They told me E30s were played out

[Miroteknik]

I was devastated. Sure, after that fiasco I unplugged all the sensors and modules and relays and the EMU connected to the laptop, so it was clear the EMU was not total garbage. But I was heartbroken, all that work and money for nothing. Even worse - oil was now compromised. One step forward and five steps back, that's what it looked like to me.
This mishap made me feel so bad, made me doubt my whole hobby related decisions and for a brief time, I seriously considered getting rid of all my toy cars and parts. I was so full of it.

Then, a friend gave me a solid push in the right direction. He said, let's at least diagnose what went wrong and find out if the EMU is toast or not and if it needs repairs send it asap over to get repaired. So we sketched out a plan, got some tools and spend a whole day in the garage, checking out every pin, every module, relay and fuse, continuity and whatnot. You get the idea. Troubleshooting wiring problems is not a great experience, but in this case was a great necessity.

The setbacks you've encountered with this car astound me. I can relate to the section quoted above.

Amazing how critical a persevering friend can be to builds like this. Carry on.



P.S. just went through the beginning of the thread, and it deserves the mention that you are quite hilarious.

[gnmzl]

The setbacks you've encountered with this car astound me. I can relate to the section quoted above.

Amazing how critical a persevering friend can be to builds like this. Carry on.



P.S. just went through the beginning of the thread, and it deserves the mention that you are quite hilarious.

Thanks man, I try to stay positive and make the best out of it.
It's just that it got a little had to achieve that lately.

Totally agree on the importance of friends involved on builds like this. Really appreciate all the help I got from various close friends and even family on this build.


So, that being said, now is the time for some < James May voice > GOOD NEWS EVERYBODY < / James May voice >!

Yesterday the tuner was kind enough to spend some time with my car despite the tight schedule he has. He worked out the icv settings, tuned it under load while stationary and under load while driving.
The result - car idles solid at 1k rpm with all accessories on or off, cold or warm. It revs up strong and promising all the way up to 7k and I must say, it's a blast to drive, very smooth probably due to the tall rear end gearing and comes alive after about 5k rpm. Very happy about it. Now time to sort the little stuff out like glovebox and dash panels, radio ...

Finally happiness has been achieved with this build.
I had this moment, when it was parked on a quiet street and the sun was just setting down and blazing the car with great sunset colors and all the chrome bits shining. The first moment I felt regret I haven't bought a proper camera yet. But a moment where I thought "Was it worth it? -Totally"

[cblock406]

Glad to hear some good news!

[Fruttolo]

Yeeeah I'm so happy for you!
drive it everywhere now

Also I feel you on the "real camera" thing, it happens to me too once or twice a year to think "oh this would deserve a real camera shot", then I remember I can't take a good pic to save my life and camera budget goes flying into car parts budget and my threads have potato pics since '09 LOL

[gnmzl]

Thanks!!
As soon as the hailstorm warnings are gone, it'll see some serious pavement time.
Talk about "camera money turns into car parts money"

Can't wait to sort out the small stuff and slap the mtech1 side skirts on, so I can play with wheels and tire fitment!!!

[gnmzl]

So thing didn't go in the order I imagined.
I played with wheels a bit before dyno and those mtech1 skirts still sit in my garage and I still haven't taken any pictures of this car, nor have I washed it yet.

BUT what I did was:

Swap the hose from the brake fluid reservoir to the clutch master cylinder. What a PITA, but managed not to soak everything in brake fluid. Just a few drops on the floor mat, which is what it's there for. Now I don't have to worry about it being under stress due to the different location of the nipple on the IX brake fluid reservoir. Felt like I fucked something up when reinstalling the clutch assistance spring or whatever it's called. There was a slight clunk when you engage the clutch. It wasn't broken or anything, so maybe something was done wrong on my end.
Another thing I did was reseal the blower motor covering panel, bad smells were coming in from there. Naturally they still come in, but more importantly, I found a little spot on the engine wiring harness that was rubbing on the intake slightly. So glad I caught that on time. Rerouted a bit and all is good.

Last weekend the gf was kind enough to let me steal some car time. Fixed the pedals issues - adjustment eccentric was way off for the clutch, and the fork thingy connecting the servo with the pedal was never swapped for an e30 unit, it was still the e34 one. So, got that fixed and started playing with suspension.

