KFJs "God's Chariot" e30

[kung fu jesus]

I am a slave to RWD German cars and I don't know why. Maybe it's my ancestry, maybe it's because I grew up around them in my formative teen years. My father was an automotive engineer and traveled abroad a lot. He spent a lot of time working with BMW as a supplier and always brought home really cool BWM racing posters I had adorned on my bedroom walls. I wish I still had them. :( He owned a couple, one of which he passed along to me when I was a more experienced driver. He also owned an '88 M5 that he and I drove to CA and back.

I tried to fill that void many years afterward with a '95 e36m3. Intoxicating engine, gorgeous body, poor interior and many electrical gremlins:
http://images40.fotki.com/v1331/photos/1/1090888/6740382/IMG_0929-vi.jpg

I sold it in '10 to help seed my consultancy. It did and I am glad it went to a good home.

I had another, lesser model e30 many years ago that needed a lot of work. I drove it to and from college while I was still in Detroit. It could never be what I wanted because I was too poor, too busy and lived in the Rust Belt. I had put almost 100k on that e30 before I sold at 250k and it still ran like a champ. After thinking about what I paid for the M3 and what I put into it, I knew I would have enjoyed a cleaner, well-kept e30 more. And so it goes...

So, I have been planning to buy this car from a good friend for almost a year. It is an '88 325is. I know him to be like me about his vehicles; particular and demanding. Fussy. He didn't have to talk me up about the car, I pursued him about it for many months. I knew he was looking for another car (e28) and the pursuit heightened when he finally found and bought one to his liking. I helped him to look for an NA Miata after he drove mine I had sold to a mutual friend. I offered planning and build advice for his intent.

Finally, the stars aligned and I was able to divert on return from a business trip to ATL to pick it up and drive it home. It is a well documented, no rust Southern car. All the desirable, preferred upgrades have already been done: welded in swaybar reinforcements, P/U bushings, electrical fan conversion, metal radiator, exhaust, Z3 shifter, Bilstein shock, H&R springs, 15" BBS euro-weaves, sticky tires. All the peripherals work as they should, A/C, PS (rebuilt), rebuilt PS rack, PW, PL (well, the PL don't work, but that's not uncommon. :) ) I drove it home on my wife's birthday. She has been very understanding of this disease I have for these cars.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/p480x480/998463_10201844058173346_326932245_n.jpg

She ain't perfect, but she's mine!

Since I knew I was buying it, I has been collecting parts for the last 6-8 months. I bought a set of plastic bumpers to replace the metal ones, a set of cleaner seats to replace the worn, haggard seats. Good friends of mine 2 hours away have been storing them in their garage for the last 2 months, because the seller was local to them and I asked them to pick them up for me. It good to have a nice network of friends across the country. :)

Mechanically, the car is very sound. 182k on it, new TB/WP etc. done the wek before I picked it up. A huge pile of documents and a box of new parts for odds and ends. My friend didn't have a garage and lives on a shaded street, so moisture, heat and sun exposure had crept onto the finish. No big deal for me. My first order of business was to swap out the seats and start to detail it. There is no better way to take stock of the condition of any car than to pour over it while detailing it. And so I did...

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8-10 hours over the last 2 days, the color is corrected and the crevices cleaned. I left the front valence alone because I am going to recondition it very soon with fresh paint.

[Martin]

I <3 that car

[DK Wolf]

I can boner-town here right? Because... boner-town.


That's pretty freaking rad. I'd be down to own one of those, and I'm hunting for a daily for VA. Either going to be an older 3 series, or just rock a good ol' fashioned Grand Marquis like my old one! WOO!

[atank]

Yes that is a very good find!!!!! I wanna see it with the new bumpers installed......

[tsingson]

Come on up to a meet, Anthony.

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks all! I still have a boner. Maybe I should consult a physician.

DK - e30s are very popular in the southeast/mid-atlantic for Spec E30. They are out there, but like Spec Miata did to NAs, clean examples are getting tough to find. Maybe look at an e28 sedan? I see a lot of good ones in the region.

I am doing a long-term project. This is the replacement for the NA. Here is my inspiration:

http://bmw-e30.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/DSC03641.jpg


This is also my inspiration for the build:


http://vimeo.com/57909173

more of that here too:
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/23/jack-olsen-built-one-porsche-to-do-it-all/


Right now, I am just enjoying the smooth torque of an I6 and the grumpy idle that is reminiscent of something sinister. I am planning to swap in an s50/52 engine and transmission, brake upgrade, find an M-tech 2 kit, repaint (same color) and do some tasteful interior mods. I will also add some modern electronics for music, phone, and information.

[atank]

Come on up to a meet, Anthony.

I love NC, a trip up there would be great, and its getting that season!!! "KFG" I like that stance of that inspiration BMW!!

[Rogue]

Good Inspiration, i just wish I had the discipline to keep my shop that clean and organized.

[drv2fst]

Just found this on Monday http://godschariot.tumblr.com/

Love E30's :D

[kung fu jesus]

I grew up German-Catholic, so take the enduring qualities of both, and you get the idea. Our home as a child was kept clean like the pope was going to arrive any minute.

[tsingson]

Kinda upset that I won't being seeing it tonight. Stupid HOA....

[mini_fd]

Your inspiration makes me want to look for a red one.

[kung fu jesus]

OK here's what the can already has:

rebuilt steering rack
rebuilt PS pump
Z3 shifter
PU suspension bushings
braided brake lines
aluminum radiator
electrical fan, mechanical fan/clutch delete
Ansa exhaust
Bilstein shocks
H&R springs
Upgraded brake pads
15" BBS
Dunlap Star Specs
Conforti Chip

there is more, I know I omitting a bit.

The maintenance items are all all up to date, very little was deferred. There are a few issues, but they are DIY and pretty easy fixes. The injectors may need refreshing, but that is doable too. Love the snarl the exhaust makes. It turns heads. :)

[Demon I Am]

Looked good, sounded beastly

[fwdtamiya]

Looks amazing, Steve :D

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks, Tony and Garrett.

[tsingson]

Sure does turn heads....I can only imagine what the people in the apartments were saying last night when you turned that thing on.

[kung fu jesus]

Ze Germans are coming?

[tsingson]

No. The Italians are coming.

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[kung fu jesus]

Yeah, so, I couldn't wait for the weekend...

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[Grip Driver]

much better with the new bumpers!

[Martin]

Very nice!

[kung fu jesus]

Did a few odds n' ends. There are a few lights lit on the OBC panel (or I refer to it as the OCD panel), solved two of them: the brake light and the washer fluid level. Just needed a vampire clip to solve the brake light indicator, and sealed the washer fluid tank where the pump fits in with some RTV. I think my paint just arrived too.

The car seems to draw attention. Went out to eat with the wife tonight, parked next to the outdoor seating. When we returned to leave, I fired up the car. It barks when it fires, then settles into a lumpy, angry idle. A table of 50-something men sitting outside were craning to watch me back out of my space. As I pulled out onto the street, I wound out the engine and I could still see them watching me as I hustled on down the road. This car has some attitude. :)

My wife thinks that attitude matches my personality. Awe. Some.

My replacement door lock also arrived today. I will be installing that so I can lock the car. :)

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My German is a little rusty, but the diagram is helpful.

[DK Wolf]

This.. needs... more

http://forums.finalgear.com/attachments/general-automotive/lamborghini-miura-sv-burns-aka-thread-to-make-grown-men-cry/9587d1365403462-clarkson-power.jpg

[Thumper13]

My daughter,the little brat makes way too much money just bought a 2 year old 325i and her dumb ass boy friend bought an Audi A3.

What's wrong with kids today ??? I tried to talk her into buying a Vette,when that failed I tried to talk some sense into her boyfriend,no luck there either.................I still have hope for Yata though.


Nice Car K.F.J.

[kung fu jesus]

I wouldn't buy a used BMW or Audi after '04. These models have become very VERY complicated and outside their 'free maintenance' warranties, I would be planning on some large bills to keep them happy and on the street. It's a shame because as a designer, the Audi make my loins tingle.

Power-wise, eventually. Love LOVE LOVE being in another inline 6. The torque just comes on like a wave and the engine is so much smoother than a Vee.

Anyways, yesterday was a busy day. Had to go to lunch with my wife and her boss (yes, on a SATURDAY). Was itching to get back to start more work. Her boss locked her keys and MY keys in her new car at the restaurant. :fp: We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways, hoping to get the keys soon. Walked home.

So it's around 3 pm and I'm thinking the day is toast. I mustered some enthusiasm and went ballistic on this stuff. Passenger outboard mirror was going two-tone, had to fix that. The front valence was pretty road blasted. 25 years of rock chip and debris hitting it will do that. The "IS" rear spoiler was weathered too, so I am smoothing it and painting it. I ordered a color-matched spray bomb from a company I used similarly with my NA. Once again the paint matches great! Also have some two-part clearcoat to apply too. I did all this in 6 hours yesterday:

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[kung fu jesus]

Then the sun went down and I rebuilt the door lock:

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[kung fu jesus]

Let's see...today I primered and painted the rear spoiler, the front valence, the mirror, the brake ducts, grills, oil cooler spoiler, and front lip. I reinstalled the new lock, I can now lock up the car!
I clearcoated the white bits, fixed the upholstery on the driver's door, fixed a washer fluid leak, reinstalled all the painted bits. I will wait for the CC to cure and will block sand it with 1500/2000. The foglight blanks should arrive early next week.

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Next up, fixing the instrumentation panel!

[Agent☣Orange]

Damn! Where'd you get the energy?? It's looking better and better!

Spare me a couple Adderall?
http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa375/YellowYata/Humor/Faces/IMG_6170_zpscd855517.jpg

[etikoner]

Sweet ride.

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for these old BMW's

[Thumper13]

I'm not big on aesthetics,but your car looks like "amazing" in the works. Can't wait to see the finished product.

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

Yellow - It seems like a lot of work all at once, but I am constantly thinking about what I can do while waiting for other stuff (like the paint to dry between coats). I was sort of surprised how much I accomplished over the weekend too. We had nice weather , so it was easy to keep moving and stay outside. I started Sunday around maybe 9:30 or 10am, wrapped up and cleaned up the mess by 5pm and made it to a BBQ. Although as soon as I ate, relaxed, I realized how exhausted I was and fell asleep on a lounger by the pool. :lol:

I send the PO pictures of the updates, he loves it, too.

It's great, though, because there is a LOT of documentation for fixes and DIYs on this car. If I get stuck, I know there is an excellent chance of finding the answer pretty quickly. Parts are still easy to find, new and used, so that helps too. I don't think parts are that expensive either, similar to the Miata. I am lucky to have landed on this car that was well-maintained and documented. Being able to email and talk to the PO (my friend) who owned 4 years before me also helps.

[kung fu jesus]

So, this is a project of small victories and defeats. I was expecting this from previous BMW ownership. I am doing projects/upgrades that are 'free' in the sense that I already have the tools and knowledge to repair something without having to replace it. They are fun, small jobs that are somewhat intricate or involve carefully detail work. One of these projects is tackling the fuel gauge and the OBD panel.

The OBD panel (I referred to it as the OCD panel above) is a small panel below the rearview mirror that tells you when something isn't working correctly. This is usually a monitor brake lights, coolant level, washer fluid level, etc. They don't always tell you you fixed it as the eletronics are wired in an interesting logic. Something like using the wrong wattage of brake light bulbs can trigger the light even though they work fine. It can also tell you if a sensor monitoring something has stopped working. It's 'OCD' to me because I don't like seeing warning lights when I start the car. My '95 M3 LOVED to tell me something was wrong and the electronics were far more aggravating than the this car. A lot of people might say "meh." and ignore them, but I guess I'm someone who can't. I am not the kind of person who needs all the soup cans in the pantry with the labels all facing the same way, but when it comes to machinery, I like my stuff wired tight. :)

I had three consistant lights on start that illuminated on the OBD panel; brake lights, coolant level, washer fluid. Fixed the washer fluid leak, light off. The brakes light illumination is common, but found a workaround...the light turns off now when I step on the brakes the first time after starting, light off. The coolant level sensor was dead. $12 for a new one, light off. Yay! Victory is mine!

