The MR E30 Project Thread

[MR E30 325is]

November 3rd, 2012

Lots of time being devoted to the E30 today. Alternator, power steering pump, oil filter housing, and a few miscellaneous pieces have been cleaned so far. It is hilarious how parts that wont be visible when the engine is installed are really easy to clean, but the very visible parts are a pain in the ass to get shiny.

I need to run to Home Depot to get some acetone to use before I paint the various pieces, and to pick up lumber to construct an appropriately heighted table to work on all of the parts. The trunk lid of the E30 is not going to work for much longer.

Pics tonight after I burn out on E30 work.

[Zasz]

GJ brah, see you in SD later hopefully.

[MR E30 325is]

November 3rd, 2012 Part 2

I got a good amount of work done this afternoon.

I was able to successfully clean all of these parts, though a few will need to be painted before being installed on the engine.



I decided to ditch the AC pulley on the front of the engine, due to the fact that the chassis has literally no AC components left (because racecar) and I knew I would have to shorten the bolts just a little bit. So I measured the thickness of the ac pulley and marked the 3/16th of an inch that I needed to grind away from each of the 6 bolts.

I used a grinder and held the bolt in a pair of vice grips and simply ground down the bolt to the desired length. I rounded each of the edges and tested each of them in the crank flange to make sure they went in and out smoothly, and to make sure they wouldnt be too long when I installed them. Needless to say, it was a success. I dont have any pics though, but I am sure you can envision them pretty easily.

Then I started on the modification to the spider hose. I am removing the tube that goes to the throttle body heater, as that entire loop has been removed from my coolant system.

After the first couple of cuts.



I wasnt too worried about removing the metal piece on the t hose, as it wont be visible when the car is assembled, and I didnt want to grind too far and damage the integrity of the tube that I wanted to keep. A fresh coat of black paint should hide it pretty well.



After I finished grinding it I handed it to my trusty garage buddy to clean all the grime and grease off of it.



He is the only one who never hesitates to join me in the garage, no matter what time of day it is. Haha

I didnt remove the tube completely, as I still don't know how I want to close it off. I might remove it flush and weld a piece of metal over the opening, or I might crush, bend and heat the exposed tube shut. Decisions, decisions.

After all of this, I started on the wiring harness. The thing was pretty dirty, but I dont think there is much work to be done to it, which should save a little bit of time and keep me on track with my scheduled deadlines.

More work tomorrow. Stay tuned.

[MR E30 325is]

November 7th, 2012

October was a good month, and some of my most anticipated parts arrived.



Oil pump safety nut also arrived yesterday, and I would go down into the garage and start putting things back together tonight, but homework from a couple of engineering classes is going to keep me at the table for the next 5-6 hours, so I can't have any fun with the E30 tonight.

Clutch kit and a ZF transmission are next on my list of things to purchase. Just have to make some more money.

[ian e30 318is]

Dude look at you! I can't wait to see this thing when you cruise up!

[MR E30 325is]

November 9th, 2012

I havent adhered to my set schedule for crap, but I did manage to sneak a little bit of work in on the E30 between homework and work.

Safety nut for the oil pump came in the mail a few days ago, and thats what was keeping me from reattaching the oil pan and flipping the engine back up.

A quick search found that 17 ft/lbs is the necesary torque to properly install this nut on all M5x/S5x variants. This nut is reverse thread.

Remember kids, a torque wrench and red threadlocker are your friends!



All done. That nut is not going anywhere. I replaced the oil pump pickup tube gasket as well.



Tomorrow the pan gets its last coat of paint, the front main seal gets replaced and hopefully I flip the S52 back to its normal orientation. A few more things need painted and reinstalled before I can say the engine is done.

[SkurtleyE30]

Rry

After reading through JackBenny's massive and very detailed project thread, I was compelled to share my story as well.

I feel as though my E30 is special enough to have its own thread, and I can use it as a source of motivation to get the work done and also use it as a place to ask questions and share my knowledge with others. I live eat and breath E30's, and have been personally responsible for passing the addiction onto 6 of my friends.

I am not a stickler for perfection, but I am working on trying to get more meticulous about things. I am not the type of guy who cleans every part as I take it off. I repaint things that I deem necessary, but thats not too many things. I am not a looks guy whatsoever, and yes I do realize the paint is in extreme need of some work, but I enjoy the look and think it gives the E30 character. To me its more about the drive, and making everything look like its supposed to be there.

For now, I am forced to do all of the work to my E30 in a parking lot, and I unfortunately do not have the privilege of having a garage, or special tools to get some jobs done, but I will do the best that I can, with what I have.

I am going to start at the beginning, and create new posts for the big dramatic updates until I get to how the car sits today.


*Cracks Knuckles* Here We Go...........

On August 12th 2009 I put a 1000 dollar deposit on the NV M50 1991 318is. The following day I take the remaining balance to the seller and pick up my first 24v E30. This is my fourth E30, and by far, this is the most modded one to date. I am excited as all hell, and think that its the fastest coolest thing on the road. Here are a few pictures of it, exactly as I picked it up from the PO.

