The "Basket Case BMW" Project (Page 4/7)
Blacktree NOV 11, 05:07 PM
Thanks!

It still needs plenty of work. The shocks and struts are fried. While I'm in there, I'll upgrade some other suspension parts, as well.

Still debating on engine swaps. The LS series V8 is the "no-brainer" option. But I'd also like to try the Vortec 4200. It's a straight-6 like the BMW engine, but is bigger and more powerful. Not sure if it'll fit in the engine bay. Need to find one in a salvage yard and take measurements.

But I think I'll do the drivetrain last. I'd like to sort out the chassis and suspension first, then add more power.
Blacktree NOV 25, 07:17 PM
This car tips the scales at 3287 pounds. That's kinda chunky, for my tastes. Time for a weight loss plan.

I decided to pick the low-hanging fruit first. So the spare tire and jack came out. I also pulled out the back seat. The back seat is just held in with clips, so no tools were needed. The back seat won't be going back in, so the seatbelts can be removed as well. Then I pulled out all the sound deadening material under the seat (smells like crayons).

Next, I removed the rear shelf (BMW calls it a package shelf?), along with the headrests and the rear speakers. There was more sound deadening material underneath, so I removed that as well. I also had to remove the C-pillar trim to make room for the rear shelf to come out.

After removing all that stuff, the back seat area looks pretty spartan.

This images is larger than 153600 bytes. Click to view.

I weighed all the stuff, as I removed it. The numbers are adding up quickly. And I'm just getting started! I'd love to get the car down to 2700-2800 pounds. But that might be too optimistic. We'll see.

Also, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 11-28-2020).]

Blacktree NOV 28, 12:54 PM
This video covers removal of all the stuff in the backseat area. I'm going to keep a running tab of the weight being removed from the car. It helps to keep me motivated. Plus I can compare it to the weight scale at the track, next time I go racing.



So far, 66.8 pounds of ugly fat removed. More to follow...
Blacktree DEC 05, 12:31 PM
Now we're moving to the trunk area. All the "junk in the trunk" goes bye-bye.



Total weight reduction is now 145.2 lb. And there's plenty more stuff to remove.
Monkeyman DEC 05, 03:25 PM
That "mystery bracket" you removed @ about 4:30 is a wheel chock. Helpful when you're changing your tire on the side of the road and you don't want the car to roll away.
Blacktree DEC 05, 10:48 PM
thanks
Blacktree DEC 08, 05:22 PM
A package arrived yesterday. Here's what was inside:



That's a sunroof delete panel. The sunroof assembly covers most of the roof, and is pretty heavy. Removing weight from the top of the car is great for handling.

Can't wait to install it!
Blacktree DEC 19, 03:39 PM
I haven't had a chance to install the sunroof delete panel yet. But I was able to strip out most of the interior trim. I also removed the center console, passenger seat, and rear carpet. The original plan was just to remove the passenger seat, to make room for the sunroof cartridge to come out. But things snowballed from there. I was going to remove all that stuff anyway.



Total weight loss so far is about 247 pounds.

Now I'll get to work on that sunroof.
LitebulbwithaFiero DEC 19, 10:22 PM
Probably could run under 15.5 now
Blacktree DEC 20, 12:24 PM
I plan on testing the old "one tenth per 100 pounds" rule of thumb, after the weight reduction is complete. I played around with the calculators at the TCI Auto website ( Link: https://www.tciauto.com/racing-calculators ), and the results are interesting. We'll have to see if the real world agrees.