Panici's '87 325is E30 - Boosted In Bronze

[moatilliatta]

Love the crank holding tool. Some big changes coming!

[Albie325]

Engine work is the "final frontier" that I haven't really had the confidence to mess with, and luckily I haven't needed to (yet). Really cool to see you tearing into it and learning as you go. Also, super exciting to see the car on the flatbed getting ready to be all prettied up!

[Panici]

Motor Disassembly & Chassis to Bodyshop


Had the E30 flat-bedded to the bodyshop without issue. While the car is off for paint, I'm working on the motor.

This is my first time working on motor internals, so I've been taking my time and learning as I go!

Currently have the head disassembled; actually just dropped it off at the machine shop today for skimming.
Front timing cover is also off after I made the mother-of-all crank removal tools with a spare crank pulley.

Not pictured: I re-threaded the cluster temperature sensor for use in the M52 head, and started cleaning up the ZF320 transmission.
I also have compiled an extensive list of parts I'll be ordering shortly. Going to replace all the motor gaskets, rebuild the vanos, repair the ZF320 detents, new water pump, new timing chain guides, new exhaust manifold studs & nuts, etc.


My next step will be stripping the rest of the block accessories, cleaning, and painting.

[Panici]

Jelly of that manifold. Wish I dropped more coin on mine originally because it's not something that's easy to upgrade later.

nice manifold. is that level motorsport? as in that guy rocco who was racing the turbo widebody e30 in hillclimb?

Yeah, it's a really nice piece by Level Motorsport. Twin scroll to match the turbo.

Well DAYUM. Someone aint messin around. Should be sweet!

That Precision 6062 sure looks the business! It really is oversized for my power goals, but it should still spool up well with the twin scroll.

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Single Fuel Pump Conversion, Modified Brake Booster, More Engine Bay Shaving


While I'm waiting for the body shop to be ready, I figured I would install my new Aeromotive 340 Stealth in-tank fuel pump.

Had to shorten the tube on top of the pump, as this one is a little taller then the OEM unit. I also switched from the one large hose clamp pictured holding the pump on to two stainless steel zipties, so the pump had enough room to actually drop into the tank!

I discovered after going through the factory wiring diagrams, that the majority of the OEM fuel pump wiring is sufficient to run the larger pump.
The only reason the factory fuel pump fuse is 7.5A is to protect the thinner 18ga wiring going to the original low-pressure lift pump.

Turns out the original wiring before the split to the dual-pumps is 14ga, so I re-pinned the factory in-tank fuel pump connector with 14ga wires and connected where the factory wiring used to split off to the dual pumps at S341. Used the original ground point G300 as well.

To finish off the conversion, I installed new Gates 1/2" fuel injection rated hose from top of the in-tank pump to a brass 1/2"->5/16" reducer. Then 5/16" line into the fuel filter.

If I had to do this again, I would put a reducer right at the tank output and run 5/16" line on top of the tank.
Due to the large 1/2" line on top of the tank, I had to drop the tank (full of fuel) to run the hose without pinching.


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The other small project was shortening the rod for the X3 brake booster. I removed the silver plate from the back of the booster, so it should fit a bit nicer in the engine bay.
I didn't know this was removable when I installed the booster originally, as then I wouldn't have had to slot the mounting holes on the firewall. No matter, I made some patch pieces for the slotted holes and welded them up (X3 booster has only two mounting studs).

I shortened the rod on the booster a little extra to lower the brake pedal, which should make heel-toe downshifting easier.
Don't mind the blob of weld, I didn't bother cleaning it up (I had the wire speed a bit high). Worry not, the 240v welder was cranked up to full power and there was plenty of penetration.

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I also did some minor bay shaving. Two small brackets in the battery tray area, one of which was trapping some rust behind it. Had to make the repair from inside the wheel well. Also took care of the pass-through holes for the A/C lines, battery cable, and ABS wheel speed sensors.

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[Albie325]

Well DAYUM. Someone aint messin around. Should be sweet!

[Sh3rpak!ng]

nice manifold. is that level motorsport? as in that guy rocco who was racing the turbo widebody e30 in hillclimb?

[Northern]

Jelly of that manifold. Wish I dropped more coin on mine originally because it's not something that's easy to upgrade later.

[Panici]

Oh, did I forget to mention the other reason the motor is out again??


Stay tuned!

[Panici]

Just went through the thread quickly, but will return for a closer look--amazing work!

Yeah, this is still great even after all these years.

One of my favorite R3v threads ever.

Keep up the excellent work.

Thank you both! The words of encouragement go a long way!

