BMW Compact Build.

[Matt-T]

Me and fellow member Gazer, work at part of a small college team usually 6-8 on a car we built and prepared ourselves within our college, the car was built in 15days. The car was prepped by maximum of 6/7 students due to some people in the group being complete ********

The car was bought and made to compete in the BMW Compact Cup, which is as title suggest specific to the 318Ti Compact Series of the BMW with cars able to be build for around £4000 this was ideal for a first time project car for us students as some have NO Motorsport experience.

Pics on the way

[MiniGibbo]

Half the pictures dont work but looks good from what i can see!!

Id love to of done this sort of thing at college

[Matt-T]

Yeah mate my photobucket been playing up last few days, will sort it and get them up

[Gazer]

I would upload some pictures but my photobucket also doesn't seem to be working

[Matt-T]

How our 1999 318Ti M-Sport Arrived, with all its leather interior, A/C every optional extra. It even had a Full BMW History.
On the way back to our workshop it was dropped into the people at Vibra Technics to get the engine mounts sorted.
Came in weighing 1237kg







The strip down began, removing all boot trim/tool box/spare wheel boot pannels, parcel shelf etc
Then the back seats and carpets and interior panels were all removed.




Then was the turn of the front seats, capets, door cards, B-pillars, A pillars, center console, stereo, un needed buttons etc, additional plastics removed, glove box and internals all removed.

While the interior was being stripped out, the engine bay came under attack, the bonnet was removed for easy access, the fan and rad assembly was removed so we could get more access to the Air Conditioning unit.




Foglights and M-Sport bits were also removed.

Then as soon as the interior was done, the cars sound proofing was started on all 9kg of it, and there is still more in there to remove.

The M-Sport wheels were swapped for some regulation compliant 15" rims which were sent off to the paint booth for a tidy up.
The cars steering wheel, bumpers, arch linings, cold air duct to brakes, and bits of weight we could find where also removed and car prepped for painting. Us mechanics having a blast and body and paint.








Then that was the last we saw the car for a whole 7 days....
Mean while all our bits arrived....

[Matt-T]

Then as soon as the car came out the spray booth with only a dew days till race day the rush was on, hence lack off pics.
On went the brakes, suspension, bumper, grille, lights, re-instated the engine components, drilled the front and rear bumper for tow strap fitting, drilled the holes for the bonnet pins to be fitted, fashioned a new set of bonet lifter from out diesel and started welding and bolting the cage in and getting dash and seat re-fitting.

Was all looking very well then the person welding our roll cage in decided to weld through the petrol tank, so we had to drop the prop. OEM exhaust off and the tank and wait for a new one to turn up. Then a mear few hours later while bolting the cage in the windscreen got cracked by someone slipping with a spanner, so autoglass came out within the hour and fitted us a new one, we then had to leave the car for an hour for window to harden up. Then it went back up in the air, new fuel tank, the prop was put back on, along with our full race cat exhaust system, The holes were drilled in the car for the cut offs to run through,and the bracket to hold the extinguisher made

It left for its first race at Donnington saturday morning, and the car was worked on till midnight fitting the rest of the extinguisher, fitting the cuts and brakes bleeded, tracking and suspension was set-up, stickers were applied.




Few Donnington Pictures.


Wide open bonnet lifters


While out on track in Practice there was a bad viabration going through the car, still managed to get through so came in and tightened every bolt up on the suspension and tested it, came back fine, and also noticed car was running very hot, so we checked over the coolant etc and quickly realised the fan switch was at fault. But with no time to fix it we sent it out for Race 1.. Sent it out and was doing "ok" and suffered fuel starvation round a corner (seems quater of a tank is not enough) so the car came off the track, so it came in after completing the race VERY hot. So we let her cool off and refueled her to half tank. Wired the fan direct to the ignition, and fixed the problems we had with the electrics,coolant had sprayed out onto the fuse box (we had no cover) fixed all that and sent it back out for race two. Where was still quite far back in the pack as we were on race 1, but another car took us off the track causing abit of damage.

Came back to workshop damage was assed, and fixed. Fitted the fuse box cover, and work continued on the car painting the interior, fitting the spoiler, swapping the lights over from the ones broken in the crash. New oil filter, millers oil, new brake fluid, And soon afer it was off to Snetterton .

