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Long Time Dream Fulfillment: E30 Street and Track Car Combo

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    You can do it with valve seals with the head still on the car.

    I was up above it, Now I'm down in it ~ Entropy - A Build thread.
    @Zakspeed_US

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      Nice find with the S50! They are impossible to find in my neck of the woods.

      Take your time building it up right. When the engine in your car pops, swap it in!

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        I recently got the itch to convert back to tan interior as that's how my E30 originally came. It always bothered me that I had black seats and door cards but tan carpet, kick panels and parcel shelf. Plus, black on tan is just a sweet combo to me. I threw some trade feelers out there on some FB groups and they came through! Found a guy a few hours south of me who was willing to trade his decent condition tan leather interior for my black. We met in the middle today and I'm stoked, they should clean up pretty nicely.

        Out with the old:



        In with the new:



        The front seats were pretty filthy so I tried cleaning a small section of the driver's seat. Wow. Guy must've been a mechanic or something:



        Before and after:





        Excited to deep clean the rest of it and condition everything, I think it'll turn out pretty nice! Front seats will likely get recovered one day.
        Last edited by CubbyChowder; 07-30-2022, 10:47 PM.


        --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
        --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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          Had my first track day since the M50 swap yesterday out at Buttonwillow. Felt good to be back out there, it's been over 9 months since I drove on track. Was a blistering hot day with 100+ degree temps which was a slight bummer but was still fun nonetheless. Just a very slight noticeable gain in power over the M20 on track. What was more noticeable was the fact that I haven't driven like that in a while, took me a bit to get back in the swing of things and feel comfortable pushing the car. Hope to get back out there again soon with cooler temps.

          The car handled it like a champ, engine ran strong all day and sustained the abuse, even after a pretty hectic 85mph spinout off track after Bus Stop. I did still manage to shave half a second off my previous best time with a 2:08.85 so that felt like a small victory. Here's a video of that lap: https://youtu.be/aJoqso8W-2A

          Last edited by CubbyChowder; 11-27-2022, 01:07 AM.


          --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
          --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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            Congats on getting back out there. Too hot for me. With one track day with the m50 you may need more seat time to answer this question. Does your e30 corner differently with the M50 verus the M20? MY M50/S52 head had crankshaft and rod bearing wear so I opted to have an M42 installed for the sake of optimum handling. Ya, I know its 90 HP less for now and I haven't driven it yet to give a report but I felt the nose of the e30 was lazy with the m50/S52 engines. Most people including myself like the power of those engines. I really enjoy your updates and hope to see you out there in the winter. once I shake down My M42 and get an accucmp installed I will be looking for a streets of willow track day.

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              Originally posted by OSAH racing View Post
              Congats on getting back out there. Too hot for me. With one track day with the m50 you may need more seat time to answer this question. Does your e30 corner differently with the M50 verus the M20? MY M50/S52 head had crankshaft and rod bearing wear so I opted to have an M42 installed for the sake of optimum handling. Ya, I know its 90 HP less for now and I haven't driven it yet to give a report but I felt the nose of the e30 was lazy with the m50/S52 engines. Most people including myself like the power of those engines. I really enjoy your updates and hope to see you out there in the winter. once I shake down My M42 and get an accucmp installed I will be looking for a streets of willow track day.
              Thanks man! I absolutely need more track time to truly feel the difference with the M50. I can't say I felt much of a difference in cornering with the M50 over the M20, but then again the car didn't really feel optimal due to the excessive heat anyways. I think I am starting to grasp that the car is understeering though, I've always had to try to keep the car from floating out during fast corners and sweepers. I am going to try running a bit of toe-out in the front next time and also want to look into stiffening up my spring rates, as I'm currently running 440f/650r. I think going up to the 535f/700r that the SpecE30 guys run could be a nice improvement.

              I've never touched the damping adjustment on the Koni's either, so I'd like to try out some different settings there too. If anyone has any pointers on what to aim for or look out for when adjusting those I'd appreciate some insight. Also, do you guys think I'm better off disconnecting my 19mm rear sway bar or not?


              --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
              --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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                I am no expert with the e30.I am just getting started with mine. I have done track day suspension with my Porsche 914-6 and that thing flatten out corners at speed. I am always going to try and reproduce that sensation. From the info i have collected so far no rear bar is what most do. A good track day alignment with at least 3 degrees of negative camber up front is necessary and every time I talk to a professional driver or track car builder they say your suspension should move a little. Us amateur drivers are set up to stiff in spring rates and delrin bushings. Top notch shocks are the key if you ask me. I got no clue on spring rates because there are so many brands for the e30 and rates come down to who and how they are made. Your driving style will eventually determine your suspension set up. we all drive a little different.

                My car hasn't been out with me driving on the track. I am going to be driving on the street also so i have a street compromised set up. I will start to refine what I have soon. Currently, AST 2 way adjustable shocks on coil over sleeves up front and and ajustable spring collar in the rear. 5" from the pinch weld to the ground. Springs are Eibach 450 front 550 rear. UUC adjustable front sway bar, M3 CAB, delrin bushings ( they are the first item to be removed for a good poly bushing ) rear subframe riser, adjustable rear sub frame, no rear bar, I have alignment specs somewhere and can get those later if you like.

