Long Time Dream Fulfillment: E30 Street and Track Car Combo

[CubbyChowder]

Thanks guys, your comments helped me figure it out. I've had these clusters apart and swapped parts like 4 separate times now haha but I think I got it figured out now and have my final cluster assembled, ready to go back into the car and hope that it all works. Time will tell.

Today was slow moving and not very glamorous but I got a few more minor tasks done, got the new relocated fuel filter mounted and everything plumbed in with new 7.5mm fuel line and clamps. Took a bit of bending and readjusting of the early model hard lines to make it work properly but got there in the end:



Then I moved to the engine bay and moved some wiring around and built a new mount for the late model coolant reservoir (taking inspiration from the mount from the parts vert) and took some measurements, cut, bent a piece of flat strap steel up and then welded it into place. Then figured out a mounting solution for the plastic snap-in fitting on the other end. Low and behold, just like factory, but in my own style:



Reservoir fit up perfectly except it's hideous, so that will need to be addressed soon:



That's it for today. I'm kind of at a stand still waiting for parts to roll in before I can really make big steps here but still feels good to knock out some of the little bits, it all adds up.

Thanks for reading along, more to come soon.

[808ETA]

Thanks!

Both clusters are Motometer. I've researched this subject for a bit but got kind of annoyed as all the info varies, some say just to swap the 7k tach, others say it won't be accurate because of the coding plugs, others say early/late model cluster components aren't interchangeable at all, others say they are, etc. Every time I think I've found my answer, I read something that contradicts it.

So can I really just take the 7k tach from the late model Motometer cluster and install it in my early model motometer cluster and have it read accurately? Or do I need to mess with coding plugs? I really want to keep my original early cluster because it's the only one that doesn't have broken tabs or cracked plastic, plus I found out it has a new SI battery board.

I'm not an expert on the subject. I found the info somewhere a while back and bought a VDO tach to match my VDO cluster. I 'm still waiting for my head so all of the parts are collecting dust and I never tried it out.

On a side note Forever Black will make your orange window trim look new again!

[AWDBOB]

IMO best way to do it is to take your early fuel/speedo gauges and swap them into the late cluster.

The only early model (rear coding plug) that came with a 7k tach was a 4cylinder car, so tach won’t be right if you use the early cluster w 7k tach in a 6cyl car.

With your skill set, you’re more than capable of throwing SI batteries into the late board, and as long as someone hasn’t “long screwed” it or batteries haven’t leaked it’ll likely be fine.

[CubbyChowder]

Awesome thread! Your powder coated parts got me all tingly. I bought a 7K tach on eBay for my 84 ETA which will get a 731 head and Motronic 1.3 upgrade hopefully soon. I believe to just have to make sure you get a VDO since it looks like that's which cluster you have. Which tach does your parts car have?

Thanks!

Both clusters are Motometer. I've researched this subject for a bit but got kind of annoyed as all the info varies, some say just to swap the 7k tach, others say it won't be accurate because of the coding plugs, others say early/late model cluster components aren't interchangeable at all, others say they are, etc. Every time I think I've found my answer, I read something that contradicts it.

So can I really just take the 7k tach from the late model Motometer cluster and install it in my early model motometer cluster and have it read accurately? Or do I need to mess with coding plugs? I really want to keep my original early cluster because it's the only one that doesn't have broken tabs or cracked plastic, plus I found out it has a new SI battery board.

[808ETA]

More progress was made this past week. Parts rolled in and I was able to assemble the engine further. Got the cam seal and o-ring replaced so on went the timing belt, timing covers, pulleys, etc. Once all that was on, I checked the valve clearance and only had to make very minor adjustments to a few. Then cap/rotor and spark plugs and wires went on followed by the intake with rebuilt M50 injectors and t-stat housing with all new sensors and what not. So that's exciting seeing that come together:

...

Is this a worthwhile upgrade? Or should I just buy some new modern speaker equivalents and sell these off? The wiring bunch in the driver's side speaker zone definitely does not want to accept the new premium speaker.

Anyways, that's it for now. My shop is currently BMW mayhem and there are car parts scattered everywhere and so many labeled ziploc bags all over the place and tools in every corner it feels like madness but it's also all part of the master plan so it feels calculated and under control. Until next time, will post again soon. Stay tuned.

Awesome thread! Your powder coated parts got me all tingly. I bought a 7K tach on eBay for my 84 ETA which will get a 731 head and Motronic 1.3 upgrade hopefully soon. I believe to just have to make sure you get a VDO since it looks like that's which cluster you have. Which tach does your parts car have?

