E89 3DM Motorsport E89 Z4 Atacama Yellow Build

fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-02-2016:

Just a few more photos, I'm dealing with small stuff as we work through the tuning issues. Here's a quick photo of the 6-pot calipers with the Forgestar F14's.
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I went ahead and swapped the rear emblem, which is more in harmony with the carbon fiber bits and red details.
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As you can see the front lip spoiler hasn't been installed yet. This is the US Mill Works front license plate bracket. It is very well made.
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Folks have been asking about factory black kidney grills. Here's a close-up. The edge is gloss and the slats are matte. They look great. I originally had aftermarket sold for the E89 and they did not fit.
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Here's an engine compartment shot. Racing Dynamics just came out with the carbon fiber cover. The oil cap is X1 plastic cap with X1 red billet aluminum sleeve. The strut bar is Luxon.
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I don't like the turn markers at all on any Z4. Honestly I think the LCI chrome bits is a further huge gaffe, and don't understand why one would want to put even more crap on the side of the car. So with that said, I'm lucky my car is yellow. I removed the side markers (which is a complete pain in the butt without breaking them) and shot them with a "stained glass" translucent yellow finish. At least they blend more into the car.

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While on lighting a few other details. I switched out the regular bulbs with cool white LEDs. As well the ground illumination is the BMW Motorsport ///M logo. The pedals (not a good photo) are aluminum and rubber ///M pedals, which slip on, instead of the traditional screw in kind (which are a pain in the butt). The slip-on pedals fit very well.
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Back to dealing with the coding.

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-03-2016:

Another quick shot to show the turn signal blend... I'm out driving the zoo for today, as the tuning work continues.

Filippo

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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-05-2016:

Quote:
Originally Posted by NoQuarter
I'll post photos on Monday, when back in the shop.
Filippo, What are you thoughts on re-routing the hard vacuum line that goes over the intake filter for the brake booster?

It is an annoying hose in that location. I don't know that the hard line is the important part - it would have the same vacuum as everything else connected to it.

I am considering switching it out for a quality soft line and routing it down and out of the way.

I have looked at it and would like to. I'm not touching it right now, though, as I think I may be at an interim spot with the intake. BQ is working some interesting things on the N54 intake, which I may look at if he ever gets it done. Another consideration is running an airbox configuration. But yes, I have thought about redoing it. Would love to see someone else's DIY on it, as it has a few connections and requires a smart little bit of work.

If you do it, do a nice job ... lol ... and post pics! :)

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-05-2016:

I'm watching the dual catch can thread. I don't think there is anything about the hard line, beyond it provides clear routing.

Filippo
 

fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-07-2016:

Okay BQ (http://www.bqtuning.com) is knee deep doing tunes, while I send back pulls. The car is starting to dial in nicely, and we're doing WOT pulls now. You can see maps here, for anyone that cares: http://www.datazap.me/u/fmorelli

We're on 93 octane gas. I have to say that at 50 degrees or so ambient temp, the car is simply ludicrous. I've driven a lot of fast cars—from Ferraris to Cobras—but this car accelerates so fast, with such force, that one is intimidated by the rate of increase on covering sheer ground ahead. It's like opening a Costco Family Pack of WhoopAss.

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-07-2016:

Yup ... thanks jts1981 for all your continued insight and assistance :). Muy helpful. Once everything is sorted out we'll get some virtual dyno info up. I'm going to look at pulling the injector flow rate stamps so we can get those coded in over the next few days. We'll do that with the Foxwell NT510 (ECS Tuning Schwaben). BTW the NT510 is a very nice tool for the money.

Filippo
 

fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-08-2016:

Yep. I have the MFactory Helical LSD. It's great. They run sales from time to time. You have to MAKE SURE they send you the right diff. At least two people (me included) had the wrong diff sent to us). They were great and getting the right diff out, but what a pain. Thankfully my car was apart so it wasn't a big issue. If you decide to order, PM me first and I'll give you some contact info to smooth out the order.

Also, rather than the $600 specialty tool to pull the driveshaft nut apart, you can buy the Tusk 50mm wrench (comes with 2!) for $25 ...