First order was to throw a 215/45/16 on one of the ET16 GTA wheels and test how it would fit in the front. First, I lowered the front with 25mm (later the back as well another 25mm). A 15mm spacer was installed to clear the calipers:




Obviously, the fender lip would be destroyed. Some camber was added and this was the result:




Not the best pictures, but you get the idea. Still, a little roll would be good for peace of mind. At this point, my phone died, so no pictures of the whole car - sorry.


MORE GREAT NEWS, EVERYBODY!


Yesterday was dyno day FINALLY
This time, only the temp gauge went inop, but the temp switch was still sending correct info to the EMU.
The tuner spent a good hour and some change on it, started at about 155 whp with 220Nm and ended up with this (red is final tune)




Not a rocket, but couldn't be happier with it for what it is.
Saturday is race day!
Till then

PS: Miro, if you are reading this, sorry for the closeups. I will take some better shots to excuse myself.

[gnmzl]

Hello Stance|Works,

Still don't own a camera and still haven't figured out how to take pictures, so time for some crappy phone pics of a filthy car.

Last Saturday there was a track day and naturally I wanted to take this e30 to the track now that it's tuned.
At the shop, about to load the car with the semi slicks and additional gear required for a day at the track.





Then, on Saurday a buddy and I headed down to the track. Here's my car next to his track prepped e36.



Then some photos a photographer at the track took. Please note my professional racing livery, which doubles as rock chip protection.





The car did good on the track, I didn't.
Issues boil down to:
- MAP sensor vacuum line keeps popping off
- ABS non-op, need to look into that
- Feels like there is still air in the brake system, need to bleed again and see if that improves the mushy pedal
- Needs alignment badly

Good stuff to report:
- No temperature issues at all, which makes me very happy (it was a very, very hot day)
- Car is quick
- Nothing broke and made the round trip like a champ

This is the fastest car I've owned and my driving skills need serious improvement. The car shows great potential for decent lap times, now I need to learn how to drive it.
Didn't get enough seat time to get the coilover settings right, and the fight with the steering wheel without alignment was ridiculous, but next time it will be better.

Need to sort out all the little nags before the next day at the track.

[gnmzl]

Some pictures from last weekend. Went for a drive with some friends.





As evident, car is on some temp 15 inch wheels. Hoping to change that soon.

[Fruttolo]

I love it, last pic is cool af

[Miroteknik]

I miss drives with friends

Nice group.

[gnmzl]

Thanks!
Happy to report, my new tires came in yesterday, and I didn't waste any time. Tires were mounted, wheels were fitted, fender lips were rolled. Bad pictures of great results:




Now I have a rubbing issue - front right rubs the plastic lower well liner on a left turn. Found out the right wheel has way more castor than the left one. Car drives great, no pulling whatsoever. Looked at old photos - it has been like that before the alignment. Shouldn't the guy have caught that?
Anyway, will look into it, cause it was late yesterday and I was tired.

[Miroteknik]

That's a good bit of work for an afternoon, but I know how it flies when the excitement hits. Car came out excellent. Looking forward to better pics lol

[Fruttolo]

In for pics in which I can actually see the tyres too

Caster was hot adjustable on e30s if I recall right, give it a look as you may have some bent support

[gnmzl]

That's a good bit of work for an afternoon, but I know how it flies when the excitement hits. Car came out excellent. Looking forward to better pics lol

Thank you! Yes, time flew by and some small setbacks didn't help either, everyone on here has had similar experiences.

In for pics in which I can actually see the tyres too

Caster was hot adjustable on e30s if I recall right, give it a look as you may have some bent support

You are correct, caster is not adjustable, unless you have a special type of camber plate (which I don't). Yesterday I inspected the lower control arm bushings - in perfect order and perfectly aligned. Didn't have time to measure the control arm itself, which is the main suspect for now. Thinking it got bent from all the tow bed journeys and dyno sessions - everyone ties the car down by the control arm. Long shot, but easily fixable if it's that. We'll see when I get back from vacation.


I am also looking forward to better pics! I promise the tire will be visible lol
Looking into having a semi professional shoot with a buddy

[gnmzl]

Here's another crappy pic, where you could KIND OF see the tires. Which in case you are interested are 205/50/16 in the front and 225/45/16 in the back. Not stanceboy sizes, but I wanted a meatier look.