So…. From spending a lot of time at drift events, practice days etc and helping out with building the cars with a few of the lads, I was getting back into competitive drifting very quickly again after a few years of being bored of watching it when we used have to pay the guts of 20-30 quid or more for a day out if I didn't want to get food poisoning there... or maybe 50 if I did :rolleyes:


So, there I was mad for skidding once more…
I was getting frustrated with not really having a go on track myself and the iS was getting all sorts of abuse when conditions allowed to get my fix :o


I needed my own drift car sooner than later......

Engine wise...I had an M50 from an E34 albeit it needed abit of work to put right so I decided it would be best to just cannibalize it for all the useful bits in doing an M52 conversion of which I'd source from Ben as it would be relatively cheap power if I got the few mods (i.e 220-250bhp for sub 1K) as well as weighing fookall. The lads were saying just wait and get an S50 but I knew a 1500-2K engine plus all the other bits was more or less too costly for the time being and S14 engined E30s all over youtube drift beautifully which the M52 would as near as makes no difference the same power and weight but a wider torque band so in theory it would be even better.

Rest of the bits I'd get through Barrysmotorsport so I needed a shell to put it all into now!!!
Have a 318iS shell but its just too good in terms of no rust and everything is perfectly straight apart from a few bolt on bits having a dent or two. Would only be a waste to end up bending it drifting which will inevitibly happen.
Much better off getting one that is near death and fixing it up!


As I'm a fussy prick and want everything perfect to the point it sometimes never ends up getting done I spent ages looking for a shell...

Criteria was in order of importance...


Solid but maybe alittle tatty so I wouldn't be taking another good one off the road
non-sunroof model as its just less hassle for fitting the cage and obviously alot lighter and less chance of rust up there.
Affordable as me being in college I needed to get the bits that hadn't a set price such as new bits as cheap as possible.
Had as much useful parts on it as possible such maybe an engine, 318iS/325 suspension and brakes to avoid having to look and buy for more and possibly allow me to sell off a few bits to fund shiny bits
A red car would be nice too as Finny had a white E30, Mikes M3 Evo was blue, John Paul's M3 was yellow etc so red was the only one left other than black but John O'Connel had that base covered with his black 332iS

Walton Smith had a lovely Zinnober red... Well Zinnober pink really non sunroof shell in the shape of an engineless & interiorless 316i that was 99% rust free other than altittle surface rust on the front cross member under than the rad which wouldn't be a problem.
That was the best option for a while and still something to keep in mind if I bend of the one I found later.
Only thing was, it was just a solid shell and thats all with nothing less useful or valuable which was fine considering its a solid car but made it alittle expensive for a student like myself :o

I'll probably still take this at some stage down along the line if I catch him drunk on some Redbull :p


Was offered a few free and cheap shells but each was more worthless with either being rotten or too bare than the one before it.




Then I found something else...



A 316i non-sunroof Zinnober red shell that was being restored by a 15 year-old to put on the road when he was 17.

His plan was 325i engine, Mixture of Sport and 325i touring running gear, black leather, XXR wheels, iS lip and a re-spray in a deep custom red which was more or less between Zinnober and Calyspo in BMW terms.


Had everything bought even down to the paint before he realised he didn't really have the money to finish painting it, getting the engine running and suspension sorted and possibly the biggest stumbling block...

It would be uninsureable:(

so all the leather, wheels, paint and few other bits for flogged on and car was half forgotten about until I heard about it from his older brother one evening.



Out I went, quick look at it and I had my shell:laughing:


More or less ticked all the boxes.



Solid but tatty in places,


Most of the work done in stripping it for paint so my job was easy to bring it down more for prepping for the track.



Had all the suspensions and brake basic parts I needed and even the back axle was just barely bolted on to get it rolling for paint before off again for new bushes etc so I didn't have to spend a day trying to pull the fooking subframe off the thing!!!