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-19-2016:

Today we pulled the exhaust down and retrofitted the post-cat 02 sensors from the down pipes to the high-flow cats mounted mid-pipe. Note I have no downpipe cats. Deutsch conncertors were used and a custom wiring harness made to extend the harnesses about 2 1/2 feet. The 02 sensor mounts are from Vibrant. No check engine light thus far.

So this allows me to run with no DP fix, legally, pass emissions, et cetera and still have a fully custom exhaust. Hopefully the CEL will stay off. Here are a few photos of the 02 sensor installation.

Filippo

The 02 sensor harness is hung off the heat shield and run behind it along the trans tunnel:

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Here's a close-up of the bungs:

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Sorry this photo is blurry, but so you see where the 02 sensors live:

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Here is are the Deutsch connectors used to extend the harness.

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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 11-20-2016:

Quote:
Originally Posted by jts1981
Very curious if you'll get lean codes after a certain time. Did you drive long enough for the dme to complete the tests? I think its something like steady throttle @60mph for a 5 miles, something like that...

jts1981, give me the week to get reasonable miles on the car, and we'll see what happens. Post-cat 02 sensors are simply catalyst efficiency monitors. They are 4-wire, which means they are also heated, so the issue of their not being right on the downpipe is irrelevant. Furthermore, the way these are installed, they receive exhaust gas but are slightly out of the flow which, if anything, improves the efficiency reading. To the last point, an analog with old cars with post-cat 02 sensors where the catalyst is failing, is to screw in "anti-foulers" (an old-school spark plug solution) and then the 02 sensor. This backs the 02 sensor out of the direct exhaust flow and often solves a CEL issue with a less than optimal catalyst. More than you care to know, I'm sure.

But we'll see where we are end of this week.

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 06-15-2017:

Carbon fiber rocker flats and front lip spoiler installed. I added black rocker trim to accent the bottom of the car some more. Next up, the roll hoops are being done in Tekarbon carbon fiber in the rear, and the front halves being painted in matching Atacama Yellow. Mirror shells are also being replaced in carbon fiber. As well, we are doing a bit of paintwork on the front and rear reflectors, as well as with the turn signal marker on the side. Stay tuned.

Filippo
 

fmorelli

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Posted originally on 06-20-2017:

Quote:
Originally Posted by paris1
viewpost.gif

So my question is, how n the hell do you drive a lowered car like yours on the street without going crazy with clearance issues?

Yes, it's a pain in the butt. It's not a daily driver, so I don't mind being careful when I drive it. That said, it's even having intersections with different grades. Takes a lot of care for sure.

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 06-20-2017:

Quote:
Originally Posted by cruisingdownthestreet
viewpost.gif

Can I get a side view of the rear end with the spoiler? Not sure if adding a spoiler will make the spoiler stick out more than I'd like. Not a big fan of my rear end from the side view as is

Not sure what you're asking for. What's the "side view of the rear end"? What does it mean - "adding a spoiler will make the spoiler stick out more?"

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 06-30-2017:

All right, finally some more work underway, as I try to wrap up what I started. The car is on jack stands so I can install plastic rivets to support the 3M mount tape holding the side skirts in place.

I am in the middle of installing the Bavsound Stage 1 system in the car. Pretty straightforward. The drivers are clearly a few steps above what is in the car. In weighing the drivers, the stock ones are 111 grams while the Bavsound replacements are nearly 3 times heavier. I decided, while I have the door cards out, I would do some sound insulation work on the door metal and door card, hence the door being so torn apart in the photos below.

I have various parts out to be painted right now, and may return to me this weekend: the front of the roll hoops, the side turn signals (for a partial color match, and the side front reflectors (IND does not offer Atacama Yellow!)

I've added some carbon fiber to try and balance out the look of the car, now that it has all the lower carbon fiber body work. The roll hoop rears are from Tekcarbon, mocked up below. I'm waiting on mirror shell replacements, and I installed a few CF bits in the interior. We'll see if it all ties together.

Finally I replaced the faulty ambient temperature sensor. Never seen one go bad. First time for everything. Also, I'm install a Smart Top.

Since the car is sitting on stands, I gave it a good cleaning, along with claying the paint, so we are all happy now.

Once the car is back on the road, now with the ambient temp sender fixed, I'll hopefully wrap up the tuning work with BQ Tuning. I suspect some of our problems tuning were the result of a dying temperature sender. Well that, and we discovered that I needed to switch to Shell fuels.

Filippo

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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 06-30-2017:

Quote:
Originally Posted by paris1
So, do you like...print money for a living?

Ha. If I printed money I wouldn't be driving a middle class pedestrian car.

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 07-01-2017:
Quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by fmorelli
Ha. If I printed money I wouldn't be driving a middle class pedestrian car.

Filippo

After all the $$ you've sunk into this Z4, you think of it as "middle class pedestrian"?!
iono.gif

Definitely. Alternative in the unique meets near supercar performance roadster would be an Italian car. BMW is pedestrian :)

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Originally posted on 07-02-2017:

Got a few more things done this weekend. The Bavsound kit is installed. Sound is improved, though I have to say the stock amplifier could use replacing. The Bavsound drivers weigh almost 3x from stock. Would love to find something that will plug and play with the factory harness. Reading around I've had moderate luck figuring out what's what. I have the 676 HIFI system (standard for the US market). I would think it would be identical to the E90, but don't know if that's the case. Anyway ... I'm asking around.

I pulled the roof headliner. Two rear clips at the arms, then a row of four clips at the front and at the rear, just like the door cards have. They pop off with a quick jerk. I not only sound insulated the doors, but added sound insulation to the roof. Basically I want to prevent the metal from vibrating and creating a drum, to which I'm inside. A noticeable difference now, when tapping the doors and roof. They have a dull thud as opposed to the previous mild ring. For those wondering, the 80mil material added about 2 lbs to each door and 20 oz to the roof.

Finally I pulled the rear right trunk compartment apart, and installed the smarTop, which works just as advertised. Now that I can open the top from the outside, I notice a fair bit of creaking from the rear when it is in the final stages of closing. Wonder if it has always done this? Everything is where it should be, the weatherstripping is fresh and in good shape. Hmmm ...

Painted parts are still being worked. With some luck I'll have the rest back this week, having the car back on the ground by mid-week.

Filippo

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fmorelli

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Originally posted on 07-03-2017:

A small update. Carbon fiber mirror back replacements installed. Let me just say these don't get installed like the average BMW. Adjust the mirror so you can see inside from the bottom. There are two metal prongs. Push them up and then pull on the bottom of the mirror. The bottom will pull out, then to top pops. The mirror body backing (what gets replaced with the CF back) has 4 tabs which can be seen once the mirror is removed. There is a hole to stick a flat blade screwdriver and twist to pop the tabs. I used a plastic removal tool to apply pressure on the mirror edge (to black case, outside) while popping the tabs. Make sure the mirror back doesn't fly off and hit the ground. To reinstall, the new mirror back gets the four tabs aligned (or you'll break them!), and popped in. The mirror simply pops back in with a sharp hit (the metal wire momentarily expands as the mirror pops in place).

Secondly I finished up the turn signals and am pleased. The faces are color coded to the car, with about 10mm of the clear turn signal lens visible so the light flashes. The trailing side (to the rear) is shot in translucent yellow.

Filippo

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fmorelli

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Posted originally on 07-04-2017:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vetracr
Filippo
How did you hand wet sand the clear coat on the turn signals. I' m in the middle of painting mine now the same way you did it, with the lens at the back unpainted. I sanded off the text and logos on the lens, used plastic primer, filled the injection hole in the middle of the lens with filler, sanded smooth and applied more primer. I then laid down several color coats and applied several layers of clear coat. I'm waiting several days for clear coat to completely dry before I try to wet sand it. How did you wet sand these parts. I can't see how they can be sanded by machine. They must be done by hand. Any tricks you learned? What progression of sand paper did you use? How did you buff and polish parts after wet sanding?

There is no need to wet sand. After the color, you will need to spray a number of coats of clear, because an edge is created from where the paint stops and the clear part of the turn signal begins. Simply spray four or five coats of clear. Shoot the first two coats light then medium. Remaining coats heavy, but not so it runs. Make sure you do it in a clean environment. You're all set just install.

Filippo
 
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fmorelli

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Originally posted on 07-06-2017:

Okay finally got the parts back and installed for the roll hoop covers. A few photos.

Filippo

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