Mods
Serious weight reduction, upgraded suspension and brakes, rear diff swap, headers, urethane motor/trans mounts, racing seat and harness
Build story
My previous project car was a Pontiac Fiero. It was a fun little car. But the drivetrain setup had serious limitations. Plus parts are getting scarce. So I decided to move on to something else. I wanted my new project car to have a front engine RWD layout. I also wanted decent handling. Plus I wanted a relatively lightweight vehicle.
After some research, I narrowed the options down to the 4th generation F-Body or the E46 BMW. To be honest, I was biased toward the F-Body. I grew up around Chevys and Fords, so it#039;s familiar. But I found a really good deal on an E46, and jumped on it. Now I#039;m the proud owner of a 2001 330i. I was specifically looking for a 330i, because it has the biggest (non-M) engine and beefy brakes. I figured that would be a good starting point.
The idea was to get a distressed car, fix it up a little bit, and have a fun weekend car. But I got more than I bargained for. The fix-up project quickly turned into a rescue operation. The engine was full of sludge. And the timing chain guides disintegrated. It was literally in the process of dying. It needed an immediate intervention. But with some blood, sweat, and tears (and several junkyard trips), I was able to save it from the crusher.
After bringing the car back to life, I decided to celebrate by taking it to the drag strip. Trial by fire, baby! It was an hour drive each way (plus the racing). The car took it like a champ! It didn#039;t have any major problems. So I stripped out the interior, and took it to the drag strip a second time. Same story. The car performed flawlessly. Now the real fun can begin!
IMO a project needs to have a direction. So here#039;s where we#039;re going with this car. First of all, it will not be a daily driver. And it will not be a show car. This car is so rough that trying to make it pretty would be an exercise in futility. So instead, it#039;s going to be a weekend fun car. My previous project (the Fiero) slowly morphed into a street-legal race car. And I think the BMW will do the same. I plan to do some drag racing, some autocross, and maybe some road racing. I#039;m not building it to fit into any particular racing class. And I don#039;t really care if it#039;s competitive. I just want to have some fun.
After some research, I narrowed the options down to the 4th generation F-Body or the E46 BMW. To be honest, I was biased toward the F-Body. I grew up around Chevys and Fords, so it#039;s familiar. But I found a really good deal on an E46, and jumped on it. Now I#039;m the proud owner of a 2001 330i. I was specifically looking for a 330i, because it has the biggest (non-M) engine and beefy brakes. I figured that would be a good starting point.
The idea was to get a distressed car, fix it up a little bit, and have a fun weekend car. But I got more than I bargained for. The fix-up project quickly turned into a rescue operation. The engine was full of sludge. And the timing chain guides disintegrated. It was literally in the process of dying. It needed an immediate intervention. But with some blood, sweat, and tears (and several junkyard trips), I was able to save it from the crusher.
After bringing the car back to life, I decided to celebrate by taking it to the drag strip. Trial by fire, baby! It was an hour drive each way (plus the racing). The car took it like a champ! It didn#039;t have any major problems. So I stripped out the interior, and took it to the drag strip a second time. Same story. The car performed flawlessly. Now the real fun can begin!
IMO a project needs to have a direction. So here#039;s where we#039;re going with this car. First of all, it will not be a daily driver. And it will not be a show car. This car is so rough that trying to make it pretty would be an exercise in futility. So instead, it#039;s going to be a weekend fun car. My previous project (the Fiero) slowly morphed into a street-legal race car. And I think the BMW will do the same. I plan to do some drag racing, some autocross, and maybe some road racing. I#039;m not building it to fit into any particular racing class. And I don#039;t really care if it#039;s competitive. I just want to have some fun.