Full shadowline trim and all the lights and almost everything to put it back together if it was a road car



Leather door-cards that would be useful in the iS if I wanted (seats were sold)



Brand new iS lip in primer :dance::dance::dance:



Auto 325i engine and Sport box but alot of it had to be put back together and needed a serious service.



4.1 welded diff.... which would probably work well with the 2.8 and 15" XXR 002s I decided on

First thing to do was get the car home and make a start on stripping the rest of it and then start buying the fancy bits and maybe put the engine running to sell it on to help pay for the M52.



Then the iS breaking a gearbox, getting an Evo box and then looking for an E46 box threw a spanner in the works of the drift car with all the time running around and pulling gearboxes in and out of that thing:rolleyes:

And to add insult to injury... getting the iS running threw a mighty big spanner in the works of trying to keep it a competitive car but built on a budget...

This is the size of the Spanner...

http://www.fishing4fun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/spanner1.jpg



Or.... what it actually took the form of...




http://bmwmregistry.com/media/E46M3engine.jpg


Yeah... to get a good E46 M3 gearbox you have to buy a whole fooking E46 M3 engine, loom and gearbox to get anywhere near value for your money.

Imagine the frustration having to buy this lump of fecking metal and bits when all you want is a few cogs in good condition....
I swear I was deeply upset.........................

For about 2 seconds when handing over the money:D




So plans now were...



Strip and prep the shell with a CustomCages cage that we have used a few of already,
BC racing coilovers,
Custom front suspension geometry for significantly increased lock and castor
custom steering column and 2 turns lock to lock steering conversion, PAS cooler and extra lock spacers[*/*]
Full polybush with Powerflex and AGK bushes
Adjustable rear camber and toe conversion
Hydraulic handbrake and possibly pedalbox
S54 engine and DTA S100 ECU
E36 M3 5 speed gearbox as engine was now gearboxless after the iS took its cut from the deal:p
3.73, 3.91, 4.1 and 4.27 welded diffs
single mass flywheel and clutch of some sort.... really wanted a Exedy clutch and flywheel but didn't think I'd ever afford one of the b@st@rds:(
Not over the top body styling... maybe some sort of euro-look as it might look cooler.......................... and it costs much less than fancy wide-arches and kits:o
XXR 002 15" or 16" wheels with granite or black centers (haven't really decided yet as I keep changing my mind when new ones are in stock!) 15s have cheaper tyres and offer more lock but 16s look so much better and slightly more grip.

So back to this shell then as nothing is going to happen without making a start on it!:rolleyes:


Here it is, on a rare Irish sunny day landed back at one of the yards on my farm... excuse all the shite littered around the place... I blame my dad for hoarding all that and all the sh!te around the car is what gathers inside when it was forgotten about at its previous home.

If it was my fault though, it would probably be just tractors that work and just aload of cars that don't work....... oh wait.... hold on a second.

Actually, yeah the Volvo 760Ti is mine and yep... it doesn't work at the moment but its day will come again I'm sure;)

At least it only has one bloody Burger King rep and its even cracked too so into the skip it will go :dance:

Looks like there is a dent on the wing in that picture but its actually abit of black paint.http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/6926/002sbp.jpg

My lovely 760Ti there in the back ground... 170bhp of shopping trolleyesque Swedish barge:p Mighty fun though before I got a notion to take the turbo off for my iS... must fix that sometime too :rolleyes:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2618/004uj.jpg


Right back to looking at the shell.
Fook this spoilerless bootlid lark... how about no boot at all:laughing:
http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/88/006zm.jpg

It does actually have a spoilerless bootlid though and thats the way I'm going with it:o

Not sure why it has a Calyspo red wing on it but its there anyway... now if you think of a mixture of the wing and the front valance (in their un-rubbed down state:rolleyes:) and add a bucketload of laqure, you'll have the colour the car was going to be painted.... I think I'll just go safe and a shiny coat of zinnober red again though;)
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/2724/007vrq.jpg

