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They told me E30s were played out

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  • #16
    interested in exactly what you did to get the 5 lug hubs to fit.

    so you are a running a funky spacer? just kinda confused
    -FREEDOM- is cruisin at 80, windows down and listening to the perfect song-thinking "this is it"
    -The Beauty in the Tragedy-
    MECHANIC SMASH!!- (you all know you do it)
    Got Drop??

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    • #17
      subscribed, I like where this is headed


      --Golden Boy E30 Build--

      --My Shop: Where Passion Meets Livelihood (or tries to)--

      --Etsy Shop--

      --@ayyyitsmikey--

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      • #18
        This is a great write up, a great write up always make the thread 10x better.
        Also I love the E30, and seeing your enthusiasm for yours enforces that I want to pick up an E30 asap.
        In for more!



        Comment


        • #19
          Thanks for the nice comments, guys!

          Originally posted by CHIF8008 View Post
          interested in exactly what you did to get the 5 lug hubs to fit.

          so you are a running a funky spacer? just kinda confused
          I used a steel "spacer" to make the e36 hub fit the e30 spindle and a custom nut to hold the hub onto the spindle using the stock thread, but with a 46mm diameter, as the e36's nut is. Here are some drawings to make it more clear:











          The 5mm thick thingie is there, so that the race of the bearing seats properly. That results in 8mm per side wider track, because of its 5 mm thickness, and 3 mm difference between the e30 hub and the e36 hub.
          That I didn't like, that's why I am redoing it. The next version will be revealed once I have completed the assembly.
          Will tell you what happened next in my following posts, thanks for your interest!
          "You could roll an E30 in a BMW showroom today and people would think:
          Well, they finally got the 1 series right!"

          3.0 L e30 ground up build

          Comment


          • #20
            OK, time to tell you about the rust repairs.

            Once we reached the location, where that awesome e30 guy does repairs, we unloaded the car and mounted it on the jig he had previously put together for his own e30s (4 in total ) and proceeded taking the doors, hood and wings off:



            Then we flipped it to check what's the real damage:



            At that time we discussed some stuff we needed to make clear, mostly what I want and how I want it. Then we got back into the e38 with now an empty trailer and headed back home, leaving my beloved car in the hands of the most capable person I could find. I knew that he is a good welder and he had brought back many e30s from beyond the grave, so I was not worried at all.

            He started work and was kind enough to send me pictures of all the steps he did, I am going to pick the most interesting ones and share them with you guys.

            Let's start with the most notorious rust places on an e30 - footwells. Here is the passenger side:

            Outside, underneath the lower wing side



            Awesome previous repair:



            Cancer cut out:



            Aaand welded new stuff in:



            Outside view of the patch:



            Driver's side was no better, another bad repair from the past:



            What it looked on the outside prior his interference:



            Cut it all out!!!:



            Weld new stuff in <3



            Outside view of the repair:



            And on these pictures you can see what I had previously achieved with the holes in the rear passengers feet, I want to crawl into a hole and hide myself forever and ever because of these:




            Thankfully, the body guy did a good job repairing my repairs:



            What it looks like from underneath:



            One done, one to go, you can see the difference in quality:



            Driver's side done as well:



            Driver's side from underneath:




            That's it for now, I'll post again, once I sort some more pictures, since they are just dumped on my harddrive and it's difficult to post them in some order.
            Last edited by gnmzl; 07-19-2018, 09:39 AM.
            "You could roll an E30 in a BMW showroom today and people would think:
            Well, they finally got the 1 series right!"

            3.0 L e30 ground up build

            Comment


            • #21
              Slow day at work, so I can actually go through the heap of pictures from the rust repairs.
              Here's another portion of those. Let's start with the rear right trunk pocket, where usually the battery resides. It wasn't too bad on first inspection, but more careful examination showed severe rust damage.

              Lower back side, behind the rear right wheel:




              Back side, under the bumper (it had been previously repaired):



              Cut the hell out of it:



              Weld and grind, finished:



              Cut the part behind the wheel:



              Weld, grind, prime:




              The hole inside the wheel well already patched:



              While we have the rear right wheel well in our scope, let's check out the other rotted spots. That's where the rear beam would be bolted to the chassis, the outer lip had seen some halfassed repair in the past, the rocker had some rust damage as well:





              The fender lip's previous repair, you can't really see it, but there were weld beads all over the place, straight pieces of metal welded on random places and then smoothed over with bondo:




              First patch already in place, that would have been the easy one for this spot, I suppose:



              What it looked like before welding in the outer skin of the panel:



              I had acquired legit panels for the body repairs and we had agreed, that the repair person would only cut where necessary and cut the needed piece from the panels as exact fit, so here is the result for that part:



              Rocker piece also welded in and welds ground down:



              Factory jack stand piece in place and primed:



              The back end arch of the outer lip had to be cut out as well, the inner lip was fabricated using a front wing's lip, the bends and diameter of the circle are the same




              Welded the outer lip, cut out to exact match from a new panel:



              Aaand ground down:



              Looks nice!



