Olaf

Welcome, Ian @Rallyenut plenty of e30 love here. start prepping one and planning to come to e30 Mega Meet, the annual national e30 gathering. April 2021, Ohakune.

I'm still using the BELtronics version of the Escort Redline. There are newer detectors, though not with the extreme range sensitivity. Newer detectors have location muting and online connectivity features... someone with the latest gear will be along soon, no doubt.

fully agree, @Herbmiester. Mine listens on the band they're broadcasting on, alerts me of revenue gathering and prompts me to check my speed. My preference is to concentrate on the traffic and road conditions around me as my active contribution to road safety, rather than constantly checking my speedo and using the brake for compliance correction.

Happy days! Looks like you've got it sorted. A quick question or two on mention of your parts washer, @KwS. Which one have you got (and would you recommend it)? and what degreaser/solvent are you running in it (and what would you recommend)?

Very kind of you to say, Nick @nick496. If I recall correctly, my springs were under NZD350 landed. I lucked out with Konis used with under 40k kms on them, though the freight wasn't cheap. I'm confident one can do the springs and shocks and all the bushes for under $2k, particularly if weilding spanners oneself (which I've been doing little of lately). eBay.de is worth a good look if one is shopping on a budget. Though as Nick aludes to with the linked Spec e30 kit with Billies, if you're spending a greater proprtion of your seat time on a course (or track) - rather than on a road - the stiffer H&R Race Springs might be the thing for you. US forum-goers seem to love them, though most of these peops seem to be predominantly highway drivers enjoying those beautiful concrete roads they have in the states. I've not tried the race springs; I'm sure the 'more' rate would be great for the track though suspect my back and kidneys would complain on general NZ roads. I find the Sports are an excellent compromise between ride comfort and handling on the road (firm, but not harsh), and the overall setup is fully grin-inducing when the car is shown a twisty road such as the Rimutaka hill road, or the road to Castlepoint. I need RE003s (for the better grip, stiffer sidewalls, and sure-footed wet performance), but that's another story (and a different budget line). And yes, Hawk HPS pads for street use at least are 'adequate' ?

I too run a CTEK MXS5.0, f**king brilliant. And as it's close to fathers day, pricing is excellent, as Dave has linked to. Quality unit, almost capable of reincarnation.

looks inexpensive, though you're up for destroying a set of 51mm legs, welding, crack testing, certing etc. by the look of it. Are thos rear coilovers bolt-in on an e30? (I think not) - perhaps that's a stock photo. Oh - do you have a disc rear end on this beast?

Koni Yellow, H&R Sport Springs (hint: eBay.de will help). You can get these shocks in 4x or 51mm variants. Thicker ARBs - 20 on front, 14.5 on back (if you can find one) - that's 318iS spec, the setup I run. And as @gjm says, arb bushes and end links front and rear. Luxury spec - new spring pads. At the back, go for Meyle HD e46 rear shock mounts, they're inexpensive and better than e30/e36 spec. If the RTABs haven't been done, do them (Lemforder) and the subframe mounts - the parts are cheap, though it's a labour intensive job. Probably your diff bush needs changing too - get a diff cover gasket while you're at it, and diff oil. Now the rear end is working as intended, and following the front end. At front, go for the uprated (solid) e36 LCA rear bushes. Whole LCAs are inexpensive out of the states. If you've a press etc, you can buy the balljoints and press em in; e30 = steel. Front shock mount - OE Lemforder. Once you've done that lot, if the steering's imprecise, there's only tie rod outers (and maybe inners), rack boots, and the steering guibo... but if you're going to e36 or e46 rack, save your coin and buy the right stuff for that setup. Throw in engine and gearbox mounts (cheap), and you've a drivetrain that is supple, and capable of surprising modern car on a twisty road; it's down to your tyres and whether you can fit your gonads into your big boy pants. By now you'll be annoyed at sloppy gearshift/missing shifts, so it's time to do your shifter bushings, maybe spring for a short shift? Z3 1.9 is ideal, though there are some Aliexpress units reported adequate. If your front brakes are still 4cyl non-vented spec, easy to replace with 6cyl calipers and carriers and the vented rotors. Plenty of this stuff on my Grey Thunder thread, I'm approaching the point where I swap in an M42, LSD and Purple Tag, and get certed... after e30 Mega Meet in April. HTH.

These cars are very power hungry, and not tolerant of a battery anything less than fully grunty. Low battery causes all kinds of unusual faults. There's also the IBS cable which is subject to recall in other markets, but not recognised by BMW New Zealand. The newer IBS cable has some different connectors. I chased a number of shitty faults and no-start conditions, until replacing the IBS cables, and later, the battery (despite it testing fine a few times) with a high capacity unit.

many thanks @modz @Gaz @M3AN and @nick496 for getting back to me, much appreciated. I had e46 inners in my parts stash for years, though used them on my... e46, oddly enough. e46 inners, e36 outers for this lad. game on.

Woohoo!! Nearly there Mark, it's looking great. I can't wait to see it in the metal. Hope you're planning to come to e30 Mega Meet in April 2021 ?

@modz @Gaz and for install into an e30, is it the same? e46 inner, e36 outer? Many thanks in advance. I understand the need for rack spacers, steering shaft, and hoses. cheers Olaf

nice car. now cue a "I can't believe the state of the e30 market". it will sell. I wonder how long it will take?

yes over 4500 they really like to rev eh?

wow, it's 7.2c per km now?

No not sarcastic. Just referring to the very original fitment approach. I meant you've got the skills to get it beautifully aligned, looking and sounding excellent. PS: I'll just take my foot out of my mouth now. ☺️

wow. that's original! you've got the skills.

woohoo! nice one Charlie, git er ready for e30 Mega Meet in April! Wow, power windows and rear headrests, lap of luxury. A recent alignment and all. Much to do to get it back on the road? Need some underbonnet shots - is it already M42'd? Edit: oh yes already M42'd - car used to be Nathan from Nelson, from this parish. Score!

that, mate, is just PUN-TASTIC!!! ?

BMW Car Club NZ Trip to Ngawi & Cape Paliser, Sept 2018

Most of the play in my steering disappeared after we replaced steering guibo (and fasteners), inner and outer tie rods on each end. There remains a little play, though it's vastly diminished. I don't recall - have you replaced any of that lot? Still looking for that opportunity for you to drive it again - it's a world away from what you drove on Alexandra Rd! ?

Jon, it's a 2-door Range Rover. It's suffered a Car Dealer's tart-up two-tone paint job, as was popular in the 80's. Glenn, I wonder if that 3.0Cs is still around? Nothing on CarJam for IW5960.

Brilliant! Sorting that exhaust leak is a great result. You must have reached the admirable 'nothing to do right now' point on your list. Other than just polish, drive, enjoy. ?

definitely a good score. 225/40R18 front, 255/35R18 rear.

They should be staggered, 8 and 8.5, in which case your tyres should be staggered as well. nice looking rim on your e91!