cameras ready prepare to flash

[s14brent]

seems like sundays are the only days i'm able to work on this so the progress is a bit slow. I had circled little problem areas around the car that needed a little body filler, so i tackled about 90% of them. I however found out when prepping my hood, that there was quite a bit of body filler already on there, which sucks but unfortunately the hood I want would be $1000+ shipping + aerocatch pins, and unfortunately I have had some expensive vet bills come up, so the hood will have to work for the time being.




washer nozzle delete came out looking good!



same with the antenna delete

My buddy decided to do a test wrap on a panel to make sure I wanted to buy the bulk of it. I think we have a go! Really happy with the body work progress though. It's very minimal filler and the body is looking straight.






Next up is sanding front and rear valance/bumpers. I may want to hit the body with some higher grit sand paper though as a final pass. It is a pain to clean pre-wrap, and makes the kind of low tack wrap super tacky which takes a bit more time I feel.

[s14brent]

Looking forward to the wrap, what color? Or is it a surprise?

Not a surprise at all, I bought a small amount (5x10) of “midnight purple” (slightly darker than technoviolet) and will be attempting to wrap the trunk, sunroof and flares first. If it is not great I will probably look into avery/3m colors options.

thanks for the tips, I keep it garaged and have it in mind that a wrap will probably have a shorter life span than paint but at least the body work will be done as that was the biggest issue. Theres not a ton of issues on the body, it seemed the problem areas were mainly the trunk/roof/hood.

edit (05/04): adding some pics because less is more.

Made some 20 gauge plugs for the washer nozzle holes on the hood.




20ga antenna plug metal glued in


random body work pics:




I'll be taking out the hood vents next and prepping the hood next I guess, I'll probably try to clean up and prep the underside for some black spray paint since it's super ugly under there! I need to get acetone to figure out how much more sanding is needed on the body, everything is covered in a fine layer of dust so it's hard to tell! I've been circling in sharpie areas that need a thin coat of body filler. I'll probably try to get that done by Sunday.

[DEV0 E30]

Looking forward to the wrap, what color? Or is it a surprise?

If you and a friend are doing it, it's cheap and will last a few years even with getting full sun and being exposed to the elements (since we're in the same climate - Phoenix, AZ here).

My wrap is burning/browning in spots where the windows reflect directly down onto it, so if you cover it or keep it garaged - you'll extend the life.

Mine looked great until it sat in the sun outside instead of being in the garage - but it's the offroad/truck/multi-duty vehicle - focus isn't on cosmetics for it.

[s14brent]

The sunroof delete piece finally came in....it's rough and will need some body work but I mocked it up in place already. It's kind of sagging in the rear because it's only mocked up for now with some self tappers. I'm happy with fitment/gap. I wont' have to use much of the window weld and it will look good (i think). I'll remove it, and do some light body filler by hand (too thin to hit with orbital) and use window weld on the edges to keep the interior leak proof hopefully!





So I decided to tackle some of the body work on my car since there is a few months gap of no local events (normal in summertime in vegas due to temps and EDC at the speedway). Meanwhile I'll be attempting to wrap it with a friend who has some experience doing it, body work is going to take a while still, I didn't trust a lot of bodyshops to be as picky as I am unfortunately so I figured why not!




I will be welding plugs in for the antenna and washer fluid nozzles




I've also decided to take up a local buddy to help build my roll bar - as it makes sense since this was a whole "learning" diy build from the start. I got a swag portable bandsaw stand finally and i'm excited to use it, it cuts like butter compared to cut off wheels/chop saw! I also got a cheap tube notcher that hopefully won't need upgrading since this is a small one-time project for now. Leaning on doing a weld in roll bar only (tied into reinforced rear towers), no door bars or full cage plans for now, will be removing fuel tank to finish up the rear -AN lines while I'm there.

