'88 325i build - plaid and an ITB 2.9L

[sert57]

Also installed a ZHP rack "while i was in there" along with rebuilding the P/S pump and what not. love how it feels. The car as a whole right now is a fantastic piece to drive.

[TFJR]

What a fantastic build! That interior is really nice & unique. Looks right at home in there. The pin stripe seems to really set off the exterior.

May I ask for the details on your 2.9L build?

[2mAn]

ehh hemm

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=411978

Do it! Price is high though, but Im sure an offer is a good idea! These would help to match the rest of the car and you have two "fronts" to try get color matched

[sert57]

What a fantastic build! That interior is really nice & unique. Looks right at home in there. The pin stripe seems to really set off the exterior.

May I ask for the details on your 2.9L build?

No Problem! its a 2.85, similar to a "traditional" 2.8 except different crank. ( smaller diameter counterweights so no need to grind the crank down, plus that extra 0.05L man)
S50us crank ( 85.8mm crank instead of 84mm), eta rods, oem pistons
- block had to be ground down slightly for conrod clearance
- piston skirts cut down 1/4" or so to clear crank
0.097" MLS HG (to account for .4mm higher stack height)
272 bimmerheads cam, IE longtubes to custom midsection
- midsection is headers to magnaflow resonator to oe style catback
M52 injectors
Custom SSSquid Chip
Hoping / estimating between 180-200 at the wheels. not dynod yet due to electrical gremlin issue.

engine build thread is below -

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=391795

ehh hemm

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=411978

Do it! Price is high though, but Im sure an offer is a good idea! These would help to match the rest of the car and you have two "fronts" to try get color matched

Ooooh I do like those! I think I could totally pull of gold wheels with my car, and love the flat RAs. Its only about 2 hours from me also..... Ill have to keep this in mind....

[htseng]

Fun Stuff has happened!

Registered for the vintage - Ill be there in the E30 and my dad will bring the E32. Really looking forward to it. I enjoyed it a lot last year.

Got a yakima roof rack for utility and looks purposes.



Engine build is progressing slowly but surely. Did more measurements and math.

replaced my sticky throttle cable and re-bent the original stop tab in the footwell. Throttle feels very nice now

Since my interior was rough, I began to watch youtube videos for upholstery DIYs. I had a spare sport seat sitting around and figured id give it a shot. Worst case I own a sewing machine, best case I save lots of money. I disassembled the seat and made patterns from the existing leather. I used some cheap vinyl from hobby lobby to practice with. For my first try at this stuff I'm really pleased! Its by no means perfect - there are a lot of little flaws - but overall I am thrilled with the results.




I also got a chance to do some work on my dad and I's project car - a 1966 Mercedes 230S. installed an electric fuel pump ( diaphragm on the original one got eaten by the ethanol fuel) and played with the carbs. Its a little tough to start, but once she is going she runs like a top!

Nice fintail. I use to have a 66 220D, 4speed stick. Wish i had the finances as 22 yo way back in the 1990s to have kept it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ATL_E30]

What all was needed for the Early to Late Bumper swap? I've been looking around local junkyards, but haven't had any luck finding a Late bumper to swap onto my 88. I'm assuming i'll need bumper, trim, new brackets?

Also do you go to any local car's and coffee? I've been trying to find out E30 enthusiasts around the metro Atlanta area.

[2mAn]

What all was needed for the Early to Late Bumper swap? I've been looking around local junkyards, but haven't had any luck finding a Late bumper to swap onto my 88. I'm assuming i'll need bumper, trim, new brackets?

Yup, you need the bumpers, mounts and signals and the side mounting pieces that attach to the fenders and the body. The signals need to be rewired because the connections are different IIRC

BTW Ive had those side mounting pieces but Im not likely to install the plastics for a long time. PM if you want them.

[sert57]

Since mine as an '88 I needed bumpers, side mounting brackets, bumper shocks ( not 100% sure that mine didn't work but mine came with the bumpers i bought), turn signal wiring stuff(different connector), and I think that was it....

I haven't been to much Atlanta stuff, since I'm spending most of my time in Clemson at the moment finish up my degree. may to to the C&O this Sunday but we will see.

[sert57]

Well I guess its time for my 6 month update

Been busy with classes so haven't had a ton of time, but Ive done a little.

I ended up taking the nuclear option to solve my stutter- building and installing a MS2PNP. Picked up a kit from someone here for a decent deal and assembled it.



Installed a LC-2 wideband and did a MAF delete. Got her up and running on the base map and took her to zen motors yesterday to do a dyno tune.

I was hoping for about 200 at the wheels and I was honestly a bit disappointed ( in term of impressing internet people - car is still a hoot to drive and i love it). I'm not sure if its something dumb (Havent checked valves in 1-2k miles but I did the proper break in adjustments) or something like my adjustable cam gear slipping, or if I simply am suffering for not getting a ported and polish done and need a bigger cam ( 288? I'm on a bimmerheads 272 now). The graph sure makes me think something in the head isn't flowing right.

It was a monster with torque though. That thing is a table top from 2.5 to 4.5
Torque - 205 ft-lbs @ 2500 rpm
Power - 157 hp @ 4400 rpm

Ignore the AFR line - its just wrong



Once again, not great at impressing people on the internet, but its a heck of a daily ( 90% of its job) and I'm really enjoyed the experience of building it and figuring it all out.

[2mAn]

Hmmm, theres definitely something wrong. You previously had a hesitation up high and now the dyno shows monster low end grunt and its dying off again. This car has a LOT more power, its just not adjusted right.

My money is on the adjustable cam gear. Ive never been a fan of those because it seems they are a big PITA

[e30sh]

If it makes you feel better, Mustang dynos do tend to read a little lower than Dynojet. I wouldn't get too caught up in the # but the rpm where your HP peak occurred. 4400 is a lot low unless you are Chrysler in 1969 rating the Hemi for insurance purposes. Sidebar. They rated it at 425 @ 5100 which was correct but it made 500 HP at ~6000.

Check the simple stuff first. Throttle fully opening / valve adjustment / cam timing / AFR's and spark timing in the upper revs. Any chance the converter is stopped up?

[vtechnik]

I dig the interior. Sub'd for more updates on the m20.

[zaq123]

got any pics of new motor? new starter/alternator? I'm putting mine back together and thinking about installing new (refurb) ones while I'm in there.

It's funny how it all adds up quickly $$$.

[sert57]

I didn't get too many more than whats on page 4 unfortunately.

And yeah, it definitely all adds up. I got my alternator rebuilt at a local shop, and re-used my 1 year old starter. rebuilt the PS pump as well.

But then again, mechanically my car is basically brand new now.

I had a weird issue with my megasquirt that I finally figured out, so I'm hoping to get it idling nicely again and then get another dyno tune done on it. I'm suspicious the dyno wasn't calibrated correctly as it stops at 6k when in reality they ran the engine up to 7. With that rpm adjustment it makes somewhere in the 170s whp, which would be "about right" for a mustang dyno.

[sert57]

Alright, yearly update, I've been doing some Vintage prep.

First of all, the more I looked at the old tune over the past year, the more I'm convinced it isn't the best - weird VE values, weird bounds on tables, etc. So I'll blame the dyno results on that for now...

Figured out how to make a decently looking custom badge. The trick is to do a chrome vinyl wrap on the 3d printed part - gives it a pretty good looking finish IMHO. You only see the blemishes when your within about 6 inches.



Also, this happened:

Still getting the tune finalized but it seems to be running fairly well - I think I'm 90 % of the way there. Also still running socks, as they're an order of magnitude cheaper than the airbox. Maybe the end of this year I'll get a proper airbox. I decided to go with the 42mm kit, in case I ever want to go bigger on a cam and do a "proper" head build with porting and polishing. maybe in 2-3 years...