[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

That's added weight!

It’s true! There’s really no excuse for the mission drift, but I’m gonna try to pass it off like this....

It’s a OEM fender badge from the E46M3 CSL, so I suspect BMW would approve of the added weight added

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Your brace definitely doesn’t add much weight but I don’t see how it can benefit without some sort of triangulation.

Out if interest I’ve now removed the bar, based on your comments and a slight concern that undue engine movement might cause fouling with the adjacent air con pipe.

After fitting a mod, I always wonder if ‘owner bias’ senses a change that isn’t there. But having now removed the bar, I can definitely detect lost weight and precision in the steering and a slight increase in body flex up front - so it must have had some effect…

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Out if interest I’ve now removed the bar, based on your comments and a slight concern that undue engine movement might cause fouling with the adjacent air con pipe.

After fitting a mod, I always wonder if ‘owner bias’ senses a change that isn’t there. But having now removed the bar, I can definitely detect lost weight and precision in the steering and a slight increase in body flex up front - so it must have had some effect…

Good feedback. I’m wondering it I should add a crossbrace similar to yours with the vert braces I’m adding. It wouldn’t be much trouble and in aluminum like what you did the weight it adds is negligible

[Phil325i]

Further to post #397, you never got round to giving your driving impressions after fitting the Cusco rear brace. If you can remember back...

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

After fitting a mod, I always wonder if ‘owner bias’ senses a change that isn’t there. But having now removed the bar, I can definitely detect lost weight and precision in the steering and a slight increase in body flex up front - so it must have had some effect…

You gotta have some third party either install or not install that bar--and not tell you which. Then drive the car and see if you can tell if it's there or not.

[ornicar]

Originally Posted by Vivek.

You gotta have some third party either install or not install that bar--and not tell you which. Then drive the car and see if you can tell if it's there or not.

The stiffness blind test

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Further to post #397, you never got round to giving your driving impressions after fitting the Cusco rear brace. If you can remember back...

I haven’t been able to gauge if that bar alone makes a felt difference. I’ve been changing so much with the chassis the last couple months and haven’t been driving it nearly as much to get a gauge on what’s doing what lol. Like I put that brace in and then took out the back seats a couple weeks later and didn’t get to drive the car on any challenging roads in between.

I can say that I drove the car today and it feels very solid right now. You can really feel how rigid it’s become over rough roads. I’m anxious to put the vert braces up front and will probably triangulate them with a cross piece similar to what you did. I think those are last chassis bracing mods I want to do, and I expect they will make a meaningful difference.

While I’m typing I’ve been meaning to post this little update. My buddy brought out his 650whp Harrop Supercharged e90m3 and we swapped cars a few weeks ago. (He also has a n52 e91 btw.)

So we swapped cars and played around for a bit and afterwards he was extremely impressed with the CSL. Right after he got out the first thing he said was that car is fast, and I said well it’s quick, and he cut me off and said, no it’s fast. According to him it definitely felt faster than a e46m3 he drove. And he said it’s actually as impressive to drive as his supercharged M3, but in a different way because it feels so light and dynamic. That’s pretty high praise I think! Like everyone who has driven the car he said you never would expect a 328 to be so exciting to drive.

So I’m really happy with the car it’s been a really fun project to build and drive. I feel like this car captures the essence of what a classic bmw was, a light and quick coupe with great chassis and a manual transmission.

I emailed a place about getting corner weights last week. Hoping to get on their scales soon and have some hard facts about the weight of this car.

[intervigil]

Originally Posted by J4mesW

Did you fit the oil line connect the oil cooler and oil filter housing? Seems the secondary air pump will block it.

Did a test fitting earlier, it's a tight fit for the hoses (TBH that whole area of the engine bay is just a tight fit), but it does fit. There's a bit of a gap under where one of the secondary air pump hoses is. The oil lines will fit there.

[Biginboca]

Parts arriving. Looks like this is gonna work out well once everything arrives!

[Tambohamilton]

Awesome. Keen to see how this goes together!

[ornicar]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Parts arriving. Looks like this is gonna work out well once everything arrives!

If your feedback is positive, this is what i will have to buy... a little more complicated on the 1 series platform.

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by ornicar

If your feedback is positive, this is what i will have to buy... a little more complicated on the 1 series platform.

