TR7 Build String

[chaos4NH]

Todd,
When I hit the Mega something is the 2002 BMW for sale??
When stationed in Germany many moons ago I purchased a 1968 2002 new from the factory in Munich. Loved the car! Sadly, I was talked into an Alfa 1750GT so the bimmer never made it to these shores.
Send me you contact info I would love to tour your toy shop some time!

Sam

[toddk]

I would consider selling it. I don't have much into it, and the car kind of found me. It has a fairly extensive racing past and some high dollar items. I'm not a BMW guy, but I just couldn't pass it up. If you're interested in the car, shoot me an email or call me. I can give you a rundown on the car, what I've done to it and what still should be done. I'm in negotiations to by another TR8, so selling the BMW would free up some valuable garage space. To the OP of this thread, I still haven't heard anything from you and my offer to help in any way still stands. I see you are still looking for some parts. Good luck with the build. tkishbach at comcast dot net or 5zero8 866 nine4 six4
Todd

[other_other_redhead]

hi todd,

i sent you a pm. must not have gone through.

I will be emailing you with questions. thanks again for your generous offer.

[toddk]

Didn't get anything. Must be a "new guy " issue on my end. Best bet is to send an email.

[6PAK72]

Good bit of work got done over the past month. The suspension and subframe is all swapped, brakes are all in, hard lines, master and master booster are all new.

We have new hubs that allow for 4x100 bolt pattern...gee that is convenient. Much stronger bearings in the hubs as well.

We found a lot of typical problems - one of the rear axle stabilizer mounts had lost a bushing so long ago that it had worn 3/4" oval, a strut mount had 2 of 3 bolts sheared off, the other side had no rubber mounting, the steering column firweall bushing was missing...this thing must have driven like crap!

So anyway, the engine is out, the transmission is out, the rear end is back in with the LSD and new bearings, and it went over to the body shop this morning for a steam cleaning and an eval of the exterior work needed - some bubbling paint over surface rust, a couple scratches and a dent on the rear drivers quarter. Roll bar is getting a harness bar and third angle support welded in and should be done next week.

The 4.1L engine is in build - heads, intake, cam and carb are here - and should be done in a few weeks. The T5 WC transmission needed a rear shaft bearing and that should be done in a week or so.

[6PAK72]

Few more pix

[toddk]

That sure is a pretty car. You don't come across too many TR7s in that color. Plenty of TR8s but very few TR7s. Those look like the uprated road springs that all the vendors sell. They won't be stiff enough for New Hampshire. They make decent cushy road springs, but not even close to being stiff enough for the track. At a minimum you will need 300# springs front and rear or the car will just lean over. Coil overs on the front and adjuster sleeves above 2.5" coil over springs in the rear will allow you to corner weight the car and set ride height. Front springs can't be any longer than 8" for 300# or 10" for 250# springs or the ride height will be too high. The uprated road springs that I am referring to are in the neighborhood of 125 to 150 X 12" . My typical dry setup for the old NHIS was 300 to 450 in the front and 300 in the back, along with a massive sway bar in the front to keep the car flat. You need to keep the back as low as possible and as soft as possible or else the cars short wheelbase combined with the bumps in the track will bounce you all over the place. Rear steering is fun, but not the fastest way around the track. What did you do for hubs? I use stock hubs drilled to the new 4X100 pattern and the bearing area opened up for one size larger bearings with steel sleeves around the spindle.

[toddk]

DSC02676.JPG (128.91 KiB) Viewed 2128 times

Just remembered that I had some pictures on my computer of how to make the front coilover setup. Takes about 2 hours to do so. Uses a standard coilover 5" sleeve and a piece of steel pipe split and welded just above the clip that holds the brake line. Stock strut tube is considerably smaller than the standard 2" so you will need to make up the difference or slack between the aluminum sleeve and the strut tube. grind away just enough of the stock perch to slide the tube over and it will center and lock in place. You could simply just put the sleeve on top of the stock perch, but you will end up having to use springs in the 450# 6" range, and you won't have enough range of motion to properly absorb the bumps. I don't have any pictures on how to do the rears, but it involves grinding off the center of the upper spring cup on the frame rail, welding on a piece of pipe as a centering block, then slipping on another coilover sleeve and adjustable perch.

[toddk]

A couple more pictures. We are also running the same setup on street cars. Changing springs takes less than 10 minutes a side, because all you have to do is unbolt the top shock mount, lower the wheel, pull out the spring and slide in a new one No need to remove the whole strut assembly.