The no longer luxorbeige or eta e30 revival - sold

[Andy.B]

I went with KYB AGX shocks from the rear of an mr2. I haven't installed them yet.
This past weekend I went and raced with Finger Lakes Ice Racers at Black Rock Speedway in Dundee NY. The day started out with packed snow/ice but 40 degree temps with sun lead to it turning into nothing but mud. I was surprised that as the snow gave way to mud, traction much much worse! I wish we had enough of a cold streak to give us thick enough ice, so we could race on a lake, but the event at black rock was a blast.

Some pictures from the event:

Ice Race Weekend 127 by andy.byrne85, on Flickr


Ice Race Weekend 117 by andy.byrne85, on Flickr


Ice Race Weekend 058 by andy.byrne85, on Flickr

[Andy.B]

Update: Installed skidplate, cold air intake, complete i exhaust (from manifolds to tailpipes), converted interior (seats and door cards) to black, installed bravox component front speakers, removed trunk tar (waiting for lukebox to arrive), mounted Ronal R7 15x7's with falken zeix tires (loads more grip).

After some autocross and spirited summer driving, I am looking for a little bit more power. Planning on an i cam with dual valve springs, a motronic 1.3 swap, and a single mass flywheel and taller rear end.

[Andy.B]

Whats going on here?





And thats not an eta tachometer...



Or an eta head...



There is a whole bunch of these piles of parts just taking up space in my garage...



Lots of changes coming soon! I can hardly wait for the next step of this project.

[Andy.B]

My car has spent most of the summer at the body shop, getting a massive overhaul. The painter is a guy I have worked with before who does work in his spare time in a shop on his property. We worked out a deal where I would strip the car, to save him some labor, he will do the bodywork and paint, and then I will re assemble. This way it costs me less, and (theoretically) helps him get done sooner. Since he has a full time job, it takes him a bit of time to get a car done, but it will hopefully be getting wrapped up soon.
The left front fender was rusted through on the bottom, is being replaced, as is the rusted sunroof panel. All 4 fenders are getting rolled and seam sealed for clearance, and the car will be re sprayed in its original luxorbeige metallic.
The biggest change, however, is the plastic bumper conversion. I pulled most of the parts for the swap from a local salvage, and picked up the remaining bits from the classifieds here. I picked up an IS lip and ebay fogs to complete the front, and a 88+ rear valance to get tacked on in the back.
I cannot wait to get the car back, and put the rest of the body trim back together. Once it is wearing fresh paint and plastic bumpers, it is getting shadowline trim, euro grills, and an IS lip and spoiler.
And the changes aren't just on the outside. Inside I have robertk seat brackets to bolt in matching e36 manual/heated sport seats, an i tach, a classic momo 70101 steering wheel and matching momo shifter, and z3 1.9 shifter, as well as cruise control, and a power sunroof conversion.
And under the hood is getting updated too. I have a motronnic 1.1 system from an 87 325i, a 173 dme (motronic 1.3) with a eurotuning 2.7i chip, and a rebuilt 885 head that has been shaved to the minimum spec, with an adjustable timing gear to dial in the timing, and a kamotors intake, to complement the previously installed i exhaust., and an i oil cooler system to help keep everything healthy. The i valve cover and intake manifold have been painted black, and the injectors rebuilt. I have a box full of hardware and gaskets ready to go.

I have tried to get everything ready to bolt in, so as soon as the car comes back from paint I am ready to tear into it. With winter approaching, I am getting anxious to get the car back, and am predicting a lot of sleepless nights, as I try to wrap up the car while still working two jobs and keeping up on my classes.
Expect lots of pictures when the car gets back, and the transformation continues.

[Cephas]

Doing work! I lime the new exhaust as well.

[Andy.B]

Work on the car is coming along slowly. Every dent has been fixed, new panels have been hung, rust has been repaired, and parts have been swapped. It is (finally) just about ready for paint. I am hoping to get it back during my winter break between semesters, while I will have plenty of time to work on re assembling everything.

*DISCLAIMER: THESE PICTURES ARE OF WORK DONE BY THE PAINTER*
Just a sample of some of the dent repair work.
Notice the mismatched paint, which is from my initial repair to prevent any rust from spreading. You can see from my paint/body skills why I'm paying someone to handle the bodywork.

The original damage from the previous owner hitting a dear, which I poorly hammered out and primed/painted to keep it from rusting, and looking quite so terrible:


And the same area massaged by someone who knows what they are doing:


Filler to smooth everything out:


And now sanded and wearing primer


That should be the last of the body work before it moves on to the paint prep. What started as a simple sand and spray just to get the whole thing one solid color and back to DD duties has turned into much more. I can't wait to see the final results.

[Andy.B]

I just received an email from the painter, with a few pictures that made me VERY happy:

New panels hung and mostly primered:


Base coat:


Clear coat:


I haven't seen it in person yet, and there is still some work to be done (he hasn't finished painting the sunroof, gas door, front valance, bumpers, etc). I am more anxious than ever to get the car back, and move forward with the suspension/brake/engine/interior overhaul that I have parts stacked up in my garage for. It is going to be like a new car by summer.

[JCarp90]

holy carp

[16v_e30]

Tell me you got this back now.

[Andy.B]

Tell me you got this back now.

Oh my god I wish. Painter has some health issues, followed by work issues. I'm losing my mind waiting for it. It's been nearly a year!!!

[freeride53]

Wait wut? Your car has been in le paint shop for 3 months ?!!

[Andy.B]

Wait wut? Your car has been in le paint shop for 3 months ?!!

Since August :(

[AwakenNoMore]

I can't wait to see more pictures, that color looks oddly beautiful.

[Andy.B]

I can't wait to see more pictures, that color looks oddly beautiful.

I'm going down tomorrow to start re assembly. I'll be sure to post some more pics.

[Andy.B]

I began reassembly while working out the last few tasks with the painter today.

Cluster back in after installing an i tach and chrome rings, in addition to ebay pedals (partially installed), and swapping out the sport wheel with a momo wheel and hub:



The rear still needs the late model apron tacked on and painted before the plastic bumper gets bolted on, but that shouldn't take much time:



The front end is looking fantastic with the late model valance, euro grills, and ellipsoids. I forgot to bring the IS lip down to install it.



It is so close to being back on the road. I am so excited to get this car back, so I can throw in the e36 rack, GE coilovers, and 3.25lsd.

Then it will be 2.7i time. :twisted: