North Star Bavaran March 2013 March 2013 The BMW M Coupe shown was modified and built exclusively at BMW of Minnetonka. Here at BMW of Minnetonka, we only say “working on BMWs” because “loving on BMWs” sounds a little creepy. At BMW of Minnetonka, wrenching on Bimmers is our passion – on the clock, off the clock. That’s why we have the expertise to handle everything from the standard BMW lineup to the mod-stuffed racer you see here. Thinking about what we can do for your BMW? So are we. For a limited time, BMW Club members receive 10% off parts and service. The only locally owned BMW dealership. 394 West of 494 A Proud North Member Star ofBavar Twinan Cities Automotive 15802 Wayzata Boulevard Minnetonka phone: 952-303-7500 bmwofminnetonka.com %0:B0:B&KDSWHUBDGBIQOLQGG 30 PRESIDENT Rob Snyder [email protected] What’s Insde VICE PRESIDENT Gary Ganser Meanwhile, Back At The Wrench ..........................................3 [email protected] A Brace Of Legends Returns! ................................................4 TREASURER Larry Atneosen [email protected] Carmudgeon Chronicles .......................................................8 SECRETARY & PHOTOGRAPHER Spring BIR Event ...................................................................9 Tracy Rolf [email protected] Classifieds ...........................................................................11 ADVERTISING Gary Ganser [email protected] Dave Nielsen 651.644.6739 [email protected] On The Cover NEWSLETTER EDITOR Jonathan Bush That’s a cold 2002, and a [email protected] cold way to treat a 2002. MEMBERSHIP We can only hope the snow Dale Olson 715.425.8555 pack protects it from the [email protected] rest of the elements, like a really chilly, wet bubble. SOCIAL EVENTS John Ford [email protected] Photo taken in Hopkins, MN. SPONSORSHIP & PHILANTHROPY Dave Nielsen 651.644.6739 [email protected] TECH EVENTS COORDINATOR Dick Nyberg [email protected] WEBMASTER Brian Thull [email protected] TECHNICAL ADVISOR Paul Dzimian Motorwerks BMW “North Star Bavarian” is published by the North Star Chapter of the BMW Car Club of America, [email protected] Inc. Please address correspondence to P.O. Box 2774, Minneapolis, MN 55402-2774. All information furnished herein is provided by membership for members only. Ideas, suggestions and opinions, tech- DRIVING SCHOOLS nical or otherwise, are those of the authors, without authentication by or liability to the officers of the Club. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the Club endorses no person, product, service or business. DRIVING EVENTS CHAIR North Star Chapter, Inc. is a non-profit Minnesota corporation. & CHIEF INSTRUCTOR Bruce Carlson This newsletter and other information about the chapter may be found on the internet at: [email protected] www.northstarbmw.org DRIVING EVENTS COORDINATOR Contact for Ad rates: Dave Nielsen Eric Christenson [email protected] [email protected] Artwork - TIFF or PDF preferable, Macintosh or IBM compatible to: WINTER & CAR CONTROL [email protected] — position open — [email protected] Deadlines for next full newsletter: [email protected] Copy and advertising to editor no later than the 10th of the month preceding publication date, or contact [email protected] Publication Dates: 3/1, 6/1, 9/1, 12/1 March 2013 1 Meanwhle, Back at the Wrench... Jonathan Bush For My Next Trck... There are good ideas and there are bad Yes, I understand that there are many The basic V12 engine—the hardware, if ideas—and then there are those ideas challenges with a project like this. you will—really isn’t that complicated. that are so bad they come full circle and While I think I have most of it worked It doesn’t have VANOS. It doesn’t even become good ideas. The corollary is out, there will still be details—the have coil-on-plug ignition. You need also true: Really exceptional ideas can answers to which will not be known a handful of sensors and something turn bad, if pushed beyond the bounds until the wrenches meet the bolts, as to control the ignition and idle, and of good sense. it were. The first, and probably most that’s it. One challenge will be finding obvious, question is whether or not the the suitable mechanical, cable-driven “Great, Jonathan. Very profound,” you V12 will physically fit in the E23 engine BMW throttle bodies to replace the mutter. compartment. I’m confident that it electronic versions. will. Why not? This V12 is nothing Further, it’s okay to disagree with more than two SOHC inline sixes fused Of course, the V12 will need to route your friends, even those closest to together, and thus won’t be much