325is Stage Rally Build - No Rally Experience Whatsoever :D

[wakeboardr42393]

Well, I have this E30. I got it cheapcheapcheap on Craigslist, have had countless issues with it. fixed many times over the past year.

So, the block is in the machine shop, along with the head. Will be ordering engine parts soon. Rebuilding the engine because low compression, breaking rocker arms every two weeks, clunking noises. yayyy..

I'm going to start stripping the interior, (if you want to buy any of it, LMK). idk how much effort i'll put into removing the sound deadening and stuff, we'll see. Going to buy a pre cut and bent roll cage kit and weld it in.

planning on getting Bilstein Sports, keeping stock is springs, gonna do a huge homemade aluminum skid plate. I may need a new gas tank. I already put in all new OEM rear bushings. front suspension is under attack next, may be easier with the engine and trans out! :)

If anyone has any suggestions for ANYTHING let me know! otherwise, i'm just winging it. lol

And we'll see from there. :)

here are the photos in it's current state:

[Thizzelle]

hounds tooth is the coolest

[phenryiv1]

Check out these threads:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=257210

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=224191

[wakeboardr42393]

hounds tooth is the coolest

hellllz yeahh. if i had a decent e30 i'd want it to be houndstooth for sure.

[wakeboardr42393]

@phenryiv1: ty for the links! :)

[wakeboardr42393]

current shopping list

here's my current shopping list, missing anything? yes. lol

Order from independent supplier:
07129904858 - hex nut w/plate (for valve cover. from dealer it only comes in packs of 10,
so order somewhere else.)
51711874203 - expanding nut (for blower motor cover)
07119916808 - hex head screw (for blower motor cover)
exhaust flanges for middle of pipe
mid exhaust mount
camshaft



order from dealer:
ENGINE:
11781716114 o2 sensor
21111225047 (x2) bellhousing sensor plugs
34331115926 brake booster vac hose
11727545323 fuel pressure reg. vac line
07129925742 rad mount nut
07119916886 and screw (top driver’s side)
07129952119 (x2) upper rad. hose clamps
18301737774 exhaust collector flange nut (x1)
11761711717 (x2) exhaust collector gaskets
07119915047 overflow tank mounting screw (x1)
07129952115 overflow main hose clamp
35411152744 throttle cable to intake manifold brace GROMMET
11811132527 rear engine buffer?
11811132323 (x2)engine mounts
18211105635 rear subframe exhaust mount
07119900052 CSB bolt spring washer
coolant
rebuild
11141716134 - clip for timing cover
07119963151 drain plug gasket
11331271429 (x12) rocker arms
11151714390 intake manifold vent tube o-ring
11151280937 intake manifold vent washer
11129059240 cylinder head gasket set
11621711954 (x12)exhaust manifold to head nuts (x12)
07129908134 (x4) exhaust manifold studs (x4)
11421266773 oil filter
07119913612 harmonic bnalancer bolts(x2)
07119963441 oil filter housing gask
11421714764 filter hous o ring
11429059338 oil releif valve kit
11311267746 cam belt tension spring
07119932095 washer for larger bolt on rear main seal carrier
11121726478 headbolt set
11111730875 engine block gasket set
11341706583 (x12) valve springs, outer
11341706584 valve springs, inner
rings, bearings

SUSPENSION:
DS front sway bar bushing holder
front swaybar bushing nut (x2)
W/E:
07119905511- turn signal bulb
PS boots and clamps
strut top nut cap
PS drain plug




Tools:
valve adjustter tool
misc extensions
15/16 metric equiv. ½ drive socket
22mm ½ drive
8mm line wrench
moly kote 2

[irish44j]

Before you get the cage, make sure you touch base with an inspector/scrutineer from whatever series you plan to run (Rally America, NASA rally, California Rally Series, etc). There are specific cage requirements that may or may not be met by a "pre-made" cage , and it you make it wrong and not to their specs, you won't be able to run anywhere, and will be out a lot of time and money.

