95maxrider's Rally-x '88 E28 build- caged, head swap and more

[irish44j]

Yeah, sad to see it go. Was fun competing against that car but as we talked about today, you had it about as good as it could get for rally-x and in the end it may not have been enough even with your great driving, especially with all the new fast guys coming out these days - now you get the opportunity of starting with something else after having a few years of watching which cars are fastest. Of course I'd hope you get an e30 and not (gag......j/k) a Miata or e36 :) Ok, really I hope you go get another car that *shouldn't* be fast but you make it fast (seems like your MO for motorsports, lol). Obviously if you go e30 you get to steal all my tricks (and all the other e30 guys) and don't have to experiment as much, haha.

But either way, you got a season championship out of that car last year so that's pretty impressive.

It came a long way from the first event you brought it to, for sure. Now on to something even faster :)




btw, that shot above the clouds at the rest stop is epic. Now I'm jealous I didn't think to take a similar one!

[phenryiv1]

It came a long way from the first event you brought it to, for sure. Now on to something even faster :)

Back when I was in the cool club.

[kts]

Sorry to be reading this I have really enjoyed this thread. I'm glad you're OK (how are you feeling today? Popping the Aleve to help with any post-accident soreness?) and that you and the car were on the side vs you getting sandwiches between the semi and the car in front of you.

You did that car proud during your ownership of it and I can't wait to see what you pick up next for the next project.

[2mAn]

Is the car still driveable? That sucks, its one of my big fears, especially with the crazy drivers here in LA

[ttrousdell]

thoroughly enjoyed reading this build. Lots of pics, good info and very entertaining. Sorry for the accident. Hope you either fix this e28 or get something else cool and continue updating the thread.

[95maxrider]

Hey guys, long time no update. A few weeks after the accident I moved into a new place with my wife and life has been hectic ever since trying to get the house up and running and also trying to figure out what to replace the E28 with. I was really looking at Miatas, but at the last race of the season I sat in a few and realized that even though I'm by no means a big guy (5' 10", ~160 pounds) I still struggled to fit into a stock Miata seat with a helmet on. In addition, I would need a tire trailer to tow my rally wheels/tires and gear with, and the fact that a Miata just isn't that "cool", and I started looking at BMWs again, specifically E36 compacts (318ti), 328s, and M3s. I wanted a car I could throw all my gear into and be comfortable in, and I also kind of had a hankering for that straight 6 soundtrack. I test drove a rather rough M3/4/5, but the car had electrical problems and didn't drive very well, so for his $5,500 asking price, I decided to walk away. Next up was an even rougher 328i for $1,000, but even at that price I didn't think it was going to be worth it. The S52 swapped compacts that I found were all asking $7,000+, so they were out of the question. Then one day my buddy Patrick came across a very nice M3/4/5 on Facebook, and it turned out the guy selling it races with me at Solo in my class (XP, he drives a Cobra). A week later and $4,000 poorer, I came home with the car!

Before moving on, I wanted to put together a little tribute for the fallen E28.















Stock springs and sway bars were not fun













































I'll be damned if I'm not tearing up putting this post together. I went through so much with this E28, and it's really sad to know that it's gone and not coming back. I like to think that it lived an interesting life before it died, and that I did the best I could with it. It's a shame it didn't go out on a high note, but it won me a championship or two, and definitely surprised more than a few people. It was a challenge, but that's what made winning so sweet. Moving on is going to be bittersweet, but in the long term, it's for the best. I won't forget you guys over here at r3v, but I'll probably be spending my time on other forums going forward. But before I go, I've got a lot of parts that I need to sell!

[95maxrider]

Before I post up all the parts that are up for grabs, here's a little more info on the E28's replacement, a silver 1998 M3/4/5.

