My Hoopte30 Project Attempt #6 - the painless way to earn cash back every day

[AWDBOB]

The 2.7L strokey is coming together! Hoping to drop it in tomorrow or Saturday. I performed surgery on the head studs... it was painful but it's done. I dropped stuff off for powdercoat over a week ago and he hadn't even started on it, so I just picked all my stuff up and assembled the motor with what I had on hand. It can look pretty later, just has to make vroom noises for now. Found a big bore throttle body i forgot I had, so that's pretty nifty

Fitted a Suspension Techniques front bar. Since I am running a good bit of spring rate in the rear I opted to keep the E30M3 14.5mm rear bar. I'll see how it feels. I feel like E30s don't really like a stiff rear bar, but time will tell, and I'll install the ST rear bar if I feel it needs it.

Finally got the camber plates I've been after to work after relentlessly bugging GC to sell me the spring hats to work with my 2.5" coilover springs.

I've never been stoked on the Koni thread engagement with camber plates, so I opted to run without a lock washer and added blue loctite to get an extra couple threads.

Oh, and I had the insert from my og mt1 wing from linda painted lachs and threw it on.

I am headed up to Jakes next weekend to convert the car to his new standalone and dyno it. I have a long list yet.

-install engine/trans
-swap in s3.46
-swap dash to a nice one a buddy gave me
-finish sanden a/c conversion
-install new power steering lines
-pull carpet and kilmat the floors and trunk
-wire up stereo/speakers/install lukebox
-garagistic x brace install and other chassis stiffening
-exhaust?

It's gonna be a mad dash but i think we'll get there.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[AWDBOB]

Check the thread now

we're not so different, you and i

[2mAn]

I haven’t seen any updates! Also I looked for Brandons coverage on YT but never found it, so linky link me

Check the thread now

[AWDBOB]

haha you are a twisted boi... in totally unrelated news, check my Z3 update.

im now a reformed twisted boi. I’m just nervous for what the next stage of this looks like. if I ever make real money I will have the shittiest collection of fancy cars known to man

I haven’t seen any updates! Also I looked for Brandons coverage on YT but never found it, so linky link me

[2mAn]

i sold my 02 that I never even took in

haha you are a twisted boi... in totally unrelated news, check my Z3 update.

[AWDBOB]

I ran into that problem with the ARP studs and ended up hammering divots into the baffle. you can also double up VCGs for a bit of extra room, but jury's out on whether that's more or less jank.

congrats on freeing yourself of a lot of simultaneous projects!

I think I may end up having to machine a valve cover for this setup- the block was decked 2mm, in addition to the "tall boy" ARPs of old I'm in need of 4-5mm of clearance.

Maybe I'll just run no valve cover. A shirtless m20

And thanks man. Apparently it takes owning 20 e30s to realize you only need 2. I haven't even been on FB marketplace looking since! (lies)

[kronus]

I ran into that problem with the ARP studs and ended up hammering divots into the baffle. you can also double up VCGs for a bit of extra room, but jury's out on whether that's more or less jank.

congrats on freeing yourself of a lot of simultaneous projects!

[AWDBOB]

What a wild couple months. Turbo 318iS is gone, both 318 sedans gone, and S50 sedan is gone! And i sold my 02 that I never even took possession of lol

Which finally means that it's time for vintage prep on hoopty.

I have a really long list to do in a couple weeks.

I'm doing a full Sanden R134 conversion on this car, and got a valence painted by a local blind painter who still charges too much, so figured it was time to put in a good aux fan, parallel flow condenser, r134 drier, single pressure switch, custom line for compressor, and new green orings on the line from the drier to the condenser.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr





2.7L in question:
-325e 81mm crank
-325e 130mm rods
-late model 325i pistons
-deck shaved 2mm
-makes a 9.4:1 comp 2.7L M20 with the right pistons to match up with the 885 head

Head in question:
-pulled off a car at the warehouse which got parted midway through being built
-New HD rockers
-New unknown cam
-ARP studs
-machine work looks good, and the valve job looks good, so we're gonna clean up and install with a Genuine dealer head gasket, hoping the cam isn't a 304

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr



Aaaannnd where you see the ARP lube on the valve cover is where the studs are hitting the valve cover. Studs are the older versions that are too long. Don't really know what to do about it at this point. I may have to drill out the baffle and make room for them.

