Chassis:

Constructing this car took several years. It began with stripping the '02 to the hull. The body was in strong structural condition (having lived most of it's life in Georgia). Front fenders were replaced and minor body work was performed were surface rust had resulted from incidents such as door dings. The underside of the car was finished with Eastwood Corroless as were all the internal panels potentially exposed to corrossion. Most of the rubber bits were replaced or refurbished. The complete finish was heavily sanded to primer, with any surface rust cleared, coated with Eastwood Oxisolv and sealed with K200. The bumpers were ordered new from Max at Maximillian Imports and the chrome immediately stripped off to color code. Bumpers were shot with PPG DP48 epoxy, the front bumper being sprayed with PPG Deltron (for durability) of and the rear bumper receiving color treatment to match the body.

Overall, the complete chassis was sprayed with PPG K200 sealer and a base coat of PPG lacquer in bright white. The stripe area was then sprayed with House of Kolor Silver Shimrin (a heavy silver metallic paint). House of Kolor transluscent paints were then used to apply the Motorsport colors. PPG Acrylic Urethane clear was then applied over the chassis. On a sunny day, the combination of bright white with transluscent paints over silver metallic make for a very bright car.

Suspension:

The suspension was completely removed, bead blasted and sprayed with Eastwood Chassis Black. Polyurethane bushings were and installed and wearable items (such as centerlink, tie rods, etc) replaced. Korman springs were used (with rears having a coil removed) as were swaybars (rear adjustable) and Bilstein Sport shocks and struts.

One fairly unique feature to this car are the Hartge 16x8.5 wheels. Originally constructed for the E21, the offset of these wheels allow for installation on the 2002 without extensive body modifications. The wheels were stripped, sealed with PPG K200 and sprayed in PPG Deltron white to color code to the car. Center emblems were air brushed ///M's. More can be seen in the Wheels section.

Drivetrain:

The engine is a Korman Stage II with standard Korman Weber DCOEs. Throttle linkage was machined from aluminum and fuel bosses modified so that a fuel return line could be used. Fuel delivery was converted to electric, with a 240Z pump mounted in front of the fuel tank and the pressure line routed through the normal steel underside return line. Other special modifications to the drivetrain include 320i Behr radiator and push racing fan placed in the nose panel, wired so that it continues to run and cool the coolant after the car has been shut off. The thermoswitch configuration is completely custom. It's optimal location was determined with a Fluke infrared meter and placed at the coolant outlet flange of the head. This ensures that the cooling fan turns on as immediately as required (as opposed to measuring temperature at the bottom of the radiator).

The exhaust system is comprised of ANSA T304 tri-y header modified with a larger secondary collector. The main exhaust tubing is T304 2 1/2" bending up over the rear subframe and connecting to a 2 1/2" in/out Flowmaster ending with a 2 1/2" polished T304 tip. The exhaust is connected with Burns stainless steel clamps, which are a work of art.

Interior:

The dash pad in this car was near perfect (thank goodness), but most everything else was changed. Interior panels were sprayed in PPG Vinyl black. The front seats were replaced with very nice German Recaro knock-offs mounted to stock seat rail assemblies. A fresh carpet kit was installed over a completely soundproof padded shell. The complete passenger compartment has additional 1/4" soundproofing to reduce the noise generated by the side-drafts and high performance exhaust. The interior was finished off with a Nardi steering wheel and Agla one piece ///M shift boot.

Miscellaneous:

Other small items include Hella air horns and lighting for the car comes from Hella H-4 55/100w bug killers. Rear tail light assemblies were coated with Eastwood's reflective tail light spray to increase rear luminescence. While I had a complete tii suspension for conversion, I never found it required. The brake system on this car was completely rebuilt with stainless steel brake lines, AP550 fluid and Cool Carbon pads.

I am happy to say that Buster Ashmore in Austin, Texas now owns the car, loves it and can often be found autocrossing in club events.