uh oh.....I gone n' done it now.

[wegweiser]

Great! I have begun my mid-life crisis. I bought a race car. That means everything must go. I’m selling my beloved ’73 “Emily”…selling my daily driver E30 too…selling my 20+ year stash of old BMW restoration parts…and going racing!

I’ll be buying a Ford F150 or Dodge pickemup truck and a 20’ race trailer.

Meet Helen. She’s 37 years old and she’s “been through hell n’ back” – hence the name according to her previous owners. The fact that she shares my late mother’s name (herself a 3 time Nurburgring school driver back in the 70s) holds a special place for me. There WILL be a pink ribbon on this car, somewhere.

She’s a bit of a rat – but a rat with some great local winning history back in the early 90s. She needs freshening up – my specialty! First to go – are the stickers and decals. Next – backdating the paint scheme to something more “late 60s and European” (Right now, it reminds me of the walls of a 1980s rollerskating rink). She’ll be getting more period correct vintage livery – in the form of Colorado with narrow band of Inka I expect (heh heh heh..yeah, I said it! - stay tuned!). A giant white “meatball” on each door – and numbers in an appropriate 1970s European font.

I’ll be overhauling tired suspension bits, tidying up the interior, welding additional roll cage braces, new fuel safety cell to be added, and a slew of other time (and cash!) consuming improvements before springtime!

Many late nights await me, this winter. I’ll smell like paint, fuel, carb cleaner, and motor oil til May. Wednesday I’ll be welding in seat braces, test fitting the new seat 8 or 10 times, and prepping the interior for fresh, clean paint!

Here she is before and after decal removal. Next – pressure washing and interior disassembly and paint, seat bracket fabrication, and hours of welding.

Stay tuned for updates! I greatly appreciate any and all advice you racers can offer. Though I've prepped several race cars before, I love hearing new ideas, and methods from those of you that race 'em! No need to reinvent the wheel - right?

goals: make it safe, reliable, and easy to repair. I'd rather sleep inbetween sessions, than install stub axles in the dirt. :-)

Paul Wegweiser

[penth2o]

Hi Paul,

How do I get ahold of you? Do you have a email add?

[wegweiser]

zenwrenchpaul at yahoo dot com gets my attention.

pW

[Kidasters]

Paul -

Looks awesome.

Have fun - we'll be watchin' for posts.

Ken

[kbmb02]

Crisis? Nah, think of it as mid-life fun. Congrats, Paul.

At risk of stating the obvious (and presuming you will be racing tracks which require changing diffs between races), design an exhaust pipe / system (ie: a slip-fit pipe) which allows access to the drive shaft center bearing . . . I've found dropping the center bearing allows for more wiggle room at the rear of the drivetrain, making diff swaps easier and faster.

I'd also suggest one of the custom large-capacity oil pans with 'trap doors' to keep oil at the pump during turns (I can put you in contact with the guy who makes them).

You've got my contact info, look forward to following the project.

[MikeinNC]

Although I will miss seeing you in Emily Do let us know if you are ever racing at VIR and I will round up a bunch of the 02 Group and we will come cheer you on. Several in the group are racers too and can help you with the VIR line

All the best and be safe

[wegweiser]

Good tip on the exhaust! I'm planning on the tension spring collector / pipe slip fit if I can do it cleanly. Right now the exhaust exits next to the diff (way too long IMHO) - I'll be chopping shorter for ease of access anyway. ITB cars are so quiet - I can get away with very little piping.

What's your take on replacing stub axles and hubs? Locals swear by a new set every season (and I've seen 'em shear with awful messy results - ouch!) It's not the horsepower that does 'em in - it's the load from modern race rubber compounds I think.

pW

[john_a]

Welcome to ITB class !

Be safe & avoid metal-to-metal contact, which is fairly hard to do in the front-half of the pack (there's a reason it's known as IT-Bang'emup!)

Car looks nice! I'd work on the handling & safety stuff first, then the engine/driveline, and wait till after racing a year or two before fussing with new paint. You might be sporting some newer body panels by then, if your group gets infected by the "red mist" ;p)

[wegweiser]

I know pretty don't make it fast - The fact that the car is remarkably straight for a 17 season race car astounds me. Nose is poorly repaired around the hinge area - but I'm thinking a $1000 paintjob will make working on it just a little bit more pleasant though. We'll see how the budget bounces after items like a $160 fuel filler neck, accusump,plumbing, tires, and a 3 layer driving suit. *!*

pW

[kbmb02]

What's your take on replacing stub axles and hubs? Locals swear by a new set every season (and I've seen 'em shear with awful messy results - ouch!) It's not the horsepower that does 'em in - it's the load from modern race rubber compounds I think.

I bit the bullet and bought the billets . . .

. . . .stub axles, that is - available from Ireland and others. Two years so far, will probably run one more season before I pull 'em and check or replace them.

Welcome, btw, to the world of safety thinking . . . it hit me when buying a racing suit, learning the difference between 2 layers of protection and 3 layers is about 4 tics of a clock (8 vs 12 seconds, I believe). Fun stuff.

[bmw1602.com]

congrats!

[jgmgti]

Again, congrats Paul......you will have this car looking and performing for the 09 Season.

If you want to run some Hippie Coffee stickers,and we will be the official coffee of Eccurie Wegweiser of Baltimore.

Again,congrats.

Jonathan

[c.d.iesel]

WOW - No wife or squeeze either Paul ?

now you can have real funn !

you'll be lifting a leg and peeing with the big daugs

next Summer ! cant wait to see the up-dates.

C.d.

p.s.s. Ring-up Lee for all your Vintage Stickers

[Otis]

Go Wegracer, Go Wegracer, Go Wegracer, Go!

All you need to do is flip the "M" upside down to make a "W".

[Jon_uk]

Go Wegracer, Go Wegracer, Go Wegracer, Go!

All you need to do is flip the "M" upside down to make a "W".

Allow me...