Here's the seller's description, "it's a pretty nice car, but it's got high miles (220k) and burns some oil.....it's got bilsteins, hawk brakes, brand new TR motorsports rims (tires are shot), UUC short shift kit, aluminum flywheel, newer clutch, aluminum radiator, new overflow tank, Dinan strut tower brace, projector Depo headlights with HID, M50 manifold, Conforti intake, cat back, AC Schnitzer pedals, new driveshaft & guibo, etc. it has a couple tiny bubbles on the rear fender lip and a spot on the roof that could use a respray."

A page of maintenance history for his two years of ownership showed things like coolant, trans and diff fluids, oil temp gauge, clutch delay valve and spring, rear ABS sensors, reman starter, new/used front door panels, thermostat, shifter linkage rebuilt, CCV done, replaced all dead bulbs in OBC, power steering hoses, all dead bulbs in instrument cluster, oil filter housing gasket, exhaust gaskets, O2 sensor, coolant level sensor and connector, CSB to go along with the new driveshaft, and much more.











More info can be found in my build thread, here.

[95maxrider]

Now it's time for the sad task of parting out what's left of the E28. The shell is up for grabs if anyone wants the whole thing. It's currently out in Martinsburg, WV if anyone is interested. If nobody speaks up soon, it will be stripped and sent off to a junkyard. :(

***If you want to pick parts up, they will either be available in either Martinsburg, WV or Herndon, VA.***

***Here are the parts that have already been spoken for: Motor, trans, diff, and seats. Everything else except for my rally wheels is up for grabs.***

I'll start with the stuff that I assume will sell fast and work my way down to the small stuff.

First up is the brand new OEM gas tank. It has something like 200 miles on it. The going rate for these new seems to be $600+ plus shipping (~$70). I'm asking $500 shipped, and that will include the in tank pumps that still worked just fine, or $425 picked up.



Next up are my big sway bars- a 22mm ST adjustable front sway bar and a 18mm M5 rear sway bar. I'll include all the end links, bushings, and mounts. $280 shipped, $250 picked up.---SOLD!



Next up are strut tower bars made by a guy on the forums. Jake B IIRC. The front bar was modified to clear the larger intake manifold from the 885 head swap. They have been painted with the crinkle black paint (not shown). $220 shipped, $200 picked up.---SOLD!!!





Next up is the skid plate and custom bracing. The rear of the skid plate is held in place by two bolts that were welded to the body, so this isn't exactly a bolt in job, but I'm pretty sure it's the only one in existence this beefy. $150 shipped, $120 picked up.















Next up are both axles. I replaced three of the four boots and repacked them with synthetic grease over the last couple years. The fourth boot is not cracked and does not leak. $100 each shipped, $70 picked up each. I'll include the other new boot with the axle that only had one boot replaced







I think I'm also going to put up the Style 4 wheels (16x8, forged, +23 IIRC). I do not have the center caps. They have Hankook Ventus V12 tires with 60%+ tread left. I planned on painting all the wheels, as three of them came with some pretty nasty caked on brake dust. I bought some nice wheel paint ($50+) but never got around to actually painting them. We did all the sanding already, so they're actually in pretty good shape. There is some very minor curb rash, but nothing major, and I don't think any of them are bent. I'm not really interested in shipping these unless someone is willing to pay $150+ to do so. I will include all the paint and clear coat along with the wheels. Asking $550 picked up.

















Now for the less sexy stuff.

1988 528e electrical wiring diagram booklet, $10 shipped.


21.5mm Powerflex swaybar bushings, never used, $40 shipped


Steering box/subframe reinforcement, $40 shipped. ---SOLD! More info here: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?t=63659


Front and rear swaybar frame mount reinforcement kit, $75 shipped---SOLD!


Ireland Engineering poly steering coupler, $15 shipped---SOLD!!!


Moosehead Engineering Spherical Upper Control Arm Bushings (brand new)- $120 shipped---SOLD!


Brand new OEM e-brake cables. Please check the PN to make sure it will work on your car. $50 shipped.




