Set of Four (4) Style 4 Forged 16" Wheels.
Super strong forged wheels, 16x8, 5x120 bolt pattern, ET23 offset, and a classic Alpina style design.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
recaro seat restoration
Capital Parts Numbers
- 0515072300 Bolster Foam - Left Hand
- 0515082300 Bolster Foam - Right Hand
- 0530001100 Outer Backrest Foam
Each Recaro has a basic model number such as A8, LS, SRD. The first 2 letters stand for the back of the seat. The last digit stands for the base of the seat. For example an LX will stand for the back of the seat with its trademark pointy triangular bolsters but an LX-A will be the same back mounted to a flat base. Here is an example of a 3rd gen LX (top picture) and a 3rd gen LX-A (bottom)
 | |
| Notice the BMW logo on the sides of these seats. |
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Alfa Romeo Announces New 1.8-liter Turbo Production Starts in 2013
New 1.8-liter Turbo Engine with up to 300HP
The Fiat Group has revealed plans to produce a new four-cylinder gasoline direct injection turbo engine for Alfa Romeo at the firm's FMA plant in Pratola Serra beginning in early 2013
While the Fiat Group did not give out any details about the models scheduled to get the new engine, it did say that it has been designed for use in both transversal and longitudinal applications and that it will be compliant with future emissions standards in both Europe (Euro 6) and the U.S. (Tier 2 Bin 5).
The upcoming 4C sports coupe and the delayed Giulia premium sedan that will replace the current 159 will most likely be the first cars to get the new powerplant. “This is an extremely important step for Alfa Romeo, as we continue to reposition our brand and prepare it for global distribution. The United States remains our primary objective as we prepare for a 2013 introduction of our models,” said Harald J. Wester, Fiat’s Chief Technology Officer and head of the Alfa Romeo and Maserati Brands.
“The dedication of Group-wide resources to develop specific powertrain solutions for the specific needs of Alfa Romeo is a reflection of the renewed thrust we are placing on the development of this brand. This is a first step in a series of initiatives to be implemented in the near future which will reconnect Alfa Romeo to its historical roots as a premium Italian sports car brand,” he added.
Source: http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2011/10/alfa-romeo-announces-new-18-liter-turbo.html#disqus_thread
Monday, October 3, 2011
BMA Wheels
18" shown without Lockplate
Available in 15" - 20"
Sandwich mount shown
4 & 5 stud fitment inc Centre Lock
Available in 15" - 20"
Sandwich mount shown
4 & 5 stud fitment inc Centre Lock
brake performance
Well that depends on what sort of brake "performance" you're talking about.
Stopping distance: Depends mostly on your tires. Brake upgrades won't change this much.
Fade resistance: Depends partly on rotor cooling and partly on pad compound. Vented rotors and good pads will help with this. Calipers have no effect.
Pedal feel: The pedal will take less force but longer travel to achieve the same brake torque with the Volvos compared to the 323i calipers. You may want to change the master cylinder to a larger bore to make the travel shorter again. Once you do that there is probably no difference in the feel.
The size of the pad area only effects how long it takes to wear the pads out. It does not effect the braking torque and probably has minimal effect on the feel.
Basically you need vented rotors, good pads, and good fluid. Caliper choice is 1/10 as important as any one of those. Front 323i calipers are identical to '77 320i calipers, and their only advantage is that you are able to run a vented rotor.
Stopping distance: Depends mostly on your tires. Brake upgrades won't change this much.
 | |
| 1977 Frnt Calipers |
Pedal feel: The pedal will take less force but longer travel to achieve the same brake torque with the Volvos compared to the 323i calipers. You may want to change the master cylinder to a larger bore to make the travel shorter again. Once you do that there is probably no difference in the feel.
The size of the pad area only effects how long it takes to wear the pads out. It does not effect the braking torque and probably has minimal effect on the feel.
 |
| http://www.massivebrakes.com/kits/e21/front/300/32/ |
Braking torque can be a consideration, however, how much does brake torque matter once they've been locked up if you don't have ABS None. Once you start running bigger&stickier tires, it becomes harder to lock the tires up, so then more brake torque is needed. Until you get to that point, bigger brakes will just have a longer life and stay cooler (definitely advantages to both of those) and will likely have more un-sprung weight (not so much of an advantage).
 |
| 1977 Front Calipers |
i do know that with stock vented rotors, calipers, hawk hp plus pads and ATE fluid, i can overpower the summer tires i'm running.
Pads: Hawk hps brake pads are about as good as it gets.
Torque is a measure of the turning force on an object and is greatly influenced by the length of the lever. the longer the lever the greater the mechanical advantage. therefore a bigger diameter rotor has more torque. i really don't believe pad size makes much difference with torque. (larger pads = longevity!)Wilwoods brake calipers usually have a larger pistons (and several sizes are available) which does increase brake torque for a given line pressure, but you can always just press harder on the pedal instead. Wilwoods are also much lighter which is kind of a big deal since they are unspung weight (attached to the movable part of the suspension). But yeah, any brake upgrade that uses the same rotors is mostly for cosmetics/bragging.
there is a good discussion over on the forums regarding the upgraded girling calipers...its worth reading...it can be found here...
