Life, Love and My BMW E30 Build-Up

[speedblind]

I've been meaning to start a write-up thread on this car, and this seems like as good a place as any to do it. I've enjoyed following the progress of everybody's cars on this board, mainly as a lurker, so hopefully you all get some enjoyment, or at least a couple of laughs, out of the story of mine.

Cliff Notes: Bought the car in October seeking cheap track-day toy. Figured total budget would be 5K, including 2K for the car. Spent the last 8 months troubleshooting, fixing, refining and building the thing and it's finally at a point where its first track excursion is in the near future.

The LONG version:

At some point, as my shiny new S2000 went spinning toward the wall at PIR, I decided that 1. I really enjoy track driving and 2. track driving a $30K car that I'm still making payments on makes me nervous. Especially considering my sweet 3-track-day pedigree. It was also at this point that a good friend of mine was reaping the rewards of owning a cheap, non-daily driven track car (Miata). I watched my friend spend his money on track fees, tires and brakes for a year while I struggled to get my 02 WRX and then the S2000 upgraded and to the track while covering car payments and extra insurance. So, I decided that, naturally, I should buy a cheap car, strip it to bare metal, and get some quality time with the local racetracks. I set the budget for 5K including the price of the car, and went to work finding a cheap RWD car to abuse.

On October 21st, the day of my wedding, I made the deal for this gem. Listed on Bimmerforums with a littany of small "issues" that wouldn't really affect a track car, and a mysterious rear end issue that was attributed to worn subframe bushings. And it wouldn't hold a charge. And it overheated. Sounded good, so I made the deal 4 hours before I was to walk down the aisle. I thought it an appropriate welcome to married life with me, even it it was shortlived.

Here are the initial pics, in all its stock and semi-neglected glory:

Front:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/IMAG0002.jpg

Rear:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/bmw1.jpg

Engine:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/IMAG0014.jpg



Because the car didn't drive straight, the buyer explained that he would have to trailer it out from LA and back. Made sense to me, and I offered to cover his gas and throw in a few bucks for his time. Left for the honeymoon having never seen the car.

Got back into town after a week and took stock of what I'd purchased. The interior was in great shape - very nice and clean, with a crack-free dash and all gauges and switches in working condition. Almost sad to strip everything out, but at his point it's a 2K car with a clear mission in life. Upon driving the car, I found a HUGE issue with the rear end. It felt like everything was moving/shifting around under hard acceleration, which made it very challenging to drive even at 40 mph. Obviously the subframe bushings would have to be changed. There was also evidence of a collision, as the car came with a DOT-R hood and front fender. No obvious signs of a bent unibody, though, so I didn't worry much further. The brake pedal was also a bit spongy, though it would clamp hard enough to activate ABS. Shelved that issue for the moment and concentrated on getting the car to maintain 45 mph without flying off the road.

The overheating issue was quickly fixed with a coolant flush and new fan (all of the blades were broken off the old one, making it hard for it to push any air) and the charging issue was finally solved after lots of troubleshooting and a DOA replacement alternator. Another new alternator and the car would drive for more than an hour without dying. Progress!

[speedblind]

I set out to ordering parts, including all new bushings for the rear suspension, new Bilstein shocks and HR Sport springs, along with a box full of miscellaneous bolts, washers, gaskets and other fun things that the car needed. Of course, my first BMW required a set of Kosei K1s, which I found in Honda fitment from a friend. That required purchasing 20mm spacers and a set of wheel studs (why wheel bolts even exist in this day and age is a mystery to me), but the wheels were on, the suspension was all fixed up and I had my sweet track car finished. Or so I thought.

Pics from the car in this stage. Rarely left the garage, so this is what I got:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/Picture005-2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/Picture002-1.jpg


Drove the car for 2K miles in its current condition. There is NO rear alignment adjustment at all, and the front is only toe adjustable. So, alignment was pretty much out of the question, though I did have the toe set. It was at this point that I noticed that the car was very darty at speed, and easily upset over pavement irregularities. Nothing like the other rock-solid E30 I'd driven, which concerned me. When I pulled off the street tires after 2K miles and noticed that the inner portion of the rears had worn down to the cords, I knew something was definitely up. The toe setting on the rear was WAY off, and there was no adjustment. Sweet.

