, but the transmission and width proved to stop me for this first go.

[fryerfighter94]

Ya, I dont have the skills / money / everything else to make custom shit haha. Thats why im thinking atv parts, and simply custom making the frame. For the seat I could use a spare kart seat that I have at my dads house, spare kart wheel, spare kart steering column, and atv suspension. Really the only thing that I would have to make is the frame (of course things never go as planned lol). Im sure that a caterham will be plenty fun.

[sbeckman7]

I think it will! I've spent hours on the phone with the DMV, CHP, and Bureau of Automotive repair as well, and I may even have a shot at getting this thing road legal! Of course that's so far into the future its not even funny. And yeah, if all goes right the frame will be the only thing I have to make custom. My friend even has a bucket seat to lend me. Hopefully i can find another one cheap, or I will have an extremely unhappy passenger :)

[fryerfighter94]

Whats your plan for the body panels? Sheet metal?

[sbeckman7]

The floor pans will be sheet metal for sure. If I need body panels to make it road legal, I will be doing fiberglass panels. It'll be good practice if nothing else

[fryerfighter94]

Thats good. Looking forward to progress / drawings, etc. :up:

[downernsp]

Keep me posted for sure, and keep me in mind I also have E28 and lost of parts!!

[sbeckman7]

So, here it is. The other side is the one that got hit, but overall it actually doesnt look terrible from... however many feet away ;)

The last picture is actually of a 1962 Volvo race car (sounds ironic, doesnt it?) that may be a cool style to base my project off of.

[UDelaware30]

good luck on the project.
keep us posted every step of the way.
Im very interested to see how it turns out and what you decide to do.

[downernsp]

Nice!

[ZM Blue Devil]

excellent, if we can help in any way please let me know.

thats a great deal on that car, you should be able to get what you paid and then some with the extra parts.

L