GunMetalGrey

That's the ideal number of bikes!

It is indeed just 2x4 and hardware store hooks. 
You could use an aluminum extrusion of sorts with sliding hooks possibly. There's gotta be an industrial solution available. Butchers rack maybe?

WiBasements.com
Suggested website name change

WiBasements.com
Suggested website name change

Alright I'm going to start thinking out loud here. 
So what I was looking at while working on an airbox is the tight radius elbow that leads into the throttle body on my car. The bimmerworld elbow is used to adapt to the 3.5" MAF but seems to have a tighter radius than stock. 
Bends are bad for airflow, and I currently have a tight radius 90 before the throttle body, then a 90 after the filter. Total of 180° of bends.
The E36 chassis needs this bend due to the strut tower location and them being close together, but the strut towers are further back and apart in an E30, and the throttle body is almost entirely forward of it. Random google pic instead of going to my car.




Step 1: New throttle body. I recently stumbled upon someone who put an M60 throttle body (80mm) on an S52. Turns out many years ago Treehouse racing actually made a kit to do this, but I have never seen this or heard about it, and it looks like not many were ever made. The throttle body uses the same TPS, but everything else is different. I picked up one on ebay for $60 shipped. This is the same engine that my MAF is from.




I will be making an adapter that will allow me to bolt this up to my engine, and I will be opening up the hole in the manifold to capitalize on the swap. I will need to make a bracket for the throttle cable as well. 

Step 2: Remove 90° bend at throttle body. If I move my coolant expansion tank to the passenger side of the car (plenty of space) I can get away with running (1) 45° elbow at the throttle body, and keep the rest straight with maybe a small bend to accommodate the filter. Taking 135° of bends out of my intake tubing should help, especially with eliminating the tight radius bend before the throttle body. 

What I'd like to do is swap this stuff while it's on the dyno and see actual results.
The biggest downside is going to be drivability; currently I barely have to breathe on the throttle pedal to cruise, and this swap will amplify that issue. I will make a different throttle arm if I have enough pedal travel to do so. 

I don't think this swap ever caught on because it is likely very pointless on a relatively stock engine, but we're far from that in this thread! 

I know, I know, I know, I moved and abandoned everyone, but the car and truck both have WI plates so it kinda counts, right?
The real reason is to keep track of things, and this forum format is pretty slicks.

So, I bought another E30. Like any logical man I made sure to buy one that was thousands of miles away, and too low for any sanely priced shipping company to touch. 
Took my truck to WI to say hi to a few people, fly out to CA for work, then fly back to WI so I could load up the car on the trailer and head home with it. Nothing like a 4,000 mile round trip to grab a car!


So the real question here is; why?

This is a car that has been mentioned from time to time, a handful of you know it, but never had much presence on the internet or in person. This is the car that a friend purchased shortly after he saw me rebuilding my first E30 and thought it looked cool. I've been working with this car since day one, and know the details on all of it, so minimal surprises.
He's owned the car for around 10 years, and it has seen an M10, M10 turbo (shortly), M50, and the current setup. It has been the bastard child of many projects, but what I really wanted was the current drive-line. 

Car Details:
1984 318i
Rear euro bumper on, front in the car to be put on
full late model brake swap
houndstooth / black leather interior
Koni adjustable suspension, poly throughout the whole car for bushings
M3 steering rack

Engine Details:
S52 OBD1 Swapped
11.5:1 Pistons (bored over)
MLS Head gasket (.01" taller than stock to compensate for block and head decking) 
Shrick Cams
Bavarian CNC port and polished head
Upgraded valve springs
Solid lifters (?)
M50 Intake manifold
Riot Racing big bore throttle body
3.5" Euro MAF
24lb injectors
Turner Underdrive pulleys 
ARP hardware throughout 
Ceramic coated headers, full stainless exhaust from Mr. Asparagus's NA setup

Needless to say, the car can really get out of its own way. 
We rolled the car across a scale a year or so ago which was very similar to how it sits now, and the scale showed 2,400 lbs. Lightweight NA power is a whole different ball game from what I've known. 