longer its power through a proper manual you. Friends will give you all sorts of than either one of them. The V12 is also transmission. The only manual that advice, ranging from marriage details narrower than a BMW V8 (a 60-degree easily bolts up is the BMW S6S 560G to a career change, to having that one vee versus 90), and there is at least one (Getrag Type D) six-speed from an last drink before hitting on the waitress V8-powered E23 running around. E31 8 Series. They are not cheap, in the bar. They are your friends, after and they are not easily obtained. all, and they generally have your best BMW actually built V8- and V12- However, there exist several custom interests at heart—or at least their best powered prototypes in the late 1970s. adapters made from a V12 automatic- interests, which are usually peripherally Pictures can be found online. The V12 transmission bellhousing, which allow connected to yours. engine looks massive compared to M70 the use of a good old-fashioned Getrag five-liter that came later in the E32 7 265 five-speed. It uses a clutch-slave “Fabulous. What exactly are you on Series. cylinder from a Tremec T56 six-speed about now?” transmission, and a clutch adapted The battery and its tray will need to from the General Motors parts found I want to build an E23 7 Series (1977– be relocated to the trunk. No E23 has bolted to a re-drilled BMW V8 or V12 1987) with an M73 5.4-liter V12 from a traditional vacuum-assisted brake flywheel. While it won’t be easy to create an E38 7 Series (1995–2001). Roughly booster, so there won’t be a fitment this adapter, the only real alternative is half of the people I’ve floated this plan issue there. M73 exhaust manifolds are to spend $3,500 or more on the bolt-up by think it’s a bad idea, including a specific to the engine, and the driver- option. former employer and close friend—a side pieces will have to be routed around guy whose opinion I hugely value, and the steering box. Again, it will help that With any major surgery such as this, who shall remain nameless, except to the V12 is relatively narrow. there are always a million details to say that he is the sole proprietor of Bill consider and work through: motor Arnold BMW Repair. My oldest and BMW V12 powerplants are let down mounts; welding up the EGR ports on best friend, Reed Hitchcock, thinks I’m largely by their overly-complicated the exhaust manifolds, swapping in smoking something funny, either in leaf engine-management or crystalline format. systems, complete with multiple The other people think it’s a great idea, computers and but each is the type of person who motor-driven throttle would stuff a BMW 4.4-liter V8 into bodies. The odds of a Bavaria, or an M30 3.5-liter Big Six getting this disaster into an E30 3 Series over the course of a salad to talk to an weekend, using nothing but hand tools analog-era BMW and ambition. One of them has even chassis is slim. So offered to drive a clean, but sunburned, why not just do away 1983 745i from Phoenix to Minnesota with it all and use a for nothing but the cost of a bus ticket stand-alone system home. That’s dedication, kids. like MegaSquirt 3? 2 North Star Bavaran an M70 lower-front timing cover and pickup wheel so you can use a front- mounted crankshaft position sensor rather than the stock M73 flywheel sensors, determining which throttle bodies are going to fit—and then making them work with the E23 throttle cable—getting MegaSquirt 3 to talk to an ancient E23 gauge cluster, figuring out how to make the M73 power-steering pump run the E23’s hydro-accumulator power-braking. Then there’s the air- conditioning system…. I’m sure that by now at least some of you are wondering why. Why put all this effort into a big old pig like an E23? Why not just turbo an M30 to 400 horsepower and be done with it? Heck, a turbocharged S50 from an E36 M3 would probably be easier. What are you going to do with it after you’re done? Easy. Everybody does the M30 thing. I’ve always liked the V12—and I’ll drive the hell out of it! March 2013 3 A brace of legends return: BMW Group Classc lnes up for the DTM. Words and images courtesy of BMW Group Press Club Munich: On the first weekend of May 2013 the Hocken- “Race taxi” rides will be included on the bill at all ten DTM heimring will host the curtain-raiser to the German Touring weekends of the 2013 season, the circuits hosting the come- Car Masters (DTM) season – and the opening salvo in BMW back of the two legends on the Saturday between practice Motorsport’s title defence. and qualifying and the Sunday between the warm-up and the race proper.