Kato Kids BMW M3 powered 71' 240Z

[MaygZ]

 

[KatoKid]

Cant believe its 6 months since my last post....motivation has been lacking...life and everything else getting in the way. No excuses though, I just need to pull my finger out. Have been doing some things though, not a complete slacker!

 

We all know the song...the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bones connected to the ...whatever bone. Well, happy to report I now have a complete driveline from engine to wheels, meaning my tailshaft and CV shafts are done.

 

Tailshaft was shortened by Knox Driveshafts. Jeff, works from his backyard, very reasonably priced, knowledgeable and used to rally Z's many years ago. Tailshaft uses the standard rubber BMW guibo joint at the front and the BMW CV joint at the rear using an adapter to mate with the R200 pinion flange.

 

[KatoKid]

I'm keen to make the driveline as bullet proof as possible so I wanted to go with CV's for the driveshafts.

 

After reading about people having issues with the Z31 turbo shafts being a smidge too long and causing handling issues and damage I mocked mine up in the car and found I only had 2 - 3 mm of clearance which wasn't enough in my book. I considered Wolf Creek but didn't like some of the reports and wasn't prepared to pay for the SW Motorsport version so when a member here advertised some R32 Skyline shafts that had been shortened and resplined I took the plunge. They aren't perfect and took some time to find circlips that will hopefully do the job but they are 35mm shorter than the standard Z31 turbo shafts and then I had Rob Crichton http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,1861.0.html make up some 25mm wide adapters. I now have a minimum of 10-12mm of clearance at all suspension travel points. Grease and new boots and they ready to rock.

[Zedman240®]

Nice work David! was wondering what was happening with your zed..

[KatoKid]

I'm taking no credit for the fuel system here, this was all Mike's (NZeder) doing, Ive just copied his great ideas! Thanks again Mike.

 

I'm (we) are using a BA/BF Falcon wagon fuel module which incorporates the fuel pump, swirl pot and fuel level sender all in one unit and will hopefully provide quiet and reliable fuel delivery without the noise and fuel smells associated with some external installations. I have already installed a high volume/pressure Walbro in this module earlier in my thread.

 

First off you need to give the top of the tank a bit of a haircut and then fabricate a flat section that will be welded in to mount the module on. I ended up using 5mm plate for the horizontal piece and 3mm for the small vertical piece, 5mm is overkill but I wanted to ensure that the module sealed well and 3mm may have distorted when the module was tightened down or when it was welded into place on the tank. Stud holes were drilled and tapped then a plug weld in the bottom to ensure no leaks.

 

 

 

[KatoKid]

Thanks Dimitri.

 

The module has a steel reinforcing ring that sits over the top to spread the load when you tighten it down and in the original Ford installation the seal has a ridge which fits into a grove in the tank to ensure sealing, I couldn't replicate this so I bought some 3mm Nitrile rubber from Purple Pig and fabricated my own but it does rely totally on the steel reinforcing ring to spread the load for a good seal....we shall see... I may have to make a stronger reinforcing ring as I fear it wont provide the even tension on the seal.

 

The tank has a good dent in the bottom side which I need to fix and in addition I need to close over the original sender hole and pick up pipe so Ive decided to farm this out to "experts", Mossy has recommended http://www.melwideautoradiators.com.au/radiators-aircon-heaters-fuel-tanks/fuel-tank-repair/ for this so I'm going to take the tank to them and see what they say.

 

[dat240z]

Looks good mate. I was thinking of creating my fuel system similar to yours (all in tank) however was deterred by the fact if anything (pump/pot/line/connecter) went wrong its a much more difficult fix due to access issues, did you worry about that or just preffered the neat look etc....... I love the finish though, certainly looks quality built.

[NZeder]

When I installed my Ford fuel pump module into my tank, the top of the tank had a 3mm ring welded to the inside of the new top. This has the studs welded to it. Like you I made my own seal however my top ring again is custom laser cut from much thicker steel again 3mm plate I think. I think there are pics on my build thread......not updated for way too long....nothing new to report other than taking some bit for the race car.

