my e30 build

update

2008-09-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

so i got all the stuff on my short list done and went to the autocross yesterday. it was a blast. the car performed wonderfully. i love the torque and the limited slip. lots of fun. only two issues. one, i think my 2nd hear syncro is toast...i have to short shift from 1-2 and from 3-2 i have to do a very aggressive heal-toe. no biggie as i shouldn't see 2nd gear on track and that is what this car is for. the other issue is some bum seat sliders that broke toward the end of my 3rd run slamming me up against the steering wheel and locking up my brakes...nice.

here's some pics:

she's alive!!!!

2008-09-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

so i finished through #8 below. everything runs pretty good. as i feared, there are a whole lot of noises and vibrations i'm not used to and that makes me nervous. the rear end "whirrrs" a little and i can't tell what it is...it changes pitch with the tire rotation so i think it might be the parking brake shoes rubbing against the parking-brake-drums. at least i hope that's it.

so on Monday it's off to the muffler shop to get the new cat and muffler hooked up. hopefully the gc coilover kit will be here mid week so i can get it installed before my alignment appt on Friday.

So far, so good!!!!

operation get ready for a shake down

2008-09-05T11:20:00.000-07:00

time to kick it into high gear. my club (www.thscc.com) has an autocross schedulded for 9/14 and then there's a track day at CMP in October. If i wanted to make that track day, i really need to get the car ready for the autocross on the 14th to do a shake down. i've come up with this list. it's certainly paired down from my full to-do list, but it should get me where i want to be.

1. order 4 point roll cage (bolt in from kirk) - DONE - won't be here for another 3 or 4 weeks
2. order ground control coil over kit and camber plates - DONE - will be here by Wed or next week.
3. install seat brackets, seats and a friend's 3pt belt
4. fluids - oil, diff, brake, power steering
5. install cv boot clamps
6. put the rear shocks and springs back on
7. put a wrench on every nut and bolt that i've touched
8. tourque the crap out of the axle nuts once it's on the ground
--this get's it driveable--
9. take it to the muffler shop and have them install the new cat and muffler
10. install gc kit
11. get it aligned

i'll get the cage installed with real harnesses later on..as well as the steering rack swap...this will at least get me to the autocross, but it's a lot to do in a week.

dang tie rods

2008-07-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

i put put the dash back together on Sunday and then started the steering rack swap..i got the driver's side tie rod off but the passenger's side is proving to be more difficult. i may actually need to go buy a tool.....ahhhhhhhhh

brakes done, rear end done!!!

2008-07-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

i got some time today so i rebuilt the front and rear calipers and then buttoned up the rear end. i put a little tech up on bimmerforums for the caliper rebuild if you are interested.

one step closer

2008-07-14T06:55:00.001-07:00

i can't believe i forgot to take pics, but yesterday i had two friends come over to help me put the back end together...it took about two hours, but everything is back on the car...i still have to button up the brakes but for the most part, it's all done.

bushings in

2008-06-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

i took the trailing arms, subframe and diff over to a friends to press out the bushings...we were done in a little over and hour...not that bad really. sorry no pics right now.

i'm also putting new CV boots on the axles...one down, one to go. after that, i think i'll remove the exhaust from the manifold, re-install the drive shaft that i accidentally pulled off when removing the diff...then i can get the get to work on putting the back end back together. i sure how i remember how it all goes ;-).

i'm off to england for a couple of weeks so i won't have a chance to work on it for a while :-(

subframe is out

2008-05-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

so i finally got the subframe out. next step is to replace the bushing, install SS brake lines, rebuild calipers, etc.

PITA exhaust

2008-05-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

so, as i'm finding it's better not to skip around when tearing apart the rear end of an e30. i was trying to just leave the exhaust in place b/c the bolts at the cat looked pretty rusted on there and i thought i could just have a muffler place cut them off when the time came.

as i was looking at how to drop the subframe and i decided it was worth my time to go ahead and remove the exhaust...that was easier said than done. i worked on those bolts for almost an hour before i got all 4 off (3 of which just sheared off). Now i can only get one side of the cat back out...i think whoever put it on welded it in place...what the crap???

so now i'm just going to cut it off myself but it'll have to wait for another day b/c it was late the the sawsall would have woken the kids.

oh, i got the axles out as well, not hard at all.

once i get the back end completley off i'll post some pics.

slow but steady

2008-05-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

progress is slow but steady. i've had a bunch of business trips that have slowed me down a good bit. anyway, i received a bunch of the parts i ordered last week. on Sat nigth i pulled the diff. next will be the trailing arms and the subframe. once i get it all apart i'm going to a friends to press in/out the bushings.

i also ordered a Bentley last week as well as new CV joint boots...mine are toast.

update from 5/9 - interior go bye bye

2008-05-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

i got a wild hair up my butt tonight and decided to gut it. the carpet was a royal pain but after some convincing it came out. i really wanted to get it without cutting so i started taking the dash apart...about a quarter of the way into it, i gave up...the only part i had to cut though is completely covered by the dash so if anyone wanted to reuse it, they could.

anyone wanna buy the interior?

update from 5/8 - parts on order

2008-05-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

i got all four corners on stands now...i pulled out all the carpeting in the trunk and disassembled the rear shocks in prep for the new mounts...i was bored really...then i spent about a half hour just looking under the car...that was fun.

parts on order:

ss brake lines

gc rear shock mounts

75d diff bushing

70d subframe bushings

75d rtab bushings

e36 steering rack swap kit

brake caliper rebuild kits (front and rear)

brake calipe guides

corbeau seat brackets with double locking slider upgrade

update from 5/7 - car is in the air...what do i see

2008-05-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

i got under the front of the car last night to try and track down the leak...i cleaned everything up and then ran the car for 15 mins...NO OIL LEAK that i can find. the steering rack is leaking like mad but i'm not too worried about that as i plan to swap out the rack with one from an e36 and delete the power steering. i wonder if the ps leak is just shooting up all under the car and making it look like it's leaking oil...crap i don't know.

a friend agreed to sell me his seats and harnesses so that's a good chunk off of my build cost. i'm also selling my wheels/tires from my e36 as i don't need them anymore for autocross. that's $550 i can put towards this project now.

...and so it begins

2008-05-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

so most of you who know me know that i'm not the best wrench in the world. i've been known to really mess us from time to time. so i'm really hoping this goes well!!!!

Goal - build a safe, reliable and fun track car that will occasionaly be driven at an autocross.

the car
1989 BMW 325i

maintenace completed upon purchase
clutch kit
water pump
timing belt, tensioner
control arms, bushings (offset powerflex)
tie rods
2 wheel bearings
thermostat
all belts
motor mounts
trans mounts
rebuilt all shifter linkages
fuel pump and filter
plugs wires
rotor and cap
brake rotors
brake pads
oil pan gasket
flex disc

upgrades complete upon purchase
bilstein sport shocks
racing dynamics sport springs
racing dynamics adjustable swaybars
adjustable endlinks
4.10LSD
euro cloth sport interior
mtech steering wheel
15" konig rewinds with a good set of RA1s

stuff to do in no particular order
rear trailing arm bushings
rear shock mounts
diff bushing
subframe bushings
investigate and fix small oil leak
e36 steering rack swap
investigate and fix heater core leak
remove powersteering
bypass brake pad sensor
fix flakey speedo
gc coilovers
camber plates
rebuild calipers
remove ac
remove interior (seats, dash, headliner, carpet, etc.)
get roll bar
seats & harnesses
gauges, gauges, gauges
ss brake lines
get alignment