Legit Alpina 173 ECU chip for a 2.7i motor with a cam, $150 shipped




Assorted brand new Ireland Engineering SS rear brake lines and clutch lines that didn't fit on my car for some reason. I can't verify which years/models these will fit, so I'll let them all go for $20 shipped.---SOLD!


Brand new Bosch fuel filter, $15 shipped.---SOLD!!!


Brand new ATE e-brake shoes including hardware, $20 shipped---SOLD!!!




Original tweeters. I have no idea if they work. $10 shipped?


Other parts that I don't have pics for are:

Radiator- $100 shipped, $50 picked up
Ireland Engineering SS brake lines- $80 shipped, $70 picked up
Front fenders- $25 each picked up, no shipping
Motor mount arms- $50 shipped each, $40 picked up each
E34 front BBK. Brembo rotors, ATE OEM pads, 525i calipers. Less than 1,000 miles on the whole setup. $150 shipped, $100 picked up.
New-ish coolant overflow tank with new caps- $30 shipped, $20 picked up
New-ish power steering reservoir with new cap- $30 shipped, $20 picked up
Driveshaft- $80 picked up, no shipping

Phew, that's a lot of stuff! If you buy multiple items we can work out package deals and save on shipping costs. Let me know if there are any other random items you might want from the front end. There isn't much to speak of in the interior. Thanks for looking guys!

[phenryiv1]

A few pictures of the stripping and disassembly of Nick's e28 as the driveline lives on in my e30:

[Kershaw]

That's a great deal on the m3.

[95maxrider]

Alright guys, I've got some of this stuff sold, but there's more to go!

First up are the E34 Koni rear shocks with E34 rear springs with one coil cut (properly) and Moosehead Engineering rear shock mounts. These had been installed on the car for about 7 months and about 2,000 miles. With the coil cut they are pretty much at stock height, but they are firmer than stock. The shocks were $300 new, and the ME mounts were about $90, and with the springs and other little things, there is over $400 in this setup. I'll let it go for $300 shipped or $275 picked up.







Next up we have some E34 front calipers and OEM pads with about 2,000 miles on them. They also have the IE SS lines on them. I'm asking $80 shipped for all of it.



I also have a set of brand new rear pads and rotors for the E28. The pads (not shown) are ATE OEM pads. I also have brand new e-brake shoes (see above FS post). Asking $100 shipped for all of it. Freshen up your rear brakes for cheap!



I also have my old rear Bilsteins and stock springs. They are in rough shape, but you can send them back to Bilstein (IIRC) if you recently bought new ones as warranty items and get new ones for free. They never leaked any fluid, and probably only have 8,000 miles on them. $40 shipped.---SOLD!!!



I also got the strut bars off the car. The front bar was modified to clear the larger intake manifold from the 885 head swap (M20 cars only I think). They have been painted with the crinkle black paint. $220 shipped, $200 picked up.---SOLD!!!



Please buy my stuff!!

[95maxrider]

Bump! I still have lots of parts for sale!

[Etfren]

Just read through the whole thread over the last couple days and really enjoyed the read. I initially was checking it out for ideas for a skid plate for my soon-to-be-Rally-X'd E30, got a lot more cool info than that!

I was so disapointed to get to the end and find out the car got wrecked, but glad you were OK and got a new car to play with.

[phenryiv1]

Just read through the whole thread over the last couple days and really enjoyed the read. I initially was checking it out for ideas for a skid plate for my soon-to-be-Rally-X'd E30, got a lot more cool info than that!

I was so disapointed to get to the end and find out the car got wrecked, but glad you were OK and got a new car to play with.

Not much left of her:

[95maxrider]

Just read through the whole thread over the last couple days and really enjoyed the read. I initially was checking it out for ideas for a skid plate for my soon-to-be-Rally-X'd E30, got a lot more cool info than that!

I was so disapointed to get to the end and find out the car got wrecked, but glad you were OK and got a new car to play with.

Thanks for the kind words, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the thread. Keep you eyes on the thread for the M3, there's going to be even crazier stuff going on in there!