DISCLAIMER - LONG POSTS AHEAD - get yourself a beer or coffee
Rather than having multiple threads out there for my projects, I figured I'd lump them into one to save space.
First some background...
My name is Norb, a mechanical engineer from WNY working in the aerospace industry. I've been out of the BMW game for some time, but finally in my first ///M car - and a hell of a machine at that. It's an '09 Interlagos M3 with a 6 speed, but the story of my appreciation for German iron (aluminum?) really starts back in around 2012-ish, and takes many detours along the way.
I tend to be long winded and enjoy documenting my automotive journey/adventures, and that is even more true given the current pandemic situation - so grab your favorite beverage and enjoy.
I'll sprinkle in some of my past build threads/journals here and there if anyone is interested.
In 2011 I was a freshly graduated engineer working for a mechanical contractor/design firm driving an '06 Sentra SE-R Spec V - a fun car in its own right, but somewhat didn't fit into my new lifestyle. What it did teach me via various brake jobs, wheel bearing fixes, and bolt-on installs, was that working on cars was not difficult and actually enjoyable. It also saved me a ton of money, which freed up funds to feed my automotive passion.
So, with the desire for something more comfortable and sophisticated while still being fun to drive, I dove head first into the German car world and bought a 2001 BMW 540i Sport. 6 speed manual, 4.4 M62TU V8, fun options like rear sunshade, heated seats, etc. It was a great car and I drove it basically stock while replacing the cooling system and getting it back to decent mechanical condition.
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=588590
It did okay burnouts for an open diff. I installed an exhaust cutout and fell in love with V8s.
After about a year of driving it stock, I got the itch for more power and decided to go nuts.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1575619-lq4-t56-into-2001-bmw-540i.html
I ended up owning the E39 for about 4 years and lost count of the hours spent wrenching. Eventually I came to the point where I realized that I wanted more power yet again, but doing so on the E39 would mean forced induction, and many more dollars and hours put into the car. I had been working on the same car for nearly half a decade and was frankly ready for some fresh scenery. So, once the 560i was sold, I picked up a 2000 C5 Corvette Fixed Roof Coupe, or FRC. This is the predecessor to the infamous Z06, and paved the way for the revitalization of the Corvette image from old man cruiser to ass-kicking performance machine.
Keep that acronym in mind - it's going to come up later!
https://ls1tech.com/forums/corvette-performance/1820070-2000-black-frc-progress-thread.html
This was a long term owned, higher mileage car that was driven by the same female lawyer for 14 years in nice weather. It had 104K miles and needed some minor mechanical work - perfect, since I was already familiar with the LS platform.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that I was sick of laying on concrete and the jackstand life, so I installed a MaxJax lift in my home garage.
I told myself I was done taking on big automotive projects every year, and just decided to enjoy the Vette.
I installed some bolt on breathing mods but ultimately the itch for easy power was too great, and I installed a cammed L92/LS3 and rebuilt the remainder of the drivetrain.
Rather than having multiple threads out there for my projects, I figured I'd lump them into one to save space.
First some background...
My name is Norb, a mechanical engineer from WNY working in the aerospace industry. I've been out of the BMW game for some time, but finally in my first ///M car - and a hell of a machine at that. It's an '09 Interlagos M3 with a 6 speed, but the story of my appreciation for German iron (aluminum?) really starts back in around 2012-ish, and takes many detours along the way.
I tend to be long winded and enjoy documenting my automotive journey/adventures, and that is even more true given the current pandemic situation - so grab your favorite beverage and enjoy.
I'll sprinkle in some of my past build threads/journals here and there if anyone is interested.
In 2011 I was a freshly graduated engineer working for a mechanical contractor/design firm driving an '06 Sentra SE-R Spec V - a fun car in its own right, but somewhat didn't fit into my new lifestyle. What it did teach me via various brake jobs, wheel bearing fixes, and bolt-on installs, was that working on cars was not difficult and actually enjoyable. It also saved me a ton of money, which freed up funds to feed my automotive passion.
So, with the desire for something more comfortable and sophisticated while still being fun to drive, I dove head first into the German car world and bought a 2001 BMW 540i Sport. 6 speed manual, 4.4 M62TU V8, fun options like rear sunshade, heated seats, etc. It was a great car and I drove it basically stock while replacing the cooling system and getting it back to decent mechanical condition.
https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=588590
It did okay burnouts for an open diff. I installed an exhaust cutout and fell in love with V8s.
After about a year of driving it stock, I got the itch for more power and decided to go nuts.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1575619-lq4-t56-into-2001-bmw-540i.html
I ended up owning the E39 for about 4 years and lost count of the hours spent wrenching. Eventually I came to the point where I realized that I wanted more power yet again, but doing so on the E39 would mean forced induction, and many more dollars and hours put into the car. I had been working on the same car for nearly half a decade and was frankly ready for some fresh scenery. So, once the 560i was sold, I picked up a 2000 C5 Corvette Fixed Roof Coupe, or FRC. This is the predecessor to the infamous Z06, and paved the way for the revitalization of the Corvette image from old man cruiser to ass-kicking performance machine.
Keep that acronym in mind - it's going to come up later!
https://ls1tech.com/forums/corvette-performance/1820070-2000-black-frc-progress-thread.html
This was a long term owned, higher mileage car that was driven by the same female lawyer for 14 years in nice weather. It had 104K miles and needed some minor mechanical work - perfect, since I was already familiar with the LS platform.
Somewhere along the way, I realized that I was sick of laying on concrete and the jackstand life, so I installed a MaxJax lift in my home garage.
I told myself I was done taking on big automotive projects every year, and just decided to enjoy the Vette.
I installed some bolt on breathing mods but ultimately the itch for easy power was too great, and I installed a cammed L92/LS3 and rebuilt the remainder of the drivetrain.