[KatoKid]

Looks good mate. I was thinking of creating my fuel system similar to yours (all in tank) however was deterred by the fact if anything (pump/pot/line/connecter) went wrong its a much more difficult fix due to access issues, did you worry about that or just preffered the neat look etc....... I love the finish though, certainly looks quality built.

 

Main consideration was noise and then risk of leaks and smell. Having external set ups especially with a swirl pot introduces introduces too many conections and hoses. Its just neater having it inside the tank. Hopefully it will be reliable so I wont need to worry but if I do it will be no big deal to drop the tank as it will have push on connectors.

[KatoKid]

Thanks Mike.

 

Think I will just go ahead and get a 3mm top ring cut.

[dat240z]

Main consideration was noise and then risk of leaks and smell. Having external set ups especially with a swirl pot introduces introduces too many conections and hoses. Its just neater having it inside the tank. Hopefully it will be reliable so I wont need to worry but if I do it will be no big deal to drop the tank as it will have push on connectors.

 

Yeah that was my concern also with the external setup, and your right, it was loud - until i replaced the Carter black lift pump to a Pierburg application. But yeah I think i may go down your road in the future, much neater and tidier...

 

Looking forward to seeing more progress mate, really impressive stuff 

[KatoKid]

No doubt there is considerably more work involved but I think its worth it.

 

Ive done a fair bit of research on the BMW forums and its pretty clear that dual pipes front to back are the way to go to retain the unique exhaust note that the M3 engines have. A large single system would be cheaper, lighter and probably make the same power but they sound pox and drone badly.....so say the forums...and its telling that all the aftermarket systems are dual pipes.

 

As the car needs to be engineered it also needs to meet noise limits ...96DB I think is the number so making an exhaust that is legal and sounds good is going to be a challenge. I'm going to need to maximize the size and volume of the resonator and rear muffler as I want to stick with straight through design if possible. I made a cardboard mock up of the resonator to confirm the maximum size that will fit in the tunnel and maintain the best ground clearance. I'm going to use 2.25 inch stainless for the pipes. I'm comfortable with making the exhaust system but would prefer to have someone else make the resonator and rear muffler if possible, I reckon I could make my own but the time it would take is the killer so any suggestions on who builds custom mufflers would be appreciated.

 

 

[NZeder]

They are not cheap but what about the twin SS setup from fujitsubo? See here

http://www.fujitsubo.co.jp/prods/detail/000000000000000979/00000000000000002324/00000546

[KatoKid]

Hi Mike.

 

I would consider buying one but the front resonator is too small and combined with the straight through rear muffler I reckon it will be too loud. I did see some comparisons with other JDM systems and they all came in at around 105 db.

 

Ive tried to buy just the rear muffler but Reinhard wont sell it on its own. Gareth managed somehow to buy the rear muffler only through Jesse Streeter and I tried the same but Jesse came back with a definite no, they wont sell the rear muffler alone.

 

Any suggestions on where else I could go to try and buy just the rear muffler would be appreciated!

 

David

[PeterAllen]

David. I was very keen to have my exhaust tucked up high for ground clearance, i.e. so I can lower the car substantially. Now that it's done I'm really concerned about heat transfer to the cabin and I feel I have in fact over done it. There are spots where I can't fit a heat shield 5-10mm off the floor/ transmission tunnel and still have clearance to the exhaust.

 

If you haven't already done so I would actually fit, or mock up, the heat shields before I finalised the exhaust layout.

 

For your consideration.

[KatoKid]

Thanks Peter, duly considered and I'm in the same place. As with you, primary focus is getting the exhaust up as high as possible, if its hot inside then I will have to just deal with it...for now.

 

On to the topic of fuel and brake hardlines. A pet peeve of mine is cars that people have put huge amounts of time and money into and their fuel system looks like a last minute and poorly executed add on, dogy P clamps self tapered into the floor and cable ties don't cut it for me.  It can be difficult to get an outcome that looks good and is properly safe.

 

Because the BMW engine is offset to the drivers side I have no room in the tunnel where the fuel and brake lines ran originally and also the exhaust is on the wrong side so I have to move them to the other side. I also need to run bigger fuel 3/8 supply line and 5/16 return lines.

