Leaderboard

This. have deleted heaps of posts. you wouldn't press pay pay pay pay on online banking, please do the same here.

Apologies for the crap quality. Better pics in due course. Fuel filler cap and door handles, kidney grill surround and so on have been plasti-dipped in black. Wheels are the wrong offset for the car. Rears rub on hard cornering, despite the arch lips having been rolled. So, replacement rims are on the menu. Not obvious in the pic but to be expected - clearcoat (took me ages to work out what people were talking about - I know it as lacquer!) is peeling in several areas. Cleanest engine bay I've seen in a while, even if it's not obvious in the pic. No oil or water leaks anywhere! It started raining, and it was getting dark, so pics of a black leather interior weren't going to come out well.

Hi all, After a while of being relatively quiet on here I am back with my latest! It all began a few years ago after I had sold my last E30 (black 325i vert) and was feeling like something was missing. I flew to Auckland and purchased this coupe from a forum member. It was a great car and I picked it up for a price unheard of in todays E30 market. At the time I didn't have too many plans for it, just maintain it and drive it on the weekend. I changed the cambelt with the intention of keeping the M20 in it. At least it was reliable! I couldnt help myself and installed a set of XYZ coilovers and Sportmaxx 16x8 wheels. I also had the rear guards rolled and pumped out along with painted bumpers and respraying the guards. This lasted for summer until I decided to misbehave while driving for a wedding for Jamie (Black E30 in the pic). The gearbox lost reverse while trying ever so hard (M20B20 remember) to get it to do a celebratory burnout. So I gave the 4hp22 one last farewell and got onto thinking about what I was going to do next. I decided I wanted a repower. I considered this a huge challenge and something I had never attempted before, so I was anxious. I set about stripping the old M20 out and began to think about what was going to take its place. I contemplated M5x, RB25, 1JZ, V8s.. even a 13b turbo. Then this turned up... It was all on! A 13b turbo from a series 5 Mazda RX7. I always wanted an RX7, the rotary engine was something that I just had to have. So what better than a rotary E30 to satisfy my cravings. The rotary also ticked many other boxes that the bigger inline 6 options didnt: engine bay space, brake booster clearance, power to weight. With the engine finally stripped and sitting in the bay it was becoming apparent that it was a relatively straight forward swap. Custom sump and oil pickup were to be made. While a conversion to manual steering was going to give me more room under the engine and around the exhaust/turbo and also satisfy my need for a clean engine bay. Power steering isnt a necessity in a car this light with an engine that weighs as much as a weetbix box. Custom engine and gearbox mounts were fabbed up and the engine yanked back out again to go back home. Once the mounts were completed I dropped the engine back in to check everything was correct. Once I was happy that it was all going to fit I worked out where the intercooler and radiator were going to fit and mocked up some intake piping. Then it was time to pull it all back out again and prepare for paint. This was exciting, I've always craved a smoothed over E30 engine bay! The paint was laid down and I was stoked! Engine back in again for the final time to start piecing it together. Now the fiddly stuff, nothing heavy, plenty of cursing and swearing to come! As the car was originally auto I fitted a manual pedal box early on in the piece with anticipation of what was to come. All along I wanted to intercooler to remain hidden, but still receive good airflow so the piping was tricky. Because I am using a stock turbo and boost levels I have been able to keep the piping nice and small which was helpful in keeping it all hidden. Once I was happy it was off to get alloy welded and have the BOV mount welded in place. Then black paint was applied before reassembly as well as mounting radiator, RX7 oil cooler (in factory location) and making hoses and lines to suit. I also removed as much of the front body loom as I could and hid the remaining wires between the radiator and oil cooler. I also made a throttle cable and clutch line etc while i was mucking around in the engine bay. Finally starting to take shape.. I had decided to go standalone with the engine management. An old Microtech LTX-8 ECU was purchased and I undertook my very first attempt at wiring anything more than a headunit. I also fitted and wired in boost/vac, water temp and oil pressure gauges. With the wiring completed and ready for first start up. Fluids were poured in, fuel was mixed and she fired into life! Took a bit of turning over to clear, but it started after a few goes! I was a pretty happy lad that night, it was finally starting to seem real. Also, a rotary engine is incredibly loud in the shed with just a turbo and no exhaust... Happy neighbours were not found in my area that night! The next morning I discovered a small pool of oil under the car so the sump was removed and a small pinhole welded up. I was frustrated because I had checked the sump for holes.. obviously not well enough! Next on the list was exhaust so the car was taken back out to my mates place where he has a hoist and the necessary skills to fab up some pipes/flanges. The exhaust consisted of a 2.5" short downpipe, 3" to centre resonator, 3" to rear muffler. This provides