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

[AWDBOB]

Somehow I knew that rabbit hole would be explored...ha ha.


Solid (but still rubber) FCAB's are always a great choice to improve the feel of the front end. I have been pleasantly surprised how much nicer the Z3 rack feels in my car, I think any upgrade to quicken the steering a bit is worthwhile.


Got to love the simple solutions to problems and appreciate when the present themselves....

Agreed re: solid rubber CABs! On this car I wanted to test the solid centered CABs vs the offset ones that I typically use, and I like the centered ones more. By not adding as much caster, the steering wheel returns to center faster and feels much better for a daily, specifically with the regular E36 rack. The offsets feel better on Linda, which has a Z3 rack, as it calms down the Z3 rack a bit.


And with one odd problem fixed, another is revealed......driving it in the winter has me using the heat which led to the realization that there is still a mouse nest.... inside the dash vents, and I assume, also trapped in the HVAC box. It's restricting flow so much that it is blowing the blower motor fuse after a few minutes of operation. I don't know if I have it in me to do another dash out job, but I'm headed up to MI next week and will need the heat functioning..... we'll see.


The car was feeling very crashy in the rear over bumps so I assumed the "claimed good" rear shocks I got with the racecar were shot and...... they were shot. I opted for some new Konis to match the fronts, and went with a 6" rear coilover spring since I don't want to go very low with the car. The car sits just right, and gives me a ton of room to go higher if needed for winter, rally cross, etc.

The best part of it all is not having the rear coilover springs fall out of their perch when the rear of the car is jacked up! It's the small things.

I also assembled a lot of the small manual swap items here so we can just focus on the business when I get up to Jakes. A flywheel came in a box with racecar parts, and it turns out it's an M20 flywheel that's been lightened a good bit. Going to use a Sachs Clutch/PP. My tool box has become my work bench and became a catch all. I've been saying I'm going to get organized, but it hasn't happened yet.

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




Gained way more than 1" going from from 5" springs and blown shocks to 6" springs and good shocks.

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Down to a suitable ride height.


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[mjweimer]

Those new springs did the trick, perfection!

Did you check behind the firewall panel for the nest or is this down in the heater box area? Easy enough to pull the core since you'll be pulling most of the panels anyway fitting the pedals, master, etc....it's easy to vacuum and wipe out the whole area.


Can't wait to get the full report from the visit up to Jake's...

[AWDBOB]

Those new springs did the trick, perfection!

Did you check behind the firewall panel for the nest or is this down in the heater box area? Easy enough to pull the core since you'll be pulling most of the panels anyway fitting the pedals, master, etc....it's easy to vacuum and wipe out the whole area.


Can't wait to get the full report from the visit up to Jake's...

Yes!! They settled too after driving for a bit, and they worked out perfectly. The car feels like a million bucks now. The subframe bushing NHV was lessened to an acceptable level with proper shocks out back.

Re: heater core- I had the same thought! I pulled the HVAC cover again to reorient the cover over the blower motor itself and sprayed a ton of air in there with fan on full blast and a vacuum and I think got most of it out. I have a newer heater core I'm going to put in when I swap the heater valve to hopefully get the rest of the nest!

I installed a MarkD chip and the car idles very low. Makes me wonder if, even though the ECUs were the same between Auto/manual cars if MarkD would tune differently for manual cars, causing it to idle low with the resistance of the torque converter.

Got hoopty #4 back on all fours! Did H&R OE Sports, KYBs, brakes all around, and a few other small odds/ends like ebrake cables/hardware, brake hoses, etc. Nice to have the suspension sorted! I know I keep saying it, but this car is really nice. When's the last time you pulled an ebrake cable right out of the housing without a fuss?

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[AWDBOB]

The hoopty and I went up to the ClassicDaily HQ this week for manual swap and hangs! We had two solid days of wrenching, and intended to manual swap hoopty and swap an m20 on a vert he is trading some labor on for an e28.

I had planned to do a valve cover gasket and heater valve before I went up there, but the trip got pushed forward a day, so instead I trekked a very leaky, untested car 5hrs north.

I left out of the parts warehouse early Wednesday to grab a few last minute items.

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The trip up was a success, but not without casualty. The heater valve really gave out (rivet fully failed) about half way up. No overheating, Hoopty is a sweetheart! The guibo was also living on a prayer but handled 5hrs of 85-90mph with mercy and gentleness.

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




Within a few hours, the auto trans was out, and the subframe assembly/engine was dropped out the bottom of the vert!

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Tim prepping the new M20 for the vert required some assistance.

