[Entropy] - E30 Hiatus cont - More seeing, less wrenching.

[moatilliatta]

December 2020

Progress, MMMHMM

Well, Yes progress, but I'm about zero toe, If lucky. Now amazing progress, but also the camber isn't equal and decently shy of spec. Super bummed, all is normal. I have a customer car up there also I traded out while picking up lachs, Not I'm paranoid about the job done on it... Back to indy.. GRR


I probably wont be getting my car back this year and I'm scheduled to go to NYC to drop 2 Interiors off at Nine stich. So I had to pull my interior before towing Lachs back to indy.. Side mounts set the seat up almost perfect centered to steering wheel - A little recap on the Cooled / Heated seats




















Big Month for the van, Got the 4 inch exhaust on and did some rust proofing for driving up in the North East. Magnaflow cat, FTE 30'' resonator, Corsa Performance muffler. Maybe just a hint louder than stock. Perfect, I need a quiet vehicle for long trips!








Not terrible, but made a mess..




I didn't really like the tip so I got it back to the factory style, And finally painted my wheels all one color

And off to NYC to drop off some seats!

[Digitalwave]

Congrats on all the wins and the championship last year.

So after bending your trailing arms it's still only at 0 toe? That sucks.

[moatilliatta]

Congrats on all the wins and the championship last year.

So after bending your trailing arms it's still only at 0 toe? That sucks.

Thanks! Crazy year!

Yes, but was at 1" of tow out before. I've yet to understand why so far out with these arms... But the car went back and I re iterated the importance of getting this correct. It as a tedious process especially at this extreme adjustment. I wish I could be more of an ass but then Id burn every bridge, just a revolving door with different task. I mean did they think I wasn't going to find out. Standard ops...

[moatilliatta]

December 2020

Felt good to get away to the North East and drop the seats off.



































WORK
Finally got around to final fitment of the racetech seat back to cage brackets.




First installation of an Auto Solutions shifter. This ended up being on a 635CSI. Still had the balancer over the guibo. So ended up being a Guibo, CSB, and reseal back of trans.


I walked out side of the shop to this.


The proper loctite for stud installation - 2620


MR E28 can finally go home now! Ac all ready for next summer!





Happy New Year.

[moatilliatta]

January 2021

Progress? A milestone!

Since I have had the car it has never felt right, Not that I have that many miles on it.. But something was off, It was the rear toe. The previous subframes eccentric adjusters did not give it enough toe in, Assuming the subframe was bent I built up a new one with Ireland Engineering Posi-lock. After a fiasco with getting sent 2 resolutions of interlocking teeth, this was sorted luckily with a finer resolution, and the subframe was completed. With the trailing arm adjusted all the way into the subframe pocket, I was just shy of zero toe. Such a disappointment, but it drove much better. You could tell the wheel sat further inward to the cabin. Upon disassembly this is when I found the bushing/ trailing arm pick up was actually bottomed out into the subframe pocket. So I started to clearance it so it would move further to the gas tank... it, F IT!... After stepping back and re evaluating I realized my hurting my sweep angle, DTM went the other way on their setup to I think 12* from 15*. One last effort before a redo and doing the DTM adjusters. I got the car the NW alignment and Frame in Noblesville Indiana where some NASA spec E30 guys got their suspension tweaked for adjustment. This seemed like a great idea so I sat the adjuster in their original pickup points, reinforced the subframe, and assembled as much as could to get some weight in the car. It took 2 trips, one which takes about 3/4 of the day including picking up and dropping off the trailer. But here it is. And actually the camber was .25 to much negative and I had to take a click out, grr.!!!! But whatever. -2* camber and 1/8 toe in. The toe adjuster is still in its original pick up point location, so I have not lost sweep angle. Can't wait to hammer down and accelerate in a strait line!





Z3M has 1 inch wider rear track width, Will be compensated with 12.5MM front spacers




Color ideas


NEXT, Upon installing my Ebrake cables I found my Ebrake tubes were missing.... Missing. Back of the milk carton.. Missing Ebrake tubes. what' next?!




