Rescued E30

[SixerFixer]

Thanks for the offer, but I managed to find a set locally! Scored the trunk carpet pieces, fender liners, some misc interior trim pieces, and the headlight backing covers for cheap off a guy who happened to part a car out locally.

If you happen to have an early-model cruise control bowden cable, or early left-hand side trunk carpet piece, I'd be interested! :D

[Butler]

I was really hoping there was more pics of you doing all the paint work. The rest of the thread is top notch. Incredible car.

[SixerFixer]

I was really hoping there was more pics of you doing all the paint work. The rest of the thread is top notch. Incredible car.

Ask, and you shall receive! This is all I could dig up from the process; no masking or action shots, unfortunately!











It's been a long journey, that's for sure!

[litu]

That color looks awesome :)

[SixerFixer]

Just finished an amazingly fun race weekend with the local autoslalom club, participating in an event yesterday, and in the level 1 performance driving school this morning/afternoon. Despite there being quite a bit of body roll, the car has been driving great; too bad that the only thing that has been letting it down has been the driver! I think the best course of action for the time being is to focus on improving my driving skills before sinking more money into go-fast parts for the car, so when I do eventually get sway bars, etc, I will appreciate them much more. Additionally, the car still needs some more maintenance parts, like a new radiator and Spal pusher fan to stop the motor from running hot, and a remanufactured driveshaft to get rid of a driveline vibration I feel at highway speeds. I'll sort it all out eventually!

[Court M3]

Nice build and love you kept the car looking stock and not slammed.

[SixerFixer]

Thanks Court! Finding a relatively stock-looking E30 nowadays is a rare thing, so I'd rather not ruin this one. Never been a fan of the slammed look, anyways. :)

Here's a bonus video of yesterday's event:

[SixerFixer]

The E30 participated in another autoslalom event yesterday, at Gimli Motorsports Park. We set up a cone track on the race course, and it made for a pretty neat track day experience.



I ended up finishing middle of the pack, which is pretty good considering the car is borderline stock suspension-wise. The car really needs upgraded sway bars to control some of the body roll, and the stock steering rack requires so much input to actually make it around some of the corners. The 195-wide tires also limit my ability to power out of some of the corners, as the back end wants to slide. I've already started pricing out parts, so expect some upgrades in the near future. :)

Some bonus pics for the sake of more photos:

[econti]

Cannot recommend the E46 rack swap enough. Transformed my car completely, and is 100% reversible if you want to take it back to stock for originality.
That, some M3 sway links with larger OEM bars, and you'll be killing it

[SixerFixer]

Cannot recommend the E46 rack swap enough. Transformed my car completely, and is 100% reversible if you want to take it back to stock for originality.
That, some M3 sway links with larger OEM bars, and you'll be killing it

I'm dead-set on an 02+ E46 330i rack, and reinstalling power steering in the car. That should certainly make a world of difference.

What is the benefit of running the M3 links? I was planning on picking up a set of IE or UUC sway bars, but never really considered the M3 links with pickups on the strut tubes.

Edit: found this link which explains everything. Not a bad upgrade to do while I'm in there...

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=269462

[econti]

At least down here, all the E46 racks are pretty much the same anyway. I ran a purple tagged rack out of a 2002 318i, which is supposedly the fastest in ratio. But you won't really notice the difference between purple green or silver.

RE sway bars, don't go too thick of course, I was running stock 318is front and 14mm rear and it was good as. Perhaps being that you're a M20 maybe up the front size a bit. That with M3 links would be a perfect sway setup.

[Bggdnssnguy]

So e36 and e46 racks will swap pretty easy?

I have read the thread on the 36 rack but never seen one for a 46 rack..

[econti]

So e36 and e46 racks will swap pretty easy?

I have read the thread on the 36 rack but never seen one for a 46 rack..

Almost identical to 36 swap

[SixerFixer]

Attachment-wise, it should mount up the same way as an E36 rack.

Which tie-rods did you end up using, and what did you use for a steering coupler? I've read that the E36 inner and outer rods work.

[econti]

I used all E30 rack ends and tie rods. You do need E46 rack boots.
There is an issue with the E30 gear that when you're at full lock and there's a vacuum on the rack boot on one side that it sucks it in. E36 gear has bypasses or some shit to alleviate that. Or you can just poke a hole with a pin, either works.

For steering coupler I made a thinner giubo out of aluminium and used normal E30 coupling. Rack had to go in the forward holes to clear my headers.