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The other issue I was aware of before buying the car was the funky fuel gauge. It dances and reads inaccurately, or doesn't read at all. Similar to this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE72oxywn4I

My model has two fuel sending units, wired in series. The gauge monitors the average resistance between the two, so when one goes bad, it does the funky chicken. Also, because the car is 25 years old, the electronics on the dashboash may need cleaning or the solder points on the board may have broken. I decided to tackle the later because it was free and I have the tools and a *little* bit of knowledge about this stuff. So, I pulled the instrument cluster, cleaned it, re-touched all the connection points with a soldering iron, changed the bulbs and reset the needles for the fuel and coolant gauges:

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I treated this equipment like it was a bomb. It's 25 y.o and could be brittle. I took my time and a couple hours in the evening was a small time expense paid. I put it together and everything worked! Then I went on a test drive and as soon as I took the picture of the illuminated dash, the fuel gauge did the funky chicken. Defeat. :(

So, I consulted with the P.O. who has been extremely gracious answering my questions. I have been reciprocating this by helping him with his questions as he refurbs the NA he just bought. Anyways, he told me he replaced the one sending unit two years ago. Thankfully, it is the more difficult of the two, and the more expensive one. It is also the one that triggers the low fuel light. Despite the fuel gauge not working, I know that when the fuel light comes on, I have 1.5 gallons left. This left the obvious choice to the problem to be the OTHER sending unit. I ordered one last night to be ere before the long holiday weekend. Hopefully, the next time I post, I will have another victory under my belt. :)

[kung fu jesus]

More pics coming!

The fuel sender came! It was easy to install, 10 minutes maybe. No pics of that because I didn't think it was prident to snap pictures while the fuel tank was open. :p. I now have a fully functional fuel gauge! Woot! :fistbump:

I also took to cleaning the wheels. Tried some strong chemicals, but the dust is layered on thick. The paint is trashed, but I just wanted to brighten them, EZ Off took the dust cake right off! I painted a pair with VHT wheel paint, Argent Silver. A little too dark.

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I decided to try some bright silver aluminum paint next, a little bright, but it pulls out the polished accents along the drip rails and grille. TSingson wants to buy them, but If he doesn't, I might have them professionally refurbed and powdercoated.

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trying to track down a bit of play in the steering. I thought it was tierods, but the PO assured me they were fairly new. Ordered them anyways. Holy crap! Parts are cheap for this car! I bought new Moog (German made) inners and outers wth the locking plates for $90 shipped...both sides! :o

Further inspection and a bit of consultatalion from the local community says I probably just need an alignment. The PO thought this as well when I bought it. I will look at that this next week or two.

[tsingson]

TSingson wants to buy them, but If he doesn't, I might have them professionally refurbed and powdercoated.

Tsingson is just waiting for you to make them available.

[JLBMX5]

I finally got to see this thing when Steven came to help me with my motor swap. If I was not so damn dirty I would of asked for a quick ride. Maybe next time I can get a ride and see how it feels.

[kung fu jesus]

Stereo install coming soon!

[atank]

Looking Good KFG!

[kung fu jesus]

Started prep on the installation for sound equipment. The PO before my buddy owned it had some funky ideas about what passes for suitable stereo hardware. I had to take a lot of time to go through the car to 'reset' a lot of the factory wiring. I found a lot of wiring land mines and interesting use of materials that person used on the sound system. One of my favorite solutions? Phone wire to bypass the OE speaker wires to the rear. :fp:

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This car came with factory 'premium sound', which by 1988 standards is pretty good. It has a tiny factory amp in the trunk, but today's CEA-compliant headunits produce more wattage per channel. It also had '80 tech cellular phone cabling. It was mostly removed, but I dug out more as I delved into this. I removed the amp and prepped it's input/output for the new system.

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Fortunately, I was able to find the OE speaker wires mostly intact, I just had to find them and re-splice some of them back together. BMW uses interesting electronic logic and their factory sound equipment is no different. The speakers are all grounded to a common ground on a fader control on the dash. Most aftermarket equipment doesn't play well with this configuration, and the PO created a lot more work for himself running odd cabling through the car. The best and simplest solution was to split apart the common ground and wire them as pairs, like most systems. That's what I did.:)

I also saw the headunit has been changed at least twice, so I also had to go through the patch harness and reconnect the OE wiring and split grounds to that.

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Dealing with more of the PO's mess, I fit the rear speakers in (Infinity Reference 5032cf) without much fuss. I put the fronts in, but the space is tight. The rears are Infinity 509 CS components and I like them very much! I may try to get another set of these for the rear instead of the 5032s. The tweeters *just* fit in the factory locations, too.

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I am seriously thinking of adding an 8" sub in the trunk made especially for this car. I prepped the trunk, by knocking out the ski passthrough in the rear bulk head.

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Finally, I prepped the amp for installation.

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I will test the system after wiring in the amp. The stereo arrives Monday and I am going to lay in the RCA cables too.

[kung fu jesus]

OK! The radio, amp and speakers are installed. Sound great! I may replace the rears because I am not liking the fitment.

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I turned my focus towards steering. There is a small amount of play/dead spot in the steering at speed. As normal, I researched the hell out of it, searching numerous forums with the keywords I was able to describe. I narrowed it down to a few possibilities, with the help of the previous owner; control arm bushings, tie rods, steering couple, upper strut mounts. The car has newer control arms and P/U bushings, so I checked those. Good to go. I checked the tie rods and found a *little* play. I already have quality ones on hand (Moog inner/outers, Made in Germany - so you KNOW they're good!). I made a video and reached out to the local e30 group on Facespace:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1g3byAZDzs

I narrowed it down to the steering coupler, BUT I saw cracks forming in the rubber of the upper strut mounts. After talking it over with the PO, he agreed. So, I ordered the steering coupler. I wasn't looking forward to this since all the DIYs I read about it said it is a bear of a job. The PO said it should be relatively easy because one end was off in the last 3 years because of the rack being rebuilt. I was cautious, but hopeful. It arrived quickly and I cleared my weekend schedule to tackle the job.

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Typically, the rubber disc get worn and twists irregularly. Well, my Friday freed up earlier than I expected and I started on it late that afternoon. 90 minutes total. I was shocked, others were shocked. I was told to expect 4-5 hours just because the metals tend to fuse to each other over time. This was the original part, so 25 years of assembly, it was likely EXCEPT this car has spent it's entire life in the South. YEEEUUUUSSSS! The old one was REALLY floppy.

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The U-joints had a bit of play in them. It did take a lot of play out the steering, but I don't like what I saw in the upper strut mounts. I ordered new ones plus camber plates. I have to remove the ball joints to do this, so this is sort of like killing two birds with one stone.

Now, I'm no stranger to McPherson suspensions and the BMW geometry is a bit unique, but I was at the point where I had to make my first performance decision on the car. Adding camber plates is a no-brainer, but I don't want to make mistakes of the past. I want the advantages of the camber adjustability, but I don't really want to sacrifice comfort. Fortunately, Bimmerworld makes simple camber plates that work with OEM upper mounts.

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My fear was if I went to solid mounts or P/U mounts, it would translate too much NVH and harshness to the car. Sure, I may not get the full range of adjustment as with other camber plates, but I have to remind myself I will use this on the street far more than on the track. Plus, the plates are ~$125 versus street/track/race versions from Vorschlag, Ground-Control, etc. I have used solids in the past on other cars, and they can make the car feel like it is tear apart from impact over road surface irregularities.

Now I wait for those part to arrive and I will tackle the tie rods, upper strut mount sna camber plates in one job, then have the front end aligned.

[kung fu jesus]

Fresh upper strut mounts, camber plates, inner and outer tie rods await installation!

In the meantime, I did a track day at Atlanta Motorsports park:

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That's my former NA behind me! She still runs like champ! A true wolf in sheep's clothing dicing it up on the track.

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Also, finding it frustrating to find a decent selection of tires for my needs, I upgraded to 16x8 wheels.

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Wrapped them in 205/45-16 Continental ExtremeContact DWS all-seasons. Yay!

[Agent☣Orange]

That's really looking good!

[theothersawyer]

Hey I took one of those pictures from the track day! :) I didn't know that was you or I would have introduced myself!

[kung fu jesus]

Yah brah! I wasn't sure which NA was yours.

[Agent☣Orange]

Hey I took one of those pictures from the track day! :) I didn't know that was you or I would have introduced myself!

Is that him right behind you in the photo?

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[Dandy]

Is that him right behind you in the photo?

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I don't think that's Nugget unless TOS swapped the front bumper.

[kung fu jesus]

Tracking the e30 made me realize how much better the Miata is for that. Don't get me wrong, I love this car and the torque up the hills at AMP is so easy, but it didn't feel as tossable as a similarly prepped Miata would. I don't think I would like the suspension much stiffer than it is, though maybe a bit more. This is going to be truly a GT/gentleman's touring car for sure. Now I just need to plan the build on the wife's recently retired NB while continuing progress on this car. :)

[Agent☣Orange]

I've come to that same conclusion after many years. A Miata is a fantastic, nimble and tossable little car but I also want a comfortable and powerful GT cruiser and don't want to spend a fortune changing one to be like the other.

[kung fu jesus]

Is is wrong that I love my wife's automatic wagon? God, it's so easy and relaxing to drive...

[theothersawyer]

I don't think that's Nugget unless TOS swapped the front bumper.

You are correct, that's not me! I was only out driving for one session later in the day ( taking pictures all morning) and after that session the throw out bearing went out on me! :(

[Satisaii]

Is is wrong that I love my wife's automatic wagon? God, it's so easy and relaxing to drive...

My SO is out of town for a month, and I have been driving her ES350. 50% the gas mileage, but heated seats, stereo, quiet, comfy, auto... nothing wrong with that.

[kung fu jesus]

True! I still occasionally grab the big, wide brake pedal with my left foot reaching for a clutch pedal that isn't there. :)
The sequential sport shift on the steering wheel of her wagon is pretty neat, tho. Two I6s in our stable now, both are so smooth.

[Agent☣Orange]

I did that on my first automatic...slammed the brakes on trying to shift gears.

[WASABI]

I did that on my first automatic...slammed the brakes on trying to shift gears.

Ha ha ha, same thing happens to me when I swap between my manual and automatic Miatas.

[kung fu jesus]

Added an OEM "IS" front lip to finish the car for a while. The itself is an "IS", but had the regular thin front lip. I painted it black though a lot of people seem to color match them to the car. I took a few cues from my NA on this. First the rockers on the e30 are black and that carries around the rear valance. Visually, it looks to ground the car from any 3/4 front or side view. Secondly, this lip comes down towards the ground a lot more the the previous lip and I know it's going to get road blasted by debris, just like my r-pack lip on the Miata. Black is easier to refresh, even though I have alpinweiss matched paint. I will try to get better pics soon.


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[I<3flippyheadlights]

Car is incredibly awesome. :slayer:

[theothersawyer]

Car looks great!!!

[Dandy]

Nice touch. Black was a good choice for all the reasons you mentioned.

[kung fu jesus]

The reverse rake this model has, because of the lower rear fender arc, bothers me a little. I am putting in new front strut mounts and aforementioned camber plates, which is going to exacerbate this. Thinking about adding thicker spring pads in the rear to compensate. Still trying to determine if I want to go with coilover sleeves... Ideally, I would love to run 250# F/ 400-450# R

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks all for the kinds words!

This old frauline still has the looks!

[tsingson]

Those arent the basketweaves that were on there before?

[kung fu jesus]

Nerp.

