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85 323i grey market euro - M tech 1 build.

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    Coming along nicely, great job on bringing it back.
    Button it up, drive the hell out of it and enjoy it! Don't let the setbacks get you.
    '85 Alpine Weiß 2-door with m20b30 ground up build

    Comment


      Thanks. Unfortunately, I'm bad at photographing everything I've been doing so I only have a few real updates on putting the finishing touches on the car to get it road worthy.

      The shop installed an E36 driveshaft with a backward E30 CSB. This made the shaft from the CSB to the diff take on an angle I didn't like, so out it went in favor of a rebuilt 325e big flange DS. It bolted right in and is straight like it should be. For those interested, here are the differences...



      E36 on the left and E30 on the right. You can see the yokes are in different locations. Otherwise, they are virtually identical with the exception of bulge in the front half.

      Modified Garagistic DSSR...it was rubbing on the large guibo so I had to shave it down a touch. Problem solved. The shop shaved down the guibo (eyeroll).



      Remanufactured GKN stub axles to go with the later style trailing arms and big FAG bearings with reinforced subframe and 3.15 Torsen diff. I initially had a hell of a time getting these in and had read about people having to use a V file to shave down the splines. When reading about this, they often use the word "clean" but what they really mean is shaving down the burrs and "cleaning up" the splines so they slide into the hubs. After about 30 minutes carefully filing down the splines, they went in without too much trouble with a 5lb hammer and block of wood. I ordered the proper tool to pull them into the hub but it arrived later on.





      Style 5 on with Blox adapters and new axle nuts and lock plates. I noticed some put the lock plate on and then put the nut on top. This is incorrect. Install the nut and torque to 150 ftlbs, then pound the lock plate over the nut. It will deform around the nut, locking the corners in place.


      Next up: redo the brake fluid reservoir setup and bleed the brakes.
      Last edited by reelizmpro; 01-13-2019, 11:26 AM.
      "I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj

      85 323i M TECH 1 S52 - ALPINEWEISS/SCHWARZE
      88 M3 - LACHSSILBER/SCHWARZE
      89 M3 - ALPINEWEISS II/M TECH CLOTH-ALCANTARA
      91 M TECHNIC CABRIO TURBO - MACAOBLAU/M TECH CLOTH-LEATHER

      Comment


        Since I'm running an E90 booster and master, the stock reservoir doesn't quite clear the TPS and it doesn't sit level in the E30 anyway. I saw two ways to solve this logically, remote mount the reservoir or find a reservoir that fit and cleared everything. Thanks to another r3v member, it turns out the 2002 reservoir is a direct fit on the E90 master provided you use smaller grommets. Since it mounts right on top, there's no need to run hoses or fabricate a mounting bracket which is a plus. All that needed to be done was run a longer clutch hose so what I did was use a barbed elbow to join it to another piece of hose. Worked out perfectly and the stock level sensor fits.





        Next: time to clean up the wiring with 318i harness covers.

        Last edited by reelizmpro; 01-13-2019, 11:39 PM.
        "I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj

        85 323i M TECH 1 S52 - ALPINEWEISS/SCHWARZE
        88 M3 - LACHSSILBER/SCHWARZE
        89 M3 - ALPINEWEISS II/M TECH CLOTH-ALCANTARA
        91 M TECHNIC CABRIO TURBO - MACAOBLAU/M TECH CLOTH-LEATHER

        Comment


          Where did you buy those GKN axles? I had the same problem with my previous ones, had to file down each spline, but those have long since blown up.

          Does the e90 master work without ABS? Did you install a T fitting for the front brakes?
          Edit: Nvm just read previous page.

          Comment


            Someone in San Marcos is selling them on Facebook for $240 / pair.
            "I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj

            85 323i M TECH 1 S52 - ALPINEWEISS/SCHWARZE
            88 M3 - LACHSSILBER/SCHWARZE
            89 M3 - ALPINEWEISS II/M TECH CLOTH-ALCANTARA
            91 M TECHNIC CABRIO TURBO - MACAOBLAU/M TECH CLOTH-LEATHER

            Comment


              I removed the harness from the old cover and ran it through the late 318i/M3 harness cover and addressed a few things in the engine bay. It's getting there...



              So after driving the car around, it developed a clunking sound from the rear end. I suspect the original Z3 diff mount has gone bad. It had a slight crack in the bushing when I installed the diff but gave it the benefit of the doubt. After all, I had never actually had a diff bushing go bad on any of my E30's, surely the newer Z3 bushing will still be good...or not.