I pulled the s2.93 tonight, as turbo plans are on hold as i get the car sorted and enjoy it for a while.

I prepped an s3.46 clutch type I had from an e28 and will throw that in tomorrow.

Loooootttssss of work ahead, but will be doing my best to get it done, now that all of the other projects are gone.

[AWDBOB]

what a great update haha ! a lot of selling cars and what i assume are good decisions.

Hope you get that m3 soon and happy the head was a nice score !

thanks man! it feels soooooo good to liquidate. I acquired so much over covid and then didn't have the time to do any of the stuff I wanted to. Now, realizing my capacity and honing in on exactly what I want/need to do is a very good step forward.

------------

Progress

Now that the three 318s are gone I could bring hoopty in for vintage prep.

If you remember from before, hoopty has had a blown head gasket since I got the car, but I put over 5k miles on this thing and it ran better than any other m20 i've had, with a HG leak. long live the m20.

I yanked the engine/trans, as I built a 9.4:1 compression 2.7L stroker M20 for the car that I'm going to swap in before the vintage. I'll be running a 272 cam with this setup, along with ClassicDaily's new standalone, which will be announced tomorrow!!

The engine consists of:

-virgin late model m20b25 block/pistons, new Goetze rings
-block shaved down 2mm
-81mm 2.7 325e crank
-130mm 2.7 325e rods
-new rod bearings/bolts
-rebuilt oil pump, etc etc
-rebuilt 885 head w 272 cam

I'm going to go up to jakes and throw it on his dyno with stock ecu, and then convert it to standalone and dyno again. I'm just running a stock exhaust, as I spent a ton of exhaust work on Linda and I'm not convinced it made a difference to justify the cost.

This car is seriously a piece of shit. I am likely going to have a quarter put on it over winter, but will enjoy it until then.

Oh, and I bought everything to go sanden r134 from LC Wylie, so I'll be doing that while the motor is out.

Hoopty did 5k miles with a broken head bolt, and another head bolt that was finger tight!!!! Still can't believe it

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[QuiqueUy]

what a great update haha ! a lot of selling cars and what i assume are good decisions.

Hope you get that m3 soon and happy the head was a nice score !

[AWDBOB]

been busy in hoopty land!

In an effort to button up the S50 car, I installed rubber trailing arm bushings to replace the sad poly that was in there. Subframe bushings were quality and showed no wear, so they stayed.

The 3.25 diff that was in the car leaked from every orifice, and I had a nice n' tight '93K mile 3.25 on das shelf that I threw in with an AKG bushing that matched the subframe bushing hardness with some fresh 75/140. Been using 75/140 on the last few diffs, after a chat with dr. Zakspeed about how it seems to work better on 30 year old used diffs. I concur and have had better luck with it over the traditional 75/90.

She'll be up for sale in Indy soon to cap off my "year of the sell"

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr



Turbo 318iS went to a new home- a buddy had been looking for a rust free chassis for ages, and I just passed along the deal that I got on this thing to him, to move stuff along in the year of the sell.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr



Which brings me to the steamy pile of garbage he blessed me with in return.... a rusty '90 auto coupe that has been more or less fully refreshed in the drivetrain/suspension sector.

LCA, steering rack, IE springs, konis, head rebuilt by the famed Turn In Concepts in Cincinnati, long tubes with a full custom exhaust. He tore the car down for paint after doing the work and found a bunch of rust. So now it's my responsibility to make it go away. The goal is for this to leave in one piece, as it runs/drives/stops/steers super well. Would be a killer drift car with a manual, but that's an avenue for someone else to explore.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




And then a cool local guy from Indy who used to make M42 coil on plug plates waaaay back in the day wanted me to come free up the driveway spot that had been taken up by his uber rusty 318iS for a while. He sent me this shot of the Cavallino in the car and I couldn't say no.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr



Meanwhile, I had been trying to sell the slicktop 318 4dr without much/any luck for $3500, which I thought was cheap. The car needed suspension/brake work but it wasn't bad. I needed the space, so I posted a "someone please save this car before I part it" ad on R3V FB and a cool dude from FL promptly picked it up, so I didn't have to cut the roof off on live stream after all.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr





I have been saving a superETA motor for my keeper hoopty, and finally yanked it out of the car that it was in and popped the valve cover off to find everything one hopes and dreams of. New HD rockers, new cam, ARP studs, etc. It had been sitting, so I pulled the head off to inspect the bores and it was all perfect.

