KatoKid

Hi Mick. 3/8 to 1/2 inch gap is pretty tight? I'm running standard BMW engine mounts so there will be the normal amount of deflection of hard acceleration and deceleration, the last thing I want to do is to have to change things after I have it on the road to avoid the exhaust hitting anything. Can you elaborate as to why the extra inch is so important, I think I can guess but would like to hear from you? Thanks Nato too.

Hey Rudolf. Nice pipes man! Could you do me a favor and provide dimensions of the rear muffler, diameter, length and pipe size? Thanks David.

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

Yep, looked at Gonzos and I really like them, lots of guys swear by them. My Nephew has them on his car but they are just too big to fit in the space I have available.

Hi Mick. Have a look at the last page on my build thread for the general idea. See below for a profile of the resonator which would be 24 inches (600mm) long. Excuse the imperial but I relate to that better when talking pipe sizes...its a little like dick sizes...no one quotes millimeters!

Hi all. Looking for someone that custom builds high performance mufflers in stainless, DPE looks like the only real option so far. Thanks. David

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.

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

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.

Ripper. Thanks Peter

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.

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.

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.

Yes Peter, going to run the exhaust same as you. While I may not need to tuck it up that high (as you correctly point out that the rear is lower) I still want to do this for symmetry's sake. Stupid I know, but hey that's the way I like it. I know we have discussed before, but have you got any better pics of the Commodore resonator you used between the trans and diff? VE if I recall correctly? can you confirm pipe size and overall dimensions for me? Thanks. David

Hi Peter. Its more to satisfy the engineers that anything else and to secondarily to tie both sides together. I'm still using an R200 with the classic RT mount using the Chev unbreakable transmission mount. Engineers may be uncomfortable if there is nothing there to support the nose of the diff if the "unbreakable" mount breaks so I'm going to use modified original cross members joined with some 5 mm strap which will give me more room for the exhaust. And no, the exhaust is next on the list.

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.

Always the inquisitive one Lurch! I'm going to run dual 2.25 inch exhaust front to back so I want another cross member to cut and shut with this one so that I have the same reliefs both sides of the diff for the exhaust clearance.

Hi all. I'm after the diff front crossmember (if that's what its called) that carries the front diff mount and locates the front pivot of the control arms. See photo Mines a 240 but don't know if they are different for 260's or not? Melbourne preferably! Thanks. David

May I suggest something similar to this: http://www.performanceforums.com/forums/showthread.php?67290068-Minica-ninja-style

Photos of disassembly and internal gear and shaft porn are not loading...you must fix pronoto

Hi Lurchos. Its got a pretty good dent in the shallow section that sits under the spare wheel well and will (I think) require a piece cut from the top side to provide access and push the dent out of the bottom and then replace the cut out piece on the top. Also need the old fuel sender opening closed over and the old fuel line pick up removed so my preference is for silver soldering rather than welding for these jobs, hence the preference also for a radiator shop that also does tank repairs.

Hi all. Any suggestions or recommendations for fuel tank repairers in SE suburbs? There are a few in the northern suburbs but want to avoid the long trip if possible. Thanks. David

nah....this guy wins! http://www.performanceforums.com/forums/showthread.php?67290068-Minica-ninja-style

Did you buy just the rear section of the exhaust? I tried to buy just the rear through Jesse as well but ReinhardJPN wouldn't sell just the rear and wanted drug money for the whole kit? Thanks. david

Im interested