The "Basket Case BMW" Project (Page 3/7) Blacktree OCT 11, 01:48 PM Just a quick update: After filming the last video, I took the BMW for a test drive. The engine ran well, didn't overheat or do anything strange. I drove it long enough to get up to operating temperature, and knock the rust off the brakes. The next day, I started the engine and the valvetrain noise was gone! Well, it was almost gone... just a faint hint of lifter tick. So I think the test drive (or maybe the lifters soaking in hot oil afterward) did something beneficial. The engine is quiet enough that I can now hear one of the idler pulleys sounding a little unhappy. So I ordered a replacement. There were 2 trouble codes, both related to a lean condition. That was probably caused by some air in the fuel system on first start-up (it has a dead-head fuel system). I cleared the codes, and they haven't come back. Things are looking good! LitebulbwithaFiero OCT 13, 10:55 AM Blacktree OCT 13, 03:14 PM Yesterday I installed the new tensioner pulley. No more grindy noises! I had a big scare, as I was burping the coolant system. I started the engine, and after a couple minutes coolant started leaking out of the expansion tank. Those things are notorious for bursting. So I immediately assumed the tank had burst. But when I looked closer, I noticed the filler cap was loose. LOL One issue I need to address, before doing any spirited driving, is the wheel bolts. One of them is broken off. It was like that when I bought the car... probably over-torqued. If they over-torqued one bolt, they probably did the same to the rest. So I can't trust any of the wheel bolts. I also decided, since I'm replacing all the wheel bolts anyway, I'm going to convert it to wheel studs. That should make my life easier. So, more parts on order... Blacktree OCT 20, 12:02 PM Another shot of the broken wheel bolt. It must have been in there for awhile. Because it was rusted in place. I ended up having to drill it out. Fun stuff! But that was the hardest part of the wheel stud conversion. The rest was pretty easy. And here's a shot of the wheel with the new lug nuts installed. The video should be up in a few days. Side Note: This car has beefy brakes! The front brake rotors are 325mm (12.8") diameter, and the rears are 320mm (12.6") diameter. Looks like it needs new pads and rotors, though. Blacktree OCT 24, 11:05 AM As promised, the video: In addition to the wheel stud conversion, I did some other minor repairs. Those are covered in the video, as well. Blacktree OCT 30, 02:12 AM Good news! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just a few minor things to sort out before I can consider it roadworthy. First of all, one of the front ball joints is worn out. But the ball joints aren't serviceable. The entire control arm has to be replaced. Thankfully, there are aftermarket control arms available with replaceable ball joints. So I got one. When a ball joint goes bad on the other control arm, I'll do the same for that side. Also, the window regulators in both front doors are seized up. But the motors are fine. So I bought new regulators. These cars never came with hand-crank windows. So it's power windows or nothing. And I plan to delete the A/C system in the near future. So having windows that open is kind of important. Last but not east, I converted to an electric radiator fan. For some reason, the cars with the automatic transmission were equipped with a clutch fan. But the ones with a manual transmission were equipped with an electric fan. So I snagged a fan from a 3-series with a manual transmission. It dropped right in. Pretty cool. I should have the video up in a day or two. Blacktree OCT 31, 12:13 PM The video, as promised. Finally, all the mechanical issues have been resolved! So next, we'll take it to a race track and see how slow it is. And I can use that data as a frame of reference for future upgrades. Blacktree NOV 05, 03:36 PM Last night, I took the BMW to the drag strip. It's about an hour drive from my house. I was a little bit late, and it was pretty busy. So I was only able to get 2 runs before closing time. But the good news is, the car held up fine. I drove it home with no issues. And I got the baseline data I was after. So now, I can start stripping non-essential stuff out of the car. The track is Orlando Speed World, east of Orlando. Here's a quick shot of the Bimmer waiting in queue. I saw some cool cars at the drag strip. Here are a few of them. Back to the BMW. The track officials let me use the weight scale. The car weighed 3442 pounds, with a quarter tank of gas and me in the driver's seat. I weigh about 155 lb, so the car weighs around 3287 lb (with some fuel in the tank). That's basically stock trim, with the full interior, A/C, spare tire and jack, the tool kit in the trunk lid, etc. I can use this as a baseline to compare against, when I strip out the interior. I was only able to make 2 runs. The first one was 15.74 @ 88.6 mph. The second one was 15.69 @ 88.9 mph. The car felt pretty sketchy at speed, probably because the struts are shot. The front ends floats around. I'll have to fix that. In summary, I'm calling this a win. I got the data I was after, and was able to drive the car home. Yeah, it's slow. But we can work on that. I'll get some video footage up in a few days. Blacktree NOV 07, 12:13 PM The video, as promised. I also included race footage of a bunch of other cars. If you like drag racing, you might enjoy it. davylong86 NOV 10, 09:02 PM Damn! I have been out of the loop for awhile but its great to see you get this 3 going strong. Always loved the 3 series BMW