E30 went on a diet!

[steveoz32]

Hi Guys,

Just thought i'd post up some piccies of me E30 build and how it's going.

Changed all the chocks for uprated shortened gas units, changed the springs for -60mm springs 50% stiffer, all the old shocks out (which were actually in great condition!):



Rear struts & springs in (forgot to take bloody pics of putting them in never mind!):



Boot all stripped out nicely:



Back stripped:



Drivers side and bulkhead stripped:



Hoovered out and making subframe struts for new buckets:



Drivers seat all in:



Passenger side all out making up subframe:




Have now got seats in with seat belt fixings etc all sorted, took it out for a test drive and they hold me in fantastically when she is going sideways Just changing the front brakes now, moving onto the rear at the weekend. Taken next week off to go and pick up whichever engine I decide to go with and fit it in. After that comes the tidying up of the body work, re-sealing all underneath and spraying her up! Can't wait to get her out on the road again in full finished form!

Steve

[Ammaco]

that is looking like one healthy e30 steve! what model is it? does the wait loss have much affect on your drifts?

[Rosc0PColtrane]

Looks bloody good mate!!!

Wish I had the time/money and space to secure the future of my cab like that. Get to any probs and fixem before they get terminal!!!

Plus make it cooler better faster and more sideways, true hero mate!!!

[Demlotcrew]

Good work there!

What dampers did you put in the back?

Andrew

[steveoz32]

Thanks for the coments chaps

The reason for stripping was three fold really. To make it lighter and faster, to see what the shell was like to assess whether it was worth investing more cash in, and to fix any issues b4 they could and would kill the car!

Under all of the carpet the only prob was a small rotten peice the size of a 2p in the very corner of the drivers footwell. It's not on the sill, or structural, it's just the very thin metal that covers the inner arch. I blame the mudguards that were on it, when I took them off it had about 10 years of compacted crap hidden up where you couldn't have got to otherwise! I've filed it back to decent metal and I've welded a small plate on and packed the back with fibreglass and underseal to protect it.

Shock wise I went for a combination of billies with G-max springs. I know G-max aren't most peoples choice, but I know someone who had been riding on gmax -60's and I thought they were fantastic. Fitting the front shocks were a bit of a mare, i killed a ball joint on the wishbone by putting to much torque on the nut, ripped the bolt clean in half . So I took the wishbone off and renewed all the joints, did the same on the other side!

ATM I'm running 185/55/15 on the rear and 205/50/15 on the front. Running the backs at 45 psi and the fronts at 30. With the suspension set up (very little roll) and these tyres, giving it a good clutch kick around a bend suitably gets the rear out, or steering out then throwing into the corner with clutch kick or throttle does a nice job too. Don't ever have to use the e-brake. And now with the buckets firmly keeping me in place it's a good place to be. The thing is also, I can go around say a 30 mile an hour corner, now at around 50ish and it just sticks to the road unless you want it to go out and initiate the above, so it seems I have the best of both worlds atm.

Just can't wait to get a torque monster of a lump in and get her all buffed up! But then I'll have to learn to drive her all over again!

[JimmyC]

Get a heat gun on all that sound proofing inside the car, it weighs a lot and is easy to get out. Also dont go under seal crazy as that weighs loads too.

Looking good though

[steveoz32]

Sorry forgot to say, it's currently a 320i sport.

Also them dark patches in the footwell are some weird black like tar crap. My missus is not happy at all, because I keep managing to get it on my trainers and then walking it into our carpet. I ran all the way up stairs and rubbed a dirty fkin great big black tar mark on every other step that won't come off oops! lol

[JimmyC]

Sorry forgot to say, it's currently a 320i sport.

Also them dark patches in the footwell are some weird black like tar crap. My missus is not happy at all, because I keep managing to get it on my trainers and then walking it into our carpet. I ran all the way up stairs and rubbed a dirty fkin great big black tar mark on every other step that won't come off oops! lol

Thats the sound proofing, get it out as I said above it weighs a lot!

Heatgun and a scrapper, then petrol or paint thinner on a green kitchen scourer to remove the glue

[steveoz32]

Cool, I'll take a gander when I get home!

[e30bmlover]

your doing a good job mate, nice to see someone else(besides myself) takeing pride in there 320... would love to see the pics when shes done.

[bottlecapE30]

any way you can tell us how much weight you are shaving?
Looking good

[Demlotcrew]

Hi do you have any more pics of the rear dampers???

Thanks

Andrew

[lukeb]

looks good dude, but where is the rest of the rust? looks like you got a good shell. What engine do you think your going to put in, a mate of mine had a 316i and put a 3.5 in which he drifts he used to have a260-270bhp s14 and said the beemer is better.

When do you think it will be on the road and what colour are you going for?

[Lloydie38]

Hi Steve,

I've just done the same with mine and over the last few days removed the sound deadening with the advice from JimmyC - and it works!!

The sound proofing weighs 21Lbs out of my 2 door 325i
Overall stripping out saved 266Lbs in weight
Car now weighs 1070Kgs without me in it (buggering it up completley!!)

I've taken some photo's buy yet to get them on my site but there are some pics that may interest you as it's all very similar work done.
See http://www.whitetrack325i.webeden.co.uk/

Get on to the track / motorsport section to see more likewise people!
Cheers

[steveoz32]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the tips on the soundproofing.

Re the shocks, no I haven't got any more pics and I am gutted. I should have taken some for my file of when it was all off. I had the struts off with hubs and disks attached from either side along with the wishbones and everything! I was so into it I forgot to take any pics until the wheels were back on, hence the very small amount of room to take a pic lol. I will probably take some soon whilst I am sorting the brakes.

Rust wise she's pretty good, there is some blistering on one of the rear arches which I'm going to get rid of, it is solid though. Before I bought it I went all underneath and pulled all the rubbers off etc to check for corrosion and she seemed pretty good.

I'm hoping I have saved at least 100kgs atm. With the alloy spare, tool kit and jack weighing best part of a quater of that to get me started, I don't think I should be too far off!

Cheers

Steve

[Demlotcrew]

Car now weighs 1070Kgs without me in it (buggering it up completley!!)

I got my car weighed and with a full interior (S14B23) and half a tank of petrol i came out to exactly 1200kg.

Can you also get me more pics of the rear dampers they look interesting!

Andrew

[Lloydie38]

Car now weighs 1070Kgs without me in it (buggering it up completley!!)

I got my car weighed and with a full interior (S14B23) and half a tank of petrol i came out to exactly 1200kg.

Can you also get me more pics of the rear dampers they look interesting!

Andrew

They are Bilstein sprintline kit 1 x £329

[Demlotcrew]

^ Have you got any pics of them tho?

Andrew

[Lloydie38]

Just on my web side - click on my www logo below and look in the photos section, there's one there that's all, but let me know and I can take some more pics with my box brownie

[Demlotcrew]

Thanks for that, but your looks different. WHat im getting at is he might have some touring rear dampers thats all.

Andrew