I replaced the inner/outer tie rod ends, front upper strut mounts and added simple adjustable camber plates. Found both inner tie rods were bent. Lulz.

Will be adding new rear shock mounts, rear reinforcement plates and 15mm thick spring pads (also in the rear). Then alignment.

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[kung fu jesus]

And a few pics from the local e30 meet this past weekend...

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[tsingson]

Cool. What wheels are those?

[kung fu jesus]

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Vaarstoen V4s. Cheap, decent sizing, puts me into better tire options. These will fit the NB, too. a bit heavy for a Miata, decent weight for an e30.

16x8+15. 205/45-16 Continental DWS.

[tsingson]

They look good. After putting the lip on the car, I have pretty much stopped looking at wheels. I love the way the car looks the way it is. Just trying to find a seat now.

[Sharpie]

I remember this car. Congrats on the purchase Steve.

So Tina has an IS 300 sportwagon in the background? Was that Dwight's?

[Demon I Am]

rode past your house today otw to the dmv. Blew the horn to say hi!

[kung fu jesus]

I remember this car. Congrats on the purchase Steve.

So Tina has an IS 300 sportwagon in the background? Was that Dwight's?

Hey Chris!! Thanks! Yeah, it's Bryan's e30. He went back to a Miata and also picked up a really nice e28 (80's 5 series) over the summer. I talked to Dwight about his IS, but I was concerned about the time it has spent in the rust belt. We found this IS locally. One owner, exclusively one-dealer maintained to the letter since purchased there. I mean EVERYTHING, even tires. The repair history was all documented on Lexus.com. It has a few dents and dings, but the repair history is unlike any other I have seen on these cars since I started looking at them in '06 or '07. Tina loves it and I have to admit I do too. :)


rode past your house today otw to the dmv. Blew the horn to say hi!

Sorry, Tony, didn't catch it. I am used to hearing horns honk around here so I don't pay much attention to them anymore. ;)

[kung fu jesus]

OK, so after the front upper mounts and camber plates, I found a local enthusiast who owns a Midas with a Hunter alignment rack. Good dude! He learned alignments doing them pit-style and he owns a couple of e30s so he reached out to me after I was looking for a shop. GREAT price, too! Offered to recheck it after I fresh the rear suspension, too.

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the car feels MUCH improved! Much sharper! The new tie rods and upper mounts improved a lot of my quibbles. I am happy with the results. The down side is the new mounts raised the car about an inch. :\

I can't complain though, the old ones were toast.

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[kung fu jesus]

The new rear shock mounts (RSMs) arrived! I bought aftermarket improved design versions. The OEM RSMs are known as the weakest bushing on the whole chassis and cause all sorts of oddities. I also received 15mm thick rear spring pads. I did this to sort of counter the visual rear rake of the car because of the fender arch difference. It's a cheap, OEM, effective way to do this, much like adding more wedge.

Another relatively easy job, actually. I removed the trunk's inner lining to see the RMSs had indeed begun to deteriorate and work itself to dust. Remember, the car is white, so all the black dust is the bushing that supports the upper shock shaft (hurr hurr!). Letting these continue to degrade usually results in the shock eventually punching through the RSM. :0

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Here are the "lifetime" RSMs I received to replace them. I also ordered upper reinforcing plates (shown) that sandwich the RSM to the towers, preventing metal fatigue here (a common issue on most BMWs from the 80s through the '00s).

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Installation was fairly simple, though the spring pads required me to compress the springs while in the car to get them in. The exhaust and droop travel weren't enough for me to pull them out solo.

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Old thin pads vrs new, thicker ones.

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And now you can see how bad the old RSMs were, their metal inserts literally fell out with a bunch of rubber shavings

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Here is what the new RSMs look like just before tightening them down:

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When I was done, I dropped the car down and measured to the upper quadrant of fender arc in the rear. 570mm before, 610mm after. I suspect everything will settle with a little time. The front upper mounts have a little, so I expect the same for the rears.

Next? I plan to upgrade the injectors with refurbed 17# from an e36!

[kung fu jesus]

Test drive around town last night, holy crap! These RSMs removed about 99% of the squeaks and groans coming from the rear. SO happy!

Also, decided to replace the FL control arm. The right side was replaced last year, I think this will be the finishing solution to the 80mph shimmy and last tiny bit of play in the steering wheel.

[kung fu jesus]

Look what's on the way!

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[tsingson]

Nice. I also tried that website you gave me and it showed a place in Graham has a seat in black cloth for about $60. I will give them a call on Monday and see about picking it up.

[kung fu jesus]

9899

New control arm arrived today! Thought the packaging was interesting...like a man's shopping bag! :lol:

Those are the front end links in the boxes on top. The injectors arrived today too, just need to get a valve cover gasket because the instructions say removing the valve cover makes r/r'ing them easier. The refurb'd injectors even came with new o rings!

I will take pics of both repairs.

This should help with removing the last bit of shimmy in the steering and the hard start I have been experiencing. The PO says it has been doing that since he owned the car but never became worse.

[kung fu jesus]

So, the new injectors went in today. Pretty easy, all things considered. The intake manifold cramps the space, but I got it. When the fuel rail and injectors came out and I saw the old ones in the bright of day, I laughed, no...I LAUGHED. I figure at this mileage they were loooong overdue, but DAYUM! :)

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Everything went back together without a hitch and I cleaned a few other items, like the ports, the electrical connectors and the MAF.

Car fires right up! No leaks! Victory!

[kung fu jesus]

New left control arm and both front end links went in. 90 minutes, no power tools. These cars are easy to work on!

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Rebalancing the tires and have front control arm bushings to install (FCAB). Then I will get the alignment touched up and the steering should be done!

[Martin]

When can you come to B'ville and refresh my car's steering???????

I will buy the parts & beer.

[kung fu jesus]

Yeah, but I still have to go to Betonville to do it. ;)

Actually, with the steering just about buttoned up, I was planning to refurb the control arms on the NB. Already have new inner/outers and lower bjs on there. I have a box of PU bushings just waiting to go in. I really just need the upper bj boots, new mounting hardware and camber bolts to do that job.

i think the best way to do a steering refurb on the Miata is to either do it when stored for the winter or buy a used set of arms and refurb them to minimize the car's down time.

[kung fu jesus]

New front control arm bushings (FCABs) are in. These are billet steel with a urethane bushing that is considerably smaller than OEM. These locate the rear of the front control arms to the same geometry as the e30 M3. The old ones were delrin with a centered, stock location. I didn't think they were worn until I replace the control arm and could feel the play in them hand. This explains the last bit of slop I was getting, clunking too. The advantage of these FCABs are numerous; first it gives me a lot more caster, second it is easier to replace than the OEM rubber units, third they offer grater high-speed stability and braking. Took me about 20 minutes per side to put them in. OEM would have taken me about an hour or so. HUGE improvement! I could visually see the difference in caster when I reinstalled the wheels. Steering is very sharp! After I installed them, I shot them with some black, the green is a bit much... :)



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[Dandy]

When can you come to B'ville and refresh my car's steering???????

I will buy the parts & beer.


Yeah, but I still have to go to Betonville to do it. ;)

So, he'll buy a lot of beer. Problem solved. :bangle:

[The Driver]

Wow, this thread is too cool!

[kung fu jesus]

So, next up on the list; steering rack, left front hub assembly, front rotors and associated stuff.

I suspect I have a bad rebuilt rack front the way the car responds, dead play on center, and compared to other experiences. The rack in the car was rebuilt by a known remanufacturer of spotty reputation, so knowing the successful experience others in both the Mazda and BMW worlds have had with Rack Doctor, I chose that route. I was planning to purchase a reman from them for the NB in the future, so I pulled the trigger on this one for the e30.

Now, racks swaps on the e30 are pretty common. People use the e36 and z3 (non-M) versions from later cars. The ratio is quicker and the swap is fairly straight forward. I would have like to to have gone with the Z3's 2.7 lock to lock ratio, but it involves cutting some parts that I were a little pricey to replace (like the steering couple I did a couple months ago). I gave away my old coupler, and most of the steering components are new, plus the Z3 rack is $309 + core versus $165 + core for the stock e30 rack. The z3 rack swap will be something to consider down the road, but at this point, I will be very satisfied with a tight, rebuilt rack of good quality. The rebuilt unit I received this week arrived in one day because they are a short ways south of me. It is a nicely packaged ZF rack:

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I also ordered a new PS reservoir and reservoir to rack line. The reservoir has a filter built in that cannot be replaced and can cause issues when clogged. It's $30, so I figure since I don't know it's age, it's cheap insurance. That should be here today.

I also bought the front hub assy, but forgot to check if it included the spindle nut and dust cap, which it did not. So, I ordered those, not sure when they will be here. The sooner the better. I don't know if I am being anal retentive or my Teutonic genetics are kicking kicking in, but I *probably* could have reused the old dust cap and nut, but why risk it? I hate doing stuff twice, even more so when I could have avoided it by spending an extra couple of bucks on parts like that.

I am hoping when I get these parts and install them, it will remove the last of the shimmy I am feeling at highway speeds.

On another note, the camber plates I installed last month did not work so well. When I went to have the car aligned, they were binding in the slots. I could see I had easily another 3/8-1/2" of adjustment that I couldn't use. Frustrated and concerned about wearing out a favor by having the car aligned for free, I left them in. When I removed them this week, I was REALLY disappointed to find them galled and gouged by their supplied hardware. Less than 200 miles on them and they are destroyed. Not installation error, no hard use AT ALL, just a crap design by a questionable company...Ireland Engineering in California. Lesson learned, now I know to avoid their products moving forward.

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On the bright side, The ride height with the camber plates removed looks much more pleasing, especially with the 15mm pads raising the rear a bit more. It's subtle, but I notice it.

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[kung fu jesus]

Started the rack swap tonight, should finish tomorrow when the rest of the parts arrive. Few notables...the old rack was showing signs of leaking at the box. The left front hub had *some* lateral play on the inner race, I don't know if it is original, but it had been on there a while. The PS reservois appears to be original. I back flushed the filter and a lot of particulates came out. The caliper sliders were a little cooked from the track days this year, nothing I didn't expect.

Pictures and recap coming soon!

[kung fu jesus]

OK, the front refresh is complete! I replaced the unknown variables. Because I am good friends with the previous owner, the goal for me is to go through the steering and suspension to 'reset' the systems. I do this for my my own peace of mind, but also remember I am working with a 25 year old car. This is an opportunity to take stock of what is needed and to tie together any deferred maintenance. Surprisingly, these systems on these cars are extremely easy to work on. Parts are not that expensive and I have found them to be cheaper than Miata parts, even if I am buying OE parts from OE suppliers (Lemforder, Meyle, Moog, etc.). Sure, the rack is rebuilt, but it is also done by a highly reputable company.

So, I had the rack (from rackdoctor.com - highly recommended for all makes and models!), new front hub assembly (Napa premium), front brake rotors (Napa Premium), high side PS hose (bimmerworld.com), new OE PS reservoir (ZF), rebuilt ZF rack with new inner tierods and boots. I had to order a dust cap and new spindle nut, so that was the delay. The cap is destroyed when removing it, so a new one is necessary. I replaced the nut just because it was $1 and I would hate to go in to redo it because the old one didn't pan out over time. Better safe than sorry.

I disassembled the left hub assembly, this went smoother than expected. Sometimes the inner race sticks to the spindle and needs to be pulled off. I didn't have that issue.

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I had removed the brake calipers and brackets for both front wheels, too, to replace the rotors.


