E30 Zone

As most regular zoners will have gathered,I have a new project!! Seen here ready for towing home behind it's engine donor, LHD,French regestered Laches touring with no engine/box or significant rust!First task is to convert to RHD

[img]http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc20 ... C_0383.jpg[/IMG%20%20%20%20%20Pedal%20boxes,RHD%20on%20the%20right.[img]http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc20 ... C_0383.jpg[/img]

IMG]http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc20 ... C_0380.jpg[/IMG] Struggling with the technology here!! Bulkhead mods..

Bulkhead mods...

another view..

As can be seen in the photo above,the LHD bulkhead is very different to RHD.The pedal boxes are very different too,On RHD the throttle linkage is atteched to the pedal box,on LHD the bar pivots on two brackets spot welded to the bulkhead. As can be seen,I have fitted an additional support bracket to steady the top of the pedal box.Column was simply(??) a matter of cutting the support off the L/H side and re-attaching to the R/H.

This one shows the first trial fit of dash/seat/wheel.

LHD wiper linkage and motor. Note the lack of an extension arm,steady bracket and only one fixing for the motor.

RHD wiper linkage installed,I have still to make/fit a steady bracket.

Wiper motor location,I still have to make up two more mounts for the motor.So I have established that LHD to RHD is do-able,I now have the major driving controls sorted.The wiper linkage is just a bracket and a couple of holes.I have cut a dashboard wiring loom from a scrap car,this I will blend in to the loom in the area behind the glovebox and will form the next big challenge.The light switch has a seperate,plug in loom that also includes the pushbutton switches in the centre of the dash,once again,a scrapper has donated this loom.I have a brake pedal relay box for the servo/pedal connection,but of course the bulkhead is a slightly different shape so it is not a direct fit.I plan to mod the relay box slightly.

Seems like alot of time and money and effort when you could have bought a RHD for next to nothing..

Great project though, keep the pictures coming

pegibson wrote:Seems like alot of time and money and effort when you could have bought a RHD for next to nothing..

Great project though, keep the pictures coming

yer but it wont have been exposed to all the crap weather and salt we get on the roads

hope everything goes to plan, you should have got a LHD 325ix touring now that would be something, loads if grip

much admiration for tackling this one Malcolm

pegibson wrote:Seems like alot of time and money and effort when you could have bought a RHD for next to nothing..

Great project though, keep the pictures coming

Erm,yes,but this one has lived in the south of France for most of it's life and is almost rot free.One small patch behind the heater and the footwell where the accelerator pedal attached are the only spots so far.It has taken me all afternoon to fathom out how to load photos,so there may well be no more!! Project is in three stages; 1,convert to RHD.2, install M50. 3, general refurb of the running gear. Budget is £1500-£2000. This is one of the cars I intend to be running when I have retired,plan is to keep it a minimum of 10 years.

looking forward to seeing this done

how do you import them do you have to pay tax or something when doing it or do you just pick it up and drive it on the eurotunnel

Alex wrote: looking forward to seeing this done

how do you import them do you have to pay tax or something when doing it or do you just pick it up and drive it on the eurotunnel

Bought as a rolling shell from a zoner now based in the UK. Had a chat to DVLA's helpline and regestering is a matter of form filling,I will have to obtain a UK MoT on the French plate first.My main worry is to avoid a 'Q' plate.. but I have the non-dated 6 fiqure plate that I put on retention when I sold my Daimler earlier this year,so that will go on!! I can see no reason why we cannot source projects like this in the dryer southern European states and just drive/trailer them home.

the more i think about it the more i would like to do something like this, possibly get a 325ix or 324td to be a bit different, and be rust free

Further update, this one shows the steady bracket I made for the r/h wiper arm,the wiper motor is also fitted now,in LHD it only has one securing bolt,RHD has 3!! My version has two... I drilled holes for the second pair but one is into a box section and is inaccesable.Will see if it works before I start worrying.

Secondhand carpet fitted,I was very pleased with this,proves that the steering column and pedals are in the correct place. Just got the R/H clip for the under dash/over drivers knee panel a little out,it's at the correct height(which is the vital bit) but is about an inch too far to the left. Corrected with the aid of a Stanley knife to enlarge the slit in the carpet.

