Progress on the bmw1602.com car ...** UPDATED 09/16/24 *

[bmw1602.com]

more....

top view......and yes that's my 200lbs ass standing on the dash bar....it's stiff!

[peteinjp]

Damn nice Pedro! I love the 2 tubes up to the strut mount. Seems like its just begging for something across the front (struts or up towards the nose.) Any plans there or no longer needed?

I tried the over lapping spot weld when I was messing around with the suspension pieces but I just didn't feel I was able to build up enough heat for penetration as a with continuous bead. I think I need thicker wire (now running .025".) What thickness are you using for this?

Again- looks fantastic. Now get it back together! I'm ready to hear how it all feels on the track!

Pete

[bmw1602.com]

read my earlier post about the subject......I did testing....the welds are solid....it's just a different technique, like any technique you can do it right or you can mess it up. If you do it right with enough power and correct travel speed you get the same result. I welded tubes then cut them to check penetration. I used this test to adjust my settings... I'm using a 240v welder at almost full power (more than I would use if I was welding continuous).

I did the same technique with my 120v 20amp Miller and it looked the same as the welds with the more powerful welder but very little penetration on 2 .120 wall tubes. The key is to use alot of power proper wire speed (to aid in penetration) and to keep the puddle moving forward at a constant speed just as if you were gas welding. Create a puddle > move forward >create a puddle > move forward ......exactly as if you were gas or tig welding. If you get the right tempo you are starting the next puddle as the previous one is still glowing. If you wait to long in between then you might have cold/hot/cold/hot etc.. problems. You might just be putting a cold weld on top of another. When you doing it right the welder is buzzing almost constantly you just stop for a fraction of a sec and move forward.......naturally some of my welds are better than others due to positioning and my own fatigue in certain cases..... POWER is everything in this. Most of my tubes are 1.5"x.095 wall (on the thinner side due to my vehicle weight). Only my strut tubes are .120 wall. So given the thickness involved I pretty sure I got proper penetration

Like I said as with anything you can do it properly and you can even make it look decent but not have great results. I'm 100% certain I got solid joints/welds. In fact since I'm racing the car I'm betting my life on my work. This in not my first time welding....I've been welding for a while now....

Thanks for your valid concerns......either way it's all done now. Considering some of the welding I seen on some cages people are racing on I not worried at all.

oh yeah I used .30 wire

as far as a "strut bar" tube.....I don't think it is needed. It will take ALOT of force to move the strut towers now....

[peteinjp]

Don't get me wrong-I'm not concerned about the integrity of your welds- only mine. I've read your earlier post about it in response to my previous question. That's why I gave it a try myself. I wasn't calling into question your welds at all Pedro. In fact the opposite. I was just looking for advice because you obviously know how to do it well.

Base on your answer I'll give it another try- at higher voltage but I'm betting that my 180amp machine will be limited to a relatively thinner material.

In terms of penetration- ideally do you want to see some small evidence of puddling on the back side of the weld? When you cut the weld to check it what are you looking for?

[bmw1602.com]

No worries....

basically you want to see that you actually melted both separate pieces into each other "fusion" as opposed to simply laying hot metal over both pieces and not really fusing both parts. In that case it would be more like "gluing".

This is how "brazing" works.....it doesn't actually fuse both metals together rather it just bonds them with bronze or brass.

Braze welding has many advantages over fusion welding. It allows you to join dissimilar metals, to minimize heat distortion, and to reduce extensive pre- heating.

this is what you want to see if you slice your welds....(this is a thick plate.)

Here would be a cross section of a "butt joint" with full penetration. with shading that shows the locations of the fusion zone (darkest grey) and the heat-affected zone (middle shade of grey) in the base material (lightest grey)

[Deilke53]

Pedro,

Nice work!

Umm..SCCA C-Sedan, right? Don't Sedans fall under the same cage rules as the Touring and Production casses?...like, minimum 6 / maximum 8 attachment points & no portion of the cage extending through the firewall, etc.

Looks like it's sorta become a GT car..or a rally car:)

No offense intended, just wondering.

-Mike

[bmw1602.com]

No...scca for me.

VARA (vintage auto racing assoc.) it's a west coast vintage racing series. I might also do some NASA racing (German Touring Sedan or GTS-4).

Built within my rules..... and I have no idea were it would fall in scca. Don't plan on scca racing.....very happy with my series.