I blasted the inside and mating surfaces with fluid film when I did my subframe, but something like this is probably thicker and like half the price:
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/r...-0477921p.html

I think you're fine using pretty much anything that is going to dry into a gel and not wash away immediately

I've used 3M cavity wax and fluid film. The thing I like best is when you can apply it with compressed air though an applicator gun. You just get a better coating. Fluid film seems more like a maintenance item, where Cavity / cosmoline seems more permanent. So I think its down to quality of application, vs how much till get washed out.

Hmm you've both given me some points to think about.
Thinking I will likely import something to get the best quality possible. The cost is worth it IMO.

[moatilliatta]

I've used 3M cavity wax and fluid film. The thing I like best is when you can apply it with compressed air though an applicator gun. You just get a better coating. Fluid film seems more like a maintenance item, where Cavity / cosmoline seems more permanent. So I think its down to quality of application, vs how much till get washed out.

[Northern]

Backside of all the inaccessible pieces is painted with weld-through primer.

It's probably a good idea to have the cavity wax for extra protection though. I've used the Eastwood internal frame coat before, but it's expensive to get shipped to Canada.
Need to find an alternative, thank you for the reminder!

I blasted the inside and mating surfaces with fluid film when I did my subframe, but something like this is probably thicker and like half the price:
https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/r...-0477921p.html

I think you're fine using pretty much anything that is going to dry into a gel and not wash away immediately


Edit/tangent - I kind of came around on stuff like this when I worked in aviation and saw that everything has a ton of layers to prevent corrosion.
Starting with the base Al alloy being Alclad, it's anodized or alodined, primed with some sort of zinc chromate/phosphate or epoxy, then painted with a quality paint.
So just a basic sheet effectively has 4 layers of corrosion protection, then any joint or fastener is wet installed with essentially seam sealer to eliminate air gaps so the faying surfaces don't have air to corrode themselves like the subframe-to-frame spot, or any of the spot welds on the e30 chassis.

[MR E30 325is]

Yeah, this is still great even after all these years.

One of my favorite R3v threads ever.

Keep up the excellent work.

[WAKman]

Just went through the thread quickly, but will return for a closer look--amazing work!

[Panici]

Front Subframe Restoration - Part 2


Lot of work in this post. Point form to keep the reading short!

• POR-15 finished pictures of front subframe.
• Removed what was left of driver's side front jack point.
• Repaired driver's side jack point/footwell rust.
• Repaired small rust hole on top of passenger side wheel well.
• Fabricated new lower section of passenger side front fender.
• Repaired rust hole in passenger side rocker.
• Painted wheel wells. Eastwood rust encapsulator on select spots. Two coats of brushed-on Tremclad oil-based paint.
  • Some good "Before" pictures are back on Page 3 of this thread.
• Reinstalled front subframe, steering rack, and front suspension.

[Panici]

I think you are doing a great job, and the while in there bug can be good - you'll have piece of mind. Keep going at it!

You're right of course, it just feels like slow progress. Thanks for the encouragement!

Don't forget rustproofing the back side of the welds with some sort of Cavity wax or equivalent.

Backside of all the inaccessible pieces is painted with weld-through primer.

It's probably a good idea to have the cavity wax for extra protection though. I've used the Eastwood internal frame coat before, but it's expensive to get shipped to Canada.
Need to find an alternative, thank you for the reminder!

I'm curious about welding the replacement pieces in. What welder do you use? Is it different than the welder used to tack pieces in place? I know you the guys on TV always say they tack pieces in because they don't want to distort the metal, but how do you keep that from happening when you lay your beads?

Also, how are you cutting out the rusted areas? Grinder or plasma cutter?

Good questions. I'm using a Lincoln EasyMIG 180. It's a 240v AC welder with a gas bottle. It has adjustable wire speed and power settings.

When butt welding thin sheet metal pieces, you are basically forced to tack weld or you'll blow holes right through the metal. When I have access to both sides of the panel, I tack weld both sides. Usually I can get away with laying small beads on the 2nd side as there is now more metal there to absorb the heat. Then I'm able to grind down the visible side to be smooth.

Of course I could be lap welding the joints to make my life easier, but I want to do the job properly and not leave any area for moisture to be trapped.

Using an angle grinder for the cuts, and sometimes a dremel for the small areas
I actually have three angle grinders set up (cutting wheel, grinder, flap disk) to avoid constantly changing the attachment. They're cheap and it has sped up my workflow quite a bit!

Massively impressive. Awesome build thread.

Thank you for the read! It's been a ride that's for sure!