I'm back!!!!

SnakeEyeSS · June 24, 2004

Well, I'm back. Just putting all the updates in one long post so here it goes(my car mod update at the bottom, there were problems):

USGP:

took around 290 pictues, with some videos. Pictures of Pit walkabout day, F1 Practice, PRe-qual, qual, and the race

BMW Formula [2] Prcaticem qual, and rce pics

Porsche Michlein Supercup practice, qual and race pics

plus a couple videos of the three different series.

I'll try to have around 50 pics up by the end of the weekedn(I'll be gone for a few days again to train for my new job)

The experience was incredible. I magnaged after an hour to secure a spot at the front of the pit row crowd on pit day, and they took the car out for a tech session, and the FW26 got within 2 feet of me. If I didn't think I would have been thrown out and shot, I could have touched it. The Mercedes-McLaren car got within 4 feet of me...

I got pitures of F1 events from the turn 1 gradnstand area, the corner 6 terrace areas, and (my seats) the corner 10 terrace. Due to the mass pf pics, I will only show you guy a handful, but will LATER take requests for certain cars. I got pics of them all, but a load of BMW-Williams and Ferrari car Pics.

Oh the toyota that broke down? It died right in front of my seating area. I was blown away At how it was handled. After the race you could tell the fact that it took them so long to get ralf off the track troubled Michael, during the post race interview. I was the only one at one point flying the BMW team flag, so I got down right where ther cars exit turn 10 and stood behind the fence with the massive flag held high, there was no way Montoya couldn't have seen it. wanted him to know he had SOME fans over at turn 10.

!!!!MY CAR UPDATE!!!!

Okay, this is long and confusing.

Finally got it in, he delt with myca r only so I',m getting it back tomorrow, he work on it all day and over ytime for two days to get this done(including picking up parts for suprise jobs):

New Clutch

LW flywheel

Oil Pan Gasket

Tranny main seal

driveshaft research(more on that later)

ALL the seals for everything that comes off during this work.

total Labor and parts(trans fluid, and oil pan gasket, and a few other minor items were the only part in this cost):

$1000.00

Parts were around 520 shipped.OUCJ

Picking it up tomorrow morning(6/24)

This is the confusing stuff:

a previous onwer had managed to get an MY 86, incorrect flywheel installed. Also, I belive the clutch pressure plate was installed different. HE said that for some strange reason, BMW made the 87 clutch I had different from the rest, and that someone had installed it according to how the other are supposed to be installed. Not sure he if meant it was the wrong clutch made to fit, or the right clutch with the pressure plate wrong. The throwout bearing was so bad it worn a small hole in the bell housing, but he said the place where the hole was is hollow and serves no purpose( I think the part may have been dislocated due to wear), so I don't need to worry about it.

The oil pan gasket was going(I knew that), and when he pulled it off it just broke apart.

Also, the Driveshaft marks aren't aligned. HE was suprised when I told him that it dosen't vibrate on take off or shifting, so he think the previous owner(a BMW tech, who he knows), may have mixed two driveshafts together, got them to work, so that's why the marks are diffent, but the BMW tech hasn't returned his call so that isn't confirmed yet. But since I haven't had a vibration, he didn't mess with it.

Also, he found that the "flam key", I believed he called it(an o-ring on the oil coolar line) needs to be replaced(He's leaving it for me to do, he knows I like to do a lot of stuff myself). he said it is crating a small minor leak(suprised me, My car has never leaked, I guess it IS very minor).

He said everything went together well with no problems.

Needless to say my car got a minor drivetrain overhaul in two days. Everything came out but the diff/axle! I have ALL new seals, gaskets, a new clutch, LW flywheel.... After I get that new o-ring, I won't have to worry about leaks just about ever again!(well, for 200K).