Ignition Coil & Header

#1

Hello all. I’m new to Spec E30 and hope to have something together, all be it not very comptitive (325e), by summertime. I have some questions though so I’ll get to them one at a time by section. Just a fiar warning, this whole "spec" thing is new to me. I have built Honda’s until now and we all know there are alot fewer restrictions.

Anyway. When I first got this car the coil, amoung other things, was bad. I opted to replace it with a MSD coil because it was about half the price and was readily available to me. The rulebook says nothing of ignition coils and since they are left out and by the way the CCR was written if it left out then you have to leave it as it.

So are MSD coils okay?

Also I have a MSD igntion box I was going to put int but now I think I won’t since the rules state nothing of it being okay, right?

Also I bought a shorty header I was going to install but the rules say only the exhaust after and including the cats can be modified. Am I to assume that headers are not allowed?

Thanks.

#2

I can make this simple for you.
If the rules don’t say you can do it, you can’t.
All of the items you list are not legal.
Also, the 325e is not a suitable donor car. If you read the front page of the site you will find the SU class is being dumped since there were essentially no cars running in it. I would sell the 325e and find a 325i instead, much easier than trying to make an e into an i.

#3

First of all, it’s good to see you here.

Secondly, we wrote the Spec E30 Rules to limit modifications, and thus costs. The Rules aren’t perfect but they are stable and mostly straightforward.

The bottom line - if the Rules do not specifically address an item, it must stay (or be changed back) as it came from the factory when it was built. You want to start with a car that is as stock, and complete, as possible.

Print the rules, look at your car, and go don’t the list.

And yes, the Eta cars are not legal for Spec E30. You can race in a different class (but within the same run group) but I highly recommend you sell that car and find a car that is legal for Spec E30.

Sometimes, (not saying you did this) a person will buy a car and then look at the Rules. Someone introduced a woman to me who had bought a Firebird convertible and wanted to "race it." She knew nothing about any sports car racing organization or rules.

That’s not the way to do it.

Regardless, feel free to post any questions or concerns…and feel free to find a Spec E30 owner in your area. We are the best resource.

Carter

#4

Well I’ve had this car for about 10 months and am looking to get racing again and thought since I had this car I should go with it since Spec racing seems fun. I’m not so sure I want to sell it then buy another though just to race in Spec E30. My thought was to race what I had as to minimize the cost and time to get racing.

Thanks.

#5

Welcome Spec E30. I guess you haven’t really gotten the news you were hoping to for when you posted your original question(s). There is really nothing to stop you from building a 325e into a SE30 race car if that is what you have and want to do. The problem is that the engine is inferior to the later model "i" cars and at some point this will become an issue for you. Maybe not your first year, but eventually no driver ability will make up for the lack of power as compared to the "i" cars.

The big question is do you want to race and just have fun or do you have a need to win? It would be a shame to build up a car spending $5k plus on it and know that it probably cannot be a winning car. AFAIK, there are not any ETA or 318 cars still racing in SE30. Just my $.02

  • Ken
#6

There will be an ETA running next year. Albeit with an "i" motor.

#7

screwynewy wrote:

Seems a shame, I was at a E30 junkyard yesterday and there were 10 cars there, 9 318’s and one 325i (I bought the 325i :woohoo: )

#8

badboypolar wrote:

[quote]Well I’ve had this car for about 10 months and am looking to get racing again and thought since I had this car I should go with it since Spec racing seems fun. I’m not so sure I want to sell it then buy another though just to race in Spec E30. My thought was to race what I had as to minimize the cost and time to get racing.

Thanks.[/quote]

well you don’t have to ditch your E30 completely to run spec E30, if you swap in a 325i M20 (2.5L, not the low reving 2.7L ETA you have) you would be legal, less the header, and coil, btw www.bimmerparts.com (Ziggy and Chris are great guys to deal with) has OE Bosch coils for about what you’d spend on a MSD blaster 2.

The motor swap is labor intensive, but if you get the donor motor with the wiring harness and computer, just take the old motor out with the harness attached (where the harness plugs in with the computer just pull that end through the firewall) then install the new one with the harness and just run the harness end though the firewall as a whole, it’s by far the easiest way to do the job. Also with the engine out you can weld in the legal subframe reinforcements.

#9

I have an "eta" car that has been converted to SpecE30. (Mainly because I bought an -is that was rusted out). I swapped engines including motronic and wiring and 3.73 LSD. I have done all the work myself, however, so labor has been "free". It has not been that big a deal.

#10

This is an old topic fellas. This was a lot eariler this year.

See you in the Spring!