I removed the rack, which went reasonable well. Because I had disconnected the old one a couple months ago to replace the steering coupler, a could of tugs after removing the retaining bolt freed it from its location. I removed the PS lines and found some interesting things. The PS fluid was clean, mainly because the PO had the PS pump rebuilt in June. However, the last few ounces had particulates I wasn't expecting. I also found the old rack was showing signs of weeping around the box area (the perpendicular area where the steering input is contrary to the rack itself). I wasn't watching for this back when I did the steering coupler because the area was so dirty and I wasn't suspecting the rack to be bad as the previous- PREVIOUS owner had replaced it with a manufactured unit. The PO, my friend, is in the automotive supply biz and knew from his conversations with the PPO, that the rack was mediocre (Maval - yuck).

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I got the new rack in pretty quick and buttoned it down. Before I removed the outer tierods from the old rack, I wrapped tape around the threads on them for reference when installing them on the new rack. Worked wonderfully. It started getting too dark to continue and I was waiting on a couple of parts to arrive, so she sat in ICU in the car port.

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The next day, I packed the new hub with a quality synthetic grease. Yes it had new grease in there, but not enough for my liking.

10101

I fit the new hub on. I installed the rotors, installed new Performance Friction pads, greased the caliper slides, reinstalled the caliper brackets and calipers. Installed the outer tie rods into the knuckles. Parts are late arriving.

10102

Parts finally arrived! The spindle nut needs to be torqued to 215 ft/lbs. My torque wrench only goes to 150. What did I do? Since the nut needs to be detented, I put the old one on and snugged it down. I could see how much further it had to be rotated to be at it's last postion, so I marked the spindle to give me an angle reference for the new nut. When I put the new nut on, I snugged it down the same way and marked it using the reference dot I marked on the spindle. I then torqued the nut until the mark on the nut centered on the detent point. Perfect. :)

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I installed the PS lines (fiddly because of the banjo fittings and tight space), mounted the new reservoir, snugged everything down, rechecked all the nuts and bolts. Reinstalled the wheels, Off to get the alignment!

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Look at all that castor! The steering feels amazing! No slop at all, very direct! Unfortunately, the shimmy is still there, but reduced. I can live with it for a time.

So, as a recap, the front suspension and steering is complete! This is what is done:

Front:
New upper strut mounts
New steering coupler
New steering rack
New inner tie rod ends
New outer tie rod ends
New front left control arm
New front hub assembly
New endlinks
New control arm bushings (solid, M3 offset geometry)
new front rotors
New front brake pads
new PS reservoir
New upper PS hose
Alignment

Add in the work the PO performed in the past 18 mos:
New right control arm
New right hub assembly
rebuilt PS pump.

On top of that:
ST front swaybay with P/U bushings
Front swaybar reinforced mounts.

For the rear:
New upper shock mounts
New 15mm spring pads

On top of that:
ST rear swaybar.
Adjustable endlinks
welded in reinforcement mounting plates.

Next, I will turn my attention back to the interior. I keep blowing the horn fuse, so I may need to trace a short. I also plan to integrate USB port to the dashboard in one of the blanking plates. Further out, I will instecting the driveshaft, driveshaft coupler (guibo) and driveshaft support bearing. I will also address the rear hubs, which are more complicated.

For now, I plan to enjoy it as it is. :) Thanks for following along!

[atank]

Looking very good!!

[kung fu jesus]

Mother effing A!!!! Frustrated I still had the shake, I took a bit of advice and threw my track wheels and tires on the front of the car. I get out on the freeway and NO_MORE_SHAKE. The wheels and tires were balanced three times! I called the retailer and politely left a message. Their local shop manager called me 30 minutes later (I was pleasantly surprised), we discussed my options and he could see the issues from the work orders. Going to bump up to a 205/50-16 for a better weight rating and he gave me a few other brands to consider. I am going to angle for Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3s. Xenu, I don't know whether to be elated or pissed...

[kung fu jesus]

So, I spoke with the manager at the tire place. He offered some explanation for the shake. He says the tires have too low of a load rating for the car and should never have been sold with the info I gave them about the car it was going on. He looked at the last roadforce test report and agreed a new set should have replaced them. He apologized and we worked out a new set to replace these. This is an instance where you get more bees with honey. I stayed polite, upbeat and attentive. He offered some other models for me to consider based on my feedback, Pirelli P7, BFG Super Sport, etc. I asked about the Michelins, as I am tired of buying cheap tires just because they are cheap. He understood and ordered a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3s in 205/50-16 over the 205/45-16 Contis on there now. I'm fine with that as I would likely never put these on the NB anyway. We also discussed whether the wheels themselves could be bad and he believes the road force testing would have revealed that, but will recheck himself when the new tires come in.

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Now, the 205-50-16s require a *slight* roll in the front, just as a precaution to prevent the fenders from cutting or catching under compression. Luckily, my buddy had loaned me his Eastwood roller last month. I broke it out and the heat gun and had both fronts rolled nicely in about an hour.

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Passenger side, looking towards the rear

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Passenger side, looking up at the apex of the fender arch

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Passenger side, looking towards the front.

[tsingson]

Nice. I guess my NB was the only miata to have mount those wheels.

[kung fu jesus]

It's funny, but I'm excited about the Michelins. Normally, I don't get too worked up about tires, I see then as a tool. I keep reading reviews and watching videos about them as they are really new to the market. Usually I would just buy X tire for Y amount, but I look back at ALL the sets of tires I've owned over the years ( a LOT of tires), and I have developed a pretty large volume of information and experience to draw from. Also, now that I am in NC, this car is my DD, and I have the set of basketweaves for hooning, I need something that gives me the characteristics of an all-season and the fun of a summer tire. Typically you compromise with tires like that. Especially all-seasons, jack of all trades, master of none.

With all the previous work I have done, the car's interior is much, much quieter and the car is far more composed than when I first bought it. I would hate to skimp a few bucks and have tires on it that will drone, considering I need a long-wearing tire, too. Now, some in this area would just say get a summer tire because snow here is rare and doesn't stay around. When it does, nobody goes anywhere anyways. I get that, but this car needs to get me anywhere anytime and in good comfort. As I mentioned in the early posts, everything is a compromise.

With the addition of the IS300, it rides on Michelin grand touring tires and it still handles great while being smooth and quiet. The e30 is my car, so I'm willing to trade some of that for response and grip. I am still a nervous rain driver, though. Maybe 'cautious' is a better word. Tires that inspire me in the rain, keep me relaxed are a big deal to me...and it WILL rain here. In buckets. :) If these tires are as revolutionary as the reviews I am reading say, the extra expense is worth it. If not, it is still a damn good tire.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=177

[Agent☣Orange]

You're lucky. I'm still running 5-year-old Goodyear runflats which I'm sure are past their shelf life, not to mention loud. I'll be looking for new tires soon and they'll be quieter, jack-of-all trades type as I'm more a cruiser with occassional spirited/AutoX driving. I don't trust any tire's rain-performance claims until I can test its limits somewhere personally.

[kung fu jesus]

I hear you on that. The only tire in recent memory that impressed me in the rain were the S-drives and the nearly bald Star Specs on the basketweaves. I drove the car back from ATL on those and it rained pretty good the entire way. At 75-80 mph, I was expecting the Star Specs to hydroplane more than they did. The Michelins on the wifey's IS are pretty amazing in the rain, but lack a certain precision I am looking for in my e30.

[Martin]

No 15" available? I has a sad.

[kung fu jesus]

It's interesting you say that because I was originally looking at just putting new tires on the basketweaves. The selection of 15" tires compared to their pricing is CRAP. When I looked at 16" sizes, there were more options and the pricing was similar or LESS. I had this issue a couple of years ago with the 14" Watanabe wheels for the NA. There USED to be a GREAT selection, but I was limited to 2 or 3, unless I wanted to run r-comps. The e30 had a funky OE sizing anyways (195-65-14), so unless I was looking at 195-60-15, there weren't a lot of correct sizes available in a performance tire I wanted (205-55-15). Sure, I could go 205-50-15, but the speedo would be off quite a bit and still the selection isn't that great. Looking at 16", 205, 215, 225, hell even 195, there were tons of options and selections of reputable, modern tires.

It has made me consider looking at 16" wheels to use as DD on the NB.

[kung fu jesus]

And how she sits now with the Michelins and the suspension completed...
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[toms96mx5]

Very nice classic bmw you got there.

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks, Tom!

Next will be some interior mods. The lighting on the lower centerstack is out and the 12v cigarette lighter plug isn't working. The horn doesn't either, so I am going to look back under the dash. I remember seeing some aftermarket electrical stuff in there when I was doing the stereo. I will gather the electrical diagrams, go through them, remove the unrelated stuff, get it all working, and maybe address central locking. That would be nice.

[toms96mx5]

Thanks, Tom!

Next will be some interior mods. The lighting on the lower centerstack is out and the 12v cigarette lighter plug isn't working. The horn doesn't either, so I am going to look back under the dash. I remember seeing some aftermarket electrical stuff in there when I was doing the stereo. I will gather the electrical diagrams, go through them, remove the unrelated stuff, get it all working, and maybe address central locking. That would be nice.

I don't know if your car had it done, but I think the scariest thing to find on an older car is one of the 90's aftermarket alarm systems that had the capability of disabling the vehicle.

[kung fu jesus]

I agree. I will have to compare the factory diagrams to see what was done. The NB i have also has an aftermarket alarm I will remove at some point too.

[The Driver]

Kung Fu, if you ever had to cash in on this car, please let me know. I'll make you a fair offer for it!

[kung fu jesus]

I get random inquiries with some regularity. Previous owner gets first dibs, but will keep you in mind if it ever happens. :)

I do get a lot guys my age pulling up next to me in their new BMWs and just staring at the car. It's a little wierd, but it's similar to looks I would get in the NA. I have random guys asking me about it at stop lights. At last night's Miata meet, had a guy who chatted me up at a light 2 months ago stop to talk to me about agian because he happened to be there getting coffee. We also had some random BMW owner pull in to join our meet because he saw it from the street in the parking lot.

Just a few miles on the completed front end, tires, etc. The car is so solid on the freeway, feels like my M3 did, which is to say, it feels at home with high-speed freeway trips. I haven't fully scrubbed in the Pilots, but it did rain and they were fantastic. They feel like Star Specs with a touch less initial bite and much smoother, quieter ride.

[Meow]

great find, I miss my e30 everyday

[kung fu jesus]

I want to reiterate...these Michelin Pilots A/S 3s are arguably the best rain tires I have ever driven. Phenomenal!

Drove through downtown, pst the capitol today and wound it out to 7k rpms. When I lifted the exhaust made all kinds of sounds that made my loins tingle. A cop gave me the stink eye, but his partner was all smiles as a rumbled past.

[Agent☣Orange]

Picts of said tingling loins or it didn't happen.

[kung fu jesus]

I can say it slower if it helps...

[Agent☣Orange]

Yes, say it really really slowly for us please

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa375/YellowYata/Humor/Faces/IMG_6914_zpsa71db73c.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

Alright. so I am still having a strange vibration at freeway speeds. It is unusual in a couple of ways. First, the tires and wheels are perfectly balanced, GSP9700-style, and I feel it through the seat, wheel and see it in the mirrors. I have poured over countless threads and articles trying to deduce the cause. I had someone in the local e30 community reach out to me to try to help me.

We trade information this week and made arrangements to to meet at his home. Fortunately he lives very close. I arrive, we talk a little and he says he invited another e30 enthusiast to stop by for an extra opinion.

I am relieved that both of these guys are my age, have been into e30 a very long time, and are both really very cool, funny people. It feels like KINOD and makes me miss those guys a bit. It also makes me feel like I have been vetted for a larger, underground community. We all hit it off and I now understand why I haven't seen these guys around town...they are leery of jumpers. Jumpers are enthusiasts who sort f jump around from car to car, what ever is the flavor of the month, take from the community and don't really give anything back. They 'build' their cars, get frustrated with them, then move on after another car is deemed better for whatever reason. I think some have seem this happen with Miatas. I know it sounds elitist, snobby, or clique-ish, but I get it. I buy certain cars for myself after a lot of consideration and soul-searching. I keep them for long periods of time, each is intended to be a 'lifer' car and although I only do it to satisfy myself, I am flattered when others appreciate my handy work.