A list of big things this E30 has to offer.
- 1992 NV M50 with tranny
- B&G Coilovers
- 3.25 LSD
- Style 5's
- E36 5 lug, with E36 M3 brakes, front and rear
- Z3 SS













After an hour, and a bunch of parts from my previous E30, I get it to look like this.





I like how its going, the roof rack ties the mean, ratrod look together, and who doesnt love smilies!?

Though there are a few problems right off of the bat. First off, the rear is way too low, and the exhaust scraps off of the tiniest of bumps. I fix that by simply raising the rear by adjusting the rear spring. Next, that little fan isnt doing jack squat to keep the M50 cool, and continues to overheat even after rigorous bleeding.

So, I fix that problem by pulling out the entire cooling system from my previous E30. I reinstall the engine fan, and I wire up the stock aux fan to a switch in the cabin. For some reason, even after following the Bentley, I cant get the fan to turn on on its own, so switched it became.

After all of this, the overheating issue is resolved and I can drive the car without worrying about doing damage on a long drive.

I drive the car 400 miles to my residence in Phoenix without any problems, and take the car to get smogged. I was kinda worried, but it passed with flying colors. I head over to the DMV and get the infamous MR E30 (which, contrary to popular belief, doesnt stand for Mr. E30, but MR are my initials, and E30 is E30) license plate on the car. Its starting to feel more and more like mine every minute.

I have a short dry spell without any work. Back in the day I didnt photograph the work I did too often, which I am kinda bummed about now, cause I cant create an accurate chain of events. Its hard to go off of memory only!

Next up was the dashboard............

What kind of wheels are those?

[ethrtyiS]

16x8 style 5's.

[MR E30 325is]

November 21st, 2012

Ermahgerd, I just made a huge purchase.

When it arrives I will post pictures for your enjoyment.

[MR E30 325is]

This happened yesterday.

E30 in the classroom.



Why you ask? Why bring an LSD into the classroom.

BECAUSE RACEENGINEER! Thats why.

That is all.

[MR E30 325is]

November 30th, 2012

Phew, it has been a long while since I have had a legit update! But I hope to prove that it is well worth the wait!

I will start off by saying that I am way behind schedule. The S52 still isnt completely ready to be put into the corner to await reinstallation, but it is close.

I waited patiently for these parts, agonizing days of suspence were killing me, but they finally arrived.

Enjoy!



Damn!! Arent those some good looking parts!? I mean a waterpump, pulley, diff seals and thermostat housing gaskets are so eye catching.

Come on guys, I wouldnt leave a teaser note for something as regular as that crap.

Here is the real deal. I worked many hours to purchase this amazing piece of engineering. Easily the most exciting part I will install the whole rebuild. Too bad no one will see it, because it is a thing of beauty.

Drum roll please..........



Badum! All 8.5 lbs of goodness.



I bought the whole shebang. UUC E34 M5 adapted clutch kit with the 8.5 lb flywheel to be squished between my S52 and the ZF. Super excited about this set and its performance capabilities.



Badass clutch disc on the left, tired old piece on the right.



Side by side comparison of the old and the new. less than 1/3rd the weight. In fact, the entire new setup (meaning everything that will be rotating with the engine) weighs lbs less than just the flywheel from the old setup.



To all the naysayers who are going to naysay, idle has already been increased to 800 rpms with the TRM tune I have, to compensate for the decrease in rotational mass of the flywheel.

Legit packaging, rapid shipping times and very well written directions made my business with UUC a pleasent one.

Here is an updated pic of the S52. Yes the oil pan is yellow. Because Racecar is my official answer. Plus it will be easier to spot oil leaks in the future.



I hope to spend a little time with the E30 these next couple of weeks, but finals will take precedence. I started removing the steering rack last night, and I will continue working on the engine bay until that is all finished.

Til next time!

[Jalves619]

Is that thing running yet? We want updates

[MR E30 325is]

December 9th, 2012

The engine bay is slowly getting emptied. I still have to figure out how stripped I want it to be, and exactly what to do to make it look all smooth and sexy-fied.



All of the revmatched downshifting I have been doing is really paying off. Not to mention that these are E36 M3 brakes, and my E30 is pretty light, relatively.

I havent replaced these brakes since I bought this beast back in 2009. I honestly cannot believe that they are still this fresh.



Thats all for now. Finals are this upcoming week so not much will get done here these next couple of days, but for winter break I am going to put the pedal to the metal and get a lot of work done.

[MR E30 325is]

December 21st, 2012

The engine bay shaving process has started!

Still on the hunt for a ZF as well.

I guess I pulled the subframe at the right time. This is the drivers side.



Thankfully I have another front subframe that isnt compromised that I can upgrade with my IE plates and more welds.

More work tonight. The 'clean and ready to reinstall' shelf of parts is getting more and more full. Still lots of parts to acquire before the winter is over.

[MR E30 325is]

December 24th, 2012

I am thoroughly enjoying this shaving process.

Removed all of the brackets with the grinder, and went at the paint with the grinder again, equipped with the paint removing disc I found at Home Depot. A lil expensive but it is well worth the money. You dont risk damaging the metal and it strips the paint away very quickly.



Heres what the paint removal disk looks like, in case you are curious.



I am going to focus on the passenger side first, then tackle the drivers side since it is a little more complex and cluttered.