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The Dirty Dolphin build thread


Andrew

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Hopefully this is the beginning of an epic transformation of an 89' Delphin/Tan 325i into a rock solid street/track car.

 

Before i bought her:

IMG_0478.jpg

 

Parts installed (as of 5/9/13):

:(

Parts that I'm looking for (as of 5/9/13):

Cardinal Red sport seats

is lip

Z3 steering rack

Euroweaves or BBS RM or BBS RS reps or Ronal LS

///M shift knob (sorry Zach the one on the car broke:()

an OEM jack

A spare bottle cap 

i'm sure there's more...

 

 

 

 

Coming up... lets take a look at some areas for improvement and discuss my options.

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I had a flat tire today (screw in tire) and while the wheel was off i took a peek a the status of the rear brake pads.  Is that a large amount of piston to be extending out of the caliper???  Almost worn down to the backing plate on the sensor side.aprildump109.jpg

 

This next pic is to orient you for the third pic

aprildump111-1.jpg

 

I've got gas leaking from what i think is the top of the gas tank (only badly when it is full).  Is this a normal spot for a leak?  What do you suspect is the issue?

aprildump112.jpg

 

Also, what is this nasty thing below referred to as (i think it covers the battery cable)?  I have a strange urge to try to make a new one out of carbon fiber... because America... and i've always wanted to make something out of carbon.

aprildump110.jpg

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Here is the cover, You may be able to find it elsewhere for a bit cheaper but the part number is in there. I believe it is covering the fuel return line or evap hose.
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-7378-16131179011-genuine-bmw-part.aspx

H
ere is a picture of the top of the fuel tank, there are some lines there, but I have never had to work with the fuel tank so I am not sure what areas may be leak prone 

fuel-tank.jpg

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that is a common spot for a leak on the gas tank. its probably from the top of the tank. mine did the same thing. i also believe ben's did the same thing. and being me...i just never filled past half tank instead of actually fixing it lol. 

It's good to know there is an easy solution :D

 

too bad about the nail in the tire :( I'm excited about this build thread! Get yourself a bentley e30 repair guide if you don't have one. They call them bibles for a reason  ;)

I'm pretty sure i didn't sell the one I bought when i had my last E30; I knew I would ride in God's chariot again!  Now where did I put it...

 

Also, I just ordered Brembo blanks, Axxis ultimate pads, and caliper rebuild kits for all corners.  Bought Turner front subframe reinforcements as well (currently accepting offers for welding assistance).  Need to find a good vendor for a remanufactured Z3 rack next.  This could escalate quickly...

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Rock Auto has a reman for $255 with no core charge. I would be more inclined to find one without a core charge since I can imagine some drama with returning a different core. I had to really sweet talk the driveshaft shop into letting me return an automatic driveshaft for a manual driveshaft when I did my 5spd swap. 
Did you order up some new soft lines?

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Good to see the car getting what it deserves.  Also, when those lights finally show up, I have some extra fun stuff for you.  I guess I don't really need my M20 powder coated valve cover so....

Funny you should mention the valve cover, since i just purchased a valve cover gasket in preparation for refinishing the one on the car.  Also, brake parts arrived...  Who wants to have a brake job party :)

DSC01875.jpg

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A BJ party??

Yes, a BJ party; BJ's for everyone.

 

So this is what a subframe looks like, 50 lbs of coal slag later.  Note to self: just clean future subrames up enough to weld on reinforcement plates and be done with it.  Now, what color do i powdercoat it...  I kind of like the silver color it is now.  A slate blue?  Eau de nil?  Zinc Phospate primer?  Black is so 1989.

IMG_0533.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

So today I was planning on securing the loose strut collar nut that Snap helped me discover, cept I'm not sure how im going to get the shock cartridge down into the strut body ( the picture below was taken with the corner in the air aka full droop). Any ideas?  The picture shows, from top to bottom, the strut collar nut, the top of the Bilstein shock, and the top of the strut housing.  The shock should be entirely inside the strut housing, and should be captured by the collar nut.

 

IMG_0569.jpg

 

 Also, I have sandblasted the wheels that were "time attacked" and reinstalled them on the car (pics eventually)  I really like the raw blasted aluminum look, and will likely throw a clear coat on them.

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You are going to have to remove the strut from the car, remove the spring, then tap the strut insert down into place by striking the top of the gland nut. If the insert comes out nicely by hand, you may want to check to make sure the oil in the bottom of the strut housing has been removed. (Nitrogen filled struts do not require oil in the bottom of the housing).  If you really dont want to remove the strut from the car then I may have some alternative ideas. 

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