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

[bradnic]

I was finally able to contact the company in Munich that makes a machined stainless steel top motor repair part. They will be shipping this week so should finally have a decent top motor to install.



Also connected with a bfc member and bought a spare motor for parts.

Repair of the top motor housing is pretty involved, but quality is excellent.
One of their US customers posted this top motor repair part install guide

[bradnic]

It was sunny and 52 deg F in Chicago yesterday - In January!

Took the vert out for a quick fillup nearby and reunion with the Laguna 92 @mposer and I picked up in Raleigh last summer.




Man I can't stand those third brake light warts. Have the coupe trunk lid sprayed and ready to go, with IS holes for the mtech1 spoiler. Also a new undrilled decklid, as yet unpainted. Pics earlier in thread.

I'll look into an LED 3rd light strip solution at some point, something clean and unobtrusive that doesn't require sheet metal modification - maybe surrounding the roundel?

Picked up a 51161926845 blind spot driver's side mirror, $35 new from ECS - yes they are still available..


you can see how the outside edge of the mirror compresses the image horizontally in this pic. a bit more peripheral image right where you need it


Also scored a unicorn HEATED blind spot driver's side mirror from @monty23psk. He lives in Miami so don't think he'll miss it lol. It's one of the same batch that @japandrew had sold a few years back and I'm lucky to have it. Saving that one for Godfrey, our Lachs/Cardinal 88 IX. It even has an 88 mold mark date code on it. wow. The messy looking part near the connectors is some sort of flexible urethane, not a repair or heat damage. The unheated mirrors are of course missing those pins. Both of my unheated mirrors have 04 date code stamps on them.


So went to put the mirrors away on the basement shelves and I found ANOTHER mirror I had already bought lol. Tracking what I already have is getting hard.

[bradnic]

I asked him about angled double wall and he said he won't do them, at least when i asked...

Yeah that’s what he’s been saying for a while. Still holding out. We’ll see

[DRVN2WN]

Tom just finished mocking up the modified mtech1 Strömung setup on his coupe.
Looks like it fits GREAT!

...


All I need now are double wall versions of those tips for my vert!

I asked him about angled double wall and he said he won't do them, at least when i asked...

[Skarpa]

Tom just finished mocking up the modified mtech1 Strömung setup on his coupe.
Looks like it fits GREAT!

All I need now are double wall versions of those tips for my vert!

Good work as always! In my opinion the exhaust tips would look better if the left one was a bit longer. Now it is left more under the rear valance than the right one. When doing my exhaust tips I tried to get them to protrude the same distance from the valance. (a bit bad pic but here's what I mean)

[bradnic]

Did you buy a silver coupe?
I bought a other e30 silver 1989 325i.

Ha no. Belongs to @tvance306.. he bought the same angled Strōmung exhaust I did. We’ve been working with Scott to get the fit right for Mtech1

[e30m3s54turbo]

Did you buy a silver coupe?
I bought a other e30 silver 1989 325i.

[bradnic]

Tom just finished mocking up the modified mtech1 Strömung setup on his coupe.
Looks like it fits GREAT!





All I need now are double wall versions of those tips for my vert!

[bradnic]

@tvance306 modded his cat back and will be installing on his car soon.

here's the tips cut off


and the new slip on tips mounted. he hasn't tacked them in yet.

[bradnic]

My new Strömung will need modification to work with my mtech1 rear apron :-(
It works perfectly for mtech2, but not mtech1.

@tvance306 just tried trial fitting to his mtech1 car and the tips are clearly not angled enough. They don't exit straight like the standard strömung, but the angle just isn't sharp enough outboard to line up with the exhaust cutout on the mtech1 rear apron.

Any update on getting more angled tips? I'm in on the next group buy and love the look of the angled tips, and yours don't really look angled. I also want double-walled.

@tvance306 and I have been working with Scott at Strömung. Tom will be trial fitting some new tip adapters next week once he has his car back from the interior shop.

Here's the classic Strömung currently on my vert. It has double tips which stick out straight from the back of the car, even though they look angled relative to the muffler



Here's the angled Strömung catback like the one Tom trial fitted with his Mtech1. It came with single wall tips. Tips look straight off the muffler, angled when mounted on the car. Unfortunately they're not angled enough.


These are the adapters Scott sent him. We're to cut off all but 2" of the angled tips and clamp these adapter over the remaining portion.

Note they are single wall, not double wall


Once Tom confirms the adapters work I'll try once again to get Scott to make double walled versions. I really don't want to lose those tips.

[DRVN2WN]

Any update on getting more angled tips? I'm in on the next group buy and love the look of the angled tips, and yours don't really look angled. I also want double-walled.

[jeffnhiscars]

I've had my alloy wheels straightened so there is definitely a technique (art form really). You are correct that it will take only so much.

[bradnic]

some interesting info
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb...uminum-195814/

[bradnic]

top motor repairs needed

I have two top motors:

- one with a broken top cover in the usual place - it works fine, just needs the German top cover repair. was planning to keep it as a spare after I installed the repair kit. here's a side view.


note the arm on the left is almost at a right angle. The top of it bolts to the back rear side of the top compartment. It should be straight vertical. You can see the arm in mounted position here on @MPoser's vert (right side of the pic)


- The top cover on the second unit is intact and has the spin nut you need to attach the electric top pull rod to the motor. Note the same arm is bent more severely, inwards. If I tighten it down against the top compartment wall it will likely crack at the bend.


closer inspection shows there's also a cracked mounting boss on the top cover, which is why it looks bent in the photo above as well. Quite frankly I'm amazed the boss didn't just shear off completely


Not sure it can be repaired, so basically I'm stuck waiting for the German cover repair kit.

I'm gonna go ahead and get the reinforcement bracket welded, but I'm not going to risk the top motor mounts breaking off.

QUESTION: anyone have an idea how to safely bend the long lever straight? You can't just heat aluminum the way you heat steal can you? I always thought it was fairly brittle - you couldn't bend it very far before breaking

I can also try having someone aluminum weld the cracked boss.

[bradnic]

My new Strömung will need modification to work with my mtech1 rear apron :-(
It works perfectly for mtech2, but not mtech1.

I'm in touch with Scott to see about getting more angled tips, and to use the same double wall setup as my straight version. Really hope this works as that exhaust is the best.

@tvance306 just tried trial fitting to his mtech1 car and the tips are clearly not angled enough. They don't exit straight like the standard strömung, but the angle just isn't sharp enough outboard to line up with the exhaust cutout on the mtech1 rear apron.