M52 Swapped E30 Build - SPANNER RASH

[greyis89]

Another good one! Very much enjoy your videos sir!

[SPANNER RASH]

I know the R3v userbase is largely folk from the US so this update might mean a little bit less to you guys than it will for the E30zone crowd. Nevertheless, I've been beavering away trying to get this Z3 steering rack conversion completed for the E30.

Previously I was considering moving the steering rack to the rear holes (the ones originally for manual racks) for a better tie rod angle, but after asking on social media someone mentioned they had an issue with the rack interfering with their M20 engine sump. As I'll be doing a 24v M52 swap with the E34 front sump. I opted to stick with the inner mounting holes for the rack to avoid regret.

As for the steering linkage, I was following a guide which involves using the steering coupler from a Vauxhall Corsa C (a very common small FWD hatchback here in the UK) or a Holden Barina (not sure how common there, but the same car for the Australian market) and switching one end out for an E30 end. This turned out to be a right pain to do, especially with the little needle roller bearings that like to fall out and go everywhere. After much frustration, I did get it sorted though by more carefully extracting 2 good bearings from the E30's linkage. It worked beautifully in the end. For LHD cars I suspect the steering knuckle is a much lesser issue as it will be on the cold side of the engine, with no exhaust manifold to work around.

As for the routing of the PAS lines, the good news it I was able to use the original ones after all. The low-pressure line required a slight bend to mate up with the Z3 steering rack's port, whereas the smaller high-pressure PAS line needed rerouting entirely to go around the back of the subframe. I am pleased with the result on this because I honestly thought it impossible at the start of the day. for US spec cars I think there is more soft-line closer to the ports so only a slight bend is needed there too. For RHD cars the information is pretty scarce so I was glad to share my solution for those on my side of the pond.

I might have a look at the brake booster next, but there are a couple of potential next jobs, one being quite weather dependent (always a coin toss in Britain!).

[SPANNER RASH]

Great video on the core support! Another great project getting tons of attention :)

Thank you! That vid has proved popular, sparked a lot of discussion in the comments too. Hopefully it's helpful for other E30 nuts.

[SPANNER RASH]

I tried bending lines and maybe it was just me but I had suboptimal results with leaks and things not fitting properly. I ended up seeing a hydraulic shop nearby and getting custom lines made which have been trouble and leak free for about 6 years. I think the cost ended up slightly more expensive than if I had attempted making my own AN lines.

Interesting, how did you spec the lines? As in, how did you describe your requirements to them accurately? Or did you manage to take the car to them and they then figured it out?

[greyis89]

Great video on the core support! Another great project getting tons of attention :)

[jsta1109]

I tried bending lines and maybe it was just me but I had suboptimal results with leaks and things not fitting properly. I ended up seeing a hydraulic shop nearby and getting custom lines made which have been trouble and leak free for about 6 years. I think the cost ended up slightly more expensive than if I had attempted making my own AN lines.

[Panici]

Awesome, looks like you had some interesting lines there, are they custom? I'm really scratching my head about how I can make these RHD lines work still to be honest. Or where to even get custom ones. I can't get over how awesome your thread is though!

Power steering lines are OEM.Think they are regular E36 and fit with slight bending.
Although I have no idea if the same can be done with RHD lines.

Thank you, it's been an absolute blast! So glad I documented everything.


As for custom lines, you might be able to make something like this work. Maybe he will make custom lengths if you measure out what you need?

https://www.chasebays.com/collections/power-steering/products/chase-bays-power-steering-kit-bmw-e36-w-s50-s52

[SPANNER RASH]

Yep, can't wait to feel it on the road, but that might be a way off still... I know it will be mega though from the experience I had with the purple tag rack in the past.

Awesome, looks like you had some interesting lines there, are they custom? I'm really scratching my head about how I can make these RHD lines work still to be honest. Or where to even get custom ones. I can't get over how awesome your thread is though!

[Panici]

I love the Z3 rack. Paired with a slightly smaller steering wheel and it's a perfect setup!

Post 255, 268 & 401 of my build thread have pics if you like.

https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/forum/general-forums/members-rides/the-project-forum/296561-panici-s-87-325is-e30-boosted-in-bronze/page17#post9923286

[SPANNER RASH]

Another E30 build update here - I've been deciding which steering rack to swap in and figuring out how to fit it.

It ended up being between the E46 Clubsport "Purple Tag" rack which is 3 turns lock-to-lock and the slightly better Z3 1.9L rack which is 2.7 turns. Both mega upgrades over the E30's standard 4 turn steering rack.

The 318is I had a few years ago went away for the purple tag rack upgrade, and I remember being surprised just how agile the car felt after the swap. So I knew for a fact the purple tag rack is a major improvement.
But I decided to take it one step further and go for the Z3 rack which I think is the ultimate rack for an E30, bar something custom.

Fitting it up with the 14mm spacers was pretty straight forward, and so were the tie rods after I realised I could simply use E36 inners and outers.

One thing I am unsure of though is the use of the inner holes on the subframe steering rack tabs. I can't help but think the tie rods would be at less of an angle if I used the outer holes, but all sources online seem to insist that the inner holes are the correct ones for PAS racks.
Does anyone have any advice for me on that??

I'm also scratching my head a bit about how I'm going to bend those hard PAS lines to match the new Z3 rack ports, but I'll have to hunt around for some pics of someone else's to see how they overcame it.

[SPANNER RASH]

Cheers guys, I'm really pleased with myself for being brave and picking a more obscure colour. Sometimes you just gotta go your own way with these things!

[Panici]

I like the colour!
Looks red and flashes to purple. Very dynamic depending on lighting which makes photography a ton of fun!

[benfidar]

Perfect! I will take credit for suggesting purple.

[SPANNER RASH]

I can finally reveal my colour choice for the E30 build! I can't tell you how difficult it's been to actually make a firm decision and buy the paint. I ended up going with a colour that's been in the back of my mind for a long time.

I'm sure the selection will split the crowd, some will love it, and some will hate it. But I've always thought it a stunning and unusual colour so I'm really excited to be on course to own a car painted in this colour.

It's BMW Mora Metallic 359 (Morarot), don't be fooled by my video thumbnail.

I even picked up a new spray gun for the occasion, which should be a game-changer for when I paint the exterior. Painting an engine bay is super difficult, especially for an inexperienced painter like me. It's such a complex shape it's nigh on impossible to get an even finish.
While I was painting in my dull garage, I was convinced the paint shop had mixed up the wrong colour for me. But after it'd dried I was relieved as I took the front core support into direct sunlight and saw the flash of purple/pink over dark red I was expecting to.

I've still got a heck of a lot to learn about painting as the finish is far from my best work, and unfortunately full of dust particles - almost definitely from the previous epoxy primer coat. I will have to make sure I learn my lesson on the masking with that.

Luckily its more than good enough for an engine bay, so it's a job done!

What are your thoughts on my choice of BMW Mora Metallic 359??

[SPANNER RASH]

No reason you have to stick with a BMW colour either.
I went with an "Audi exclusive" branded colour on my E30 and I'm very happy I chose it over BMW Marrakesh Brown, which was my original choice.

This is very true! And that opens up a world of possibilities and interesting colours like your Audi brown. I'm not sure it will help me narrow down my selection though, and I'm finding it difficult as it is.