              Well, it is the only rear bushing I didn't change. In retrospect, I should have done it when the diff was out. When shopping for diff bushings I was going OEM rubber Z3 or M coupe bushings but noticed they had all pretty much quadrupled in price with the MZ3 bushing being around $300! I found a $22 Corteco E30 bushing but read many reviews stating the bushing was actually oversized, cracking the diff covers upon installation. I have seen it happen to a few on this site as well. I'm curious if they are using the same bushings. So I decided to pick up a PowerFlex 80A street poly bushing from Pelican $42. 80A is a softer polyurethane making it a good compromise for the street.



              Nice looking 2 pc design with large washers.

              On the topic of OEM diff bushings...

              I am familiar with the solid rubber design (bottom) but I guess BMW also used semi solid bushings on some models including the Z3's and 318Ti. Even the MZ3 bushing (top) isn't completely solid.



              Here is a semi solid bushing from my 85 323i euro 3.46LSD.



              I never considered it a wear item but it is and with prices going up, it made more sense to go aftermarket poly.
              Last edited by reelizmpro; 02-07-2019, 07:22 PM.
              "I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj

              85 323i M TECH 1 S52 - ALPINEWEISS/SCHWARZE
              88 M3 - LACHSSILBER/SCHWARZE
              89 M3 - ALPINEWEISS II/M TECH CLOTH-ALCANTARA
              91 M TECHNIC CABRIO TURBO - MACAOBLAU/M TECH CLOTH-LEATHER

              Comment


                Originally posted by kronus View Post
                that came out surprisingly well!

                details on the mtech kit? I guess it's a race now, with three 323i mtech I builds going at the same time here.
                ;D:p
                Build Threads:
                Pamela/Bella/Betty/325ix/5-Lug Seta/S60R/Miata ITB/Miata Turbo/Miata VVT/951/325xi-6

                Comment


                  Originally posted by reelizmpro View Post
                  The CEP kit is great. The only issues I had really were with the front foglights mounting and adjusting or lack thereof and the top of the side skirts where they meet the body being a little off. The fogs mount up okay but there's nothing to keep the fogs from tilting. The adjustment tab is missing from the repro. So I used hot glue to keep the lights in position and white caulking to fill the gaps on the side skirts. Those are my gripes with this kit. Also the front and rear spoilers don't extend into the wheel arch like the original but it's not a big deal.

                  There was an original kit for $1200 shipped sans deck lid spoiler. That was a good deal. I got the complete Cep kit for $850 shipped with decklid spoiler.
                  Everything is very lightweight yet more durable than oem supposedly. Just depends on your budget and what is available at the time. I didn't see many waves or imperfections on the raw pieces but if there were the paint guy took care of them. The kit looks like oem and you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference especially since there aren't many m tech 1's around.
                  quite a price bump in 3 years....



                  with the troubles you've had with this Im tempted to just buy a used mtech1 kit since $2400+ for a replica kit is kinda wild
                  Simon
                  Current Cars:
                  -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                  Make R3V Great Again -2020

                  Comment


                    So I'm not crazy thinking there prices have gone up recently. I wanted buy Mtech2 bumper package, used to be 500$ish, now its 950 $

                    Originally posted by 2mAn View Post
                    quite a price bump in 3 years....



                    with the troubles you've had with this Im tempted to just buy a used mtech1 kit since $2400+ for a replica kit is kinda wild
                    91' 318is 90' 325is

                    Originally posted by Sonny
                    Buy the E30s, they ain't gonna last long
                    E30 can make you, E30 can break you
                    "He who controls the Nova's, controls the Boomers"

                    Comment


                      Originally posted by 2mAn View Post
                      quite a price bump in 3 years....



                      with the troubles you've had with this Im tempted to just buy a used mtech1 kit since $2400+ for a replica kit is kinda wild
                      Wow, perhaps they figure that over time finding good condition genuine M tech 1 stuff will be harder and harder so they can raise their price. I don't know about $2400 ($2k shipped on ebay) though. $850 shipped was a killer deal and is certainly worth it, that's why I went that route but $2k a dramatic mark up. Maybe the cost of shipping to the US has gone up? I've been hearing a lot of complaints about cost of shipping spoilers, etc lately. It has made buying overseas not worth it depending on the item. Try E30 International, he has good deals on OEM stuff.
                      Last edited by reelizmpro; 06-04-2019, 03:45 PM.
                      "I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj

                      85 323i M TECH 1 S52 - ALPINEWEISS/SCHWARZE
                      88 M3 - LACHSSILBER/SCHWARZE
                      89 M3 - ALPINEWEISS II/M TECH CLOTH-ALCANTARA
                      91 M TECHNIC CABRIO TURBO - MACAOBLAU/M TECH CLOTH-LEATHER

                      Comment


                        Yes-shipping international and in the US has gone hay wire the last 6 months. Especially for large bulky items


                        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                        sigpic
                        323i MTEC1
                        Z3 coupe
                        E60 M5

                        Comment


                          Been meaning to update this thread...I've just been so dejected over this car. Mainly because it took the shop a year to complete the S52 swap and they did a shitty job. There was much that was done wrong and I had to fix/clean up which defeated the purpose of having a shop do it vs myself.

