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Das Beast: My E30 track / street build

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    #31
    I had a serious discussion with the interior carpet tonight and pulled it the hell out of there. The patient survived the surgery remarkably intact. Putting it up for sale here.

    "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

    1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
    2002 E39 M5

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      #32
      Interior is starting to shape up. Finally looking vaguely like a track car. Not too much more work and we'll be ready for the cage.

      "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

      1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
      2002 E39 M5

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        #33
        Wiring harness cleaned up and moved out of the way. Still street legal and everything works. (Minor Miracle) Going to tackle the heater core delete next. I'm not finding much good information on that though.

        "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

        1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
        2002 E39 M5

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          #34
          293 lbs removed so far. Curb weight 2,520 lbs.

          Once the heater core, hoses and power steering pump come out it will easily be in the 2,400s. Still a long list of things to 2,000 lbs but it's getting there.

          Trunk tar 53
          Spare tire 32
          Rear seat, leather, armrest 30
          Front interior door panels etc 15
          Trunk carpet 15
          Factory stereo components 11
          Windshield washer/pump/tank/lines 10
          Back seat tar 9
          Rear speaker deck 10
          Rear seat belts 6
          Factory jack 3
          Hood liner and washer hoses 5
          Rear interior side panels 4
          Radio Antenna 2.5
          Rear seat sound insulation 0.5
          Rear seat kick 0.5
          Interior carpet 34
          Floor mats 9
          Glove compartment 6
          Center console 6
          Dash 19.5
          Front kick panels 2
          Front speakers 5
          Misc dash crap 5
          "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

          1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
          2002 E39 M5

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            #35
            Time for the suspension swap. I headed to a friend's garage this morning and we got to work.

            Stock suspension with 118 lb/in springs. Pulling rod ends took a trip to the parts store for a couple of specialized tools. Brake rotors came off with no problem.



            Swapped out for coilover goodness. Those are 400 lb/in Eibachs, 6" long, 2.5" diameter. Getting the brake rotors back on took some gentle convincing with the Big Pocking Wrench. Rears are 650 lb/in, 5" long, 2.25" diameter.



            Bonus project. While we had the front end up it was time for an A/C compressor, bracket, belt and hose delete. That's 22 more pounds gone. Plus maybe 1-2 HP gain. Strangely enough power steering pump was already gone. I'm wondering if this 325is was ordered with a stock manual rack?



            Forgot to take pictures of the rear. It went a lot faster than the fronts. Despite what everyone said, I'm not crazy about how the rear springs just flop around loose when the rear is jacked up. I might engineer something to fix that.

            Drumroll ...... Here's the final product. I really like how the new suspension sits. Much flatter and lower than stock. It handles absolutely great. Minimum body roll, but not too harsh. Still needs a bit of tuning but the GC setup is height adjustable.

            AC, power steering delete, suspension upgrade = 67 lb weight reduction. Down to 2,453 with 2,300s easily in sight.

            "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

            1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
            2002 E39 M5

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              #36
              Next projects this weekend: Tow hook removal, refit early model valance for 325is air dam and various A/C junk deletion.

              Here are the tow hooks getting removed. My high tech spark shield is a ceramic floor tile. :devil:



              No more tow hooks. They get in the way of bolts for the plastic bumper.



              More A/C junk removed. 12 pounds this time so that's 34 total. There are -still- more hoses, copper tubes & heater core left to pull.



              That's better ....



              Test fitting the IS air dam. Will have to fabricate some mounting hardware before it gets painted and goes on.

              "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

              1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
              2002 E39 M5

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                #37
                Next project: Fuel cooler delete. For a few years in the 80s BMW engineers thought their cars needed fuel coolers for warm climates to avoid vapor lock. My E30 has been running in Texas 100F heat for years, with no Freon in the A/C and no sign of vapor lock. That thing is OUTTA HERE.

                Just for kicks, have a look at the crazy ass setup. Fuel leaves the pressure regulator, heads past the intake manifold towards the firewall. Then takes a hard left and runs all the way to the passenger side?! Through a nice little cooler unit then all the way -back- to the driver's side before heading for the gas tank. I'm exhausted just explaining it. BMW made 300,000 E30's a year at one point. Imagine how much this must have cost them. (wow)

                Gonna replace all that with one line from the pressure regulator to the gas tank return.

                Last edited by dvallis; 11-15-2015, 09:58 PM. Reason: typo
                "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

                1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
                2002 E39 M5

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                  #38
                  The IS dam looks good on the front with plastic bumpers. And gotta love weight reductions.

                  Instagram: Reichart12

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                    #39
                    Motto of this build: If it doesn't help with going fast .... it's gone. ;-)
                    "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

                    1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
                    2002 E39 M5

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                      #40
                      I love that my car weighs 2450 with a full interior and a 24v motor. I get excited at how light I could make the car if I were to actually gut it out. Keep it up, even with the M20 the benefit of less weight shows up, plus with the GC coils you'll have a fun car
                      Simon
                      Current Cars:
                      -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                      Make R3V Great Again -2020

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                        #41
                        Personally if I were looking for a lightweight track/street monster. I'd do M52tu turbo. Aluminum block, plus the 24v horsepower.
                        Originally posted by flyboyx
                        how about if i yank the anal beads out of your ass like i'm trying to pull start a chain saw?
                        Originally posted by Northern
                        beer is my new liver cleanse.

                        Henna - '84 Hennarot 325e
                        Lola - '89 Schwarz 325is - being saved
                        Christine - '88 Schwarz 325is - Spec E30 Racecar
                        '01 White F150 Lariat 4x4 Supercrew - Daily
                        Dad's '05 Interlagosblau M3

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                          #42
                          I actually considered the M52tu. However, an M20 can make the same power with a turbo (see KaMotors kit) and weighs 100 lbs less fully dressed. And I've already got an M20. :devil:

                          M20 is really growing on me now. Simple, easy to work on and E30 original equipment. Here's what I've got planned for it. (Warning. Engine Porn)

                          "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

                          1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
                          2002 E39 M5

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                            #43
                            Originally posted by dvallis View Post
                            I actually considered the M52tu. However, an M20 can make the same power with a turbo (see KaMotors kit) and weighs 100 lbs more fully dressed. And I've already got an M20. :devil:
                            if you're referring to the aluminum block M52, it weighs the same/ less than the M20 so the turbo is all extra weight, but with a proper set of coils you can tune the suspension to compensate
                            Simon
                            Current Cars:
                            -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                            Make R3V Great Again -2020

                            Comment


                              #44
                              New topic: Suspension again

                              The new, tight coilover suspension is showing me problems the old soft springs were hiding. Front tires have -serious- straight line vibration at 60 MPH. Also when I come off throttle the rear end develops vertical vibration of its own. And the whole thing pulls slightly left. Feels like riding in a rock crusher. And don't forget the freaking table saw in my trunk.

                              One trip to the tire shop later and all is clear. Front tires were worn uneven and pretty much shot. Par for the course on a used car. Rear tires were permanently not round. Car must have sat on them unused for a long time. Alignment was borked.

                              New set of tires, wheel balancing plus alignment and Das Beast rides silky smooth. Wow. Feels like a different car.
                              "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

                              1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
                              2002 E39 M5

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                                #45
                                Quick project today. Carriage bolt clutch stop. Had the bolt laying around in my spare parts bin. Adjustable, works great. Cost $0.

                                Going to start removing the rest of the floor tar and misc interior leftovers with the rest of my evening.

                                "And then we broke the car. Again." Mark Donohue, "The Unfair Advantage"

                                1987 E30 3L Turbo Stroker Das Beast
                                2002 E39 M5

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