Project e30: Entry # 7

I've been gone for two weeks, and I was hoping to return to the sound of a purring M20. So yesterday, on my way back from the Manila Sports Car Club's Vintage Car Race, I dropped by Goodwrench to check on the e30.

There was some progress - all the engine components were finally back in the block itself. Unfortunately, that's about it - Bernard was sick all alst week, so work came to a halt. The head isn't mounted yet, the new exhaust hasn't arrived yet, and the car still needs to be dyno-tuned when it's all done. And in and around and between all of that, I'm sure there will be other issues.

The new goal, realistically, is to finish everything by mid-December. Hopefully this time, the target date is met, and I have a Merry M20 Christmas.

Project e30: Entry #6

Progress? Not much. But there is an important development - my camshaft has arrived! It's actually ready to be installed, but there's a lot of assembly work yet to be done. The motor itself isn't whole yet. The pistons, conrods, pins, valves, retainers... Then the fine tuning comes into play. And after that, there is more to install. The Z3 steering rack isn't on yet. The tranny also needs to be reinstalled. Then the engine goes in, and with it, the new stainless steel exhaust system.

Still, I'm hopeful that since all the pieces of the puzzle are there, the rest of the work should be (relatively) quick. With some luck and a lot of work, the poor bimmer will finally get some sun by November. For those scoring at home, that means it will have been in the shop or a year.

But even after it leaves Goodwrench, there's still a matter of tuning. We are still debating whether to go with the Miller WAR chip, or the Unichip, which is very popular in the Philippines.

It's been a REALLY long time coming, but I hope it's worth the wait.

Project e30: Entry #5 (aka the Non-Post)

Unfortunately, there isn't much to report after a couple of weeks. While the port and polish job has been done, along with the balancing, the job of putting it all together is taking more time than originally expected. The new camshaft arrived late, as well, adding to the delay.

In the meantime, I've been researching big brake kits to help cope with the increased power. I likely will not go this route first - as I said last post, I'm hoping to not have to do this, as it may mean the end of my 16" BBS RS rims. I've seen a lot of project cars on Performance BMW magazine and in several e30 enthusiast websites and forums, but I will definitely reserve judgement until I've driven the car. My current brakes are in bad shape, and I'll probably need to replace the pads and rotors.

There are several products on the market that look good, and at the same time, won't break the bank. The cheapest way to go is with a set of Mazda RX-7 (both FC and FD will work) 4-pot calipers matched with VW Corrado rotors and some minor bracket modifications. I've seen some guys get set up for as low as $200 (with a lot of DIY) and as high as $500. Another example of "Frankensteining" the brakes comes from a company in Germany, offering a complete kit based on brand-new Porsche Boxster (968) calipers with 4-lug ATE rotors (needing a 15mm spacer for the front wheels) for Eur1,000 (approx $1,400). For ready-to-install kits, Wilwood looks like the front runner, with several variants of the kit available, ranging from $1,000-1,500. K-Sport also has a kit that retails for around $1,500.

And in other news, I'm still BMW-less... and unhappy about it... A lot of the next steps are highly dependent on that test drive of the car, which has been in hiatus for over 9 months now, and really, there's not much to discuss until that happens. But as soon as more progress comes, I'll post updates. Until then, happy motoring!

Project e30: Entry #4

Things are finally progressing with Project: e30. It's taken a really long time, but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's not a finished car by any means, but at least it soon will be roadworthy, and then some.

Still, there were issues to be solved that have yet to be addressed. So here are some more trouble-shooting updates:

1. Door lock problems: Still needs to be taken care of. I'll work on this when after all the engine stuff is done.

2. Brake problems: As explained before, the brake lights are out of whack, the ABS only works intermittently, and I've got my hands on an e38 BMC. So far the electrical system was just checked and contacts cleaned. We'll see if this fixes the lights and ABS, but we won't really know until the car is actually running.

3. Body damage: This STILL is last on the list.

4. The aribag sensors are shot. There's a strange black goo that had leaked out, and it's solidified into a rubbery solid. Normally I'd be more worried, but I'll be swapping the ancient airbag steering wheel with a non-airbag M-Tech 2 part anyway, so I'll just get rid of these.

I'm sure more problems will arise when I actually start running the car. But hopefully, the list won't be too long. In the meantime, engine work continued.