[s14brent]

Figured I was going to pull the sunroof cartridge out of the car eventually for more head room, and prep for roll bar. The factory headliner cloth was starting to sag in a few spots anyways so I decided to prep it a bit sooner than anticipated.

I gained about 1"-1.25" of head clearance and I'm going to guess about 50lbs off the roof.

I made sure to leave some material under the fold and keep the spot welded areas in tact near the X-brace for extra support.

decently heavy pile of metal from the cartridge cut out, the rails and cables weren't in the greatest condition and went straight into the trash bin so those aren't pictured.

Pretty happy how clean it came out. - so much room for activities


-- the only shitty part is i'm still waiting for the sunroof delete panel. My mistake, I thought I would weld on some tabs to the stock panel, but it turns out theres some surface rust on it, and I don't think it's worth skinning unfortunately. The panel is pretty heavy (14lbs apparently), fiberglass is only 3lb's, I just need to wait for manufacturing time.

As for cooling, well I went back to a 16" spal (ordered a new one) after all this time. I did mount it toward the bottom (L side) of the radiator this time around though (better clearance now that AC stuff is gone)

as viewed from the top L


as viewed from top R

I still don't think my problems will get magically better, I just know I was better off with this setup last summer and i'd rather have the larger surface area +260 cfm vs the 14". So now, 1959 cfm pusher and 1298 cfm puller vs 1604 cfm pusher/1038 cfm puller. Also there is still good enough clearance between fan motor and waterpump bolts, and ac belt ribs on the crank pulley. If I were building the s52, this would be a good reason to get an ATI damper I guess!

[s14brent]

Part 2: finally finished up the little maintenance work needed.
Replaced fuel filter (bosch) and cut to fit a fresh bit of fuel line for the 180 degree bend. I'll probably replace these more often and inspect the tank on a later date. I know the car sits for quite a bit even though the mileage is low since the last change. Maybe the Stabil fuel stabilizer and octane booster aren't the best things to be throwing in there. I'll order the oem hose next filter change, I forgot to order one and it will be a week for the local dealer to get one (same if i bought from fcp).

I also took the time to replace the oil level sensor O-Ring. I had to remove the skid plate to access this sensor.

I had a local shop throw on some cheap tires for drift spares. I also have an old take-off on the single 16x8 +0 to keep in the trunk as an emergency spare. Super excited for the next drift day, not sure if I can make it on the 8th for the next vegasdrift, I work on the 7th late at night and again in the evening on that Saturday. At least I'll be prepared I suppose.

I got 7 new clips (from local bmw parts dept.)for the IS front lip.

Threw on the 16x8 +16 GTA's in the rear with the 25mm spacer still on (-9 offset total in rear). I also threw the amber turn signal lenses back in. It's nice to have somewhat matching wheels on the car again.


The car sounds happier, fresh oil & new plugs for the win

[s14brent]

kind of annoyed i never knew about powerflex' 8mm offset radiator mounts (PFF5-4652). So i found out i broke one of the plastic radiator mounts (R side) and i think that was causing the shifting and rubbing of the e-fans (already rubbed the new 14" spal). anyways, ordered up some parts for some normal between track day maintenance.



before:

after:



removed the front end so i could take out the ac condenser and install the larger 16" spal pusher (1959 cfm)

pusher clears the oil cooler but i did add a little more clearance after this just in case.




Decided to do some normal routine maintenance.....still not done btw, just ran out of time. I dropped off 4 wheels to get some cheap 205/45/16 (accelera phi-r's) drift spares. I'll be picking them up in the AM and getting back to work on the maintenance list.



not sure why i ran the ngk ZGR5A's when I did the swap, but I went back to the BKR6EQUP this time around. it's not really rich, and not lean either, i've just never had my plugs so....brown. I used these plugs on my e36 m3 so i'm not sure why I'd run zgr5a's unless i was just sent the wrong ones the first time around and didn't notice?
decided to flush brake fluid since the last time I did that was when the clutch master was swapped (post swap)

front L bleeder valve was clogged for some reason. I rebuilt all the calipers and included new bleeder valves on all corners (before initial installation/not long ago), made a mess, not sure why it was so corroded but everything is fine now.

last time i took my skid plate off I tried to clearance it a bit to avoid making a mess during oil changes. It didn't really help. Still made a mess. I actually might pull it tomorrow to change out the oil level sensor O-ring before refilling the engine.

