325ic Calypso Euro Conversion - Houndstooth & dbilas now, MT1 & MM 3.2 stroker coming

[robrez]

Looking great. More info in the custom two piece door panels.

[bradnic]

Looking great. More info in the custom two piece door panels.

Roberto asking about interiors.. go figure. :-)

I sent Justin pics of my 771 2 piece mtech door cards (they're just like yours Rob I'm sure). Note the raised area and insert.


So these cards don't have a "slapped on" center section. There is a raised area on the main door card and the insert sits on top of it. Definitely reproducible by a knowledgeable interior guy. The cloth+vinyl OEM door cards like this black houndstooth can't be made the same way because they have heat bonded seams. That makes them truly rare!



Are your mtech cards also bonded or 2 piece resting on top of the card? can't tell from this pic. from your sedan right?


So anyway, it turns out Justin already had a way to do the 771 door cards, and he's done them before. You get what you pay for though. If you want a set he can make them. I posted a pic earlier in the thread. Here's a closeup. It's bonded together into a single card now, instead of screwed together. There's no need to take it apart though and the finished card is quite sturdy.

Here's some more detail (cards are already mounted but if the pics aren't enough and you *really* want to see something on them shoot me a PM).


BTW details like this are also why I sold the 771. Doing a 771 interior correctly with the right quality leather and french stitching would have cost $10k easy, assuming you scored a roll of the replica evo cloth before it ran out. Definitely not a short term project, and not something you would do as an investment.

[bradnic]

oem vs class D head unit power amp update

went back and forth on the power amp. pulled out the amp bypass to try a replacement oem power amp - didn't work well at all. so I put the amp bypass back in and spent a couple of hours installing the clarion class D amp.

All i can say is WOW. finally have enough powa to hear tunes with the top down. even better no wiring mods in the rear. the amp is small enough to fit on top of the head unit behind the dash. It also has a switchable high pass filter so you can run a separate sub and amplifier. all this for $86 shipped from amazon. crazy good deal.

so I can't recommend it enough. if you have the old blaupunkt premium amp in your trunk get rid of the damn thing.

[bradnic]

Thinking about ITBs or a TCD turbo M20..

Next step after a paint job. I've decided not to do an S52 in this car. The M20s too silky smooth to pass up. Just needs more oomph.

anybody working M20 ITBs?


awesome vid here (dbilas ITBs for sale too)

[bradnic]

head rebuild's been absolutely solid except for 1 issue - a *very* slow, small drop of oil that appears to be coming near the oil filter/oil cooler lines. crappy pic here but you can see the drop of oil accumulating.



I get about a tablespoon a week. still trying to track down where it's coming from. I didn't remove the oil filter mounting flange or the oil cooler lines, so not sure what's going on here.

bingo: http://e30.bmwdiy.info/oil-leak/
$10 for the oil adapter seal kit, part number 11-42-9-059-338
leak's so slow it hasn't been a priority. but a leak's a leak and we can't have that.

[bradnic]

some better pics of the interior - more on the way

[bradnic]

Installed a new retracting antenna as the one I put in last year started acting up. works great with the fog switch I wired above the radio. You only need it when you're really listening to the radio right? Saves on antenna wear and tear too. We all know how unreliable they are I'm sure.

Here's the only rust spot on the car on the left side taillight, about 4mm square.


Not surprisingly it was also under the taillight. There was a rust stain on the taillight underside as well.


Fortunately the rust did not penetrate to the back side so it should be contained. The right side taillight area was pristine.

So I ground the rust out carefully and PORd the area (2 coats). left the obligatory tool mark too dammit. oh well getting painted anyway.


New trunk and taillight gaskets installed. The new trunk gasket must be a bit taller because the trunk lid is nice and snug when closed now. Should have done this long ago. The taillight gaskets were shriveled and dry. Note how big the holes are in the old gasket, and also the tabs in the middle of the new gasket


With that, a trunk lid liner (score!) and an early euro plate filler from abrahamsmotosport the deck area's done for now - until paint next spring.

[bradnic]

Engine plans - building out the M20?

Here's my "pre MT1" target, straight from e30.de.


couple more from a sister car on same site


btw both these cars have M30B35 conversions done. Definitely not my preference - there's an S52 swap in my future. just not sure which car yet (this one or the MT2).

