E30 Track Car Build

[Stonkin]

Lovely, thank you very much mate

[Mikey_Boy]

^^^^ a great upgrade for the M20 2.5 is to use the M3 dogleg box - shorter closely stacked ratios makes for a much better track day weapon. I used one on mine - have a look here:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... x+upgrades

You will need the gearbox, bellhousing from a US spec E28, and a modded prop. A bit of hassle but worth the effort...

[Stonkin]

Interesting, thanks mate i will look into this.

[Mikey_Boy]

No worries - bellhousings you can get through ebay - E28 528e US spec...

Gearboxes - more probematic and can cost a bit, but will never lose it's value as it's rare - either off an E30 M3 or E28 M535...

Propshaft - I can help you there if you go down that route - I have one lying in my workshop...

[Stonkin]

I know someone who i work with who has an e28 M535 manual that he is wanting to restore, not sure if he's wanting to part with the box though, hmm

[Mikey_Boy]

I would buy them a drink, try and get them drunk and see if they will part with the gearbox!

As described in the thread above, I found that the 325 boxes have a HUGE gap between 2nd and 3rd, even the sport box, which can mean the engine bogs down a bit on track.

You can change the diff ratio, but this makes the car a bit too compromised in 1st and 2nd gear.

Choice is yours of course, but I thought it was a great upgrade for a track car, especially if you make the M20 a bit more revvy... Check this out - M20'd with dogleg box:



This was what I was keen on until I bought an S14 engine...

[Stonkin]

Thanks for your advice mate, will have a good read. I have bought a 3.64 lsd to go in the car. My plans are to run the car with the 2.5 lump in 2013 and would love to do another engine swap over next winter, either the e36 2.8 or an m3 lump. Might not be to everyones taste on here, but ideally i'd fit a 2JZ as i know a lot about them, we'll see

[Mikey_Boy]

^^^^ Excellent! 3.64 diff is a great choice for the dogleg box... Good luck with it all... look forward to updates!

[Stonkin]

Bit of progress made

The original car has been stripped of seats, roll cage, fuel cell and most other bits. Not much left to take out of this













So, engine time. The 1.6 has been removed





The 2.5 has been removed





And the 2.5 fitted into the new shell.



The welding has also been started on this shell with the passenger footwell now looking in much better shape.

The E46 rack has also been fitted.


I have a couple of questions for you

The 2.5 engine has a 1.8 gearbox fitted to it. We didnt hugely notice during removal but on fitting the engine (all removed in 1 piece) the gearbox really doesnt line up well, it looks twisted. The support bracket could be bolted up but it clearly isnt right. Engine mounts are all fine and lined up with the locator holes perfectly. Has the 1.8 box not been fitted to the engine correctly? I was planning on buying a 325 box anyway, should this solve the problem?






When fitting the e46 rack, this new shell did not have a steering uj coupler fitted as it was previously pinched. We took the uj coupler off the original 325 car but it just seems to long. What am i missing with this?



When i unscrewed the tie rods from the original e30 steering rack to install to the e46, there was a 2mm spacer on the thread, i did not install these as their seemed no need, is that correct?

I also took a picture of the tie rod ends, do they seem to close to the shields? These are still the original 316 hubs, these have not been transfered over yet.



Thanks for any help, its really appreciated and will make my life a lot easier

Christian

[DanThe]

You would be better off using the M20 box yes, the steering linkage needs modding, im guessing you have the rack in the forward holes? If so it should be moved back to the rear holes. Remove the rubber section from the linkage and it will become the correct length.

Some track rod ends have larger ball joint casings than others, especially lesser brands, Lemforder are nice and slim.

Some perfect engine mounts here for M20's - http://www.burtonpower.com/parts-by-cat ... fp292.html

[Stonkin]

excellent , cheers Dan. Have been looking at gearboxes, i presume just going for a normal 325 as opposed to a sport box will be ok?