Last event I took out a cone and broke a couple clips that mount the IS front lip. Waiting on a few of those to come in before i remount the front valance/bumper.



^ you can see the front lip dragging in this pic

The kaaz fluid will be replaced after next event. (i'm still not sure if i'm going to try and change diff ratio's yet, I'd love to just hold off for now). Not sure if i'm going to use MOTUL 90PA or torco RGO w/type F friction modifier. Not many mineral based lsd fluids out there, but I might go with motul since I am very familiar with them with my moto's.

I'm thinking about a couple things next. I'll just list them out

-sunroof cartridge delete (dtmfiberwerkz) for roll bar prep
-3.64 ring and pinion but i have a 3.73 on shelf but it might seem a bit...much
-roll bar preferably with door bars is still a go! (kinda leaning toward a custom weld-in setup with it tied into rear strut tower reinforcements)
-50 shot nitrous with msd window switch from like 3300-5000 rpm's only
-Link ECU G4X obd1 plug and play for prep for power adders
- koyo or mishi x-line radiator. bigger is better right?

[s14brent]

What fan do you have? My E36 with ebay OEM rad never even tries to get hot in Aussie summer drifting, with a 2000cfm Spal 16" and a shroud.

That's the thing, my e36 m3 never had issues as well. I'm currently running a mishimoto rad w/14" slim spal on it and I still have the ac condenser up front with a 16" spal. I plan on removing the condenser and putting in an 3 row aluminum and trying to get a shroud setup - will have to decide which spal fits better (14/16") and make new mounts for both. I always used clutch fans on my sr20's (s13/s14) and never had issues with a koyo copper - only slightly frustrating. I'm also using 80 degree thermostat and a stewart pump.

[econti]

What fan do you have? My E36 with ebay OEM rad never even tries to get hot in Aussie summer drifting, with a 2000cfm Spal 16" and a shroud.

[s14brent]

Made it to the event on the 12th!
getting gas pre-event. gauge said i had 3/4 but i felt that couldnt be right.....filled up 10gallons. I really need to swap my fuel level sending unit one of these days!

kind of fail on the media side, only got two pics post event.


here's some from the pits






buddy of mine who drifts a red m50 swapped e30 sent me those photos from the pit and this awesome cell phone clip he shot at the end of the day. I'm super pumped to see how the car looked like from the outside, front sway bar definitely got rid of a lot of the body roll. Definitely feels more violent inside the car than out, looks really tame actually which just means I need to start sending it harder when i'm comfortable. An old track buddy of mine showed up in his 600hp ls swapped mustang and was babying it following me...kind of funny - maybe the lap or two before that video i was like "why is there sooo much tire smoke behind me?" >notices mustang friend and kinda got instant nervous LOL

very happy with the mods that were done between the last few events. I absolutely love the seat even how ridiculous it appears. in the 2nd video i'm solid. not as much side to side play compared to the old bucket seat. Overall, the car feels much more solid and predictable. was actually chucking the wheel a few times with very little concern - which was amazing progress since last drift event. I'm actually not super happy with my cooling still. was nearing approx 215 degrees after 4 hot laps. cool down was probably 5-10min or so. I'm going to actually try out the ebay 3row everyone else runs. I thought the mishimoto would have had a longer run. I'm just not happy with results as it was only 71 degrees that day in vegas, basically it would DIE in summers here. I'll also try to mount the fan not directly on the radiator this time around also, i'm not sure if that's going to work out or not. Really not happy about doing it a 3rd time so quickly, I also ordered a e34 fan shroud to test fit, new ngk spark plugs and oil change stuff. Might quite possibly order another 16" puller if i have to, but I'll mock everything up first before making that decision. I'll need to order more tires as well, but I don't plan to drift in the summertime this year (june/july are for sure not happening).

