E89 3DM Motorsport E89 Z4 Atacama Yellow Build

[fmorelli]

Ok starting to pile up some parts. Adding a 3.5 bar TMAP and BMS harness. The PSP outlet arrived and looks great - very nice quality. I've decided to update the mid silicone coupler to an HPS High Temp (500°F) 2" ID x 4" Long 4-ply Aramid Reinforced Silicone Straight Coupler Hose and Turbosmart TS-HCT-M062 constant tension clamps - those are on order. I also ordered the N55 coolant tank made by Rein, ordered from FCPEuro.

I'm afraid I can't figure out what the Competition ER FMIC connection is going to be until I take some stuff apart...

Filippo

 

[Romer]

Filippo,
Nice write-up and documentation. I am a bit ignorant on building these vehicles so bare with me a moment. I have been building offroad vehicles for 20 years. I have two land cruisers and my daughters each have one. When we build I know exactly why I am doing something: Lift and tires improved clearance, Armor and steel front and rear bumpers for protection, snorkel for cleaner air, river crossings and it also looks cool .

So when I ask someone on the Toyota forum what they want to build their truck for they will tell me mostly street driving but expedition wheeling or to do the Rubicon etc so I can then advise what they need and why.

Everyone else here I am sure fully understands what you are doing and why. I have owned 3 Z4's and they all have been my Commuter vehicle. I noticed your target was for the street not the racetrack in an earlier post.

I can understand the suspension and some of the other mods for the track, but not sure the value for the street. Of course, I build it because I can is also a reason in the offroad world. I was just looking for an education on the why for some of the mods.

You have done a lot of work to make your vehicle special, what can you do with it now you couldnt do before?

I'ma moderator on the Toyota Forum and I put together an FAQ to help folks with Modifications and repiars. Maybe something like that here would be helpful

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/20...ds-great-place-for-new-users-to-start.908224/

 

[fmorelli]

Very good question! BTW I've spent a ton of time in Colorado ... lived there on and off. Parents own a place in the Black Forest. I don't know much about off-road vehicle but I spent a lot of time road racing and was fortunate to be taught by a couple IMSA drivers. I have driven Ouray to Lake City via Engineers Pass ... in a 2003 Subaru Outback which was probably kind of stupid - not enough motor or clearance, the combination of the two making some very difficult hopscotch ascents trying to keep momentum and avoiding huge rocks and ravines. My wife was in the passenger seat as well ... ballsy she was.

Anyway back to your question. I took on the project as I know a lot about BMWs but not the new turbo platform. So first off this was an education. Second, being a road race guy I'm interested in a balanced high performance car. I saw an opportunity to build a super car out of a BMW. I'm still working on that. My objective is a 600whp car that has 100k mile longevity - that definition really tightens up the trade-offs in what we are doing. Phase two is just wrapping up now (I'm fighting gremlins) and this winter we are building a custom twin setup for the car, adding single barrel for DI fueling, and a Motiv twin disc clutch and pressure plate to handle the juice. Some of the development work being done on the Z4 is predicate for 3DM Motorsport's upcoming E90 track car development.

Even now with stock turbos the car is wicked fast and sure footed. All the suspension work, et cetera, has been done to prepare for the power upgrades. I suppose the only way one would get what this car can do versus stock is drive it. But even now, it is amazing how fast it is ... way too fast for the street honestly. I can't imagine when it gets the turbos. It is probably somewhat absurd for the street, but when finished I think it will be my interpretation of a BMW super car.

Welcome to the forum, BTW. Glad to see you here!

Filippo

 

[gorspeed]

Wasn't the plan to stay on turbo's.. That didnt last long.

 

[fmorelli]

Originally I started with the idea to stay on stock turbos. But as I gained more knowledge that slowly eroded. I think I could, at this stage wrap up the work and it's a pretty good setup on stock turbos. But then you know how that goes ..........

Filippo

 

[Romer]

Thanks for the explanation, that was very helpful. Sounds like a similar reason I put on the Doug Thorley Headers and Cat back exhaust so I could squeeze more power out of it even though I didnt need it, but I WANTED to. Just making an analogy to something I am familiar with.

I can imagine how fast it is. I have a 3.0 and half the time I look down and I am doing 80 without realizing it. Yours must be super sweet.

Lake city to Ouray is part of the Alpine Loop and one of the most beautiful trails in Colorado. I was just down in that area two weeks ago

I appreciate the welcome! Thanks for taking the time to welcome and explain your build to me.

 

[doublespaces]

Some people like the mod bug so much, they rip out everything and put in a single turbo. And by mod bug, I mean fix my car all the time bug.

/endrant

Just been dealing with various minor issues that cumulatively have set me back :/

 

[fmorelli]

A few small things in between. Thanks to a buddy of mine, figured out these 70mm old school BMW motorsport motorcycle emblems fit. These are the old 70s metal and enamel logos. Very nice. I'm planning to do the hood and trunk next. With the roundel much smaller, this further cleans up the side of the car and increases the Z4 Mystery Factor (most people have no idea what this weird, yellow thing is ...)

Filippo

 

[doublespaces]

How did you fasten it?

 

[fmorelli]

3M VHB double stick tape.

Filippo

 

[NoQuarter]

Buddy of mine just returned from Germany and brought me back a nice iron on patch of the same emblem!

 

[fmorelli]

I'm working on a lot of little things as we are gearing up to do some big work this winter on the car. First off I removed the blown MMP outlet, went to install the PSP but they sent me the wrong one (e90). So after that rigamarole, I decided to install stock until we do turbos this winter (and outlets).