The car needs plenty of clean up work as it has been "neglected" for many years, a lot of the finer details are not in a way that I appreciate. 
I'm excited to be back behind the wheel of an E30 that will actually be enjoyable to drive (the diesel noises were cool before, but the rest was strongly mediocre).

Until next time!

 

Alright I'm going to start thinking out loud here. 
So what I was looking at while working on an airbox is the tight radius elbow that leads into the throttle body on my car. The bimmerworld elbow is used to adapt to the 3.5" MAF but seems to have a tighter radius than stock. 
Bends are bad for airflow, and I currently have a tight radius 90 before the throttle body, then a 90 after the filter. Total of 180° of bends.
The E36 chassis needs this bend due to the strut tower location and them being close together, but the strut towers are further back and apart in an E30, and the throttle body is almost entirely forward of it. Random google pic instead of going to my car.




Step 1: New throttle body. I recently stumbled upon someone who put an M60 throttle body (80mm) on an S52. Turns out many years ago Treehouse racing actually made a kit to do this, but I have never seen this or heard about it, and it looks like not many were ever made. The throttle body uses the same TPS, but everything else is different. I picked up one on ebay for $60 shipped. This is the same engine that my MAF is from.




I will be making an adapter that will allow me to bolt this up to my engine, and I will be opening up the hole in the manifold to capitalize on the swap. I will need to make a bracket for the throttle cable as well. 

Step 2: Remove 90° bend at throttle body. If I move my coolant expansion tank to the passenger side of the car (plenty of space) I can get away with running (1) 45° elbow at the throttle body, and keep the rest straight with maybe a small bend to accommodate the filter. Taking 135° of bends out of my intake tubing should help, especially with eliminating the tight radius bend before the throttle body. 

What I'd like to do is swap this stuff while it's on the dyno and see actual results.
The biggest downside is going to be drivability; currently I barely have to breathe on the throttle pedal to cruise, and this swap will amplify that issue. I will make a different throttle arm if I have enough pedal travel to do so. 

I don't think this swap ever caught on because it is likely very pointless on a relatively stock engine, but we're far from that in this thread! 

Alright I'm going to start thinking out loud here. 
So what I was looking at while working on an airbox is the tight radius elbow that leads into the throttle body on my car. The bimmerworld elbow is used to adapt to the 3.5" MAF but seems to have a tighter radius than stock. 
Bends are bad for airflow, and I currently have a tight radius 90 before the throttle body, then a 90 after the filter. Total of 180° of bends.
The E36 chassis needs this bend due to the strut tower location and them being close together, but the strut towers are further back and apart in an E30, and the throttle body is almost entirely forward of it. Random google pic instead of going to my car.




Step 1: New throttle body. I recently stumbled upon someone who put an M60 throttle body (80mm) on an S52. Turns out many years ago Treehouse racing actually made a kit to do this, but I have never seen this or heard about it, and it looks like not many were ever made. The throttle body uses the same TPS, but everything else is different. I picked up one on ebay for $60 shipped. This is the same engine that my MAF is from.




I will be making an adapter that will allow me to bolt this up to my engine, and I will be opening up the hole in the manifold to capitalize on the swap. I will need to make a bracket for the throttle cable as well. 

Step 2: Remove 90° bend at throttle body. If I move my coolant expansion tank to the passenger side of the car (plenty of space) I can get away with running (1) 45° elbow at the throttle body, and keep the rest straight with maybe a small bend to accommodate the filter. Taking 135° of bends out of my intake tubing should help, especially with eliminating the tight radius bend before the throttle body. 

What I'd like to do is swap this stuff while it's on the dyno and see actual results.
The biggest downside is going to be drivability; currently I barely have to breathe on the throttle pedal to cruise, and this swap will amplify that issue. I will make a different throttle arm if I have enough pedal travel to do so. 

I don't think this swap ever caught on because it is likely very pointless on a relatively stock engine, but we're far from that in this thread! 

