E30 Rally Build Thread

[Frog]

I almost built a rally e30 instead of my current track build. Only reason is that, surprisingly, in this dirt lovin redneck state, there is no rally sport in GA. Epic bu
Ild, thanks for sharing!

[iamsam]

WHOA! That exhaust sounds pretty dang good, especially in the high rpm range!! I strongly approve. Very good fab work too. Also, you should spray the pipe and weld w/ some high temp paint to try and stall rusting, because you will get that in northern MI.

man! I can't wait till this weekend! That thing is gonna be a beast around the track.

You should do more high rpm exhaust sound recording.

[MasterOfPuppets]

Exhaust

So I got the exhaust done today. Came out pretty good; the only negative was that I had to have them weld the pipes on rather than use bolt-in flanges because "that thing has weird flanges." So if I ever have to redo it, it will be have to be cut off. No big loss.

So, without further ado, here's how it came out:



Pretty wild, I know. A closeup:



You can only see a gap between pipes and car if you're at a low angle, otherwise it looks solid. The guys did a great job with it; here's a shot from underneath showing the routing:



And a closeup to show the clearance to the subframe bushing.



As discussed earlier, I'll heat wrap the exhaust and/or make a little heat shield for it. Really, though, after a few hours of cruising around today, I never noticed any heat inside or outside the car. I think that's the advantage of a tiny 2.5L - doesn't move much gas around.

Here's a video clip to try to show the sound of it. My camera definitely emphasizes the high frequencies, so in reality there's a bit more bass to it. The volume is tolerable but should be loud enough for me to hear on stages.



Overall, I'm very pleased, and the whole thing cost me $130 and took 4 hours for the shop to do. I'd estimate a loss of 30 lbs as well.

Here is a link to the place I had it done. If you're in ABQ I strongly recommend them. It's called Discount Radiator & Exhaust Service at 807 San Mateo Blvd, just south of Zuni.

I whipped up a quick camera bracket today using a $2 right angle bracket kit from Walmart. Amazingly, two existing holes in the front of the roof lined up with the holes in the bracket, so a screw and a rivet later I was good to go. Here's the bracket (the camera will screw into the lower front hole and sit on top of the bracket):



Here's a shot from the camera when mounted in the bracket:



Should work out well. Get ready to see some videos from that point of view after this weekend's rally day at CORE.

Meanwhile, my tachometer decided to quit working once and for all. So I fixed it:



German car, German supermodel. And do you ever need a reason to put a picture of Heidi Klum anywhere?

[iamsam]

Yep. And if I can find hi-temp paint in the right colors, I'll paint one of them blaze orange and one bright blue.

Oh my goodness. Just get some tasteful chrome tips and call it good.

[MasterOfPuppets]

Awesome!! Are you going to keep it two separate pipes exiting the side of the car?

Yep. And if I can find hi-temp paint in the right colors, I'll paint one of them blaze orange and one bright blue.

[iamsam]

So, in the interest of not having to explain to a mexican exhaust guy "don't cut this" and "I want to keep the cat-back," I just went ahead and pulled it myself. I actually managed to not break any of the bolts and the whole thing came off pretty easy. Total weight for the cat back and hangers was 37 lbs. It's actually pretty quiet, too.... it almosts sounds good...

Looking at the underside of the car, I think I'll actually have the guys route both exhausts out the drivers's side. There's already a channel there since that's the way it ran originally, and that way I avoid getting near the gas tank. And then the driver gets full volume!

Awesome!! Are you going to keep it two separate pipes exiting the side of the car?

[MasterOfPuppets]

So, in the interest of not having to explain to a mexican exhaust guy "don't cut this" and "I want to keep the cat-back," I just went ahead and pulled it myself. I actually managed to not break any of the bolts and the whole thing came off pretty easy. Total weight for the cat back and hangers was 37 lbs. It's actually pretty quiet, too.... it almosts sounds good...

Looking at the underside of the car, I think I'll actually have the guys route both exhausts out the drivers's side. There's already a channel there since that's the way it ran originally, and that way I avoid getting near the gas tank. And then the driver gets full volume!

[iamsam]

the cat back exhaust is a HUGE pita sometimes, I know, I have swapped my diff in and out at least 5 times now, in addition to dropping the entire subframe once. and it does weigh a good bit.

[Earendil]

Basically, three reasons in addition to the weight savings:

1.) In my opinion, louder = better in this case. I prefer to be able to clearly hear the engine while I drive, and I figure a gravel rally will have plenty of ambient noise in the car. So an exit right behind me will be louder than the back of the car. Will it be too loud? We'll see, but so far, all signs point to no.

2.) To leave max room for suspension parts, travel, and tweakery, I'd prefer not to have pipes running over and around the rear suspension. I anticipate alot of quick-turn repairs during a rally, and waiting for exhaust to cool won't make anything faster.

3.) Cost - to have the exhaust shop make some simple dump tunes is much cheaper than a custom bent system to go over the axle. I coud have taken a stock exhaust and pulled the muffler, but that's still more expensve.

