Leaderboard

Replace all suspension/bushing components/diff rebuild - Completed Apr-May 2019, 198,000km Since I purchased the E30, Previous owners had fitted Vogtland springs and Boge fronts with standard rears... impractically low, soft, paired with with the wrong shocks. Add to that almost 200,000km on the clock and most things were getting soft/perished, the rear beam bushings were particularly shot adding some exciting rear wheel steering to the mix when avoiding pot holes. After countless hours of research and sleepless nights pondering what I'd do, I purchased Bilstein B8 shocks & H&R Sport springs a few years ago, but they sat in the garage (shocks stored upright), being too busy with work to devote the time to completing the job. It's never going to be a track car being a convertible, and I'm not an overly 'spirited' driver, but I didn't want to return to the lofty heights of factory suspension & wanted something firm but controlled. I picked up the strut bar & cross brace from Garagistic on sale in the hope to keep everything nice and tight up front and make the most of the sport shocks & springs (I'm sure I could find stiffer/higher performance versions of these, however I liked their understated design). This year after quitting my job it was finally time to get them fitted. Crippled with an acute case of 'while you're in there' I had brought all other bushings for front & rear, all new wheel bearings (front left had failed a warrant). Diff was whining rumbling like there was no tomorrow so off to Kayne Barrie for a rebuild. Parts: -Bilstein B8 sports shocks -H&R Sports springs -Garagistic front strut brace -Garagistic front lower x-brace -Original 3.73 diff rebuilt with Z3 torsen -Rear beam bushings -Rear trailing arm bushings -Rear sway bar bushings & end links -Diff carrier mount -Front control arms -Front rose-jointed sway bar end links (Ford Mondeo 'upgrade' from E30 wiki) -Front strut mounts -Front tie-rod ends -Spring pads -Front disks, pads & caliper rebuild kits (rears replaced 2 years ago) -Parking brake pads & hardware -New brake lines (x6) -Wheel bearings (x4 - FAG, original supplier as noted on the old ones) -Exhaust hangers & gaskets -Engine & transmission mounts -Various new bolts, nuts for drive shaft, rear beam, etc. All bushings/mounts/end links/control arms Lemforder. Brake rebuild kits & lines ATE, standard Bosch pads. I removed the exhaust directly from the headers & removed as one piece. Then dropped the rear subframe as a complete unit and disassembled (loosening the half shaft retaining nuts before removal). The subframe came away easily as the rear beam bushings were completely separated You can see a 3-axis puller attached to the half shaft & hub... this was useless requires a press or back of an axe with spacer! Once this was all apart, I took these round to Nathan's (zero) house and with his help & the right tools we got all the old bushings and bearings out in an afternoon! This would have been a properly horrible job without his help! There were only a few very minor corrosion spots on these parts due to the copious amounts of factory protectant wax that was still clinging on, nonetheless while it was all out, I sent it off to be sand blasted, primed & painted: While this was all out, gave the under body a good scrub & check for corrosion... again the factory wax and face-lift galvanizing process had held up well. Once all the parts were back from the paint shop, I pushed all the bushings & bearings back in with a press Received the diff back from Kayne and set about re-assembling everything! (assembled on the car) The old front sway bar end-links vs the rose jointed ones Front strut bar fitted (required repositioning the clutch fluid reservoir). Unfortunately I've only taken it for a short run up the road (needs a wheel alignment) as I was down to the wire getting it reassembled (read 2 days) before I headed off to South America for 6 months (in Peru writing this!)... For now it's up on stands in my parents garage... Looking forward to getting it back on the road and will post re the improvement after I've had some time on the setup (back in December)! A few quick photos for ride height reference before it went into storage: Special thanks to my father for many hours of assistance, sweat and muscle. Nathan for his time, knowledge and good conversation. Kayne for getting the diff turned around before I headed to South America, during what was a really busy time for him!

Going legit... after ~15 years of being a rebel.

