Hello Spec E30 people!

#1

I recently purchased a 1990 325i from a NASA-SE memeber. Its not a spec e30 yet but it will be in the next few years. For now its DE car with the spec e30 suspension.

I did a lot of lurking around this forum and it was very helpful. I am a NASA-SE DE3’er right now and have been doing DEs for 3 years in my Corvette Z06. After wrecking it last year at CMP (Doh!!)and the cost of consumables for it I have decided to go E30.

Been driving the car on the street for now, getting used to it, and I am liking it more and more. First track day will be Toy Run at RA in a couple of weeks if I can get in (trying to buy a spot in DE).

Anyway just wanted to say hello. Here is a pic of the car:

[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/442/asdf147.jpg/][/URL]

Uploaded with [URL=http://imageshack.us]ImageShack.us[/URL]

I wil make sure not to ask Ranger about oil…

#2

Lovely car - welcome to a great series with great cars the people are only ok though LOL!!!

#3

Car looks great. Pit with the rest of us at RA toy run. Lots of special people to meet and tons of info to learn about the cars.

#4

Welcome
HPDE insurance is a good idea if you have a nice unmodded car. I don’t have full coverage on anything I own now. If I wreck an e30 what will they give me 1200? No thanks I’ll take my chances. I’ve been thinking of switching to hagerty insurance so I can name the value of my iX at 10k but haven’t gotten around to it.

Those seats aren’t leather with heat are they? If so I need you’re driver’s.

One of my friends wrecks cars alot and due to insurance overpayments has gone from an 05 wrx to an 03 z06 and now an 06 c6 Z51. I envy him but I don’t run out of skill often enough for that to happen. I’m sure you don’t have a need for speed and an abundant lack of skill like he does though.

#5

Thanks, I come hang out with you guys at RA!

As far as wrecking my Vette it was a stupid mistake I made. Cold track, cold tire + passing in the Kink at CMP put me into the tire wall. There was no need for me to take the point by and make the pass in that spot. I compansated for being off line but not enough and I ran out of track out. Expensive lesson learned. My insurance actually paid to fix it so I was lucky. I am not a crazy driver just made a stupid move that day.

I am really enjoying learning about a new car. This is the first BMW I ever owned and the more I drive it and learn about it the more I like it. I am a mechanical engineer so I will learn what every nut and bolt does.

#6

Welcome. Always nice to see another Southeast guy making the progression through DE to SpecE30. If I did it, anyone can. :smiley:

#7

[quote=“King Tut” post=61247]Welcome. Always nice to see another Southeast guy making the progression through DE to SpecE30. If I did it, anyone can. :D[/quote]You’re saying your progression is complete? Optimist. :laugh:

Greywolfe - Welcome! December should be a good crowd of SE30s. Hopefully the weather will be friendly enough that we don’t have to all crowd into Palacio’s motorhome.

PS - The nuts and bolts mostly hold two pieces of metal together while providing the ability to remove the fasteners and take the two pieces of metal apart again if needed. Engineers… :lol:

#8

I forgot the progression finishes with a pass on Steve. I will make that a priority for next season.

#9

Well it looks like I’m going to have to wait til CMP in Feb to track the car as all the DE spots are gone and someone else beat me to the ticket someone was selling.

I’ll still come and hang out. I know I’m gonna get alot of crap from the C5 mafia when they see me roll up in a E30, lol.

#10

The C5 guys are jealous :dry:

Welcome to SE30

#11

Tell them they’re welcome to give you a hard time once they have 20+ in-class cars show up for a race. :whistle:

Matt

#12

Michael, welcome to se30 in the Southeast.
Is that Kerry’s old car?
Does te A/C work?
Is the dash cracked?
Heck, is it for sale?

If it has a good A/C it should remain a street car. Ditto the dash. We’ll find you a good core to make into a race car at which time it is time to go racing.

Come and see us at RA. Perhaps a DE3 space will open up?

RP

ps I’m thinking that you’ll learn alot about momentum that will make you faster when you go back to the Corvette. So, your e30 should make the C5 crowd jealous.

#13

I agree with Patton, that car is way toooo nice to make into a SpecE30.

#14

Yes I bought the car and extras from Keri. There is no A/C compressor but the heater works. Yes the dash is cracked. Just bought it and not thinking of selling it. Its in good condition but not that good to not make it a race car. It looks real nice in the picture but up close it has chips in the paint and little rust spots.

I’ll DE it for now and then see from there. Its got the spec e30 suspension so I wouldn’t want to daily drive it, too stiff on bumpy roads. Anyway I bought it to be an economical track car(if there is such a thing).

I think I’ll chage the timing belt to be sure and then get the solid motor and tranny mounts.

Robert, I’ll talk to you at Road Atlanta.

#15

When folks say solid mounts around here they are usually talking about metal mounts. Solid’s ok as long as they aren’t solid metal. I never really understood why the rules spec that tho.

#16

Please put the motor mounts in before too many track days. With 20+ year old rubber mounts the engine could break away and cause a radiator problem as the fan dips into the core.

I’d be more concerned about this than the t-belt.

No a/c and crackes in the dash= race car.

If you need race car prep help in your area see Joel Barber (aka greydog)at his race shop. Hey, Joel, give us some contact information under in the profile area of this web site.
RP

#17

[quote=“greywolfe” post=61265]Well it looks like I’m going to have to wait til CMP in Feb to track the car as all the DE spots are gone and someone else beat me to the ticket someone was selling.

I’ll still come and hang out. I know I’m gonna get alot of crap from the C5 mafia when they see me roll up in a E30, lol.[/quote]

Folks always cancel at the last minute or fail to show up. Email Jim and tell him that you’re going to show up, just in case he has a no-show. Then even in the impossibly unlikely chance that there’s not a single no show in any DE group, he’ll probably let you squeeze in out of the kindness of his heart.

#18

Yeah by solid I meant Poly mounts . The fan is already removed but I will do it anyway. I will need to get a electic fan in the near future (no fan now).

#19

On early models the engine moving around on old motor mounts will also allow the alternator pulley to take out the radiator return hose.

There are some guys that run with no fan at all, but most guys like having the fan there. For a while I had no fan but I kept finding unlikely scenarios where I wished I still had one. So I put the fan back on. A particularly bad scenario is the red flag where you are pushing hard and thens suddenly have to come to a stop. That forces you to turn the engine off immed and the engine’s local hot spots kinda just have to suck it up. Extremes of temp like that are hard on gaskets, oil and everything non-metal in the engine bay.

#20

Ranger, do you still have an engine fan on the car? I reread the post and I think not…

Delete the engine’s fan and the use of the BMW a/c fan in front of the radiator on a new wire circuit seems to do the trick in all of my cars.