e30mclow's e30 #14 - Now 1.5jz + 6 Speed

[rturbo 930]

If you want to go in the direction of autocross, I'm not sure the JZ is really the best way to go. I wouldn't be surprised if it added another 100lbs onto the front end.

[e30mclow]

I'm officially in love with Auto-X!

My first outing (Sunday) went excellently and I was left grinning from ear to ear.
My little e30 beat many big dollar cars and my times were on the low end vs a lot of the field (maybe 60 or so cars).

I had a few people come up to me afterwards saying it was great to watch the e30 sliding everywhere.

Some photos:


























This was a spectator's car, but I'd have loved to have seen/heard it running


This was my last & quickest lap, which was the fastest Novice & Sports Modified RAW time.
The video is on the long side as the Cobra before me had a bit of a moment (you can hear it locking up it's wheels at the end of his lap).
The e30 action starts at around 2min 30sec

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZVTktCashA

My plan is to get a few events under my belt before jumping in and buying tires etc. Once the JZ is in the car will need as much tire as possible, so there's no point rushing out and buying ones for my 7J wide wheels.

[e30mclow]

Realistically, anything over 400hp is needless in an e30, so shooting for around that.

The engine currently has a cheapo Driftmotion turbo and stock injectors. I think a Borg Warner S360 or 362 would be plenty for a little car like this.

[wworm]

1-love that wheel
2-this is gonna be rad

What are your power goals? Any ideas on what kind of turbo you'll be running?

[e30mclow]

Picked up my donor car and got soaked in the process.






After some super sketchy loading/unloading antics, it is now sitting pretty in my driveway.



Got it running last night, so I should be ready to start tracing wires and getting the motor ready to be pulled in the coming weeks.

[e30mclow]

Signed up for my first ever Auto-X event today, which occurs on March 18th.
Really looking forward to it as it'll help me dial in all of the geometry.

The biggest risk is St. Patrick's Day on the 17th. I intend to exercise my right to alcohol like the fresh off the boat Irishman I am. This may directly affect lap times/the g-force capabilities of my body.

Really stumbling on what to do with my brakes once the 1J is in.
To be honest, I'm freaked out by booster-less setups, but have never driven a booster delete car.

How do you booster-less guy find driving on the street with unassisted brakes?

[e30mclow]

The ole girl is about to have a change of heart.
1JZ swap coming up!

[e30mclow]

Went and test drove a big turbo 1jz donor car yesterday.
Could be the greatest and worst automotive decision I’ve made in a long time.

99% sure I’ll be going 1JZ here pretty soon.

Also wet sanded the car back and polished it, since my respray budget is likely gone.

[e30mclow]

The best part was that it only cost $75.

Once I swap out the carpet the interior will almost be complete.
I'm flip flopping on engine swaps... I'm finding myself being drawn towards an F20c swap, which should in some ways bring back the feeling of my old m3..

[jeenyus]

where did you find that in such nice condition? is it taurusrot or cardinalrot?

[e30mclow]

[e30mclow]

Teaser of some things to come this weekend:

[e30mclow]

I've made a thread in the tech section regarding some steering issues I've been having.

If you have time, try and help a brother out - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...07#post4866707

[e30mclow]

Picked up some recaros this morning, after a lot of driving.

In case anyone thinks I'm being JDM tacky, this is as close as I'll ever get to the feel of the Holy Grail - the e30 M3 Sport Evolution





Managed to make it home from Virginia with enough time to install the Garagistic rear sway bar.



The install ran into darkness, so I'll post photos tomorrow as I install the front bar.
Brackets for the seats should be here on the 5th or so.

[e30mclow]

Has anyone had any updates on the Garagistic F&R ARB pre-order?

I just realized that I had ordered mine back on Nov 27th and haven’t seen any updates.

Garagistic got back to me yesterday, so my order from Nov 27th should ship out on Monday.
I suspect it was just the Black Friday mayhem that overwhelmed their order system and mine fell off the pile.


Going to install new inner tie rod boots this weekend and get my suspension dialed in.


Man, am I ever unhappy with my renown wheel. That thing flexes quite a bit, even with my hands just gripping the 10 & 2 positions. If it weren't a Christmas gift I'd send it back.

In other news, I'm hunting for an LS & T56 for this thing, as after driving a Stage III s4 for the last 2 years, an m20 just doesn't cut it lol