After completing a total rebuild of the suspension this year on my E30 convertible I thought I'd create a long overdue project thread to document the work in one place and add in some of the work completed previously... Purchased in Jan 2014 as my daily driver it has been getting attention in fits and starts over the years as time has allowed, and for the past few years was relegated to weekend driver with the purchase of a sturdy Toyota TownAce 60HP diesel (now gone) My main goals with the car are to ensure everything works exactly as it should, keeping it looking original, with mild upgrades (it's a convertible after all) & modernisation as things are given attention. Plans (I'll make a post for each in this thread): -Refresh cooling system/timing belt replacement - Completed May 2014 -Replace convertible roof fabric/seals - Completed Apr 2015 -Fix electro-mechanical folding mechanism - Completed Dec 2016 -Replace all suspension/bushing components - Completed Apr-May 2019 (Special thanks to Nathan (zero)) -Rebuild diff (+mild upgrade - Z3 torsen... while you're in there eh?) - May 2019 (Kayne Barrie Motorsport) -Rebuild head - TBC, planned Jan 2020 (slow oil leak from head gasket down block... a case of while your in there - no coolant mixing/ loss or compression issues) -Convert AC to R134a - TBC (all parts sourced) -Audio upgrade - TBC (CD43 - E36 CD player for something tasteful in the dash, small inline Alpine amp + Bluetooth adapter sourced) -Install new alarm system - TBC (and tidy loom behind dash from butchered install of old ?Dynatron system) (Above 3 to happen concurrently with dash out) -??? Re-dye leather (keeping original patina) - TBC -??? E46 rack swap - TBC (purple tag sourced - still pondering whether I want to make this change, considering certification requirements) -??? Respray (same colour) - TBC The car was had many small issues when I got it - see post: Original build sheet (pretty well spec'd, NZ new, 'special request' is the high-stop on the boot):

I take umbrage, David at the above. I would hope you mean "If the car is driven to its full potential the use of 10w-60 maybe required" Brad, I do maybe 5-6 "driver trainings" a year. After every second training day, I do a oil and filter change.

5w-40 as specified by BMW when the car was new, 10w-60 has never been officially recommended for the S50 by BMW (unlike the S54). If you thrash it or track it some prefer to use 10w-60 but if your oil temps never get above ~110*C (on 5w-40) you're wasting money and horsepower by using 10w-60. During street use my car runs ~5*C cooler using 5w-40 than it does when using 10w-60, that's a clear indication it's not working as hard which is a good thing.

Sing out if you'd like to use my vacuum brake bleeder

Refresh cooling system & replace timing belt - April 2014, 165,000km I didn't have any overheating issues, but everything was original and looking a bit sad. Was the first project on the car after I purchased it, and I really just wanted to pull it apart and have a good look & get some preventative maintenance done Parts: -All new hoses -New radiator (upgrade to 'hot climate' width) -Brackets & shroud for above -Thermostat housing -Blue & brown sensors -Fan clutch -Water pump (GRAF) -Timing belt & tensioner -Auxiliary belts -Temperature resistor for aux. fan -BMW coolant Got everything out, also removed the intake manifold, cleaned up the exterior of the head, sent the injectors out to be reconditioned, inspected & adjusted valve clearances. Replaced cambelt & tensioner (cover had been misfitted, with the tensioner rubbing!)

Certs are $650 now days and no it’s more than a tick the box exercise now far more extensive as the onus falls on the certifier to make sure it is done correctly and if you have a smash he’s not up for manslaughter charger. It now takes a good 3hours or more to certify a vehicle with moderate modification properly. Every single nut and bolt is photographed and documented by the certifier (the good ones at least) and anything that is not up to standard get written on a list of “remedials” I have been getting certs for years and know the rules like the back of my hand and even on my latest cert I got a list of remedials and the length I had to go to prove removal of side airbags were dandy and the remainder of the system was still functioning ect made me realise how difficult certification has become. You also used to be able to convert the likes of trailing arm systems into full coilovers, now you’d struggle without proper documentation to back up that the arm can handle the load, the bolt system is sound and the suspension geometry doesn’t change through the full travel. So no it’s not a tick the box exercise. You should see the paperwork certifiers have to fill out! It’s no wonder some are going to the electronic system now on an iPad to do it all.

Anyone played with this stuff before, kinda interesting stuff. Similar application to Luxxio Speed Coating. Wash car, leave wet, spray it on, hose it off, dry car. Definitely leaves a slick surface like a wax but is quite quick to do, when drying it with a damp microfibre its actually kind of buffing it off as can see the film high spots getting removed (bottle says no buffing..but.. symantecs). Kinda pricey, but the results pretty decent and it is fast to apply, will see how long it beads for. Black sapphire metallic paint shows up bad waxes pretty well and its passed that test.