Dirty.... but Very solid pockets on both sides.
Surprising as the car sat outside for nearly a year, trust my luck if I left it outside for a week it would be Freddy Flinstones chariot of choice:rolleyes:

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/61/008ba.jpg

Good rear panel apart from those few holes along the bottom that will need filling up if I'm to avoid having a smoke filled car.
http://img293.imageshack.us/img293/7570/009lo.jpg


99% straight front panel with no real rust issues... be a shame to crunch this in the door of abit of jap scrap!!!
http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6607/010viy.jpg


Time already spent getting any dents out of the rear panel and ready for paint... better try to keep it away from the walls for as long as I can
http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/7914/011ron.jpg


Inner arches, tiny bit of rust possibly starting although more than likely discoloured sealer
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/2301/013lt.jpg


Scuttle, probably the worst panel on the car
http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/6655/014ua.jpg

The main reason why I took the shell really...
http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/1157/017r.jpg

Either that or the brand new iS lip that was going with it:dance:


Good job I don't like M20s or I'd have the bother of getting this sorry looking thing going! Was told it was a good engine before it was taken out of the original car but I'm on the fence I think ever since I picked it up
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/6206/015nnz.jpg

Although, the head looks very clean and not covered in black gunk like you normally do so possibly might be worth a look into fixing it up at some stage but until then its going to be ripped out and thrown into the corner of the garage and forgotten about like any other old prehistoric lump of metal!

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/144/016tw.jpg

Since acquiring the shell and engine I've got a 5 speed ZF box from Ben off a 328 or 3L M3 and Mike also gave me a Exedy Hyper single Flywheel and clutch kit... at a price that he basically owns all the sponsor and advertising space on the car when its finished!!!

Here's a picture of the Clutch and flywheel kits look like
http://www.verstaerkte-kupplung.de/catalog/images/hypersingle.jpg
I'm looking into a transparent bellhousing and transmission tunnel... until then I've decided to just leave it in the shop as a display item as I'm not sure if my 11 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback is a good enough guard dog yet for it to be under my bed :D
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/4109/450jt.jpg
Although he's quite abit bigger now since that picture!!!

So more than likely, that'll be about as far as the project will go until Next May when I finally finish college (wasn't sure if I was going to do the add on year or not but now its settled) as I didn't get as much done this summer due to having that fight with the lathe:o

Well it would if it wasn't for the old M50 lump I have in the garage that cracked a head getting a second chance in life...
Ben dropped a full perfect M50 head down to me when he was delivering the 328 engine abit back even though all I wanted were some cam trays for another mad little idea I have so I decided I may as well make us of it the other day.

So Once I have alittle bit more of the cheaper bits done to the shell and a few other projects finished I'll start rebuilding that if its not in complete shite but will be a complete and utter budget rebuild to stay going for a year or so as your not even at the races unless you have over 200bhp these days and then hopefully get back on the S54 :)

Very good write up Dave. Shell looks nice and solid. Best of luck with it man:D:thumb:

Itll be some car when its finished:thumb:

get the finger out no and start doing some work with it lol good work dude :thumb:

Cheers lads. Should be a decent car eventually.... Until I write it off :rolleyes: get the finger out no and start doing some work with it lol good work dude :thumb:

Haha, Trouble for the last month or two was I had no finger :D

Cheers lads. Should be a decent car eventually.... Until I write it off :rolleyes:

Haha, Trouble for the last month or two was I had no finger :D

lol i didnt even no that should be the job when done :laughing:

good job lad, get it done!! i wish i did this insted of my poxy ps13

Best of Luck Dave with this, looking forward to the updates on this thread. I've a funny feeling it will be EPIC:thumb:

Really looking forward to the progress on this one. Take loads of pictures and keep us updated. Fair play.

Started pulling the M50 apart today to see whats after going wrong with it. Hopefully its only a head but I have my doubts as it was starting to knock alittle before I stopped it... shur an ould M50b28 if it is :p

Have decided on 15" XXRs.

Still not sure if I'll go with black or gun metal centers though...
Opinions?

