A Distraction of Sorts: My 1991 BMW 318is

[anto125]

Gotta do the same thing on mine asap,
actually you just painted in black the round part in the outer lenses, and the "x" part in the inside one right? no other parts were painted?
really nice effect, i love on e30's how the smoked light get lost in the grill's black.

still a big fan of yours man

[CubbyChowder]

Just finished smoking my Ellipsoids. Had to wait for a replacement lens since I shattered one upon disassembly. Got everything sealed up and they're good to go:

[NorCalFocus]

Saw a 318 in the same color as yours yesterday and made me think of your build.

[CubbyChowder]

After a few spirited drives the grease from your hands will match it right up.

perfect

[yurotrash]

After a few spirited drives the grease from your hands will match it right up.

[CubbyChowder]

That's really smart. Shame it doesn't match though, that would have been perfect!

Thanks! It's close enough of a match for me.

awesome work dude, really.
u be pushin it so right on this one
really appreciated the tutorial video for the coils, unfortunatly gc dosn't ship here to Italy, but that's a very useful video for anyone who wants to build a custom coilover set for an e30.

and really nice shift knob
true appreciation right here!

Thank you! Really appreciate the comment

your video/edit skills are legit! Assuming u did it all in this video? And great info there! lol

Thanks, yeah I did all the work, filming and editing.

[Rob&co]

your video/edit skills are legit! Assuming u did it all in this video? And great info there! lol

[anto125]

awesome work dude, really.
u be pushin it so right on this one
really appreciated the tutorial video for the coils, unfortunatly gc dosn't ship here to Italy, but that's a very useful video for anyone who wants to build a custom coilover set for an e30.

and really nice shift knob
true appreciation right here!

[Minuki]

That's really smart. Shame it doesn't match though, that would have been perfect!

[CubbyChowder]

Ordered a custom wooden shift knob from r3vlimited forum user Nygdup. I had a vision in mind and he nailed it and even added his own twist which ended up working perfectly for what I was going for. I requested to have the knob shipped raw with no stain so I could stain it myself. I found out about his knobs from his thread which show some of his work in the link below, I highly recommend his custom knobs! Very affordable and he's super determined to create something that the customer will be happy with.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=275553

This is how I received it in raw form. I wanted to paint and stain it so that it matches my Nardi wheel:



I painted the recessed areas black to match the black stripe on the Nardi:



I then sanded the surface of the knob to remove any excess paint and proceeded to stain the rest of it. I have very little experience staining wood so this was kind of a shot in the dark for me. I picked a stain which matched the color of the Nardi perfectly on the label, but the finished product isn't an exact match. Finished it up with a few layers of a glossy polyurethane coating and installed it. Although it's not perfect, I'm still very happy with how it turned out. Here is how it looks:

[CubbyChowder]

Installed my Nardi Classic today, now I just need to figure out a horn situation (don't mind my lame shift knob haha I'm having a custom wood one made as I write this):




Also started to take my US Ellipsoids apart in preparation to be smoked. I managed to shatter one of the lenses because it got too hot and I barely tapped it with a metal chisel and it exploded in my face haha so that was stupid. Glad all the glass is off though, it was kind of a pain in the ass to get them separated:

[CubbyChowder]

Realy liked your tutorial but i have couple questions is it neccesary to cut strut housin 2 inces and and what did you do abut rear suspension? Im also planing to do home made coilovers for my E30

I'm pretty sure its completely necessary if you want to go considerably low. The stock housings are too tall, and the shocks will easily bottom out if you want to go low. Shortening the housings and running a shorter shock allows you to go low and retain shock travel.

Unfortunately I didn't really film too much of the rear install as it's pretty straight forward. Just a matter of swapping out the shocks and springs.

If you're looking into using a Camaro rear shock, all that needs to be done is to buy a 3/8" metal sleeve (like this: http://www.homedepot.com/Plumbing/h_...1#.UN_UDonjk44) and cut it to the same width as the bottom bushing on the Camaro shock. It will pop right in with some grease and the original bottom strut bolt will fit very snugly. The top is a direct swap, no modification is needed.

[CubbyChowder]

This isn't an update, I just got a PM and he requested that I answer it in my build thread so others can see it too.

Hey,

I honestly love your work, patience taken to a whole new level.

I have a few questions I was hoping that you may be able to help me with about your e30 if you have time its alright if you dont but ya.

1. What brand rack mounts did you use on the rack you make?
2. Do the wheels rub at all, I have the same one but I am debating what size tires to run.
3. Can you please break down the components that you used for the suspension and how you went about putting it all together I am looking for a budget suspension that is the height of ours which is low but also reasonable for a daily. If you can can you send me links if it isnt too much trouble? Even the swing arms and bushings.


Thank you in advance, hope you have time to help me out.

By the way if you do have time to answer these questions make sure to post your response on the thread because I have a few e30 friends also looking for the same information that also love your build.

Thanks,
Matt

First off, thank you for the kind words, I'm stoked that you guys like my build. Here are the answers to your questions, let me know if you have any more.

1. What brand rack mounts did you use on the rack you make?
The mounts came off a universal roof rack which I bought on eBay. They are not the nicest mounts out there, but super affordable and I like that they sit pretty low compared to others I have seen. I have not had any problems so far. The rack can be bought here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Car-Top-Roof...item4161498de9

2. Do the wheels rub at all, I have the same one but I am debating what size tires to run.
Yes, the wheels rub slightly on bumps and sharp turns. I'm pretty sure the front only rubs on the plastic inner fender liner, not on the actual fender, so I need to cut out the small section that it rubs on. As for the rear, the previous owner of my car did a terrible job of rolling the rear fender and pinched a bunch of dirt and undercoating between the lip so it won't roll flat. It's almost a half inch thick, I think I'm just going to cut it out. I would recommend 205/45/16's.

3. Can you please break down the components that you used for the suspension and how you went about putting it all together I am looking for a budget suspension that is the height of ours which is low but also reasonable for a daily. If you can can you send me links if it isnt too much trouble? Even the swing arms and bushings.

So here's what all went down:
- Ground Control Coilover Conversion Kit, 440f/650r spring rates (http://www.ground-control-store.com/...p/II=121/CA=98)
- Shortened strut housings by 2"
- IX Bilstein HD shocks for the front with 1.25" spacer
- KYB Gas-A-Just Camaro shocks for the rear
- Replaced front control arms
- Replaced lollipop bushings
- Replaced front and rear sway bar linkages
- Dropped the rear subframe
- Replaced trailing arm bushings
- Replaced rear subframe mount bushings

Cost me about $1000 total.

I called Mark at Ground Control and he set me up with the right spring rates for my car and it's usage. Awesome guy and really knows E30's well. As for all the bushings and everything, I bought from www.BavAuto.com and www.PelicanParts.com, each website has better prices on certain items. Just look up your model E30 and under the suspension category should be everything you need. Keep in mind this is a pretty big project, it took me nearly 6 full days to complete with some help from my dad here and there.

If you are looking to spend less, JOM makes a coilover set which runs for about $400 I believe and gets decent reviews. My Ground Control setup plus shocks for the front and rear ran me about $750 and all the other suspension components ran me about $250.

[lauriest]

Realy liked your tutorial but i have couple questions is it neccesary to cut strut housin 2 inces and and what did you do abut rear suspension? Im also planing to do home made coilovers for my E30

[MartinsElerts]

Your Lady is the best
And awesome tutorial, thank You