E34 M5 Touring (Italians get all the luck)

Replace convertible roof fabric & seals - April 2015, 177,000km After almost a year of enduring a 'leak free' roof (as described by the previous owner) it was time to replace the leaking convertible roof fabric. The leaking was coming through the perished stitching that connected the fabric to the frame... most of the loops had separated from the frame (don't drive with your soft top closed, windows open at high speed!). Parts: -New original pre-cut 3 layer fabric (canvas, rubber inner, cotton interior lining layers) -New front & rear bow seals -New tension straps -Sikaflex 225 (original rubber sealant as used at factory) -ADOS F38 high heat contact adhesive -Stainless steel high strength screws for tension straps and rear bow seal retainer (Auckland Engineering Supplies is very useful) -Litres of solvent (for old glue) -Rust-Oleum black satin spray paint Unfortunately I don't have a lot of photos from this job, but I used the original factory service video of canvas replacement (I have a copy if you need it) + the instructions that came with the fabric. It was easy to tear off the original fabric, with frame attached to car, then a few days with clothes soaked in solvent wrapped around glue cover bows (horizontal bars fabric attaches to) to remove all traces of the glue. Once the old glue was removed, I decided to remove frame, lightly sand it to remove some spots of corrosion and respray all parts with a black semi-gloss/satin spray paint. Refitting the frame is straight forward, however be prepared to spend many hours with shims getting correct alignment of frame to body (happy to assist people with this!). Then it's a process of re gluing the canvas to the frame (there are specific alignment cuts in the canvas to attach this correctly). It's very important particular attention is paid to the way the two layers of canvas are attached to the rear bow, and the final layer needs to be glued so that it pulls the canvas in around the rear bow. Done correctly, the canvas should meet at almost a right angle with the rear tonneau cover when it's closed. Some original inscription from the factory on the old canvas Before it's first outing I also used 303 Canvas protectant (kind of like scotch guard) to protect the fabric and make the surface hydrophobic I reapply this every 6ish months - 4 years on it's still looking near new: I also picked up an original rear window 'bra' on german Ebay to protect the rear plastic screen if it's parked outside on a hot day (it's been garaged since the roof replacement):

E30 tax is extending to parts. Boge inserts from 51mm struts. Pretty stuffed - suit custom revalve. Bilstein rears with some life in them. $250.

GL chap

Yep, that should skool the haters! Props bro and best wishes for your future adventures.

I must have uttered the phrase of "god damn" about a dozen times. I missed all the earlier palaver, but personalties aside, I think that many would agree that what HMW has achieved is open the door to supercharging becoming as accessible, and as straight forward, comparibly, to adding a turbo. Even if you have a low opinion HMW, others will see this and make their own homage to it. Because currently, other than HMW, most of what the Internet says are people that aren't doing it any more,and older engines, and 6 cylinder only. Or its like 7k +

That engine looks nice and clean now.

Awesome stuff, but wheres the N52 version?

DCH Motorsport?