So, I pull into the residential garage, and we get the rear of the car in the air. I am describing the symptoms, they are under it checking things I hadn't found or thought of, eliminating questions about other things I was concerned could cause it. After about an hour and a half of casually checking items on the car, making jokes, discussing living in California, track experience and being in our 40s, they found some peculiar inconsistencies in the rear drive line of the car.

We all pile into my car and I drive them around town, on the freeway, I perform certain maneuvers so they can listen and feel the vibrations. We get back and they offer their advice; it is either the diff bushing, the diff itself, or a halfshaft. This is very much a relief to me, so from a repair perspective, but just having solid advice from experienced owners. I am just too new at this chassis to diagnose the intricacies. Anyways, I offer to buy them lunch, they decline and tell me to pay it forward. Very cool. Just like KINOD and SOCM. We part ways and I feel better not only having sage advice, but having made some more automotive friends.

I am also pleased because of the compliments received from these two. Both had exceptional e30s of their own with modifications I was considering in the future, so it was nice to see how it was done the right way. They both really liked the car a LOT, and I didn't know it was as rare as they said. Also received some great compliments n the motor, they told me it was exceptionally strong for being mostly stock and the s50/52 swap wasn't worth it in this car because of that. So, all in all it was a great day! :)

So, the repairs are lined up. The PO had a diff cover with a P/U bushing already in it that he is shipping me. I will do as prescribed with the knowledge I may have to replace one of the halfshafts as well. Not a big deal!

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[Martin]

And I thought Bryan took pretty good care of the car.

Love that silver 'vert.

[kung fu jesus]

Bryan feels awful about this issue, but it isn't that big a deal to me. I just want it corrected. :)

Yes, that vert is actually a metallic blue-silver with dark blue leather interior. VERY clean! The owner is all about the OEM+ look. Very subtle modifications, extremely cool!

[kung fu jesus]

So, in my relentless pursuit to remedy this vibration, I recently replaced the right halfshaft. Really pretty easy! Unfortunately, it did not resolve the issue. :/

10522

At the advice of local, very experienced members, the diff could be very worn on this car. I have a 3.73 ring and pinion, locking, the input lash is getting sloppy and the vibration comes in after a number of miles on the freeway. I am thinking it is heat/friction related and I *am* hearing some gear whine. Carrier bearings are my suspect. These differentials are very stout and there are a number of available options from 2.9 through 4.1, all virtually plug and play! I wanted to stay with the ration specific to this model and trim, so I started looking. It happens to be pretty popular and in demand among the e30 and e28 crowd, so the prices are a little higher. Typically, you can land a locking diff for about $200-300. Compared to the Miata, that's stupid-cheap! Rebuilding the unit isn't something I am comfortable with, but shops can do it and increase the lockup to near 100%. That would run about $500-800. Ouch.

So, serendipity presents me with another opportunity!

Local group member wrecked his e30 last week, front endo into a ditch. I drive out to see it and remove the cover to inspect it. I confirmed it was a locking unit and in VERY good condition. He sold me this 3.73 LSD for $200. Cha-ching! The "S" on the case also confirmed it was a locking unit. :)

10523

Now to install it!

[kung fu jesus]

I made that differential my bitch. :)

Easier than a Miata in some ways, a little harder in others.

Some of the bolts were on hulk-smash tight, compounded by a day that grew starkly colder as it progressed, it was a 6 hour job solo. So, I R/R'd the diff, R/R'd the rear cover and seal, the speed sensor, and filed it up. I still haven't driven it yet as I am a little sore and tired at the moment.

10530

I think doing it again, I could shave 1-2 hours off the job.

[Sharpie]

Now I see where the BBS' went. Damn this car looks great. Nice job.

[kung fu jesus]

So, for Festivus, I bought myself a custom subwoofer box from a German car audio specialist shop out near Seattle. They were having a holiday special and because my wife bought me a rollbar for Blue Lion (and it arrived early), I decided to treat myself. I am not a boom-wicky-boom, ooontce-ooontce-ooontce kinda guy, but with the audio upgrades I have done so far, the lower frequencies are clearly lacking. This shop has a good reputation and they were great to deal with.

After I ordered, I read up on their installation notes. Later model e30s like mine have a ski pass-thru that isn't used in the US versions. If you remember from page one of this build, I knocked this plate out in anticipation of doing this install over the summer sometime in the future.

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There is also a lot of sound deadening on the floor of the trunk. It is THICK! Something like 12mm thick! Fortunately, I had bought a heat gun and it aided in doing so. I had read nightmares of other people chipping this stuff out a fraction at a time or breaking down and dumping dry ice all over it to shatter it off the metal. It took me maybe 30 minutes and it came out is large pieces. I got a little too aggressive in one spot and accidentally punched a small hole in the metal that I cleaned and patched up. Ooops! No big deal.

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The box is ported and tuned to 38Hz with a capacity of .7 cu ft. This is their smaller, 8" sub box and they offer 10" and 12" versions. Personally, I just don't want that much bass. I carefully read the specs on my amp as I intend to bridge the two rear channels and run the rear speakers off the headunit. This should work great as the front channels are run off the amp, so the head unit will power the rears great without diluting the power. I have a modest 300w amp and that is plenty. At this point with about 60-75watts going to just the four speakers, I am finding myself turning the gain down and the volume sensitivity on the headunit. Anyways, using the amp specs, the box specs and reading favorable reviews, I went with an Alpine SWR-8D2 subwoofer. The size and specs are perfect for the size of the box. The amp makes 150w bridged at 4 ohms, so wiring this 2 ohm dual voice coil sub in parallel puts it at 4 ohms. Perfect. The subwoofer speaker just hasn't arrived yet. :)

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https://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/ImageHandler/fixedscale/400/300/products/2013/29/500/x500SWR8D2-i.jpg

Along with the sub box is a nice little amp rack to mount the amp and keep the wires tidy. It seems most of the audio components in this car lead me to Alpine, not by choice, just through research, features and price. Here are a few pics test fitting the box and amp rack. It is nicely matched to the trunks grey carpet. This should be nice when all is said and done. :)

106111061310612

[kung fu jesus]

The sub installation will look more like this when it is complete...

1061910618

The sound deadener I removed weighed a lot. Maybe 10 pounds. The weight of the box, because it is small, installed is maybe 20 , so a 10# gain to add some good sound to my trips is worth it!

Here is a 10" box installed in an e30. The speaker lines up with the ski pass thru and at the rear seat. If I decide to get tricky, I may look into a rear seat with headrests and a center armrest that folds down right there.

10620

[kung fu jesus]

Maybe I'm a nerd or whatever, but I started doing this a year or two ago...

I buy these little moleskin-type books for work so I can jot down notes for projects and whatnot. I can fit it in my back pocket, which is good because I can be on a client's manufacturing floor, out doing research and stuff like that without having to carry the typical 9x12 notebook. I think they are $3-5 at Office Max or whatever...this one is a Martha Stewart brand. :teehee:

I remembered my parents used to get something similar from Triple A when I was a kid and they would use them for oil changes and basic maintenance, so I bought one for each car I have. I tend to buy most of my parts online and forget to file the receipts. This allows me to quickly write done what I did, the mileage, and date. It also has a pocket in the back to hold my reg and insurance cards. Small enough to store in a tiny glovebox. This one is red for the e30 because it has a large glovebox and I keep large-ish stuff in there, like a sun shade. The red helps me find it and reminds me to write stuff down. I also usually take a quick picture of what I do to the cars so I have a timestamp for later if I forget to write it down that day.

Sometimes, if I did a trackday, I would write the setup notes in these just so I had some semblance of reference for the next event. It doesn't take a lot of time, it's just really handy when you have to refer back to something later.

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[kung fu jesus]

Still pursuing a shake at speed, I looked at the only corner I hadn't touched, the front right. PO had replaced the hub and control arm before I bought the car, maybe a year ago. I believe the shake to be related to a few items:

a) friction
b) speed

It comes and goes and the intensity varies. It also *sometimes* completely disappears. It often isn't there when I first start out on the freeway, then comes in as I cruise more at freeway speeds. I believe it is a bearing. So, I removed the assumed good right hub to inspect. It came off needing considerably more effort than the left side. I also believe I saw heat stress on the inner race of the outer bearing. It is a known, high quality hub (***) manufacturer.

So, as a test I bought a cheaper hub locally, new. Installed it, and it began to eat itself within a few miles of freeway driving. At first, no shake, then it came in and the intensity of it coincided with the loudness of the new hub's audible singing. I think I may have finally located the issue. I am thinking the spindle/kingpin is tweaked. The previous owner, in conversations online with him, agrees. He recalls the time where this may have happened, it didn't occur to him that this is what it was. It makes sense.

10640

10641

10642

These cars have an unusual front knuckle. The struts carrier, knuckle and spindle are all one assembly. The front struts are inserts. Replacing the assembly itself is about $400-800 new. :(

10643

FORTUNATELY, I had a local e30 enthusiast reach out and offer one he had. I made to 20 mile drive to his farm, drive to the back of the property behind a hill and I was awed to find a BMW graveyard! Around 30 cars of varying age, all BMW, sans one lone red NA that appeared to be a daily driver of sorts. The owner, very polite and good-natured, also had a couple of vintage BWM cars built for circuit racing. It was amazing! On top of that, a nice barn contained neatly organized pieces, which he pulled the replacement knuckle assembly from. :)

We agreed to trade a used set of good Michelins I had laying around from a recent purchase. I wasn't going to use them and was half-heartedly offering them on Craigslist with minimal interest.

I am going to swap these assemblies out, replace the hub and see where this goes. Keep your fingers crossed!

[kung fu jesus]

Subwoofer installed! The system sounds fantastic! Very clean and articulate! For 150w to the fronts, 150 to the sub and 50w to the rears, it is very good. I am very happy. :)

10669

I have the bandpass filter switched wrong to the sub at first. I thought,"well, it seems ok, but I thought it would hit a bit harder." Then I flipped to the correct setting and my reaction was just like this:

10670



10669

Had some BK Magic Potion playing at medium volume, "Just Got to Be". When it hit, whoa. Sweet!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GV9CYiWJlk

Then, of course because I live in an urban setting, I tried this one:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cxr1-b6Xkc

Awesome. :lol:

[kung fu jesus]

Just a few more pics, now that the light has leveled outside...

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10673
I mounted the amp this way so I could access the crossovers, gains, and bandpass filters from above. I can also access the pre-out if I decide to expand to a separate sub amp later.
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10675
32 inches of trunk depth! Woot!
10676

[kung fu jesus]

Test drove out to Anthony's place to pick up a Miata seat off him. Besides the invasion of sound in his quiet community from the Tri-frow exhaust (:teehee:), that seat fit fine in the trunk still assembled. I love having a useable trunk on a fun daily driver. :)

[tsingson]

Yeah, keep rubbing it in. I'll be lucky if I can get my suit bag and my regular carry on bag in the trunk.

[kung fu jesus]

New rear brakes. Rotors and pads.

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10683

[The Driver]

What's the status on the chimmy/vibration, any updates?

[kung fu jesus]

Cleaned up the steering wheel in preparation to restore it. Re-wrapping options are "OK", but to send it out to have it done would cost me about $350 or more. It's a semi-rare steering wheel (M Technic v 1), so I may either buy the skin to rewrap or may use Leatherique to fill and restore the current leather. In the meantime, I took is apart to refresh the horn buttons and contacts.

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10690106911069210693

[kung fu jesus]

What's the status on the chimmy/vibration, any updates?

I borrowed a known smooth/balanced set of wheels and tires from another e30 owner local to me. Bolted them on, no difference. I had also put some feelers out on a few forums and had someone reply who had gone through the exact same issue. He told me it was the drive shaft on his.

