Half-Life | '91 DS 318iS Slicktop | Track & Weekend Warrior

[MR 325]

I'm loving the vents!

[paynemw]

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Do you have the OEM air duct plastic still? Just curious how you're running that aero on the bottom side that integrate into the wheel wells. I have the one piece version and was thinking about doing an aluminum version plus your dope splitter type gig. Also, so dope on the hood vents man!

[Digitalwave]

I don't like vents either, but hey, function over form for this car. I wouldn't be offended if someone didn't like them haha.

[wworm]

Yeah. Hood vents tend to make cars look kinda trashy. These look super crisp and I think blend with the car surprisingly well. Especially with the additional aero bits. Blacking them out will make it even better for sure.

[econti]

I'll be honest I was concerned about the bonnet vents looking trash but man they turned out very well.

A well deserved COTM for you

[Digitalwave]

Congrats on COTM & the car looks amazing!

right on! I like the raw aluminum but it'll definitely make the car look way more "finished" if everything gets painted. Definitely a solid call to assemble pre paint. Its been really cool to see this car progress. Very stoked to see more.

Awesome man! The Hood & kooglewerks bits turned out great!

This continues to be one of my favorite E30s out there.

Thanks for the kind words guys!

[Joeyz31]

Awesome man! The Hood & kooglewerks bits turned out great!

This continues to be one of my favorite E30s out there.

[wworm]

I heard the E39 seal mentioned in a thread when I was researching the EVO SEAL for plastic bumpers (it works but it’s a bit short). The E39 is much cheaper, and is very long. Easy to trim to length. All the aluminum stuff is going to get powder coated. I’m just waiting for the center vent to arrive so I can do it all at once. Plus, it was good to drill and mount everything first so I don’t scratch them later on.

right on! I like the raw aluminum but it'll definitely make the car look way more "finished" if everything gets painted. Definitely a solid call to assemble pre paint. Its been really cool to see this car progress. Very stoked to see more.

[Digitalwave]

keeps getting better! Kind of surprised I hadn't heard of the e39 bumper seal thing yet. Seems like a nice little touch there.

vents and aero bits look damn good. No plan to paint them?

I heard the E39 seal mentioned in a thread. All the aluminum stuff is going to get powder coated. I’m just waiting for the center vent to arrive so I can do it all at once. Plus, it was good to drill and mount everything first so I don’t scratch them later on.

[parkerbink]

Congrats on COTM & the car looks amazing!

[wworm]

keeps getting better! Kind of surprised I hadn't heard of the e39 bumper seal thing yet. Seems like a nice little touch there.

vents and aero bits look damn good. No plan to paint them?

[Digitalwave]

Dropping in some updates. Simon graciously picked my car for the May COTM!

Here are the pictures I shot for COTM:



























With the "street/tuning" dash:




With the more simple "race" dash:





Got to be on the track last week for some fun sessions. Prior to that I was able to get some projects on the car, but not finished per se. First up, I got my Kooglewerks splitter and spoiler mounted and the supports installed. I also installed the N15 Designs E36 side vents on the hood. The center vent got delayed in production, but should be here this week. I wanted *some* venting before the track day, and I guess now I'll be able to compare just the side vents to the sides + the center vent as well.

Measured 5x, drilled once:

















Cutting the hood was surprisingly easy. I just used a Dremel with reinforced discs. The cuts came out well. The E36 vents fit the contour of the E30 hood pretty spot on.









The Kooglewerks front splitter, though not that large, is SOOOOO much stronger than those flimsy ABS plastic ones. It was quite solid, even before installing the braces. I think the "depth" of it helps a lot in resisting any bending or flexing.









Before the track day, I flushed the brake fluid (AP PRF), did a bolt check, and removed the rear spring pads to lower the back 1/4-3/8". I'd say the new changes helped, as I lowered my personal best at PBIR by almost a second (down to 1:34.15). The next thing I am going to try is setting the rear sway bar on the "soft" setting, as it is currently on "stiff." The car is over-steer prone, especially on corner entry. I believe I will be faster if I can make the car a little more pushy, so I can confidently drive it harder.









Once the center hood vent arrives this week, I will bringing all of the aluminum parts (splitter, spoiler, all 3 hood vents) in to get powdercoated satin black.

I finally started poking around and planning my surge tank setup. I'm sick of having to run with a full tank on the track, and don't want to risk a hole in a piston with fuel starvation. After reading the SCCA and NASA rule books, I think I have a good game plan. I will post more on that soon as I start installing parts. Here, I was poking around the area to see where some good spots are to run fuel lines and bulkhead fittings into the trunk.





Really love all of my Condor bushings on the car. I've never driven an E30 with such a direct, tight feel, especially in the rear suspension.





Small detail, but I ran a longer vacuum line to my MAP sensor, so I could tuck it away under the wiring bulkhead and by the brake booster. It was previously ran up by the strut bar, since the hose I had on there was just a little bit too short. Now, you probably wouldn't notice it if you didn't know what to look for.

[mr.]

Mine is the GE. I just looked at the Miller one, and I don't understand how it would work. It looks like they placed the ICV port in the wrong spot. It would be on the top or the bottom of the elbow, instead of on the inside curve.

EDIT: the Miller one is designed for the PSIK which routes the intake tube straight downwards, which is why they made the port that way. This wouldn't work for most traditional intake designs.

Right right, yeah, the Miller piece was designed for their PSIK system, but after lots of demand they started selling them separately apparently.
Also don't see how someone could make it work on something other than the Miller kit

Have asked a couple of people who might be able to find a GE one but no luck so far, bummer.

[Digitalwave]

Understood, is that a Miller intake elbow or the GE ones that he is no longer producing?

Mine is the GE. I just looked at the Miller one, and I don't understand how it would work. It looks like they placed the ICV port in the wrong spot. It would be on the top or the bottom of the elbow, instead of on the inside curve.

EDIT: the Miller one is designed for the PSIK which routes the intake tube straight downwards, which is why they made the port that way. This wouldn't work for most traditional intake designs.

[mr.]

My silicone intake elbow doesn't have the V that splits off to the check valve, but it's not necessary. I just used silicone vacuum tubing to replicate that area with the V split removed. You still need the check valve of course. Make sure it's VACUUM line or it may collapse.

Understood, is that a Miller intake elbow or the GE ones that he is no longer producing?