[s14brent]

got sent a couple snaps from the auto-x. I really like how it looks under load. ride height is set where I need it to be. I want to go back out there again, but I also am being a tight wad which doesn't really help (rt660's in 215/45/16 seem to be the route i want to go). But its tax time, and i'm expecting to owe quite a bit (contractor life).







got my new o2 sensor installed. nothing sus going on in this pic.



Trying my best to make the next vegasdrift/IFO event on March 12th. Makes more sense to go to a drift event since that's what the car's setup for right! I have to be working at the pac12 finals the night before so I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to make it out with an adequate amount of sleep. who needs sleep right?

[s14brent]

I may be able to help you with this if we can put you on the schedule.. I built cages down is SoCal / Riverside. We have a full cage kit for an E30, we have a bolt in for an E36, but no bolt in for an E30 lol. If you're able to bring the car down, we can use your car to build a new kit. Take a look at my forum thread and let me know!

awesome. i sent you a pm on instagram since I check that way more often than here.

[Chilezen]

sidenote: I have been shopping around for sedan rollbars. I'm leaning towards a bolt in cage with doorbars from a local fabricator who's done a bunch of local drift cars (including competition cars) and a couple time-attack cars. It might be a summer upgrade since I don't plan to drive once it gets absolutely miserable out. I figured a bolt-in should be good enough for what I'm doing, and is easier for me to chassis swap if I have to in the future! Also will need at least 1 good harness setup so I'm adding that to costs. But it's going to cost more than the other bolt-in solutions, hopefully with better tolerances and overall-fit. Really bummed kinematic discontinued their rollbars, Bayside only makes coupe fitment, the other cheaper choice left would be Kirk and I'm not sure if i'd be happy with it in the end!

I may be able to help you with this if we can put you on the schedule.. I built cages down is SoCal / Riverside. We have a full cage kit for an E30, we have a bolt in for an E36, but no bolt in for an E30 lol. If you're able to bring the car down, we can use your car to build a new kit. Take a look at my forum thread and let me know!

[s14brent]

so conflicted after auto-x today. It was impossible not to break the rear end loose and i was straightening out as quick as possible. I'm on street tires still, mis-matched at that - but in good shape/plenty of tread. I really wonder if 215/45 RT660's would be enough to stop that (i definitely want to have a 2nd try at the auto-x again.) I had the fronts at about 28-30psi and the rears all the way down to 26psi (hot), and rear dampening all the way soft. Almost every turn-in i'd break loose and try to immediately straighten out (worrying i'd be flagged or yelled at for "drifting"), but the organizers were definitely not pleased (understandably for insurance purposes i'm guessing) but they were cool and kind of noticed I was trying to straighten out ASAP. I do miss grip driving from time to time but the car is setup totally backwards for that right now. I was thinking 215/45 RT660's because at least I wouldn't have clearance issues as they are barely bigger than the 205's i run for drifting. Really shouldn't matter as I'm not competitive in any of these events because I'll miss more than half of them anyways! I thought hankook rs4's came in more 16" sizes in the past, there's not a lot offered in that size it seems. Also, its a pretty expensive pill to swallow if I try to juggle auto-x & drift events, esp in tires & alignments alone. I'll see how next drift event turns out and make a decision shortly after. Like if I notch my camber plates for current camber 4.27° and maybe another notch at like 2.25° to make it easy to go back and forth. Maybe firehawks or the older rt615's would be the more budget friendly choice. I'd eventually like to take this onto the road course here, but they rarely throw events there (maybe 2-4 events a year - either scca open track day or speedventures - so it's hard to plan for especially since speedventures is usually a 2 day weekend event. but* it would be beneficial for me to keep a set of grippies on hand so I can pick and choose what events I could make. Dry erase board in the garage is going to be full of tire psi/alignment specs i'm guessing lol.

Overall, super happy with the car's feel. no weird noises/rattles, temps were good on/off track and on the freeway (will have to keep an eye on temps during hotter months). Motor felt healthy, kaaz diff felt nice and predictable, the stock lsd unit might be better for auto-x, this one bites hard. No real complaints besides the lack of overall grip LOL.




I was in the second run group (worked the first) and at about lunch time I threw a CEL. Figured I'd call it a day right there because I was feeling a bit dehydrated anyways. I made a joke to my friend with the miata "it's probably something stupid like an o2 sensor". I will replace it, but I'm also thinking maybe i should throw a o2 extender on there, i dug through this thread and it looked like I replaced it in Sept. 2016.




oh and also someone posted this pic of me from 2weeks ago when i rolled through that car meet with my r8 buddy.

[s14brent]

so i signed up for the local auto-x on the 19th. Decided for the time being i'd rather have a puller mounted and that having the fan shroud in place without a proper fan setup was probably a worse idea living in las vegas. I ordered a 14" spal low profile and mounted it up using my old brackets with a few new mounting holes and hardware. The 14" fan clears the waterpump bolts a lot easier but i did lose 260cfm by going with the safer-smaller size. I guess that can essentially be regained if I decide to upgrade the spal hooked up to the ac circuit. < that's a summer problem...no more thinking about that for now. Also I think the 14" will probably overall be the better fitment when I have the need to upgrade radiators. Thinking of going CSF eventually and I know the 14" is used more often on the thicker cores.



I have had some issues with my vdo coolant temp gauge. When the stock gauge is at the half mark it still reads like the bottom mark on the vdo gauge which is like 100 degrees iirc. unfortunately this new temp sensor did not fix the issue, however at least its not all mangled like the old. I'll try to run a new wire from the sending unit to the gauge another day. There really can't be too many things left before I just find some new gauges if I have too!



Figured I would get rid of my old crusty coolant reservoir and replaced it with this culvers' e30 coolant tank. It comes with a 13psi radiator cap so I went ahead and tried to match it with my 1.2bar GermanAutoSolutions cap and picked up this 16psi moroso cap. (says 14-18 on the cap??).




rebled the coolant system and confirmed both fans work as intended. Pretty much ready for the auto-x and if time permits....vegasdrift/IFO on March 12th.

Figured the only thing really loose inside my engine compartment is my diagnostic port. I bought a racegerman e30 c101 holder. I decided to not put it far, and just threw some rivnuts into the battery tray side engine harness cover.





Hopefully auto-x tech inspector doesn't have any complaints. I have been trying to address every single comment tech inspectors make at each event one at a time and this thing should hopefully pass with no issues!

-- sidenote: I have been shopping around for sedan rollbars. I'm leaning towards a bolt in cage with doorbars from a local fabricator who's done a bunch of local drift cars (including competition cars) and a couple time-attack cars. It might be a summer upgrade since I don't plan to drive once it gets absolutely miserable out. I figured a bolt-in should be good enough for what I'm doing, and is easier for me to chassis swap if I have to in the future! Also will need at least 1 good harness setup so I'm adding that to costs. But it's going to cost more than the other bolt-in solutions, hopefully with better tolerances and overall-fit. Really bummed kinematic discontinued their rollbars, Bayside only makes coupe fitment, the other cheaper choice left would be Kirk and I'm not sure if i'd be happy with it in the end!
----
edit* I ended up using a thicker gauge ground wire for my vdo coolant temp sensor. It seems to have fixed the vdo coolant gauge issues for now. I'll keep an eye on temps next drive if not at the auto-x!