e30 Sedan Weekend/Track car

[ak-]

Glad to see you still have it and are working on it.
The R888's surprised me a bit as well - I test fitted worn KDW's in 225/45/16 and it cleared great, so I bought R888's in the same size. Slapped them on and had problems everywhere haha, but that's all mended now.

[Joeyz31]

I'm super jealous of that shifter...

My reply is long over due here but saw that you got something similar. Solid mounted shifters make driving these cars a blast. Your car is awesome BTW. I love seeing other sedan build threads.


So it has been quite a while since I have updated this thread. Mostly because not a whole lot has changed. I have honestly just been enjoying having a car that is so much fun and feels so solid.

I have tried to focus on small improvements while not spending a bunch of money. I eventually want to go a bit bit nuty but for now, the minimal adjustments that I have made to the car, since buying it, have transformed the experience.



Since last summer I have done the following:

A few interior odds and ends


Replaced control arms/tie rods and tie rod ends
New steering joint with a delrin knuckle bushing
E36 M3 steering rack
New Stock strut mounts
New wheels with beat up R-888s (need to replace)
Finally got the car to VAC motorsports to get a much needed alignment


The steering feel, after getting the new rack, steering joint and what not has transformed the feel of the car. I actually did the rack after everything else so I was able to see how the car felt in stages. Replacing all of the worn parts made a big difference but the rack has transformed the car, in my option. It's a pain in the butt but I highly recommend it.

I did not take any pics of the install or the front end parts (which are rather boring looking) so here are a couple shots of the interior and the wheel that i got to replace my OMP.







The wheels were a bit of a pain in the rear but knew I had to figure out a way to get them to work.
They are 15x8 +10 and 205 50 15s (though r-888s run wide)
As they were, I expected them to site well on the car and only need a slight roll or pull.

Of course, it was not that easy. I have wilwoods on the front and ended up having to run a 15mm spacer to clear the calipers up front so it was a bit more work.

It sits well in the back (rubs a bit under hard cornering) and pokes a bit in the front.



The front will be perfect with -3 or so degrees of camber, when I eventually get camber plates.





I hope to drive it a bunch more in the summer and will hopefully have more updates soon.

[lambo]

I'm super jealous of that shifter...

[Joeyz31]

So, it's been a while since I have updated this thread but honestly that's is not a ton to update. I have ordered all of the parts I wanted to Re do the front suspension/ steering with the expectation that I will do the rear at some point after. So far, I haven't put any of it on but waiting to go on are as follows:

E36 rack
New control arms
Condor lolypop bushings
Tie rods/ ends
Delrin steering Guibo



All that I have really done at this point was interior stuff. I ordered some mounts from Lee so that I can put my SPG in. I forgot how much of a difference having a bucket seat makes in the driving experience. Outside of that, I put in a new steering wheel, pedals and dead pedal from OMP.

Finally, I got something that I have wanted for a long time... An AKG short shifter.
It was worth the wait and money. It exceeded my expectation in how it was made/ enjoyment that I gained from having it In the car.
It totally ads to the experience of driving the car.


I'm in the process of painting the wheels and hopefully the front suspension stuff soon but other than that I am just glad to be driving and enjoying the crap out of this car.

[Joeyz31]

Sweet E30 !
What are your future plans for it ?

Thank you! Time will tell as far as how nuts I go with engine and suspension plans. More immediate plans consist of getting it to work well from an engine management stand point. I really want to dial the tune in as best as I can. Then a few interior bits, like getting my Recaro SPG mounted and then a full condor bushing kit with the motor and trans mounts. If I can do those three things and get a helmet and get on the track by spring, I will be a very happy man.

[BECKSTER]

Sweet E30 !
What are your future plans for it ?

[Joeyz31]

what wheels are those?

They are FFD motorsports wheels. 15x8 +20

[oprahhwinfreyy]

what wheels are those?

[Joeyz31]

Hello all!
I wanted to document/ show the progress and build of my new car. Im coming from a 95 miata rpkg that I had started building to take to the track but unfortunitely, no matter how much I did to the suspension, or for safety, the shell was a mess. It had a ton of rust, and a massive dent. It was honestly daunting to think about what it would take to get the shell in a condition that I felt would come close to passing tech at a track day. On top of that, as much as i loved the feel of driving such a small car with insanely direct steerign imput, it had its trade offs. Long story short, an oppertunity came up to snag an E30 sedan that was a former track car that had been sitting in a garage, mostly un touched for the last couple years. It had a straight body, with the exception of a few bumps and bruises and some faded paint. Spec e30 suspension, bolt in rear hoop and a few other odds and ends. The sun roof was taken out, the HVAC is completely gutted, sound detening is gone, so I would imagine the car is fairly light. The m20 is stock with the exception of a full exhaust and it has an earlier version of megasquirt that is sort of tuned. This is the only drawback to the car right now. I have no experience with MS and am torn between trying to do what it takes to get it tuned (may need a new wideband) or trying to convert back to the stock ECU so that I can have a fun car that starts and feels the same every day.
As the car sits now, I threw what I kept from my miata on whch are the fdd motorsport wheels and my Nardi. Im waiting on getting some side mounts from massive and then I will mount my Recaro SPG that I have as well. Future plans will include trying to tighten some stuff up suspension wise. I wante get a condor kit and do the motor and trans mounts as well as a few interior bits and what not. I am Thrilled with the car so far and to be honest stoked to finally have one of these things. It has everything that my miata was lacking.

My miata

Off to FLorida!

The day I got it. The paint was faded as hell and not exactly loving the wheels.

With the wheels on. By the way, the size details are as follows. 15x8 + 20 2mm spacer up front to clear UUC BBK and 205 50 15 star specs


Finally, after spending a day on the paint, it started to look a lot closer to how I had wanted.


I am going to post more pics when I get them and am looking forward to documenting the progress on here. Feel free to ask any questions you may have!