I stuck the dimple in the dowel hole and used the washer like you said. At the time I only ordered the gear, pretty sure I did it exactly as you said.
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Originally posted by priapismOriginally posted by shameson -
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To confirm, I reused the original washer and bolt with the sintered IMS gear. That all went together flawlessly. I spent yesterday getting the engine installed and some ancillary things like coolant lines, Chase Bays power steering kit, intake manifold and spark plugs. I have a new alternator ready to install and then it's vacuum lines, electrical and fluids. With the header clearance and retaining A/C, I opted for the oil cooler delete adapter and will use the shorter oil filter for as much distance as possible from the front header pipe. Hopefully ECS keeps their promise and ships the new flywheel on March 11th.
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Small update on the e30 build:
March and April were a bit rough, so I didn’t get much done on the car during that time. But I’ve recently gotten back into the project and finally made some solid progress!
Wiring, coolant lines, and fuel lines are all done now. We got the transmission installed yesterday, which felt like a huge step forward. I also finished up the rear springs, endlinks, and brakes—so the to-do list is definitely getting shorter.
Getting close to that first start-up, which is super exciting. Can’t wait to hear it come to life!
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A few of the new freeze plugs are leaking. For some reason, I didn't put sealant on all of them. A few without the sealant have some coolant dripping out. Is there any chance heat cycles, or the AC Delco coolant system seal tabs might resolve, or do I need to install new plugs?Comment
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I started up the e30 for the first time today, and everything went pretty smoothly. I still need to resolve the weeping around the freeze plugs. I’ve added some AC Delco seal tablets, but I’m hoping to get some advice on whether that’s a solid fix or if I should be looking at replacing them soon. Also, I still need to do the cam break-in. I’ve got the procedure down, I think, but I wanted to ask if there are any additional tips or things I should check while running it through the break-in process. I want to make sure everything stays copacetic while it all settles in. I'm very happy... It was a long road but it all felt worth it today!
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Bleeding the clutch system has been real fun… what finally worked was power bleeding from the top, then pulling the clutch slave and manually compressing the rod until all the air pushed its way back up into the brake reservoir. Bit of a process, but it did the trick.
The engine sounds awesome—really happy with how it's running so far. Still keeping an eye on the coolant situation. I’m hopeful the seal tablets do their job, but I want to run a few full heat cycles before calling it good.
I was so close to taking it out for a drive, but of course, the eyelet at the top of the clutch master cylinder decided to snap off. I had it installed on the wrong side of the clutch lever and it got bound up. Small mistakes are killing me! Got a replacement on the way now, but man, disconnecting everything, rebleeding the system, and trying not to splash brake fluid all over the place again is just a pain. Feels like one step forward, two steps back some days.
That said, I'm getting close. Once the new clutch master is in and everything's bled again, the last piece will be fitting the exhaust to the headers and welding in the O2 bung. After that—it’s go time. Really excited to finally get it back on the road.
A few videos:
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I started this project around December 1st, and in the time since, my life has gone through some major changes — including a divorce and all the emotional chaos that came with it. I didn’t always have the emotional strength to work on the E30 consistently, but it was always there. It became my escape — a place to focus, to take my mind off things. I laughed, cried, cursed, and bled while building this car. I spent hours alone wrenching, and other times surrounded by friends helping me through both the car project and life.
There’s something bittersweet about it all. Originally, I took on this project for her — this car was a gift. But somewhere along the way, through the heartbreak and the healing, I ended up doing it for me. And while I can’t share this moment with her — and sometimes the car reminds me of the lowest points I’ve ever experienced — I can still enjoy what I’ve built. This car is a reflection of resilience, of holding on to something meaningful when everything else felt uncertain.
Today I finally got the E30 out for its first real drive after tackling a bunch of lingering odds and ends. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s starting to feel really dialed in.- Replaced a broken clutch master cylinder and re-bled the system — clutch engagement is smooth and consistent now.
- Had an issue with the accelerator pedal linkage rubbing on a bracket in the footwell. A little persuasion with a pry bar took care of that, and the sticking throttle issue is now gone.
- Still no signs of a coolant leak (knock on wood), so fingers crossed that fix holds.
- Reinstalled the hood and finished buttoning up the interior. Gave everything a thorough cleaning inside and out — dressed the rubber and plastics too. Always satisfying to see it looking fresh.
- Installed a wind screen I recently got, and it makes a huge difference with the top down. Much less wind turbulence in the cabin, and it adds a touch of privacy. Highly recommend it for any vert owners still on the fence.
- Also added a strut brace and undercarriage cross brace from Garagistic — tightened up the front end nicely. Still an old-school feel (which I love), but noticeably more composed. Ride is super comfortable and overall driveability is way up.
Last thing on the list is the exhaust. I’ve got the long tube headers on now, so next up is welding in an O2 bung and figuring out how to mate everything to the Ireland Engineering catback.
All in all, I’m stoked with how it’s coming together. Looking forward to racking up some miles and hitting a few Cars and Coffee events soon.
It's strange how something I started building for someone else ended up helping rebuild me. I became broken as this project began — overwhelmed, grieving, and lost. But piece by piece, as I brought this car back to life, I slowly started doing the same for myself. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t clean. And I have a long ways to go. But there’s something powerful about putting your hands on something broken and shaping it into something better — even if it hurts.
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