The block has been honed to remove the surface corrosion. Port and polish job has been done, and a lot of work was put into balancing the crankshaft, pressure plate and flywheel. The crankshaft also got new bearings. New valves are to be fitted, since the old ones are showing signs of wear. New valve springs and retainers are about to be put in, too, and the valve guides have been properly matched. The valve guides were also shaved a bit for better airflow. The flywheel was also lightened as it was being balanced. A slightly more aggressive camshaft is on its way - a 272 degree item that should give me a bit more push without sacrificing low-end torque.

Bernard and I have talked about installing a Unichip piggyback ECU controller to manage all the changes made to the engine. The Unichip was the first choice because it's fairly well supported here in the Philippines, and most of the poeple I know who installed this system have favorable reviews. However, at Bernard's suggestion, we are considering using Miller Performance's WAR chip instead. This is so that we can have multiple maps installed and I can switch between normal road driving, economy, and track settings on the fly. I need to do more homework on this before I make my final decision.

If all that sounds like a lot of work, it is. However, it's almost done. The engine itself still needs to be put back together, but at least the components are pretty much done and ready to go. The net effect of all this work is that we may even exceed my target power output. Bernard expects a compression ratio of about 10:1, which is a huge jump from the stock m20's 8.8:1 compression. But this leads to a couple of issues.

When compression goes up, it means more power is being generated, but it also means more heat will be generated, too. The stock cooling system may not be enough, especially in typical Metro Manila traffic, and even more so in the summer. Did some reading on several forums and one option is to upgrade to a high-performance radiator. Apparently, the 1988 and up models have the same radators as the standard e36s, so an e36 M3 radiator should be a direct fit to the stock piping. It's got a thicker core, though, so I'll have to check out the clearances. I'll look into uprated oil coolers as well, as they may also be needed. What isn't 100% clear yet is if the electric fan conversion (the stock setup is a mechanical unit with a clutch) will also help.

To deal with the increase in power, I'll also be considering further brake upgrades. I'm already running on better pads and rotors, but I am now seriously thinking about a big brake kit for the front wheels. That's not a cheap fix, so I'm going to decide only after taking the car on a few braking test runs. I'm just worried that a BBK will mean that I can no longer use my beloved BBS RS 16s. The rims barely clear the calipers as it is - there's just 3mm of space between the two - so having a BBK will almost definitely mean new rims. I was really looking forward to using my RS's, so I'm a bit disheartened by that. Another option could be some wheel spacers, but I've had some rubbing issues to begin with. I really don't want a wide body kit. I was really hoping for more of a sleeper look, so the only way for that to work is to pull my fenders out a bit. I hope I can find someone who can do a good job of this.

If much of the work I've mentioned here isn't very well explained, there's a simple reason why - all this in new to me. My previous cars have been modified for simple aesthetics, with a big helping of car audio. My last e46 stepped up a lot in the handling department, with uprated parts for the brakes and almost every imaginable bolt-on upgrade to the suspension, including a set of PSS9s coilovers. But this is the first time I've ever got into engine tuning (aside from the typical intake/exhaust upgrades that nearly all car enthusiasts have done), so much of the technical aspects are very new to me. Massive thanks are due to Bernard Sy (my tuner), the guys in r3vlimited.com (rav320uk, Wanganstyle, MR 325, SkiFree, nando, and many more) and my dad, who is a certified petrolhead OG.

I'm still a student in this, but I'm definitely looking forward to learning this new phase of my petrolhead life. And whatever new stuff I learn, rest assured I'll be putting it here.

Project e30: Entry #3

When we left off, there were a bunch of issues that had to be dealt with. One by one, here's how we fixed them:

1. Headlamp and fog lamp problems: The HID relay was water damaged, so I had to replace it. Unfortunately, Philips does not sell them individually, so I replaced everything with an new 6000k set sourced from C3 4x4, care of Sanny Sarcia. I also replaced the fog lamp bulb, and cleaned the contacts while I was at it. Now I have light! As for the fogged-up projectors, a simple hair dryer took car of this, and a quick check of the seals revealed no problems.

2. Door lock problems: Still working on this.

3. Brake problems, both electrical and mechanical: Still working on the electrical part of this. As far as the mechanical, we've bled the brakes, and while it improved a little bit, the feel still seems off. I've been reading up on a possible upgrade for the brake master cylinder, which is a stock e38 7-series unit. It makes brake travel a lot shorter, at the expense of a much harder pedal. It sounds interesting, and I went ahead and sourced the part. Also considering a complete caliper rebuild.