Deciding between the two of these
http://www.c2auto.com/images/16sportmax002.JPG

For a Zinnober red E30...

such as:

http://m3bmw.com/wp/wp-content/gallery/dmc/dm_12.jpg


I'm leaning towards gun-metal as it shows the detail on the wheels more but then black looks so shineeeey :D

I don't know... maybe I'll get both with one set of 15"s and one set of 16"s

Ah fook it, I'm back where I started now with not being able to decide on the size again!

So thats what your puttin the S54 into. Gonna be some track toy. As for the wheels, black i think nyway, nice black sponsor decals then and no other colour just black and red!

So thats what your puttin the S54 into. Gonna be some track toy. As for the wheels, black i think nyway, nice black sponsor decals then and no other colour just black and red!

Can fook off with your spoilers anyway... all its getting is the bare essentials of a fiber glass Tec 2 kit...
Will more than likely have all shadowline and smoked headlights alround alright though.
Black and silver main decal colour scheme then.

Finny's S54ed E30 can be the one for all the fancy body work additions.

Looks like a great project.It will be some car when its finished with the S54 :D.

I would go for the gunmetal wheels myself,think they look better.

go 16s in gray, deffo dont go 15 there is not enough grip in 15s for the tracks we are running i was struggling to get grip out of the second corner in citywest and im on 18x10s with 235s what power will you be running iv only got 340

Hoping for around 340-380 eventually.

I was thinking 15s wouldn't give enough grip alright but would probably use T1-rs as they're nearly as cheap.

205/45 16s can be dear enough then too so quality might not be as good if can't afford decent ones.

Advantage of 16s too is I can use them on the roadcar in the off season and if I need bigger brakes it's easier to for them rather than trying to get them under 15s.

I dunno:confused:

No way am I using 17 or 18s anyway though.

Stop talking about the fecking thing and get some work done on it. I demand to see progress.

Stop talking about the fecking thing and get some work done on it. I demand to see progress.

Well, all the sound proofing and engine is out now. Just finished the last of it yesterday evening. Will put up more pictures soon.

How much for the engine. It doesn't look to pretty, so it better be cheap. :laughing:

Don't know if I'll sell it yet... Need to investigate what it's Luke alittle deeper when I get a chance.

nice project im sure ill be looking for some tips along the way wit my one ill be running 16s as well

nice project im sure ill be looking for some tips along the way wit my one ill be running 16s as well


ur going the rb25 e30 so?

ur going the rb25 e30 so?
yup might as well just use everything i have plus it,ll be different

i have a fibreglass rear valance (bumper) and f/g side skirts and whats left of a full front front f/g bumper/ spoiler, i cut up the front cause i didnt like it. it could be put back together again . i bought a full tech 2 kit instead. its yours if you want it

Cheers, that would be brilliant. Where snouts are you?

(dungarvan) give me a ring anytime you want to collect , im going away monday for a week , if you want to collect before or after is fine by me , they will be here for you. 0862759993

Cool, that's handy. Hardly will have time before Monday so I'll just give you a shout when you come back when it suits and we can have a chat about your M52 swap while I'm there:)

now this is my kind of project! :thumb:

pity ur so far from me or id offer to lend a hand turning spanners and all that.. if shes gonna be a track car u have a good excuse for some aerodynamic/drag reducing improvements, etc. im full of idead there.. been reading up on aero and drag quite a bit recently. can link to articles and whatnot if ur interested in any info?

so whats happening with the turboless 760? weve got a 740 and id imagine there would be a few tasty bits i could pillage from that 760 next time i was down that way if u were for breaking it.

Cool, that's handy. Hardly will have time before Monday so I'll just give you a shout when you come back when it suits and we can have a chat about your M52 swap while I'm there:)
ya no bother , i need to get motivated again, sure we might throw it together some evening , ha ha

Little bit more stripping this evening as had a few moments to spare :)

So completely gutted now.

