Sebring NL

Gents

why are you all running without the trim surrounding the side windows?

I am also still waiting for either Team Calypso or Team Sebring to get -serious- on the cars.

There is some 100 kilo's that can be taken out for under 100 quid and some 100 additional kilo's to be shed for under 1000 quid.

Make them trackcars that can't be reversed into normal cars anymore. Otherwise its just playing around

wout

davidoli

Hi Wout , my first sentence from our Sebring Sienna Track Project thread sums up our mission statement :

' Hertfordshire1 and myself have decided to turn Sebring Sienna into a dedicated track car , remaining road legal and capable of carrying 2 people cross continent to the Nurburgring and attending various track days .'

Not too extreme , but more track orientated than road focused .

SS still has all external trim around her side windows and dustcaps on the tyre valves !

I'd be interested to hear where SS could lose an additional 100kg for under £100 , and please don't say by pushing Steve out of the door !

__________________
Better a day as a tiger than a lifetime as a sheep !

91 Sebring 3.6

E28 UK RHD M5

hertfordshire1

Wout,

I don't give a monkeys what your waiting for. They fit OUR purpose.

Steve

__________________
"If it breaks again.................. I give up."

Sebring NL

well well don't be so harsh mate ! Just trying to be honest here..It appears to me you guys enjoy working on the car and IMO, there's a lot more to gain for little !

Another side note, it appears you guys don't have any trouble getting on the Ring..So much for the doom scenario's that frequented the board recently..Perhaps time to try my luck with the E28

Wout

__________________
///M5HD91-229-
|Eibach|Koni|Porsche Brembo
for looking through the windscreen
///M535iDC71-181-
|H&R|Bilstein|Sparco
for looking through the Lexan side windows

B6 3.5 1531-668-
|Dogleg|Glanzschwarz
for fun
C1 2.5 1531-184-
|D-1 cage|full race spec
for looking at chequered flags

740d GE81-317-
twinscroll v8 diesel daily

FinalEditionE34M5

Last week I fitted a HID headlamp kit to Project Calypso - a surprisingly straightforward affair - we now have proper lighting.

We have also returned the car to original spec lighting - orange lenses at the front, side and rear.

However, today was the day Project Calypso took a more significant step forward.

The fabulous Baker Boys Jnr & Snr arrived at my place this A.M. - with our newly-purchased eBay Corbeau Seats and Willians Harnesses.

First job was to tend to a recent annoyance - our inability to get the turbine covers separated from the 17" M5 rims - the hex screws (5 on each wheel), were seized.

Jon Snr applied his engineering skills and started slowly and carefully drilling the bolts out. By Lunchtime, we were over half-way there :-





Next onto the seats - we bought a pair of Corbeau Sprint XLs - a nice seat - (and wide enough to accomodate my harris) - we had to use an angle-grinder to remove the BMW seat mounting lugs - and then part-manufacture a bracket solution.




Snr took a great deal of time and effort ensuring the fitment of the passenger seat was angled coreectly, and safely-secured :-






Meanwhile Jnr set about fixing the rear location points of the Willans harnesses to the parcel shelf. We drilled-out and used the central location points formerly holding the parcel shelf trim. The metal is strong here, however, we used a number of strengthening plates both above and below the securing eye to ensure maximum strength possible :-



The Corbeau seat brackets didn't fit the E34 too well originally - however, after much deliberation and thought - we managed to use the original brackets and fit to the majority of the original E34 mounting points - the final solution, we were very pleased with :-








We ran out of time to start fitment of the Driver's seat today. However, it will be mounted higher than the passenger seat - to ensure the optimum position for Jon Jnr and myself. This will require the manufacture of a 40mm box section - so this will be a job for another day soon.

With the driver's seat mounted temporarily, Project Calypso is starting to look and feel more like the track-focused car we envisaged.



It may not look like it - but believe it or not - I did more than just take photos today whilst the boys worked - I made the tea too.

Big thanks to Snr who really helped Project Calypso come on leaps and bounds today :-




Once the seats are in, we then have the next stages to work on:-

• Lowering springs - probably H & R
• New tyres - probably R888s
• Fitment of the already-purchased Ferodo DS3000s front and rear
• Cure of valve gasket leak at rear of engine

The car drives well - it's a project that's a bit stop-go, and Jon and myself have been working long hours lately........

Soon we'll be on the track - and our plan is to get at least 3 trips to the ring next year - hopefully the channel tunnel will be back in action by then..

__________________
TK.
___________________
1995 E34 M5
UK LE No. 35/50

davidoli

I can't stop smiling TK ......Top quality .....just wait till you start driving over to the Nurburgring together for the first time , the sense of camaraderie is immense !

Love the harnesses ......very classy !

Seats are a touch gay though !

A touch envious of your decision to go with DS3000s ......cuanto cuesta ? And where did you get them from ?

__________________
Better a day as a tiger than a lifetime as a sheep !

91 Sebring 3.6

E28 UK RHD M5

Jon Baker

Muy caro senor!!

If you think the blue seats are gay you should see the pink inserts we have our eyes on.....

JB

nebpor

Cracking guys, absolutely cracking

DS3000 is a good choice, though I'll admit I'm going Pagid RS14 next time - they're magnificent on my Honda, albeit it sounds like a train coming into the station if they're not used right .... I think the 3000s will be the same

Keep it going, I'm totally inspired here!

MM-5

Hi

Nice progress. I can recommend one easy weight saving thing: Replace that heavy battery (about 23 kg) with an lightweight 16-25 Ah dry-cell racing battery. I use Genesis 16 Ah battery (6 kg) with no problems in my car. But be sure You don´t play with electric goodies if there is still any of them. It´s cheap and easy weight saving. You have to manufacture own battery bracket, so the battery holds firmly in the place.

Another good weight saving is deleting the electric sunroof. This weight saving is extremely good for a track car because the weight is so high. I took it away from my car and all the other unnessessary things above the windows (read all the possible things). Very good weight saving, over 20 kg. I replaced it with selfmade carbonfibre plate supported with aluminium brackets. Sealed it with Sika Flex.

My car weights now 1410 kg without fuel. Next step is replacing the cat with de-cat pipe and removing the middle silencer. Again nice things for good weight savings. And then carbon fibre hood....

Keep on the weight reduction. Put some weight figures here when you get them . I want my car weight to 1350 kg without fuel (no roll cage in the car). M5 feels MUCH stronger when it is lightened -300 kg.

Best Regards, Janne.

Stevie

I still see lead plates on the tunnel and lead plates on the floor. Get prying guys!

Oh BTW, most people tend to heat these plates so the glue softens, and then pry them off, quite a messy job. Much easier to get a bottle of nitrogen and freeze the plates. They'll come of much quicker.

__________________
Dragracing a BMW is like taking Jessica Alba fishing. Some might considering it fun, but think of what they missed....