E30 M3 S62 Build - Loads of queries about 4x4 drivtrains

[Turk]

I know what you mean about the steering rack, it wont rotate easily as there are banjo bolts all over the place, The solution is just jiggling things around. Im very close!

I am currently rebuilding the front legs, once theyre all bolted up and have some weight on the shocks I will know more about everythings positioning.

Heres the drive shaft in situ

[Jean]

Crazy!

[The Dark Side of Will]

Looks like your oil pan is well below the bottom of the crossmember in those pics... That's not a good idea for a street car.

When I check the breaking yards for X5 4.4i oil pans, the uppers are MUCH more common than the lowers... you can figure out why.

How close are your inner CV's to the crossmember?

Since you cut away so much of the original, have you thought about making a tubular unit to fit the way you need it to fit?

[Turk]

If this set up doesnt work for any reason then yes tubular will be my next stop.

Without chopping into the chassis rail Its not going to be possible to raise the engine. (is that what you're suggesting?) Im not planning on slamming the car to floor so will see how clearance etc fairs when its all bolted together.

Considering the lengths of the front drive shaft and the tightness between the hub, and suspension movement when the car is travelling may for me to raise the engine anyway. As the car is compressed to the ground it will force the wheels outward as the shaft lines up. I'm aware this could cause other issues so will have to play that with caution.

[The Dark Side of Will]

The cars originally built with AWD have a small notch in the frame rails right above the CV joints which allows the powertrain to be mounted higher than it would with the RWD frame rails. You may have to duplicate that notch.

[Turk]

Do u have any pix of the notch? Measurements would be even better!

[The Dark Side of Will]

I don't have any, but there have been pics posted... Check out some of the 24V swap threads in the iX section on www.e30tech.com

The notch is not very deep... Less than an inch certainly.

[The Dark Side of Will]

FYI, here's the strut tower difference:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1933981-Normal-vs-IX

[Turk]

Hi guys, I have finally gotten back to this project. Been extremely busy :)

I am going to go 5 stud all round. What are the best 5 stud front hubs to use on the ix legs? Need to get them ordered.

Thanks
Adem

[The Dark Side of Will]

There aren't any. The iX fronts are very thin/low profile. I think 318ti rears are similar, but if they are installed on the front, there are no 5 lug rotors that are shallow enough to clear the knuckle.

So you'll have to find a hub & rotor combo that's deeper than stock and use those. You'll have to adjust your front wheel offset accordingly.

[Turk]

Might use m3 arches for bigger wheels, so chunkier hubs may just work...

Thanks Will. Hows yours coming along?

[The Dark Side of Will]

Most of my car time has been going toward my Fiero with Cadillac Northstar engine. It's mostly my daily driver and needed a few things.
I haven't made much progress on the AWD V8.

Also was laid off in March, so I haven't had spare money to collect parts, either.

I did get the 3.64 viscous rear diff back from the rebuilder a while back. I had to trim the viscous trigger wheel, as it wouldn't fit under the E36 rear cover and the E36 trigger wheel doesn't fit the viscous diff. I did get that done recently.

[Northern]

Hi guys, I have finally gotten back to this project. Been extremely busy :)

I am going to go 5 stud all round. What are the best 5 stud front hubs to use on the ix legs? Need to get them ordered.

Thanks
Adem

for iX 5-lug, check out what mw255 has done (listed in the OP)

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78337

[thatphysicsguy]

Damn, this thread is nuts.

If you look you might be able to find some literature on this car:

http://jalopnik.com/is-this-700-horsepower-4wd-bmw-m3-the-craziest-e30-ever-511632667

Although from the broadcast, murray walker (I think) mentions that it uses an xtrac system, so it might be irrelevant.

In either case, great work: keep it up!

[Northern]

Can't remember where I read this, but it used some sort of one-off british setup. No idea if they used any iX stuff as well