Car Updates and BFest!
Anyone head to BFest? I had a blast Saturday at the autocross and then on the in-field talking to a few people and vendors. I even spoke with a really cool race car driver I spotted while soaking in the ///. Ya know, obviously I am pursuing that career too and I just walked up and introduced myself and asked if he had a few minutes to talk about how to get to where he is in auto racing...he shared his story and how to become a modest and successful one too. Super cool guy! Relatively cheap invest and annual costs from what he said. Training from 8 - 15k and a club car costing 50k a year. Sound right? Or average? I guess it all depends on where you want to start.
The largest takeaway from BFest for me was the autocross. You can play HOURS of a simulation in the comfort of your home in bimmer briefs and sofa. Tuning a car takes 2 seconds and you can even paint a car. LOL. But actually living it, breathing it, getting sun burnt, taking 20 minutes to install a front strut brace. That's what I am talking about now. Hands on experience.
I pushed this car to the limit and it did pretty well for what it is. One instructor said it was pretty "nibble". I dropped times from 1:20 seconds to I think my best was 1:10 of 7 runs.
What it needs is a new steering wheel. I can flex the oem sooooo sooo...so so much. I'll have to get a video of it. It's pretty funny.
A nice modest race set with side support would be nice too.
Updates on the 5!
Moosehead Engineering rear strut mounts installed - I think this was later 2015 or early 2016. But for anyone picking up those mounts. Make sure the welds penetrate through the steel. Mine were 50% done and they both broke over time. They sent over replacements as soon as I emailed them too. Very helpful.
Rear Koni adjustable shocks. Love the shocks.
New Fuel Pump - Thank you Todd @TCD. He was super helpful and got back to me very quickly.
Driveshaft center support repair - Well, I had a shop do this, because I didn't have time. And then do it again. And then someone broke into my car. And then it failed again. They installed it incorrectly. Luckily the car was super locked and they didnt get any goodies! I was just left with damage to a few ares of the car. But still, really upset that happened. I was really upset because it was a friends shop and they don't help out with repairs. Live and learn.
Front suspension cross link and idler arm replaced. Super easy and you WILL notice a big difference.
Valve Adjustment - I noticed if I push the engine hard the valve clearance increases by .001" on the exhaust valves. Sometimes on the intake. Maybe due to the expansion of heat? Maybe a setting of .011" clearance would suffice and reduce this increase in clearance. Or I may need to replace the eccentric, bolts and nuts on the rockers.
The cam cover plate on the back of the head started leaking oil again. The bolts were very loose. I am suspecting NVH caused this or the camshaft is moving in/outward dependent on rpm. I am thinking new lock washers should be installed.
I removed my oil pressure mechanical line. I need to get an electronic / digital one. Oil leaked inside the car a bit.
For now, I have the oem one installed.
New Firestone Fire Hawk Indy 500 Tires. Love these tires. Lots of grip and relatively inexpensive. Tread wear is a bit low but it all depends on how you take the corners!
17" racing dynamic rims. Looks great but are HEAVY! You really feel a difference with the 16" rims. I might switch back to those. MPG decreases too.
New V-belts
Dropped the exhaust and cleaned it up and painted it black. Added new gaskets and muffler sealer to ensure no leaks. New rubber mounts as well. I highly recommend replacing the stock exhaust. Stock exhaust is extremely heavy compared to an aftermarket alternative. The con? LOUD NOISES!
But who doesn't love hearing the engine they built rev and rev and rev.
Dropped the LSD and leaned it up. and cleaned the axle mounts and fasteners. They were dirty from oil spray from front of the car.
New blower motor for the HVAC - I took a trip to SF last year in June. AMAZING drive.
I started heading back after a music event and the sucker wouldn't shut off and started smoking! The bearings where shot and it shorted somewhere in the armature. That was hilarious. No damage to the car. Just my health.
*Pro Tip - I highly recommend checking all rubber hoses on the metered air side of the engine by removing them and applying Permatex Sensor-Safe Blue RTV Silicone or similar. I saw a nice improvement in a smooth idle and steady acceleration.
Future repairs after the BFest weekend.
Clutch master cylinder needs to be replaced - the bore inside is scored and it gets hung up internally, resulting in a "low pedal".
Front Brakes - Brake fad happened a lot while on the autocross. I plan to keep the original E34 brakes and if I find the larger 540 brakes I will have to grab them. But until then, I'll pick up some better friction material pads.
Oil Change
Brake Flush
Coolant Flush
Still need to install my Moosehead Engineering lower control arm bearings.
Well, until next time. Thanks for reading and hope this helps future tuners.