plenty of flow, a reasonable amount of noise reduction and next to no ground clearance at the height I had it. Ive since lifted the suspension 20mm at the front and 10mm at the rear just to give a bit of freedom underneath. I had my tuner come round and check the car out to see if it was dyno ready - he checked things like voltage drop to the coils and fuel pump. Interferance on any sensors etc. He also set up the fuel maps at idle so that I could at least run through a few heat cycles and bleed the cooling system before putting it on the dyno for a tune. Then it was dyno day! The tune went well until 3500rpm where we found a misfire which turned out to be a malfunction in the ECU. We also found that the spark wasnt as strong as it could be so it was decided that I would replace the old coils before the next dyno day just to be safe. It was back to the drawing board and a little bit more wiring to be done. While I was waiting for more dyno time I installed a handy little voltage gauge so I could keep an eye on the battery. I got it off trademe for a few bucks and hooked into the wiring that goes to the check panel. It reads about 0.4V lower than at the battery but at least it gives me some idea of whats going on. Back on the dyno again after a few weeks The tune was going good until 4500rpm where the turbo started to make some boost and the internal wastegate couldnt keep up. The ECU was cutting fuel at 13psi so we had to pull the pin. Back to the drawing board. I found that the wastegate was hitting the back of the turbo and not opening fully, and also put some of the issue down to the fact that the exhaust was so much bigger than the factory downpipe and the turbo was flowing much faster and free'er than normal. I solved this by taking a scallop out of the backplate of the turbo and adding a 3mm restrictor plate straight after the turbo with a 2" hole (the size of the factory downpipe) While playing around the exhaust I decided to delete the old steering guibo and heatshield to give me some more clearance and eliminate the chance of the extreme heat deteriorating the rubber. I also decided to ditch the viscous fan as it needed a shroud to actually make it work and it was too hard to make a shroud. I replaced it with an electric fan and had a plate made up to shroud the fan and enable it to pull air across the entire surface of the radiator. I wired the fan so that I can either turn it on with a switch in the car or the ECU can turn it on at a set temperature. I also added a heat shield around the turbo and downpipe after seeing it glowing red on the dyno. It was almost dyno time again and after a few hard road tests to check the boost levels I encountered another problem. Small case diffs. I quickly sourced a medium case 3.73:1 open diff from Ray @ Hellbm and installed that with some fresh Redline oil. Back on the dyno and fingers crossed for the third time lucky! The tune went well but we discovered the restrictor plate is choking the turbo a bit and the boost level starts to drop at around 6000rpm. This will be fixed one way or another in the future with either a boost controller or opening the turbo up again and adding an external wastegate. Power wasnt huge at 155kw at the wheels on a low-reading roller dyno. Once the boost issue is sorted out I should see close to 200rwkw. After driving the car home in the wet I decided 155rwkw is plenty for a street car for now and I will focus on getting the car legal/certed so that I can begin to enjoy it. The day after dyno I had to see what it was like in the dry.. Turns out it goes ok! I had to give it a bit of victory burnout love on the driveway which was great - Unfortunately the right hand side engine mount didnt think so and started to bend (8mm plate!!) So out it comes to have some strength added to it.. Two 5mmx15mm gussets at the weak point. It aint pretty but it works, the second victory burnout proved it! (on closed roads of course) This weekend I managed to put the engine mount back in and also paint the inside of the fuse box cover. I'm crazy on clean engine bays and the transparent blue lid with yellow underneath just didnt cut it! I understand the rotary E30 isnt going to be accepted by everyone here, and I also understand it isnt a first, but I'm always a fan of doing what you believe is right for you. After a bit of deliberation I decided on posting this so people that are interested can see what I've been doing and share their thoughts. After all, I built it for me! It wont get old driving down the road seeing peoples reactions to this car! Its been a long time coming but this diary brings me up to date on my build thus far. Its been a huge challenge, but something I have enjoyed immensely! I've learnt more than I could ever imagine and become much less hesitant to take on big jobs. Next on the list is learn to weld, then I'll be unstoppable!! While this isnt a comprehensive list of everything I've done and products I've used etc I feel I've covered the main points. Feel free to ask any questions you may have, or even offer criticism on things you think I could improve. I have acheived my goal of keeping the car low-key in appearance. From the outside the only give away is the exhaust, which could just be another E30 with a fart-can.. Until you hear it! My goal was to keep this tasteful and not your typical "brap brap brap Rota BeMa G" Now that I have finally posted this project I will continue to update this thread as I make progress. Happy building and thanks for taking the time to read this thread!! Jason Edit: heres a flame pic!

