I have an E 30.

[2mAn]

My G50 Carrera is excellent, but if I were to spend $40+K on an occasional use sports car, I'd choose the Ferrari 348 over the Carrera. Much more special, and way more reliable than the reputation it holds. Their values are steadily rising, whereas the Carrera topped out a year or two ago. Enthusiasts are catching on. Until recently, the 348 was one of the best kept secrets in high end sports cars.

Ive been over 911s for a while and Ive recently had my eye on 348s also, and of course now the price is starting to get away from me.

[Nader393]

I replaced the pads with Stoptech Sport pads to see if they would have a better feel than the Hawk pads. Also put in fresh high carbon rear rotors. Old rotors used a bevel screw to mount to the hub, but new rotors look like they require a pan-head or low profile allen head screw. So I machined the hole to accept a bevel screw. Remember, metric bevels are almost always 90º, unlike standard which is, I think, 82º. (I have no use for standard.)

[Nader393]

In the end, the brakes are much, much better. I don't know how much of it is the different pads, versus having a fastened rear rotor. Still puzzled how that loose caliper didn't tear the dust shield apart when in squeezed down on the rotor the first time. Should have done this when I first got the car.

[Nader393]

Ive been over 911s for a while and Ive recently had my eye on 348s also, and of course now the price is starting to get away from me.

Yeah, EVERYTHING is getting expensive. Wish I was ready to buy just 6 years ago when everything was $20K less than now... e30 M3s, NSXs, Ferraris...

You know what's still underappreciated? Mid-00's Aston Martins, Honda S2000s, and Buick Grand Nationals (or any American muscle from the '80's).

[2mAn]

Yeah, EVERYTHING is getting expensive. Wish I was ready to buy just 6 years ago when everything was $20K less than now... e30 M3s, NSXs, Ferraris...

You know what's still underappreciated? Mid-00's Aston Martins, Honda S2000s, and Buick Grand Nationals (or any American muscle from the '80's).

This is why I made the jump to get a numbers Matching Datsun Roadster with the U20 motor and era correct goodies.

I missed 2 opportunities and told myself to not balk again. Rebuilt S14 M3 for $12k and 964-C4 for $18k... hindsight

Theres a Giulia Super I have my eye set on, and I think thats going to be the final one I buy for a while. I have such limited space and my wife thinks a car is an appliance so getting a third car alone will be hard enough let alone adding anymore beyond that

[wworm]

Yeah, EVERYTHING is getting expensive. Wish I was ready to buy just 6 years ago when everything was $20K less than now... e30 M3s, NSXs, Ferraris...

You know what's still underappreciated? Mid-00's Aston Martins, Honda S2000s, and Buick Grand Nationals (or any American muscle from the '80's).

Theres a pretty bad foxbody tax around here...that may also just be the California tax. Ugh. I should look for work in another state lol

[rzerob]

This was a very good read. I look forward to more.

[Nader393]

This was a very good read. I look forward to more.

Thanks for following, razorrob. You are clearly a man of good taste and high intelligence.

My next problem, I mean, project, is the direct result of having a pickup truck. It allows impulsive purchases of large and cumbersome objects. Like this. I didn't really need another engine. What I needed was a new A/C compressor. So I found one but it was attached to a (supposedly) 2.7 stroker+Bimmerhead+RD headers+Miller MAF/PSIK engine. Transmission and exhaust were even more bonus. (Thanks Chris!)

My current engine (supposedly) has a Metric Mechanix 2.9 with big injectors. I added the Miller PSIK and headers. But truth be told, I don't think it delivers the significant gains as advertised. The car is fast, but I'm not sure if all the thrust and speed I feel are from the engine or the relatively short 4.10 rear diff. So here I am. I think I'm going to dyno my current engine before the swap happens.

[rzerob]

Thanks for following, razorrob. You are clearly a man of good taste and high intelligence.

rzerob = r zero b = r 0 b = Rob. Something I came up with 25 years or so ago for an email address and just kept with it for my usernames.

[Nader393]

I like razorrob better. Have a free emoticon: ;)

[2mAn]

I like razorrob better. Have a free emoticon: ;)

I like razor rob better also.

That 2.7i seemed like a wonderful deal. Are you going to sell one of the Miller setups?

[TheWipprSnappr]

This thread is correct.

[rzerob]

I like razorrob better. Have a free emoticon: ;)

I like razor rob better also.

Duly noted.

[Nader393]

Went to the dyno today. Left a little more enlightened, a little disappointed.

I first dyno'd the car a month or so after getting the car, in Jan. '16, before any modifications started, as a baseline. Only got a 144 hp at the wheels. That's less than a stock 325. And this is supposed to be a "Metric Mechanic" bored and stroked 2.9, and some kind of chip, but there is no documentation of this. Headwork? I dunno. I checked compression, and it was about 180 psi across the board.

At the first dyno session after getting the car, there were fueling issues noted, so I replaced the fuel pressure regulator. Then I did the Miller PSIK (BMW nerd-speak for mass airflow conversion) and long tube headers.

The new dyno results indicate about a 8 hp improvement to 152 hp (basically stock power), for over $1100 in upgrades. Kids, take note.

Like I said before, the car feels fast, actually quick, but it has a lot of induction noise, I mean, music, and a strong exhaust note. So it sounds fast, which fools the mind dyno (remember that?). Also, and most importantly, the car has a short differential. Gear anything short enough, and it will feel quick. And that fools the butt dyno. As I learned today, none of this fools the chassis dyno.

Dyno results: Blue line is from 1/16, and red line was today. Erratic peaks on today's graph suggest either ignition or injector/fueling issues. AFR seems too rich, so maybe that's an issue. I dunno. Glad I have another (undocumented, unverified) engine

[Nader393]

After getting home from the dyno session, I tested compression again to see if maybe something gave up (valves or piston/ring) since the first session in 1/16. Wrote the results on the valve cover. Top numbers are with about 5-6 compression strokes at WOT on a warm engine, the bottom numbers are about 10-12 strokes and maxed out.

Pretty consistent, so I don't think there's a significant mechanical problem in the engine. I'm wondering if it's a cam timing, ignition/tuning, fueling, or other ancillary issue.

So at this point, I need to determine if the block, which seems healthy per compression results, is actually bored/stroked to 2.9. If so, then I'll retain it, and transfer the (supposed) Bimmerhead+injectors and headers onto it. I'll have the current engine stripped down to the short block so I can measure the bore/stroke to confirm its displacement.

In the meantime, since I had all the plugs out, I went ahead with a Kreen treatment of the engine. For the hell of it.