1985 BMW 318 Stage Rally Build - 1988 Porsche 924S Street Build - Sequoia Build

If you heat up the copper washers bright red with a propane torch (make a small aluminum foil furnace) and let them cool slowly they will anneal and can be used again without issue.

The compression work hardens the copper and this will reverse that.

nice, will have to do that :)

The mud flaps look mean. I like em

thanks, they definitely make the jacked-up suspension look not quite as goofy :)

minor stuff tonight on the car. Spent about an hour doing a home alignment "the old way" with my string setup, boards, and tape measure. I've found that this method on other cars has gotten me pretty much just as accurate as the local alignment shop with a Hunter machine (I've gone and checked a few times, just to see).

In any case, the front alignment was all out of whack, probably due to the shot balljoints and bushings previously on the car, and compensating for them. With fresh stuff everywhere, plus the camber top hats, the fronts were off-center overall and more than 1/2" toe out. Not acceptable.

First I lined up the mark on the steering linkage with the mark on the rack to center it (a nice feature that not all cars have), and locked the steering wheel.

Then did a four-wheel alignment. The rears were pretty close to zero toe, but I didn't check too closely since I can't change them anyhow, so they might be a tad in or out. Rear camber is sitting at about 1.5* negative on both sides.

Up front I just zeroed the toe as dead-on as I can get it. From there I'll tinker to see what I like - I'm guessing I'll want it a hair toe-out when all is said and done. Also checked the camber up front and both sides are sitting between 1 and 1.25 negative, so that's pretty good for now.

All in all that was a nice easy thing that should make the handling tighten up significnatly, especially considering how much freaking toe I was running previously.

more later....

grr......bit of a botch today. Saw I had a pair of new sunroof seals sitting around, so decided might as well go ahead and do them (the old ones looked old, but weren't leaking). Removed the sunroof no problem, did the seals, re-installed. Went to crank it closed and something must have been jammed in the rail, and of course I thought it was just sticking so I forced it. Oops. Snapped off one of the rail mechanisms. Dammit.

So, gonna have to find another one, because at the moment there's no way to close the sunroof (and I want it, I don't want sheet metal there).

This is in the category of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it...." dammit.

irish44j wrote: This is in the category of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it...." dammit.

I learn this just about every time I work on my e30. Still haven't really learned it though.

I had to go into work for a couple hours, and afterwards I swung by a local guy (EvilTwin - aka Viet)'s house to pick up some parts. Kind of funny since he and I met each other almost a decaded ago when we both had Maximas - back then he was like 16 years old and it was his first car. Now he has a nice house with a 4Runner and 2 e30s in the driveway...I feel old.

Anyhow, for next to nothing he hooked me up with a stock 325i rear swaybar and mounts/bushings. I almost laughed when I saw how tiny the stock bar is (I think my battery cables are thicker!), but it's still an upgrade over NO rear bar, which is what the 318 currently has. Stopped by the Olympus on the way home and picked up some cheap endlinks, though for the life of me I can't get the damn things on the ends of the bar with it on the car....just can't get enough leverage to push them on...grr.

He also had door weatherstripping/seals from a sedan sitting around - which is convenient since two of mine are total FUBAR'd. Grabbed those as well.

With it being 65 degrees today, planned on having an afternoon of car work without my fingers freezng.....

Unfortunately, upon arriving home there was a crisis: The clothes dryer not working, and my wife with 4 loads of clothes to do. So....the next half-hour was spent taking things apart and the culprit was found. The tension roller for the belt (which used to have a bushing in it). Apparently the bushing had seized and over God-knows-how-long it just wore the bushing away down tot he metal collar, and then wore down the pin it rode on, until it was loose enough to throw the belt off. Spent 2 more hours driving around to find the local appliance parts store and get a replacement. THat is some bad bearing, lol:

Then back to the car. Installed new dizzy cap and rotor, and set the timing to factory spec. Car is running smooth and quiet now, though it feels a bit sluggish. May need to advance the timing slightly to perk it up.

