The Red Drift ///Machine

[Slideways]

Finding out the E46 poses a lot of challenges with splitter tunnels. The tunnels go right where the most common mounting location is under the frame rail. Then I lose a lot of area under the engine.

I can make a bracket to go over the tunnel for mounting. I will develop a brake cooling deflector plate to work with the tunnels. Last piece of under car aero is making a flat bottom thrust plate.

Doing my first cast molds. If this works, it will enable me to make small carbon parts relatively fast. I can make the mold in a couple of hours and then cast a carbon part in a out an hour or two. No hunting down vacuum leaks, and closely watching infusions although it is oddly exciting.

Floor mount adaptors and Heinzenboehmer’s strut brace mount.

For the smaller parts, would it be possible to create a 3D printed mold?

[Igor_M5]

How come you ended up going with a OEM slicktop vs doing a CF panel?

Would love to PM you about an inquiry for a E91 CF roof, but I’m on ICE for 30 days so I’ll participate responsibly. 👀

[bigjae46]

How come you ended up going with a OEM slicktop vs doing a CF panel?

Would love to PM you about an inquiry for a E91 CF roof, but I’m on ICE for 30 days so I’ll participate responsibly. 👀

I installed a CF roof panel. Forgot to post it.

[bigjae46]

Carbon fiber racing seat floor mounts! The backside didn’t go as planned but they turned out great otherwise! 2.25lbs for the outer and inner. 90% Carbon and 10% kevlar. These will be a mutha f’er to drill. Have to figure that out. Might have to outsource that.

[bigjae46]

I installed a ground control front sway bar. I know some mentioned it interfered with the splitter. It barely clears mine.

OEM bar w/bushings, housings, and bimmerworld endlinks - 15.6 lbs

GC bar - 12.6lbs.

3lbs of weight loss!

[bigjae46]

Carbon hood #2. My supplier shipped me different epoxy which is turning out to be mildly disastrous.

My hood did not fully infuse so I am having to do a bunch of post work which is in progress and not looming forward to.





Also got my ass kicked making a dash with this f’ing epoxy! Yeah, this one ain’t gonna work 🤣!



Made some adjustments and the next one was better.

[bigjae46]

Trying out the M color stripes. Its a total pain in the ass but it looks cool!

[bigjae46]

The dash is done! 3.3lbs full size, 3lbs trimmed to fit around the roll cage. I think this will be 10lbs of weight loss.




The dash has the OE texture so it comes out dull. Just can’t sand it or really do anything to keep it not shiny. I used a dash with some sort of cosmetic issue above the center vents. Got it cheap and its for a track car.



working on a project for someone so I had to take off my fenders. The OE fenders are 6.6lbs. Should be able to make a 2.5 to 3lb carbon version.


Made a carbon center jack pad. Failure…it is 6 grams heavier than the OE part. It was something easy and small to learn how to cast molds with.

[bigjae46]

Carbon hood V2 is done! It is 3.5lbs heavier than V1 but far stiffer. Twice as thick and a larger underside. Don’t think it will lift along the windshield which adds a lot of drag…I think. Not perfect. Supplier sent different epoxy. I thought it would be ok but it made infusions really challenging. Learned that there is a big difference in epoxy quality.

It worked out in the end. Sexy spread tow fabric with a rattle can 2k clear finish.



Upgraded from the bathroom scale 🤣



Replaced the dogbones on the throttle bodies. Randy from Epic saw a flutter in AFRs (I think) in the mid-RPM range and said I should replace these. Getting the ITBs off are a minor pain but it is an easy DIY otherwise.

[maupineda]

How would those rods would affect AFR?

[bigjae46]

The plastic end gets worn out and allows the butterfly to chatter - at least that is what I'm told.

[bigjae46]

So I’m using heinzboehmer’s strut bar design to learn how to cast molds and also add some front end stuffness.

Huge thanks to Mr Heinzboemer for sending some 3D prints of the center mounting!

It is mildly mindbending to think in reverse of the reverse of the actual part.

First, need to prep the plug to cast. Can’t have any negative or 90 degree angles! Create a draft angle at the base, seal and release and then make a fence.


pour the casting resin



flip it over, pry out the base, release and pour



Done!







Chop up some carbon, mix epoxy and you have a carbon copy!

[bigjae46]

I molded in threaded inserts instead of studs - studs were $21 a piece! Then I’m going to bond the 2 parts together since I don’t have to worry about servicing my wipers are blower motor.

I’m going a different route for the strut bar plates. I am planning to bolt the extra bars onto the existing studs. I will need longer studs and I think I may need to make the strut bar end plates from something stronger - carbon fiber!

For the bars, I might use some tubes and rod ends from here: DragonPlate | Engineered Carbon Fiber Composite Sheets, Tubes and Structural Components | Made in USA. Then modify the rod ends to be a negative of the OE strut bar so it fits on top.

Here is the wild part. I've been trying to figure out a good way to vent the radiator out of the hood while keeping the M3 hood bulge. The leading edge of the bulge is right where I'd duct the radiator out. Maybe I can make the strut bars into an H and then use the strut bars to mount the radiator duct and vent the radiator out of the bulge. What I don't know is how much it would screw up the aero going up over the windshield to the rear wing. Not a big concern but something to consider.

I might be able to solve two issues at once, minimize added weight, improve front end aero, cooling, and chassis stiffness and maintain serviceability and a key M3 cosmetic feature.

[heinzboehmer]

Hell yeah! Awesome to see the design being put to use.

[bigjae46]

Hell yeah! Awesome to see the design being put to use.

Your design is extremely well thought out...it definitely deserves to be used...A LOT!

I'm thinking that making the stud plate from aluminum and the base plate from carbon would be an excellent balance especially considering the cost of machining the base plate from aluminum.