Thanks for the links

[DanThe]

Yep, if you want closer ratios then the 320 box is very similar to the sport box

[Stonkin]

Spent today:

removing the old wiring loom in the engine bay on the blue car

organising the new loom and the foam shields along the back of the bay as they were different

plumbing in the battery cables to run to the boot as it was originally at the front in this car, had to drill through the side of the engine bay into the dash area to fit the oem gromit as this shell didnt have that hole

moving over parts such as clutch resevoir etc which werent taken with the engine.

fitting a wiper motor and a couple of other bits that had been pinched while the car was previously sat around for ages.

started modifying the steering coupler for the E46 rack (although desperately need Dan's advice on this )

removing any other parts from the scrap shell before it gets taken away, just incase i realise i need them later

Next job is to get the subframes from the old shell and everything attached to them such as brakes and hubs (blue car has the smaller struts) ready for coilovers

Tomorrow i will also be collecting Theo's 4.10 lsd, it was what i was after originally compare to the 3.64 i bought and his one seems very nice

A quick pic from today, doesnt look like much done, but its getting tidier



The plan is to get everything up and running correctly making sure nothing has been missed or any loom issues, then strip certain parts back to prepare for paint.

I am slightly considering the option of wrapping. Although i can paint the car myself, it is obviously very time consuming to do correctly and being a track car, there will no doubt be mishaps at times here and there

[DanThe]

You didnt need to drill anything for the battery cable, the hole is pre pressed, you just have to knock it through with a punch. Search function is your friend, will help you get through jobs much quicker and only have to do them once

Do you know about Pin 20 of the C101? If not then the thread below may save your wiring loom from sudden death! -
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ic&t=83367

[Stonkin]

Cheers Dan, didnt realise that was pre punched, would have saved loads of time! I did notice the 2 holes were pre drilled on the bulk head where the ecu cable runs through for the battery connection block

I know of pin 20, will make sure that is ok before connecting a battery

Hope i havent mangled the coupler from the pics i sent you lol

I have a good team at work assisting with the car, although the 30 is not common to them, especially with the amount i have to do! Sadly i am not hugely mechanically minded, my side is bodywork, so i am learning a hell of a lot. I try to remember its just nuts and bolts at the end of the day. But i certainly want everything done properly

Thanks for your help mate, you have been really useful

Christian

[Stonkin]

With the subframes removed i stripped them down, cleaned them up and started painting them. New bushes will go in next

[Stonkin]

Am planning to start making an airbox over the w'end. Offering a nice supply of air where the full beam light is. Something similar to this



The plan is to have a few bits in the engine bay and quite a lot in the interior wrapped in carbon fabric. Which i think will create a nice contrast

[Stonkin]

Bushes, i am just about to order some of these and wanted to check my list was correct if anyone can give it a quick check please...

2 x lemforder front control arms complete with new ball joints

2 x front control arm bushes, eccentric oem e30 m3

2 x rear beam bushes, oem e30

4 x rear trailing arm bushes, purple powerflex

am ok for the diff and arb's

Thanks,

[Stonkin]

Today i cleaned up and painted the other rear trailing arm, so all the rear end is now painted.

Removed the rear beam bushes and replaced with new Lemforder items.

Removed the 4 trailing arm bushes, these were fun! but some heat soon fixed that. Ordered powerflex for these which should be here early in the week.

Some Pagid rear discs arrived. I wont fit these until a later date as i dont want the car sitting around over the coming months corroding them.

Stripped down the rear calipers, made sure the bleed nipples were free ready for when i install fresh brake fluid. Removed any rust on them and sprayed them with smooth black hammerite so it will match the WMS fronts.

Next on the cards is to obtain a 325 gearbox so i can then install the propshaft and these rear end items i have been working on, get the radiator fitted as i didnt want any risks of the fan catching it doing the gearbox, make some final loom checks and then i think it should be ready to turn the key

[Mikey_Boy]

^^^^ excellent progress!

This car ran a standard 325 box and not a close ratio item?

[Stonkin]

It currently has a 1.8 box attached!

[Mikey_Boy]

^^^^ This is what jet lag does for you - commenting on the wrong frickin' thread!!

D'Oh.........!

[Stonkin]

Well the 325 gearbox will be arriving tomorrow. New Sachs clutch, powerflex trailing arm bushes and rear wheel bearings came today.

Hoping to get the box in Saturday so i can then finish off the minimal engine bay bits left. Looking forward to turning the key and making sure the loom is all good

[Stonkin]

Bit more work on the car today.