Also toyed around with my spare AFM. Took it apart and adjusted the "sweep" that had worn grooves into the contact surface. By adjusting the assembly height I was able to get the sweep into some fresh surface, so maybe it will get a cleanier/more consistent signal. Found this trick on a Porsche forum, since apparently it's used alot on 944's, which have the same Bosch AFM as the e30. Will check out the one n the car next.

Got the rear swaybar endlinks on today (after digging around for some lower bolts). Though it's a tiny bar, it's a vast improvement on the overall handling of the car after a quick test-drive.

I also tweaked the timing a bit, with a slight advance, and now the engine feels, if not exactly "powerful," at least somewhat peppy. Since the car is pretty lightweight at this point, it actually gets up and goes pretty decent. More power is always good, but it'll do for the time being.

Finally got around to replacing the platinums I had previously installed with some 9DS Bosch plugs, which are the "most suggested" for the M10 engine.

With the sunroof off, decided to address the peeling paint on it by sanding it down and painting it again, except in a color that (more or less) matches the replacement hood. Just because.....lol. I think I'm just gonna put stickers and crap all over it anyhow. Again, just because.

Little interior project. With the center console gone, there's nothing to attach the ebrake boot with. Though I like the raw look of it without a boot, I don't feel like jabbing my hand on the bolts or anything if I have to grab it quick. So I busted out the dremel and cut the center console apart so I could use the lower bracket where the ebrake boot originally attached. Used the rear bolt-down bracket, and then just put a small sheet-metal screw in the DS tunnel at the front. Works perfectly and doesn't look bad either :)

the part cut-out

the leftovers...

installed..

buttoned up for the night

A buddy of mine finished wrapping his Z06 a while back, and dropped by with a 3x5 remnant piece of matte black vinyl, thinking I could use it for whatever. After a few weeks of seeing it rolled up on the workbench, I decided it was time to have a little bit of cheesy fun. The nice thing about a rallycross beater is that I can do things to it I would never do to my daily driver. And of course vinyl comes off if it needs to.

So here it is. Flame away! I plan to continue the stripes down the side of the fender (which won't show up as much since the fender is black).

I would not continue them. They look good just on the hood.

point taken. the ones on the sides are just the remaining lengths of the already-cut strips, so might just do them to see how they look. If they look bad, I can just peel them off!

I love this car

today, on February 1st, it was 67 degrees out. Really?

ok, well took minor advantage of this to paint the other two door cards on the driver's side with some plastic paint (including cleaning/prep/etc)

and what rally car would be complete without and old-school MARTINI decal? Put on in memory of my old Lancia Delta.

ok, no car work tonight since there are some things on TV I feel like watching on the couch, lol.

well, just for the hell of it, a little bit of kindergarten hobby time. I have a long-kept hate of painter's tape and shoe polish on cars at autocrosses, etc. IDK why, I just do :)

So I'm going to need some class magnets (already have plenty of numbers from years of autocross). Went and found a few old magnetized autocross class decals, and an old magnetized G-Force sticker (where that came from, no idea....)

A bit of tracing printed out letters, a bit of cutting, and we have some free magnetic class letters. I know, I know. Big-time stuff here. Try to contain your excitement.

I'll hit these up over the weekend with some spraypaint so people can actually see what they say.

Coming soon: - a couple new steering wheels to choose from - battery relocation to the trunk - fix the damn sunroof track.

This thing is really coming along nicely!

I think you should continue the matt black stripes on the black fender, perhaps alternating with the black on the hood?

When I had my black 'vette, I wanted to put dark grey or semi-gloss "GS" stripes on the hood fender, so it wouldn't stand out like a grand sport copy, but would be subtle enough to notice if you were looking that its not all stock.

