E30 325i Rag-Top

On my stag do I got asked by a Hen do to complete one of their challenges (no - not kiss the ugly bloke!) and do "a native dance", so I did the Haka, very loudly with lots of actions, in a packed bar. Then had to do it again so they could get photos. THEN got asked to do it again by another two hen-dos.... was knackered by the end, but got a few drinks out of it and started lots of conversations with the hens. You could turn it around and get your brother to ask a lady of your choice to do a lap dance for / on him??

...yeah, she's really only 25. The 100 on the cake refers to the number of ciggies per day !!

I admire your patience and tenacity in sorting all these issues out Jamez, hopefully you have found and cured the last of the gremlins. Will we get to see the beast running at the Tasman Meeting in the Open Class??

Jono51 might have one from the Motorsport he is breaking. I would be interested to know how much the cable weighs to make this swap?

Have posted some of these up before, but this is a summary of the before / during / after for the race car: As bought from Mosen's April '08 Cause of re-build project, Pukekohe May '09, photo courtesy of Stevo During the rebuild, with _BRS_'s donor welded in... And as the car is running now.. few finishing touches still to go...(photo courtesy of GroundSky)

I've not seen this car at Manfield in my time over there, although the listing is now in CHCH so may have moved down there a while back. If there are timing sheets or records to back up the 1min 21 seconds time, then that is a pretty good time for an E30 around Manfield, so it must go alright!

Got the usual useful but boring stuff, socks, pants, money, etc. plus some cool stuff, inflatable boat, new cordless drill, subscription to Classic Car. From Santa the family got a Wii - kids love it and it is very entertaining. Plus No. 1 Son got a skateboard and loads of Lego

I admire the engineering in this car, and respect the technology that they have developed, especially in the engine, however the styling just turns me off the overall product. The outside I can understand, aerodynamics and ground effect requirements. The interior though, and the dash, etc... what were they thinking??

Have a good one Blair - party time in the 'Naki!!

eBay has a few E30s on it, but not many. The best site I have found for these sort of cars is the classifieds on www.pistonheads.co.uk usually has 20+ E30 M3s and 100+ E30s of all other shapes and sizes.

The 20 years old is based on the date of first registration of the car, not build date, so watch out for that one. It is also the date it arrives in NZ that counts, you can't even hold on to it here for a bit and then say it's 20 years old. Any early E30s will be Ok now.In terms of the returning to NZ bit the big difference is that you can say it is your own personal vehicle, sign a disclaimer saying it's for your personal use, and pay no import duties or GST on the car which can make a big difference dollars wise. If you sell the vehicle within 2 years then you have to pay Customs and Excise the duties at that point. Check out the info on the LTNZ website, it's pretty useful and comprehensive. So funny that every time the UK is mentioned someone has to chip in about rust, not every E30 in the UK is a rust bucket, some people do have garages and look after their cars in the UK you know, just something to look out for, as you would on any E30 even NZ new! There is loads more choice of cars, at very attractive prices, just take your time to find the right one. Most shipping companies let you fill the car with stuff as well, so you can cram spares or other person items in to save freight costs. From personal experience I wouldn't put anything too small and valuable in there though as it may well get "lost" on the way.

Congrats to the Ginger Shadow for winning both un-officially. Unfortunately I was unable to fully take part this year for personal reasons, but I did donate to Ollie (was hoping for a lend of the socket set at the next race meet - oh well), and participate in the Race Series Mo-off. Next year I will be fully supporting the event and I am already working on designs for the Mo' and secret growing strategies...

I had the same problem on the race car when I changed the boot lid over, with it wobbling about. The problem I found was the latch part in the centre of the boot which engages in the catch was loose and wouldn't stay tight no matter how much I adjusted it and the rubber mounts at each corner of the boot. When I changed it for a better one it stayed tight and in position curing the wobbling around.

E21 with E30 325i motor in it, plus spares in Welly town, for $1000. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-258731019.htm Make an interesting project for someone? Possible base for an Open Class E21 DTM wide-body replica??

Have you tried to start it up again? Any luck? So weird it started and ran for a bit first try and then didn't even want to know five minutes later. Tried / changed all the following: - Dizzy cap (for a definately good one) - spark plugs - coil lead - rotor arm (again for def good one) - adjusting the timing on the dizzy Checked spark, and loads of fuel. Possibly flooding, but cleared and left it for ages - still no go. Not even a cough or a splutter. Got me flummaxed!

What you saying about Pre-Facelifts??? Chrome Bumpers FTMFW!!

In terms of bang for buck I feel the E36 M3 is the way to go for an Open Class car, with prices coming down all the time and lots of tuning goodies available for what is an already pretty capable base package.

How soon do you need it Dan-o? I can bring one up on the 16th Jan if that's not too late?

Now that is what I call a strip and re-build, what a great project!! The only help or advice I can offer is not to rush things and make sure you are totally happy with each stage before progressing. From experience I know that even little details that you are not happy with at the time will mess with your mind forever - no matter how good the end result is. It all looks like it has been done to an exceptional level so far, carry that on and you should be well pleased. Look forward to seeing you and the car on the track!

By oxidised, do you mean rusty?? Maybe going for the "rat" look?

You kept that quiet yesterday!~ Have a good one.

Come on Foxy, COMPULSORY dragon in empty engine bay!! You know you want to!!

Hey Dave, I am in Palmy and can pop round and give you some help next week if you still need, I am tied up all week-end, but can do most nights next week? I have a 323i engine sitting in the shed so I can pull the electrics off that to swap things around to try and find the problem if that helps?

Have a good one! See you on Sunday?

My stuff is all pre-facelift and not in the best condition in all honesty. But, what about this... http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/C...n-257449006.htm Whole facelift 318 for $400? Bonnet and guards look good, although valance is a bit bent, plus all the other bits thrown in. Located in Hamilton, see the TradeMe thread for more details.