Luckily these came out relatively simple


Cats out, Doorman makes an aluminum control arm. But is the cat out of the bag or just a curse released from a tomb, Checking out options to replace outer ball joint with a spherical.






China.. What isnt?!


Trimmed the spectra premium tank down to fit into the chassis better


Replace my walbro with a 318I pump


I have a driver side lift pump that pumps to the passenger side, Its an out of the box ETA pump. Another Spectra Premium special. THIS WILL BE MADE INTO A PSA.




AND I have rear brake hoses made!!

[Digitalwave]

I think most guys doing E36 and E46 5 lug swaps just don't give a shit or know any better, and they just live with the crap alignments and geometry.

[moatilliatta]

I think most guys doing E36 and E46 5 lug swaps just don't give a shit or know any better, and they just live with the crap alignments and geometry.

Once you driven a properly setup E30 it ruins a lot of them. This car is on the extreme and compromised some comforts. But as a road car a nicely tuned in suspension makes the car feel so great. We could car less about stance or the bragging about having one more lug.., how fun these cars are to drive is why where here.

My old Ix had Ground controls with Konis, Even though konis like to leak, That suspension was way better than H&R and Bilstein's for road compliance. I miss that setup.

[moatilliatta]

January 2021

Racecar

Nope. Were worn out...

Work

Always..

Triple check part numbers, IDK. wouldn't fit around dust plate.. But now it does.. Genuine CSB.






Shifters In, Auto solutions shifter is IN, feels good, not much taller in this E24 635CSI




726, Another piece of the puzzle


Illuminati lemforders are real lemforders. Looked like counter fit, had less articulation like the cheapos..


I need a floor.


One of the twin S54 E36s got wrapped


Reseal intake and sending out the throttles for rebuild!






This E30 got a replacement sunroof panel, New brake lines, and Group N subframe mounts that I trimmed 10MM off of.












Soon to have some rust repaired and a proper cage!



I never made shift linkage this small...


M20 going in an 2002






If you want snow, Just cheap out and not replace your snow tires for season...







Pretty much up to date! Not sure how ill update now, hopefully not months out like everything else.

Still some good updates to come. With the Racecar out for the year, Maybe 1 or 2 events... I hope to have lachs and the 726 out for spring.

[AWDBOB]

Those CAs have been around for a while- I never ran them because of said chinese ball joints. I’d be interested if you found a suitable press-in replacement.

Stinks to hear they didn’t get you sorted on the alignment.

[mike.bmw]

Pretty much up to date! Not sure how ill update now, hopefully not months out like everything else.

Just post for the rest of the year now. Predictive posts on how you want everything to play out. Who knows, maybe magic will happen.

March 2021 - Picked up a barn-find E30 M3 for $100. April 2021 - played the lottery and won. May ...

[moatilliatta]

Those CAs have been around for a while- I never ran them because of said chinese ball joints. I’d be interested if you found a suitable press-in replacement.

Stinks to hear they didn’t get you sorted on the alignment.

I mean it was a one off worse case scenario that they got pretty close on the second try. And nobody fools with this, Its understandable. The headache per cost for a niece market just isn't their and most frame shop won't even listen to you or touch it when you explain to them what needs done.

Yeah, I guess the Red M3 I bought up didn't turn out perfect. But the RR went from -3.5 to -1.5 and the LR was .3 off.. so the last 20% is always the hardest. And if needed the eccentrics can fine tune it and be welded in later. And better yet the hinged trailing arm pick up point wont be as offset and cause binding with just the fine tuning of the eccentrics on the Red M3.

Overall its hard to get things perfect, especially expressed and having someone else understand all the reasoning and then understanding all the reasons why they can't get it perfect.

I did though piss the guy off because I gave him a spec, he told me his tolerance, and call him out that he was off. And made him do the job again on my lachs, even offered payed because I understand this was one of work and trying to reasonable.

