Project Money Pit - A 24v Story

[Guerc]

Startup Video

The startup video is finally online:

http://guerc.shutterfly.com/pictures/54

Throw in another glamour shots:

[Wh33lhop]

Nice. My chipped non vanos is already feeling on the slow side a few months after swapping, wish I had the option to go with M3 cams.

[Guerc]

This thread needs another glamour shot. I'm going to do a wash, wax, and full photo spread tomorrow.

[Guerc]

Woooooot! Smog legal!

WOOOOOT! Passed smog referee. Took it in to Alameda, CA Smog Ref. Had a nice folder of documentation, including replacement engine VIN and its smog history. I don't think you needed it, but it certainly helped him identify the replacement engine. He looked through the smog books, then visually checked a few items. He took peek underneath to make sure there was a catalyst, then "uhhhh.... looks good. Wait here, I'll get you a sticker". Like any good state government worker, he slapped the smog cert on the shock tower in a piss-poor manner.

Smog Ref spent most of the time looking through requirements on the computer. Since he didn't ask, I forgot to mention the M3 cams. Oops, my bad.

A smog test isn't required until registration comes due in June. When I go in, the smog shop will treat it like any other 1995 325i.

[Guerc]

Thanks for comments. I'm in Concord, in the East Bay. That $250 E30 story is fantastic. Inspires me to pull out the rubbing compound this weekend.

I don't know if it is 1-stage or 2-stage, so . When buying the car, I searched out Black, Red, and White, since I understood these to be single-stage paint. I've had people emphatically say both. I wet-sanded the '89 plastic bumpers when I installed them and they were definitely single-stage.

See here for back-and-forth bickering on the issue:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=110351&highlight=white+stage

At least the clearcoat, if there is one, isn't damaged anywhere. There are quite a few rock chips and door dings, as expected. I've never seen any indication of clear coat. But what the hell do I know.

[kronus]

Nice! Where in the bay are you?

[iXBeater]

I'd have a good run at polishing the paint with GlossHaus or similar.

Here's $250 E30 story:

http://picasaweb.google.com/109315878539294742123/PutterSCar#

Single stage paint there, but you get the idea.

[JJe30]

Good story

[Guerc]

The cost issue really isn't that huge of a deal, but I'm a CPA and a CAB (cheap-ass bastard) so that's how I keep score. It really hasn't been a money pit. I bought the car as an occasional weekend hobby car. Since then, it has been reliable enough to be a DD, especially thru rainy NorCal winter, so I guess I'm getting some added value there.
It's a great "BART Car".... drop it off and don't worry about it. Here in California, parked next to the new MBZ's, Audis, & Bimmers, it's just another beater. I even see some people parking newer 911's outside at the BART station, and some guy occasionally parks his Maserati Quattroporte there too.

Upcoming work that needs to be done
-- Get it past Calif. smog referee.
-- Upgrade cooling system (especially a high volume pusher fan) before summer.
-- Detail exterior - Buff out or wetsand the dead layer of paint on hood, trunk, roof.
-- Detail the interior - Dye the seats, replace driver cushion, maybe throw on new leather.
-- Disassmble driver door and fix the sticky lock and worn-out window motor.
-- Finish off the details. I enjoy big projects but it's the small crap that I hate. I have no patience for it.

[rafiki]

car looks good. as long as your happy with the out come dont stress too much about costs! its obviously "done" now so just enjoy it hahah.

looks good.

[matrix]

I still can't get over getting rid of a low mile S50, and replacing it with an M50? But, anyways, nice build youo have there. Looks like money well spent. Keep up the good work.

[Guerc]

Project Money Pit - Part IX

Baby got a new set of 225/50/15 shoes and period-correct rims. I searched for 15” Euroweaves, but couldn’t turn down a great deal on these rims.

So that’s where we are now. We’ve long since eclipsed the $5k all-in budget I originally set for this car. Once it stops raining, I need to detail the car and do a proper photoshoot. The paint is nice, but the car hasn’t lived in a garage since 1998, so it could use a tub of rubbing compound and a good polish. Comments & feedback appreciated.

[Guerc]

Project Money Pit - The Road Warrior

Despite best of intentions, this is where the costs went horribly awry. I questioned my ability to pull off an engine swap. I didn’t have the flexibility to leave an engine-less car sitting in the garage for weeks/ months (years?!?) on end. After talking to different shops and a few independents, I made an appointment at Valley MotorWerks in Sacramento. They have a solid reputation in the E30 world, and field a car in the Spec30 series.

I dropped the car off, with promises that it would be done “in a few weeks.” This is where time and budget completely got away from me. VMWerks treated me right, but a race shop doing custom work doesn’t exactly keep costs down. I lost the ability to source parts off Craigslist. We had all sorts of delays and the incidentals really began to add up.

As they pulled the engine out, various deferred maintenance issues became apparent. Heater core, steering rack, etc, etc, all had to get replaced. Replaced all the tranny seals. Added Treehouse lollipops. With costs escalating, I was starting to panic. Nearly two months rolled by before I finally got the following in my email:

http://guerc.shutterfly.com/pictures/54

Anyway, here's an engine bay shot. After all my moaning & bitching about cost, I must say that VM Werks did a very clean, professional install. It looks like the engine was born in that spot. It starts up every time, and idles like a new car.

[Guerc]

Project Money Pit - A New Beginning

I found that once you go down the 24v rabbit hole, it’s hard to stop, and I found myself obsessed with doing an engine swap. I set up a spreadsheet and tried to find a way to do it cheap(er). I searched Craigslist and found a nice complete E34 M50. Add M3 cams, and we’re almost there. I figured I would keep my original Getrag 260 and 3:73 limited-slip to keep costs down.

I did all the maintenance on the engine. New water pump, oil pan & valve cover seals. Installed new VANOS seals and fixed the Oil Pump Nut. Degreased and painted everything. Compression was good, so I left the head gasket alone.

[Guerc]

Spent quite a bit of time thinking over my M20 engine build. I priced out a full-on rebuild vs some simple head work, and everything in between. The stock engine ran fine, but… well, it wasn’t overwhelming. A little extra oomph would make a difference. I was intrigued by the possibilities of a 24v swap. Yeah, this was the point where I first departed from my original objective of “within the limits of SpecE30.” And budget, what budget?

Wow! Came across a smoking deal on Craigslist! Found an M3 being parted out. Low mileage S50 engine… ZF Trans…. Close-ratio steering rack. Boom, I hit the ATM and hauled it all home. It all cost just a few grand.

The next morning, I was physically sick... I spent far too much and I’m way beyond my original constraints. The “Nut that holds the wheel” is still mediocre at best. I put an ad up on Craigslist and within days sold the whole S50 Engine + Trans package for a few hundred more than I spent. I cried a little inside when the buyer rolled away with "my" engine.