[speedblind]

Fearing the worst, I took the car to an auto body shop and had the unibody measured. It came out straight as an arrow. WTF. At this point, the only culprit could be the subframe itself or possibly the trailing arms. These cars have the most basic rear suspension known to man...not a whole lot of places to point fingers.

So, it was off with the subframe again, which of course requires removing everything south of the driveshaft. At this point, I'm pretty good at it though. This time I did it the right way. Bought a new subfame, powdercoated it, added the bushings and also added a weld-on rear alignment kit from Ireland Engineering. There was a BIG difference between the two, just visually, and it was clear that something had bent the original subframe, causing my toe issue. I was encouraged that I'd *probably* solved the problem...finally.

Here's what 150 worth of machined brackets and eccentric bolts looks like:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/Picture003.jpg

Here's fitment for the kit. The larger brackets adjust upward, which changes camber. The smaller, outboard brackets adjust horizontally, which changes toe.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/Picture004.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/Picture007.jpg

With the kit installed to the new subframe, all that's left was to bolt everything back in. Again, I'm actually getting pretty decent at taking this thing apart, so things go back together quickly. Only catch being that, when the original subframe deformed, it took the body differential mount with it. BFH got everything straight again, and I was in business.

With the car back on the ground again, I could finally take it out and really drive it. The difference was incredible. The little car has enough power to be fun, but not so much that I can readily get myself into trouble. It's also one of the most neutral cars I've ever driven, and will be a pleasure to drive on track. Finally, after 7 months, the hard work, frustration and patience (more of the former than the latter) was starting to pay off!

[speedblind]

Over the course of the past months, while the little monster sat peacefully on jack stands, I'd sold the Koseis (16" wheel is too big for this car, and they look much better on E36 models anyway) and picked up a set of Ronal LS for street wheels. I also found a set of Rota Slipstreams custom made to E30 fitment (15x8, ET20 with whatever wacky-ass hub bore this thing requires) and tossed a used set of Advan tires on 'em.

Here's a couple shots of the car in its current state with the Ronals:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/Picture013-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/Picture014.jpg

I'll get better pics later, but that's pretty much where the car sits now. For the last month, I've just been enjoying it off and on, and haven't made much more progress. Left to do is fix the brake issue (traced to the brake booster and I have a new one sitting in my office), install offset front control arm bushings (more caster) and my GC front camber/caster plates. Then it needs to be aligned and it's off to the track. Of course, fixing the A/C would be nice if the budget allows, but that's secondary. The full stock interior is also still in place, so that will come out at some point as I try to get it down to about 2400 lbs. For now, though, it's just nice to have an operational car that's starting to fullfill its purpose after a lot of work...definitely more than I'd bargained for.

I'll update this post as things progress. Hope y'all enjoyed the read.

[wgnths]

good looking car! should make a perfect track day car.

[VSB XT]

Veddy nice shape for how old that thing is! Any under the hood/power mods planned for later on?

[kev]

Nice update. That's a really good looking car.

[speedblind]

Thanks for the replies! It is in pretty good shape for its age. The one DOT-R fender was painted pretty poorly, but not bad enough that it needs immediate attention. Interior's in great shape, just a little worn. Cosmetically, I got very lucky. Mechanically, the car's almost there.

It was owned by an old lady up until about a year and a half before I bought it, at which point a kid going to UTI bought it and only managed to half-ass a few things. I have a pic somewhere of the "custom" wiring that was removed from the car...easily a few pounds of crappy speaker wires. When I bought it only the rear speakers worked. Switching back to the factory wiring (which was still in there) got everything working.

[skilit]

looks really nice, the time and effort will pay off when you get it out there!