But I think this is a great way if someone has the skills land tooling to bring back the alignment on these old cars. Some are perfect, a lot are not.

Id just like to see more Z3M trailing on E30 subframes with alignment specs. I can't understand If and why the Z3M subframe would have more sweep angle. My luck, My trailing arms were probably perfectly bent out the same amount on both sides to test my patience.


CA's. Man, so much stuff is made in China, and if the budget is there they can make as good products as anyone else. I personally limit myself from cheap consumerism subsidized by cheap / slave labor, Ironic right? with these control arms in my hands... Still on the fence.

Doorman supplies OEM and big chunk of the aftermarket that all these non specialty shops use. End of the day, everyone sells something junk, everything times out. Pick and choose.

[moatilliatta]

Just post for the rest of the year now. Predictive posts on how you want everything to play out. Who knows, maybe magic will happen.

March 2021 - Picked up a barn-find E30 M3 for $100. April 2021 - played the lottery and won. May ...

I need to update the front page...

Even if I hit the lottery. I don't shuffle though cars like most. I get a vision and then get stuck on it. The vision is the motivation, the driving is the reward.

This year goals:
Finish wiring - Stearo - Started
Finish mounting Sub - Started
Reroute gas tank vent - Started
Build seat delete - Planning
Finish plumbing rear brake lines - Started
Swap out mock up abs unit for Motorsports calibrated unit.
Reinforce trailing arms, Powder coat, Swap out AKG RTAB with STIM Tech RTAB - Started
Tidy Rust - Started
Swap in E30/ E36 geometry control arms from 96+ arms, SRS concepts added caster and moved wheel to far forward.., Aluminum control arms, Roll center? MRT DTM Arms - Planning
Mount Front sway bar, E46 swaybar fits well.. , Plan out rear swaybar Planning
Mount mirror, E36 style, Got knocked off
Work on Cam timing
Dyno Tune
Install upholsterer'd door cards and seats
Fit 245 under factory fenders with proper compliance - Probably later..
Drive and debug

MAY 2021 - The Vintage!

? - Track
?- Long drives

2022 - Rust, Rollbar, rubber / truck bead liner floors
2023 - Carbon bumpers, Roof, hood, maybe trunk, headliner
2024 - Paint
2025 - Custom wheels

All this is work load dependent, I've tried to step back from work some and enjoy what got me originally into this. But I find weeks / Months where that doesn't happen.. Years.,.. And that makes this project what it is.

I'm sure you've all came across that older fellow who has had a car in pieces in his garage for 20 years.. what a terrible feeling that would be.

[AWDBOB]

Regarding the CAs- they would’ve been a replacement for nice new original control arms, so by my comment I didn’t mean that China= bad, but just that the ball joints felt cheap and I didn’t feel the transition to aluminum would’ve been worth going to the lower quality ball joint. But maybe you’ll find out that they work awesome and we’ll all have a great option for Al LCAs!

[moatilliatta]

February 2021

Prog? Teaser.

I had a starting building a set of prototype of these a few years ago, but never got around to finishing them. You can now order an off the shelf version.

Will be a month or so until they are in and complete, but super stoked!!

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Nice work all around. And congratulations on the wins! Now I see how you'll have an "easier" time fitting the mk60 ABS... the 5 lug front struts and rear trailing arms accept the correct wheel speed sensors without modification. Damn... I was hoping you'd have a clever way to fit them into the 4 lug front struts and rear arms. Your suspension geometry saga is both encouraging and disappointing for mostly the same reasons. As I've been trying to learn more about how to improve the E30s alignment and geometry I've also noticed not much information available that really goes into the depths of the process as you have. Encouraging that I'm not crazy to believe it's harder than it appears, and disappointing that it's not easy to come by easily accessible information and combination of parts... I need to learn more. It really is amazing how well these cars can handle with careful consideration into the geometry and setup.