| Bad Luck at the Races, But Rock Band Rules! | May. 16th, 2009 @ 11:55 pm |
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It wasn't the best day for some of the guys at the track. My friend Beau Borders crashed the #128 BMW e46 he was driving in the KONI Challenge. Beau had a good start and gained four positions. But near the end of his stint, he went four wheels off on Turn 4. He thought he had it under control until he hit a rut that send his car skipping past the tire wall and into the concrete barrier. Both the front and back got pretty jacked up. Fortunately, Beau was okay, although I bet he's gonna be pretty sore for a while. Rod says his friend Lance went off in the same spot a couple of years back. Such a bummer.
Then the #96 Turner car, which was driven by Matt Bell (whose dad Dave helped me install my Bilstein suspension a couple of years ago) and Boris Said, had a problem and DNFed. Matt is an amazing driver and had earned his third pole this season. He had a great first stint, but the car lost power shortly after Boris took the wheel. The Turner team fared well overall, though, as their #95 car won the race.
Afterward we hit a reception for Dempsey Racing, where Patrick Dempsey drank some tequila and schmoozed with his sponsors. Fortunately there wasn't any paparazzi or screaming women chasing him around.
Then it was on to a little motel in Monterey, where Alex Roy was hosting a Rock Band/race watching party. I ate some popcorn, watched some of Alex's in-car video and sang Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" while Alex played guitar. It was the first time I'd played Rock Band 2 (I'm used to the original). We both scored in the 90s. Woo hoo.
Then it was on to Cannery Row, where we joined our gracious hosts at Mazda for dinner. I had "scalone," which was chopped abalone and scallops mixed together and formed into a patty. It was good, but kinda weird.
I know a couple of people who are glad this day is over. |
| BMW e46 Shifter Project | Mar. 25th, 2009 @ 12:40 pm |
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The driver of the Mercedes C-Class and I pulled up to the metering light at the same time. There were two lanes, and only one light. I knew my quick shifting could take that pathetic automatic transmission. The light turned green. I beat my German rival off the line. But then I went to shift. No resistance from the shifter. Had my gearbox blown? I looked down at the floundering stick and cursed. Mr. Mercedes passed, the light of his ridiculous Bluetooth headset flashing through his overly-tinted windows. That was it. I'd had enough.
And nah, it hadn't blown. BMW shifters are just notorious for getting sloppy after a while. Various parts and bushings wear out, gradually causing the shift mechanism to become limp as a cold pomme frite. The parts themselves aren't that expensive and aren't that difficult to change, but getting to them is a big job. I knew I couldn't do that kind of work by myself.
Funny enough, not too long after my freeway FAIL, I mentioned the shifter issue to a neighbor. His friend Tom, who was there at the time, just happened to have done the same job on his e36. He knew exactly which parts I needed and even offered his tools and his help. How could I say no?
Here's what I ordered per Tom's suggestion.
From Understeer.com:
- e46 Short Shift Kit (which is supposedly just the stock shifter from the e46 M3; shortens throw by about 30 percent over stock 325 shifter). Included circlips, shift lever bearing and plastic washers.
- Delrin carrier bushings
Total with shipping: $120
From BimmerSpecialists:
- Shifting arm bearing #25111222015
- Gearshift rod joint #25111222688
- Rubber bearing #25111434194 (this is like a rubber sponge, but it's incorrectly called a "plastic washer" on RealOEM.com.
- KACO selector rod seal #23121282394
- Guibo nuts #07129900047
- Exhaust manifold gaskets #18107502346
- Lock nuts for exhaust flange #18301737774
Total with shipping: $86.17. It would have cost much less, but I ordered them in two different shipments. Much of that cost was shipping. Still, much cheaper than any dealer or local shop.
On the day we did the project, Aaron Robinson from Car and Driver came over to lend a hand. Admittedly, Tom did most of the work, but Aaron and I tried to help where we could. Once we got the car up (we had to use a combination of ramps with wood and jack stands), we had to remove the exhaust and disconnect the driveshaft to access the gearshift rod joint. When we removed the rod joint, the rubber sponge inside had deteriorated completely. There was nothing left!
Tom also noticed that my guibo had some cracks, which is another typical wear item on the e46. It wasn't too bad, but I figured I'd try to track down a new one as long as we had it off. Fortunately, I found a local repair shop in Santa Monica that was willing to get one for me at at cost -- only $48.71 with tax. The BMW dealership wanted more than $100. Forget that. I should have also ordered a new center support bearing, but that will have to wait for another time.
All in all, the project took us about five hours, including setting everything up, putting the car up, futzing around with all the tools and parts, and some down time while the guys waited for me to come back with the guibo. The biggest job was removing the bearing bolt, or "bitch clip," which probably doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who's worked on a BMW. More photos are on my Facebook profile.
Now it works like a charm. The shifts are amazingly crisp, and the throw is the perfect distance -- not too short, not too long. My right arm is going to get a good workout. I'll have to up the weight when I do bicep curls on my left arm. Would hate to be uneven.
Mister Mercedes, come and get me.
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