E30 325i Rag-Top

Possibly, and also the fact that you drive everywhere with your foot flat to the floor trying to get the thing to move!!

I would do a proper check on some of the Alpina web-sites, there are a few good ones, like the Alpina register. Check the plate details against the model info on there. From a quick browse it would appear that they never made a version with a 1.8ltr engine in an E36. Worst case, ignore the Alpina bit and treat it for what it is, looks tidy, a few $$$s of rims but it is still a 1.8 at the end of the day.

Have A Good One! catch up soon!

I hope you had a good one Andrew, and threw lots of beer about!

Which E46, there's quite a few different types and the service schedule would vary wildly between them..?

The vast majority of cars bought new in the UK are company sales, only 1 in 5 new cars is sold to a person rather than a business. The whole company car tax system has been reviewed and changed a lot of times since the mid eighties, but iirc there was a graduated tax level which had certain cut off points. For example there could have been a cut of point at 20 grand for the car price, upto 19,999 you pay 3% tax on it, 20,000+ you pay 5% (or something similar). Cetain cars used to come in just below the price breaks and others were just above, and in the UK there was certainly a big price jump from a 320i up to a 325i! My suggestion would be the 320i was the biggest engine you could get below the bottom company car tax break point and avoid paying extra tax on it. The difference in fuel consumption between a 320i and 325i would hardly have been noticed, especially at 80s fuel prices - no-one really cared about the price of petrol in the 80s (well not until the recession right at the end of them anyways..).

Foam filling is usually used to increase the structural rigidity of the spoiler, which reduces the flex and vibration. By "filling" the internal space it makes it stiffer as it sets solid, and also acts as a glue to bond everything together. Not sure how many spoilers you are looking to make Tom, but if you want to look at a pressure injected polyurethane system rather than the gorilla glue you can give me a pm, it's what we do at work.

I just wish I could find somewhere in NZ that sells Spitfire at a decent price. Found some in Dunedin the other week, but $8.99 for a bottle is a bit steep for me. I wonder how much it would be to import some...?

Just trying to work out what part of the seat that is, is it the moveable front section that goes behingd your knees, or the bit your arse goes on?

I can't get you linky to work, but I'm guessing is the gold 306 Gti-6 which looks in pretty good nick to me (from the photos) and I have no idea on the price I'm afraid, not being in touch with prices on Pugs.However, I did spot this 205 GTi on trademe, also in CHCH which looks nice http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/...n-408897396.htm for a more "pure" driving experience go for the 205?

Are the wheels on the CS the same lightweight alloy as the CSL ones? I vaguely recall reading somewhere that they look the same but aren't the light material.The car for sale claims to have the quicker steering rack, could that have been ordered as an option?

I have a tow bar with wiring and plug sitting round the back of the house if you are interested.

Don't think it was me, mine's Orient Blau (looks black most of the time).I haven't seen you around for a while Josh, it's probably Mrs Pom on the way to or from the shops! It did have two flags, but the All Blacks one snapped under the strain

Yeah, I popped over and snapped up the two E30 M3 race cars, plus the Evo II as a spare. ... if only

Is this for the pre-facelift E46, or the facelifted version, as the lighting wiring is different? Also, where does the connector plug into, so I can check i have the right plug in the right place to accept it?

If that's a NZ Dollar price I would be very interested in knowing who your shipping company is...

Shipping, port clearance, MAF, etc. was $4000 + gst, plus about 150 quid pick up in the UK plus $200 delivery to Palmy from Auckland.Compliance was about $390, iirc, and I had to replace the front brake rotors and a cracked foglamp. Late model E46 Wagon, M-sport, there's a few pictures on here somewhere. 204hp model with 6-speed manual which you have to have to meet the Euro 4 emissions, can only bring them in until the end of the year, then it's Euro 5! Pleased with it so far, tows the race car nicely.

Yes, I used them for my 330d. And apart from a slight kerbing on one of the wheels I have no problems at all and used them from door-to-door with a load of other stuff in the car as well.

Looking good man, a good idea that is "different" and works well on the car. Got me contemplating a "Spitfire" paint scheme so we can have a few dog-fights on the track!

Well, the head unit in the E46 has decided it likes the Kings of Leon so much it won't spit the CD out so we can change it for something else! Its the single slot-in-dash type Business CD factory option. Anyone know any little hints before I just rip it out with a pair of need pliers??

Ahh, ok, that's not so bad then, won't need as much running in if you haven't touched the bottom end and the rings. A good run down the motorway, followed by some twisties with lots of hard acceleration will tell you if there are any potential gremlins. I hope it all hangs together for you and you get your first three race finishes under your belt this week-end.

Sounds like me at the start of last season - I spent the practice day of the first meeting driving up and down the motorway to run the engine in (or trying to as it kept overheating).Good news that the engine is running and you have a live car, you are cutting it very fine though! If you're not 100% happy with how it's running, think long and hard about giving it a miss this time round Jack. I know you REALLY don't want to (look at me last year) but sometimes it is better to miss one round than stuff another engine which puts you out for months. No-one will knock you for making a sensible choice (ok, so actually some people will - but most would respect you for making a wise decision) which will be in your favour in the long run.

Pretty easy to check if the timing is 180 degrees out - whip the rocker cover off to check when at TDC it is on the ignition stroke (both valves should be shut on no 1) then take the cover off the dizzy and see where the rotor arm is pointing. If timing is in the right ball park then it should cough and splutter a bit when cranking even if its not spot on, get someone to swing the dizzy while you crank it to get it to fire - then a timing strobe to set it spot on. Job done!

Do love the colour scheme on your car David! Are those new wheels, loving the gold centres. As for Milan, he just loves that skid pan far too much... especially when it's donuts on the mini-quad in the middle of a race meeting ?

Jeez that sucks Jamez, fingers crossed you can get some to borrow for the Icebreaker. Keep an eye on TradeMe the dufus that stole them might be stupid enough to try and sell them on there?