My Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 "Cosworth" build

[Emre]

One of my favorite cars - yours looks fantastic...

Thanks, Mike. This car really is perfect for what we want to do: it's straight, rust-free, and numbers-matching ... but not so clean that you'd feel bad about gutting the interior and putting it to hard use.

These cars are rare enough that I don't think it's right to ruin the originality of a truly pristine example. OTOH, you don't want to base a racecar build on a basket-case. It's a tricky balance.

[Emre]

The Ground Control front struts are in:





Rears will go on tomorrow. Then the car will be corner balanced and get a 4-wheel alignment. Should be able to pick it up by this upcoming weekend.

[Emre]

Here's the steering wheel that's going in once the work is done...



It's a vintage AMG steering wheel made by Momo. These were used in the 190E DTM cars. Found one in great condition from a member on the 190rev forums.

[kishg]

i've seen this car go through various stages of the build over the last year or so and it's amazing how this is going to turn out. can't wait to see how it turns out. Emre, bring this out to the track soon so I can go "fender to fender" with you

[Emre]

Putting the new interior in.

Dash...



Seats/nets installed...

[mmarv]

E30's look cute even in M garb. That car looks bad ass. Love it!

[MTROIS]

Great project... Amazing looking car!
Looking forward to seeing in real life!

[Emre]

Great project... Amazing looking car!
Looking forward to seeing in real life!

Do you plan to come to GutenFest? The 'Cossie will be there. Link: http://www.gutenparts.com/

[Emre]

Had the bushings and links replaced...it was getting sloppy!





Next step will be to lengthen the shifter rods to shorten the throw. But that project will have to wait until after the Mosport weekend.

Now, there's only the diff left to finish off. Should be able to pick up the car this weekend as planned. w00t!

[bfetch]

Putting the new interior in.

Seats/nets installed...

Not to pick nits but you won't be compliant with any organization that requires a right-side net. They're designed to keep the upper portion of the driver "upright" in the event of a crossways impact (going into a wall at 30* angle, getting T-boned on the passenger side...).

You must have the center net wrapping around the driver's upper portion of the seat with the bottom strap/edge of the net parallel (if possible) to the floorpan & right around the driver's shoulder.

The 3 lines of netting generally mount to the middle upright of the cage (B-pillar bar) and the front edge is secured "through the dash" to the dash bar (if you have one) of the cage.

Revisit the manufacturers instructions and/or reference your sanctioning body's rule book for guidance. PDF page 103 (Figure 6) of the SCCA GCR has a nice color picture of their requirements.

http://cms.scca.com/documents/2011%20Te ... mobile.pdf

Sorry - don't want to poo-poo a definitely awesome build (love the looks of the 190E) but I'd hate to either see you not allowed to participate or worse, end up injured due to a tech inspectors missed item.

Looks like a hoot to drive "flat-out"!
Brandon

[Emre]

I really appreciate the feedback. And it's hardly nit-picking to point out that a piece of safety equipment has been installed in such a manner as to reduce its effectiveness.

In fact, these photos are a couple of weeks old. The net has already been repositioned.

[bfetch]

I really appreciate the feedback. And it's hardly nit-picking to point out that a piece of safety equipment has been installed in such a manner as to reduce its effectiveness.

In fact, these photos are a couple of weeks old. The net has already been repositioned.

w00t! Then you're well ahead of the game!

If we make the June Thunderbolt event I'll keep an eye out for the "oddball" Deutcher nipping at the Bimmer's heels and come say "Hi!"

Thanks,
Brandon

[Emre]

Just did some head work. Replaced the timing chain and guides. Had the valve timing adjusted, which meant all new shims. Some of the shims had to be machined down to the perfect size:





Had the valve cover powder-coated. They managed to match the factory paint color:



Also, I bought another set of Evo I alloys (16x8" ET34). I gave up trying to make 17" wheels work for now. The combination of Evo II brakes (300mm rotors; 4-piston Brembo calipers) and stock fenders is simply causing too much headache. That really limits my tire choices: not much available in 225/45-R16 these days. I picked up a set of Yoko A048 tires. I know these are hardly the best R-comps around, but they're the best I can do for now. I'll revisit 17x9" wheels after the season is over.

Finally, I've started working on fabbing some plates to mount my SPA GT mirrors. I'll admit this is race-car bling, but I like the look!

[Emre]

Just had the wheels refinished in GT3 orange and added some cheesy graphics. These were taken this past Sunday at GFest 2012, an annual car show held at the shop that's been doing most of the work on the car):




Equally ridiculous vanity plate:




Today, I had the car on the track (NJMP--Lightning) with the NY BMW CCA. The car is FINALLY running right! We were able to pass most of the early M3's (E30 and E36) running in the instructor group...except for one guy with an insanely fast E30 M3 2.5L stroker. Not bad, considering I've got a bone stock (165 hp) engine under the hood. With twice the HP and 25% more rubber on the ground, the race-prepped E46 M3's were out of reach.

Found a fellow lunatic to play with:








Dicing with the Bimmers:








Look, ma ... no body roll!




Well, that's it for now. After two years of work, things have finally started coming together on this project. The suspension and tires are working beautifully. The engine is strong. The car feels great!

[MTROIS]

Beautiful and glad to see you are enjoying it so much!

Will you attend the Thunderbolt event in a few days?