There are good odds I'll come to regret this for some reason, but what the hey, it's worth a shot.

Also, don't count on me knowing more than anyone else - one of the main reasons I post on here is to get some different opinions on stuff, so thanks for questioning!

Points 1 and 2 are excellent and not something I thought of. Especially number 2, which is surprising since I've dropped the exhaust solo enough and burned myself enough times to wish that the exhaust weren't near the rear wheels and suspension :)

[MasterOfPuppets]

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm curious why you would make such a modification to the exit location of the exhaust. If you won't notice window motors, surely you won't notice an extra 2 feet of exhaust pipe ;-)
Certainly then durability would be a reason, but it seems like tucking the exhaust in that nice stock designed alcove would prove more durable than splitting it in two different directions and routing by underside elements that weren't designed for it?

I'd love to know the answer since I'm sure you know a bit more than me :)

Basically, three reasons in addition to the weight savings:

1.) In my opinion, louder = better in this case. I prefer to be able to clearly hear the engine while I drive, and I figure a gravel rally will have plenty of ambient noise in the car. So an exit right behind me will be louder than the back of the car. Will it be too loud? We'll see, but so far, all signs point to no.

2.) To leave max room for suspension parts, travel, and tweakery, I'd prefer not to have pipes running over and around the rear suspension. I anticipate alot of quick-turn repairs during a rally, and waiting for exhaust to cool won't make anything faster.

3.) Cost - to have the exhaust shop make some simple dump tunes is much cheaper than a custom bent system to go over the axle. I coud have taken a stock exhaust and pulled the muffler, but that's still more expensve.

There are good odds I'll come to regret this for some reason, but what the hey, it's worth a shot.

Also, don't count on me knowing more than anyone else - one of the main reasons I post on here is to get some different opinions on stuff, so thanks for questioning!

[MasterOfPuppets]

Yeah what a knucklehead, who would want door panels to cover up his bare doors? wait... ;)

Make sure you wrap the exhaust w/ heat wrap right by the fuel pump, since your pipe will be running right under that, and you don't want to melt your subframe bushings either.

Also, make sure your exhaust guy doesn't cut up the Supersprint cat-back!!

Wilco on all counts. I have some sheetmetal, so I'll probably make some shields, but heat wrap is a good idea too.

[Earendil]

Getting the exhaust done tomorrow, guy quoted my $125 to put in some flanged straight pipes from the back of the cat/resonator to an exit in front of each rear wheel (yes, I checked the RA rules, the exhaust must exit behind the driver, not the wheels). May not be a long-term solution, but it will at least make the car loud enough to tell if it's running.

Pardon my ignorance, but I'm curious why you would make such a modification to the exit location of the exhaust. If you won't notice window motors, surely you won't notice an extra 2 feet of exhaust pipe ;-)
Certainly then durability would be a reason, but it seems like tucking the exhaust in that nice stock designed alcove would prove more durable than splitting it in two different directions and routing by underside elements that weren't designed for it?

I'd love to know the answer since I'm sure you know a bit more than me :)

[iamsam]

I Plus I already found some sucker to buy my door panels for enough to cover the aluminum... sucker :mrgreen:.

Yeah what a knucklehead, who would want door panels to cover up his bare doors? wait... ;)

Getting the exhaust done tomorrow, guy quoted my $125 to put in some flanged straight pipes from the back of the cat/resonator to an exit in front of each rear wheel (yes, I checked the RA rules, the exhaust must exit behind the driver, not the wheels). May not be a long-term solution, but it will at least make the car loud enough to tell if it's running.

Make sure you wrap the exhaust w/ heat wrap right by the fuel pump, since your pipe will be running right under that, and you don't want to melt your subframe bushings either.

Also, make sure your exhaust guy doesn't cut up the Supersprint cat-back!!

[MasterOfPuppets]

I didn't clean it at all; it's still sticky. I'll probably wipe it down with WD before getting it too dusty.

On windows - my drag racing days have taught me that the several pounds of window motor and mechanism are totally worth it on a hot day in a race suit when you can just zip down the windows and get some fresh air after a pass/stage. So I'll keep 'em until my skill level surpasses the speed of the car and I need to shave more weight...

I figure I'll do the same sheet aluminum trick on the doors as the roof... worked out well and should be durable. Plus I already found some sucker to buy my door panels for enough to cover the aluminum... sucker :mrgreen:.

Getting the exhaust done tomorrow, guy quoted my $125 to put in some flanged straight pipes from the back of the cat/resonator to an exit in front of each rear wheel (yes, I checked the RA rules, the exhaust must exit behind the driver, not the wheels). May not be a long-term solution, but it will at least make the car loud enough to tell if it's running.

[SlapDash]

Yeah, there is a lot of goo when you pull the plastic.

Don't forget that you have to cover up that door with some sort of skin or a modified door card per RA. I used a sheet of that weird paneling that you find in RVs and/or bar room bathrooms. I put the smooth side out.

If you're going Lexan, you can pull the motor/regulator and wiring too.