The Ecobeamer

[hkv]

I love when build threads start off like this. The paint job is... different. I think it would work well if the car had plastic bumpers... maybe.

yeah and the quality of the paint job is poor but atleast it looks cool. you should have seen what I sprayed the first time, work of modern art. luckily I didn't take any pictures of that before I decided to rattle can the camo. im actually half decent at body work and painting random stuff but I really undermined myself earlier during the build and while im decent at body work I hate it and didn't want to invest the time to get the body straight.

I like doing all the work myself, I don't like other people working on my cars and I don't mind a rough "rat rod" type look so I just pulled off what I thought would look cool, can always rattle can it something different in a few years. only thing im outsourcing really is the alignment and driveshaft balancing. at least that's the plan.

[hkv]

fits up pretty good even with the alternator in place. I don't think im going to need a subframe spacer anymore if I cut the the top ridges off the steering rack mounting tabs.



anybody else willing to bet this would be the place to mount an oil pressure sender? with the oil pan likely going to be the low point of the car(about two inches below the subframe) I think I may need it lol

[hkv]

test fit the steering rack tonight and at this point Im starting to think I should consider changing the cars name from "the ecobeamer" to "the angle grinder victim"

[hkv]

here are some pics of the subframe fitment right now and oil pan clearance. like I was thinking I believe that a subframe spacer is a good idea



if I grinded the top of these steering rack brackets off I think the subframe would clear but I think I will do a spacer over that anyways to avoid that since the subframe would be a bit higher than the oil pan if I didn't




can anyone who has a better idea than me speculate as to whether or not I will be able to fit a conventional sway bar like this????

[hkv]

engine bay pics

[hkv]

ive managed to move the motor even farther back than before and now the oil filler cap barely pokes out from the end of the engine bay. this is right where I want the motor to be



another pic




like I said earlier one of the things about this build is that the motor will be so far back that you could almost call it it a mid engine car now. here is a pic that shows how far back behind the front wheels the engine is gonna sit

[hkv]

the location of the powertrain is dialed in even more and is almost final however I have a few more adjustments I want to make.


the starter motor and the oil filter clear the remaining firewall nice but tight



the intake manifold tucks into the cabin very nicely



as planned the high pressure fuel pump tucks under the windshield real good and I have cut room for the downpipe

[hkv]

I need to cut the tunnel where the shifter goes because the shifter will be a few inches back from the stock location




I decide to cut even farther back so as to remove that bracket entirely



coming together good

[hkv]

I decide to cut some tabs/brackets off the tranny to get more clearance in the tunnel



after test fitting I decide to cut even more of the tranny

[hkv]

this bracket behind the shifter is a real pain and in the way



I cut it up



and then hammer it down flat for clearance



doing that I get the powertrain into this position

[hkv]

this Is what the shifter location was looking like



current position





just a pic

[jeenyus]

I love when build threads start off like this. The paint job is... different. I think it would work well if the car had plastic bumpers... maybe.

[Sirotto]

HELL Yes. I will be watching.

[hkv]

I would also like to point out that one thing that im expecting to be great about this build is to resolve the front heavy weight distribution of the e30. by not only having a lighter and much more powerful motor than the m20 but also having that weight moved back to center very far im hoping to get 45/55 weight distribution. the ecoboost is going to be so far back that you could almost call it a mid engine car. 90% of the motor will be behind the centerline of the front wheels. only the pully's and the very front of the motor will be in front of/ in line with the front wheels.

[hkv]

im 95% about this position of the powertrain, the oil fil cap has barely an inch of space between it and the end of the engine bay. the intake manifold is almost touching the steering column ffs. everything looks fantastic. the subframe almost bolts up but I think a subframe spacer is in order. the stock oil pan has good clearance I think things are really starting to come together good



more pics and updates to come, everything's going really well so far. soon I will be welding custom motor mounts and driveshaft and then moving onto fueling and electrical.

a pic of the gauges ive picked for the gauge panel: