Back in the day...

[agent]

Good stuff Luke! Can't wait to see and hear it live next month.

[Luke_M]

Finally got around to fixing the notorious double vanos unit. Got the full reseal and anti-rattle kit from Beisan Systems with the suggested OEM replacement parts. Huge shoutout to Raj for his detailed DIY instructions. There is no way I would have attempted this without his instructions (all 225 pages :shock:)

It was a bit of a shock to find that the shaft that is a part of the splined shaft bearing on the exhaust side had somehow been bent.



Associated washer with abnormal wear

Thankfully ebay.de came to the rescue and withing 4 days I was up and running with a non bent piece. This was by far the most complicated thing I've ever done to an engine. It's not super hard, just has many steps that can't be avoided especially when you're not super versed in how it all works. Thankfully we confirmed that the timing was correct via a factory alignment bridge tool from bmw (not cheap). There was a big sense of relief when it fired up with no problems.








The old seals seemed ok, with the exhaust side seemingly more brittle. However, there was still a noticeable improvement below 3k rpms and better idle when cold. It never rattled much but it is still quieter. Enough that even my girlfriend noticed without me prompting her. Feels great after the 200 mile break in.

Also, I tried for 2 years to find an e30 m3 instrument cluster without any success so I decided to make my own. I was able to find a company that makes aftermarket gauge stickers and after some discussion I was able to get them to make an 8k face for me. It took some work to get the needle off and back on without breaking it and then I had to align the needle so it read correctly.



After that all it took as a tach coding plug from an e28 m5 that was removed from it's plastic housing and plugged into the stock e30 location. From what I can tell with live data from INPA it reads spot on all the way to redline.

Since then I've noticed a few vendors now offer an 8k (even 9k I believe) face. But at least I can say I did it myself? :)

All I need now is the oil temp gauge in place of the instant mpg and I'll be set!

[scabzzzz]

Impressive. This is my new favorite sedan!

[Old city bimmer]

looks really good. great work.

[Luke_M]

Up next is brakes. The stock stuff worked but felt weak and "squishy" when really nailing the brakes. Mind you I have no booster so it took a good amount of pedal pressure.

First a little update on the mileage:



Stock rotors vs 310mm IE kit



Installation was a breeze. The feel is much better. The squishy, weak feeling is totally gone. The pedal is high and tight and takes a decent amount less pedal pressure to lock them up. Modulation is a lot easier as well. Very happy overall.

I did have to create my own hub centric/wheel centric 8mm spacers by using 15mm spacers from ECSTuning and then having a friend mill them down on a lathe to get 8mm. Very grateful for his help. What nobody tells you is that the aluminum hat is approx 4-5mm thicker then a stock hat. So adding the needed 4-5mm spacer to clear the wheels makes it lug centric which is no bueno in my book. I learned a lesson in wheel spacers but everything clears nicely now and it's both wheel and hub centric so no potential problems, besides the rub when slightly turning in :)



I should probably completely remove the rear caliper do a through rebuild and perhaps add solid brake guides. Still debating whether or not I want to lube them up every 6 months or so for debatable improvement.

The abs works which is nice but I'm thinking an adjustable bias valve might be ideal to get the balance back in check. I could mess up the balance even more if I'm not careful but that's half the fun right?

Up next...

Decrease NVH in small areas

- Sway bar hits headers slightly. So at the very least bimmerworld 22mm sway bars. May end up doing M3 style tabs for even stiffer setup in lieu of possible softer springs
- Maybe go from 440/650 springs to 375/550
- Possibly add a resonator of some kind to bring down the exhaust sound slightly
- Possibly add some sound deadening in the transmission tunnel and/or doors
- ??? Other ideas

[agent]

Impressive. This is my new favorite sedan!

You could see it live if you came to a Brodeo!


We'll see you there, right Luke?

[Luke_M]

You could see it live if you came to a Brodeo!


We'll see you there, right Luke?

Yes sir. Most likely during the weekend.

[CorvallisBMW]

Up next...

Decrease NVH in small areas

- Sway bar hits headers slightly. So at the very least bimmerworld 22mm sway bars. May end up doing M3 style tabs for even stiffer setup in lieu of possible softer springs
- Maybe go from 440/650 springs to 375/550
- Possibly add a resonator of some kind to bring down the exhaust sound slightly
- Possibly add some sound deadening in the transmission tunnel and/or doors
- ??? Other ideas

What's your exhaust setup? One thing that's often overlooked is the rubber bushings/hangers on the exhaust system. Exhaust pipes vibrate and rattle like a mofo, so you need lots and lots of rubber between them and the chassis to prevent NVH. More rubber = better, when it comes to exhaust.

[Luke_M]

What's your exhaust setup? One thing that's often overlooked is the rubber bushings/hangers on the exhaust system. Exhaust pipes vibrate and rattle like a mofo, so you need lots and lots of rubber between them and the chassis to prevent NVH. More rubber = better, when it comes to exhaust.

That's a great piece of advice. Thanks!

Currently I have: merge pipe to single 3", borla pro xs, then a 7" round magnaflow. It's really not to loud but it could be toned down one notch to be more civil. I drive a lot in the mountains and highways etc and a few decibels might be nice while crusing.

Right now I only have 2 hangers like this: http://m.ebay.com/itm/171177022887

I should add that I'm considering changing the magnaflow to a nice vibrant with tips as the current setup looks a bit off. A resonator should ensure its not any louder as I've been told the vibrant can be loud.

[CRBR30]

Loving the interior, man. Keep it up!

[Luke_M]

Long time, no post. A few quick updates. I had my first track day at Road Atlanta, June 4th and 5th. It's about a 4 hour drive for me so I was a little nervous taking her down there but the old e30 did awesome. Driver needs some work though.

In total I got about 2.5 hours on track which didn't seem like enough. I'm hooked.

Tires, after 2 sessions on Saturday. They had a lot more slag by the end of Sunday. Very fun :)



My little setup for the weekend



And a little update on the odo on the way back. I was 1 lap shy of hitting 356k on track :)



And finally, a little video. https://youtu.be/qIbs2qqweSM Mabye I'll get a gopro or something for next time.

I can't wait to go back. If you've never been, go. It's so much different than driving on the street and is such as challenge that gets very addicting. And I can't speak more highly of my instructor or NASA. Very cool group of folks.

A few weeks before that was my first visit to The Vintage. It's only about 90 minutes away from where I live so I had to go. I can't wait to go back to it either. Scott and the gang did an awesome job. Cool group of people and super nice cars. I was in heaven :)