So, I looked into it further. I had some of my logic reversed in trying to deduce the issue, and quite frankly, it is really the only thing left. I have also been comparing other drive shaft related issues and noises. I get a bit of acceleration judder at lower speeds, classic guibo issue. The guibo is a a bushing of sorts that goes between the transmission flange and the drive shaft. It is essentially like a hockey puck with 7 holes in it, looks like this:

10702

Going back through the receipts, I found it was last done in early '01. So, I ordered that. There are performance upgrades to this, but I chose OEM, just because they are very good and I don't want to add a ton of cabin noise.

Also, I diagnosed a sound I was hearing from the tranny tunnel just behind me. I *thought* it was the fuel pump, but noticed it was speed dependent. Also the fuel pump sits under 6 inches of upholstery foam that is the back seat. Again, researching that out, I matched the noise to a noisy/aging center support bearing (CSB). The CSB supports and aligns the two piece drive shaft at the rear half of the assembly. It looks like this:

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/8075/dsc04167h.jpg

I also shopped around drive shafts. After checking the typical vendors and talking to others and their experiences, I chose a shop out of Texas that comes highly recommended and their pricing is very good. These drive shafts cannot be rebuilt and need to be done professionally. This one cost about $380 + refundable core. I figure at 185000 miles, I got a better return on this one than some. Here is an exploded view of the drive shaft assembly:

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l198/el_2609/Driveshaftcomponents.jpg

So, I order the guibo and the drive shaft (which comes with a new CSB on it and everything is high-speed balanced). Because the car is 25 years old and I am the way I am, I also out new mounting hardware. Also because I am 'in there', I bought some heavy duty transmission mounts from UUC, performance BMW aftermarket company. They are a slight upgrade. Tranny mounts on BMWs are really pretty easy and simple to do. I am going to need to remove the transmission brace anyways and the mounts are inexpensive (the ones in the image below are red PU with billet aluminum 'enforcer' caps, these introduce a lot of NVH to the cockpit, mine are less aggressive, but can have the enforcers added later, if I choose.):

http://vorshlag.smugmug.com/Projects/Vorshlag-E46-330Ci-DSP-Build/DSC2124/952156080_GqVNA-L.jpg

I also added some additional odds and ends I had been meaning to get around to and this was a good opportunity to chuck them in the basket. This included new front and rear roundels (hood and trunk badges), exhaust gaskets (the exhaust will have to be partially removed to R/R the drive shaft) and a relay for the horn circuit...pretty inexpensive).

Pics will be forthcoming! Unfortunately, the weather doesn't appear to want to cooperate, but I will play it by ear. :)

At this point, the accelerated refurbish had now encompassed most of the drive line, the front suspension, and about 1/2 of the rear. Not a big deal, the total sum of parts is still less than I anticipated by far. I *could* have just replaced the guibo, CSB and checked to see if that cured it, but I tend to takes repairs 'nuclear', nuking everything that can be replaced, it's the only way to be sure. :) I hate, hate,hate doing things twice, so this, the added $400-ish for the drive shaft, is just one of those things, to me, to make sure I don't have to do it twice.

[kung fu jesus]

Well, the parts arrived! So has the frigid weather!

While I am mustering the courage to put my big boy pants on to weather the elements, I may just wait a week and see if the temps rise above 'ridiculous'.

In the meantime, a few items I mentioned that I 'chucked in the basket' while ordering parts also arrived. This was something that had been bothering me off and on since I owned the car, so I fixed it! :)

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New badges! Well, "roundels", whatever. Old ones lost their colors and I had been halfheartedly looking for cleaner used ones here and there. These are new, so, yay!

[tsingson]

Nice!

[kung fu jesus]

The gang is all here! Come on, warmer weather!

10741
L to R fron the front:
flex disc (guibo), axlenut locking plates, 42mm exhaust gasket.
45mm exhaust gasket, SS locknuts x6(for flex disc), mani-to-cat gasket x2, trans mounts x2 & hardware, 4 prong mini relay
exhaust mani gaskets x 2, complimentary Turner Motorsports Calendar. :)

10742

Reman'd driveshaft, balanced with new center support bearing and new pilot bushing in the nose.

[kung fu jesus]

OK, so, I had a break in the weather the past weekend and tackled the driveshaft. It isn't a bad job, but the exhaust runs underneath the driveline and is quite large. Between the ehaust and the driveshaft are two large heat shields. So, I started around 11am and had to stop at about 5pm due to darkness and declining weather. I replaced the driveshaft, Center support bearing (CSB), the giubo (flex disk), the transmission mounts, flex disk hardware, and exhaust gaskets. Luckily I I have a nice assortment of tools, I didn't really encounter anything I could't reach except the manifold gaskets. The rear section on the exhaust is finicky, so I finished that the following morning in less than an hour.

The giubo was cracked and coming apart:

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10808

The transmission mounts were shot:

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And the exhaust system is large and cumbersome to work with. The exhaust manifold is pretty short, it is two pieces because this is a six cylinder motor. The downpipe connects about 4-5 inches from the motor, then to the cat, leading to the rear section. This piece alone is about 5 feet long, dual, connected pipes. The rear section was allowed to hang still in the car, thankfully:
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Buttoned it all together, took it for a drive that Sunday morning. Well, the steering shake is GONE! Woot! Bad news, though, I might have installed something wrong and I have a different vibration, this one become very strong in the seat and floor. Fearing the worst, I quickly drove home and parked it. I weighed my options...go back into it and see if I mis-installed something only to find out the reman'd driveshaft is unbalanced, or go through the process again only to not resolve this new issue. Also, the weather is up and down this time of year and I don't have a proper, enclosed garage. So, I begrudgingly relented and reached out to a local indie BMW shop. I had attended a few of their open house events and met the owner and much of the staff. I felt good about their work and their abilities, so I dropped the car off with them, hat-in-hand because I couldn't fix it right. It is time to bite the bullet and have professionals fix my mistake so I can finally get this resolved. Bittersweet, but also comforting at the same time. Hope to have the car back this week, we shall see! :)

[kung fu jesus]

Ok, diagnosis is in! The shop R&Rd the driveshaft and found it to be mis-balanced. Unfortunately, they don't have the equipment to balance it, and I only asked then to diagnose. They complimented me on my repair work, saying most DIYer aren't as thorough and they said I did everything as they would have. Nice shop, awesome to work with. The owner gave me his direct contact info if I needed him to deal with the driveshaft remanufacturer about his diagnosis. Very cool. He also gave me a reference for a shop semi-local who could balance it. I still had him replace the manifold gaskets I had because I couldn't get to them and the old ones were disintegrating, leaving the possibility of destroying the plug wires.

The shop owner also complimented me on the condition of this car, said it was great 'survivor' example and in very good condition. :)

I chose to call the remanufacturer to explain the issue. They were apologetic and are sending another one today. Should be here in a few days. So I will R&R that one and hopefully get this nailed down very soon. :)

The bimmer shop owner also suggested I use metal centering rings on the wheels as the hollow plastic ones I use 'may not be doing their job correctly'. Those are on the way, too.

[The Driver]

Glad to hear! Can't wait for you to get tired of this Bimmer... :wink:

[kung fu jesus]

LOL!

I can't to drive the non-kate hepburn/michael j fox version of the e30.

[kung fu jesus]

New driveshaft arrives tomorrow...that was fast!

[Agent☣Orange]

Did you see that Super Bowl commercial with the old BMW?

[The Driver]

New driveshaft arrives tomorrow...that was fast!

That's what she said...

Oh wait!

[kung fu jesus]

Did you see that Super Bowl commercial with the old BMW?

No I didn't. Link?


That's what she said...

Oh wait!

My driveshaft requires no waiting, nor chemical assistance.

[WASABI]

Loving this build thread. I have always liked the older BMWs and seeing you tackle this, makes it look like something not to much harder than working on a Miata. I hope you get your vibrations all worked out, so you can really enjoy the car. Looks great BTW.

[tsingson]

My driveshaft requires no waiting, nor chemical assistance.

The previous one was "out of balance"?

[The Driver]

The previous one was "out of balance"?

BOOM! There goes the thread...

[kung fu jesus]

Loving this build thread. I have always liked the older BMWs and seeing you tackle this, makes it look like something not to much harder than working on a Miata. I hope you get your vibrations all worked out, so you can really enjoy the car. Looks great BTW.

Thanks! In many ways, this car is easier to work on than a Miata. With this driveshaft issue, I have been driving the NB. I can't really compare the two. The Miata is a razor sharp momentum shoebox. The e30 is more spacious by far, more pleasant on the street and freeway, and the I6 pulls like a freight train. I feel more relaxed in it. The steering response is slower due to the ratio, but you feel the road extremely well.

Both like being tossed around. The Miata demands more attention, the e30 is more forgiving because of the higher roll center, ample suspension droop and torque that is widely available.

The e30 feels more formal, the Miata more casual. I get a lot of looks and compliments from random people in the e30 than the Miata, slightly more than my NA.

If the Miata is a scalpel, the e30 is a switchblade.

[kung fu jesus]

Victory is mine!!!!!!

Driveshaft Specialties sent me another driveshaft in ONE day, no fuss.

This time around it only took 3hours from wheels up to wheels down. Went for a drive, it's like BUTTAH.

SOOOOO freaking happy! The new trans mounts really sharpened the response on the shifter. She is a sexy, sexy bitch! :)

Now, I will fix the horn next then look at some sound deadening solutions.

I love this car again.

[tsingson]

Awesome man! We should go for a drive one of these days.

[JamieH]

Indeed awesome. It's so great to get that payoff from working on your car that makes you happy that it's yours.

[TimTim]

Steven, for sound deadening check out sound deadener showdown.com. The guy who runs the business,Don, is a great resource. If you want to see the products first hand, I have some waiting to be installed along with a sample swatch of 3m thinsulate acoustic back in Raleigh. It's all really top notch stuff

[theothersawyer]

Fantastic news!! Always good to see companies with good customer service!

[The Driver]

Awesome man! We should go for a drive one of these days.

Yeah, I'll take it for a spin...

[WASABI]

Victory is mine!!!!!!... SOOOOO freaking happy!... She is a sexy, sexy bitch! :)... I love this car again.

So how do you really feel? Happy that you solved your problem, everything is fixed, and works better than before.

[psulja]

I've always wanted an e30, now you're making me want one even more! Really clean car, I'm jealous!

[kung fu jesus]

My car is now 'technically' legal in Norf Cacky!!

That's right, I have HORNS! A working horn is required to pass inspection in NC, and for some reason I only need to use them in this_car. This means whenever somebody is asleep at a stoplight or just being stupid, I had no horn. Aggravating, but finally fixed! I remeved the old horns, tested them against the battery and nothing happened. It also happened that the relay was broken, so I replaced that, pressed the horn buttons and I could hear it clicking. So, onto Amazon I went and ordered a set of Hella horns.

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Wiring was simple, as was installation. The old connectors were a bit corroded, which may explain why the fuse kept popping.

10925

Maybe 15 minutes altogether and now_I_have_MF'in'_HORNZZZ! :slayer::slayer::slayer:

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The horn buttons work great, too. No more horns stuck on by accident.

Then I went for a drive to enjoy the day...this bear needs to run, so run her I did.

I have a new right rear caliper coming in this week, so I should be able to square this car away for a while now. :)

[JamieH]

Horns are handy, and if you had waited another 9 years you'd only have needed them to get the attention of other drivers. Love NC's 35 years and older inspection exemption.

Still, it's awesome when you make something that had been busted for a while work again on car.

[The Driver]

North Cackalacky, you yankee flatlander... :rolleyes:

[Pyr0monk3y]

I should be able to square this car away for a while now. :)

Famous last words.

[kung fu jesus]

Right?! :)

[kung fu jesus]

So, today, being nice and sunny, I did a few small projects that had been bothering me.

