Ryan's 1974 M2

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Ya, well see. Its going to be a fun car to drive on occasion. I dont know if I already said it in this thread but I ran solid mounts in my last E30 (including CABs) and it was still comfortable. The jump to stiffer springs and dampers is what made the car slightly less DD-able for me.



...I might be underestimating the buzzy nature of the cylinder however .

How are poly control arm bushings I just threw a set on my car won't know how they handle for a while though haha.

[RCM3]

How are poly control arm bushings I just threw a set on my car won't know how they handle for a while though haha.

Actually I ran the Ground Control aluminum and delrin solid offset CABs. Zero complaints, I loved them and the fact that I didnt have to worry about them wearing/ replacing them. Again, to me it didnt increase NVH much over the stock solid offset rubber bushings.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

Actually I ran the Ground Control aluminum and delrin solid offset CABs. Zero complaints, I loved them and the fact that I didnt have to worry about them wearing/ replacing them. Again, to me it didnt increase NVH much over the stock solid offset rubber bushings.

Good to know. Thanks.

[Dj Buttchug]

i am also interested in this.

[silence]

looking really good!

[RCM3]

Thanks guys^ its getting there.

Today I stripped the brake booster down and re-painted it black. I also installed a 750 master cylinder to work for the future brake set up. I dont think the reservoir on top will work with the S14 intake plenum so that will be coming off when I install the booster.

[n1njai]

Too dope.

[Mo Brighta]

Hmmm, this is what I wished I could do with my 72 roundie, but settled for a MM motor (2.2 liter hi-flo Sport), 5 speed, and minor suspension upgrades (springs, sway bars, wheels), the cheap way to do it. Now, - - Yeah!

I am quoting upgrades to all lighting (front, rear, and sides) for this car, hope I have a chance to contribute to this "M2" build.

Keep up the good work, and your standards. Looks like a chance to show the world a thing or two about the mighty Whispering Bomb!

[RCM3]

Thanks Andy^, sounds like a fun little car you've built for yourself though.

Im really looking forward to working with you on the lighting upgrades also, very worthy upgrades IMO! Ive been looking at some Hella non-sealed head lamps, Ill hold off on purchasing anything until we have had the chance to talk some more.

[RCM3]

Not a big update, but I wanted to document some new parts I just received into the build thread.

I finally found a nice set of Euro turn signals local to me. Looks like theyll be going out to Mo Brighta for some freshening and to get some new HO lights installed. My tail lights might go along for the ride and get the same treatment, working out the details on the lights now. Oh, and in addition to the Euro turn signals, the seller had some nice Euro license plate lights. I grabbed those too to use in whichever rear bumper I go with. I'm heavily leaning on IE's fiberglass rear bumper... but that will be determined later when I figure out if Im going to keep the all the trim on the car. Decisions, decisions.





Next up was the TEP rear shock tower brace and battery relocation kit. I need to paint it still, but Im still very excited about this part. Im going to use the battery wiring from my totaled e30 318iS, and grab a light battery to finish things off.





This local 2002 guy had a few other extra parts laying around. I really wanted to ditch the current mirrors on my 1974 for the earlier variants. Im not sure what year this mirror belonged to before (info appreciated!), but its the style I wanted. I also planned on deleting the passenger side mirror, so getting just the driver side was a good start for me. The chrome and the glass are both in very nice shape!






And last but not least, I grabbed an Ireland Engineering front strut bar. Both strut bars should finish the suspension nicely after Ground Control returns my coil overs!! I hope the new bar will clear the S14. I know that IE offers multiple bars for different applications. Im just not sure if the bar I grabbed is their Tii or S14 bar (no paper work in the box), it was another CL find this weekend.

I will be chipping away at the wiring job on the S14 and getting the transmission mocked up and new mounts installed. Then I can remove the powertrain again and get the radiator mounted properly and with more clearance.

The to-do list grows longer each day... hopefully I can get some real picture updates soon!

[FireFight]

great progress. cant wait to see where else you take it

[2mAn]

this swap has polluted my mind lately...

[RCM3]

I managed to get away for another weekend and do a little work on the 2002. Got some good stuff done, but I still have a long way to go!!

First up was getting the rear end off the ground and tearing into the suspension. This is my first car with drum brakes, but they wont be sticking around so off to the scrap pile they went.




Subframe dropped!



While I was working on the sub frame removal, I had my brother working on removing that sizeable rear bumper.



What a difference it makes with that thing gone... it joined the drum brake components in the scrap pile.



With the rear suspension missing, along with the sub frame, drive shaft, exhaust, trans, etc., my buddy who has been putting the hours in with me started recoating the underbody and the lower portion of the trunk. Most of the time went into blasting off 40 years of dust and road grime, but he got it clean and applied the sealer. It came out really nice, it looks brand new under the car now. 1 quart of the coater did the trunk, rear fender wells, and the underbody to about the rear floor pans. Ill touch up the few places that were missed later.




I mocked up the rear strut bar and battery relocater. I know some seem to not support this part, but I like it and it makes a convenient battery platform. Ill eventually make some nice carpeted pieces to install into the trunk, one piece will install and create a half wall in front of the rear strut bar/ battery just to cover it up and clean it up.



I have this Sebring muffler that was used on an e34 M5 in the past. Its single in, dual out. I had my friend hold it up to get an idea... I love it, going to run the tips out dead center.



Parts heap, some junk, some keepers waiting for more of my time. The trailing arms are going to be boxed in a bit, might have them MZ3 style braced while theyre out being reinforced and powder coated.



All tucked in for the night!



I managed to get the pedal box out. I need a few more parts to finish the rebuild up. I had the carpet up on the driver side front area and realized there is a good amount of sound deadening material down there. I removed as much as I could... but now I want to pull the whole carpet up to finish the job. I planned on doing this later, but the carpet could use a nice re-dye anyway. Also, Ill need to access the trans tunnel to install the 5 speed transmission mounts. One job at a time I suppose though... :)

Finally... got around to unpacking the Alpinas I want to use on the car. Remember, theyre 16x7/8 and should fit perfectly under the stock fenders. Ill most likely roll them a good amount to get the car low enough for my liking. Im tossing around ideas right now for color combos on the Alpinas. I only see them done in traditional silver and then occasional black. Id rather be a little more bold. Here are the wheels as they sit today:




A forum member photoshop'd them for me. This picture is of the light blue 2002 on the same wheel set up I plan to use. He changed the car to white, and wheels to bronze/ gold. I plan on going a little more gold, like a BBS bronze. I dont have caps, so Ill do the center hub in black and use some standard BMW caps with Alpina decals on them in the center. Comments/ concerns?



Overall, productive weekend. I got the rear tail lamps taken apart and theyll accompany the Euro turn signals to Mo Brighta for a refresh. More to come soon, stay tuned.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

More then I got done this weekend good work dude.

[RCM3]

More then I got done this weekend good work dude.

Thanks! And its better to take it slower at times and do quality work :-D at least thats what I remind myself when I realize Ive spent all day working on the same tiny job. Im sure you know how that goes from working on your project car!