Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
7/20/24 7:10 p.m.

Hydraulic fluid lines, clutch master cylinder, fuel tank back in. 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
7/24/24 7:58 p.m.

Engine mount bracket received!  I'm going to beef it up a bit before it goes in the car.    Still waiting on the baffled oil pan.  

 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
7/27/24 1:48 p.m.

$31k. Wow. 😳

crankwalk (Forum Supporter)
crankwalk (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
7/27/24 7:48 p.m.

914 with the Honda swap is excellent!

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
7/31/24 5:06 p.m.

Coolant lines affixed.  Things are pretty tight around the clutch master.  I'm going to have to use 90s after the lines penetrate into the front trunk (the Gates hose can't handle the tight bend without kinking) and the lines will have to cross each other before meeting the radiator.  Won't look great but it's the best solution. 
 

oil pan has shipped 👍


AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter)
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) UberDork
8/1/24 8:59 a.m.

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Are you thinking about doing some sort of shield for those hoses? They look fairly heavy duty, but as what looks to be the lowest point on the car that would make me a bit nervous. 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/1/24 9:15 a.m.
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Are you thinking about doing some sort of shield for those hoses? They look fairly heavy duty, but as what looks to be the lowest point on the car that would make me a bit nervous. 

Thats a pretty common question/concern among the 914 water-cooled community, but Renegade Hybrids and countless independent V8 and subaru swappers have been doing it this way for years without issue.   Thats good enough for me.  Some people carry a hose fitting and clamps for a roadside repair if a hose gets punctured, but I've not read about anyone having to actually make that repair.

the underside of the pan actually has these valleys formed in it, making a nice home for the hoses. The hoses are obviously still the lowest point and are pretty exposed. 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/1/24 11:17 a.m.

1 week away!

 

AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter)
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) UberDork
8/1/24 11:18 a.m.

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Fair enough! 

AxeHealey
AxeHealey SuperDork
8/1/24 2:30 p.m.

Maybe as extra security just a simple rock shield at the leading edge where they'd be highly susceptible? Added bonus of deflecting debris away from the clutch master too.

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/3/24 12:53 p.m.

Added some reinforcing plates and bracing between the trailing arm mount and engine mount.  Trailing arm pocket is known for flexing/breaking under heavy loads. 

 

mounted the Haltech ecu and Odyssey battery.  Riv-nuts. I recently discovered them and I love them!

routed the shifter cables up through the tunnel. 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/3/24 7:55 p.m.

Finally some real E36 M3 happening!!

Baffled oil pan received and bolted on.  Beefed up engine mount bolted on.  Flywheel bolted on.  Adapter bolted on.  If things go smoothly tomorrow, and some specific washers get delivered, I'm hoping to have the drive train in the car tomorrow. 🤞

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/4/24 6:41 a.m.
AxeHealey said:

Maybe as extra security just a simple rock shield at the leading edge where they'd be highly susceptible? Added bonus of deflecting debris away from the clutch master too.

It turns out there's a factory cover for this area that is missing from my car.  I just eBay'd one.  

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/4/24 2:50 p.m.

I fell short of getting it in the car today but pretty pleased with my stopping point. 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/5/24 11:47 a.m.

When I was replacing the throw out bearing yesterday, the "clutch guide tube" had developed a bit of a lip on the end, making it a struggle to get the throw out bearing off.  I did a little work with a dremel to take the lip off and make it smooth and didn't think a whole lot about it.   But now that I've got the trans bolted to the engine, I'm thinking I need to pull it back apart and replace the guide tube.   I'd really be kicking myself if it presented an issue later and required  significantly more work to fix it.   ugh.  new guide tube ordered.

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/6/24 7:04 p.m.

Loaded up for Snowshoe.  I'm altering our route north to avoid the storm and hoping the whole weekend doesn't suck with rain :/  currently Thursday and Friday look wet but Saturday and Sunday look pretty good.  Hoping Debby veers east. 

Scotty Con Queso
Scotty Con Queso UltraDork
8/7/24 8:06 a.m.

Safe travels!  Wanted to get down at least on Saturday to check out the event but busy with family stuff like usual.  Can't wait to read about your time in WV. 

AxeHealey
AxeHealey SuperDork
8/7/24 9:29 a.m.

Good luck, go fast, be safe!

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/10/24 3:39 p.m.

Being fast at Hillclimb takes big hp and big balls!   I was getting faster with each run, but not many runs to be had.  More thorough write up and pics later. 
 

 

dyintorace
dyintorace UltimaDork
8/10/24 5:23 p.m.