[Matt-T]

At snetterton the cars tracking and suspension was adjusted, and sent out for practice, after 5 laps, our car had disappeared from the pack then it came limping around with its hazzards on. Came in seemed clutch was at fault and with no spare parts looked like we would be out of action for the day, But never the less with a few bodged and a good bleed of the system, and a test round the paddock was working fine. So we set about making sure everything else was fine, replaced the thermostat and a few little things. Re-adjusted the suspension, while work was being done we missed race 1, but made race 2 and finished again far back on the table, but we got the team/driver of the day award at least.... then it came back to the workshop and with college being closed no work was done, but managed to get another OEM clutch put in and some plugs and leads before it was trailered away to Silverstone. I personally never made silverstone but i got a dreaded call half way through the day to say we was out after just 5 laps due to the prop-shaft coupling giving up the ghost. And we was in the leading pack off cars too.
So it now sits in our workshop with a new gearbox and prop on the way with less than 4 weeks till cadwell and loads of work to do

[Matt-T]

Spec

Transmission, Suspension, Brakes, Chassis
Short shift kit To be fitted
Toyo R888 tyres
Black Diamond Vented Grooved and Drilled front discs with CL pads
Black Diamond Solid Grooved and Drilled rear discs with CL Pads
Black Diamond Braided Hoses and DOT 5 Fluid.
GAZ shocks Gold coilovers with adjustable top mounts
Polybushed all roundTo be fitted
New wishbones To be fitted
6-point roll cage
Stock gearbox and Diff
Solid Flywheel Conversion with Black diamond performance clutch
Brake Bias Valve To be fitted

Engine
K&N Panel air filter
Larger cold air feed from front bumper
New thermostat,water pump,aux belt
Millers Oil, New oil filter
Magnecor silicon ignition leads with iridium plugs
Remapped ECU 170hp
New Radiator
Slimline fan To be fitted
Silicon Hoses To be fitted
Braided fuel lines with high flow filter To be fitted
Klarius s/s exhaust with sports cat
Interior
Cobra CF bucket seat and 6 point harness
Drivers foot rest to be fitted
Cut dashboard
Fire extinguisher system
Roll bar padding
Sparco Steering wheel, with snap off boss
All painted white
One door card for regulations
Custom cut off and switch panel
Odessy Race battery located in passenger side

Exterior
M-sport styling
Sponsor stickers
Optional spoiler
College Stickers
Bonnet pins
Adapted bonnet raisers

All can think off at the moment will update this thread as we progress with the car etc as it happens

Car weights in at just over 1150kg fully fueled with all fluids and driver (his a big chap)

[Gazer]

dam beat me to it, have got couple from Donington park...
here he is matt him self




and me... lol


The result of our great tutors driving skills.

[Matt-T]

First pic is adam not me you great cock haha

[MiniGibbo]

Christ did well doing that lot in 15 days

Looks like its got its frist scratch so its all go now then

[Matt-T]

Yeah considering it was in paint for 7 days, we only do 9-4:30 two days a week. So we work our arses to get it ready each time. Had to put alot of extra hours in.

But its got there just need a good driver now, and will be hopefully stripping engine over winter.

[MiniGibbo]

what do you do all take it in turns to drive or get a driver in from outside?

Arent the engines meant to stay oem in this series?

[Matt-T]

We just going to over haul it, new bearings, sensors, gaskets, seals needs doing tbf.
And our teacher pictured in pics is the driver as he has a license, as you can see needs to loose a few pounds tho.

I am looking at getting my ards in the new year,
we have a formula ford and a westfield sitting there doing nothing because he cant fit in them, So might aswell make some use

[Mieran]

gaz golds what spring rates did you go for?

I wish you can do stuff like that at my college!

[Matt-T]

Im unsure actually mate, Gazer do you know?

they are specific for the car to comply with the regs, they was just put on and set-up enough to make it able to race, no proper testing has gone on etc.

And up we are the only college to do it in a fair distance of Birmingham

[Gazer]

Originally Posted by Matt-T

Im unsure actually mate, Gazer do you know?

they are specific for the car to comply with the regs, they was just put on and set-up enough to make it able to race, no proper testing has gone on etc.

And up we are the only college to do it in a fair distance of Birmingham

I to am unsure, but as you said everyone has the same setup to comply with the regs

[Matt-T]

Well alot of time has passed since i last updated this and the car is still going... i do not have the time or patients to tell you everything, so ill let the pictures do the talking.

[Matt-T]

The day before we was due to race... less than 24hrs.

[Ashleyp]

Great work guys! looks like awesome fun, in both the build process and the outcome