Not your most logical project car, but she weighs next to nothing and goes like stink, so well worth the effort.The story begins in early 2007 when I was deciding what to do with an old R5TS. It wasn't worth selling and I wasn't interested in restoring it (not another one) so I thought I would butcher it for a bit of RWD fun.
A friend recommended, given the similarity of the e30 track-width to the R5turbo, that I consider building a look-alike car using e30 parts. When I gave it some consideration I realised that this was going to amount to a lot more than a hatchet job, so I set about making a proper project of it. It took about five months of CAD work just to sort out where everything was going to fit.
I worked extensively with an engineless 325i I picked up from the scrappy. I marked all the sub-frame mounting points and parts of the e30 body on the underside of the 325i and slowly built a 3D CAD model of the e30 front and rear frame. I then did the same for the R5TS body.
The product of all this design work was a mild-steel tubular chassis that essentially joins the E30 front and rear sub-frames to the remains of the R5TS mild-steel body.
As with any quality R5, the bottom of the A-pillars were substantially rusted. All rusted bits were ultimately cut out and replaced with new stainless sheet metal during the course of the project.
This is her without her engine during the early stages of the project. The wheels are 15" 3-piece Gotti split rims.
And with the engine and drive-train in place, but without the body.
To improve the weight distribution (and reduce the moment of inertia about the vertical), the four-cylinder Toyota 3SGTE engine is pulled back with its sump bowl behind the E30 cross member.
The Toyota 3SGTE is a factory turbocharged engine that heralds from the FWD Japanese Celica. Fortunately it is easily mated to a Toyota RWD gearbox, such as the indestructible W55 or W57 boxes, using a modified 4Y bell housing. The 3SGTE is the most highly race developed engine produced by Toyota, and has a fantastic track and rally history. You can view some of its achievements here (well worth a look IMO): http://gt4dreams.free.fr/rip/3sgteinfo.htm
However, to unleash some of the 3SGTE's potential requires a custom inlet manifold, custom exhaust manifold, and in my case (to get it to fit) a custom sump. I also threw off the Toyota CT26 turbocharger in favour of a Garrett GT3267.
Once I was happy everything fitted, I sent the frame off for sandblasting.
BTW, the roll-cage and chassis are integral (what I call my frame). They don't have nearly enough strength to perform on the track without each other. They effectively stop each other from buckling. Unlike a monocoque E30, the body on this car provides very little strength, and has thus been stripped to only the A, B and C pillars, and the roof. The body is in fact little else other than visually pleasing.
This is my frame after applying a good quality 2K etch primer.
And then with some more paint and the E30 suspension. By this point she was good for pushing around the garden, but the missus got tired of pushin'.
The remains of the R5 body were then duly sandblasted, repaired, primered and painted. This is the roof. Sorry BMW fans
The body is seam welded to the frame. The steering column is from an E36 in order to reach the aftward mounted seat.
This is one of my favourite pics. Very minimalist. The radiator and intercooler are custom manufactured items, both my own designs.
By this point in time I had begun to upgrade the dampers, springs and brakes as well.
I built the fire-wall, floor-pan and transmission tunnel from 2mm aluminium tread-plate. This helps keep the weight down. Seat mounts and belt-mounts are from 3mm mild steel plate, through to the frame. The petrol tank is from sheet stainless, for reasons of strength. The tank sits directly behind the seat and can be accessed through a panel if required. The tank is a two-section baffled unit with two pumps. The battery sits more or less on top of the differential.
Even the rear wheel arches are from aluminium.
The pedals are a standard firewall mounted Tilton set. Front and rear brakes are on their own circuits and have their own master cylinders. I have also fitted a Bosch-5 ABS unit from a 7-series.
Getting the differential in and out is so much easier when you have a bonnet in your boot.
This is the engine more-or-less in place. Note that the engine has no mechanical coolant pump. I threw is off and replaced it with an idler pulley from a Subaru Forrester. To pump the coolant I am using a Davies-Craig electric pump that mounts at the base of the radiator. The pump is under the control of my Adaptronic ECU and is just brilliant at controlling the temperature of my engine.
The Adaptronic ECU supports sequential injection and sequential ignition. I am thus using a quad coil-pack from an E36 to fire my plugs. The ECU triggers a four channel capacitor discharge ignition unit that connects to the coil-pack.
To reduce weight even further I skinned the doors in aluminium. With the exception of the windscreen, all windows are polycarbonate plastic.
And this is my instrument cluster.
I have mounted an E30 speedometer on the centre consol for reference purposes, but isn't really required on the track. The gear knob is from one or other 50's vintage Renault that I picked up at a flea market.
The remainder of the bodywork (bonnet, wings, bumpers etc) are made from GRP by Polytecnic in France. She may look like an R5 Maxi Turbo, but shes an E30 at heart
.
More-to-come .....
so for time being I continue to take it easy.
. 
. 
Thumbs up fella. Alot of thought gone into that...
i was so chuffd with myself getting the engine in my 5 today, but now ive seen this im a bit depressed.
Well done on getting your engine in!