Mostly, rattles and sounds I didn't like.

The subwoofer has been awesome, but the sound has been causing the leather seat to vibrate against the foam, sounding something like flatulence at higher volumes. I partially disassembled the seatback so I could put polyfil in beteweenvthe foam and the leather. Worked great!

I also re-fit the kick panel on the passenger side. It, too, was vibrating at higher volumes. I ziptied some wire back away from the speaker.

On the rear deck, I trimmed some plastic to be able to mount the rear speakers under the enclosures to allow the OE grilles to sit flat.

I also went back into the driver's door to reassemble the lock cylinder I replaced a few months back. The lock was a little difficult to turn, so I lubricated the locking mechanism and cylinder. Operates much, much better! There was also a rattle in the same door that I traced to the rod/linkages for the locking and door latch mechanisms. Some simple adjustments to the interior door latch and lock actuator took up the slack that was making the door rattle.

The car is practically rattle free now. One left in right rear I need to trace and one on the driver's sun visor. Should be easy to fix. :)

I drove the car a bit this weekend. I don't drive that much working from home, so this loosened up the car and got everything moving freely. So much fun to drive, the exhaust note is still intoxicating and I am becoming acclimated with the character of the car and it's traits. :)

This week, I will replace that intermittent sticky caliper our on the RR corner and I have a new O2 sensor on the way as well.

[Agent☣Orange]

What's wrong with flatulence? At some point, it becomes involuntary.

[kung fu jesus]

I think we are both approaching the age when you can't trust flatulence. Might ruin some pants. :)

[kung fu jesus]

Right rear caliper replaced. Super easy. Took me about 30 minutes, including bleeding it. Fortunately, my Motive pressure bleeder still have the billet master cylinder attachment from my M3. It fit perfectly on the e30. The old caliper was definitely sticking intermittently.

I also shot a quick video. I didn't want to peg redline out of respect for my neighbors playing outside with their little kids. My retired greyhound makes a guest appearance, unbeknownst to me. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZVHJ9xIMOc&amp;feature=youtu.be

Classic BMW L6 sound.

[Martin]

Hi Puma :)

[kung fu jesus]

Ha! Didn't see her sidle up along side the car until I shut it off and got out. Sometimes if I'm working inside any of the cars, I look over out the side windows and she's staring at me like I'm retarded. :)

[kung fu jesus]

Random picture.
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[tsingson]

Did you use some kind of effect in the picture? Or is something wrong with my screen at work?

[kung fu jesus]

It's a bit over-exposed.

[tsingson]

Oh ok. I was about to put in a ticket to IT.

Looks good though.

[kung fu jesus]

Uploaded the wrong one. Fixed.

[tsingson]

Ok, now that looks better.

[kung fu jesus]

Guh. O2 connector fell off and was dragging under the car for a while, I didn't seat it correctly. It is damaged, but managed to re-connect it. Thankfully there is one in mid-transit, so it should be here today or tomorrow. *Probably* explains a few odd things happening lately. :)

[tsingson]

Maybe it happened mid-scandanavian flick? :winky:

[kung fu jesus]

it is possible.

[The Driver]

Random picture.
10972

Can't wait for this to include: "For sale to a good home"... ;)

[Martin]

I have a good home :)

[tsingson]

Can't wait for this to include: "For sale to a good home"... ;)

Going to be waiting a long while fellas. I have seen him with this car in person. Pure automotive love. Even has a small vial on a chain around his neck with some of it's motor oil.

http://gustoflight.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-to-get-married-angelina-with-billy-bob-thorton-and-blood-vial.jpg?w=520

[The Driver]

I have a good home :)

I have a gooder home, and I'm not sharing!

[The Driver]

Going to be waiting a long while fellas. I have seen him with this car in person. Pure automotive love.

Some of my dates where in love with their husbands, before divorce court. Just saying...

[JamieH]

To use NC vernacular, I have a more better home.

[tsingson]

Some of my dates where in love with their husbands, before divorce court. Just saying...

True, but nobody ever leaves with everything that they started with....

[kung fu jesus]

OK, slow day = odd job projects on the e30. :mrgreen:

Fixed a couple of noises. The driver's door weather strip has slipped, making some wind noise by my head at speed. Easy enough to fix.

Attacked a nagging issue that bothered me...the HVAC and OBC (on board computer) lights didn't illuminate at night. This was a little complicated because I had to remove the radio, partially disassemble the HVAC panel and test the circuits to the lights. Of course, I did it the wrong way. I assumed I had accidentally disconnected something when I installed the radio a while back, so I was looking for a disconnected plug. All I had to do was test to see if the bulbs were getting juice, which they were, and it told me they were just burnt out. :fp:

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Luckily, I had extra bulbs from the instrument light refresh. I changed them out and now everything lights up! W00t! At this point I had also removed the knee panel on the driver's side to chase that phantom disconnected plug that didn't exist, and wanted to get at some aftermarket electronics that I wasn't so sure about. Someone had wired in a simple car alarm at one point and some other device that left a few odd connectors up in there...

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After unwrapping the wires, I traced them back and confirmed they weren't OEM. I left the car running as I clipped each one just to be certain I wasn't disabling the car. It went fine and I ended up removing this much from under the dash:

10978

This is kind of nice because this mess would drop down everytime I removed the knee panel and it made it difficult to secure the crossover for the driver's side speakers. With this gone, I was able to tuck the crossover neatly up and out of the way and the knee panel secures quite a bit better, too!

Also, because I had the knee panel out, I investigated the throttle cable. BMWs use a bottom-hinged pedal, unlike a Miata. The pivot is at the floor, at the bottom of the pedal. Mine had always been "firm" or needed a bit of force to move it. I read it was common, but I took some PB blaster and shot it at the cable where it came though the fire wall. I held the pedal down a shot it again, just make sure I was lubing all the cable the pedal used. I also doused the hood release cable under the hood. It is at the front, and the hood pivots in reverse. My hood release always required a bit of effort, so I was hoping for the best.

At this point, my O2 sensor arrived, so I buttoned up the interior and turned my attention to that. Fortunately, I have the O2 crowfoot tool and the sensor itself is easy to reach. Took me about 10 minutes to change that out:

10979
(this is the old one that I didn't connect correctly and dragged the disconnected plug under the car for a while)

10980

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I made certain the connector was seated this time. :) BMW uses these twist-seal weather proof connectors quite a bit. I forget what they are called, but the engine bay harness has a few of them including the main ECU plug. Really very cool and easy to work with so you aren't trying to separate brittle, sharp snap-together fasteners.

So, by this time the lubed cables had a nice time to rest. I had to move the car over because I had parked in my wife's spot to stay in the sun and she was coming home soon. I shut the hood and hit the latch release, MUCH better! I got in the car and fired it up, new O2 sensor gives it a better idle now. I let gravity pull the car down the driveway, I still haven't touched the accelerator yet. I put it in gear and hit the pedal...it is now Miata-like. Night & day difference, which caught me off-guard. Because I was so used to a pedal with more effort, I gunned the engine far more than anticipated and my left foot naturally lets out the clutch. Did a nice trenching job on the gravel driveway as the LSD locked up and shot the car forward to the parking slab under the carport. :lol: Well, I guess you can call it fixed? :)

[The Driver]

MORE PICS!

Along with a for sale sign!

[kung fu jesus]

Will trade for a white or winning blue NC. :)

[tsingson]

Missing the miata already?

[kung fu jesus]

White NC with a hardtop makes my loins tingle and my pants tight.

[kung fu jesus]

High speed vibration testing. My wife reeaaaally didn't like being the test pilot for this. :)


http://youtu.be/pWmF5SVn51s

[kung fu jesus]

So, the car drives wonderfully now. My first tank with the new O2 sensor I averaged almost 24mpg. Just doing a few odds and ends now. Primarily fixing rattles and other annoyances. The door latch linkages on the drivers side lost a bunch of the little grommets that prevent them from rattling in their locations. Not a big deal, but replacing them is a little fidgety because of the tight spaces inside the door. Also placed some foam tape on pieces in there out of adjustment or loose, like the aft window track. Not a huge project, bit the results are satisfying. Every little project like this just makes the car quieter and adds to the enjoyment.

I have been thinking about future maintenance and projects. I will probably address them as the prioritize themselves. I am starting to think about the AC system. It slowly loses its charge, so there has to be a leak somewhere. I did something similar with my NA, replacing the seals when I retrofitted it to R134a, so I am weighing that out and what to replace versus having a shop do it. Seals, drier, evaporator and a more efficient condenser may be just the ticket.

I am also considering some sound deadener on the floor, rear quarter panels and doors, just to hush the interior a little bit more.

[tsingson]

Are you still getting vibrations?

[kung fu jesus]

Yes, but it is the centering rings on the wheels, new ones on the way,

[kung fu jesus]

All the restoration on the finish last summer made this season's refresh so_much easier...

Wash, clay, correction, wax, finisher. Magic eraser on the trim and tires.

Drink it in.

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[JamieH]

That is just one stupid clean BMW. Love hearing it show up at the meets.

[Satisaii]

Nice job.

[WASABI]

So fresh, so clean... Bravo Jesus! Beautiful ride.

[kung fu jesus]

I hear Raf masturbating to the latest pictures.

[Martin]

ew

[kung fu jesus]

So, funny story...

My wife and I were heading out for fish tacos on Easter, because we are Hedonists. Anyways, we are driving though town on a 5 lane road (2+1 left turn lane+2), and I see this e92 making frequent lane changes a few cars back. We stop at a light and that car is in the lane next to me, one car back and I see the driver craning to look at my car. The light changes and I can see that driver is frustrated that he cannon get around traffic to get closer to me. This is not an unusual occurrence, but it still a bit awkward for me, it's just a car. We get to the next light and I see the e92 pulling up along side us and he is looking left, directly at my car. My wife and I both look over as he passes us on the right and when he sees the Euro wipers on the headlights, he is literally looking over his shoulder at the car because he is still moving forward. Unfortunately, the car in front of him isn't. He catches the brakes lights and swerves hard to the right off the road into the dirt. He seems OK, and is now about 30-50 feet ahead of us on the shoulder. He looks at us again as we drive off, still gawking at the car. My wife waves at him furiously as we pass, something like this:

http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Forrest-Gump-Wave-on-Boat.gif

[atank]

Loving the Bavarinan Motor car!!!!!!!!!!

http://i.imgur.com/IXx9O71.png

[The Driver]

I hear Raf masturbating to the latest pictures.

No, I'll do it when I see the for sale thread...

[kung fu jesus]

Ah, OK...

[The Driver]

Ah, OK...

Thread, not a fake pic. That'd be like using a penthouse for... Ah, nevermind. THREAD!!!

[Sharpie]

Looks really good Steve.

[Agent☣Orange]

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa375/YellowYata/Humor/IMG_8657_zps0a732e59.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

Pretty much, but it's more bro-panties than anything.

[kung fu jesus]

When I do more to the interior, I am hoping to find this to replace the rear seat. It's a rare-ish option that has a drop down arm rest/ski pass through and adjustable headrests.

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[kung fu jesus]

So, I am dropping the e30 off at a shop in the area that is familiar with them, and Miatas coincidentally. It's balls-hot again, because humid Southern summers, and I need the A/C serviced. The car has been converted to r134a so hopefully all goes reasonably well. It worked when I bought it last summer, but knew it needed an annual recharge. Though white, the interior is black and leather, so it gets a bit 'swampy" on contact rather quick. I am going to have the alignment done because I knew the one I got for free wasn't 100% accurate and just want to be sure I am not going to destroy the tires.

A lot of alignment garages don't particularly like working on BMWs. This one technically only has toe adjustment in the front, but you need to weigh the car down to get it right. The upgrades and new parts I added to the steering and suspension make it particularly sensitive. It drives fine around town, but on the highway it wanders a little bit. The process for a proper alignment is something like 150 lbs in each front seat, 50 or 100# in the trunk or center of the rear seat. Yeah. Techs know they are going to have to load the ballast in the car and don't like it. Can't blame them, but it is what it is.