I love subtle details. Especially things like retaining the parking brake cover without keeping the console.

gotta go help a friend do some house painting tonight.....bleh.

before I go, opened a little package on my porch. One for the BMW, one for the GT6. Haven't decided which is which yet....Got both wheels and an e30 hub adaptor (all brand new) for around $200. So if I decide I don't want them, I figure I can recoup my money pretty easy, if not make some.

350mm devil

370mm retro

installed

daytonaer wrote: This thing is really coming along nicely! I think you should continue the matt black stripes on the black fender, perhaps alternating with the black on the hood? When I had my black 'vette, I wanted to put dark grey or semi-gloss "GS" stripes on the hood fender, so it wouldn't stand out like a grand sport copy, but would be subtle enough to notice if you were looking that its not all stock. I love subtle details. Especially things like retaining the parking brake cover without keeping the console.

thanks, I have to do the subtle things because on a budget I can't do the crazy noticeable things like major engine work, haha.... Yeah, I did continue the 3 stripes down the driver's side fender, and I really like how it looks (pics later, that side is against a wall so hard to take a good pic). So if I have enough material, I think I might do the passenger fender as well, but without the wrap onto the hood (that would look like overkill).

a little detour from working on the e30 to clean the garage and watch a couple episodes of Dexter tonight. Waiting on a few parts and making some plans for the e30 on some minor issues. Also re-upped my SCCA membership, which is not cheap for the WDCR region, so I can't back out now. Plus I want to run the WRX at some FedEx Field autocrosses this year between rallycrosses, since I'll finally have new camber plates on the car - one of the last things I really want to do with the Subie.

Anyhow, for the one person on this site who hasn't previously heard me blather on about it......with cleaining the garage always comes a few realizations. Tonight's are: 1. My workbench is the best ever. It's 200lbs, made of steel, and cannot be damaged in any respect. It's more awesome because it was free. I got it from a music studio that was getting rid of it - it used to hold an old soundboard, so it was built to hold alot of weight and be extremely rigid. My centerpiece! 2. I have too many wheels and tires. Really. And all of the ones in the garage are either for the Subaru or the e30. The GT6 second set is back in the shed with it. Thankfully the 4Runner just has one set. 3. Upon cleaning up, I've come to the realization that I have exactly NINE tape measures floating around the garage. Where these all came from is a mystery..... 4. I'm going to need a bigger toolchest soon. This one is getting really crowded, and I want more drawers to organize nuts, bolts, etc in. 5. I need to think of a way to convince my wife to not park in one half of the garage with her SUV. Because I need the whole garage to myself. This may be difficult since one of the oriignal deals with buying this house was for her to get half the garage to park inside. Ironic that of my four cars, the only one that parks OUTSIDE is my WRX, which is the newest of the four. Go figure. 6. "building" and "modding" the garage is almost as much fun as doing it to my cars.

Anyhow, because posts without pics are boring, here's a couple of the cleaned garage. Well, my half of it that is.

Looks cozy. You ran out of room with that chest and rollaway? Damn... Granted, if my tools weren't packed into the drawers like sardines, I'd probably fill it too.

I'm hoping to start prepping my e30 in early March. I'd like to make a test n tune on 3/18.

lol...yeah, 20 years of tools piling up, plus some of the drawers are used for home renovation stuff (sanding/spackling/etc). I really just want to be able to organize parts and hardware better, honestly.

what are you prepping your e30 for?

some pre-Superbowl minor work today. Took the car out for a 20-minute drive today and everything seems to be working well. The ride quality is firm, but somehow better on the bumpy stuff than my WRX (on RCE yellows and Bilstein Sports). Steering is still slow, but the new steering wheel helps alot with quick movements over the stock trucker wheel. Engine and brakes working perfectly, all controls working well. Still hearing some rumble from the back, but can't tell if that's just NVH that was previously covered up by the soundproofing/rear seats or if something is actually wrong. Doesn't sound like wheel bearing noise, so might just be a noisy diff. Time will tell.