It's Cordoba Red. Not really red, but not quite purple. It will be along.

Interesting colour! Looking forward to seeing it at one of our upcoming coffee meets.

Haha that's a problem that's shared by many mate All good will be awesome to see you!

Good to read this thread I missed. Covers most of the point drawn up in my own post. PS3s it shall be

Was a good day, brought a replacement e46 for the written off e46. This time a 328i, super tidy! Drives way better than the old one. Brought sight unseen On trademe for 4.4 so was stoked when It showed up on how nice it was. He even delivered it! How's that for service and with a full tank!! Oh and brought the old e46 back for 600 Hopefully can start swapping the bits over I want in the next few weeks if I have time. Became self employed last week and am super busy so will see.

I don't want to bag on the seller or the car but how can you not notice something like that exhaust? Good price though and sharp if you're looking for a sedan.

Thanks for this. I might pop in and grab a brush as I'm not sure the toothbrushes I got are quite the right tool! I did get some VW Alcantara cleaner so hopefully that'll do the trick. The problem I have with popping in is that I'm about 100% confident I'll end up talking about a detail and therefore spending more $ than I intended!

Im pretty impressed with my Hankook S1 Evo 2's. Although they ain't top tier i couldn't find anything better in 245/45R18 for less than $300. BMW uses them on a number of models so can't be too bad.

Looks like a nice example but why does that rear muffler bother me so much haha. Is it meant to hang down like that?

Great color, km and price. Wont last long. E: gah, why cant people be honest and convert miles to km and put the correct amount of KM in the listing? Thats about 205,000km.

big ups to all the guys who host forums all round the world.I get a daily fix of bmws,pajeros,mountain bikes and motorbikes because of some awesome people!