Is that because you don’t have the upper mounts for the brace? (The ones on the frame rails and fender mount.)

Is the 1 series subframe the same as the 3 series?

[ornicar]

The frame rails brackets are missing. The upper ones are in place... i don't know why... not really logical imho

Yes, the subframe is the same than 3 series and i have ever fiting the Aluminium bracket.

[tylerhart_21]

I am curious what does the m3 belly pan do for the car and could I put it on a non-m car?

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by tylerhart_21

I am curious what does the m3 belly pan do for the car and could I put it on a non-m car?

Start at post 233 on page 11 of this thread the info is all here

[tylerhart_21]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

Start at post 233 on page 11 of this thread the info is all here

Ohhhh I think I said it wrong it's the skid plate.

[Biginboca]

Phil325i Did you have issues with your fabricated aluminum cross brace hitting the silver aluminum a/c (?) pipe?

I’m still waiting on one part of the e93 front fender/frame/subframe bracing to arrive, but did a little poking around under the hood and it looks like a straight crossbrace like you made would interfere with that pipe when the engine moves on its mounts under load. (I know you said you removed it out of concerns with this.). Did you find any witness marks on the pipe or brace where they actually contacted?

I’m thinking because of this I’m going to skip installing a cross brace like you did and just run those 2 oem bars. Shooting for install this coming weekend if the last part arrives in time, which I’m told it will lol

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

@[Phil325i] Did you have issues with your fabricated aluminum cross brace hitting the silver aluminum a/c (?) pipe?

If you look carefully at the first and fourth pictures I posted in post #429 you'll see what I did to ensure no interference with the A/c pipe.

[Phil325i]

Just another thought on bracing, I see the latest 4 series has two braces running from the strut tower to the front valance. I wonder if it would be possible to construct something similar on the E92 platform, and if so what effect it would have? See 2:39 to 2:54 on this video:

[Biginboca]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Just another thought on bracing, I see the latest 4 series has two braces running from the strut tower to the front valance. I wonder if it would be possible to construct something similar on the E92 platform, and if so what effect it would have? See 2:39 to 2:54 on this video:

I saw that also. The new 2021 Supra had this too. I wonder if they just did away with the diagonal bracing to the center of the cowling (E9X style) and are doing this diagonal bracing to the radiator area instead.

It seems to me like either one would be doing the same job, supporting the top of the strut tower. I think for me this convertible bracing I’m adding is going to be the end of my front end bracing I’m still concerned with keeping the weight down. So far I’ve felt like everything I’ve added has been worthwhile and also everything has been aluminum (Front UUC Strut Brace, Rear Cusco Strut Brace, and M3 Aluminum Front Chassis Plate). The e93 front bracing rods are steel and will add maybe 6lbs feels like.

I got the last of my parts in yesterday so looks like install is happening this Saturday. Looking forward to this project!

[Bimmer_Engineer]

Originally Posted by Biginboca

I saw that also. The new 2021 Supra had this too. I wonder if they just did away with the diagonal bracing to the center of the cowling (E9X style) and are doing this diagonal bracing to the radiator area instead.

It seems to me like either one would be doing the same job, supporting the top of the strut tower. I think for me this convertible bracing I’m adding is going to be the end of my front end bracing I’m still concerned with keeping the weight down. So far I’ve felt like everything I’ve added has been worthwhile and also everything has been aluminum (Front UUC Strut Brace, Rear Cusco Strut Brace, and M3 Aluminum Front Chassis Plate). The e93 front bracing rods are steel and will add maybe 6lbs feels like.

I got the last of my parts in yesterday so looks like install is happening this Saturday. Looking forward to this project!

Further thought on the diagonal bracing is I’d bet the firewall is more rigid than the radiator brace. The front end of the car is a crumple zone...

[Bimmer_Engineer]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

Just another thought on bracing, I see the latest 4 series has two braces running from the strut tower to the front valance. I wonder if it would be possible to construct something similar on the E92 platform, and if so what effect it would have? See 2:39 to 2:54 on this video:

I didn't watch the video...the 3/4 shot of that thing is so ugly I can't bring myself to look at it anymore. They tossed generations of styling cues on the ash heap of history...