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After a fight with the pilot bearing, the manual trans was in! I bought a car last year that came with a manual swap full of nice bits. I used a late model, 140k g260 I got from a customer who sold his e30, e36m shifter, all new delrin bushings, DSSR, new shift selector, 13lb lightened m20 flywheel, stock sachs PP/clutch, FTE clutch master/slave, and the $75 S3.73 from FB marketplace which ended up being great. While we were putting the trans in, Tim was up on the rolly-steps replacing the exhaust manifolds with ones that had good studs, as these snapped every stud upon removal. Tim was also kind enough to press on the new CSB on to the manual driveshaft.


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I dropped the car down to do some engine bay stuff like valve cover gasket that puked on the trip up, and also swap the heater valve/heater core. Not a terrible job, but there are a few specific bolts that are a pain. The new valve had a leaking Oring, so I had to pull the entire assembly back apart to throw the orings in from the old valve and hope they didn't leak. I transitioned to the passenger seat and employed bimmerbuddah to massage a few of the pesky bolts into place the last time around. Around this time, Simple_Smith stopped by to snag some trunk tension rods and hang.

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Time was running out, so we threw the exhaust back up/bled the clutch hydro and forgot the heat shields, fixed that, and then dropped it back down. The car moved backwards and forwards, success!

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



I had to leave in the AM, and the test rip around the compound was a success so I loaded up and headed out. Realized a mile down the road that I forgot to bleed the cooling system after the second heater valve removal, so I did that on the side of the road after she got a little warm and all was well. Car is much happier with the manual, and the mission was a success! I have some vibration on decel that I'll investigate once I get time, but until then, she's a manual ripper. We didn't have time to finish getting the m20 swapped in the vert, but deemed getting hoopty done to be of higher importance, due to the fact that I had to drive it home on a timeline. Jake is making killer progress on installing his new Dynojet, so the next plan is to go up to do a video on a stock car being converted to megasquirt, using hoopty as the victim. Felt great to get out and drive an e30 with some risk involved. Driving untested 30y/o cars on extended trips keeps you honest, lol


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

[twright]

You don't take as long to do a 5speed swap as I do. It's probably because you didn't put the shift knob on it.

[AWDBOB]

You don't take as long to do a 5speed swap as I do. It's probably because you didn't put the shift knob on it.

I know!! I forgot a rubber boot as well for the shifter hole, a tshirt is currently solving that issue until I buy one. A knob from one of mjweimer’s many donations to the hoopty is currently at home on the car.

The car is in absolute peak shape right now. Once it’s on Megasquirt, it’s going to be a killer!!

I am essentially building a hoopty version of Linda at this point.

[moatilliatta]

Heck of a hull for a swap. I like the on edge approach. Glad to see you made it there and back with now more gears manually operated.

[AWDBOB]

Heck of a hull for a swap. I like the on edge approach. Glad to see you made it there and back with now more gears manually operated.

The trip was for the hangs, the excuse to make it happen was the manual swap!

[2mAn]

So Hooptie is also the Guinea pig for Megasquirt?... then FINALLY Linda will get that final step?? I guess I will get pics in 2023, maybe?

[AWDBOB]

So Hooptie is also the Guinea pig for Megasquirt?... then FINALLY Linda will get that final step?? I guess I will get pics in 2023, maybe?

Linda is already on megasquirt! Jake came down sometime last (?) year and we converted it. But, it's tuned MAP/IAT only due to a bad M50 TPS, so once I get an intake pipe fabbed with an IAT (currently using IAT in AFM) and a new TPS we can fully dial the car in and dyno it once he gets his new Dynojet setup. Tim is going to do the small bit of rust cleanup on Linda, too, while it's up there.

Re: hooptie, I got a good deal on a MS setup for it, and we discussed doing a video on converting from stock ECU to megasquirt and dynoing before/after, afm vs intake pipe, etc etc, but my hope is to finish off Linda before I tackle this. So hopefully sooner than 2023 lolol

Winter stopped work on Linda as I don't drive it in the salt. I also just got done doing an engine in my '07 FXT, am doing an engine on my GF's Outback, did an engine in the 318 on top of the chassis harness, trying to manage the warehouse, etc etc all while still working full time.

Point being: I've learned it's not as much of a "when this, then this" type of deal as I would've hoped, because I am essentially turning the dial one click at a time on 10 different projects simultaneously. But, I'm shocked I've made as much progress as I have on all of this stuff through winter! If I stopped buying stuff I'd have a better grasp on the whole ordeal, but with opportunities being thrown my way I am doing my best at taking them in while also keeping everything else moving.