              A wild rust hole appeared, where the power supply cable ran, there is a plastic cover that prevents the cable from rubbing against the chassis and causing a short circuit, but it also preserves moisture for the rust monster, that was slowly eating the car:




              Isn't that a $eXy patch or what?




              Then it turned out the little stud, that is usually holding the tank expansion canister whateverthethingiscalledorsupposedtodo, had moved away and left a big hole in my heart:




              The spot, where the end of the classy eurobumper is screwed to the rear quarter panel had sadly desintegrated:



              Replaced with fresh sheet metal:



              The locking mechanism for the fuel filler door had also been kind enough to held up enough moisture and rot its own mounting points:



              Punish with cutting!



              Weld new stuff on it (sadly don't have a picture with the new holes:



              Let's now move to the left side of the car. The front rocker panel was rotten just where the factory jack point is. The stuff you see inside is hollow space conserving compound, quite popular in our part of the world :



              Fresh piece made and mocked up:



              Welded in:



              Ground down like a baws



              Jack point welded in and primed:



              Then a wild derp face appeared, right where the external fuel pump is. My car has 2 fuel pumps, I recently had an argument with a douche, who claimed only m3s have 2 fuel pumps. I asked him to explain why do both my e30s have 2 fuel pumps then ... no response. Anyway, the rotted metal:



              Cut and ready for removal:




              Welded and ground down:



              Original brackets tacked on:



              There was also a small issue a bit further away, that's where the rear arch and left rocker meet:




              Then we had discovered a really bad spot, it's further back from the factory spring perch. The problem was, that the metal there is dual sheet , but the superrepairman managed:






              Inner layer of new sheet metal, with the same thickness as factory:



              Outer layer welded in and ground down:



              The left fender lip needed just a bit of love:



              Inner lip fixed:



              Outer lip mockup



              Welded and ground down



              Some nasty holes appeared on the bulk head, where it joins the inner front left wheel well:



              Sunshine!!



              Fixed:




              Then we discovered another nasty @ss previous repair. That is where the AC tubing would usually go through the frame:



              Naaasty



              Cut it away with fire!



              Welded in new sheet metal, again with factory thickness and ground down (don't worry the body nut was returned to stock position):




              Onto the next ghetto repair! That's the driver's side trunk latch:






              Cut it away!



              Fixies <3




              Some holes revealed themselves in the front part of the left front inner wheel well, where it meets the sheet metal in the engine compartment, where the ABS pump sits:




              Cut, welded and ground down:




              The front right wing needed some love, because of my stupid repairs in the past, when I got the car:



              And in the lower part, below the trim:



              So, that's all for the repairs, next post will be short and will include the subtle modifications to the chassis.
              Thanks for looking!
              Last edited by gnmzl; 07-20-2018, 05:42 AM.
              "You could roll an E30 in a BMW showroom today and people would think:
              Well, they finally got the 1 series right!"

              3.0 L e30 ground up build

              Comment


              • #22
                Very cool thread. I really like all the attention to detail & parts that you made!

                Check out my m20 turbo'd 2002 build thread

                Comment


                • #23
                  Wow. i wish i had metal working skills like that... very impressive work!

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                  • #24
                    well that shell will be good as new!! Curious how much all that bodywork will cost you!
                    Ruining cars since 2006 yo

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                    • #25
                      Originally posted by gnmzl View Post
                      That I didn't like, that's why I am redoing it. The next version will be revealed once I have completed the assembly.
                      Will tell you what happened next in my following posts, thanks for your interest!
                      Interested to hear as well, and particularly, if you're sticking with E87 hubs or what you decide. Overall, I very cool build thread so far! I completely envy the body-working abilities of your buddy, he makes it look easy. Can't wait to see the end result!

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Originally posted by Absorbantnut View Post
                        Very cool thread. I really like all the attention to detail & parts that you made!
                        Thank you! Then you should love it, when I get to the mechanical stuff - suspension and drivetrain.

                        Originally posted by kneums View Post
                        Wow. i wish i had metal working skills like that... very impressive work!
                        Don't we all ... I drool every time I witness someone good at their own witchcraft and whisper to myself "wish I could do that!"