The 325 gearbox was delivered, but unfortunately had 2 supports broken during transit. This was taken to an aluminium welder during the week and repaired. Came back looking great. So the old 1.8 box was removed and the 325 box installed. Along with a new Sachs clutch, short shift kit and the flywheel also being slightly lightened and skimmed.



The rear subframe also had some camber and toe adjustable plates welded on.







A few other bits and pieces were also done. Tomorrow i will be back to tackle some more

[Stonkin]

Bit more done today...


Radiator fitted.

Air intake fitted and sensors connected.

Header tank fitted along with relay box. Only taped to the side for now as brackets need to be spot welded on for them as they were different items in this chassis originally. They also need to be removed once i know its running to paint everything.

All fluids done.

Exhaust fitted. I was keen to see if the downpipe cleared the modified steering coupler, which it does. I wont be using the rear section of this exhaust as there are no silencers at all, but it makes things slightly quieter for starting it.

Passenger side hole in the floor is all welded up and sealed.

Rear calipers all painted.

E46 steering rack cleaned.

Front subframe painted. Not bothering with the front control arms as they are being replaced anyway with new ball joints and bushes. I'll paint the new ones.

Loom given a final check over.

Negative lead for battery attached to the chassis.

Fuel tank drained as this car has not been used for about 7 years. Fresh fuel put in.


So, it was time to fire it up. Although we had a spark there was no fuel. After investigation, the fuel pump is not working at all. It was removed and tested but its had it. Not really surprising after all that time sitting there. Will get one ordered asap.


Would have been nice to hear it running, but wont be long


Few pics from today

[Screacher]

Stonks - re the steering linkage UJs, what engine mounts are you running? Mine was clear when stationary (and indeed on most corners), but when driving hard, it caught on left-handers as the engine moves across unless you have uprated/solid mounts.

[Stonkin]

I was told the car had uprated engine and gearbox mounts when i bought it but i camt see that it has. They dont look in bad nick but i dont think uprated. I think i certainly need to do the engine mounts.

Would it make a huge difference if i 'slightly' squashed the downpipe to allow a little more clearance? I do only mean a little


Good news is that as of tonight the car starts and drives

[milescook]

I get cold shivers whenever i look at a naked rear beam - in a bad way.i know the he'll that job entails.... Looking good!

[Screacher]

Would it make a huge difference if i 'slightly' squashed the downpipe to allow a little more clearance? I do only mean a little

I did this as an emergency fix at Cadwell when we first identified the problem:





I can't say I noticed any power loss, tho I'm sure there would have been some. Recently cut that section out and replaced with a different profile bend which gives a lot more clearance. That said, I think solid mounts (or at least uprated) will be the real fix. However, the pipe did need repairing so we made a new section.

If the car's on the road, give it a try with some very hard left-hand cornering (as that's the only way the engine will move towards the steering linkage). With hindsight, mine had done it from day one with the original E30 rack and linkage but hardly noticeable. However, with the new linkage and E46 Compact rack, it prevented me from turning the steering which obviously wasn't a good idea!!

[DanThe]

Cheap uprated engine mounts for M20 engines with E36/E46 racks -

http://www.burtonpower.com/parts-by-cat ... fp292.html

[Stonkin]

Cheers guys. Will definetly get some of those mounts.

Few more bits done today

Fitted the powerflex control arm bushes



Painted the driveshafts, 4.10 LSD and gearbox

[Stonkin]

Hi, tomorrow I will be recieving new front lemforder control arms, m3 eccentric bushes for them, the eccentric bolt kit for the welded tabs on the rear subframe and rear disc shields.

This may seem a silly question but I wanted to check what position the m3 control arm bushes should be pressed into the lollipops?

Thanks, Christian

[milescook]

Hi, tomorrow I will be recieving new front lemforder control arms, m3 eccentric bushes for them, the eccentric bolt kit for the welded tabs on the rear subframe and rear disc shields.

This may seem a silly question but I wanted to check what position the m3 control arm bushes should be pressed into the lollipops?

Thanks, Christian

i have the same silly question with mine Im guessing the anglethat allows the wheels to camber out at the bottom?

[maxfield]

The bushes should be pressed so the hole is as close to the centre of the car. The should be in line with the 'stick' of the lollipop.

[Stonkin]

Great, thanks very much