New car...Possibly.

#1

Hey everyone. I just purchased a car that I’m 95% positive will be built into a spec car. I got it for a whopping $250, so I was thinking of possibly doing the Grassroots Motorsport Challeng for $2006. But I really want to build a spec car this summer so I can start racing. What do you think about this car for a racecar. It has some cosmetic work that needs to be done, which I will tackle. The worst thing that I need to tackle is the motor. It has unknown milage, and has a blown head gasket. I was planning on checking the head, and if it needs it replacing the head with a used unit. What do you guys think? Or do I need to get a motor, completely rebuild it for every ounce of hp like the spec miatas to be competitive? Tell me whether I am wasting my time to try and tun this into a spec car…

Its a 1989 BMW 325i:

I had trouble getting photos to show up in the message, so copy and paste it into the adress bar and look at the little film strip.

All opinions are welcome…

#2

Blown Head gasket means it probably overheated. Head is likely warped…so a rebuild or replacement would be in order. the bottom end on these cars is pretty durable. get it running, get the suspension on and get out and do some HPDE’s. If you want to seriously build a spec E30 car…look to the left side of the page here and read the rules…that way you won’t do something you shouldn’t.
Why can’t I find a white one for that cheap…

#3

I know…I lucked out, my fav color on an e30 is white! I have read the rules over and over again. I know that competitive spec miata’s are rebuilding their motors so they can squeeze every ounce of horsepower out of there cars. In the spec e30 class, are you going to be terribly underpowered with a general running motor? I know that I am probably going to need to put a new head on, or a new motor, whatever is cheaper. Does the cage affect handling significantly? I would like to get the car set up so I can really learn the car during HPDE’s. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated…

#4

Most of the motors (including the ones running up front) are untouched. Take care of your maintenance items, like cap/rotor, plugs, oil, valve adjust, and your motor will be good to go. These M20’s are bulletproof, and need very little attention. Spending $$$ on rebuilds will not be worth the HP gains (if any.)

Good luck!
-Vic
SO #325

#5

victorhall wrote:

[quote]Most of the motors (including the ones running up front) are untouched. Take care of your maintenance items, like cap/rotor, plugs, oil, valve adjust, and your motor will be good to go. These M20’s are bulletproof, and need very little attention. Spending $$$ on rebuilds will not be worth the HP gains (if any.)

Good luck!
-Vic
SO #325[/quote]
Vic is correct. A cage will help stiffen the chassis. the best money will be on seat time.

#6

My car (2005 Mid Atlantic Spec E30 Champion) has 256,000 miles on it.

I know of only one "built" motor and it has 6 more hp than mine, according to a chassis dyno test on the same day. In the races, we were dead-even going down the straights and whoever won, won due to driving, not an engine.

If this is your first season of racing, seat time will definitely make you faster, compared to 6 hp.

Carter