10W-60, Have been for the last 15yrs

Hows everyone here? Hope you are all doing well.? Sorry I haven't been as active and posting updates for you all. Has life kept me busy. I was in the Netherlands on a business project that was assigned by a Dutch University that my associate took on and I was dragged into it. After that I was invited and sponsored on a winter holiday to stay at the private Stuttgart residence of an well known ex Daimler PR. I only returned from Germany earlier this year and went for a holiday driving all around NZ, was in Christchurch 3 days before the horrible event happened. Anyone who hasn't been to the Southisland, put it on your bucket list, best drives and scenery you can have in this part of the world. Currently they are processing my application for joining a private German university around March 2020. Meanwhile I have been in touch with some very high ups at 2 big companies in Germany and will likely be joining ZF or Daimler. Meanwhile at HMW we have gotten some projects completed an released to public, others are coming ahead. The M122H KC Setup using the GT500 M122H Eaton Blower was released mid year. Its a setup capable of 600HP's + as well as able to utilize the TVS 2300 Supercharger as well as 2.8-2.9L KB & Whipple Twin Screw Blowers. This is The Largest Supercharger Setup ever conceived for BMW's. We have also released the M62/M90/M45 Setups. A New version of the SC14 setups is also coming, and have under development a project for the 4 Cylinder M40, M42, M43 & M44 Engines on the 318ti etc. That and next year we may be finally able to release the kits for the BMW V8/M60/M62 engines as well as the M20 and M30. So here we are some pictures and videos for you all below: HMW M122H KC - The Largest Modern Roots Supercharger Ever Put on a BMW HMW SS Manifolds HMW V3 Eaton M62/M90/M45 HMW V2.1X SC14 2018 Batches HMW Custom Supercharger Pulley HMW V4 MOAB - Largest SC Setup Project for the BMW 4 Cylinder M4X Engines - Uses 4 different Superchargers (AMR500, M45, M62 & SC14) I had so much I'd wanted to show, unfortunately most builds don't look neat and tidy enough to our standards of presentation, here are some that caught my eye recently September's prettiest SC14 V2.1X Build in UK Augusts Top SC14 V2.1X Build in France Videos: SC14 @ 3 PSI and 200WHP M52B28 (MS41 ECU) HMW M122H KC M50B30 Stroker @ 17 PSI 500WHP (*Link ECU) I have been part of this community for over a decade, meet folks, said good byes, had short comings that allowed me growth while I lurked and came once a while. ..I'm leaving NZ permanently in some 8 weeks time, next month the shipping company will be taking over, HMW operations have already been moved to the US. Now its time to thank you all for everything. I dedicate this song to you and make this my final bow to you all ? Wish me well, thank you once again; god bless you all and go well!?️ Much Love & Warmest Regards, - Hyde

Long time since update, even though some work has been done. Things are slowing down, as we found out we're pregnant and my wife is currently having a hard time dealing with the nausea - which means I'm running laps around her, providing everything she needs at whatever hour she needs it. As a result, my garage time no longer exists, or at least is split into very brief visits. Changes since last update: Purple rack has made it into the car Style 68 wheels have made it onto the car Some dashboard light bulbs have been replaced, and some have been ordered and are pending replacement I've been trying to decide what's next, whether to focus on the exterior (which is in very poor shape), suspension or engine. It was easy to decide when an E46 with M54B30 came up for sale for a very decent price. Even if the engine will be unusable due to the issues the previous owner highlighted, at least i'll have all the wiring, ECUs and auxiliaries necessary to do the swap. So currently I'm (very slowly) diagnosing the M54B30 - it drove home just fine, but apparently if you add oil above the minimum line it will start smoking from the exhaust. So far I've pulled the coils and plugs out, in an attempt to drain the plug holes from oil - I'll be compression testing it, then seeing whether it actually has issues, or just needs some new gaskets. The spark plug is still in the hole in this picture - it's just covered to the top ?

2002 with a S14 engine... FS. Just $60k. (US)

All cleaned up and fitted. Need to open up the drivers seat control box to fit a new bushing so i can put the recline/headrest button back on, and the switch covers for the thigh support on both seats are missing. Hopefully can find those in the e39 530i msport festering away at pickapart Mangere.

Shanes colours in Papakura hooked me up with some colour matched high temp enamel, gave lots of good advice as well. All cleaned up, then etch primed. Have the new decals ordered, so once they turn up its time to paint them weird yellow

Hi guys/girls, Jono here, new to forums, taking my time to look through the topics (love jeffbebe's E31 who must live locally to me as I see it about all the time) and introduce my ride.... Brought this NZ new '91 E30 facelift 325i convertible manual done 165,000kms two years ago sight unseen from Rangiora ... Drove back to Auckland with the heater on full as temp gauge didn't work and some funky steering thanks to the tie rods being wound all the way in one direction (1 turn to lock left, 3 to lock right haha)... I'm pretty handy (and particular) so replaced ALL fluids, cambelt, waterpump, all water hoses, thermostat (old one was fine), temp gauge and adjusted valve clearances soon after getting back. Since then I've replaced the roof canvas and seals (last month, including stripping frame back to metal and repainting; b**** of a job getting the frame re-aligned after removing it) and various bits of trim and assorted suspension bushings... it's a labour of love, still plenty of things I'd like to do... PS: Always on the look out for the removable hard top on the slim chance anyone has one they want to sell...