Drax240z

Internal. Almost all turbo cars had internal gates from the factory, the exception being some quite high end supercars that used externals.

Yeah saw those in that book too, great book BTW. I may just build something similar that hooks to jackstands too so that I can use my regular jackstands with the side posts. Here's a snapshot of the subaru setup I was talking about earlier. Worked awesome.

Best side of the road flat changing jack I've ever seen or used actually. You don't have to crawl around under the car to change a flat in the snow or mud. The factory backed Subaru Rally Canada team used a similar idea as those rocker holes, only for jackstands instead of jacks. The slickest way I've seen to put a car on jackstands, jack up the front, insert stands into rocker holes, they self level, drop it fast and it's perfect every time... do the same with the rear and you've got the car on stands in seconds. I think i am going to get a 2nd jack and modify it for my battery powered impact though, they are a bit slow going!

A typical real estate job over here costs ~$500 depending on the house. Was chatting with my last agent about it a bit, she really notices the difference in the interest the house gets with properly lit, sharp and well composed photos showing the house. Go figure. Some agents "get it" and some don't I guess.

Ahhhhhhh, sooo much better! Darn flat tire, forcing me to buy new wheels AND tires. The "before" wheels and tires (love those BMW jacks) And after. The wheels are OZ Superleggera 17"x8" 40mm offset, at an advertised 16.8lbs each. Old tires were hard ass Michelin 205/60R15 (680 treadwear!!!!) New tires are Nexan N3000's (340 treadwear) 225/45R17, with 80-90% tread, some guy bought the tires and didn't like how they looked, so replaced them. New tires match the E36 stockers within less than 2% difference in circumference. The old wheels will get some snows this fall!

Nice shots, doing some real estate work? I wish more agents realized that their point and shoot isn't going to do the homes justice...

Oh hell, in response to Ron's pic, I've got to....

Well I seem to have a flat tire... darn. Looks like the 15" wheels might need to be replaced at the same time.

That interior is lookin' good!

I've lusted after an M Coupe for years myself... no way I'm going to be able to afford one anytime soon, even the Z3 based cars. (which I prefer) A good example still fetches mid twenty's or higher up here...

I'm going to play even though mine isn't an RB: Datsun 240z - Tons Datsun 280z - Tranny + more Datsun 280zx - Engine, wheels + more Nissan 240sx - TB, brakes Nissan 300zx - Brake rotors Toyota 4 Runner - Brake calipers Mitsubishi Eclipse - BOV Isuzu NPR Truck - Intercooler Ford Pickup - Oil Filter Toyota Supra Turbo - Fuel Injectors Toyota MR2 - Front Struts Suzuki GSX-R - Gas Cap/Door Nissan Altima - Side mirrors Hyundai Pony - Side Marker Lights Lots of other custom stuff of course, but these are the JY finds from other vehicles.

Not a ton of progress lately, spring has meant a lot of work around the house to get done. This weekend should see some results though. Exhaust has been modified and the new downpipe is done however...

EFI 101 covers much of that.

If you are doing true twice pipes, all the way from front to back, dual 2.5" is HUGE for a stockish 2.8... I'd be looking at dual 1.75" or so, dual 1.875" maximum.

If you have to ASK this question, the answer is no...

I ran a 2.5" mandrel bent downpipe to 3" mandrel bent exhaust, put down 232rwhp and 281ft-lbs with the stock turbo. There is little point in putting a 3" downpipe immediately after a 2-1/8" (or in the case of the T3/T4E-50, 2.5") diameter turbo outlet in my opinion, for packaging reasons I still plan on doing a 2.5" DP to 3" exhaust with nice transitions with my T3/T4E-50 as well. I do believe it's important to use 3" as much as you can, but ideally I'd use a 2.5" to 3" cone off the turbo, as long as I could fit.

Before: After:

Government conspiracy. Just like the cover up of the original Mercedes designed Z engine!

Me too.

EFI101 is likely the best "1 shot" deal out there, I agree it's hard to get everything out of a few books. I liked Hartman's book though, and combining it with some good tuning forums is a great starting point.

I've got 2.25", 2.5", 2.75" (hard to find elsewhere), 3" and 3.5" at local truck shops in the past. Likely depends on what vehicles the particular shop deals with. Some of the smaller sizes are used for coolant lines I believe.

I think the bad rep. for reliability comes from those that pay dealer prices and buy BMW parts... If the car breaks down once in 5 years and you need to take it to the dealer, it's going to hurt paying those rates! Even once is too often. Of course, if you are doing it yourself, it's not much different than any other car.

Went a bit far afield on the original question I realize. If you are looking to do a quick and dirty exhaust system with some cherry bombs these are a bit overkill. You really can't do them justice unless everything attached to them is polished stainless and you are TIG welding everything. One of the better affordable mild steel bends I've found for exhaust systems come from trucking parts stores. Usually they are a coated mild steel, heavy gauge construction, and pretty decent quality bends. They should hold up well with a coat of paint afterwards, and sizes in the 2.25-3" range are generally in stock. I had an exhaust system on my Z built out of these, and got 8 years out of it, and after that point it was still completely fine, if a little ugly. (could have used a repaint)

I'd bet more than 70% of the car guys I know own or have owned Bimmers... the other 30% want to. They are doing something right!

No way man! I picked up a E39 528iT (wagon) for the wifey, and love it. If I was only to have 1 car, money no object, an M5 would be my choice. I don't think there is a more well rounded automobile in existence to be honest. I love to drive, it's fun for me, it's stress relief, it's a passion. Never again will I have a daily driver that bored me, it just takes too much out of life. So I am paying more in gas, I'll gladly do that to have a smile on my face during my commute.