[Eunos]

Those Ronals are the perfect E30 wheel. Car looks really good.

[allisonbergie]

good looking car. looks like it just came out from the factory. indeed a well kept baby.
________
BMW R1150GS (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/BMW_R1150GS)

[dannydriver]

Any idea how much the wheels weigh?
And (if you don't mind) where did you get them from?
I'm looking for a second set of wheels for track duty, I have a set of the Rotas in 15x8, but the place I got them from won't have another set in stock for 3 to 5 months.
Car looks very nice BTW. I'd like to find another e30 like yours to mess around with.

[speedblind]

The wheels weigh 14.8 lbs. each, according to my scale. I got them from a group buy on e30tech:
http://www.e30tech.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37830&highlight=

Not super light, but relatively strong and about 500 shipped. It's tough to find a wheel that doesn't require spacers or hub rings for this car, and these fit the bill.

[dannydriver]

Yea, that's were I got my 15x8's last year. They shipped me a set a few weeks ago but the boxes were mis-labled and had a 40 offset instead of the 20, so they took them back. Now they are placing a new order and it will be a few months... :(

[speedblind]

That sucks. I figured it was them, as I haven't seen that size with any other vendor. Maybe check with subydude? He seems to have a direct line to Rota.

Either way, looking forward to sharing some track with your car as well - I'm very interested in a swap once my 190K mile engine finally gives it up.

[speedblind]

The E30 finally made its way onto the track last Saturday, and it was a BLAST! I realized when registering that my NASA membership expired in 2005 - that's how long it had been.

I was sick the entire week leading up to the event, so I didn't get much of the work in that I wanted to. I still have GC camber/caster plates sitting in the garage, along with a set of track pads. The car felt safe, though, and it will be January before I can get on track again, so I went for it.

Long story short, the car was awesome. I went super slow in the first session to be sure that the car (and the driver, for that matter) could handle the higher speeds. The car, however, was great. It could still use an alignment, but was really stable and very, very easy to drive.

I drove the first three sessions on street tires (BF Goodrich G-Force) and then switched to the worn r-comps for the 4th. Kept the shiny side up, drove it home satisfied that it has finally started to serve its purpose and am eagerly awaiting the next track day.

Enough typing, onto the pics.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/PIR1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/PIR2.jpg


So, the list for the next track day is as follows:
Rebuild front suspension (same deal as rear - new bushings, ball joints, etc.)
Rebuild all brake calipers, install fresh booster/track pads
Install front camber plates
Align the damn thing
Lose some weight!


Other than that, swaybars are definitely in this car's future.

[kev]

Nice! It's about time you start fixing your wrenching to driving ratio!

[J0oftheworld]

Great car.. wish I had one!
You should def try to shoot for a trackday before Jan '08!? :)

[speedblind]

Nice! It's about time you start fixing your wrenching to driving ratio!

I know! It was getting ridiculous there for awhile, but it's been a lot of fun taking the car apart and putting it back together. Hopefully it stays reliable for at least a year, though it does already have 195K miles on the clock.


Great car.. wish I had one!
You should def try to shoot for a trackday before Jan '08!? :)

Ironically, I came this >< close to selling it when I saw your SM up for sale. Either way, you can't beat cheap, reliable RWD cars with great aftermarket support...

[speedblind]

Time for an update. Overall the car's still running strong. It went up on jackstands after Thanksgiving for a complete front suspension overhaul including:
New front control arms/balljoints
Offset M3 control arm bushings
New tierod ends
GC SpecE30 Camber/Caster plates
SS Braided lines up front
Pagid track pads (not sure of the compound as I inherited them from a friend)
Oil/filter change

So, that pretty much wraps up the suspension freshening and also completes the alignment additions I set out to make (stock car is only adjustable for toe in front, and now I have a lot more control). Car badly needs an alignment, and the fenders need to be rolled as well. I also want to weigh it in its current form before I start stripping things out of the interior.