Strongly suggest you spend some time on specialstage forums, and dirtyimpreza.com is also a good source of rally information that is newbie-friendly.

expect for a slow/entry-level stage rally car build, you're probably going to end up dropping $5k in gear above the cost of the car (two pairs of HANS-compatible harnessess can run you $500-1k, for example). Rally computers, safety gear, etc all adds up. Rally tires are also about $1k per set new and will last maybe 2-3 races if you wear them all the way down.

You may know all that, but just letting you know in case. Before doing any special stage rally things (cage, safety, etc) I would go to some rallycrosses and talk to any stage guys that run there, the go work a couple stage rallies and talk to people, and then do a ton of reading before you drop any big coin on the main build.

[wakeboardr42393]

thanks man, yeah I've sent multiple emails to different people listen on the Rally America site over the past year, and have gotten zero replies. So i'm not sure what's up with that.

The cage is supposedly made for rally america, so i'm hoping it is haha. and yeah i think going to a few rallycross events would be a good idea. :)

ty for the advice!

[irish44j]

There are several strong rallycross clubs in Ohio SCCA worth checking out. Ohio Valley Region has a lot of RWD guys as well.

Don't email people on the RA site, talk to people who do RA stuff.

The dirtyimpreza forum is THE place to start for rally-related information. People there WILL talk to you and there are a bunch of good sticky threads in the rally prep section.

[wakeboardr42393]

Well, long time since update. cold and snowy in ohio lol. here's the car with stripped interior, before removing the carpet and associated vents. Removed it all for prep of cage installation.

[wakeboardr42393]

another missed update form the early winter:

I've had the engine at a place called Michael's Racing Engines (near Macedonia) for several months now, and have not heard back from them. I took the engine parts there to get cleaned, block honed, crank polished, head deck resurfaced, new valve guides, valve grind, and everything measured. They are supposedly a reputable engine shop.


I think what happened was they pressed out the intermediate shaft bearings, and when i brought the new ones to them, they didn't realize it was an unfinished bearing and needs to be machined., and they had no way of doing so. They told me they were gonna try to make some tooling to machine the bearings. that's the last I've heard from them. I haven't heard from them for months since then. they told me they would call when they got it done. it's kind of irritating. i thoguht the basic block and head work wouldn't take more then a few weeks. that was in the summer.

So i'm debating going there today. I don't want to be charged a rediculous price for tooling and time if they didn't get the bearings installed. I don't feel that it's my fault. but we'll see. maybe they lost my number or something. haha



On the other hand, as far as progress goes, I picked up a cage kit made by Cage This, from a guy names Kris who does "slapdash racing" (cool dude) in Rhode Island, and plan on welding it in my car sometime soon.

I have the interior almost fully stripped. If you want any of my unneeded interior parts lmk!

[red2.4srt]

Rear defroster switch assy shipped to 17323 if you're parting with it?

Thanks homie!

[irish44j]

Yeah, Kris knows cages. They have a good rep. If you don't mind me asking, how much did the cage run you? (you can PM me if you prefer).

[wakeboardr42393]

hey buddy, i'm keeping the rear defroster switch for now. sorry for the late response lol; I just noticed the new posts.

And the cage kit was $1100 i think. I don't see it on eBay anymore; not sure why.

[wakeboardr42393]

BTW, i got my engine back. intermediate bearings not installed. they still charged me for everything they did do :P. I've been talking to Teddy at metric mechanic about sending them the engine to install the bearings. not sure if i'll jump the gun and do it or use a spare block i have that is not already machined. I do want to put in a good word for Teddy at metric mechanic, though. He has taken over an hour of his time over several phone calls to talk to me, explain things, and answer all of my questions thoroughly. He seems to have a very fine detail-oriented, get everything perfect attitude, which appeals to me, and is very hard to find in the auto repair industry lol.