Project Izzy: The AWD Money Pit

[stonea]

Since my cars AWD it make a e36 rack swap all but impossible, the e46 AWD rack has similar geometry, but its still far from being close. Its something I'd like to figure out, but realistically it may never happen.

Cool topic....That purple ix is also soo epic, any topic for that ix here??

My buddy personally hasn't started a thread, I've tried to find a build thread from the PO but I've come up empty handed. I know the PO used to be on R3v. Anyways the car hasn't changed minus some brakes and tie rods since he's bought it. I'll be sure to throw in an update about his car every now and then.

[stonea]

So while my dad was out of town, I decided to replace his clutch master cylinder so I could finally get it off the lift. Once I got it off I noticed a gas smell, but that was a problem he could figure out. I was excited to fix Izzy!!!.... but that excitement has VERY short lived. I started poking at stuff I should poke and found a little bit of rust.... well actually more like a lot of rust.






I was at a turning point, I obviously wanted to save the car, but I didn't have a welder and I didn't have the money to get one. Luckily my dad decided to lend a helping hand and bought a welder.



My dad got his guys at work to cut up some sheet metal and I tacked it in and then my dads coworker came over and welded it up for me.





Now that the rust was taken care of I could return to back to my project. I bought new hard brake lines for the rear and also decided to buy a few more extra goodies and got got some shocks, new RTABs, diff bushing, subframe bushings, sway bar bushings, rear half shafts, wheel bearings, and new upper shock mounts. Since I was doing the rear I thought, "Hey, why not do the front to?" So then I bought some struts, upper strut mounts, CABs, sway bar bushings, and wheel bearings. Now maybe you can see why I couldn't afford the welder, lol. Anyways the driver side spring perch was rusted to hell, but luckily I found one one on eBay for about $100.



Then I finally got everything installed and was ready to go back it!!!!









Also I finally got by front and rear plastic bumpers installed!!!!!!




And that ladies and gentleman brings us up to this past tuesday. I drove her back down to ODU and she drove like a champ. I felt like I had a brand new car!!!! I should have some small updates by the end of the weekend.

[6A LDY]

Nice man what did you use to get the springs off?

[litu]

Nice, some new parts :)

[stonea]

My uncle has some spring compressors, I had to use 3 per side instead of the normal 2. For the rears I just used a good old fashion crowbar to pry them out.

[stonea]

Didn't near as much done this past weekend as I wanted to, but I got a nice pic of Izzy by the water. Its hard to tell, but I also painted my "is" lip.



Also I decided to black out the chrome window trim finally.





Thats kind of the extent to what I got done this weekend, minus the respect your elders sticker, lol. Anyways I'm having some trouble with the car recharging the battery so I'm trying to figure that out. Hopefully I can get a little bit done this weekend.

[jeenyus]

Since my cars AWD it make a e36 rack swap all but impossible, the e46 AWD rack has similar geometry, but its still far from being close. Its something I'd like to figure out, but realistically it may never happen.

I would like to see you figure this out. I was a little bummed when I found out that the IX couldn't do the same steering rack swap as everyone else. A Z4 rack quickly was removed from my list of things to buy... The AWD e46 has the same mounting points as the e30 IX?

[Matt341]

Nice ix man

[stonea]

I would like to see you figure this out. I was a little bummed when I found out that the IX couldn't do the same steering rack swap as everyone else. A Z4 rack quickly was removed from my list of things to buy... The AWD e46 has the same mounting points as the e30 IX?

It doesn't have the same mounting point but the e46 xi rack's mounting points are at least pointed in the right direction. There's a thread in here about the swap. The hardest part is trying to figure out what to do for the tie rods. Anyways it's not something I'm trying to do anytime soon. I need to get a lot of parts first.

[jeenyus]

It doesn't have the same mounting point but the e46 xi rack's mounting points are at least pointed in the right direction. There's a thread in here about the swap. The hardest part is trying to figure out what to do for the tie rods. Anyways it's not something I'm trying to do anytime soon. I need to get a lot of parts first.

Seems like it might be worth getting just the normal ix rack.

[rzerob]

Nice Restoration. It is coming along nicely.

My buddy personally hasn't started a thread, I've tried to find a build thread from the PO but I've come up empty handed. I know the PO used to be on R3v. Anyways the car hasn't changed minus some brakes and tie rods since he's bought it. I'll be sure to throw in an update about his car every now and then.

It was pr3lude's Dayton Violet 325ix. I didn't see a build thread and he deleted the info off of the R3v thread but he left it up on E46fanatics.

R3v

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/member.php?u=28852

E46fanatic for sale thread

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=984745

He is still an active user. He might not mind if you ask him for more info on the car.

[stonea]

Seems like it might be worth getting just the normal ix rack.

Heres the thread about it, it was on e30 tech

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108108&page=7

It was pr3lude's Dayton Violet 325ix. I didn't see a build thread and he deleted the info off of the R3v thread but he left it up on E46fanatics.

R3v

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/member.php?u=28852

E46fanatic for sale thread

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=984745

He is still an active user. He might not mind if you ask him for more info on the car.

Thanks for the link! I've always wanted a couple of more pics of his car. Also just because my buddy's car literally just got finished I thought I'd post a pic of it. I don't know anything about it except its a Porsche 944, the cars been "under the knife" ever since I've meet him.



Edit: Just noticed the e30 in the picture, lol

[robrez]

Great build thread, looking forward to the progress. Time to sell me the Z3 bodykit so you can go full-throttle on this build ;D

[stonea]

Great build thread, looking forward to the progress. Time to sell me the Z3 bodykit so you can go full-throttle on this build ;D

I'm not gonna lie, Izzy is an attention whore so the body kit has literally been collecting dust in my dads basement, but I'm hoping to get the kit painted when the zed goes in for body work and I'd probably sell the z3 before the body kit, haha. Also I might pick up some DS1 wheels for the z3 for christmas.

[Zreberlcoe]

I'm not gonna lie, Izzy is an attention whore so the body kit has literally been collecting dust in my dads basement, but I'm hoping to get the kit painted when the zed goes in for body work and I'd probably sell the z3 before the body kit, haha. Also I might pick up some DS1 wheels for the z3 for christmas.

I love this car! Great work done, I'm really impressed with how you went from never working on a car to doing tons of work I yet to do and I have been working on my dads 88 diamantshwartz IX almost all my life!