                        Originally posted by Meeve View Post
                        well that shell will be good as new!! Curious how much all that bodywork will cost you!
                        It's pretty solid indeed, and keeping in mind this toy isn't going to see winter anymore, it should last at least another 30 years! She's a 1985 and I actually started the tear down on her birthday, call me OCD

                        Cost in terms of money hasn't really bothered me that much, since I am willing to pay for quality work. But for the sake of it - just the metalwork had cost me so far roughly 1100 USD, including the parts, sheet metal and chemicals used. I also have the hauling costs, which are about $250 and a short block m20b27
                        In our part of the world, that is considered expensive, but as I said, quality and craftsmanship are important to me.
                        However, that part of the build has put more gray hair on my head than my ex-gf.

                        Originally posted by tajjj View Post
                        Interested to hear as well, and particularly, if you're sticking with E87 hubs or what you decide. Overall, I very cool build thread so far! I completely envy the body-working abilities of your buddy, he makes it look easy. Can't wait to see the end result!
                        Thank you, he does make it look easy, doesn't he?
                        I am sticking with the e87 hubs in the back, the rear end is going to be unchanged in terms of trailing arm/brake setup. I am just redoing the front 5x120 adaptor/spacer, because I had a better idea from the start, but not enough time to make it happen. I am working on that right now, but will explain it once I get the thread up to current date and/or finish it.


                        Now let me entertain you with some minor chassis mods, which are really not that big deal, but are going to make my life easier.

                        First, the radiator support. You may have noticed, it was badly rotten on the underside and needed replacing. I had sourced a new replacement, but the quality of the upper part was poor, the bends were not correct and where there was from flowing into another form, it was all twisted, as if it were hand bent by some HULK. We decided on removing the rad support, cutting both pieces and making a new support out of the two parts.

                        Naturally, we made it detachable, so engine install/removal is as easy as it can get.

                        Rad support removed:



                        Franken-rad-support in place:




                        And a lick of paint, the finish is not showcar-like, but I never intended it to be.





                        I don't know if any of the e30 guys have noticed, but the behavior of a coupe with the battery in the engine compartment is a tad better than a coupe with the battery in the trunk, as 325i and 325e came out of the factory. This is mostly noticeable, when the trunk is empty and the spare wheel is missing - when you do a hard left turn, the back end swings more easily and it feels like a pendulum. I know these are a few conditions, but I wanted that annoyance out of the way. So we made a new battery nest, with two basic positions for different battery types. It is spot welded, so that mod is easily reversible, if I don't like it. The idea is to move the battery weight between the axles and somewhat centered.

                        First mockup:



                        Shaped and painted with the trunk floor:



                        Since the paint gun was out and the floor in the cabin was prepped too, why not?



                        Now, since it's the Stance|Works, we need to be able to fit some wheels in those arches, right? For some reason I am not a fan of rolling, because the inner lip just becomes a moisture trap. So I did what any decent person would do - cut it out! Then some polyurethane was applied to achieve maximum moisture freeness



                        I will show you how we brought her home in my next post.
                        Last edited by gnmzl; 07-20-2018, 06:02 AM.
                        "You could roll an E30 in a BMW showroom today and people would think:
                        Well, they finally got the 1 series right!"

                        3.0 L e30 ground up build

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          And this, young grashoppers, is how progress is made
                          Lucas
                          Daily: 2004 Pontiac GTO. . . . . . . . . Daily Econobox: 2009 Mini Clubman Cooper
                          Originally posted by LCG
                          High 21! It's like a high 5 but includes both hands, both feet and a boner.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            I should learn how to weld...

                            Beautiful e30! There's a reason they're 'played out' -- because they're the best!

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Originally posted by loekaaz View Post
                              And this, young grashoppers, is how progress is made


                              Originally posted by foxster View Post
                              I should learn how to weld...

                              Beautiful e30! There's a reason they're 'played out' -- because they're the best!
                              Thanks, man. I didn't believe them anyways, those conformist bastards.

                              Let me tell you about the trip back home. We departed with an empty trailer (duh) :



                              Right after we loaded her on the trailer it poured like hell for about 20 minutes and flooded the cab. I was really unhappy at that point. You can spot the welder's super clean wagon, an edition model from the early 90's. Seriously one of the cleanest e30s I've seen.



                              We headed back to the capital city and were horrified to find out, that while we were loading the car up and grabbing some snacks, wild roadworks had appeared and we were forced to take a detour through some really bad roads, which were literally made out entirely of pot holes.



                              Yeah I travelled the whole time like that, until we cleared the detour. My neck was hurting.
                              We stopped at a gas station to fill up the e38, we used again to pull the trailer. And my friends were being dicks, as usual:





                              We reached the workshop at a very late hour and unloaded her from the trailer. I was relieved that no water was present in the cab, it was all swept away by the wind. No photos though, sorry.

