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Hey guys,
I’ve been reading through the forum for a little while now… I track an E30 and want to get my race license this year and continue to build the car towards spec in the event I want to race next year.
I need a little help though. I’m located in Marietta, GA and would greatly appreciate one of the local experts stopping by my shop and giving me some guidance as I tear apart the car. Free beer!
Thanks,
Jason
You sound like you’re in a similar position… I’ve done about 14 DE days and my current goal is to have my car complete by this fall.
My E30 is stripped with totally redone brakes and ATE calipers up front, spec shocks and springs, camber plates, and nitto NT-01s for tires. Next up I’m planning on working on the oiling system with a crank scraper, IE swaybars, and redoing all the bushings in the rear end and drive train. Probably go with a cage mid-year.
What’s your car looking like these days? I’m in Brookhaven btw.
A couple pics are attached.
All that I (think) I’m missing is weight reduction, full cage and a fire system… But, I definitely welcome one of the local pros to provide some insight.
Haha nice, I’ve seen you at… Jzilla maybe? I’m the guy with the bronzit E30 getting upset that you were slowly pulling away from me!
Oh, yeah! I remember you man!
Good luck with building your car… I’m thinking about taking mine to Kirk this summer for the cage…
I’ve considered them, I also spoke with the Whittingers this weekend who suggested roll cage components in SC, the price is VERY reasonable for their weld in cage kit and I was surprised how good they looked.
Not 100% sure, but I have a guy I do some work with occasionally named Bob Wagner, he’s an old race car guy who lets me bother him and talk about car stuff. I’d probably see if he could help me out. Maybe some other local guys could provide other suggestions…
Can someone who has pulled the dash and heater box stop by next week and give me some tips??
Free beer!
[quote=“JSA” post=76548]Can someone who has pulled the dash and heater box stop by next week and give me some tips??
Free beer![/quote]
Are you planning on plugging the coolant port on the back of the cylinder head or just looping the lines? No tricks really, just rip that bad boy out of there! You’ll need to make a cover plate to cover the gaping hole in the firewall.
Sorry JSA, I’d forgotten about your post.
There’s sure to be an elegant way to get the heater core out, and maybe that’s in the Bentley. I brute forced mine out. Once I pulled all the fasteners I could see I got in their with an angle grinder and just started cutting and prying.
The dash is pretty easy to take out. Empty the dash by removing vents, all electronics, glovebox and the center console. Then, IIRC, all you have is a couple bolts on the far left and far right, and then there’s a clip that hooks to the forward center of the dash, just short of the window. Take the bolts out and jiggle the dash to and fro to get it free of the clip.
There’s a couple ways to deal with the heater hose. The easy solution is to loop the hose to and from the heater core. Some of us, me included, have blocked off the heater ports at the back of the head and at the thermostat housing. This is only possible with the head off tho. This is my favorite solution because it removes failure points and clutter. With the port blocked off at the back of the head it’s much easier to get to one of the big bolts that fastens tranny to engine.
It is possible, albeit insanely arduous, to access the rear of the cylinder head with the engine/head “in” the car. It involves unbolting the transmission mounts, exhaust, steering column, radiator hoses, clutch fan, air box, front subframe, etc… Then you can lower/tilt the engine forward and have a little more access.
Thanks for the response.
I was going to buy the AKG kit and they claim that you don’t have to pull the head to install the block off plate… ??
[quote=“JSA” post=76581]Thanks for the response.
I was going to buy the AKG kit and they claim that you don’t have to pull the head to install the block off plate… ??[/quote]
I too bought the AKG kit. That plug is worthless (wrong size in my case). I bought a $1 brass plug from Home Depot that worked just fine. The cover plate is the correct size however. And yes, It is possible to access the back of the head with the engine/head in the car… see my previous post.
Pardon my French… but, F$%K! Installing the blockoff plate on my E36 M3 wasn’t that bad at all… I guess that’s what we get since BMW crammed such a long motor into a small chassis… UGH. I might as well pull the entire motor, install a new clutch, seals, timing belt and whatever else… 
Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good enough. Get what you need done to get the car on the track. Spend the months after that doing all the little things that you dream up to make it perfect. Folks that try to make it perfect before getting it on the track, often never do get it on the track.
You can cut the hose coming off the back of the head, stick a big bolt in it, then clamp it tight with a hoseclamp. Not as good as a blockoff plate, but it will work. You can do the same thing at the thermostat housing.
Put a coolant pressure switch high on your list. Old hoses fail, even when short and blocked off. Someone in the region loses an engine pretty much every year to a failed coolant hose. If you search around here you’ll find info on coolant pressure switches.
[quote=“JSA” post=76548]Can someone who has pulled the dash and heater box stop by next week and give me some tips??
Free beer![/quote]I found a great writeup somewhere a few years ago on dash removal, and converted the web page text/photos to a Word document. I believe I have on my computer at home and will upload to Google Docs and post if I can find it.
However, once you have removed the dash, removing the heater core is the most satisfying task you can do on an E30.
Step 1: Disconnect the water lines at the firewall, electrical connections, AC lines.
Step 2: Remove the access panel under the hood on the firewall. This will expose the heater fan.
Step 3: Grab a 5lb sledge and “make your day”, whaling away from the engine compartment side, and after a few whacks the entire nasty assembly will pop free into the interior. Celebrate with your favorite cold beverage.
Uploaded the dash removal document. I didn’t create the original content, only migrated it to a Word Document. here it is on Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzfkUgART_B4UGpYOEQtbFhZWHM/edit