What originally came to me with just the seats missing...
Now its missing, carpet, roof-lining, dash, sound deadening from floor, seatbelts, speakers, central locking components, gear-shift, handbrake, Pedal box, sound proofing inside and outside of bulkhead, pedal box, brake servo, brake MC, clutch MC, heater box and ducting, wiper motor&linkages, complete car loom and anything else that can either be unbolted or just pulled out and of course the M20 has been ditched for abit more space around the engine bay for the time being:D

If anybody needs any of the above parts, just give me a shout and I'll see if I have them and not after making bits of them in taking them out :p

All thats really left is the steering column (for the time being) as it still needs to be rolling to move around the garage until I have the spit finished.

Must clean off all the glue residue from the interior sound-deadening and grind off any little studs, brackets etc around the interior and engine bay next.


No proper pics of how it is at the moment but here's some of when I started stripping it.



Leo checking the condition of the carpet before he tears it up for the skip

http://a.imageshack.us/img530/6459/021jn.jpg


Sound proofing removal tools;

http://a.imageshack.us/img695/6131/013ic.jpg

An old hammer: check
Chizel: check
Old heat gun: check :D


What happens if you've practice at this sort of thing:)

http://a.imageshack.us/img443/1839/008tg.jpg


Almost done

http://a.imageshack.us/img146/7644/027ic.jpg


Yep, there was no way I'd get away without finding some sort of hole:(

http://a.imageshack.us/img249/4769/029vus.jpg

Very easy to cut out and plate this area anyway though and its a good excuse to take out the pedal box and get a nice floor mounted item though:laughing:


Out with the boat anchor...

http://a.imageshack.us/img64/66/030zb.jpg
http://a.imageshack.us/img21/5273/031mu.jpg

As it was now not powered by an M20, it was allowed into the garage:D




now this is my kind of project! :thumb:

pity ur so far from me or id offer to lend a hand turning spanners and all that.. if shes gonna be a track car u have a good excuse for some aerodynamic/drag reducing improvements, etc. im full of idead there.. been reading up on aero and drag quite a bit recently. can link to articles and whatnot if ur interested in any info?

so whats happening with the turboless 760? weve got a 740 and id imagine there would be a few tasty bits i could pillage from that 760 next time i was down that way if u were for breaking it.

As its going to be pre-dominantly a drift car, aero might not be the most important issue for things like drag and as it could be wrote off at any moment at the top-level (when I finally attain some skill to be there and more importantly balls to do it:o) and all the time designing and then replacing all the aero stuff would be time consuming and costly.

Will be making a flat underbody and all that kinda shite for my other track-car when the time comes however to build that but thats a project and story for another day...or year:rolleyes:

760 will be used at one or two drift practice days at some stage for abit of craic and then finally meet its faith in demolition derby which it should be quite good at too:cool:

ya no bother , i need to get motivated again, sure we might throw it together some evening , ha ha

Yep, no problem. If you have most of the bits I don't see why not:D

i might be able to help with that floor mounted pedal box.. ive got a supplier that does motorsport stuff and there is an E30 specific pedal box or 3 to choose from. dont remember options off hand but im nearly sure atleast 1 of them has a brake bias bar and adjuster.

could get a price if u fancied? if memmory serves its upwards of £200 tho.

also full line of hydraulic handbrakes buth locking and non and in all the popular configurations, normal style, straight up, 45 degree angle, etc. also foot plates for passenger side, battery boxes, fuel cells, etc.

i swear if i had the money to throw at my 325i id be dangerous lol

Pm me some prices if you get a chance. My handbrake and kit is only a hundred quid anyway though for an upright one.


