E30 316i swapped with M20B20

[Starboxx]

Hi guys !

So i thought i'd do a post covering my build from the begining.

Like i said in my presentation, i bought a 316i swapped with an M20B20 six months ago in order to participate to hillclimb events and trackdays. This is a really low budget build, at least in a first place. I bought it about 500€ from a guy who was drifting with it. It may not be in good condition, but i hope that little by little, it will make its way to become a good track car. For now, i don't know "Exactly" wich modifications i'll do to the car, but i have a strong idea of what kind of build i want to acheive with it, and little by little, with work, energy and a lot commitment, it is something i should be able to do.

The first step is making it road legal again in order for it to pass inspection, and taking care of what is needed for reiability. Here is a list of what needs to be done for the inspection.
- New differential (The one on the car got broken by previous owner while drifting)
- Put OEM suspension springs on front (Too low for inspection, and even too low for me if i want to drive it "hard" without breaking the sump).
- Rubber boot is cracked so i need to replace it (Pic).
- No air filter.

I should have those parts next weekend and be able to work on this.

Basically, when i pass inspection, i wont ever need to pass it again so i can basically do whatever i want to the car.

There are a few other "technical" things that i need to take care of before going any further into the "build".
- The engine seems to have an oil leak somewhere (Pic). There is no oil on the ground but the engine block is a bit "wet". I think it is coming from the oil filter gasket, since it is only on this side of the engine. I'll need to have a way to look at it in better conditions, when the car can move from my garage wich is too dark to see any further.
- Replace oil filter, timing belt, change oil and so on, beceause i have no idea how many km the engine runned, and when it has been replaced last time (if it had ever been).
- Verify braking system to see if everything is working correctly.
- Maybe i'd better find a donor car for a complete new injection system, beceause there seems to have a lot of sketchy things about it, like the way the AFM is attached (Pic), the cable of the throttle body (Pic), and so on. The thing is, there is a lot of little things that i dont know "what is what", and i need to learn more about each little thing about the intake (like tubes that i dont know what are their purpose and so on), and then verify if everything is good.
- Exhaust manifold is quite rusted, and i will either find a good builder that can make custom ones or find good condition oem.

Thing is that i am scared of blowing up the engine beceause one or an other thing is not working correctly. So once all this is done, i'll start driving it, and maybe going for my first Nordschleife "test" run next month.

Then the proper "Build" will start. What i plan is :
- Fit the 16x9 wheels. These rims came with my best friend's Golf MK1 GTI and he doesnt want them since he got clio cup magnesium wheels. (get rid of the stretched tires that come with it. Will probably go for Toyo R888)
- Get rid of the stinky interior and the seats that are totally tattered. (I'll probably just keep door panels).
- Build a proper rollcage. I am thinking about stiffening the chassis in the same time (but it might come for later like next winter).
- Lighten the car as much as i can. I'll probably get rid of the ventilation system and rebuild a dashboard.
- Weld the sunroof.
- Painting the interior and make everything clean (cables etc).
- Throw some sparco seats & harness.
- Brakes (especially rear drum brakes) and suspension upgrade.

I hope the car will be ready for this summer. A lot of hillclimb events are planned. But the build will not stop there. Next winter will come with its lot of modifications, since i plan to make strong modifications to the car. Maybe not all in the same time, since i plan to be on this build for the next few years, and it might require some "intermediate" builds before arriving to that goal, but here is the idea. I dont know if you guys read speedhunters, but i am really inspired by "La Supra" build, and i am thinking about doing something a bit like it. Maybe not going so crazy about chassis modification, but the idea is there. I'd like to acheive a widebody DTM-like kind of thing. By DTM, i don't mean E30 DTM, but more like the look of nowdays DTM. Something like :

- Engine swap, goal is around 400hp (my ideas are S54b32 / 2JZ / S62 / S65B40 / LSX).
- Widen drive train by home built suspension geometry. Hopefully, working in 3D i have good CAD skills that will allow me to do something correct. + upgrade to the transmission system to fit the power i'm going for.
- 18x10 Rear / 18x9 Front, and the bodykit that goes with it. Already put my ideas in 3D a bit, i'll show more of this when i manage to acheive the desired look. Carbon fibre rear diffuser, exhaust exit on the right side, etc
- For the body paint, i am trying to acheive a look a bit like old aluminum racing cars / WWII airplaines, it means naked metal with just a clearcoat on it. I am still looking for some information about a way to do it and the products needed. I saw a few guys doing some "rusted look" to their E30, wich would be the same idea, just without rust. Thought about chrome paint, wich seems a bit "too much" shiny for me. I'd rather go for a grey metalic paint instead, but the naked metal thing is what i'd prefer to go for.
- Probably a loooot of things to go for this, aswell as i'll probably need to learn alot, but with time and commitment, i think i can do it. Goal here is not just to build a race car in one step throwing a big amount of money in it and then i'm done, but really to try, little by little, track days after track days, to improve performance of the car - aswell as the look.

That's it guys. I'll try to keep this build up as much as i can in the process, and to cover all modifications, with pictures. Already a lot to do untill this summer, wich is the first step of all this.

[Starboxx]

Got the wheels today, they fit perfectly. I thought i might need some spacers on front for the 16x9 but nope, it's just right. Those are Azev Type A. Quite heavy tho.

[P_VIDDY]

Wow that was a full on write up. Good luck with your build

[Starboxx]

Thank's !

Just decided i am going to participate to the Production BMW Championship (UK) this year. I have two months to make the car fit the regulations, wich will be not so much more work than what i already planned, except some little things.