Started making an airbox, ended up going down a rabbit hole, will update more later once parts arrive. 
I believe I'm going for the highest power NA S52

Alright I'm going to start thinking out loud here. 
So what I was looking at while working on an airbox is the tight radius elbow that leads into the throttle body on my car. The bimmerworld elbow is used to adapt to the 3.5" MAF but seems to have a tighter radius than stock. 
Bends are bad for airflow, and I currently have a tight radius 90 before the throttle body, then a 90 after the filter. Total of 180° of bends.
The E36 chassis needs this bend due to the strut tower location and them being close together, but the strut towers are further back and apart in an E30, and the throttle body is almost entirely forward of it. Random google pic instead of going to my car.




Step 1: New throttle body. I recently stumbled upon someone who put an M60 throttle body (80mm) on an S52. Turns out many years ago Treehouse racing actually made a kit to do this, but I have never seen this or heard about it, and it looks like not many were ever made. The throttle body uses the same TPS, but everything else is different. I picked up one on ebay for $60 shipped. This is the same engine that my MAF is from.




I will be making an adapter that will allow me to bolt this up to my engine, and I will be opening up the hole in the manifold to capitalize on the swap. I will need to make a bracket for the throttle cable as well. 

Step 2: Remove 90° bend at throttle body. If I move my coolant expansion tank to the passenger side of the car (plenty of space) I can get away with running (1) 45° elbow at the throttle body, and keep the rest straight with maybe a small bend to accommodate the filter. Taking 135° of bends out of my intake tubing should help, especially with eliminating the tight radius bend before the throttle body. 

What I'd like to do is swap this stuff while it's on the dyno and see actual results.
The biggest downside is going to be drivability; currently I barely have to breathe on the throttle pedal to cruise, and this swap will amplify that issue. I will make a different throttle arm if I have enough pedal travel to do so. 

I don't think this swap ever caught on because it is likely very pointless on a relatively stock engine, but we're far from that in this thread! 

Started making an airbox, ended up going down a rabbit hole, will update more later once parts arrive. 
I believe I'm going for the highest power NA S52

Started making an airbox, ended up going down a rabbit hole, will update more later once parts arrive. 
I believe I'm going for the highest power NA S52

Ahhh man an excuse to go beat on the car... I hate those! 

Note my overzealous let-off that had me pointing toward another car in oncoming traffic, and the other side being a ditch lol
I hope @B C appreciates the audio, the timing was unintentional.

The highway was actually dry enough to let 3rd gear stretch its legs, I always debate going back to a 3.73 in this car, but the 3.25 feels like it takes great advantage of the torque on hand. 
 

Started making an airbox, ended up going down a rabbit hole, will update more later once parts arrive. 
I believe I'm going for the highest power NA S52

Ahhh man an excuse to go beat on the car... I hate those! 

Note my overzealous let-off that had me pointing toward another car in oncoming traffic, and the other side being a ditch lol
I hope @B C appreciates the audio, the timing was unintentional.

The highway was actually dry enough to let 3rd gear stretch its legs, I always debate going back to a 3.73 in this car, but the 3.25 feels like it takes great advantage of the torque on hand. 
 

Ahhh man an excuse to go beat on the car... I hate those! 

Note my overzealous let-off that had me pointing toward another car in oncoming traffic, and the other side being a ditch lol
I hope @B C appreciates the audio, the timing was unintentional.

The highway was actually dry enough to let 3rd gear stretch its legs, I always debate going back to a 3.73 in this car, but the 3.25 feels like it takes great advantage of the torque on hand. 
 

Ahhh man an excuse to go beat on the car... I hate those! 

Note my overzealous let-off that had me pointing toward another car in oncoming traffic, and the other side being a ditch lol
I hope @B C appreciates the audio, the timing was unintentional.

The highway was actually dry enough to let 3rd gear stretch its legs, I always debate going back to a 3.73 in this car, but the 3.25 feels like it takes great advantage of the torque on hand. 
 

Ahhh man an excuse to go beat on the car... I hate those! 

Note my overzealous let-off that had me pointing toward another car in oncoming traffic, and the other side being a ditch lol
I hope @B C appreciates the audio, the timing was unintentional.

The highway was actually dry enough to let 3rd gear stretch its legs, I always debate going back to a 3.73 in this car, but the 3.25 feels like it takes great advantage of the torque on hand. 
 

Ahhh man an excuse to go beat on the car... I hate those! 

Note my overzealous let-off that had me pointing toward another car in oncoming traffic, and the other side being a ditch lol
I hope @B C appreciates the audio, the timing was unintentional.

The highway was actually dry enough to let 3rd gear stretch its legs, I always debate going back to a 3.73 in this car, but the 3.25 feels like it takes great advantage of the torque on hand. 
 

Update time!
I was driving the car around for a day or two after tuning, tearing up the streets and such. Went to a guys house who does E36 racecars and was working on s54 itb adapters for m5x/s5x engines which I wanted to pick his brain about for reasons. Right before I got to his house the temp gauge started climbing above half, figured it was just air so wasn't worried. Before I left his house I opened the expansion tank and worked the hoses a bit. Started my 30 min drive home and made it about 10 before it started overheating. I parked in a gas station and tried for 40 or so minutes to burp the cooling system and add coolant but it was no success. Luckily I was about 5 miles from a friends house who just so happened to not be working that night. I started driving to his place and as I got off the highway I nearly stalled it changing gears as the clutch engagement point was suddenly on the floor... I pumped the pedal once or twice to find out something in the clutch blew out and I could barely get anything. 
I continued driving my overheating e30 without using the clutch and trying to time traffic lights correctly. I made it into his apartment complex and parked it, got a ride home, and rented a uhaul trailer (again) to pick the car up. 

Slave cylinder hydraulic seal blew out, so brake fluid was dumping out of the bellhousing.  I bought a new master and slave cyl to accompany the new clutch and not have to worry about it for many years again. 




I dropped the trans with the engine in the car which I haven't done before. Not as bad as everyone says it is! 
I swapped to a E36 flywheel with 240mm clutch vs the E30 flywheel that was in it at 228mm. The old six puck clutch was indeed required to hold the NA power that this engine is producing which is amusing, but sucks to drive. Swapped to a full face organic disk. 
Old clutch/PP/Flywheel weight: 31.4 Lbs.
New clutch/PP/Flywheel weight: 28.4 Lbs.
Three pounds lighter for a better clutch? I'm game! Photo of old clutch so I can remember the abuse it caused.



After using the wrong throw-out bearing the first time which required me to take the trans back out, I was finally at the point where everything was back together and ready for coolant. I poured coolant in and started hearing a trickle, and found a pinhole in my radiator that had 3 hours or so of runtime on it. I must've caught it on something while taking it out. My attempt to solder it was unsuccessful so I ordered another one, thankfully the CSF OE replacement is cheap! 



So everything is back together now, and RockAuto sent me the correct crank sensor after they sent me the wrong one (the must've had a mislabeled box or something odd) and it seems the crank sensor was the cause of my breakup and stumbling issues, as the car now pulls smoothly to 7?00 RPM. I would like to get back on the dyno to make sure that top rev range is tuned and to see where the power starts to taper. 
The new clutch is so damn nice to drive with, frankly it should've been the first thing I did to the car when I got it. The ability to slip the clutch and not have the car lurching is lovely, and as resulted in me driving this thing a lot more than it ever has been since I've known it. 

It does still have the issue of losing traction in 3rd gear on moist pavement at 65mph though. I need to work on that one yet!
 

Yeah I settled on automatic thinking it would be nice for traffic (which it is) but I don't end up in traffic often haha.
I am looking to sell it sometime in the near future, and the lack of rust on things out here is awesome. 

Sport 128i's that are manual seem to be quite tricky to come across! I do really enjoy the chassis though. 

I got this epic BMW key to hold my keys! This will be perfect to replace the Chinesium plastic one I have currently. Thanks Santa! 

For scale the roundel looks to be the size for a hood emblem. 

I was secretly hoping to cause some domestic conflict w/ whether this wood or wood not be allowed to to be hung up, but you having a shop took a little of the fun out of it.
Regardless, it's always fun to use the cnc at work for projects where tolerances don't matter.

The key part is soft maple and the handle is "Peruvian Walnut", where "Peruvian" means imported and "Walnut" means brown; aka imported brown wood.
 

I'm glad to see Stroopwafels! 
Your AFR is pretty darn lean also...

Also a sip of beer every time his camera is out of focus. 

I shouldn't be drunk at noon, but covid?