Think I can get the pedal box for 200 alright but I'm not sure if it's E30 specific and includes a bias bar which I'd like:D

First and foremost is to prep it for the cage anyway.

my bad on saying £200+, actually more than that, havent looked at their stuff in a while lol

quick check and prices on pedal boxes start at about £350 tho thats for a pretty good base model race pedal box. there are about 10 different choices but only 2 of them at that price (one is for LHD lol), the rest are dearer tho none above £620 and all are bias adjustable.

heres the details of the £350 RHD unit:


http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/6875/bmw0001.jpg

RIGHT HAND DRIVE
HYDRAULIC CLUTCH
BMW E30
Track-Professional (TRACK-PRO)
Kit Contents: 3 Pedal Box For Hydraulic Clutch (No Bias Bar or Master Cylinders)
Mounting Location: Floor Pan Fit
Pedals: Light Weight Steel
Clutch: Hydraulic
Pedal Ratio: 6:1
Weight: 5.1 lbs (2.3 Kg) *
We have designed this system so it is incredibly easy to install. This new revolutionary system bolts to the floor and uses the floor pan angle to mount the master cylinders. NO welding or cutting is required.
These pedal boxes represent a major step forward in car control, giving the driver better feel, greater dexterity and the most important bit “Quicker Lap Times”.
* With Bias Bar No M/Cyls. New Revolutionary Floor Pan fit. Incorporating the angle of the floor pan as part of the installation design. No cutting or welding is needed to install.


and the dearest with all the trimmings (£620):


http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/7921/bmw0007.jpg

RIGHT HAND DRIVE
HYDRAULIC CLUTCH
BMW E30
Track-Professional (TRACK-PRO)
Kit Contents: 3 Pedal Box For Hydraulic Clutch with Bias Bar, 3 x Master Cylinders, 3 x Res, 1 x Res Bracket, 1 x Bias Cable Adjuster, 3 x St/St Braided Feed Hoses 620mm Long
Mounting Location: Floor Pan Fit
Pedals: Light Weight Steel
Clutch: Hydraulic
Pedal Ratio: 6:1
Weight: 5.1 lbs (2.3 Kg) *
We have designed this system so it is incredibly easy to install. This new revolutionary system bolts to the floor and uses the floor pan angle to mount the master cylinders. NO welding or cutting is required.
These pedal boxes represent a major step forward in car control, giving the driver better feel, greater dexterity and the most important bit “Quicker Lap Times”.
* With Bias Bar No M/Cyls.
New Revolutionary Floor Pan fit. Incorporating the angle of the floor pan as part of the installation design. No cutting or welding is needed to install.


also front and rear spherical bearing billet aluminium suspension top mounts. £150ish front (adjustable), £120ish rear (non adjustable).

prices are rough as i havent yet worked out my trade discount on the stuff to get a final sale price as i didnt envisage selling any of this stuff yet. if ur seriously interested in anything i can find out tho and get exact prices. probably be a little lower than the figures i just quoted for everything.

Pretty sure I can get the dear one with all the trimings slightly cheaper than that but really appreciate you offering anyway:thumb:



As I've been working on a 325i cab the last few weeks, I've spotted a load of stuff I like for some of my OEM plus chassis strengthening :laughing:

Here's a few things I'm ordering for it... brilliant that you can buy everything from BMW to give all the reinforcement plates you need to make it that little bit stiffer. May consider these for my road car too depending how far I go as I think they are brilliant by still being a BMW factory part:)

some bits from the front end:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/r/u/8.png

As you can see, a Cab has extra reinforcement with parts 8 (although the right one is NLA for some reason), 9 and 18.

These are all only about 10-30 quid each although I may just make some of them if they are proving hard to get.



Bits for floor

There's a brace that bolts on right at the front of the heat-shield behind the gearbox. 8 in the picture shown here and also parts 12

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/s/c/3.png
Unfortunately, the brace which is just abit or pressed shity steel is nearly going to be a 100 quid so I'll just make a cheaper and stronger one myself... or find a scraped cab and do a tiny bit of reinforcing on that one too
:)

Parts 10 and 11 are extra too but they are just bloody vibration dampeners.... or more importantly extra weight:rolleyes:



Also the cab has reinforced sills but the pieces for them are around 500 quid so I think we'll leave the cage take care of those bits:o