[CubbyChowder]

Knocking out a bunch of little odds and ends. Yesterday I started off by installing a new rubber buffer for the transmission:



Then got that installed along with the inspection plate (bowl reinforcement?) piece. Whatever these things are called:



Then got a new CSB pressed onto the driveshaft:



I was pleasantly surprised to find that the convertible parts car had a new looking brake booster and master cylinder, so I got those cleaned up and ready to go into the car:



Take note of the elbow fitting in the booster. I wanted to see if I could further simplify the vacuum boost setup (already modified the TB which you'll see in a minute) so I found an elbow fitting with a built in check valve from an E46 and took a chance on it and it ended up working perfectly! Maybe this has already been figured out but it was news to me. Part number 34331161300 for anyone interested. Here it is compared to the stock elbow fitting:



So now I can just run a single hose from the booster to the TB without an inline check valve (or that unsightly 3-way check valve setup found on late model cars). Just clean and simple. Here's the modified throttle body side after I tapped both ports, plugged one and installed a barb on the other:



Since I originally prepped this M20 for my 2002 project, I took the time to delete the cruise control tabs on the throttle body and cable bracket (this was like 2 years ago now) because minimalism. With it in the E30 now, I decided to just delete the cruise control altogether so I pulled all that out. Cleans up the engine bay a bit too. Last night as I was laying in bed it dawned on me that I had a brand new accelerator cable stashed away so I woke up all excited and installed that first thing haha. Really liking how this whole zone is coming together:



Then I started getting the M20B25 engine harness installed and got it mostly routed and connected everywhere as well as the coolant hoses under the intake into the heater core (forgot to take pics). Reached a good stopping point there and then started assessing my fuel tank situation. Late model on top from parts vert, early model out of my car on bottom after some pressure washing:



This is one area where I really could've just let it be and not create an extra project for myself but at some point I got it in my head that I wanted the full late model fuel system because bigger capacity, single pump and I prefer the fuel filter location as opposed to being next to the charcoal canister. I figured out the wiring situation with the dual level sender setup and also extended the wiring to power the pump. The tank took a little bit of modification and finagling to fit but I finally got it in there after a few attempts. Forgot to take pics of this as well but I'm glad that's checked off the list! Still need to swap the fuel gauge in my cluster in the coming days. Will also be nice to know that every rubber fuel line in the car is brand new.

In other exciting news, I registered for two track days at Buttonwillow the other night! One on June 27th and the other on July 25th so I have a little over two months to get this thing ready. I cannot wait to finally drive on the track, I've been dreaming about it for years!

Thanks for reading along

[CubbyChowder]

Albie325 Thanks dude! Glad you're enjoying the thread.

Had a really fun day out at the Autocross event yesterday. It's a Corvette club that throws the event but there is a huge variety of cars and people and everyone is cool and easy going. 60 cars total and a fun course this time. My buddy Jimmy was there in his S50 swapped coupe and we were in the same run group so we were able to sit passenger in each other's cars during the runs which made it more exciting and gives you double the time out on track essentially. We switched cars for one run which was awesome too. Autocross is great and I will absolutely continue to do it but it's definitely hard to realize that you get like 8 minutes of seat time in a long 9 hour day of being out there. Makes me look forward to my first track day even more. This is the only photo I took all day:



That Tesla was basically the fastest car out there yesterday (his best time was 63.4 seconds whereas mine was 71.6!). I got to sit passenger for one of his runs and I was giggling the entire time. It was wild.

Didn't get too much done on the E30 today but I managed to install the shifter setup as well as a new rubber boot:

[Albie325]

Looking good brother! Tons of great progress. Here's to hoping the motivation stays strong, love seeing the updates.

[CubbyChowder]

Back with another update, I'm on a roll right now, momentum is strong and motivation is high. Wish it was always like this.

While my dad was on his way down to my shop this morning I got all my flywheel and clutch parts in order, made sure I wasn't missing anything that would throw the day off:



Pilot bearing in, flywheel torqued:



Clutch kit installed:



Bolted up the trans, added new clutch slave cylinder and right after taking this pic installed the starter. Ready to install in the car!:



Dad and I were in the groove and I was all juiced on getting the engine in the car and then the sad reality of my firewall insulation was relentlessly glaring at me and I decided I just couldn't let myself install this beautiful engine with the insulation being completely obliterated. It was an annoying setback but this was the time to do it. So we ripped that shit out:



Then got the nice, solid piece pulled out of the parts car:



Both brake booster/MC setups had to come out and I pulled the clutch MC as well to perform this swap. Definitely worth it in the end.

A quick hydration break before the final install. Love this dude, such a character:



Engine is in!




There is still SO much to do before this thing is running and driving but today was a huge milestone. Thanks for looking

[CubbyChowder]

Thanks benwalsh91!