 

I want to use factory type pipe clips but I also don't want to drill holes and have bolt heads or rivets etc in the side of the tunnel either so I went to pick a part and spent ages crawling under cars in the mud looking for something that will work. Ended up with clips from a mid 90's Pajero, it has four slots but I only need three, two for fuel and one for brake. On one side it has 2 x 5/16 slots and the other has a brake pipe slot and one other, using a drill it it was pretty easy to enlarge the outer 5/16 slot to 3/8 and they all clip in really well and are well retained.

 

I made a base from 5mm x 20mm strap, drilled and taped the center hole for the M6 bolt and then drilled two larger holes which will be used to place a small weld to attach the base to the tunnel, this way you will see no welds once the clip is bolted down.

 

Ive got my bundy tube and bender so that's next.

 

 

 

[KatoKid]

Pipework in the tunnel is done. 3/8 fuel supply on the bottom, 5/16 fuel return in the middle and 3/16 rear brake line on the top. Took some time to get it looking straight and very happy with the clips/brackets which worked perfectly. 3/8 required a good quality bender which my brother already had. 5/16 was easier and an elcheapo bender did the job, the 3/16 just needs fingers!

 

Its only steel bundy tube but Ive seen a picture on another forum where the guy has had his lines powder coated black...looks grouse against the body colour underneath the car so I'm going that way.

 

[MaygZ]

Dave,

 

are they copper pipes?  It is my understanding that copper becomes brittle when exposed to vibration.  This is then amplified when carrying fluid under pressure.  I can't confirm at the moment, but I don't think copper pipes are approved for brake or fuel lines under ADRs.

 

http://astp.jst.go.jp/modules/search/index.php?page=DocumentDetail&journalId=0514-5163_61_6_Low-Cycle+Fatigue+Fracture+Phenomenon+of+Bended+Copper+Pipes+under+Internal+Pressure_N%2FA

 

Please have a check or maybe someone here can confirm.  I hope I'm wrong (I'm not a metallurgist but I do know a bit about copper(s).)

 

MaygZ

[luvemfast]

What's the colour of a 2cent coin?

 

It does look like copper. But Dave mentions that its steel.

[KatoKid]

Whoa....no way would you use copper. Its steel bundy tube but agree it does look like copper, will be powder coated black.

 

Got the accelerator pedal finished today. Couldn't believe how long it took ......... the BMW cable enters the firewall on an angle so took some time and lots of measuring to ensure the hole  in the firewall was in the right place and that the pedal was in the right place. Used an ED Falcoon accelerator pedal with the top cut off and adapted to suit the BMW cable end, added some additional holes so I can fine tune the feel and travel but don't think I will need to as I replicated the BMW pedal ratios and it feels spot on. I had to add some additional reinforcement as the whole firewall was flexing way to much. I need to get a new cable though as the one that came with the engine was just ripped out and they damaged the outer...$65 for a genuine cable incl freight from Schmiedmann in Europe so not too scary.

 

Sat in the car and changed gears and made brrrm brrm noises as I pushed the new third pedal for a few minutes just to keep the motivation up!

[KatoKid]

Did get something else done today....I welded some reinforcing plates with captive nuts inside the plenum for my removable bonnet catch. Also found a pic of black brake lines on a 1600, looks grouse I reckon!

 

[Sirpent]

Nice to see one of us is trying to bring a Bavarian to life LOL

 

personally, after seeing some old school work done by the boys on American Chopper a few years ago, I love Nickel Plating

[jamo240]

Hey Dave....that Audi racing place across the road from Purple Pig in Bayswater will make you a custom muffler. Not unreasonably priced, and they do beautiful work.

 

Cheers

 

 

Jamo

[KatoKid]

Melbourne Motorsport.....mmm...Ive heard varying reports. You had experience with them or know someone there?

[jamo240]

Hey Dave...yes, that's the place!

 

I haven't personally had one made by them, but I did visit to have a look at what they could do and cost one for my car. The work I saw looked good, so I was happy to let them have a go. As it turned out, I decided to go with a factory 3.5" straight through muffler that has worked just fine. It's not that complicated though, so I was happy enough that they would have been able to do the job.

 

Cheers

 

Jamo