What irritates you the most about e30s?

[Italian_Tuneup]

The cost and availability of parts is becoming more and more of an issue.

As an Alfa Romeo owner and mechanic, this comment is hilarious. You have no idea how good you have it.

[Kershaw]

For me it’s my foot catching on the kick panel when I clutch in my early model. Absolutely infuriating to the point I want to rip it out and throw it out the window.

I refuse to believe it's installed correctly. The only kick panels that catch my feet are the ones not installed in their dedicated slots.

The annoying things for me is you can't find them in junkyards anymore and BAT has ruined their pricing. Now every piece of shit is a few grand when 10 years ago you wouldn't have been able to give it away.

[djjerme]

As an Alfa Romeo owner and mechanic, this comment is hilarious. You have no idea how good you have it.

As someone who’s friend is an Alfa nut, can agree, but also add rust issues on multitudes more than any e30 I’ve worked on.. His Berlina is Swiss cheese compared to the worst Salt Lake City E30 I’ve torn apart. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Italian_Tuneup]

Here is what annoys me about E30s .... how readily owners will scrap a perfectly decent car because of minor problems...

[Conrad311]

Here is what annoys me about E30s .... how readily owners will scrap a perfectly decent car because of minor problems...

If you know of anyone doing so, let me know! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[varg]

Here is what annoys me about E30s .... how readily owners will scrap a perfectly decent car because of minor problems...

Posting from 5+ years ago? Living in that mythical place I'm seeking where they're still showing up in junkyards for picking?

Who is scrapping an E30 for minor problems now? I haven't seen one worth saving in a junkyard in years, all smashed up or completely rusted out. These cars, being unibody cars with more advanced construction techniques, aren't going to be as easy to save with severe rust or body damage as the crazy muscle and prewar classic car restorations we've been seeing in the past couple of decades. They aren't yet rare or valuable enough to motivate people to spend tens of thousands of dollars on fabrication and body work in any large number.

[ZeKahr]

Posting from 5+ years ago? Living in that mythical place I'm seeking where they're still showing up in junkyards for picking?

Who is scrapping an E30 for minor problems now? I haven't seen one worth saving in a junkyard in years, all smashed up or completely rusted out. These cars, being unibody cars with more advanced construction techniques, aren't going to be as easy to save with severe rust or body damage as the crazy muscle and prewar classic car restorations we've been seeing in the past couple of decades. They aren't yet rare or valuable enough to motivate people to spend tens of thousands of dollars on fabrication and body work in any large number.

Technology will eventually fix that issue. Once large 3D printers capable of printing car shells become affordable enough, which will happen in the future, then you will be able to 3D print your own E30 shell (or any other classic car shell for that matter) for pennies on the dollar. You can even print out all the parts needed to build an entire car. We're still at least 2-3 decades before that reality however. In the meantime, the existing pool of clean E30 shells should be enough to last for another 2-3 decades.

[packratbimmer]

I saw this happen with BMW 2002 cars when the newest of them were only 20 years old. I used to pick them up for 200-300 dollars in the late 80s-late 90s. Brace yourselves as it will not get better. The good news is that the E30 holds up to rust far better than the 2002 did and are relatively plentiful after 28+ years. In my experience an E30 still lasts for 5 years after the rust has set in and started. This is not the case with many other cars. I remember when a Subaru (and other makes) would start to rust and by a year later, the thing would have terminal rot. Could be a LOT worst depending on what you like to work with. Anyone up to building a body jig...

[varg]

Technology will eventually fix that issue. Once large 3D printers capable of printing car shells become affordable enough, which will happen in the future, then you will be able to 3D print your own E30 shell (or any other classic car shell for that matter) for pennies on the dollar. You can even print out all the parts needed to build an entire car. We're still at least 2-3 decades before that reality however. In the meantime, the existing pool of clean E30 shells should be enough to last for another 2-3 decades.

Eventually, just not in your lifetime. Similar to how you can't use a plastic 3D printer to reproduce a 2L bottle just because it's plastic, there's a lot more to the structure of a car than "it's thin metal" and additive manufacturing processes have limits. 3D printing with metal is just sintering with a laser, sintering is not a new process, even doing it with a laser, layer by layer, is not new (the SLS process was invented in the '80s) it's just nearly mature now. Unless you're going to print atom by atom for direct control over the structure of the material it is not possible to replicate the qualities of worked sheet steel with a deposition process like laser sintering. To do so would require what is essentially a replicator from star trek. By then you'll be living in a simulation and might be able to code yourself an E30 shell matrix style. Large scale atomic deposition printing for replicator like capabilities? Basically the holy grail of manufacturing. I'll print you a gold cylinder head when I see that happening... you might have to print yourself an exosuit to carry it though.

[Aleman]

Eventually, just not in your lifetime. Similar to how you can't use a plastic 3D printer to reproduce a 2L bottle just because it's plastic, there's a lot more to the structure of a car than "it's thin metal" and additive manufacturing processes have limits. 3D printing with metal is just sintering with a laser, sintering is not a new process, even doing it with a laser, layer by layer, is not new (the SLS process was invented in the '80s) it's just nearly mature now. Unless you're going to print atom by atom for direct control over the structure of the material it is not possible to replicate the qualities of worked sheet steel with a deposition process like laser sintering. To do so would require what is essentially a replicator from star trek. By then you'll be living in a simulation and might be able to code yourself an E30 shell matrix style. Large scale atomic deposition printing for replicator like capabilities? Basically the holy grail of manufacturing. I'll print you a gold cylinder head when I see that happening... you might have to print yourself an exosuit to carry it though.

BMW has been able to 3D print metal race car parts. Check this site, see this quote. There are hurdles & challenges to overcome before we can 3D print an E30 quarter panel, but I'm with ZeKhar - it will be possible at some point by mid-century.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/3d-print.html

It’s often assumed that components in additive manufacturing are only made of plastics. Wrong. For example, in DTM vehicles the water pump wheels used are made of an aluminium alloy. This part – made using 3D printing technologies for metal – is very important for demanding race conditions.

[roguetoaster]

I cannot see a large 3d printer doing a metal car bodyshell even in 50 years as I think it would run in to strength versus weight issues, which is where bonded sheetmetal really shines as it can be made stong in multiple directions with relatively low weight assemblies. Perhaps we could see nonmetallic bodyshells.

[Digitalwave]

There is a major difference in printing some small titanium race parts, and metal printing a unibody chassis. The BMW link is cool though. A bunch of those video clips are showing spark erosion, another neat manufacturing process.

[D.Martijn]

There is a major difference in printing some small titanium race parts, and metal printing a unibody chassis. The BMW link is cool though. A bunch of those video clips are showing spark erosion, another neat manufacturing process.

I don't want to sound like a dick, but there is no spark erosion shown is those vid, just some laser etching..?
(work at a machine shop where we have a wire and ram edm machine)

[packratbimmer]

It irritates me when people invest in E30 cars instead of driving them.

[varg]

BMW has been able to 3D print metal race car parts. Check this site, see this quote. There are hurdles & challenges to overcome before we can 3D print an E30 quarter panel, but I'm with ZeKhar - it will be possible at some point by mid-century.

https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/3d-print.html

It’s often assumed that components in additive manufacturing are only made of plastics. Wrong. For example, in DTM vehicles the water pump wheels used are made of an aluminium alloy. This part – made using 3D printing technologies for metal – is very important for demanding race conditions.

You're misunderstanding what I'm saying. The only similarity in manufacturing processes between a SLS 3D printed door handle, water pump impeller, turbine housing, etc. and a body panel is that both are made from metal. You can't print stamped steel parts like body panels, the characteristics necessary for the job are not present in any additive process present or future. There's a seriously huge difference in the internal structure of something sintered and something stamped from rolled, treated steel.