4. Idling problem: Cleaned out the fuel tank, using solvents and water. We also replaced the fuel pump with a higher-flow fuel pump. This was part of the original plan anyway - hence the fuel regulator. And, of course, we put in a new fuel filter.

5. Body damage: This is last on the list.

6. Stalling problem: Replaced the O2 sensor for the ICV, and that corrected the issue.

7. Aircon problem: This one hurt: had to replace both the compressor and expansion valve. Changed all the hoses while I was at it, as well.

8. Steering problem: The old steering rack needed a rebuild, but opted instead to upgrade to a remanufactured Z3 unit, which shortens the ratio from 4.1 to 2.7 turn to lock, meaning a much sharper response.

As for the engine, there were a few things that needed to be addressed. The block is pretty solid, but there is some surface corrosion. This will be addressed by milling the head just a little bit, which will also increase the compression ratio. There's also some pitting on the cylinder wall, but a port and polish job will correct this, as well as help with the airflow, thereby increasing power even more. A couple of intake and exhaust valves that are slightly bent, and a few have some pitting and corrosion on the ends. These will be replaced with new ones.

Since a lot of the problem areas were not just corrected, but improved upon, it made sense to maximize these upgrades. I have better steering, hopefully better braking, better fuel delivery, and (hopefully) better breathing for the engine. Bernard and I talked about further options to take advantage of what was already done, and in the end, I gave him a goal - I want 170hp at the rear wheels (approx 200hp at the crank, which is within e30 M3 range), and do it with NA tuning. That means no turbo, no supercharger, no nitrous - all motor. Verification will be done via rolling road in Speedlab. Why there? A few months before the car was flooded, I had taken it to Speedlab for a dyno run, to see where the engine was at. Peak hp was 129rwhp at 5700rpm, while peak torque was 129lb-ft at 4000rpm. That's my baseline, and I hope to see a good result.

With that agreed upon, we set about mapping out the other work to be done. First, 19lb injectors and an m30 MAF will be installed to increase air and fuel delivery. This takes advantage of the port and polish job as well as the fuel regulator and the high flow fuel pump. A new exhaust - from the manifold all the way back to the muffler - will also be fitted to be able to deal with increased exhaust gases from the increased combustion. And finally a Unichip piggyback ECU module to properly mate all the new components.

In the meantime, I got a set of Ireland Engineering strut brace, front and rear, and powdercoated them red. They should compliment the existing chassis upgrades, and spruce up the engine bay and trunk a bit. The engine bay in particular should look good - anything that could safely be powdercoated we done so in black. The fuel line attached to the fuel regulator and the spark plug wires are both red, so the red strut bar will continue the black-and-red theme.

The direction of the car was starting to veer off course, and into some uncharted waters for me. But this may just be the beginning...

Project e30: Entry #2

As I mentioned in the first post, this project car was to be a long-term project, with restoration and modifications coming at a slow, deliberate pace.

Phase one was to get the car in good running order, with OEM and aftermarket upgrades used when applicable if something needed to be replaced. Second part would be a simple resto-mod job - mostly in the form of a respray (perhaps even a color change) and with era-appropriate mods which would make the car unique. The last would be performance upgrades, meant to be done slowly, over a period of time. This was so that I could enjoy each tweak a little at a time, and truly appreciate the effect that each mod had on the overall package. In the meantime, I was doing a lot of treasure-hunting, looking for rare or interesting parts for my project car. Among the parts I've sourced:

- Alcantara 355mm diameter Mtech-2 steering wheel from the e30 M3 Evo

- Recaro N-Joy seats that I've reconditioned and updated with leather surrounds

- OEM M-Tech 2 kit (half of it, anyway)

- e46 ZHP weighted shift knob (to go with my Z3 shifter)

- OEM rearview mirror with maplights

- OEM battery cover

- OEM black leather door panels

- OEM 15" BBS "basketweave" rims

After Ondoy hit, the car spend a couple of months in the shop, getting it back to road-usable status. And it was usable... barely. The car had developed various problems:

1. The driver's side headlamp (my poor HIDs!) and fog lamp are dead. This may be corroded contacts, or at worst, an electrical wiring problem.

2. The central locking and driver's side door lock don't work properly. Same as the lighting, this is more electrical work.

3. When I step on the brakes, some lights on the dashboard come on. So there's definitely a lot of electrical work to be done in my future.