I like your gaff! Very plush.

Car looks alright too

Edit: correction, the sellers gaff.

View from the other side,heater is back in now,and the footbrake linkage.

Looks like it's coming along nicely Malcolm


You really should have cleaned the carpet before you fitted it though

Not another poor E34 being raped?

Jon_Bmw wrote:I like your gaff! Very plush.

Car looks alright too

Edit: correction, the sellers gaff.

Rolling shell was stored in the barn in the background,lovely dry workshop,it's the next door property to the previous owner of the E30.

Dashboard!! There are two looms that cross the dash,the one that terminates at the light switch is dead easy to sort,it just plugs into the large white socket behind the glovebox. This loom also feeds the push switches above the heater controls and a few other bits and pieces.My next challenge is the second loom,this emerges from the fusebox via that big rubber plug and crosses the dash to end at the column switches,brakelight switch and the blue and white plugs for the instrument cluster.I have cut a section from a scrap touring to use to extend the LHD harness.This is the lump that can be seen at the l/h side of the dash.The alternative was to completely re-wire the car with a RHD harness,think I have made the best comprimise,the problem areas will be things like door mirrors and perhaps wiring to the door switches for the interior lights.

This is pretty much the current state of play,although this afternoon I have started to stich the two harnesses together.

BadDave wrote:Looks like it's coming along nicely Malcolm


You really should have cleaned the carpet before you fitted it though

Cheky bugger!! Scrubbed it,using 'Vanish' and 'Ferarri Liquid',it's the wear marks and flash shadows that you are seeing,it looks quite good in the flesh.

Speedtouch wrote:Not another poor E34 being raped?

Totaly buggered if the truth be known!! It was a,erm,cosmeticaly challenged one,that also had a very entertaining trick of wanting to rear wheel steer left if one was brave enough to lift of the loud pedal a bit sharpish.T'was also incontinent in the petrol tank area. Had only run 131k, though,and the motor is veryvery good.And it's going to a good home..soon...

Making good progress, BTW, your diff came from a 324d converted to RHD!

Another little job last week was to plumb in the clutch hydrolics.The LHD version shares the same fluid holder for clutch and brakes,now I know what that little stub pipe that's sealed off on the brake master is for!! I used an offcut from the clutch feed pipe and a bolt and jubilee clip.

daimlerman wrote:

BadDave wrote:Looks like it's coming along nicely Malcolm


You really should have cleaned the carpet before you fitted it though

Cheky bugger!! Scrubbed it,using 'Vanish' and 'Ferarri Liquid',it's the wear marks and flash shadows that you are seeing,it looks quite good in the flesh.

Sorry Malcolm

It just looked like the drivers footwell was in the same condition as when i dropped it off.

When i look at the pics from the (planned) passenger side, it does look cleaner

A-hem..... A few questions now,this is an M50,I have used an M20 flywheel,M20(325)clutch,M40 'box.I have fitted the starter motor that came with the M50,will it work OK? I have used E36/M50 engine mounts with E30 rubber bushes,R/H one is rubber peg toward the wing,but L/H one is rubber peg toward the engine,is this correct?

anything so it sits in the holes mate.

Not sure if the E30 rubber mounts will last long

But damn you making this progress

I've got another distraction now, a soarer with failed MOT

daimlerman wrote: This is pretty much the current state of play,although this afternoon I have started to stich the two harnesses together.

Good on you for tackling the wiring, not something I would attempt

Wiring was mainly a matter of matching the colours,one or two had slightly different secondary colour codes,spirals instead of a straight line,but this is largely untested at the moment so there is still room for error. I am having the engine loom modified by a zoner,if I did this as well I feel it would double the chances of error so getting help at least means that faults are most likely in my work.. but yes,faced with two looms of 60 plus wires my 35 year old soldering iron said 'no thanks' and the element packed up!! I salvaged the plug and mains cable,of course,just in case it comes in handy sometime... great feeling,yhough,this afternoon to close the garage doors after bolting the engine and 'box down.