                          Anyway, since the last update, I found that both reman GKN axles I got from someone in San Diego started clicking from the inner CV joint. So it was not the diff bushing making the noise but CV joints from both axles. Upon inspection we determined they didn't put nearly enough grease in the inner boots. In the end, I went with O'Reilly axles and low and behold...they were also rebuild GKN only much cheaper with a lifetime warranty. I've put about a 100 miles on them and so far, so good. With that sorted, I just have to deal with the leaky exhaust. The exhaust shop that built this system is incompetent. I brought the car back 3 times and they still can't fix the leaky joints. Currently debating if I should take it back again or just say fuck it and have a whole new system installed at my usual exhaust shop.
                          "I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj

                          85 323i M TECH 1 S52 - ALPINEWEISS/SCHWARZE
                          88 M3 - LACHSSILBER/SCHWARZE
                          89 M3 - ALPINEWEISS II/M TECH CLOTH-ALCANTARA
                          91 M TECHNIC CABRIO TURBO - MACAOBLAU/M TECH CLOTH-LEATHER

                          Comment


                            Your build sounds like mine(same exact car)-After having The paint shop do a unsatisfactory job I lost interest in the build. I bought a M3 and moved on. One of these days I’ll take the covers off and start again.


                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                            sigpic
                            323i MTEC1
                            Z3 coupe
                            E60 M5

                            Comment


                              Originally posted by Old city bimmer View Post
                              Your build sounds like mine(same exact car)-After having The paint shop do a unsatisfactory job I lost interest in the build. I bought a M3 and moved on. One of these days I’ll take the covers off and start again.


                              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                              Seriously. So called shops these days do such poor work, it's sad. I've heard the same horror stories from some of the more expensive shops as well where lawsuits were involved so it's not just a get what you pay for type of thing. I just had to rewire an electric fan installation that involved the fan being Zip tied to the radiator and the wiring ran all the way inside the car behind the dash and spliced into a Hot with Key On circuit so the fan is always on. WTF? They wrapped it all with electrical tape and didn't even bother to ground the fan with a ring terminal...just bare wire sandwiched under an existing bolt. Funny thing is the aux fan wiring is right there but instead of doing it the right way, they took more time to do it the wrong way. The bright side (I've been trying to stay positive) is that the used M42 radiator was leaking anyway and they replaced it with me choosing to do the installation this time around.




                              Regarding the M42 radiator, I went this route mainly due to the built in expansion tank. This cleans up the bay a bit without having to install the late model tank on the driver's fender. I've read about concerns of the radiator not being sufficient to cool the S52 but that has not been my experience. Yesterday, I ran the car without any fans and temps only went above the half way mark after prolonged idling. I believe the trick is properly bleeding all of the air out of the system. This S52 car seems to be more finicky when it comes to this. This method worked for me...With the engine off I jacked up the front end, removed the bleed screw and slowly fill the reservoir until some fluid came out of the bleed screw hole. Reinstall the bleed screw and expansion cap. Test drive. Then when cool, remove some water with a turkey baster until the proper level is reached on the tank. On the M42 radiator, that level is about half way up the tank.

                              Going to drive it around more before finally dropping it off at the exhaust shop. It's getting there...
                              Last edited by reelizmpro; 06-19-2019, 04:14 PM.
                              "I'd probably take the E30 M3 in this case just because I love that little car, and how tanky that inline 6 is." - thecj

                              85 323i M TECH 1 S52 - ALPINEWEISS/SCHWARZE
                              88 M3 - LACHSSILBER/SCHWARZE
                              89 M3 - ALPINEWEISS II/M TECH CLOTH-ALCANTARA
                              91 M TECHNIC CABRIO TURBO - MACAOBLAU/M TECH CLOTH-LEATHER

                              Comment


                                I always wonder how shops can make money on conversions given the time it takes to do the job properly. Then pretty much every time i hear of one being done by a shop they do a shit job. So that answers that question.

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