                I love new 200 TW tires but they really compensate for driving error because of the higher level of grip. I am aiming for aPCA AX at fontana raceway in October and November. Track days after that.

                Vince

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                  My updates are probably getting pretty boring and redundant at this point.

                  Got my 8th track day in the E30 under my belt today. Beautiful day for driving out at Buttonwillow. Temps were low 70's all day, cool crowd of people/cars, good organization = fun times. Managed to squeeze out a new PB of 2:07.41 during my second session. Third session basically ended before it began because a guy totaled his S2000 early on (poor dude, he was ok at least). Another guy I know also totaled his S2000 in the exact same spot last month, pretty wild. I took that turn with caution for the rest of the day.

                  Overall, another success for the E30. This whole "daily driver that can also do track days" thing actually works. I gave it a loving pat on the dashboard as I wrapped up the last session. Owning this car has been nothing short of delightful. It still looks like a total shitbox though.



                  --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                  --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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                    A reliable track daily e30. You have what most people on here want.

                    Do you notice any difference with the brakes holding up on track with the new engine?

                    Instagram: Reichart12

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                      Reichart12 - Haven't noticed any decline in brake performance. If anything there was an improvement since I upgraded to an E90 brake booster during the M50 swap. The brakes bite hard and haven't faded on me once, I have yet to feel like I need more stopping power. I would highly recommend the PFC-08 pads up front, I have been very happy with them and even after 8 hard track days on them, they barely appear to have worn down at all. It's actually kind of crazy.

                      In other news, I thought it'd be fun to put together a bit of a progression video comparing a few of my "fastest laps of the day" throughout this journey. From my first track day ever coming in at 2:19 to my most recent in the 2:07's and a couple in between. Wanted to see them side by side and see where I'm finding pace. Looks to me that the sweeper "Riverside" is where I made the most headway this last time out. Anyways, this is mostly just for me but I figured I'd share it in case it might interest anyone else.

                      Youtube link here: https://youtu.be/LguTP9UOXsw

                      Last edited by CubbyChowder; 11-27-2022, 11:52 PM.


                      --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                      --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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                        the last lap is a good one and you've made a ton of progress! Front half of the track is good. You're leaving a bit of time on the table around the exit of Phil Hill and the turn before the esses. Generally, use more of the curb and start turns wider for a later apex.

                        PFC08s are a great choice for this, we typically go through 75% of the pad in about 14 hours.
                        cars beep boop

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                          Originally posted by kronus View Post
                          the last lap is a good one and you've made a ton of progress! Front half of the track is good. You're leaving a bit of time on the table around the exit of Phil Hill and the turn before the esses. Generally, use more of the curb and start turns wider for a later apex.

                          PFC08s are a great choice for this, we typically go through 75% of the pad in about 14 hours.
                          Thank you for the input! The sweeper before the esses is always a bit tricky for me, I know there is a better approach and I just haven't quite found it yet. After watching more, I think I need to run wide a little earlier in the sweeper so that I can turn into the esses sooner (would you agree?). It's just a very fine line between holding the turn and breaking loose and flying into the dirt.


                          --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                          --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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                            Your goal is to get pointed the right way so that you can go WOT sooner. To do that, start wider (not at the outside of the braking zone, but maybe midway) and aim to tighten your line to hit the inner berm around 2/3 of the way through. From there, roll on the power. If done right, you should start to widen your line and let the post-apex section of the first s’s berm catch you without adjusting your angle at all.
                            cars beep boop

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                              Originally posted by kronus View Post
                              Your goal is to get pointed the right way so that you can go WOT sooner. To do that, start wider (not at the outside of the braking zone, but maybe midway) and aim to tighten your line to hit the inner berm around 2/3 of the way through. From there, roll on the power. If done right, you should start to widen your line and let the post-apex section of the first s’s berm catch you without adjusting your angle at all.
                              Thank you, that makes perfect sense. Appreciate the wisdom!


                              --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                              --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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                                I wasn't expecting to get another track day in before year's end, but I had a few friends going out this past Friday, December 9th and it didn't take much convincing to get me on board. Only $150 and over 3 hours of seat time, it was awesome.

                                Our crew consisted of my friend Jimmy in his S50 swapped E30 (not pictured), Max in his AE86 and Dom in his E39 540i 6-speed. I barely took any pics this day, got to ride in the AE86 for a session and that thing is rowdy. Such a cool car:



                                I went off at Phil Hill and was 100% certain that I destroyed my oil pan on impact. Turned the car off immediately and waited for the safety car to come out and inspect for me, expecting bad news. Miraculously everything was fine, I just snowplowed my oil pan through mud, this is how much came off of it:



                                But the car came out unscathed! Had to make a minor toe adjustment and kept driving hard the rest of the day and had a blast. I was on track to break into 2:06's but I fucked up the last turn. Ran several 2:07's though so it was nice to see some consistency. Sunset after another successful day of driving my heart out = happy:

                                Last edited by CubbyChowder; 12-12-2022, 11:13 PM.


                                --Roundie Revival 2.0 - 1973 BMW 2002 Build Thread--
                                --Golden Boy E30 Build Thread-- (sold)

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