E30 Zone

After selling the e36 328, I decided to do a "proper" build. Made a trip to Driftland to buy an e34 540 with 6 speed gearbox. 2 weeks later bought a e30 318is. The build will be to BDC Spec, so I can compete in a few rounds next year. Its being built my ME, and a mate who owns A.B. Motors.

Car Spec List:-
Vehicle - BMW e30 318is 2 door Coupe
Engine - BMW e34 540 M60B40 4.0 v8 Engine (301 bhp, 292 ftlbs)
Completely Stripped Interior, inc No Heater
Built and Maintained by A.B. Motors
6 Speed Gearbox, standard Clutch/Flywheel
Wisefab Lock Kit (e36 kit, with e30 top mounts)
BC Racing Coilovers (10kg Springs)
Custom CPS Propshaft
E30 325 Welded Diff and Driveshafts
Modified Rear Beam, to allow Toe and Camber Adjustment
A.B. Motors Custom Exhaust
Custom Spray Painted by A.B. Motors
6 Point Roll Cage by WRC Walker Race Cars of Thirsk
Chizfab ”“ Hydro, Boss and Steering Wheel
Driftworks Track Culture Bucket Seats
Driftworks Orange 4 point Harnesses
32 Litre Aluminium Fuel Tank with Sender and Fuel Gauge
Walbro 255 Fuel Pump (Swirl Pot to Engine)
APS 250bhp Fuel Pump (to feed Swirl Pot)
3 Litre Swirl Pot
Japspeed S14 Radiator with Cosworth 1.5 Bar Radiator Cap
Digital Temperature Gauges/Sender in Top and Bottom Hoses
2 x 12”a Electric Fans
E30 Fibreglass Wide Arches
E30 Fibreglass Bodykit (Front Bumper & Skirts)
E30 Fibreglass Rear Bumper
FIA Battery Cut Off
FIA OMP Bucket Seat Side Mount Rails
Power Steering Oil Cooler
JJC Plumbed in Fire Extinguisher
Driftworks Handheld Fire Extinguisher
Full Strongflex Polybush Kit
E36 5 Stud Front Hubs, E36 Compact Rear Trailing Arms with 5 Stud Rear Hubs
TRS Tow Straps
Battery Box behind Passenger Seat


Pics:-








The e30 is a little battered, with overspray all over it. But fuck me is it clean, very clean and hardly any rust at all.








So the stripping commences:-














Decided to remove the car wiring loom, so I can relocate the fuse box inside the car.
Forgot to label the connectors, gonna have fun putting all this back in.








Japspeed S14 radiator trial fit for size.







Currently most of the sound deadening is removed, need to remove sunroof and shit attached to roof. Then its off for Roll Cage.




Spent approx. £6.5k so far on parts and buying both cars.

Current Parts I have, still waiting on many coming.



In the above picture, about £1.5k worth:-
32 litre fuel tank with sender unit
3 litre swirl pot
Fuel Gauge
APS Fuel Pump to feed Swirlpot
Walbro Fuel Pump after the swirlpot
3 x AN8 90 degree fittings
Plumbed in Fire Extinguisher
Bucket Seat Adjuster
OMP Seat Frames x 2
e36 328 Propshaft
FIA approved Battery Cut Off with Pull Handle
Wide Arches
Chizfab Hydro, Boss and Steering Wheel
PAS Cooler
Aerocatches x 2
Boot Springs
Japspeed 50mm S14 Radiator
2 x 12" Electric Fans
2 x TRS Tow Straps
Dashboard with mock up panel and switches

Not in pic
e36 Front Hubs, Discs, and Brake Calipers
e36 Compact Rear trailing arms


e36 compact BC Coilovers



*** update 31 July 2013 ***

I now have:-
e36 Front Hubs, Discs, and Brake Calipers
e36 Compact Rear trailing arms
e36 steering rack

Strongflex full e30 poly bush kit.


*** Update 1st August ***
Got another delivery today:-

2 x 4 point Harnesses
Fire Extinguisher
and dunno wtf that blue shit is ;)



Wisefab Lock Kit, e30 top mounts, rest of kit is e36.




*** update 2nd August ***

Driftworks delivery part 2.

2x Track Culture FIA bucket seats.



I have just about all the parts needed for the build now. Just waiting on hearing when I can get cage sorted.






If you got this far, and not bored. I'd like to know more about wiring, so I can keep it looking OEM. Which plugs or whatever do I need to order from BMW dealer? I'm also thinking about using the 540 brake discs, calipers etc is this possible?

Poor E34. Was it any good?

Blitz wrote:Poor E34. Was it any good?

No its a shed tbh, otherwise I'd prob want to keep it.

great work,keep the updates/pics coming .

and.............keep it white

MR Brian More is the e30 auto electrickery wizard on here, + a few others know there stuff with conversions .

welcome home

A proper drift build

I had the e34 540 on rolling road today. Made decent power at 301.1 bhp and with 170k miles on it aswell. Cant wait to get this in the e30, I'm gonna be jizzing all over the place.

any updates ?

*** update 08 August ***

Its off for Roll Cage fitting on Mon 12 August. It currently looks like:-






Got bucket seats loosely fitted. Gonna have to either hammer shit out the floor to flatten it, or weld in some kind of box section with longer bolts.




*** Update 13 September 2013 ***
Hoping to get the car back next week with the cage fitted/painted.

Its been away nearly 5 weeks now. During that time, we've removed the 540 engine and gearbox.



Crank oil seal was leaking slightly, done some research and made a Flywheel removal tool from a long T60 torx ssocket.



Ordered parts from the BMW dealer from e30zone.

Then started painting up a few parts I have waiting to go on, and sort the BC Coilovers to fit the Wisefab top mount and lower adapter.



Had to cut about 5mm off the top coilover bearing and half the nut to get the top mounts on. Then found I'm gonna have a problem adjusting the damper settings on the coilovers, so think I'm gonna have to drill a hole in the e30 turret so I can adjust them.

The wisefab logo will only be visible when bolted to the turrets.

Love it dude. Some money gone into this already

Great work. Will be following this

**** update 9 October 2013 ****

6 point Roll Cage now done, with Harness bar and double door bars. We can now crack on with the build.

Gonna be keeping tabs on this cos i own a v8 converted e30 but it needs ripping apart and starting again

**** update 10 October 2013 ****

I went to take a piss, and a mate took a grinder to my car.



Crossmember removed which will be replaced with box section so that a large S14 50mm radiator can be fitted. Also welded up any unneeded holes in the bulkhead.



Engine bay painted.



Arches undersealed.




Front subframe was also removed, painted with hammerite and so will be refitted tomorrow along with the wisefab kit and e36 steering rack.

TommyM wrote:Great work. Will be following this

+1

magpie wrote:

TommyM wrote:Great work. Will be following this

+1

Thanks for Diff, and driveshafts. Should be welded tomorrow. ;)

Wisefab e36 kit now fitted to my e30, with e30 top mounts, e36 compact BC Racing Coilovers, E36 Steering Rack, hubs, discs and brakes, and Strongflex Eccentric Bushes to improve Caster.
Waiting on new Tracks Rods coming before testing the lock.
Also need to sort steering linkage.






Caster looks ok to me, but I know fuck all about caster.

Local motorfactors sent wrong track rods out, so we made do with the old rusty 1's. Got the steering linkage sorted, and checked the lock. Gonna need some wheel spacers, as wheel catches preventing full lock.

Canny this.

**** update 15 October 2013 ****

We managed to get a few hours on the car over the past 2 days.

Taped the wide arches on, just to see what they looked like. Looks like I'm gonna need spacers on the rear, but wont know how big until I do the 5 stud conversion and get my e36 wheels on.





Mate decided to lash a bit paint on the cage, bollox to masking up, will paint interior again. lol





Came across a problem with the Wisefab top mounts, and BC Coilovers, damper settings couldn't be adjusted as top mounts are off centre. So drilled a hole in turrets, original adjusters were not long enough, and cant leave them on as they would snap off on lock, so had to improvise, an allen key driver does the job just fine, gotta remember which way is soft/hard tho.



E30 325 Diff Welded, bollox to gay LSD's.



Bonnet Pins done, took my time and got em just right.



Bolted in the 30 litre fuel tank, 3 litre swirlpot and 2 fuel pumps, 1 of them a Genuine Walbro 255. Waiting on braided hoses coming to connect them all up. Then its onto wiring.



Battery cable off the 540 was not long enough to put battery in the boot, so it will have to go on back seats instead. Prob safer they anyway.



Cage and Interior need another coat, then will be lacquered.

**** update 17 October ****

Finished painting the interior.



Move car in centre of garage, to see what lock we got. Only aligned by my gammy eye atm, but it looks ok.



Then decided to bolt flywheel, and clutch back on, then the 6 speed gearbox and just had to have a go at fitting it into the car.




It fits. lol






Haven't bolted the gearbox mount up yet, so engine is sitting lower at the back.

moving along swiftly now

Yeah, surprising what a few hrs each day for 7 days has done. Got me buzzing now.

Hopefully get enough wiring done, and sort fuel system to get it started this weekend.
Bet its gonna be loud started with no manifolds on, will have to video it.

a vid of it's first fire up with no manifolds on is an obligatory zone rule

**** update 20 October 2013 ****


Put the wiring loom back into the car, connected up a few bits, and then done the wiring conversion for the engine harness.

Quickly rigged up a temp fuel line, and went to start the car, without any Manifolds or an Exhaust. ;)

Here is the video of first start up. Ignore the messy wiring. ;)

[youtube][/youtube]

on the button

**** update 24 October ****

Just been doing the boring bits last few days, wiring for FIA Kill Switch, Fuel Pumps, and Fan Switches. Hoses for Fuel System in the Boot, Modifying Gear Linkage which needed to be shorter so gear lever is in the centre of the hole, and Modifying the e30 gearbox mount to fit the 6 speed M60B40 Gearbox.

Gearbox mount:-



Rev Counter wired in properly, so it gives the correct reading:-


Dashboard back in, mock up switch panel and new gauges. Gear linkage shortened so its now in the centre of the hole. FIA switch instantly kills the engine soon as its activated.


Fuel System now complete, just needs a wire tidy up, but it all works and no leaks. Oh and I fucking hate stainless braided hoses, pricked my fingers far too many fucking times.

Cool build, and you're romping along! Did you put any strengthening plates on the subframe? They've been known to crack under duress.

How did you get round the RPM signal?

Cheers. Dave.

Front subframe was strengthened around the engine mounting point.

Used an RPM Signal chip which halfs the signal.

What a wonderfull project!
Keep going!

**** update 31 October 2013 ****

Quite slow progress this week, but its taking shape and soon be able to be driven.

Working fuel gauge, 2 temperature gauges (1 on hose going to radiator, and 1 coming out of radiator).


Started on the rear of the car


Rear axle removed, parts scattered around the garage.


Rear Beam and diff Poly bushed, e36 compact trailing arms fitted for 5 stud conversion, BC Coilovers rear Shocks/Springs fitted.





I now have the measurements for the custom propshaft, need to pop down to local engineers to have 540 propshaft flange welded onto the e30 propshaft and slightly shorten it. Soon as that is done and fitted, the car will be driveable, altho very loud as haven't done manifolds/exhaust yet.

**** Update 5th November 2013 ****


Custom Propshaft fitted, so the car drives. First drive goes to my mate/sponsor Andrew Baker at A.B. Motors.


[youtube][/youtube]

Wiring cleaned up a bit. Drivers Bucket Seat and Steering Wheel Fitted.






Trial Fit of Radiator, PAS Cooler, Lights and Grill.

**** update 9 November 2013 ****

Since the first drive, on 5th Nov. Not alot seems to be done, but spent a fair bit of time doing it.

PAS cooler was plumbed in, radiator mounted with temporary brackets, radiator hoses modified to fit, temperature senders connected and wired up to the gauges. As heater matrix is removed, needed to modify the hoses at the back of the engine, connected up expansion bottle, removed thermostat, added water and bled the system, checked for leaks, fixed leaks. Mounted the front bumpers, just to check alignment for grill, wings, bonnet and arches, as I have new body kit on order.

**** update 14th Nov 2013 ****

e34 540 Manifolds modified to fit onto the e30 4.0 v8. This wasn't actually too bad a job, not sure why many people whinge when it comes to modifying the manifolds to fit. It dont need to look pretty, aslong as its affective. Why anyone would need to use e34, e39 AND X5 Manifolds to make 1 is beyond me.

Anyway, here's some pics of my e34 540 Manifolds modified to fit the e30 4.0 v8 conversion.

Passenger side:-




Drivers Side:-









Manifolds are double skinned, but still going to add heat wrap to protect the steering UJ's.

You ought to change those nyloc nuts on your hammer fit steering linkage, that exhaust is going to get mighty hot and looks pretty close!

DanThe wrote:You ought to change those nyloc nuts on your hammer fit steering linkage, that exhaust is going to get mighty hot and looks pretty close!

ha ha loads of room, double skinned manifolds and putting heat wrap on them soon, will be fine I'm sure. A big hammer was used.