Hey Mitchell, I've just done the same as you a month ago. Driving John Herbmiester's well-sorted 330Ci ruined me! It drove like I expected a BMW to, and was fun and rewarding, and well beyond the level of enjoyment my stock-box was providing! My biases (well published here previously): I don't beleive in cheap-ass tyres. The improved braking performance that a good tyre brings can translate to the absence of scraped paint and dented panels, or worse, blood and broken bones, in an emergency stop. False economy! Wet weather performance for me is paramount; I like to drive in the wet. Grip is more important than fuel economy to me. I choose not to drive a Prius. Yes I've driven a few, and riden in many. Right then, having declared my biases, on to my current (recent) experience, and it's relevance to yours. e46 Touring, 325i previously updated from a couple of different Bridgestrone JDM tyres that were on the car when I bought it. Stock size, 205/55/16 on 7J's. was running Toyo Proxes4 (Toyo's equivalent to Bridgestone's Sporty MY-02) have run Toyo T1-R established my thinking on directional tyres was hopelessly outdated! Refreshed the suspension on my e46 - totally stock - Sachs Shocks, strut bearings, ARB bushings, tie rods, boots, bump stops, fasteners, shock reinforcement plates front and rear, rear meyle HD mounts. Result: much improved, no more dive, much better ride. But when later compared with John's 330 or pushed through tight twisty corners, like a well behaved German saloon - but not a sportscar. It was like it was on Pogo Sticks. Next step was good advice (thanks again, John Herbmeister!) and research, which brings my ride closer to yours: the staggered setup, and MSport ARBs (24mm/20mm). Springs may still be on the cards. Tyre Choices - 225/45/17 & 245/40/17. I'm running Style 194's, wich provide the same track as the 7J's, but wider track than the Style 68's (staggered) due to the different offsets. Pricing and choices - broadly the same as you've mentioned above Also included Proxes4's Was wondering about GT's as well Hyper direct turned out more expensive than getting pricing from local real businesses in my local community The choices, summarised: the lower-mid to mid-ground which includes Proxes4, MY-02, Hankooks, most Dunlops will run you around $800-1100 fitted. the bottom end are not considered. Anyone who tells you "HiFly or Nexen or Nangkangs are "fine if you're just pootling around town" probably haven't put a price on crippling someone in an accident. It came down to a choice of two for me, I think of them as 'Entry Level Serious'. Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE003, or Michelin Pilot Sport 3 My choice: I chose with my wallet in conjunction with my head. The PS3 would be a bit better riding, and a bit better gripping, and a bit better wearing, but for about $350 more. I was also factoring in the rim updates - at least the 17" choices were cheaper than the last set of 16" tyres (Toyo Proxes4) I put on! RE003's were under $900 on my car. So, how are they, Olaf? quiiiiiiet. shhhhhh! they're oh so quiet. compared with the Toyos (that get noisier as they wear), the 003's were much quieter than new Toyo Proxes4 or T1-R. No, I didn't get out my dB meter! Yes, I do have a dB meter - not just a phone app! sticky. grippy. Oh man, it's grippy. And not just because of the wider rims; I tried the car for half a day on HiFly 805's (in the dry). The RE003's offer way more grip in the dry than the HiFlys, or T1-R's. They seem great in the wet; though it's been so dry in Wellington lately, I've hardly had a chance to assess them. My first impression is they're well beyond Toyo T1-R's in the wet. Sidewall stiffness works much, much better with my e46's suspension; I can run lower pressures than before. I'm still experimenting, round town seems ok at 35 front, 40 rear. But now I start again as I've just added the ARB's and had the trailing arm bushes done. Subjective warning: I had them off on Saturday; even when they're cold, (ambient 16c) the face of the tread feels slightly tacky. Surprising for a road tyre. I drove 320kms yesterday (on a fresh alignment), and marvelled at how the 003's are on the open road. Grip, communication, progressiveness. They're without doubt the best tyre I've ever owned. Yes there are better tyres, no doubt. But for under a grand, in the staggered 17" setup on an e46? They're excellent. Summary: RE003's FTW. Great performance, work well on the e46. And great value to boot! What's not to love? PS: did I mention they're oh so quiet?

I'm running the same sizes on my 328i, went from Re001s to PS3s. If you can sacrifice a little less dry grip, but get a better ride and better wet grip, go for the PS3s over the Re003s. Consumer have just done a test on 225/45/17s - worth a look. PS my son found 225/45/17 PS3s for $200 in Auckland a couple of months ago.

What smart arse is selling Falkens for more than RE003's? That's a good joke