Just grabbed the PDF of that manual, thx for the heads up. I did already have a general trouble shooting manual for german cars and the bentley of course, but electrical is my weak spot so the more the better.
What specifically about the 13button is valuable?
Gonna end up doing the z3 rack, it just makes too much sense since the subframe will be out of the car anyway for re-enforcements.
was planning on leaving the sway bars stock for now. for bushings thinking i will do solid for motor/drive-train and the 93a stuff i think for everything else. the car came with offset CA bushings, so not sure if i'll do those just yet.
edit to add: for pads i grabbed a set of EBC yellowstuff. i've used them before and they are decent. also just the standard ebc disks, no slots or dimples.
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Do you have the 1987 3 Series Electronic Troubleshooting Manual yet? You'll REALLY want that during "Phase II"
You can remove the central locking system harness, the side view mirror harness, and significantly modify the harness connection at the door. It corrodes easily but is an awesome design. That way you can retain the OEM power windows without having to really worry about anything else.
While the dash is out, you can remove the whole Premium Stereo Harness and the Cruise Control Harness. I'd retain the 13button if I were you.
Did you decide to do the Z3 rack?
What pads are you going to run?
Sway bars?
What bushings?Leave a comment:
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You might want to rethink the cage. That's a lot of extra weight and unless you really intend on doing stage rally I wouldn't do it. You definitely don't need a cage for rallyx.Leave a comment:
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@Kershaw,
Yeah, I grabbed the nicest one I could find in central TX. It will get pretty much stripped. I'd do manual windows if I could get my hands on regulators. They don't seem to be available anywhere.
Basically, I'm going to do all of the stuff under the car in phase one, so all bushings, front and rear sub-frame re-enforcements, skid plate, few bits here and there that are just tired. brakes, new billy HD's and first pass rubber (snow tires on the weaves that came with it). And now of course the new steering rack.
Phase two will be the stripping interior and getting the cage put in. I can weld, so will do the sub-frames add-ons myself, but will have the cage properly done.
Thanks for the tip on the ac lines. I'll get rid of those in Phase II when the dash is off.Leave a comment:
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You should seal off the AC lines going into the car. Latex glove and a zip tie or whatever. But if you leave them open and then do rallyx the lines will become filled with dust and you'll never be able to have a working AC again.
Leave as much powered stuff as you can. Brakes, steering, windows...Leave a comment:
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With respect to brakes, I'm wondering if doing the booster delete is a good idea. Any thoughts on that from folks doing rally thing? from what i've read the on various forums, it seems like a decent way to get to a firmer peddle, which I think I am going to prefer based on how it feels now. that said, I still need to flush/bleed with fresh ate fluid, but if that doesn't firm it up significantly (along with fresh pads) than I might pull that trigger...
(side note: I am not going to do PS delete)..Leave a comment:
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OK, after getting the family off across the pond, finally got this thing up and stands and started down the list today.
Fisrt Item on the list, AC delete....phase one done today, phase two tomorrow when i can get a neighbor to help me pull the hood off (yes I know I don't need to for this but have other stuff to do that will be nice to have it out of the way..)
I've got to make some changes to garage setup. Can't easily get to bench, tool cabinet. Speaking of which I really need to take advantage of post x-mas sales and grab some organizing stuff.
So once i got under the car, it became pretty obvious the steering rack and the return power steering lines were leaking. I was contemplating doing the z3 rack conversion while I have the front subframe off, but this just made it necessary..
The other thing I that's nagging at me is the manifolds. The heat shield is gone, and I should pull the manifolds and do gasket and new studs/brass nuts anyway but man, I sure hope the PB Blaster works its magic on the old ones on there now. I live in fear of really old manifold fasteners...
Will most likely get the calipers and disks pulled tomorrow as well. New disks and pads on the way, and gonna do the caliper rebuild while I'm at it.Leave a comment:
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I started off with a really shitty e30 for rallycross. I spent way more time and money on this POS getting it ready than if I had just tripled my initial budget. Picking the nicest car you can afford to start with is definitely the way to go.Leave a comment:
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Thx for input to everyone, and I definitely hear all of you on the topic of whether or not its too nice to convert to race car. Thought long and hard about it. Decided that it's easier/cheaper in a lot of respects to start with something a little nicer. That way i can sell off the nice parts I wont' be using, and start with known good condition drive-train, which is def a time/cost saver.
I have however, gone back and forth on whether to go the rally route or the Chump/Champ Car route. There's just something about rally...Since I was a kid, always watched rally when it was on and got into the stuff like Dakar. The early audi quattro's were dope! (one day I will own a rally prepped 911 and maybe even do something stupid like race it at Baja...)
But for now, the first step is getting this rig put together!Leave a comment:
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What a f**kin sin to turn that car into a rally car. IS cars in that condition are becoming pretty valuable and harder to find. I bought a beat 318i when I wanted to go sideways through the woods.Leave a comment:
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Man that thing is clean! Hell of a better start than mine, I feel like you could just flip it and make a healthy profit to fund your rally build.Leave a comment:
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