BMW Project Car #323

[Protege2886]

Since we seem to be letting all the cats out of the bag....

Jefe did something silly a few weekends ago

[Protege2886]

The "M" is a go fast switch. You slide it from one side to the other to select how fast you want to go

[sb_600]

I approve of this message.

[Protege2886]

Full BMW race team baby! woo!!

[Chris_A]

That's awesome, Jeff!

Plans for the car this season or just get used to it for now?

[vwgolf2lwk]

....OK now I have an itch to by a Bimmer..... I blame all of you!

Looks like the start of a nice project Jefe!

[Protege2886]

Guy just don't mention your interest to Shawn. He's a terrible influence. I would know - I own a motorcycle and a BMW as a result of talking to him.

My Dad wants to get into auto-x and spend a little more father-son time together now that I've moved out so the plan is to do the brakes, suspension, and sways for next season.

The 225 NT01s from the protege should fit on the E30 too

[Chris_A]

This post ^^^^ needs a "Like" button.

[Protege2886]

This post ^^^^ needs a "Like" button.

Hahaha agreed!

[vwgolf2lwk]

My Dad wants to get into auto-x and spend a little more father-son time together now that I've moved out so the plan is to do the brakes, suspension, and sways for next season.

The 225 NT01s from the protege should fit on the E30 too

That's awesome Jeff, I hope to be able to do that someday with my son....or daughter!

....as for a BMW.... I think I'm safe for now since my pockets are very...... very, empty!

[catana]

Nice Buddy!

You guys are going to need your own class next year.

[schmoo]

If Sarge doesn't start, we have a job for the Slo-tege.

[Protege2886]

If Sarge doesn't start, we have a job for the Slo-tege.

Over my dead body!

[condor888000]

I keep telling you man, only put fire on the Protege. I'm sure "someone" will make sure you collect.

[midnighttuning]

wow! looks to be in good shape - Good luck sir!

[Protege2886]

Thanks Barrie!

[Protege2886]

Well the car is home after spending some time at CT Carling (somewhere Ralf is doing a happy dance).

BMW resized.JPG (151.04 KiB) Viewed 1036 times

It needs new front calipers and few other tidbits to make it streetable.
I've ordered rebuilt units from BBW in Aylmer. They were able to get me the carriers and tops for $75 per side.

The drive home from CT highlighted a few things:

1) Exhaust sounds like it has a leak
2) The shifter feels like a spoon in a bowl of spaghetti
3) The suspension needs some attention...now
4) The car feels fat and sluggish compared to the protege. Some standard maintenance and new engine mounts should fix that
5) RWD + LSD = Happy Jefe


Rather than going with a Turner Motorsports or IE shifter kit, Dad and I are looking at picking up at Z4 3.0 shifter with some after market bushings. BMA sells the kit for 69$ (although that was last year's price. I need to confirm any updates). The other option is to just pick up the shifter from a dealer and get the delrin/poly bushings from Turner.

Stock E30 lever ratio = 7.23:1.
Z3-1.9 lever ratio = 5.13:1. ~30% less than stock.
Z4-3.0 lever ratio = 3.28:1. ~55% less than stock.



Should be interesting

The next plan is to talk to Carl @ Perry regarding the suspension. Chris has a pretty nice setup on his E30 that I'm thinking of applying to ours.

Should be a fun winter

[luker]

On the E36 you need get a bent connector rod from the shifter to the transmission. Not sure if that is needed on the E30, but check it out.

Looks like will be a sweet ride when done.

[Protege2886]

Luke, I read about the bent rod (ok that sounds bad) on r3vlimited. It seems like a few '91 318is owners have been able to install the Z4 3.0 shifter without any mods or bending. We'll see what happens though.

[Chris.B]

Sweet! If you're looking at a GC kit, Carl should be able to hook you up with something at a decent price. And you will be able to custom pick your spring ratres.

[Protege2886]

Yah I need to talk to you about all that. I wanted to find out what you had exactly.

[Protege2886]

Dad's getting antzy to work on the car so I started putting together a "wish list" this afternoon.
All I have to say is: Holy crap things add up quickly.

That being said, I'm really excited

Opted out of the Z4 3L shifter. Right now I'm eyeing the Bimmerworld "budget" short shifter (100$ vs. 250$). Looks like it's just the Z3 1.9L shifter. The delrin bushings alone should improve the overall feel. The upside is that the Z3 1.9L is a taller shifter. Now all I need is my Ken Block-style E-brake ahahah (kidding...slightly)

Big thanks to Chris B. for pointing me to AKG Motorsports. Their upgraded mounts, bushings, and reinforcement panels were ~10-20$ less (each) than the Bimmerworld ones.

[Chris.B]

Anytime Buddy!

This thing is going to be sweet!

[Protege2886]

Grrrr....

It seems the nice beefy swaybars that come up on Pelican Parts and Eibach's site under "1991 318is" may really be meant for an E36.
I need to check my date of manufacture but I may have to check a different option.

Also - I need opinions / feedback:

Solid rubber E28 535i engine mounts (44$ a pair) vs. Solid Urethane 318is engine mounts of unknown durometer (100$ a pair). Thoughts?

My initial thoughts:

1) At 44$ a pair, I can afford to try the rubber ones and upgrade
2) Urethane should, in principle, be stiffer than solid rubber even if it's low on the scale (ex: 80A)

I emailed Ireland Engineering to confirm the durometer rating. We'll see what comes back.

In other news, dad and I will have two BIIIG boxes from Bimmerworld and AKG Motorsports under the tree this year First 2 orders have been placed!

[ScotcH]

Grrrr....

It seems the nice beefy swaybars that come up on Pelican Parts and Eibach's site under "1991 318is" may really be meant for an E36.
I need to check my date of manufacture but I may have to check a different option.

Also - I need opinions / feedback:

Solid rubber E28 535i engine mounts (44$ a pair) vs. Solid Urethane 318is engine mounts of unknown durometer (100$ a pair). Thoughts?

My initial thoughts:

1) At 44$ a pair, I can afford to try the rubber ones and upgrade
2) Urethane should, in principle, be stiffer than solid rubber even if it's low on the scale (ex: 80A)

I emailed Ireland Engineering to confirm the durometer rating. We'll see what comes back.

In other news, dad and I will have two BIIIG boxes from Bimmerworld and AKG Motorsports under the tree this year First 2 orders have been placed!

Do NOT get the IE engine mount. They are garbage, will melt, and rip apart. Trust me on this. You need a captured dolt or solid mount. The BimmerWorld OE "like" mounts are awesome and have a captured design that will not fail.