                              And that's pretty much how she sits right now, alone, waiting for me to sort out some stuff and start the assembly.

                              The plan is:
                              1. Phase One: put suspension on, put wire loom in, put engine in, take it for exhaust fabrication, take it to painter's, final assembly
                              2. Phase Two: ?????
                              3. Phase Three: Profit

                              In my next posts I will start revealing wheels/suspension plans, so you don't die of boredom.
                              Last edited by gnmzl; 07-20-2018, 06:12 AM.
                              "You could roll an E30 in a BMW showroom today and people would think:
                              Well, they finally got the 1 series right!"

                              3.0 L e30 ground up build

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                This post is about the suspension/wheels plan.

                                When I drove the car with the konis, I was generally happy with them - great handling, stiffer than billies when at softest setting and straight awesome when set at maximum stiffness. There was only one problem - the bump stop was still being engaged too often. And I know I had left just a tiny bit of it, so that I don't completely trash the konis. But sometimes that would play a bad trick on me in a fast corner, so was looking for options to go lower and yet retain suspension travel. Ofcourse I knew about the IX shocks and shortened struts combo and I must admit the idea is great. However, I knew I would want to build coilovers out of that setup one day and when I did the math it turned out I would be better off bying actual install ready coilovers and call it a day. OK, so there were a few options and I started asking around who did what to their car. I rode some e30s with fitted coilovers, among them some truly awesome rides, like a v8 m60/6 speed manual swapped convertible with XYZ coilovers, a n/a 2.8 m20 stroker on Megan racing coilovers, and the one that made me go for my choice - a twinturbo 2.8 m20 stroker:



                                Damn beast! Most importantly - on the softest setting it rode as soft as bilstein b8 coupled with a high rate H&R spring for instance and on the stiffest setting it rode exactly like my setup minus the hops. So I was sold on that choice and ordered the same combo. Yep you guessed it:



                                BC racing coils in 6kg/8kg rates.



                                I know, it's not something exotic or mind blowing, but I am at a point, where I don't want to expiriment more than I have to. And I am going to, when I get to building the motor.

                                Let's rewind 9 months back. I have mentioned previously in the thread I narrowed my rear track for a purpose. I wanted to fit a specific wheel in there without any issues. Because of the same wheel I am redoing the front spacer for the front hub, so I can tuck the wheel a bit more into the wheel well.
                                The wheels I had in mind are very common and easy to come by (or so I thought) in North America. Us unfortunate eurofags need to kind of sell a testie to get a set of those and it would be still a hard bargain, because it would be a eurofag testie.
                                I am ofcourse speaking of the Trans Am GTA wheel in 16x8 et 16 and 16x8 et0 dimensions.

                                I swear I tried my best to find a set, I even contacted some guys in the US, who have baldly announced on their sites they specialize in those wheels and refinish them in the whole factory color variety available for the market back in the day. None seemed to have even a single wheel in stock and they couldn't tell me when they would have a set or a wheel. Oh, well. I searched at the same time the UK forums and ebay.co.uk, ad boards and whatnot. I was lurking the german ebay and ad boards as well.

                                Several months in, I had no luck. Then one day I found an ad from a breaker in Germany, who announced the breaking of a Trans Am GTA, no year specified. I quickly contacted the guy (thank god I speak German) and asked about the wheels, what kind where day, what color and what price. I got a response fairly soon with good detailed picture and an honest description. I struck a deal with the guy and he send the wheels off. After a two weeks wait they turned up and I picked them up from the post office. I must tell you, the guy did a great job packaging them in separate boxes from some other wheels, filled with cardboard and soft stuff. He had also described the wheels accurately, all flaws pointed out (small curb rash on one wheel and some pitted paint).
                                I was happy to have these puppies:




                                Despite being freezing cold, I still went down to the garage where the car slept and did a test fit:






                                That's with 15mm spacers, wheel gap is because the rear right tire was flat.
                                Now, I will gain 5 more mm because of the new 5x120 combo for the front, and I only need about 12 mm for the wheel to clear the calipers, so I should be good with a bit of camber. I intend to run 215/40/16 in the front, because I liked it that way with the previous wheels, which were also 16x8.

                                I am not a fan of white wheels on white cars, but am willing to try it out, once I assemble the car and put her on the road once again. If I don't like it, I can always switch to mayan gold

                                In my next post I will tell you about my daily and what happened there.
                                Last edited by gnmzl; 07-20-2018, 06:42 AM.
                                "You could roll an E30 in a BMW showroom today and people would think:
                                Well, they finally got the 1 series right!"

                                3.0 L e30 ground up build

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