I installed the Vader Solutions BOV adapter to get a larger vacuum nipple for the Tial BOV. I replaced the VS supplied philips screws with Torx screws. The adapter needs to be drilled. I talk about it here, the issue and solution here, and and execution here. I have a 3.5TMap but didn't install - will do so when turbos go on in the winter.

Next in the rigamarole on the outlet, I swapped in the N55 radiator aux tank for the N54. Gives lots more space. Unfortunately it tugs the two radiator lines a bit, but I've found after several heat cycles that they've loosened a bit. Thanks to @BQTuning for the coolant tank swap tip!

Filippo

 

[fmorelli]

As I said before, I'm doing some piddling work before we do major work this winter (I want to enjoy the car in the fall). The interior is still apart as I've been lazy about finishing the stereo. Oh well! In the meantime, I decided with more juice coming, I wanted more tail. So swapped the rear spoiler for this one in carbon fiber. Best as I can tell this is a CLS Renntech style.

Filippo

 

[fmorelli]

Continuing with the small things, I've changed out all the Z4 logos. Turns out Z4's use the same smaller logos that the early 70's BMW motorcycles used (who knew!) ... given my car looks weird (not common) this is fun as it creates even more of the confusion factor. Here are so in-progress shots for the DIY. 3m VHB tape is used to hold everything in place. The logos fit more flush to the body. They are old school BMW enamel on metal - very high quality. Works great!

First the side:

The front. On the Z4 I had to grind down the hump behind the front emblem. Easy enough.

Finally on the rear. So the Z4 emblem is an integral hood latch. Turns out the inside diameter of the chrome logo ring is ... 70mm. In this case it was easiest just to place the logo straight over the existing one.

There you go!

Filippo

 

[fmorelli]

So I mentioned in a DIY thread that I was looking for a catch can solution for low-side PCV. From that thread,

So I have RB's low-side PCV stuff. I needed a catch can and ended up with the following solution. I understand low-side will actually fill up. Let me just say, I hate the idea of 1) having no idea how much oil is in the catch can, and 2) having to remove the can to empty the oil. These two suck. Consider trying to get a grip on the catch can which is oily, then spilling the crap all over (you have no idea how much is in there). I wanted a better solution as here is where I arrived: Oil catch can with dipstick, 50-micron mesh fabric, 90 degree 1/4" NPT petcock, and some Stens 1/4" yellow fuel line. With this setup, I can easily check the oil level. I can also use the petcock with exhaust line and simply empty the can into an old oil can.

For Z4 guys, I mounted the catch can behind the heat shield on the passenger side. E90's have their DME there, but we are fortunate to have space! I fabricated an aluminum mounting bracket, tapped the holes on the catch can bracket to take M6x1.0 bolts, and mounted the bracket to the firewall, at the insulation hold stud and the rubber mount for the heat shield. I swapped in a slightly shorter plastic nut and a slightly longer bolt, respectively. Here are the photos for those looking to do something like this.

I'll plumb this into the car with the RB low-side external kit when we walnut blast the intake and swap out the valve cover gaskets, some time in November.

Filippo

 

[fmorelli]

Okay finishing out the logo swap, I found an original metal old school BMW Motorsport motorcycle emblem in 45mm size which is exact for the E89 Z4 steering wheel. Installing it was a bit of work. One word of caution if you consider doing this - the emblem is metal and hefty - you may not wish to have it on the front of an airbag.

If I did it again, I would probably try and install it straight over the existing emblem (since the original emblem on the hub is thin) and use a heavy duty clear acrylic double stick tape (it's thin). I suspect it will install perfectly and sit smoothly on the hub face.

In my case I removed the emblem - a pain in the butt - there are 3 metal tabs that capture the emblem into the plastic hub center. These had to be cut off (I was lazy and didn't want to pull and disassemble the airbag). I then had to shave the plastic behind where the emblem was (it is ribbed). I installed the new emblem with 3M VHB which is a foam based double sided stick automotive tape.

Filippo

 

[NoQuarter]

Good stuff Filippo. Looking forward to the winter projects!

 

[Asbjorn]

So I mentioned in a DIY thread that I was looking for a catch can solution for low-side PCV. From that thread,

So I have RB's low-side PCV stuff. I needed a catch can and ended up with the following solution. I understand low-side will actually fill up. Let me just say, I hate the idea of 1) having no idea how much oil is in the catch can, and 2) having to remove the can to empty the oil. These two suck. Consider trying to get a grip on the catch can which is oily, then spilling the crap all over (you have no idea how much is in there). I wanted a better solution as here is where I arrived: Oil catch can with dipstick, 50-micron mesh fabric, 90 degree 1/4" NPT petcock, and some Stens 1/4" yellow fuel line. With this setup, I can easily check the oil level. I can also use the petcock with exhaust line and simply empty the can into an old oil can.

For Z4 guys, I mounted the catch can behind the heat shield on the passenger side. E90's have their DME there, but we are fortunate to have space! I fabricated an aluminum mounting bracket, tapped the holes on the catch can bracket to take M6x1.0 bolts, and mounted the bracket to the firewall, at the insulation hold stud and the rubber mount for the heat shield. I swapped in a slightly shorter plastic nut and a slightly longer bolt, respectively. Here are the photos for those looking to do something like this.

I'll plumb this into the car with the RB low-side external kit when we walnut blast the intake and swap out the valve cover gaskets, some time in November.

Filippo

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I need this setup in my life... currently my catch can is sitting on the other side of that heat shield right above the turbos.

 

[fmorelli]

I need this setup in my life... currently my catch can is sitting on the other side of that heat shield right above the turbos.

Point your boys at the DIY post and let them have at it . All the parts came from China

Filippo

 

[Lurcher]

I need this setup in my life... currently my catch can is sitting on the other side of that heat shield right above the turbos.

Mine too...you are not alone....