Any E30 rallyists here?

[SlapDash]

We're loading up and heading out to New England Forest Rally on Wednesday, recce Thursday, rally Friday and Saturday.

RWD rocks!

Come look us up and say hi. Car #22 white Nissan 240SX.

Keep the shiny side up. Good luck!!!

[SlapDash]

i'll be there volunteering as stage crew :D

Don't forget to hit the apres-rallye. I hear there's a soiree looming at the ski dorms.

[psyber_0ptix]

Indeed! Hope to catch up with one of my buddies from home (Virginia) who's competing this year in a Saab.

But want to be back on sunday for Quonset, then monday to wrench on your car!

[psyber_0ptix]

So many pictures...will upload on the next two weeks....but if you have time and want to pick through them on my FB:

New England Forest Rally 2010 (part 1)

New England Forest Rally 2010 (part 2)

New England Forest Rally 2010 (part 3)

Some Creme de la Creme shots






...and more


For Ferdinand:








Bill Caswell:

[dnova89]

^awesome pictures... wow rally racing looks so fun..... I definitley have to try it out one day when I'm more experienced... I wonder how does one start, I'll have to look into it

btw is bill caswell on r3v? lol

[psyber_0ptix]

Don't know if Bill is on here, but his story is well known (the $500 dollar craigslist 318i that placed third in WRC Mexico)

Someday i'll be following his and SlapDash's footsteps in a rally venture. For now I will live vicariously through Kris (SlapDash) and help him at any point possible before my year abroad this September... even if it's throwing wrenches to him while he's under the car, or bending bolts that aren't supposed to bend.

[fryerfighter94]

What suspension are you going to use? Stock? Does anyone make gravel coilovers?

[psyber_0ptix]

There was some GroupN coilovers for sale recently i think here or on e30tech.

suspension is out there, but expensive. Stocks are practically free for now. Hand-me-downs help lol.

[Ferdinand]

For Ferdinand:

Thanks!

I've posted up our stories and in-car videos for the first day, Friday.

Still lots more to come on the second day, Saturday, including Fish Pond where your photos were taken.

[Jonny Cash]

Im subscribing- Slapdash, please keep us posted.

I just realized now that BC's car was 4 door. Did you see it, what happened?

[SlapDash]

The Slapdash BMW, with the exhaustive help of psyber_Optix and his girlfriend, has made extensive progress over the last week.

Starting last Thursday, the entire wiring harness went back in. Surprisingly enough, that giant jellyfish goes right back into that little hole in the firewall. In hindsight, I would have cut the stereo, power windows, ABS, etc., BEFORE I re-installed the harness, but I was unsure of what was staying and going. My impatience got the best of me.

Anyway, the dash went back in with a little coercion and choice words. The cluster, because of the new dash bar requirement of Rally America, doesn't quite fit in its stock location, but with a little persuasion and the creative use of some screws and slight mods, it looks stock.

HVAC is all back together and I was able to retain the stock ducting to the windshield. If I go nuts, I do have room to duct the side vents as well.

psyber_Optix arrived on the scene just in time to see me screaming obscenities at the fuel pump area when I discovered the wires had been cut in several odd locations (the entire harness had some random, unlabled cuts). With surgical precision however, psyber modified and reattached the wires in that area.

Then, in a garage that contained all the heat and humidity in the world, psyber set about changing the control arms to Lemforders. Whilst under the belly of the beast, he discovered that the rack was leaking. Luckily, I had a spare, which he also replaced (we're attempting tie rod ends this week).

Headlights are back in, tails, trim, glass, windshield wipers, etc.

All that's left for a re-fire attempt is hooking up the computer, engine bay wire attachments, and battery block attachment. On this latter point, if anyone has any photos of the junction block, please post or forward. The Bentley has a pic, but I can't see where everything has to go and Google, so far, has been fruitless.

I will post progress pics ASAP.

Again, special thanks go to psyber_Optix for his help. For some reason, after all the pain and suffering this past week, he still likes rally.

[FredK]

Here's my attempt at a thousand words, in lieu of a picture.

The junction block has:
Starter cable. Attaches to the main power cable at the battery block.
Into the starter cable fitting are an M4 nut and an M6 nut. The cable from the fusebox that supplies fusebox power attaches to the M4 and M6 nut.

There is a small screw terminal right above the main battery cable. The fused battery power cable that runs parallel to the main battery cable all the way from the trunk gets secured here. It's meant to protect sensitive electronics in the case that someone hooks up the jumper cable backwards. Hook up the DME power lead from the engine wiring harness here.

[psyber_0ptix]

We can always try to find a m10x1.0 die to rechase the threads for the balljoint. However, being that one of the boots are already torn...it wouldnt be a bad idea to replace it.

That being said.. since the tie-rods are thoroughly stuck, it may be easiest to replace the inner+outer tie rod. Which requires:

x2 Securing plate
32111124540

[Ferdinand]

The Slapdash BMW has made extensive progress over the last week.

Great news. Keep at it.

For inspiration, here's an NBC news story about the New England Forest Rally. There's a brief shot of Caswell and his BMW doing what he does.

http://www.wlbz2.com/video/default.aspx?aid=62031#/The+Maine+Forest+Rally/207577444001

[SlapDash]

Sweet! Nice clip.

If the planets align, there'll be three E30s there next year.