good from far, but far from good

[dirtbag30]

Specs.

m52b28 obdI
zf310 transmission
e36 m3 clutch
e36 m3 six bolt driveshaft
3.25 Lsd
e36 steering rack
AKG poly CABs, motor mounts, e21 transmission mounts with aluminum cups
condor speed shop poly RTABs and subframe risers, with diff spacers and diff mount
AKG dssr style selector rod with stock shifter
Ground Control coilovers, unshortened housings, koni in front bilstein rear
15x7 IX weaves with 15mm spacers all around and motorsport hardware stud conversion



with much anticipation i bring to you an update after lurking here all winter. whether its a good or bad update is up to R3v to decide.

after purchasing my current e30 right before a brutal winter, my car was in storage for far too long. I was finally able to get it out and start getting things done. i was able to save a couple grand and most of it has gone toward my car and tools. a lot of parts i was able to source from members here, thanks guys

started out small getting the engine management correct,

so i installed my favorite "mod" to date, a tuned chip from sssquid

IMG_0210 (800x598) by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


then the correct 21.5# injectors

IMG_0213 (800x598) by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


my boss let me use the old hoist in the upstairs of our garage so i took advantage of that and got it up in the air.

IMG_0222 (598x800) by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


heres how she sat as i was preparing to drive it home

IMG_0233 (800x598) by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


once finally in my own, very small garage i got it on jack stands and got all wheels off.

started dropping the subframe and front suspension.

i didnt have time to document everything because greasy hands. but most of the highlights i did get.

in the mix of things i took both rear axles out and and cleaned and replaced all 4 CV boots and packed in new grease.

finally got the rear subframe down installed AKG Rtabs and some used Condor speed shop subframe riser bushings i got from a member here.


DSCN0104 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

not so lucky for me both sides of the original subframe bushings broke off inside the car

photo 1 (598x800) by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


lucky for me i was able to get them out fairly easily by drilling a small hole and tapping it with a hammer and chisel

DSCN0115 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

and out it came

DSCN0119 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

then with much needed help from a friend we got the subframe back up.

we decided to use my wheels as a ledge to rest it on and used a jack to wiggle it in place

DSCN0135 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

and up she goes

DSCN0137 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

next i started working on the front end of the car by getting the old struts out and replacing them with some GC ready housing i bought from a member here, along with all new brakes and hardware.

DSCN0122 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

i originally intended to use the newer hubs and studs,
but the drivers bearing was seized on the knuckle. So i had to get angry at it in order to get it off, so i could swap the backing plates.

DSCN0122 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

so on with the old ones it is and new brakes

installed

DSCN0132 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

DSCN0131 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr




and that pretty much brings me up to date for today

more tomorrow and the never ending project continues.

thanks for looking.

[RUFFLZ]

opie, it's 'good from far, but far from good.'
hey, at least you tried!

[dirtbag30]

its been a long week and i am an idiot.

[dirtbag30]

finally got it done for mow, back on all fours and hopefully on the road this week.

got the rear brakes done

DSCN0139 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

made some trailing arm tethers so my rear spring doesnt fall out when the car is jacked up. got the idea from this thread here

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=322304

i made them just long enough so when the suspension is at full droop the spring is loose but just enough so it wont fall out.

DSCN0142 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


got back to laying on the wonderful ground to install the 3.73 lsd i bought from agent. and i dont have a single complaint about the ratio (yet) since there are no freeways here and this isn't really a DD.


DSCN0141 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


and then i took it for a long awaited joy ride and forgot my camera so i shot some cell phone photos.

photo 4 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

photo 5 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


photo 3 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


there is still a ton planned but nothing pressing.

-some exterior trim that i cant seem to find anywhere

-interior kick panels are missing and door panels have speaker holes cut into them

-my kidney grilles are currently black which i dont like so im going to see what i can do with paint stripper, if not ill but chrome ones.

and for the lol's since my car didnt come with a shift knob i am using a piece of bmx handlebar with a grip and bar end, its tall but i like how it takes the notchiness out of a short shift.

i used the protective cap that came from my koni's as a spacer that fit perfect to use as a friction style mount. it was very snug pressing it onto the shift lever and isnt coming off without any force.

photo (587x800) by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

[dirtbag30]

no interest it seems in my little build, but im going to update this anyway.

finished up with the little maintenance i needed to do for the summer

started by stripping all of the horrible body filler from the roof of the car, it was very thick and covered the entire roof, over the sunroof. i guess the p.o wanted a slicktop. eventually im going to have to cut it out and properly fix it. but for now to get it driving i stripped it down to bare metal, primed and painted it.

DSCN0162 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


DSCN0166 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

again i didnt take to many pictures because i get caught up in the work and dont think about grabbing the camera.


photo 1 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


here you can see it looks a million times better than a 1/4" of cracked bondo.


then i installed an e36 radiator, new belt and aluminum thermostat housing, 80c thermostat and some new coolant hoses.

photo 2 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr

DSCN0179 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


and finally i installed the fog light deletes and brake ducts

DSCN0181 by alec.ruonavaara, on Flickr


and that was it for today. more to come.

[deutschman]

Nice project man :)

[dirtbag30]

thanks

forgot to mention the kidneys were black. paint stripper made them nice and chrome again :):)

[Cephas]

Wiper arms look clean. Respray?

Oh, and nice engine.

[dirtbag30]

previous owner resprayed it, his first time doing it himself so ill give him slack. looks good from a distance, but there are runs in a few spots. hence the title.

and thanks.

[agent]

Not sure how I missed this before - looks like you're doing good work Alec!

[CubbyChowder]

My god, how could someone prefer a roof drenched in bondo over a sunroof? Just seems like such a step backwards to me. Nice work though, looks like the car is in good hands

[mitchlikesbikes]

this looks nice. good work on that roof, looks like it was a shit show.



the simplicity of your brake and suspension setup is nice too

[dirtbag30]

thanks guys!


im still trying to comprehend what he was thinking. now the whole roof is a mess.
future plans for the roof are to cut out the sunroof completely and either

-weld a new piece in place, or
-find some kind of delete plate to put in place of it.

[mitchlikesbikes]

thanks guys!


im still trying to comprehend what he was thinking. now the whole roof is a mess.
future plans for the roof are to cut out the sunroof completely and either

-weld a new piece in place, or
-find some kind of delete plate to put in place of it.

yeah i'm in the same boat. nobody makes good fiberglass filler panel that doesn't cost $400 and your first born. and welding is sketchy cause the heat will warp the roof VERY quickly. i'm thinking i might just panel bond a sheet of ABS to the underside of the roof then use a VERY SMALL layer of filler to smooth the hole. still on the fence about the whole situation though

[dirtbag30]

yeah i'm in the same boat. nobody makes good fiberglass filler panel that doesn't cost $400 and your first born. and welding is sketchy cause the heat will warp the roof VERY quickly. i'm thinking i might just panel bond a sheet of ABS to the underside of the roof then use a VERY SMALL layer of filler to smooth the hole. still on the fence about the whole situation though

yeah that would work. but i would still rather have the panel.
bimmerworld sells one but i'm hesitant because of the price. i might just have to buck up and buy it.