Got the axles finished up today:



Really happy with how they turned out. Wow, what a messy process though, glad that's behind me! Pretty satisfying before and after. I love rebuilding/restoring things:



Decided to give the eBay door seals from Turkey a try, only $89 for the pair right now. They showed up super quick. Both of my door seals are totally trashed and shrunken and I was astonished when I saw the genuine BMW price on these seals, makes me feel a bit better about spending ~$500 for new door seals for my 2002 last year though...



From what I've seen, people have good results with these eBay seals with the only gripe seeming to be the appearance of the corner piece. I agree, it's not the prettiest thing but I can absolutely live with it:



Besides that, I'm learning that people are having decent results from a generic seal on Amazon which comes out to ~$60 for a pair if you're really ballin on a budget, you just have to create the mitered corner yourself so it's a bit more effort to fit. I thought about going that route but I'm happy I just went with the eBay seals, I got plenty of other stuff keeping me busy on this build.

Might have the engine and trans in the car tomorrow! My dad is coming down in the morning and we will work on the car all day and see how far we get.

Then on Saturday I am taking my buddy's E30 sedan to a local autocross event. Normally we go together and run in opposite groups but he can't make it this weekend so I'll be out there solo in his shitbox. I've done a lot of suspension/drivetrain/maintenance work on this car in exchange for the occasional session of relentlessly beating on the car. I think he got the better end of the deal but he's a good friend and that car is what inspired this new E30 build for me so it worked out in the end:

[benwalsh91]

this is starting to become one of my favourite threads, do love an early model and the detailed work is great. keep up the good work, I'm excited to see this one progress.

[CubbyChowder]

moatilliatta I'm just now seeing your comment and already performed all the work earlier today. Thank you for your insight, I really appreciate it. Is it possible Permatex changed things up? I went to buy the grey "right stuff" but found that it was labeled more for thermostat housing gaskets (but still higher torque) and the black stuff was specifically labeled for oil pans and even had a picture of one on the label, so I held off on buying the grey and just used up the rest of the black that I already bought.

Took a solid hour to carefully clean all the residue off all the mating surfaces. Went on the inside of the bolt holes this time with a smaller bead, had a lot less push out. Went and got all new bolts/washers too for an added refreshing experience:



I started taking my axles apart to replace the boots. They weren't torn just yet but had cracks all over the place so it was just a matter of time. Will finish that job tomorrow:



Then I remembered I needed to swap output flanges on my transmissions. I have 3 Getrag G260's at this point but only one is the shallow housing style yet it has a big flange. That's the one I need to run because I already have a brand new clutch kit with the shorter throwout bearing, but the only manual driveshaft I have is a small flange shaft. Luckily one of the transmissions had a small flange so I was able to swap it over. Shallow housing G260 on the left, deep housing G260 on the right:



Flange size differences:



All bolted up and ready to install:



I tested out my shifter setup on it and it feels great. It's a Z3 shifter with IE DSSR and delrin bushings for the carrier. Forgot to take pics of that but you'll see that later in this thread. My last E30 had the IE short shifter kit and I recently installed the Garagistic supreme shifter kit in my buddy's E30 which I drive a lot and I gotta say I personally wasn't a fan of either of those setups. Too notchy and felt like it required too much effort to get into gear. This Z3 setup feels tight but effortless, I'm excited to drive it and compare with my friend's car.

My last task for this evening was to JB weld the rear carrier bushing into the housing. It's a snug fit but loose enough to push out pretty easily by hand, so I just JB weld these suckers in usually:

[moatilliatta]

Grey is for higher torque / compression areas. Oil pans / diff covers.

Black is more for valve covers, less compression with thick rubber gasket.

But really an Victor Reins oil pan gasket would work best. No left over in the oil pan / pick ups, less clean up when servicing. Ect.

Sanded raised areas on the intake and valve cover look good though! :)

[CubbyChowder]

Well fuck. Thank you guys for bringing this to my attention, totally makes sense to go inside the bolt holes. Looks like I have today's work cut out for me haha. What is better about the grey stuff over the black? Just curious.

The baffle hardware came with lock nuts, so I think I'm good to go there. I don't have a TIG welder anymore unfortunately.

Thanks for saving my ass guys! Time to go rip this thing apart again.

[tyeler18]

If you want to use gasket sealer, I would go with they Grey right stuff on the oil pan AND make sure you go on the inside of the bolt holes or you'll have oil coming through the hardware.

Came to say this exactly. Looks like you went the wrong way around the bolt holes.

Look forward to more progress though. I like reading these with quick big updates coming in frequently!