My First E30

#41

donstevens wrote:

[quote]And everyone said that build a Spec E30 car was easy and cheap (relatively).

I paid a professional to do this work and I am glad I did.

Keep plugging.

Don[/quote]

:slight_smile: We old guys are pretty smart.

#42

donstevens wrote:

[quote]And everyone said that build a Spec E30 car was easy and cheap (relatively).

I paid a professional to do this work and I am glad I did.

Keep plugging.

Don[/quote]

Some of us get enjoyment out of doing the work ourselves. Now we might get frustrated from time to time, but as they always say a bad day wrenching beats a good day at work. Keep at it man. I am hoping to complete my transmisison swap this coming weekend and then I will get to the fun stuff you have been doing improving parts instead of fixing broke ones.

#43

I donā€™t think anything so far has been really difficult (except my front control arm bushing saga), IF it were not for the rusted fasteners you find on a 19 yr old car. I assume thereā€™s a perfect 1990 325is out there somewhere in Arizona with bolts that just un-do themselves - but that ainā€™t my carā€¦

Iā€™m sure Iā€™ve lost track, but so far this is what I can remember:

Alternator adjustment bolt crumbledā€¦
Lollipop bolt broke off inside the unibody
All 4 brake disk allen bolts required drilling
All 4 rear brake lines required multiple PB blaster/torch treatments + tubing wrenches
Any and all exhaust fasteners
lower ball joint nut on pass side - big cheater bar
ebrake cable needed torch & drill treatment to release
subframe bushings broke off even with washer - air chisel and dremel to clean out the pockets

So - anybody got any tips on the install of the Rear Ireland sway bar - I know there are big aluminum billet mounts - and also some backing plates that need to be welded in?

Jim

#44

Locating the holes in the trunk floor is the only hard part of installing the IE rear sway. My approach is to bolt the bracket up from below and make a pin punch out of an old bolt by grinding down the end to a sharp point. Drive that up from below in the through hole of the bracket until thereā€™s an obvious dimple. Then lay out the other hole from that, remove the bracket and drill the holes from the trunk side.

Yes you need reinforcements for sway link pickup points. Iā€™m partial to a reinforcement like those sold by Turner that triangulate the forces. I make my own, but the Turner parts are cheap.

#45

An update on my meager progress: (Been damn HOT here in Austin latelyā€¦ I donā€™t miss much about Detroit - but I do miss the cool summers)

With help of my signifcant other, re-routed E-brake cable to the handle inside the car. Her comment: ā€œIā€™d normally have to run 3 miles to sweat that muchā€

Installed new front pads and retapped threads for the rotor allen bolts
Installed Ireland rear sway brackets and bar - retapped bar supports for a longer bolt - supplied bolt seemed much too short
Installed new inner brake lines
Reinstalled rear subframe (with powerflex bushings)
Welded support tabs on rear trailing arms
Resinstalled trailing arms - keeping subframe attachement bolts loose so that I could put the trailing arm bolt in without removing the gas tank filler hose, then fully tightened the trailing arm and subframe bolts
Resinstalled 3.73 LDS diff
Reinstalled prop shaft and half shafts
Reinstalled cute little e-brake drum brake systems (Not as bad as I was expecting, but I have way too much experience with old VW drum brakes)
Installed new rear discs and disc allen bolts
Installed new H&R springs
Installed new poly upper shock mounts
Installed new Bilsteins - after installing one I realized that the shock shaft will push right thru the poly bushing unless you have a washer that will locate itself on the step of the shock shaft. Pulled old shocks out of junk pile - scavenged old washer from them and resinstalled on the Bilsteins. The upper shock mounts came with extra washers but the ID was too big - they slide over the step on the shaft. (Lesson - never throw old crap away until car is back on its wheels and running).
Installed sway bar links - Ireland supplied bolts that were WAAAAAY too long for the sway bar clamp end of the link - the bolt goes into the spring (and is impossible to install from the spring side because the spring coil is in the way - if there is a trick Iā€™m missing, please let me know).

