Offroad Budget Build

[mbonanni]

I picked up a 1991 318i a few months ago with the intentions of getting it back on the road, but plans quickly changed and I started to part it out. Fast forward a bit, the car was about to get scrapped when I came across AZRRC’s “Offroad e30” thread and decided that’s exactly what I wanted to do with it. Next morning I called up a buddy of mine, told him the plan and he agreed to go halves and help me build it. Even though two of us will be funding this we want to keep it as dirt cheap as possible, so we’ll be utilizing as many used/free/cheap parts as possible while still trying to now cut too many corners.

This is what I’ll be working with. The car is not registered, or even in the DMV system anymore as it sat for around 10 years in someones yard. Unfortunately this wont be a street legal build, but on the brighter side it means we don’t have to deal with California’s dumb smog laws . I will be pulling a high mileage m50 from my dad e34 to swap in. It runs great however is using up coolant, which we believe is a faulty head gasket.



Our "plans"

Engine:
1991 e34 M50B25 6-cyl DOHC - FREE
Top end gasket set
Bottom end gasket set
Waterpump
Thermostat
Dr. Vanos Stage II
Spark Plugs
E36 engine mount arms
E28 motor mounts
E34 throttle cable
Skid plate
Drivetrain:
Getrag 240
4.10 lsd
E36 325i driveshaft (e30 csb?)
M20 single mass flywheel
M20 clutch
M20 starter
Suspension:
E36 convertible rear springs w/ spring pads
E30 vert front springs
Strut spacer on top
Brakes:
Stock brake booster (Drill new holes for mounting or lift motor, shave fins off intake manifold)
Refurbished calipers
New pads, fluid, etc
Stainless lines
Wheels:
Bottlecaps
General Grabber at2 27x8.5r14

[mbonanni]

We already have the m42 and trans ready to be pulled out. I am supposed to have someone come buy that, but who knows.

Our next course of action will be getting the m50 pulled and doing a "refresh" on it, besides a top and bottom gasket set, waterpump, thermostat, plugs, and the VANOS what else should we replace?

We will be following AZRRC's suspension setup until we can get a better idea of how it functions. I really want to do e46 LCA's for extra width, but need to do more research before we dive into that.

[irish44j]

You should think about what you mean by "offroad/rally," because the car build, suspension, and everything else are pretty different for the two, if by rally you mean stage rally. I suspect you just mean general off-road hooning, but just in case:

AZRRC's suspension would likely not be legal in any stage rally organization out there due to the change in pickup points, and almost a moot point since his car wouldn't be remotely competitive in stage rally (though it's awesome for general off-roading).

In addition, stage cars have to be registered, insured, and street-legal (period), since they transit on public roads between stages. So if your goal is to do stage rally eventually, make sure you make sure you can somehow register the car someplace and get it plated/insured.

Otherwise, will be interested to see what you do. IDK if you've seen my build thread (hint: it's right below yours right now), and granted the car wasn't built for extreme off-roading stuff, but some of the stuff I did may be relevant to you perhaps. Good luck! Offroad e30s are awesome.

[mbonanni]

Thanks for the reply, I put the “offroad” in the title just for that reason, I was trying to refer more to general off-roading. I won’t be competing in this car. It will be a car that I trailer to local spots and dick around in. Figured its the same as a “drift build” but I get you after looking into it a bit more. I’ll change the title to get away from any confusion [emoji1360]

I briefly looked at your build, will definitely look it over a bit more to get some better ideas and inspiration. This is going to be a pretty slow build ongoing build.

[irish44j]

Thanks for the reply, I put the “offroad” in the title just for that reason, I was trying to refer more to general off-roading. I won’t be competing in this car. It will be a car that I trailer to local spots and dick around in. Figured its the same as a “drift build” but I get you after looking into it a bit more. I’ll change the title to get away from any confusion [emoji1360]

I briefly looked at your build, will definitely look it over a bit more to get some better ideas and inspiration. This is going to be a pretty slow build ongoing build.

lol no worries, just looking out for you.

[High Nickel Alloy]

Updates?

[iansane]

When I lifted mine, the e46 arms were almost a must. They push the wheel out but more importantly it improved the messed up geometry from using taller springs and such.

[2mAn]

When I lifted mine, the e46 arms were almost a must. They push the wheel out but more importantly it improved the messed up geometry from using taller springs and such.

Did it push the wheels out to the point of hitting the fenders?

[iansane]

Did it push the wheels out to the point of hitting the fenders?

Actually no. On droop, after the control arms go level they actually pull inward and the wheels go SUPER positive camber. When you lift the e30 they always sit in droop. The longer arms will correct the static positive camber though. It's still super fucked up during compression and turning. Ideally, a new actual a-arm would be fabbed up that drops the body side mount something closer to level. I haven't been able to do that since my girlfriend drives the truck every day. As soon as I get the volvoe30 drivable I'll focus on new suspension for the truck. I have some 33" tires I want to fit.

[2mAn]

Actually no. On droop, after the control arms go level they actually pull inward and the wheels go SUPER positive camber. When you lift the e30 they always sit in droop. The longer arms hell correct the static positive camber. It's still super fucked up during compression and turning. Ideally, a new actual a-arm would be fabbed up that drops the body side mount something closer to level. I haven't been able to do that since my girlfriend drives the truck every day. As soon as I get the volvoe30 drivable I'll focus on new suspension for the truck. I have some 33" tires I want to fit.

Im going to continue the conversation here since I think Marco can benefit from it and experiment based off your experience...

When you say the "body side mount" are you referring to where the control arm bushing mounts in the lollipop? Or the center mount that goes into the subframe?

edit: also you need to post pics of the truck, but post it here

[iansane]

When you say the "body side mount" are you referring to where the control arm bushing mounts in the lollipop? Or the center mount that goes into the subframe?

Well, I mean if the control arm is replaced with a custom one design like an actual A-arm, but it would mount at the subframe. I thought a lot about just dropping the stock setup but 1)itd been a pain to get the drop brackets for the lollipops correct and symmetrical and 2)That only solves the one issue of control arm angle, not the steering geometry issue that actual A arms would alleviate (not "fix" mind you, just lessen)

I'll post a picture right now, haha.