M2 madness

[baller908790]

Yeah I'll be interested in the front

big brake kit. Hopefully we can

make a deal happen

[M3M3]

started playing with the back bumper install today..

off with the old one.

should i leave this rear spoiler on? any aero advantage?

maybe just ditch the bumper altogether and leave this? ;-)

light one slipped right on.

and the weights were..

diving board = 39lbs

rear with anton mounts = 16lbs

23lb saving on rear. that makes almost 50lbs off the car by changing the bumpers. at 10lbs/hp hat is 5 more hp!

still have lots to do on these of course...buying the right bolts, drilling holes, finding plugs for other holes, etc.

[ray_]

You coulda just bought a '73...

;-)

[M3M3]

or two E30 M3's.....

[jgerock]

You coulda just bought a '73...

;-)

He sort of already did.. The original Trusty rusty 73 and the 73tii.

Rear bumper came from my Agave 71 (best part from that car). Front is combination 73tii center with early end pieces.

[jgerock]

started playing with the back bumper install today..

off with the old one.

For anyone removing the rear stock bumper, the rubber accordion pieces have (3) 10mm wrench-size nuts on each side and the rear (quarter panel) rub strips use a 11/32nd wrench to remove the two plastic encapsulated nuts (not 8mm, not 9mm, not 3/8"). The rubber filler strip is secured to the body with a series of Phillips-head screws. Two are located outside and another set inside the lower rear trunk area. The (3) large bolts that secure the bumper struts are 22mm socket size.

[M3M3]

thanks jim for adding some actual technical value to the bumper swap!

[jgerock]

thanks jim for adding some actual technical value to the bumper swap!

Just thought I would add it before all (3) of us forgot what tools were used. Bill Riblett suggested I try an SAE wrench on those confounded nuts.

The last time I messed with the rear big bumper removal was Clay's 76.

You now need to adjust your signature adding "71" ;-) to the mixed breed.

[M3M3]

done!

[M3M3]

ok, going to have to start work on the suspension and brakes this weekend. custom struts from Ground Control arrived today.

compared to stock tii strut. new ones have no brake line tab and a reinforced tab added for the sway bar link.

shorter height adjusters to provide more tire to strut clearance. spring perches are the new "cut" style for tire clearance.

the DA Koni's have the adjustment for compression on the bottom unfortunately. GC designed an access tube in the strut to guide a screwdriver up to the adjustment screw.

51mm strut tube and reinforcing welds. (stock strut tubes are 45mm)

[ray_]

Purty!

What do u think of coilovers for street cars?

Cheers,

[kris]

Bumper mod looks great...square tails with euro bumpers looks just right. Are you going to add some euro bolt covers. And the GC stuff is functional eye candy. Can't wait to hear your report on them in action. I opted for a restored Alpina setup for my M2, but in doing so I gave up some of the tunability/flexibility you are gaining.

[austinmf]

I only like to peek in from time to time just to see what warp speed looks like...

I am still struggling to get out of the stone age (foot powered)

Thanks for the excellent documentation and updates. I know it takes lots of effort.

We all appreciate your contributions and milestones in new territory!

Looking forward to the next mod!

[M3M3]

Ray - technically 2002's come from the factory with coil overs. the mcpherson strut is a coil over shock design... but i know you meant adjustable perch struts. for street? they are bling. folks get'em so they can adjust the ride height, but then set it once and realize it is too much work to adjust.

Kris - going to pass on the bumper bolt covers for now...extra weight! :-) i have "normal 02" GC struts and Koni SA's on the car now. work great, but wanted to shift to tii struts for the bigger bearings, needed more tire clearance and the swaybar link connection to the control arm is a PITA that limits adjustability. looking forward to the ability to adjust compression also (Koni SA's only adjust rebound) for getting those extra tenths off the lap times..

Mike - I got the parts...now i have to actually install all this stuff!

[M3M3]

starting to shift over today. pulled one of the SA struts out of the car and moved some parts over to new one. still have to drill access hole in bump steer spacer and design a plate to hold the brake duct to the back of the rotor before final install.

also stole the 750i MC out of my e30 (way too big for stock e30 brakes) to put in the 2002. had to put new grommets in to support a remote fluid reservoir.

for reference, here is the part number of the grommet needed to convert attached resevoir mc to remote. it is Master cyl grommets 22mm/8mm 34311121911

the tii MC is 23.8mm bore dia and has the 5 outlets for the dual line front calipers. the 750 mc is a 25mm bore dia and just has the two outlets for single line setup.