MrCat

IF price/tax was NOT a concern, the following three are no match for the rest of the toy cars. In terms of : driving dynamics, proper sports car chassis and pure analog feel/balance. ** Mazda Mx5 - New ** Toyota GT86/ Subaru BRZ ** Mazda Mx5 - old

I`ve used and tried all sorts of spark plugs over the years. Honestly, just use any reputable brand with the ‘correct’ specifications as per the manufacturer. Iridium, Platinum, Multi-ground, it doesn’t really make a difference as long as manufacturer specs are met for a specific engine. Obviously with materials like iridium the electrode will last longer, but may not be cost beneficial if a set of plugs is multiple times the price of a normal set. 4500 for a spark plug is just crazy! Also, maybe just run it as it is unless there are issues with fuel consumption, hesitation to accelerate etc..

Hello All, Was browsing though some photos in my E30 project 'folder', so thought of updating this thread. I always wanted to upgrade the stock 14 inch wheels/rims. The factory alloys` specs were: 14 inch by 6inch, +30mm offset, 4x100 pcd, 57.1 centre bore. The tires, at 195/65 R14, were too narrow for my liking and the car was very tail happy in the wet when driven hard. It was difficult to put the power down when the road is slippery, wheel-spin on 3rd gear is fun at times, but not so great on public roads with traffic around. Rear driven cars usually run lower offsets, so perfect fitting wheels are not easy to find for the E30. 4X100 PCD, lower offset with 57.1mm center bore is a rare combination and good quality wheels (specially European styles) are quite rare and expensive in the international market. I did NOT want to modify the hubs or run any sort of wheel adapter. I kept browsing through local classifieds for months, finally found a set of period correct wheels made by Racing Dynamics in Italy (a BMW performance parts supplier). Wheel specs are : 16 inch by 7.5 inch, -25 offset, weight: 8.5kg each. Here are the wheels before they got professionally powder coated: Paint stripped and primer on : During the powder coating process: Paint cured and baked : Final product: On a side note, I also got the engine Valve Cover painted in matte black: Wheels test fitted with new tires: 205/50 R16 - (without center caps on):

Sorry I cant help you with any recommendations. But please update this thread if you get time. With car details, pics, plans etc..

Dreams are nothing to be mocked about mate.! Dream big and one day you`ll make it. Big BMW fan here, but i`m more into the older (pre 2000) beemers.. Im sure you`ve seen this, when the M5 set the world record for the longest drift : D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtDc_ZRrkcU

ha ha.. imagine the wind in ya face as you roll down the road.!

Just resurrecting an OLD thread. MkX, you still around? Wondering what happened to the project?

Now what exactly is that?

Pretty much a hypothetical ('if-i-win-the-loto' kind of) list mate. The Lotus Elise is probably the only car I wont mind actually owning. One thing you tend to learn as life goes by is that the dream cars are actually not that spectacular when DO get to own/drive/live with Nothing wrong with aiming for one though, if you don't try you'll never know..

Just too many to list i`ve tried, but the 'one-car-that-does-all' is a very difficult one to get right. Tend to find some issue/drawback with every car I owned/drove/looked at/researched . Just a quick list based on what comes to mind Track - any Supercharged Lotus Elise Daily drive (weekdays) - Tesla Model S Weekender - anything with an Chevy LS3 V8, has to be an LS3 Long distance cruiser - Lexus LS 500h Offroad/camping - Landcruiser 200 series with a Diesel V8 Classic - Any water cooled, non-turbo Porsche 911 Just for show with no real purpose - Range Rover Autobiography

I sincerely hope there`ll be a legitimate method to import a “self-owned” classic in future by paying a reasonable amount of tax. Even if I had to show proof of ownership, go through import control etc.. On a different note, what if I never register the car and never intend to use it on public roads? Is it still the same tax structure at the moment? Does anyone know?

and here I was... getting all exited thinking 'oh.! a new 510 project.!' ... ?

Have you had a chance to test fit some 15x7`s? I honestly dont` know much about Escorts and what would work. But my RWD car (BMW E30) had 14x6`s from factory. I found that even 16x8`s would fit without any modifications, with just the right offset. Here`s test fitting some 16x8`s, ET 26 offset :

Awesome.!! Update the progress as you go.! Just about the wheels, you may find that 6 inch wide is a bit too narrow. I`d recommend at least 7 inch. 8 would look great but may need to roll the guards and tires are not plentiful and expensive. I know 4x108`s may be hard find, but do think about the correct offset as well. I know the low offset wheels required by these RWD cars are not easy to find (unlike FWD offsets such as -35 or -40 which are very common). Please dont use spacers or hack the hubs, find the correct offset with the right center bore for the car and it`ll be worth it in the long run. Good luck.! Super-lights (wheel style) are a popular option for these.

So your main concern is whether the damage/groove would affect braking performance and brake pad wear correct? If the groove is really 1mm wide, my experience is that it won’t make a difference in braking performance. Brake pad wear won’t be significant either. The main thing to look for is whether the car would shudder (i.e. vibration from brakes causing wheels to wobble) under heavy braking. If there is no shudder or significant noise under braking, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.

I know it`s not E30 related, but cant help but post these other Bavarian beauties i`ve captured during the same meet.... 2002 Trubo, most probably a genuine car.. The best condition E34 i`ve seen in my life. This one is a 535is, presented like it just rolled out of the factory.. Timeless E34 interior... E24 635csi - 6 series coupe also known as the Shark Nose E28 M5 replica - done up just like a genuine M5

Hello..! Found some pics taken at a BMW meet where my car met it`s twin.! Same color (''brilliantrot") 318is, but the other car is a slick top (i.e. no sunroof)

This was quite a different place when I joined about 13 years ago.! Alfa GTV projects, Greenpath drags, some dude building crazy DIY BBQ machines.. All sorts of epic stuff..!!! It`s more like a Q&A forum now, i guess times have changed.! Not much grease monkey content which we all love to see

Nice van.! Is this used for passenger carrying purposes or home/personal use? I know back in the day people used small Vans as family vehicles (even in a 3 person household) because they were cost efficient to buy due to low tax. Is it still the norm? LiteAce/TownAce type small vans are not so popular these days isn't it?