[bmw1602.com]

what i've been up to lately.....

This video was shot during a NASA hpde trackday held at Willow springs

this last August.

Since my race car has been in surgery all year, I have been atending NASA events with my friends and have recently become a NASA instructor.

This was a learning expirience for some of the videos I will be shooting for when my car gets on the track again.....planning some cool videos when that happens!

The primary goal of this short video besides making a cool video for my

best friends was to exercise my newly acquired Final cut Pro skills. It

was shot with a Panasonic HVX200 HD camera in 720pn. It was my first day

with the camera and was getting used to everything. I had a hard time

looking at the LCD on some of the pans in the bright sunlight(I now have

a custom monitor hood). Most of it was shot at 24fps with a few 60fps

shots included as well. I was running around all day but I think all in

all for a first try I left with some decent footage. I edited it on

Final Cut Pro Studio as well as color correcting on it as well. The

titles were made with Motion and Livetype.

I had to compress it down for VIMEO but it is what they call an "HD"

video. Still it is runnign at 15fps so it might appear to the more

trained eye a bit jumpy (especially the titles at the end).

I highly recommend once you let it download, that you click on the

little X on the screen to make it go full screen on your monitor. Also

on the bottoem of the page they have a link to download it to your

computer. Sit back turn up the volume and enjoy! Hope you all Like it!!

HERE IT IS.....

Vimeo HD version 10mins. long.

For more info on the #475 car, visit his build blog (pics and specs) - I

also helped build this car.

forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1071981

#34 car (Adam's car) was purchased as a race car (here on bimmerforums)

already just 1 month before this video was shot. No build blog yet. But

here are some specs on his car.

-3.0L with schrick cams, software, intake, HFM, headers

-Tckline double adjustable coilovers

-OZ wheels - Yoko Advans

-Brembo -2 piece rotors

-quaife diff

Etc.etc...etc....

Both cars besides being the same color are actually pretty matched.

Dmitry is a more experienced than Adam. By the looks of it Adam is eager

to get more track time and catch up!

Special Thanks to:

Stereoscope LLC, - stereoscopestudios.com/

BMW/Mercedes Service of Sherman Oaks - bimermbenz.com/

okay,

not recommended (very compressed) YouTube version

[Harv]

Very very nice work.

John

[H_Krix]

nicely done man.

At around 5:14 or so, this e46 goes way deep into that corner and jumps all over the brakes. Did that guy have any idea what he was doing? I think I saw him do that 2 or 3 times in your video...

Nice rides, really makes me want to work on my e36

[bmw1602.com]

I think that was a novice women driver.......

[bmw1602.com]

Well it's been awhile.......

I've been really busy with my new job. I'm loving it. Better pay means more parts and hopefully.....on the track for next year!

So Santa visited early,

I bought,

New 11:5 to 1 pistons (coated) (ireland pistons)

Main bearings drilled to Alpina racing specs (coated) ireland

New wheel studs/nuts (ireland)

Alum. flywheel 7lbs. (ireland)

Willwood (I was going to use Tilton but I got a smokin' deal on the these)

Clutch pedal

Brake pedal w/ balance bar

3 master cyclinders kits(1 clutch & 2 brakes)

Remote balance adjuster

and a few other bits....steering coupler, bushings etc....

still waiting on the pistons.......

haha...... I love it... my car is anorexic!!

How much do you think my car weighs......Rolling chassis?

No engine

no tranny

no driveshaft

no diff and axels

no caliper or brake booter and lines

no seats

no dash

no wiring

no gauges

no fire system

no fuel cell & pump

it's as basic of a rolling chassis you can get!

????????????

57 lbs. for the LSD 320i diff

67 lbs. for the 320i 5-sp tranny

1185 lbs....!

I wonder how much all the stuff will weigh???????

Final weigh should be below 2000lbs.......I think.....

[bmw1602.com]

some of the new parts....

[kbmb02]

Final weigh should be below 2000lbs.......I think.....

Yeah. . . but coming off the track after a session it'll weigh at least 2000lbs per VARA CS rules, right Pedro?

The car's looking good, look forward to seeing you on the track in 2009.

[bmw1602.com]

well....I'm hoping it's under so I can choose where to place the weight!

but yes at the end of the day it will be 2000lbs.