BMW 3.0 CS - Project Junkyard Greyhound

When it comes to setting up old-crock BMWs to win, Jeff Ireland, out in Duarte, Calif., is a veritable font of knowledge, so I dialed Jeff up and said, "Jeff, I'm building a 3.0 CS for the track. It looks a lot like a big 2002 from underneath, so here are my ideas." Jeff responded with some good ideas of his own, including a brake upgrade that wouldn't bust the budget: BMW 850i rotors paired with...yes...Corvette calipers! He also suggested adapting a set of Corvette eccentrics to the rear semi-trailing arms to provide camber adjustability.

The idea of using Corvette stuff on a BMW is a beautiful heresy. Everyone knows that the C5 offers more bang for the buck than any high-performance sports car out there, and the price contrast of parts for the Great American Sports Car with parts for a BMW will amaze you. So, Corvette it is.

Bilstein "shockers" (Brit term...I love it) with custom valving will provide the damping front and rear, and Jeff sourced a set of huge sway bars built by Suspension Techniques. The rear shock/coilover unit, coupled with the Corvette adjusters on the semi -trailing arm, will give me camber and ride-height adjustment at the rear, while camber plates and threaded aluminum adjusters will do the same at the front. The custom spring/shock coilover assemblies are a thing of beauty to behold. The brakes are mammoth. The whole setup is going to be a veritable symphony of anodized, powdercoated beauty. I can't wait to begin installing it.

Project Junkyard Greyhound--AKA BMW 3.0 CS

February 2002
Part 1: Rust-bucket refugee to race-ready road rocket...on a budget

April 2002
Part 2: Stripping the CS down to the bone

June 2002
Part 3: "Zen and the Art of Not Bawling Like a Baby"--or, I take two steps forward and how many back? (aka bodywork)

September 2002
Part 4: Welding: hot, nasty and oh, so necessary

November 2002
Part 5: Keeping it simple-a "new" motor for the CS