Significant Other comment #2: ā€œYou must really want to RACE that thing, because you are always working on itā€

ā€œNo no no - itā€™s just a cheap commuter car, dear!ā€ (at least until I do a few NASA track days and some other Spec E30s show up around here)ā€¦

Left to do:

Install outer rear brake lines
Install caliper brackets, calipers and new pads
Install Spec exhaust & figure out how to put a cat conv. in it
Fix leak I created during new water pump install
Charge the AC and pray that it coolsā€¦

Final Step (after state inspection & new plates)- DRIVE IT LIKE I STOLE IT !

And save up for new 15" Team Dynamics wheels, wheel studs, and some Toyo Proxy RA-1s (or whatever the spec tire is these days)

Jim

#46

Thatā€™s a serious list, especially at 105. Drop me a line if you want a hand.

Iā€™m still debating about TWS on August 1st, but will definitely be going to Eagles Canyon in October. Think you might make it?

#47

Canā€™t say I would look forward to frying myself at TWS in August - and I donā€™t think the car will be ready by then anywayā€¦

October looks much cooler and do-able - but it will just be a HPDE car - no cage or racing belts by then.

The outer rear brake lines, and rear calipers/pads are installed. And I think the brakes are bled - very nasty old brake fluid is goneā€¦

Just bought a China Freight tailpipe expander yesterday so I can enlarge the Y-pipe and slip it onto the twin downpipes. Then I gotta figure out how to splice in the cat for the ā€œstreetā€ exhaust. Then I gotta figure out my leaky water pumpā€¦

Current dilemma is the seat and belts. I have some old Sparco Evos that I want to fit - but donā€™t have any mounts or adjustable tracksā€¦ I would like two seats while it is an HPDE car - scaring passengers/instructors would be funā€¦

Other question is tires - looks the Toyo RA-1 is the tire for next year?

Jim

#48

Just a tip for next time you need to remove rotors with stuck allen bolts. BFH. I just replaced the front rotors last weekend and those damn allen bolts were NOT coming out. After I tried heat, pb blaster, swearing, etc. the bolt stripped. So I tried to drill it out and killed the drill bits. Final solution was to whack it with a big hammer from the back and break the rotor off and then turn the bolt out with some vice grips. Much easier and somehow more gratifying :slight_smile:

#49

Sounds like you need better drill bits. Iā€™ve drilled out a number rotor retaining screws and never have had a problem with dulling the bit.

#50

Hey Guys

Long awaited SE30 update - have I waited so long that thereā€™s now a full field at all the Texas NASA events?

Finally got some time to do some exhaust fabrication - the Ebay cat is installed in the midpipe - and the exhaust is on.

I let the car sit so long that the small leak I had under the water pump appears to have ā€œhealed itselfā€ YEAH. Gotta love rust in the water jacket.

Bolted up the old 14 inch bottle caps with the antique goodyears and lowered her to the groundā€¦ MAN she sits LOW compared to the stock suspension. Canā€™t really autocross her in the ā€˜hoodā€™ - but sheā€™s much tighter now - not having a front ball joint with 1/2 inch of slop really helps.

Now - the list is:

Fix the flashing check engine light.
Transfer the title and get some new plates
Emissions and safety inspection
Find me a good cheap replacement for my one worn-out goodyear
Get an alignment (is there anything you can really set besides front camber and toe in)?

Whereā€™s the best place to buy the $99 team dynamics wheels and the Spec tires? They are using RA-1s now, right? Wheels studs also recommended, right?

#51

L8Apex wrote:

ā€œā€¦highly recommendedā€¦ā€ according to the rules. Absolutely mandatory in practice given how much we change tires.