Also drained the transmission (fluid didn't look too bad, but might as well) and refilled with Redline MT-90. I know MTL is the preferred fluid, but I had three half-full bottles of MT-90 sitting around, so decided to use it for the moment. Shifter feels nice and smooth, but still may switch later. We'll see.

took a few outdoor pics, with the completed "rally stripes" made from some remnant vinyl. Against some suggestions, I wrapped it down the fenders and I think I like it that way.

Also hit a small, and annoying little project: removing about 2lbs of soundproofing on the c-pillars (since the lower headliner in that area was all ripped up anyhow). This stuff is stuck on there good, and it took various scrapers and razor blades to get it all off. Fun fun. But the little stuff adds up.

irish44j wrote: lol...yeah, 20 years of tools piling up, plus some of the drawers are used for home renovation stuff (sanding/spackling/etc). I really just want to be able to organize parts and hardware better, honestly. what are you prepping your e30 for?

Ah... I keep all of my home renovation and woodworking tools in other boxes. The main Craftsman box is soley for auto tools.

I'm doing a light STX prep. Right now, the next things to be done is Ireland engine mounts and the UUC short shifter. Need to order tires too. Going with 195/60-14 Star Specs for the cooler early season and then order a set of RS-3's for the CCW reps when they show up and it gets warmer. The next batch of mods will be more IE stuff: Stage 3 springs and 25mm front bar. I'll probably add stainless brake hoses as well.

I've been thinking of ordering a set of 14" Winterforce tires and maybe doing a rally-x event or two if my schedule allows.

ok, all this autocross talk is getting me off my rally groove :D

back to work! Got a delivery of parts today, courtesy of TurboJake. Who, I might add, is by far the best shipper, packer, and seller on the entire planet. Great parts prices, shipped super-fast, packing was professional, and I got pics of every step of the process. I highly recommend getting parts from Jake if he has what you're looking for!

The parts in question: Everything I need for trunk battery relocate. I already had the OEM 325i cable (oddly, from a Nissan buddy who couldn't use it for his battery relocation on his i30).

anyhow, first to the trunk. The 318 still has all the tabs and mount spots for the 325i tray, so it slid in perfect. Needed to drill one hole in the floor to mount. After install I wasn't terribly happy with how much flex there is in the tray. I have a feeling that it would crack or break during alot of rallycross. So I decided to find something to use as a center support for some additional strength. After digging around the garage, found a Jeep extended bumpstop (for rear leaf springs) that for some reason I never used on the old XJ. Put a screw through the top to hold it in, and there we go.

tray in, and my Red Top fits perfectly. I will need to fab up some hold-downs, since the OEM bracket wasn't included (and probably wouldn't work anyhow). Eventually will move to a lighter race battery, but that's not in the budget right now.

On to the front.....The distro block is an easy install, since there are dimples for drilling the holes in the firewall to put it in the stock position. Getting the cable through the firewall was another story. It comes in from the side, and BMW was nice enough to put a thin metal punch-out piece there, so a couple whacks with a chisel punched it out. Unfortunately, this is where I had previously fiberglassed over, so I had to cut some of that out as well. And the reason I had fiberglased over the area is that there was some rust-through and a leak.

Anyhow, after much cursing and using various flathead screwdrivers to pry and cajole, finally got the OEM firewall grommet/seal in place. Because of the old rust, there's a hole on one side of it, so I'll have to take care of that in the near future.

Everything hooked up, just need to move the ground cable to the trunk and figure out a hold-down and good to go. I think moving the weight to the trunk will be beneficial on this car, since it's pretty damn light back there and I'll want as much weight as possible for traction, and perhaps reduce some understeer. We'll see.

ah, that's better. Used most of the hardware from the engine bay setup, except stole a j-hook from the GT6 (in storage for the winter, will replace it later) for one side. Held down rock-solid now, doesn't budge an inch...