1 Series (E87) Tarmac rally car build by Mefmotorsport

[mef]

yes, Dmack marked up W2

[rally_rich]

Hi Martin

A very impressive DIY job there. I assume you still retain the original manual shift as a back up and this moves about in the car as you change? Where have you mounted the little compressor and extinguisher reservoir? Any chance of a picky of this? Do the off the shelf kits work in a similar pneumatic fashion to this or is it something you have come up with? Looking forward to the post race report from Oulton.

Rich

[mef]

Yes, manual shift is maintained, gear lever moves with shifts from the paddle, a bit disconcerting at first!

The compressor, reservoir and regulator are mounted in the rear near the spare wheel. the solenoid valves are under the car near the pneumatic actuator (which is mounted on the back of the gearbox, see earlier pics). I will try and take some pics later.

Most systems work exactly this way although there are some which use electric solenoids but the solenoids tend to be big & heavy compared with pneumatic actuators, of course you dont need the compressor or reservoir with them!

Yes, I will update after the rally at Oulton thic coming Saturday.

[mef]

Well, the paddle shift worked perfect on the rally last weekend at Oulton Park, 100% and so much better than using the steering wheel buttons I had initially.

After a couple of brain fades on SS1 where I used the paddle to change up but for some strange reason the gear lever on the down changes, once this was pointed out to me by Tony i got my act together and used the paddle all the time! No problems at all, its so natural once youve got used to it.

We finished up 16th Overall which was not so bad considering the very wet & slippery conditions. the car was faultless, never needed touching throughout the evnt, just swapping tyres about on the rear. I had a set of brand new DMACK inters on most of the day and they were superb, I used a couple of Pirelli wets on the rears for a couple of very wet stages but to be honest there wasn't much to choose between them, the conditions were so variable.

next event looks like the Christmas stages at Croft, entry is in!

Martin

[Bondy1]

Just checked my Shifts for work, looks like I'm off for that rally so might try and make the trip up.

[notax]

Very impressed by your DIY paddle shift! Seriously considering a sequential for my car and would ideally like paddles too, subject to cost. Sounds as though you've managed to save yourself a fortune. Would be handy to have a chat at some stage, I'll drop you a PM. Cheers Chris

[mef]

Interesting to chat about the paddle system and sequential box with you Chris. I will be interested to see if you choose the Tractive route or the Drenth option. In either case I can help you with the DTA S100 and all paddle system parts.

Martin

[mef]

For this year I have to replace both seats in my 1 series since their 5 year "life" expires for FIA rallying at the end of April, so I'm looking for the best price on a replacement pair of OMP WRC seats, going to have a look at what else is on offer at the Autosports show at the NEC on Friday.

Best price so far is £330 each inc VAT from Demon Tweeks.

So if anyone wants a nice pair of OMP WRC seats that are hardly used but basically no good for a rally car, I have a pair for sale!

Martin

[mrfuzzyfelts]

For this year I have to replace both seats in my 1 series since their 5 year "life" expires for FIA rallying at the end of April, so I'm looking for the best price on a replacement pair of OMP WRC seats, going to have a look at what else is on offer at the Autosports show at the NEC on Friday.

Best price so far is £330 each inc VAT from Demon Tweeks.

So if anyone wants a nice pair of OMP WRC seats that are hardly used but basically no good for a rally car, I have a pair for sale!

Martin

Ebay, facebook swap shops! Fetch pretty good money to Road Rally boys etc

[notax]

I can second that, I've been able to sell previous seats and harnesses on Ebay very easily for good money. Just sold a totally worn suede Momo steering wheel for £35 ( I now use gloves in the rally car to protect the new one!) Ironically, I bought the blue car a brand new suede wheel, albeit not Momo, for about £40 on Ebay before I sold it

[mrfuzzyfelts]

I can second that, I've been able to sell previous seats and harnesses on Ebay very easily for good money. Just sold a totally worn suede Momo steering wheel for £35 ( I now use gloves in the rally car to protect the new one!) Ironically, I bought the blue car a brand new suede wheel, albeit not Momo, for about £40 on Ebay before I sold it

Another handy thing for you then chris...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TRS-Steering- ... 3cd814f8ee

For when not in "Rally" use

[notax]

God that's hideous! Sorry to have hijacked your thread Martin!

[mef]

yes I bought a steering wheel cover for the same reason, can never find it though! I always wear gloves with the suade wheel otherwise its amazing how quickly they wear smooth and shiny!

I will advertise my seats on facebook if my mate in Holland doesnt buy them for his Fiesta track car...

I got a cracking deal at the Autosport show, bought a pair of "GP Race" Pro-Light seats from Grand Prix Racewear, they are made in Spain, seem to be exactly the same quality and design as my existing OMP WRC seats, couldnt fault them, seemed to be just as comfortable, £420 for the pair, delivered to me with 6 years homologation (not valid after end 2020)

Even if I decided to change them at some point I should get my money back!

Martin

[notax]

Good to hear that you picked up a bargain too... shame mine is costing a bit more than £420!

[mef]

The new "GP race" seats were tested on the Lee Holland memorial stages rally at Anglesey Circuit last Sunday and I can report that they are perfect, very supportive and comfortable.

Unfortunately the car suffered a bit of damage when I hit a wagon tyre coming out of a tight chicane and it took off the nearside corner of my 1M bumper!

Now I need to replace the bumper and probably both front wings at the same time since I've decided that the 1M front wings are too expensive to replace and are also a bit too wide for my front track, they stick out too wide and are forever getting damaged and then need repairs after each event!

I've decided to go back to the standard 1 series front wings which are only £30 + Vat each and Ive found a company making a 1M replica bumper in fibreglass that blends into the standard 1 series wings:

http://unqshop.com/bmw-1-series-m-style ... ber,560027 it will arrive tomorrow






I intend fitting a 1/8" welding rod inside the lip of the wheelarch and rolling the flange over this to create some better stiffness to the wing which otherwise are a bit flimsy and tend to kink easily. If the wing is not wide enough to cover the offset of the wheels then maybe I'll have to modify them to get some extra width, this was the reason for going for the 1m versions in the first place but they are 2" wider than standard which is probably 1" too much than is required.

Got to get all this sorted and re-painted/new graphics vinyl before Monteberg rallysprint in Belgium on 26th April.

Martin