#52

L8Apex wrote:

[quote]
Whereā€™s the best place to buy the $99 team dynamics wheels and the Spec tires? They are using RA-1s now, right? Wheels studs also recommended, right?[/quote]

Check with Factory 3 Performance or Bimmerworld for your wheels. Or just go to the sponsors link section and see who works best for you. Itā€™s always good to support those who are supporting us.

RA-1ā€™s will be the tire for 2010. And wheel studs are a big 10-4

#53

Ok - Iā€™m an idiot. After pulling off my air meter to check my ā€œcheck engine light code = 1ā€, Iā€™ve discovered that I DONā€™T have a check engine light - I have a CHECK light - as in - ā€œcheck the warning panel above your head, idiotā€ !

Doh! Says Homerā€¦

So - after I figure out how to bypass the washer bottle low and the brake lining red idiot lights, maybe I can get my ā€œcheckā€ light to stop flashing?

I connected and taped the brake pad wear sensor wires together - that seemed to turn the light off when I did it - but now the light is back on again - dammit. Just connecting the wires should do it, right?

Also - what kind of front camber is OK for the street? I went for max camber when I installed the plates (maybe 2 deg per side) and now that looks like a recipe for bad tire wear on the street - maybe 1 deg per side is more reasonable?

And - Iā€™ve got no backup lights - doing some reading on E30tech leads me to believe that either the reverse switch on the trans is bad, or the wiring at the shifter is bad - bulbs are good, and nothing else running off fuse 10 is deadā€¦

Any input appreciated.

THANKS

#54

Glad to see an update. Unfortunetly I havenā€™t tackled any of the issues you have yet. I donā€™t think 2 degrees camber is too much for the street.

#55

OKā€¦

all faults cleared - my brake lining idiot light is still on - but Iā€™ll live with it. Adding water to my washer bottle fixed that red light - and my brake light check goes out after I hit the brakes for the first time.

Solved my no reverse light problem by taking the switch out of the tranny, cleaning & cycling it a few times - and presto - now I have reverse lightsā€¦

BUT - a couple of NEW problems. I jacked the car up from the left and right sides last night - instead of front then back like a usually do it. When I set the rear end down, the sway bar links had flopped the wrong way - and I had the NHRA top fuel look going - the bar was bound and jacked up the back end? I jacked it back up using the diff, undid the top bolts - and was able to flop the links back to the correct position. I also lenghtened the link by as much as I could - this seemed to make it less likely that the links would flop again. Has anyone else seen this happen? Did me left/right jack technique cause this?

Soā€¦ fixed that - drove around the hood and I start to hear a popping noise from the front end. Now I suspect the front bar has done the same, but when I jack up the driverā€™s side, I find the strut spring out of the pocket - with the bottom of the spring pushed inward? Did my jacking left/right do this one too? Or did I somehow not assemble the spring correctly? I was able to push it back into line - and let the car down. Drove it and no more popping sounds.

But- the coolant light came on - and Iā€™ve got a pretty good leak down low somewhere. The jack did get trapped under the spoiler/undertray when let the car down last night. Hope I didnā€™t trash a radiatorā€¦ If so - who sells the cheapest radiators?

The adventure continuesā€¦

#56

Well - found my coolant leak. Upper water pump to thermostat hose had a close shave with the cooling fan - wore a hole in it - and it was peeing coolant right into the fanā€¦ Good news is that this is the one hose I didnā€™t replace during my water pump job.

Will I have any luck finding this hose locally - or is it time to order from my friends at RM European? Austin has a decent amount of old Bimmers - so hopefully I can find it.

Thenā€¦ how do I keep the hose out of the fan this time? Looks to me like I need to zip tie it back to the engine lift hook.

Good idea?

#57

Too many issues in this thread. Some problems will go unanswered because theyā€™ll get buried.

Camber. Lots of camber will certainly wear tires prematurely, but toe is harder on tires then camber. Ensure your toe is neutral, or perhaps your front toed in slightly (1/8" or less). Then check your rear camber and tell us what it is. Based on that, youā€™ll get decent front camber recommendations from folks. Camber needs a F-R camber balance so the front canā€™t be addressed in isolation. Rear camber is harder to adjust then front so work first to get something reasonable in the rear.