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=308282
Quote of the month
there are two kinds of people who own old Bimmers, BMW mechanics, and those who wish they were.
flywheel
 |
| This is a VAC Motorsports Aluminum flywheel (extreme lightened) for a bmw m10 engine...amazing, but not practical. |
 |
| as the above but with the pressure plate |
model a ford
these cars are like an old lover that won't leave me alone...i really like model 'A's'...i have already been wondering what kind of car i want to do next...and believe it or not i have considered a model 'A'...
323i
"This is my 323i which has been refinished in the original Brazil Brown. I have removed the markers installed when it was converted, and have replaced all rubber and moldings with Original BMW . Original BMW Motorsport front spoiler and 15/6 and 15/7 BBS wheels. After ordering 2 Alpina spoilers and having them arrive damaged, I decided to go with the Motorsport spoiler , However, I may try one more Alpina as well. Current plans are to have the BBS wheels refinished in body color with polished lips. Although replacement with Alpina wheels has been contemplated."
 |
Notice the BMW Motorsports Front Valance |
Source: http://www.323i.net/
320i windshield wipers
driving the car back home from california jonathan and i ran into a rain storm and the wipers seemed to turn slower than typical...i would like to either put on a new motor...(doubtful)...or have the old motor rewound and have new brushes put into it...there is a place on rt. 65 that still does this kind of work...
Sunday, October 2, 2011
5 Lug Wheel Hub Conversion
the old Tricor e21 forums had this description of the conversion process...
you can use e12 hubs/rotors but only on the earlier struts. if you turn down the rotor about 2-3mm you can then use volvo calipers without having to slot them. also the e12 hub uses the same bearings as the 323i
I'm pretty sure the hubs shown above are e23 as well. They're very heavy, but overall better than the e12 I think with the same size bearings. The front conversion is the easy part.
Front hubs you can change to the front 5 bolt hubs from an e12. Not specifically the 535 as I have seen 528is with rear discs. The hubs fit the spindles on the e21. You have to check the bearings though as pre 80 models used different bearings that the post 80 models did. Caliper placement has been rumored not to change but then all the other guys that have done the mod have machined their own front hubs. Wheel offsets may change but then no one has actually provided details.
The idea behind using this type of subframe is all you have to do is shorten the front member down to the e21 size and weld the subframe mounting ears to this after you are done. I am not sure if any changes were made to the arms. From the pic they do not look like they have been changed. The end result bolts onto the stock subframe bushings. The difference between doing it this way rather than using an e30 subframe is that the springs are housed on the shocks on the e28 and are seperate on the e30. The e30 has a shock mounting point and behind it is the spring in its perch. The spring Top retainers have the same bolt pattern as the e21 and will bolt to the e21 rear towers. Not sure if you can mix and match these but the rear e28 springs are the same diameter as the e21 ones so... Plus you will bring over the bigger housing that accomodates the e30 e28 diff
Of course this is after measuring the centerline twice, making sure your geometry is correct, and cutting once. The rear calipers will plumb into the existing lines and work fine with the booster that is on the car already. If you did not have rear discs you have them now. The other addition is the rear mount for the e28 diff. You will have to make space for it and strengthen the floor of the trunk(boot) and bolt the e28 sub-frame mount If you have a larger motor the added weight will be minimal as the motor will make up for it. Adding the diff will benefit the use of hard launches. But on a 4 cylinder or a M60/20 equipped car it will make the car heavy and will only be for looks. The "benefit" could be the added weight on the rear end making the car less tail happy but then who would really want to get rid of this?
A cheap "bastardized mod" could be integrating (read: heavy cutting and welding) the rear trailing arms from the same e28 and checking to see if the rear shocks mount up this way. Kind of easy to check the measurements and angles. Or if you are at a junkyard you can remove one trailing arm from an e28 and from an e21 and "swap" the e28 arm into the e21. Or at least measure the deficiencies, where you have to weld, how much farther apart the arm is, how much longer the arm is ect. At least giving you more ideas or more proof into the reality of modifying your BMW hope that shows the amount of work involved
320i windshield, glass
one of my other cars is a 1928 model 'A' Ford Roadster...i had grown up with model 'a's' for most of my life and the restoration of that vehicle was made harder because while i had seen model 'a's' but i had not watched them close enough to assemble one...the restoration process was greatly aided by the model 'a' restorer judging standards...the judging standards is the cumulative wisdom and the knowledge of the restoring community...the reason that i am mentioning that here is because as i look at the pictures above you will notice the OEM identification marks on the windshield...this particular windshield image was pulled off of a russian bmw e21 forum and my mind began wondering about the number of variations that exist...those are the type of topics covered in the model 'a' judging standards...i wonder if an e21 version is on the work bench...maybe this suggestion will begin that process...???
Friday, September 30, 2011
Trends of Interiors
the reason i am posting this picture is because it's interesting to me how the interiors of european cars have evolved over time...look at the curves in the new Fiat 500 featured with a Gucci branded interior...very nice...but i can't help but think i'm looking into the mini cooper...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)