-Linda - rust repair, final tune, touch ups, get Simon hot pics for COTM
-318 - finish engine harness/engine install, install interior, drive for a bit to work out kinks and take in m42 glory, sell
-07 FXT - drive for a bit to work out kinks, finish small stuff and sell
-Sell GF's fiesta once Outback is done (engine build and heater core)
-White '90 iS - finish reassembling, install new suspension, drive/enjoy
-M3 - ship out to me, finish off interior restoration, rebuild motor, rebuild suspension, big project
-Hoopty iS - enjoy along the way as a reliable hoopty while fixing what breaks, parts tester
-89 325i part out
-84 633csi part out

It's a lot lol.

[moatilliatta]

The trip was for the hangs, the excuse to make it happen was the manual swap!

Sounds like a good reason for me!

Looking forward to see Linda Live this year! :)

As I will always state: One project car is too much!

[AWDBOB]

Sounds like a good reason for me!

Looking forward to see Linda Live this year! :)

As I will always state: One project car is too much!

Yes, it's funny. Each time I open a new can of worms, I recall our convo in the ole Zionsville building and have it playing in my mind: "one project car is too much".

I will be at vintage this year, finally! But it'll likely be in Hoopty unless something magical happens.

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

Another hoopty obtained! This one is just a partsie- too rusty to save. It is funny because this car sat in the small town in which I live for years. I always wanted to stop in but it was a no trespassing fenced in property with "survivors will be shot again" vibes. The owner posted it for sale and had hundreds of inquiries last year, I went to see it but it was too far gone for what he was asking for it.

Fast forward a year, and I got it for a smokin' deal from the guy who bought it that day, got it running, bought a 997 and lost interest in the E30. It's a cool car, super early '84 318 so it has manual windows, a nice black vinyl sport interior from a 318iS, and a few other goodies.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[AWDBOB]

I disassembled Hoopty #4 a loooong time ago for the chassis harness job and haven't felt like buttoning up the interior, until now. She's lookin' good with the black vinyl with houndstooth cards. Going to put a continental radio in the car to finish it off. If anyone has an a/c switch they want to sell me, shoot me a message.

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Gave the trunk a quick tidy up before tossing the panels in.

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Engine harness is coming along! Put a new accelerator cable in among a million other small things. Waiting on an intake boot and TPS from Jake and the car should run!

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Post notes: I'm glad I gave this car the time of day. It's really, really solid. The way the doors shut just feel good. I fear potential buyers won't notice what a good E30 feels like in a sea of shitboxes.

Hopefully next post is a start up and exhaust fab!

[Elysian]

I disassembled Hoopty #4 a loooong time ago for the chassis harness job and haven't felt like buttoning up the interior, until now. She's lookin' good with the black vinyl with houndstooth cards. Going to put a continental radio in the car to finish it off. If anyone has an a/c switch they want to sell me, shoot me a message.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




Gave the trunk a quick tidy up before tossing the panels in.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr





Engine harness is coming along! Put a new accelerator cable in among a million other small things. Waiting on an intake boot and TPS from Jake and the car should run!

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr




Post notes: I'm glad I gave this car the time of day. It's really, really solid. The way the doors shut just feel good. I fear potential buyers won't notice what a good E30 feels like in a sea of shitboxes.

Hopefully next post is a start up and exhaust fab!

I'm pretty sure my 88 has the A/C switch, I'm not going to be using it.

[AWDBOB]

Hoopte 318 runs!! Jake came down last weekend to pick up an e21 parts car he was stashing at the warehouse and we tried to get the M42 running to no avail. Pinned out coil packs to ECU, manually pulsed injectors, etc etc.

He had to head back to MI and it sat for a week. Yesterday I had the thought to swap the oil/coolant sensor plugs on the side of the head and she fired right up! Super stoked, because this means I can start to button up other areas of the car, get exhaust built, etc etc.

It has been daunting getting this car with a cut chassis harness and blown motor, to now hearing it run!

The cluster I put in the car apparently was on its way out, because I now have a maxed out coolant gauge with ignition on.

The new Febi water pump I installed on Hoopty #5 (325iS) failed so I have to fix that. I also dropped a 2.7L crank/rods with a nice late model i block off at the machine shop. With how slow Kevin works I suspect Linda and 318 will be sold by the time he's done. Going to put a 9.4:1 2.7L stroker in hoopty on the cheap since I had the parts, whenever the other projects slow down.

Also, hoopty #5 is still pretty biohazard, so I'm going to pull the dash and rip the interior apart and do an extensive clean, so if anyone has any leads on a nice but still damaged in some way dash, I'm in the market.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr