nice job pare
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Project e30: Entry #5 (aka the Non-Post)
Unfortunately, there isn't much to report after a couple of weeks. While the port and polish job has been done, along with the balancing, the job of putting it all together is taking more time than originally expected. The new camshaft arrived late, as well, adding to the delay.
In the meantime, I've been researching big brake kits to help cope with the increased power. I likely will not go this route first - as I said last post, I'm hoping to not have to do this, as it may mean the end of my 16" BBS RS rims. I've seen a lot of project cars on Performance BMW magazine and in several e30 enthusiast websites and forums, but I will definitely reserve judgement until I've driven the car. My current brakes are in bad shape, and I'll probably need to replace the pads and rotors.
There are several products on the market that look good, and at the same time, won't break the bank. The cheapest way to go is with a set of Mazda RX-7 (both FC and FD will work) 4-pot calipers matched with VW Corrado rotors and some minor bracket modifications. I've seen some guys get set up for as low as $200 (with a lot of DIY) and as high as $500. Another example of "Frankensteining" the brakes comes from a company in Germany, offering a complete kit based on brand-new Porsche Boxster (968) calipers with 4-lug ATE rotors (needing a 15mm spacer for the front wheels) for Eur1,000 (approx $1,400). For ready-to-install kits, Wilwood looks like the front runner, with several variants of the kit available, ranging from $1,000-1,500. K-Sport also has a kit that retails for around $1,500.
And in other news, I'm still BMW-less... and unhappy about it... A lot of the next steps are highly dependent on that test drive of the car, which has been in hiatus for over 9 months now, and really, there's not much to discuss until that happens. But as soon as more progress comes, I'll post updates. Until then, happy motoring!Comment
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Project e30: Entry #6
Progress? Not much. But there is an important development - my camshaft has arrived! It's actually ready to be installed, but there's a lot of assembly work yet to be done. The motor itself isn't whole yet. The pistons, conrods, pins, valves, retainers... Then the fine tuning comes into play. And after that, there is more to install. The Z3 steering rack isn't on yet. The tranny also needs to be reinstalled. Then the engine goes in, and with it, the new stainless steel exhaust system.
Still, I'm hopeful that since all the pieces of the puzzle are there, the rest of the work should be (relatively) quick. With some luck and a lot of work, the poor bimmer will finally get some sun by November. For those scoring at home, that means it will have been in the shop or a year.
But even after it leaves Goodwrench, there's still a matter of tuning. We are still debating whether to go with the Miller WAR chip, or the Unichip, which is very popular in the Philippines.
It's been a REALLY long time coming, but I hope it's worth the wait.Comment
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I've been gone for two weeks, and I was hoping to return to the sound of a purring M20. So yesterday, on my way back from the Manila Sports Car Club's Vintage Car Race, I dropped by Goodwrench to check on the e30.
There was some progress - all the engine components were finally back in the block itself. Unfortunately, that's about it - Bernard was sick all alst week, so work came to a halt. The head isn't mounted yet, the new exhaust hasn't arrived yet, and the car still needs to be dyno-tuned when it's all done. And in and around and between all of that, I'm sure there will be other issues.
The new goal, realistically, is to finish everything by mid-December. Hopefully this time, the target date is met, and I have a Merry M20 Christmas.Comment
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