Hose. Autoparts stores are unlikely to carry it. Fastest way to get it is probably a big German parts Internet retailer who ships from your part of the country. Used hoses are good for track spares, but since youā€™re home Iā€™d put a new on in.

Sway bar and strut problems. Iā€™ve not the first clue. Iā€™d be concerned that something isnā€™t installed right. It would be bad for your suspension to all fall apart the first time one of your corners got a little light bounding over something. Maybe take some pictures and draw arrows that show whatā€™s going on and someone smart here will spot the issue. Wonā€™t be me.

#58

Thanks, Scott.

YES - my life (and car) has too many issuesā€¦

Hose: Scored at a local Advance Auto parts - donā€™t have it yet, but another store in town has it - and I can get it tonight - only $14 too. Going to be VERY careful how I install this one. I assume that I tweeked the last hose in some way that let the fan rub it - I wonā€™t make that mistake again.

Camber:
Rear: I installed powerflex urethane (but not offset) rear control arm bushings - and powerflex subframe bushings. Rears look to have at least a degree or two of negative. Hard to say how much (if any) change from stock because the car sits so much lower with the SE30 springs.

Front: Discovered that I didnā€™t have the locking screws tightened down on the camber plates - but doesnā€™t look like the struts have moved - the strut plate is almost all the way inward toward the motor on both sides (max negative camber). I would guess Iā€™ve got at least 2deg negative per side.

Iā€™m going to take the car to a local BMW place thatā€™s got a good rep and see what they tell me I have for camber & toe. Since the rear really isnā€™t adjustable, I assume Iā€™ll take whatever I have for camber & toe - and live with it. What do I want on the front compared to the rear? I will guess maybe 1/2 to 1 deg more than I have in the rear (with maybe 1/8 or less of toe-in). This is a street car so Iā€™d like a little toe-in for stability. That may change if I do a track day and this thing plows like a pigā€¦

Suspension Install: Iā€™ll shoot some pics of the rear bar and the front struts - and you guys tell me what I did wrong. I canā€™t see what the front springs are doing because the car sits so damn low nowā€¦ I guess Iā€™ll jack it up just enough to get a wheel off and see what the springs are doing.

Jim

#59

I want everyone who has never added camber plates to a strut front suspension to burn this pic into their brain. I figured out what an idiot I was after searching all the camber plate threadsā€¦

I know it seems obvious, but with no instructions, how does a newbie learn that the adjustment plate goes UNDER the shock tower, not ON TOP of it???

I also discovered that I should have inserted a washer between the top spring cup and the camber plate top spherical bearing mount. Could not find the washers that came w/my ground control plates - so I used the stock washers - even with that, the top nut barely has enough treads to catch the top of the strut threads

Iā€™ve yet to do my test drive - but I think it will cure my spring popping and the steering not returning to center. Front end also sits higher - a good thing for my LOW spec E30 exhaust CATā€¦

Guys - you have to OBVIOUS with ROOKIES - we make DUMB mistakes. (Plus the cool IT guys never showed me how to do this stuff - my Formula Vee aint got no camber plates)

Jim

#60

Drives and steers very nice now - as best as I can tell in a pouring rainā€¦

New problem - that Iā€™ve had for a while but Iā€™ve just finally checked all the fuel lines and filter - I have a fuel leak on the driverā€™s side, in the filter area near the subframe mount. No leaks at the top of the tank at the pump or low fuel light sensor openings. The paint is really bubbling along the tank seam where the brackets hold it to the unibodyā€¦

I can only guess the tank has sprung a leak at that seam - it only seems to leak when the tank is more than 1/2 full.

I guess it must be time for that Ebay fuel tankā€¦ My E30 hates meā€¦

Jim