E30-323ti

You are thinking of the JDM style shocks (BC's & D2 also) where you can adjust the ride height independently of the spring preload (ie. the amount of sag taken up when you lower the car down). With the GC's & even my Koni struts a combination of preload & spring rate determines the ride height by the adjustable collar.

So, it that second pic, is that not all bolted together?? (Looks like it is) If it is, what is the problem?? The collar can be wound all the way up to the top of the threaded portion (ie preloading the spring). Or, are you saying the "free length" of the shock/strut assembly is "too short" for what you want??

I was under the impression GC started using a "Barrel" shaped spring in the rear (like Hybrids)!?!?!? (which are incorrectly in the front in his link if I recall). This is because the straight coil's have a taller block height (ie. fully compressed / coil bound) and they were having a lot of complaints about bent trailing arms, this was due to the spring binding (mid way along the TA) before the shock had reached full travel. You will have to be careful of this considering you are running longer & softer springs, ie. will block out easier. Their springs are also too short to remain captive at full travel, as required by our WOF regulations (not an issue for the yanks), and as such hybrid has had to shorten the rear shocks, which is not a particularly ideal solution as this also reduced the droop travel available, and E30's are particularly sensitive to the lack droop in the rear when it comes to traction & lateral grip.

Yes, SRBMW on this forum has done it and someone else I know in OZ has done it. A lot of custom machining work as opposed to bolting the E36 stuff in. Why do you want to keep the E30 struts??

FAR TOO TRUE And what are better than managers.... ...."Project" Managers! Don't get me started!!

Riley, you could always make up a bar that goes between the seatbelt mounts on the B-pillars and has a hole in the middle for a standard screw/bolt that fits the base of the camera, doesn't get much sturdier than that!!! Looking forward to the vidi's !!!!

They may not seem too expensive once you get custom metal ones done & the risk factor/replacement issue if you bang one up (ie. drop your strong arm bar maybe... oops). On my back end it has 5" free travel (plus 1" of bumpstop) 2" compression(plus the bumpstop) & 3" droop. The droop is important to keep the tyres planted on the road (ps. I'm running no rear sway-bar also). Mine is setup for the track predominantly, but is still OK-ish on the back roads, if you don't mind your fillings getting shaken out!!! Dunlop DZ02G's have been the best for grip so far LOL with 292rwhp. But for a road tyre the RE-070R is pretty good, nice feedback but noisy. If it's wet, just leave it at home, 4th gear roll-on + facing the median barrier = code brown surprise!!!!

1JZ rather & FL E46 not M3!?!?! minor technicality...

+1 more for the IE flares (from the E30 thread) E30 Thread - V12 Goodness too!! And a couple for metal work flares: Steam Rolling 285/30's on 18x10.5's And another:

They look nice colour coded, and they are ABS Plastic, so have a fit of flex and don't break very easily I've heard. You don't want to "keep travel to a minimum" you need as much as you can get and keep it supple enough to get traction. I have E36 Koni SA coilovers up front with 5" 550# springs & AVO 1710's on the rear with 3" 120# tenders under 6" 350# springs on a E28 rear-end. I've got a few pic's of it on 245/40's but only 8" rims (front & rear) & one with a 240/625 slick on a 9" rim, they were on the forum here somewhere. At the moment it is sitting in the garage on 17 x 8.5" fronts & 9" rears with 225/45 RE-070R (which run the same width as the 245's) and another 2.5 sets 8" rims clogging up the garage....

IE Flares & get some useable suspension travel to boot!! You'll also need some decent rubber out back (ie. 255/40's) to get some grip if you have similar power to my E30!! Which will still look stretched on those 10's...

Parts-plus on tinakori road has always had some pretty sharp prices on consumables, give them a bell.

There aren't many 16's that fit over the M3 front brakes you will find (if any OE rims the 5er's would be a better bet). Any aftermarket ECU is going to need more work than the stock one!!! Needs to control the double Vanos let alone trying to do the mapping for it...

Prob. some numpty at a tyre shop doing it up cross threaded with a rattle gun. I would guess the drive flange is knackered. Quickest & easiest; Get a 2nd hand complete trailing arm and bolt it in. $300 - DIY Piece of cake - Just a fat-ass E30 really

Who are these people!!!! They must be blind I figure. Why would you when the E60 touring looks 100x better and is way more practical. The 550i engine sounds like the business though!!

Don't have enough spare $$$ is the problem!! Did you ever confirm the width & offset??

Look under the E30 M3 for the 300x32mm rotors, then the E36 for the hats with the correct offset. IIRC the E36 & E30 M3 share the same caliper mount offset & bolt spacing, so you can probably use the E30 M3 stuff Lee sells (Wilwood superlite calipers). Best to email Lee directly & discuss. If you want a setup outside the square, you need to think outside the square!!! I don't 100% agree with Kerry re: Pads. I have Pagid race pads (RS4-4) in my E30 and don't mind them when they are cold, they don't have the initial cold bite of a street pads but have plenty of stopping power (nothing compared to when they are hot though ).

Most of the issue comes back to the Pads & Calipers. The pads are too thin to handle a lot of heat and the sliding caliper also flex's making the pads taper and wear unevenly/quickly. There are brass bushes you can get for the calipers & pads that handle the heat better, but they are still thin & the calipers need regular maintenance to keep them free sliding. Weigh that up against the ongoing running costs of a fixed caliper, and the upgrade soon pays for itself, let alone the improvement in pedal feel and wider selection of pad compounds for the "standard" shapes. Refer Smokenbaby's Build

I may be blind & not sure if you have mentioned but... Has this conversion been certified (ie. has LVVTA Cert Plate??). As this has major insurance/legal implications if it hasn't.... Stunning looking E34 regardless!!! Ode for a disposable income

Have you weighed the difference between the stock 286 & 300mm rotor?? I don't think the difference would justify the expense of a 2pc rotor. If you must though, Lee @ MASSIVE brakes has 300mm rotors & E36 hats on the shelf, but I'm pretty sure they won't work with stock calipers as the pad height is taller than the rotor surface. But see what he says.

Yip. by someone who hasn't done it? I have the exact same one on my E30. If you need one, at $250 brand new, there is no excuse not to buy it.

Want to elaborate on that further Andrew?? Was there a problem with the Link and/or your tuner?? Great to hear it is running again, wish I could say the same...

Most definitely!!! Hit up "Ari Gold" he has my old set and may be keen to sell. They were mint!!! Oh I miss them!!

I wouldn't, just keep them clean!!! (like the first pic)

Do you need Semi-Slicks?? Or Full slicks?? In that size I'd look for some tyres from the Mini Challenge guys. They have wets & drys but I don't think they are for "road use" as required by some track events.