MAJOR progress today. I don’t think this car knew what hit it.The calm before the storm…
Treehouse bushings versus the stock 60mm.
Treehouse bushing installed.
Old guibo. You can see where it tears under stress. This one is pretty tame compared to some of the others we’ve pulled out of this car.
Who needs a transmission stand? Matt Foerst manhandling the transmission from the motor.
Hard to believe this is only the 2nd transmission that has been in this car.
OEM e34 M5 pressure plate.
UUC Motorwerks lightweight flywheel.
Clutch Specialties 6-puck ceramic installed.
Old e35 M5 throwout bearing versus the new one. Thankfully… Global Imports BMW had one of these in stock.
Ready for re-install…
Turner RTAB versus the stock bushing.
Pressed in and ready to be bolted up.
The center support bearing was destroyed. We had to make a mad-dash across town to pick up a new one from United BMW.
The new one… ready to rock.
Trans back in, driveshaft bolted up.
The old ITG filter. I do mean OLD.
See? This thing is literally falling apart.
Prep team from left to right: Erin Sanford, Matt Foerst, Chris Stein, Michael Sarol, Byron Hill.
New sparklers…
To replace the old ones.
Trying to troubleshoot the hydro e-brake install… and narrow down the best plan of attack.
Random, awesome beef jerky man.
Random snap of my rear lip. Destroyed and eaten away by years of molten rubber bombardment.
Aspec tips c/o Foerst Motorwerks!!! These things are SICK!
Fitting…
Sanford behind the stick.
Brantley finishing the welding.
The end of the night.
Tomorrow we need to weld hangers up for the exhaust. I’m making an early run to Summit Racing in McDonough for some Earl’s fittings that should help us run the hydro e-brake in-line before the ABS module.
HUUUUUUGE huge thanks to Matt Foerst and Erin Sanford. They put hella wrench time on the car… and were a gigantic help. I never could have got all this done today without them. Thanks to Michael Sarol for driving me all over town to pick up parts. I love you guys. SERIOUSLY.
You know you drift a BMW when your Bentley service manual is held together with zipties.
My box from Turner was on my doorstep this evening. I have a TON of Turner parts on my car. They really make some of the best parts on the market. Nearly every suspension component on my car is from Turner.Turner Motorsport Spherical Rear Trailing Arm Bushings. I’ve wanted these for at least 3 years. They are so gorgeous that I almost don’t want to install them. These should replace the last of the rubber bushings in the car.
New ITG filter for my Conforti CAI. My old one is decrepit and borderline rotted away.
Stainless steel clutch line.
New flex disc (or GUIBO). I swear this will be the 9th or 10th one of these that will go in this car. I destroy these things with zero mercy.
Turner Motorsport Harness Collars. These weren’t ‘necessary’… but they were totally mandatory.
A local company called Clutch Specialties put this 6-puck ceramic clutch together for me in 24 hours. I sent them my old OEM e34 M5 clutch for reference. Then they delivered it to me at work… at no charge. Talk about service!!!
The OEM e34 M5 it will replace…
Parts Shop MAX hydro e-brake… complete with Earl’s stainless lines and fittings. God I hope this works.
Parts started trickling in today for the massive overhaul that the e46 is about to get. I’ve really been doing nothing lately but driving the ever-living hell out of this car. It is time to hook old grrrl up with some new bits and keep her running strong.Treehouse Racing “Eyeball Arms” to replace one of the few rubber bushings I have left on the car.
Zeckhausen Racing Modified Clutch Delay Valve. Why I’ve had this car for this long and never heard of this mod is beyond me. Big thanks to Tony Shulz for the heads up on an amazingly simple, inexpensive, and GREAT mod.
New delrin shifter… more metal than a bubble shift knob, but just as effective.
Long overdue Longacre helmet hook for the rollcage. Now I can cut the crusty 5-yr old bungee cord off the cage.
Picked this up from Mr. Stribling himself. Maybe this will help the return trip down the hill back into 10a…
Didn’t make as much progress on the car tonight as I wanted. I ran out of daylight. I tried hammering out the bumper supports that got bent when I tagged Austin. It’s going to need some more hammering, because now one bolt will thread, and the other won’t.
I dug up an old smoke lense to replace the one I shattered on Austin’s car. I went ahead and drilled out the hole with a 1″ hole-saw for the strobe light. The headlight is kinda smashed in there… I can’t get this lens on the car, so I’m gonna have to figure something out.
Wasn’t I just saying it was a shame that the locals couldn’t get any seat time at Road Atlanta? Yesterday I got a phone call, and that dream became a reality. 3 hours. 10 drivers. One of the most amazing days of my life.
More to come…
I dream of the 10a-10b complex at Road Atlanta. Seriously. It is a major shame that the track is so expensive to rent… that the locals don’t get any seat time (drifting) at all. The opportunity arose to drive Road Atlanta for the Pro/Am Drift Championship Series. I decided the entry fee was a small price to pay to get back out on my favorite track, and have FUN.
I really can’t wait to be back out there lighting up those tyres, and bombing that hill into 10a as fast as I possibly can. I could care less about competing or qualifying… I just want to have fun like old times, and drive like a gat-damn MANIAC.
My good friend Cody Wellons picked up a clean new hatch. Nothing over the top… just clean, simple, and awesomeIt’s rad to see Coders with a drift car again.
Tyler sent me an awesome picture from Super Autobacs in West Covina, California. It is really rad to see the OG copy of Slide America on the shelf with the likes of Best Motoring, Mischief, and Getaway In Stockholm.
A few random snaps from the Sunday afternoon shooting session with Tripp and Tom from Spitfire.
My poor car is looking pretty hammered. A true testament to the trials and tribulations of being a dedicated track car.
Tom getting the Mino HD set up on the steering wheel.
Tripp ready to rock the Red One.
Tripp sent me a cut of the footage they shot on the 22nd. It turned out RAD! The interior shots utilized a rollcage-mounted Canon 5D Mark II and a steering wheel-mounted Flip Mino HD camera. All the exterior footage was shot using a RED ONE. I can’t get over the quality from the 5D Mark II. I’m super stoked they asked me to be a part of this project. It was definitely a fun Sunday afternoon of shooting.