So I've gotten there now on the external appearance, and the car is mechanically sound. Been thinking about next steps, and I'm no longer so enthusiastic about getting an S5X in this car. Here's why:

- I already have a stage 1 Dinan S54 E46 M3. It's awesome, but heavier and more modern than my E30s.
- This car's really a garage queen anyway.
- I really love the buttery smoothness of the M20.
- The Strömung sounds terrific.
- We don't really need big numbers - just another 30-50 ponies.

Whatever we do needs to be OEM quality and preserve all engine accessories. We definitely don't want to do any engine bay surgery either. So an M30 swap would seem to be overkill for a power goal like that, not to mention the weight up front affecting cornering.

So I guess there's a couple of ways to get there, either ITBs or a TCD log manifold and under mounted turbo. Or both.. It's a personal choice in the end.

I'm gonna stick with the M20, build it out a bit with a nice cam and find a dbilas ITB setup for it. I'm not in any hurry to do FI.

EDIT: rkadunce sourced me a Getrag 420G 6 speed, as well as an E39 M5 clutch pressure plate and driveshaft last year. I was planning an M6X swap for the IS coupe but I've changed my mind on that. Would be cool to have that 420G in this car, but need to do some research around using that tranny with an M20.

[N2MYE30]

Im sticking with the M20 im my cabrio. Unless catastophy strikes, it aint coming out either. For this car, id rather have a well build M20 than an M5x such as my coupe! For me, its not what my cabrio is ment for...not a "racecar". I do think that an engine bay with ITB is darn $exy but near impossible to find that setup.

[bradnic]

Well said Dan. We're on the same page.

Not judging S52 verts btw. This is Frank's (lifted from Levent's fb pic feed). Finest example out there I'd say.


Hope you're wrong about the ITBs not being available. Didn't that Canadian M20 2.8 build get parted out? I hope the dbilas setup is still available

[jeffnhiscars]

I share your sentiments on keeping the M20 til it implodes especially since mine has a fresh head and 110k. I am however also interested in some extra juice. I dislike turbos immensely and am not in the mood to pull the head again so whats the story on the ITBs ?

[bradnic]

Hey Jeff

Seems like we share similar views for street E30s. I like things OEM+ and that includes keeping all accessories and OEM engine management. No problem piggybacking, adding a wideband etc. If it keeps the character of the car/engine and is necessary from an engineering perspective then I'm in.

As to FI, I've had a top mount M42 turbo in our 318is then took it back to stock. The only turbo setup I'd consider here is a TCD bottom mount. I think supercharger options for M20 are a bit limited but I may be misinformed.

So that leaves NA as an option for more power. Seem to be a few 6 cyl BMW options for 325i cars:

- M20B25 mods several scenarios described here. some good additional info here
- M30B35 SOHC swap (torquey) or DOHC swap (M5X/S5X, revvy and lots of top end)
I now personally think the S5X 24V swap is more perf oriented and better suited for a coupe.

No matter how straightforward, an engine swap is major surgery. If FrankM E30 (Frank Macaluso) has done them then I put them on my list for consideration. His swap guides are worth every penny.

So given I only want mild hp gains and decent torque, I'm sticking with the M20. Probably a 2.7 setup using my existing block and head. I'll get a nice schrick cam too so I can take advantage of ITBs. Will also look at an M30 AFM or an alpha/N setup, maybe some replica hartge headers. not sure on this last bit as I still may want a TCD setup at some point.

UPDATE: read on - settling on ITB+SC+MS3

[bradnic]

How's this for cool? from e30.de, look for "Manfred: 325i"
Note carbs and relocated brake booster

[bradnic]

I dislike turbos immensely and am not in the mood to pull the head again so whats the story on the ITBs ?

I didn't really answer that did I. I don't think ITBs will help by themselves, at least not without at least a cam change in the motor, as well as an AFM swap or replace. Happy to let you know though :-)

UPDATE: This is a bit pessimistic. I've seen a few references showing about 10% hp improvement, even with the stock cam. So maybe 15HP by just bolting one up.

UPDATE2: most write-ups predict a loss of mid-range torque when swapping out the stock manifold for the dbilas plenum setup, and any hp gain definitely requires engine management changes.

[cgk_iii]

some better pics of the interior - more on the way

Where did you get the houndstooth material? Im looking all over for it