That is awesome! Looks like a blast!!

Scotty Con Queso
Scotty Con Queso UltraDork
8/10/24 8:01 p.m.

Looks amazing. Hopefully next year I can rip the Earl truck here. 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/11/24 8:01 a.m.

The drive up was a task, as Hurricane Debby had just passed through FL and we were basically skirting the storm the whole drive north. Lots of rain and wind but we made it to our stopping point in Statesville NC, got a Mexican dinner and did a quick explore of their abandoned mall. 

Thursday morning was an early departure toward Snowshoe, as novice orientation was scheduled for noon at the course.   Fighting more rain, we got there just in time.  There was about 45 mins of classroom discussion and then we went out for some lead-follow runs up the hill.  From the snowshoe resort, we would drive down the main entry to the base of the hill, then around the hill to the road up the back side of the hill, where the race course is.  It's about a 15 mile loop for each run of the approximately 2 mile race course.  We did 2 lead-follow loops and by then Erin was eager to get checked into our room at the resort.  
 

the resort is a beautiful place with lots of views and several restaurants/bars at the top of the mountain.   By the  time we got settled, Debby's rain had made it to the area, we got some dinner and hung out in the hotel room. 
 

Friday morning was nasty weather but there was another drivers meeting at 7:30. The main takeaways from the meeting were to drive slowly and safely when not on course for timed runs.  The organizers emphasized this several times.  The bad weather lingered until about 2pm, keeping the course closed most of the day.  I finally got my first shot at an at-pace attempt at about 3:30pm and put down a 124 second run.  I did not have the course memorized, which made committing to the throttle into blind corners a real test.   The schedule showed a "scenic drive" on some local roads at 5pm.  Having my wife with me, we opted for that rather than waiting in line for another practice run.  
 

Wow!!  The scenic drive turned out to be extremely spirited!!  The same organizers telling us to drive slow during the drivers meeting were leading this scenic drive at a super gnarly pace!   Absolutely ripping through these mountain roads.  It was equal parts fun and E36 M3 yourself scary.  It was nearly a 2 hour cruise with a couple of scenic stops.  This turned out to be the highlight of the event, due to the minimal seat time of actual racing. 
 

Saturday morning started with heavy fog, delaying the 9am start time a bit.  I was at the start line early and made a 120 second run.  Did the loop and got back in line.  By now, staging was packed.   There were several delays for cars off, fluid spilled, shuttle bus for spectators and a lunch break.  It was 3.5 hours before I was back at the start line.  We decided that wait was a bit torturous and this would be my last competition run. I put down a 116, still Bob Costas footing some of the blind corners.  I know I could get faster with more runs, brake later, on the gas sooner, etc.  But the staging wait just wasn't worth it.   I ended up 35th out of 80 cars in the street car class.  
 

there were some really badass cars out there!   The top guys were in the 98 second range.  My car performed well but those steep hills really highlight differences in horsepower.  My car usually feels pretty adequate on the flat Florida terrain, but pulling out of the tight corners to the steep straights felt slow. 
 

overall we had a blast!  Hillclimb is much like autocross with a lot of waiting for a short bursts of driving excitement, but the speeds and risks are greatly elevated. Staying committed in those blind corners takes some nerves!   Lots of time and money invested to get to one of these events from FL.  I won't be rushing to the next one but I'm very glad I did it!   Sunday offers another day to do runs with a separate "fastest time of Sunday" trophy up for grabs. But we're going to start our trek back home with an overnight stop in Pigeon Forge.  
 

this photo in staging shows about 1/3 of the cars in line, with twice this many cars waiting behind me:

 

the overall winner was a wild miata running a k24 with big boost!

Scotty Con Queso
Scotty Con Queso UltraDork
8/11/24 9:23 a.m.

Amazing. The Signal Hill Mall is a sad sight. My parents moved about 15 minutes away (still live there) from the mall in 1997 and it was a bustling place. By the time I hit college is was on the way out. Now, it's abandoned. The town of Statesville overall is sad. So close to modern development but the town council is ran by old farts who won't approve anything and refuse to tear anything down for redevelopment- like the mall. 

Lof8 - Andy
Lof8 - Andy UltraDork
8/13/24 2:00 p.m.

🤘🤘


 

AxeHealey
AxeHealey SuperDork
8/13/24 2:14 p.m.

Great write-up and good result. 

I have a pipe dream of running Pikes Peak at some point but would want a ton of hillclimb practice before attempting that. Not sure I have the patience for the waiting around and lack of seat time at these hill climb events.

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