Pictures or it didn't happen yea? Lightweight Chrome-Molly Flywheel weighing in at 3KG: Re-engineered transmission mounts (Genuine E21 mounts with an aluminium casing): SACHS clutch kit: Revshift polyurethane engine mounts: Shifter rebuild : More drive-line + clutch bits:

Hello All, Another quick update some drive-line related upgrades on the E30 which is well worth the effort IMHO. In 2017, I decided to refresh the gearbox and driveline to reduce slack and to make the car a bit more responsive. A lightweight flywheel is the most prominent upgrade here. A single-mass flywheel went in, only weighing 3KG. Compared to the 12KG dual-mass original flywheel, this makes the engine rev much quicker hits peak torque instantly. Plus, downshift rev matches are a joy with brisk throttle response. Only negative is that the flywheel rattles a bit when idling. Also, the gear shifter got rebuilt with a short-shifter from a BMW Z3 for improved shifter feel and precision. Finally, upgraded polyurethane engine mounts and upgraded gearbox mounts helps with reduced driveline twist under acceleration. Here`s some of the parts (OEM BMW part numbers noted) that went in: Parts List - Gear Box related: Gearbox output shaft seal (Genuine BMW) – 23121205342 Crank seal (rear, Genuine BMW ) – 11142249533 Gearbox Shift Rod Seal - 23121282394 Getrag gearbox Drain Filler Plug M24x1.5 mm - 23117527440 Parts List - Shifter rebuild: Garagistic E30 delrin shifter bushing kit >> round shifter bushings (x2), OEM shifter cup, delrin rear carrier bushing, and bitch clip Garagistic Shifter boot – 25111220204 Z3 1.9 shifter (short shifter conversion) - 25117527252 Parts List - Clutch/Flywheel: Clutch release fork lever (Genuine BMW) > 21511204229 Spring clip (Genuine BMW) >> 21511204327 M20 (320i) Flywheel Hex bolt (M12X1.5X28), 8 of these (Genuine BMW) >> 11227805885 M42 pilot bearing (Grooved ball bearing), 15X32X10 (Genuine BMW) >> 11211720310 Clutch Fork Pivot Pin (Genuine BMW) – 21511223328 Lightweight Flywheel from RHD engineering BMW M20 (320i) clutch kit: Pressure Plate Clutch Disc Thrust Bearing Parts List - Drive-line/Shaft: Propshaft Joint Flex-disc (OEM) - 26111225624 Centering sleeve bearing for Flex-disc (Genuine BMW) >>26117526611 Mounts : Engine Mounts (green polyurethane – x2) Upgraded and re-engineered Gearbox mounts (x2)

Just a couple of pics of the engine bay, as it was when bought, against as it stands now after some degreasing, detailing, installing air box back on and the vacuum hose/intake work. Before: After:

I reckon E34 is a better package for local conditions. More roomier and comfortable, equally as fun to drive.

So, the car was running fine with NO excess smoke, cold start issues, timing chain noises etc.. However, I always felt that the idle wasn’t spot-on. I decided to address the famous ‘mess under the intake’. This is what the E30 community had named the German over-engineering effort under the intake manifold on the M42 engine. They decided to go nuts with coolant lines and vacuum hoses and added a throttle body heater which is completely useless in warm weather. This basically involved: ** Remove coolant lines which goes to throttle body heater plate ** Remove excess vacuum lines and add a couple of direct connections. 1.) Valve cover to throttle body. 2.) ICV to intake boot ** Add new coolant bypass from cylinder head to the plastic coolant distributing thingy on the side of the block ** Replace two short fuel lines under the intakes, the high pressure line was leaking a bit ** Replace all the gaskets and vacuum lines ** Clean everything (ICV, TB, manifolds, plastic bits, connectors, etc...) Parts list below, ordered from the local dealer: · Intake boot >> 13711734385 · Hose clamp (L12-15), fuel line >> 07129952104 (4 of these) · Vacuum hose from FPR (3.5X1.8) >> 11727545323 · Gasket – throttle housing >> 13541743261 · Hex nut with plate - throttle housing >> 07129900681 / 07129904553 (4 of these) · Air hose (to ICV) >> 13411721971 · Gasket – upper intake manifold >> 11611717761 · Gasket – lower intake manifold >> 11611734684 · Hex nut with plate (AM7 ZNNIV SI) >> 07129905541 (8 of these) · Coolant Hose (this is from E36 M42, used for coolant by-pass) >> 11531247398 Some of the parts: Lower intake manifold removed: The ‘”mess under the intake”: Unfortunately I forgot to take any pictures while putting things back together. With new hoses and gaskets, the car idles perfectly now. Perhaps it’s all in my head, but feels like throttle response is sharper.!!

Ha Ha.. I think the E30 is in a very unique position which helps to drive prices up globally. 80`s/90`s mechanical simplicity, sedan practicality – yet compact, rear drive, ~1100kg weight - this combination IS quite rare. Add independent rear suspension to the mix and I simply don’t know of any other mainstream car/model which is similar. The C class comes close, but that`s a heavier car in general. Yeah, the E30 M3 is a different beast.. Racing pedigree, homologation production run, proper German over-engineering, etc... They dont` make em anymore, so the only way for the prices to go is 'up'..