So in the coming weeks I will be throwing this back together with an OE dealer head gasket and hoopty will be back on the road! I'm going to leave the mess that is the current quarter panel situation for now, but hopefully next winter I'll have Tim @ClassicDaily stitch a quarter on it for me.

I bought a garagistic X brace for the car, and had F&R strut bars on the shelf I've been saving for hoopty to stiffen up all of the salvage flexing it likes to do. I also talked to my buddy who is a great fabricator, and we discussed adding a bar on the floor in front of the rear seat, tying the b pillars and floor together to help the chassis out. Once he gets time, that will get done.

Last piece of the hoopty suspension puzzle needed are camber plates to replace these GC race plates. I need some street camber plates, ordered them from IE and they said they're having issues making them so they couldn't fulfill the order. I'm not spending $500 on ground control units, so if you're reading this and have some used touring/street camber plates, hit me up.

Also, once S50 car sells, after a long long way, it's finally M3 time! That's all for now, folks.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[AWDBOB]

This looks great. Strong 90s vibes with the TSWs and BMP.

Yup, something of this aesthetic would've been the poster car of the time period!

I've also been having the repeated experience of de-building "track-prepared" cars and enjoying them more. Maybe we all weren't so smart back then..

It's weird being an adult and realizing how much of what we modified wasn't actually doing anything positive for the driving experience. I never in my life thought about the difference between a race and street camber plate until I was 30+. Turns out, makes a difference, who knew lol

[kronus]

This looks great. Strong 90s vibes with the TSWs and BMP.

I've been working on the S50 car this week to get it buttoned up. Took some of the unnecessarily aggressive suspension bits off of the car in exchange for B8s/H&R Sports (50406), put the stock sways back on, etc. The car was never a track car, and was in that weird "street/track" car spec that does both poorly. So I made it a street car again.

I've also been having the repeated experience of de-building "track-prepared" cars and enjoying them more. Maybe we all weren't so smart back then..

[AWDBOB]

Bwahahaha....I knew you'd love that suggestion and I figured it had crossed your mind...I mean why wouldn't it. Think of all the torques. Of course that would be deep rabbit hole and a time suck v. getting all the other cars out into the wild.


If this thing ends up being a fun/engaging car, the interior swap might be worthwhile. If I didn't already have one interior spread out all over the place and one of the other cars patiently waiting on a cooling system refresh...I might have taken you up on that plan.

I did the smart thing and moved the Ti onto its next home once I finished sorting the suspension. It was only bound to be a time suck, and ultimately, not a very rewarding one.

I've been working on the S50 car this week to get it buttoned up. Took some of the unnecessarily aggressive suspension bits off of the car in exchange for B8s/H&R Sports (50406), put the stock sways back on, etc. The car was never a track car, and was in that weird "street/track" car spec that does both poorly. So I made it a street car again.

I also added power steering back as well. First test drive was a success, what a difference. Car feels great, but sadly the softer suspension revealed that the poly trailing arm bushings are toast. I can't stand poly bushings...... this will be the 4th subframe I've done in a few months. Hoping this season of life is over sooner than later, lol.

So many small things that I have been buttoning up. The trunk carpeting was all mismatched and a mess, radiator petcock leaked, etc etc.

This uncommon look is growing on me somehow. The front and rear bumpers are early model specific MT2 style, made by "BMP Designs". The car is Polaris Silver, which I really enjoy. The wheels are old TSWs that somehow go with the look of the car.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[mjweimer]

Bwahahaha....I knew you'd love that suggestion and I figured it had crossed your mind...I mean why wouldn't it. Think of all the torques. Of course that would be deep rabbit hole and a time suck v. getting all the other cars out into the wild.


If this thing ends up being a fun/engaging car, the interior swap might be worthwhile. If I didn't already have one interior spread out all over the place and one of the other cars patiently waiting on a cooling system refresh...I might have taken you up on that plan.