E30 325i Rag-Top

Thanks for the details. With that engine and brakes it’s not eligible for the BMW Race Series E30 Class, but it can enter the 2.0ltr Championship which is very popular, more cars than E30s at some meetings. Being suitable for a popular class helps with demand, no point having a race car with nobody to race against. Would it be worth more if you got it re-registered, possibly but not more than the costs of the rego process I would suggest. In normal circumstances I would have said $8k asking was a good price, comparing with the other E30 race cars for sale. However with Covid it’s all a whole new world, so who knows..?

Well spotted Sherlock! The E36 M3, even the Evo still only had the single piston sliding calliper arrangement so that could be correct. However, they did have the floating rotor on the Evo for heat dissipation, plus the rotors on this one look a bit undersized to me. Wheels look to be 17”s for my reference. Might be cheaper replacement single piece rotors, but should still be same sized... odd.

For me different cars look better in some colours compared to others, for example a white E30 looks nice and crisp whereas a white X5 looks like a fridge. So I would say the best E30 colour is Dolphin Grey.

Pricing of race cars is notoriously difficult, they usually have very high levels of $$$ and effort put into them but get little to no return on that. A couple of questions about your car, does it have the 318iS M42/M44 motor in it? Is the cage MSNZ homologated with log book etc? This would help estimate the value more accurately!

Would you be willing to sell the rear springs separately? Or the rear springs with the XYZ rear shocks? would be keen, I just don’t need the fronts is all.

I made something similar out of my E30 race car when I went off at Pukekohe arse-end first.

Glad to see that you are both teaching them young and enjoying your lockdown!

Have you tried Kayne Barrie Motorsport? He is the BMW box and diff man.

Sky Arts Rocks POP-up on Channel 220, and you don’t seem to need a Sky Arts subscription to view. Lots of my faves on today: New Order, Smashing Pumpkins, The Who, all live in concert. Time to settle in.

That’s an oldie but a goodie from the days when the M hadn’t been stuck in front of the Performance badge. Looks to be a bit too short to be a smooth action..?

I’m pretty sure that’s not an M Performance part, nor even a BMW part. There’s not enough ///M badges on it for a start.

+1 for Taylor’s As for costs, it would be best to talk directly to them, as it would vary from job to job. They have the experience of these things to cost them up accurately.

I always go through same sequence with start up of new engine. 1. Plugs out 2. Hand crank over 3. Turn on starter - no compression with plugs out, check for fuel smell. Oil light should go out. 4. Plugs back in but not hooked up to HT Leads - should get compression, slower cranking. 5. Leads on and fire up!!

Awesome work Rich!

Whilst it is probably fair to say that the chnage in overall contribution to the global emissions by taking that cats off an E46, that is likely only driven a very few kms each year, is in effect zero it is technically a WoF failure for "changing or removing any emissions control equipment". I have heard the argument many times that "most WoF testers won't even notice", especially if you bung 'em a dozen piss at Christmas, but the rumblings from the NZTA is that they are going to get much stricter on emissions laws going forwards. It probably comes from having the Green Party as part of our coalition government driving this forwards. Including an actual exhaust gas test in the WoF check is being actively discussed. To he honest it is time that NZ got up to speed with this part of vehicle testing, the number of shitty Jap import light trucks and vans that I see with clouds of black soot pouring out the exhaust, even when they are empty, is beyond a joke. Ok, in terms of the world volumes still pretty much negligible, but for our local air quality - especially when following one of the bloody things in a traffic jam - it would make a difference.

To keep spirits high I listen to cheerful pop songs, current favourite is Joy Division “Isolation” Jokes aside it is a great track!!

Correct no workshops will be open, but there are designated companies that are “on call” to assist with breakdowns to people working in the essential services. The required proof will be the Essential Services letter that you mention.

Managed to catch one of the last couriers out of the parts warehouse before the big lockdown. Gives me something to do whilst being stuck at home with the kids!-

Hmm, that's interesting. Some underlying issue there, and you say there are no codes coming up on the scan?

Brilliant!! But flawed... just a short burst from that gun and the whole thing would tip over!! And I wonder what the top speed and acceleration would be like with all that extra weight, they were slow enough to start with.

Is it the same for all the driving modes - Eco Pro, Comfort, Sport+, etc? Or just one / a couple of them.

Some issues are bigger than commercial rivalry.

Thanks for the encouragement Rich! Tbh I got a bit sidetracked with some genuine M3 parts I managed to buy at reasonable prices - front and rear bumpers plus boot and spoiler. The boot is far too heavy to use on a race car, but the bumpers and spoiler are probably going on the car. Taking hours to remove the hundreds of layers of paint on the bumper to make the finer details visible, they were buried under the thick paint. Will be easier to mount using the “proper” fixings etc.

And probably cheaper in the long run..

Ok Zoomer!!