Enough talk, onto the pics:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00147.jpg

Here's the alignment at "0" on the camber plates. The front tire will actually be closer to flush/under the fender with a bit o' camber added in:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00155.jpg

Tire fitment in the rear. Rubs a bit under full compression and/or with a passenger in the back seat, but not too bad for stuffing a 225 r-comp under there. A light rolling should help.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00162.jpg

Paint's not too bad for an 18-year-old car. As you can see I'm missing a duct in the front valence. At some point I'll get around to addressing the looks department stuff.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00149.jpg

[speedblind]

Also over Thanksgiving picked up some never-miss-a-track-day-again insurance. This thing is a very comfortable DD and more than capable of standing in if the E30 is out of commission.

2004 330i with the ZHP (Performance) package. 20K miles on it when I picked it up.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00102.jpg

A week later:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00111.jpg


I don't have any pics of the car with the new wheels yet...I'll update this as soon as I do.

[moxie]

Nice :)

I keep wanting to get a used BMW...

[kev]

Nice!

Roll them fenders :)

[speedblind]

Fender rolling coming...we still need to see pics of a Miata with 275/15s though!

I don't think my car would move pushing that much wheel/tire.

[kev]

http://picasaweb.google.com/kevgleaton/2753515TestFitting

[speedblind]

My God.

[speedblind]

Quick update. Got the car back together and took it in to get aligned last Thursday. Turns out the left front wheel bearing died a slow, silent death at the last track day. It never squealed or squeaked, but the LF tire can be moved back and forth quite a bit, making an alignment, and Sunday's track day, impossible.

On the E30s, the front wheel bearings are integrated into the hubs, so I decided to do both sides:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00168.jpg

Should have it knocked out this weekend, after which I'll try to align it again. Should be back on track on the 26th if all goes well.

The good news is that through all the downtime I've managed to nearly strip the interior. All the squishy stuff has been removed, as has the A/C and stereo. It's now a loud, rattly little thing that breaks the tires free easily in 2nd gear. So...it's more fun now.

[Cobalt_Supercharged]

Awesome little project. Much better than a Miata IMO. Not trying to diss the Miata drivers, I just don't like convertibles. Can't wait to see more updates.

[speedblind]

I do need to update the thread. Most of the interior's out, the sunroof's been replaced by a piece of sheetmetal and the hood's now pinned. And satin black. I'll snap some pics and put 'em up.

[speedblind]

Quick update on the car. I moved out to VA at the end of June, and have spent the last couple months getting things setup, traveling for work and generally being too busy. I did, however, finally find the time to get the car shipped to its new home - odd the effect a $2,000 junker can have - I only considered places with a garage to store the thing over the winter when I made the move.

After two months, I really miss the damn thing, so it will be nice to have it here. Couple pics from shipping:

Windows and most of the interior are gone, so the gaping holes were filled with cardboard. You can also see that I'm experimenting with satin black paint for the hood/trunk/roof. This is necessary in part due to the sunroof/cartridge removal, and the ensuing piece of sheetmetal riveted to the roof. Who knows, though, the car might just end up flat olive with a huge white star on the side.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00188-1.jpg

Closeup of the fine aftermarket windows. Not as effective as the stock windows in terms of visibility, but they offer more privacy than even the most expensive tint jobs.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00189-1.jpg

Ah, the joys of moving on two weeks notice. I'd removed the hood pins to sand/paint the hood, and I wasn't at the house when the movers showed up. Naturally, the top of the hood pin and latch ended up here in VA, so a small bolt was used to secure the hood for transport.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y109/speedblind/DSC00190-1.jpg

So that's the story at the moment. The car was loaded on Saturday, and they quoted me two weeks for delivery. If the last car I shipped is any indication, though, it will take about half that time. I'll post an update once the car's on the ground here.

[kev]

Congrats on making it into GRM (Aug 09 Issue, page 16).

[wgnths]

I saw that too! congrats!

[speedblind]

That's awesome - I had no idea they were going to publish it.