tibbs.james

Hi Guys I have been doing some investigation on the forum & at the exhaust shop (Rangiora Exhaust Centre) but i want to see what other people have done with their exhausts. Is 2.25 Inch a good diameter for a m20b20 that could possible be replaced by an m20b25 in the future ? I don't want to go so small that it won't breathe with a bigger engine in there. but being a m20b20 for now it still has to work ok. Is it worth using Mandrel bent "U" pipes or 180 deg pipes ? @ $30 each i was going to use them to build my exhaust and do a tidy job, but does it actually make a diffierence being on a factory engine. Backpressure > will a fairly standard muffler of matching inlet/outlet diameter work well ? I was of the understanding that M20's like a bit of back pressure to work well and have good lower rpm pull ( spoke to ben @ the Rangiora Exhaust centre & he seemed to think a fairly standard 2.25 muffler they use on falcon or holden would work well for this, of the normal fairly restrictive quiet design) I have plans here for building a copy of DELTA FLOW FLow Master muffler but i think that this would be too free flowing with only a Resonator in the middle, Is this correct ? mid range pull at around 3000-4000 rpm is most important for me. From another thread From Gus quote]i have used both a 2.5" and 2.25"..i had headers with the 2.5 and none with the 2.25...i have found the 2.25 to be faster..not as much lost torque. with the 2.5 i was waiting forever for power! both are from als mufflers with one resonator and one muffler. their work is great..just ring and book ya car in..great service. the stock 325i dual pipe prob has just as good power...not a huge difference if there is anyway. some stock mufflers can sound super loud..not sure why though! Has anybody else used a 2.25 on a 320i before ?

Yeasterday was a good day as i got good news from RAY @ Hell Bm about the parts i need. Today was not so good because now i need to dismantle the rear end of the E30 for the second time in about 3 months.

Sounds like a good way to use the mechanicals from a rusty car or something.

Thanks for confirming the axles/diff fitment for me, i will give ray a bell today and see what he has

Pm me about halfshafts and lsd

Hi All As per title Looking for option one : E30 320i ABS halfshafts- must be mint ie no slop, Or option two : Bigger 325 ABS Halfshafts & a 325 Med case diff to suit.Diff must be in good conditon & 3.5 or 3.7 ratio,halfshafts must be mint no slop. I am in Christchurch so chances are if you have anything it will need to go on a pallet for shipping. Idealy I would pay around $150 for Halfshafts and $200 for a diff If you have anything let me know Regards James

If you are replaceing the Manifold to cylinder head gasket its also a good time to check that the surface of the exhaust manifold is level agaisnt a striaght edge, otherwise your new gasket might not last long. I though i was being fussy when i had mine planed just to be sure, but it needed 3 goes at getting it level as it was quite badly out at one end. I also used extreme temp RTV just to make sure it didn't bloody leak again. ( i seem to have exhaust issues on every car i own- bad luck for me maybe )

As above Wanting to pm you about those axles i want to buy from you Cheers James

I have never seen or used a Bently manual But the Haynes manual i bought for my car is total uter Shite........ Covers too many models and procedures are somewhat lacking in information. i find the olny usefull information in the Haynes one is the tightening torque specs and the diagram of the fuse box.

Oh man, not cool. make him help you do all the nasty grimy endless cleaning and preperation that comes with modifying stuff...... But dam you car is cool ! Makes me want to go Megasquirt and FI !

Make that +2 please

Yeah my mate just came back from dunners last night he might not be going back there tomorow after all.....

Im In Rangiora 30 mins North of Christchurch

I drove to my parents place to change a radiator in my Girlfriends Car. then after getting totally saturated from the rain i came inside to warm up. Then Ifound this ....

Thanks for the replys guys Would you sell just the axles? I have no room for a completre rear end.

I'm happy staying with 320i Ones. I don't thrash my car ( fuel is too expensive to waste it ) I just want properly working rear suspension & driveline. Otherwise i would need another diff. I already have the correct ratio low mileage diff in my car not long fitted. 320i ABS Halfshaft are the only one's im considerg. Unless somebody can do a Good Cond 3.5 or 3.7 ratio diff Inc 325 ABS Halfshafts for really cheap.

Hi guys as above I need 320i E30 ABS half shafts Mine are clonkys and rooted. was quoted $400 from Eurorec in CHCH Aparently hard to find because they are ABS If somebody has some really good ones and can do better on the price I would be rather happy Cheers James

I got the big sales pitch from a lady at shell last night. Blah blah Better Acceleration & Cleaning burning & More power. Umm Yeah..... so how does that work ? Well they could only tell me what the results are and nothing about it ( as expected )

I like old cars, but the attraction for me was all sorts of things below & mainly coming from old nasty jap fwd cars the e30 bimmer was like "WHOA" Very Respectable looking car. Rear wheel Drive 6 Cylinder engine ( for my E30 anyway ) Great Handling Quiet Inside Leather Electrics Very Comfterable and the fact its a bmw pulls the chick No really , it does

I found that all those things above made a good enough diffierence to economy for me. Driving smoothly & keeping it under 3k rpm helped most for me. Also i wont use my car unless it runs long enough to get up to temperature properly. Thats what feet/mountain bike are for ( short trips )

I was thinking about $4000 + or - to spend on another car Can't really go any higher than that or i need to borrow which im not doing. Looking at TM prices it seems a nice car done 200,000 kms seems about 3- 3.5 Grand

It seems my original thoughts of an m20 525 were along the right track ! thanks for the input guys, just have to go and have a look at a few now. is the steering rack joint an expensive fix if its a bit gone ?

Hi Guys I have some questions about the old e34 5 series beemers. I imageine like all things they need plenty of care being older cars. And i know all about maintenance from my E30 But do they have any really bad problems ? I was sort of thinking that if a reasonable 525 came up i might consider it Which i was quite happy with the idea as i know whats involved with the m20 engine. But whats the big 6 like ? And again are the auto's in them very strong or do they cause problems ? What about towing ? could they handle 2 ton on a decent braked trailor ? or is that dreaming .... And lastly- what is the 3.5 going to be like on gas ? I'm not expecting a flash number but could it be much worse than 25-26mpg ? I realise the TM link is the old "as is where is" But im reasonably confident that a really good look over a vechile & a good drive should show up any major faults. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-155981215.htm I think i might go and have a look just so i can get an idea of whats the cars are like, without necessarily intending to buy it. that way i think i can judge if a 5 will be the right car for me I do want a bigger car i find the e30 a bit small when driving 4 people around. Please post your good/bad or indiffierent experiences with E34 models.

Why not rebuild the box ? Sure it might cost around a 1 to 1.5 K but then you know exactly what you have.

I used all the supplied lube that came with them, they seem to do their job just fine & are nice and stiff which is great, Its just an annoying noise. I will try the Wurth Copper Anti Sieze, only it might be a little while before i have to remove the arms ect and get it done. Will this be a problem if i don't get to it for a while ?