4. The headlights are still fogged up, but a bit of dryer work, and it should be as good as new.

5. The car idles pretty rough - once in a while, idling runs up to 2000rpm. A quick dab of the throttle and it normalizes, but it's still something to look into. It feels like the car has no low-end pull, either. Apparently the fuel tank still had a lot of residue, not from the flood, but buildup over its entire lifespan. Then the flood water loosened it up just enough for it to be sticky and clog up the fuel filter. We later found that the fuel pump was also affected, and i was running very lean. So a cleanup of the fuel tank is in order, and I'll need a new fuel pump.

6. The brakes were also non-responsive, and the ABS check light was on, so that has to be addressed as well. The brake pad wear sensor is also dead. The brakes may need to be bled, and the e30 is known to have long brake pedal travel, so perhaps an adjustment of the linkage will do. The ABS system needs checking, though, and there are

three possible ansers: the ABS sensor, the ABS relay, or the wheel speed sensor.

7. To add a little extra grief, there's a ding on the hood where some debris must have hit.

8. When I gave it a test drive, the car stalled on me. It appears as though a sensor that controls the ICV also needs replacing.

9. The aircon cuts in and out a lot, and I fear the worst - a new compressor may be needed.

10. The steering feel is off, being very loose in the middle and heavy when nearing full lock. Turns our that the power steering pump is leaking, so that has to be replaced.

There are probably more little things (and maybe even big things - but hopefully just little things) that need sorting out. But these alone were already worrying me. It was also very difficult to decide where to begin, since there was so much wrong, but eventually I decided to start with the heart of the e30 - it's M20 motor.

Since the engine was to be overhauled AGAIN, I decided that this time, I would not just do the standard maintenance, but do some real refurbishing, as well. I took the car back to Goodwrench, the shop in Bulacan where the car was flooded in the first place. The owner, Bernard Sy, is a whiz with e30s, and the m20 in particular. We discussed options for the car, many of which are upgrades that we can do while the engine is already opened up. I didn't realize it at the time, but this marked the beginning of a new direction for the car...

On the next chapter of Project e30: how plans can change...

My First Blog, aka Project: e30

Hi. I think that's the standard greeting. Hi. Um... Yeah. Obviously I'm new to this. I never thought I'd ever blog - there was just no time and no interest in getting on a soapbox. But here I am, blogging. Here's hoping I know what I'm doing...

My posts will normally be about three things:

1. My irrational love for my project car, a 1990 BMW 325i
2. The occasional rant about motoring in the Philippines
3. A weekly top 10 list of whatever car-related thing I feel like making Top 10 lists of

I'll start by introducing my current project car.

Project: e30

1990 BMW 325i coupe (e30)
M20 2.5l straight-six NA
over 200,000 km on the odometer

Factory specs:

Dolphin gray metallic
Beige leather
Sunroof

3.73 ratio LSD

14" "bottle cap" wheels

The e30 was meant to be a long term project. The vision: a trackable street car, with just enough amenities to make it real-world driveable.

Within the first 6 months, it got new filters and spark plugs, a top overhaul, complete front axle refurb ( shocks, springs, control arms, bushings, tie rods), electrical cleanup, and a bunch of little detail work (like new roundels and door lever surrounds).

Upgrades were also fast coming along. As always, I start with suspension and brake mods such as Brembo drilled discs, EBC Green Stuff pads, stainless brake lines, H&R springs and sway bars, Bilstein HD shocks and a set of 16" BBS RS003s wrapped in Bridgestone RE001s.

Aesthetic upgrades were next, in the form of projector lenses and HIDs and a new Alpine head unit (the car did not have a radio when I bought it). A high-pressure fuel pump and a fuel regulator were also added in preparation for some engine tweaks, but not before doing a dyne run to see the baseline figures to benchmark the mods I was planning.

Then in 2009, disaster struck - while my car was in the shop, Typhoon Ondoy swept through and counted my e30 among it's victims. The water had gone up as far as the headlights, leaving my beloved bimmer in a sorry state and all the work and hard-earned cash put into it were for naught. The silver lining here is that the water level was just below the level of the new stereo and, more importantly, the motronic unit. Still, it was painful to see.

Over the next few posts, I'll document it's progress since then. Its taken me a year to get the project started again, and hopefully - one of these days - I can report on it's clean bill of health.

Until then, drive safe, buckle up, and save the racing for the track. Happy motoring!

- frag