Other than that, I was at a BBQ over Memorial Day, a bunch of guys I never met were there with their wives. I walked outside to have a cigarette and they were combing over the car. I get a lot of questions about it and most times I am happy to answer them. Most of these guys drive/own much nicer cars than I do, but they love it. "I would love to dump this (new luxury sedan), for a nice classic like this, but my wife doesn't like them," is a response I get a lot. Personally, I hate car payments, hate dealerships, so why not drive something you like and *maybe* have to put a little money into here and there to keep reliable? The car is 26 years old. It's a survivor, parts are cheap, repairs are pretty easy, garages still know how to repair them and it still looks great! You still see them around, but the well-maintained examples aren't as common anymore. It's cheap fun!

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To that point, I saw this classy older Mercedes the other day. It was for sale, sitting in an office park. I stopped to look at it because I have a few friends on the west coast who are into these older M-Bs. This was a '74 280 (inline 6, some say one of the best engines M-B ever made), automatic. It has 67,000 original miles on it, seller is asking $3500 firm. The sign said "runs decent". I'm not knowledgeable about these cars, but at 40 years old, it is still a looker. Figure $3-5k to make this a super reliable, restored classic you can drive everyday? Yeah, I'd take that. You sure aren't going to have trouble finding it in a parking lot. :)

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[The Driver]

Youuuu caaaaan Dooeee iiiiit!

[Martin]

I showed that Mercedes to my wife when you posted it on FB. She said "No way" :(

[kung fu jesus]

But...but, you could restore it with the boys!

[Martin]

I know!

[kung fu jesus]

She doesn't want you spending your time with a 40 y.o. lady.

[Martin]

She's the jealous type :lol:

[Agent☣Orange]

A neighbor down the street just showed up with a white BMW like yours, well not even begun to be restored and it has a towel in place of a driver door window. He has some other old car in the carport I don't know what it is yet. I was going to snap a picture but he was outside mowing the lawn.

[Pyr0monk3y]

A neighbor down the street just showed up with a white BMW like yours, well not even begun to be restored and it has a towel in place of a driver door window. He has some other old car in the carport I don't know what it is yet. I was going to snap a picture but he was outside mowing the lawn.

Nice...

KFJ, do you know anything about removing the moon roof from these cars? I was looking at our e30 today and figured that might be a good way to lower the center of gravity and lose weight.

[kung fu jesus]

Vaguely. It is a sort of cassette type assembly.

[kung fu jesus]

Andy, if you remove it, and the seals are good, I may be interested in them.

[kung fu jesus]

AC works! YAAAAaaaaaaaayyyy!

Corrected the alignment, tires are out of round...went back to Discount Tire, showed them the other shop's results, they FINALLY do a ride match and road force. I have asked for this for 4 months.

Ride match, road force showed radial runnout of .06", .11", .11", and .16" beginning with the FR, moving counter clockwise.

Me: "So you're telling me 3 of the 4 are out of round?"

Manager: "Well, the one is, but the two are close. Let's see if this solves your issue."

Me: "How about we stop wasting my time and have the one replaced and we go from there?"

Manager: "Oh! Sure! Alright....looks like I can get one in 5-10 business days"

Me: "Considering this is the 5th time I have had this done in 6 months, what's another 10 days?"

Manager: "I see your point."

Me: "Good, because I am being subtle."

Manager: "Uhhhhhmmmm..."

Me: "Call me when it's in. Have a great day!" :dropped the mic

:roll:

[tsingson]

What was wrong with the AC? Just needed a recharge?

[kung fu jesus]

Yup. I tried testing the port and the schrader valve stuck open.

[kung fu jesus]

Funny, they found one and called me back 2 hours later. HUGE difference now.

[tsingson]

Great! I just used mine all the way to Oakwood and the hardtop definitely keeps the cold in.

[JLBMX5]

My ac sucks. I can barely tell its even on when its 90 degrees outside :(

[kung fu jesus]

I went through mine on both Miatas we had when we moved here. Couldn't do the summers here without it.

[JamieH]

And now is when you want working A/C. Had the top up this past week and not really missing the top being down because of the A/C.

[kung fu jesus]

Hehe...when we moved here, I didn't know my wife's NB had AC that was inoperable. I was driving the moving truck, she was in the NB. Our first day was through the desert of CA and AZ. We pulled off to get fuel around the border and she was a sweaty, grumpy mess. :)

[tsingson]

I bet the AC in the truck was frosty, wasn't it?

[kung fu jesus]

LOL! I was wearing a hoody most of the time, yes. It was frigid in there to help keep the dog cool and calm.

[kung fu jesus]

The nice thing about the e30 over the Miatas when running the AC is the engine has enough torque when it doesn't completely fall on it's face while driving around town. :)

I am still acclimating to the humidity. It would get hot in CA, but not moist. This week we're having of mid-upper 90's in mid-June seems earlier than I remember it when we lived in Charlotte. It is also aggravating to see the storms pop up around the city, but not get any rain to help cool things off.

[tsingson]

When I am accelerating in the Miata, I just turn it off until I am cruising. There is nothing I can do except drive the Expedition.

[kung fu jesus]

When you floor it, the AC will switch off in a Miata until you are out of full throttle.

[tsingson]

Seriously? I never knew that but I hate flooring it for no real reason.

[kung fu jesus]

Yah. Mat the accelerator, it will switch off. Lift and it switches back on.

[kung fu jesus]

At the advice of the shop I took my car to, I replaced the axle I had previously replaced. This shop is reputable among the area's Spec E30 crowd and Miata track junkies. They run the gamut of repairs, from stock to modified cars. To me, it's like the Raleigh version of Hiro's in Costa Mesa, CA. The shop foreman is knowledgeable, personable and understands the YOU know the car well, so he's never condescending and willing to work on customer's cars that are "not stock". He knows I work on my cars, so he understands that when I have brought my cars to him it is either something I cannot do myself or something I would prefer to have done professionally (like work on my wife's car).

I knew the axleI bought was "OK", but I had been urged by the previous owner, who I buy some new parts from, to stick with OEM. The cost difference is huge and I violated my key mantra about having to do something twice. The shop foreman told me a lot of the remanufactured axles aren't built correctly to have lateral movement between the hub and differential. This can lead to premature wear on the axle itself and potentially the differential. Soooo....I looked up the part number for the axle assembly and ordered a GKN axle. New, built in Germany, OE original manufacturer. This is a better safe than sorry instance.

Swapped that sucker out in about an hour in 90+ degree heat in the shade. All is well.

[tsingson]

Glad to hear that it went well, minus the heat.

[kung fu jesus]

Local e30 chicka gave me a set of side markers. Small detail, but these are in much better condition than mine. :)

[kung fu jesus]

I got a hair up my butt about the hood alignment last night. The leading edge wasn't meeting my satisfaction for aligning with the front fenders and grill. I think I spent about an hour and a half messing with it. It's not perfect, but I got it much better. There are a LOT of adjustment points because the hood pivots forward. I used some neoprene washers to get more height adjustment out of it. After I was happy, I 'relaxed' the main attachment bolts and it shifted very close to where I wanted it.

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I have to do a little work on my wife's car tomorrow, but if I am still motivated, I will adjust the front bumper to fit a little more evenly too.

[tsingson]

Never noticed it Steven. Never really paid much attention either but ill take your word. Depending on weather tomorrow, I need to give the car a good wash.

[kung fu jesus]

Thanks! I washed mine this week during the heat. Washed it under the car port. :). The water on the concrete evaporated within an hour or two. I usually dry the sills and crevices, but just left the doors and trunk open and the heat took care of it for me.

[tsingson]

Maybe I will try that tomorrow. My wheels definitely need a wash.

[kung fu jesus]

So, something I may look into in the future is a nice dual-purpose rollbar. The e30 isn't necessarily known for its structural integrity, particularly in the roof. I found this nice bolt in bar from VSR and is a four-point with a removable center bar/diagonal. This is ideal for me. With the center removed for everyday, but still adding protection, yet allowing room in the rear for passengers. For track events, I can add harnesses.

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[tsingson]

That looks great. How far in the future is this going to happen?

[kung fu jesus]

Uncertain.

[kung fu jesus]

I have also thought about engine swapping an s50/52 (95-99 M3 motor) or building an old school stroker from the current engine. The stock m20b25 motor can be punched out quite a bit from 2.5 liters to 3.1. I like the comfort, safety blanket of using the modern M3 engine for availability of parts and driveability, DOHC, 200-240 BHP, modern ZF transmission. However, when I start looking at what the ancient m20 engine does all built up, it makes my pants tight.

Here is a mild, stroked m20 (2.5 punched to 2.8) with a cam and some mild head work running on a megasquirt. Listen to that classic BMW I6 decel note @ :43 ! Hnnnnng!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8tBGppPSTk

[kung fu jesus]

I would love to have a similar sound, maybe a bit more street-friendly, as this:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVkY8oA3RlE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0leKdCOC-U

[tsingson]

I like it. Sounds like music to me.

[Sean5294]

I almost bought another E30 before buying the Miata. My last E30 had a rod that wanted to know what the outside of the engine looked like. That car had close to 300,000 miles on it. They are definitely fun cars but BMW recently has discontinue a lot of the parts.

[kung fu jesus]

Yes, the same issue with the 1.6 miatas, too.

The strong prices on the e30m3 is causing a bit of a halo effect on other certain models of the e30. Those in particular are the 318is, post-facelift cabrios, and yes, real 325is. The 325is is essentially the model below the the M3, but the differences are huge. Also, the majority of the 325is' came as automatics. Not exactly rare to have a 325is manual, but unusual. Also harder and harder to find them clean, virtually unmolested and documented. Although I have put some money in mine, I know it is worth quite a bit more than I bought it for and it continues to go up.

I am also constantly on the lookout for a clean set of 16" AC Schnitzer wheels. :) I have also considered converting to M3 brakes and hubs for better stopping power and to run these:

http://www.m-technik.com/ebay/17ACSgrey01.jpg

[Sean5294]

I get emails from people looking for E30 M3 parts from just about everywhere in the world. I had someone try to order a M20 oil pump only to find it was just discontinued. Here is a pic of my old car. Disregard the Z4 that car is a bucket lol.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g95/kain99_2006/IMG_1101.jpg

[kung fu jesus]

S52 it is then! :)

[tsingson]

Have you found a set of those wheels already?

[kung fu jesus]

No, but they aren't *too* hard to get. I am on the fence about retrofitting e36 brakes to my car. Yes, the brakes are massive doing that, but the suspension geometry can be a little problematic. Swapping over to e30M3 brakes would be neat, but hard to find all the hardware. I would do it for the stopping power, but sadly most do it for the wheel options (4x100 to 5x120).

[tsingson]

It's funny. I was just reminiscing about the stereo shop that I used to work at and I remember now one of my friends there had sold a purplish E30 with the M3 wide fenders. It had gold BBS' with polished lips. I remember he sold it to another coworker for $5k. Never really realized about the car but at the same time, I had bought a different car. When I go back to the stereo shop in September, I will inquire about the car. It's been a Cali car so no rust.

[kung fu jesus]

A badly rusted, original E30m3, with 13x,000 miles, undriveable, sold on ebay this week for $20k.

[Agent☣Orange]

Jees!

[tsingson]

I know Ron will hook me up if he still has it or if it has been wrecked. I don't think this was a true M3 though.

[kung fu jesus]

Yeah, I estimate it would take another $15-20k to get it in showroom condition. Most of the floor was rotten, the brakes looked seized. One owner Wisconsin car.

[tsingson]

So I looked it up and it looks like the color was the Daytona Violet. It was fading last time I saw it though.

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