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    Offroad E30

    I have been toying with the idea for a long time to build an lifted/rally/offroad beater e30. I have read tons of threads from epiphy's dirty 30 to caswells baja racer.

    the rough idea is using e46 control arms up front with gc coilover kit with taller springs and depending on end ride height an upper strut mount spacer.
    the rear will be either the rest of the gc coilover kit or e36 rear springs

    further down the road i will be changing the rear end and more.

    just looking to have a fun play car that will turn some heads,
    and i cant afford this


    i am open to any and all suggestions and criticism
    Last edited by AZRRC; 09-17-2012, 03:53 PM.
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    89 325i Offroad
    89 325i
    05 C240 Wagon

    #2
    This is how it sits right now except ive gone back to bottle caps. It has H&R Race springs that have maybe 10k miles that i will be selling shortly.
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    89 325i Offroad
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      #3
      Do it.
      That 911 is da beans
      E30 buildy things
      http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=195286

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        #4
        Got the tire situation figured out ended up going with General Grabber AT2 27x8.5-14. Not my favorite tire (they dont seem to last long and are very soft) but the only good looking AT I could find in that size and was able to get a good deal
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        89 325i Offroad
        89 325i
        05 C240 Wagon

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          #5
          Got the e46 control arms in the mail today.

          Click image for larger version

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          Going to go cruise the yards tomorrow morning to try and score some more parts.
          Attached Files
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          89 325i Offroad
          89 325i
          05 C240 Wagon

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            #6
            interesting....

            e30s have been rallying for almost 30 years, so it's not exactly uncharted territory. There is an entire rally series in Europe called the 318is cup (good season vids on youtube, btw), and e30s play in rallies all over the place (both European rallycross, stage rally, and various other types). Caswell's job was impressive, but he's not the first e30 to run that type of rally. He's just the first one to do it as an "independent" without major sponsors or a lot of specialized rally equipment. As for the car, the stock suspension layout is more than sufficient for any kind of rally/rallycross you might want to do, though I'll be interested in seeing how the e46 LCAs turn out. You'll need to decide what you want to do though. If your goal is to "off road" more Jeep-style, you'll need a substantially different suspension than if you plan to run high-speed offroad rally. Rallycars tend to be pretty stiff, and extremely un-fun at low speed on really rough terrain. On the other hand, an "off-road" suspension setup will not be fun at all doing high-speed fire road runs (IMO). For just tooling around on gravel roads and some light off-roading, stock BMW springs + Bilstein HDs + significant weight-reduction is the inexpensive route.

            That said, there are several e30s here (mine included, but definitely others) that would have little trouble doing what that Porsche above is doing. The porsche has an advantage on steep climbs due to the rear-engine setup providing more weight to the drive wheels, but that's about it. An e30 has less front overhang (and rear, if you cut out the spare tire well) than the Porsche and would probably be a superior "off-roader" for things like in the video.

            I'd also note that if you plan to do stuff like that to get a roll cage built. It won't be cheap, but fucking around like that Porsche can result pretty easily in a rollover. We've seen some close calls in rallycross here and there on surfaces that are far more flat, trust me.

            As to tires....if your goal is more rally-type action, get competition rally/gravel tires rather than A/T tires. Rally tires have MUCH stiffer sidewalls if you are looking for higher-speed stuff. If you just want to creep around off-road like a Jeep in 2WD, then the A/Ts should be fine. That said, most comp rally tires will die quickly if driven on tarmac, so it also comes down to whether you're going to switch wheels on/off road.

            GL though, will be watching to see how this turns out and to see if anything you do would be a useful idea for my own dirt-beater.

            One thing I would suggest: Put your stock suspension back on and go run a rallycross or two. That will give you a better idea of what direction you want to go with the suspension and other changes.
            Last edited by irish44j; 09-21-2012, 10:12 PM.
            Stage rally/rallycross e30 build/competition journal
            Track/street e21 build
            visit Condor Speed Shop
            visit Motorsport Hardware



            [FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"] 1985 318i/M50 Rally Car - 1988 Porsche 924S - 2005 Sequoia tow pig - 2018 GTI

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              #7
              Thanks for the input, I'm going to keep it as just a fun mess around vehicle. The rally cross scene isn't to big here in Phoenix (that I know of).
              I really like the rally cars that I've seen here but just trying something different, if I could build caswells Baja car I would :)

              I put the e36 rear springs in today, def a substantial lift over stock height. Seems to cycle well without drooping the axles to far. Will probably put limit straps in the rear. Here is a quick pic once it was back on the ground
              Click image for larger version

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              Also found a LSD rear end at the Yard today that I will install soon.
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              89 325i Offroad
              89 325i
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                #8
                Here is another pic of the rear springs e36 vs. e30 (vert)edit vs. e30 h&r raceClick image for larger version

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                89 325i Offroad
                89 325i
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                  #9
                  know what the rate is on the e36 springs? They definitely have thicker coils than the e30 springs...
                  Stage rally/rallycross e30 build/competition journal
                  Track/street e21 build
                  visit Condor Speed Shop
                  visit Motorsport Hardware



                  [FONT="Franklin Gothic Medium"] 1985 318i/M50 Rally Car - 1988 Porsche 924S - 2005 Sequoia tow pig - 2018 GTI

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                    #10
                    Idk what the spring rate is, anyone know?
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                    89 325i Offroad
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                      #11
                      The next thing I need to figure out is how much I need to extend the tie rods, and If i need to make a custom one or use a combination of factory ones to achieve the right length.
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                      89 325i Offroad
                      89 325i
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                        #12
                        E30 convertible springs are also taller then the coupe springs, and softer spring rate then an e36 spring.

                        Good luck with the project, should be fun!
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                          #13
                          Edit: that reminded me the stock spring in my photo is a vert spring
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                          89 325i Offroad
                          89 325i
                          05 C240 Wagon

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                            #14
                            Subscribed. Can't wait to see the final product
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                            1990 325is

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                            Looking to buy shift boot frames, PM if you have one to sell

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                              #15
                              Here was the last/current/never ending project
                              Click image for larger version

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                              Click image for larger version

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                              89 325i Offroad
                              89 325i
                              05 C240 Wagon

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