BMW 323i M50 2.5

[rob0r]

Jason, thanks for the input. That's good news about the E34 diff plate, I've just remembered I've got an E34 M20 525i auto in for breaking, that can donate it's whole diff if it's the right one! The plan is to solid mount the E30 axle with offset metal bushes unless you have any better ideas? What is the wheel location like in the arches (as you had trouble with the E28 axle initially?)?

I like the idea of a 5 stud axle, especially as I have the E12 front hubs to do the fronts. I wouldn't want to run E36 offset though! On your setup, what would 17" x 8J style 5s be like? totally ridiculous or would the tyres go under with a bit of stretch? What about those E38 16"x 8J BBS like you sent me down a few years ago? Interesting!

[rob0r]

Lastly, are all E28 axles the same? Will a 535i axle take an E30/E34 diff or are the casings unique to each other?

[Jason_323i]

I think all e28 are the same, possibly the difference would be lack of dog bone bushes on the smaller models, e30/34 diff fit.

Also I say 2002 turbo arch's and style 5's

[murran]

lol! thats what the three cv joints looked like that have let go on mine in the past. hasnt poped one since i stripped them all and re-greased them.
325i m20 3... e21 driveshafts 0.

[rob0r]

I hate plastic arches, I reckon I'll stick with the E30 axle idea for now.

Either way it looks like the car is going back into the doldrums and I'm back on E30s for the time being!

[nicks85]

Nice, all the best and hope to see some pics of development!

[rob0r]

I tried an E30 rear beam on one of my spare shells today...

http://bmwe21.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14723

[rob0r]

After breaking the driveshaft during the PPC photoshoot I cashed the tax in, sold the welded diff and stuck the car in a corner, pretty much couldn't be bothered with it! 3 months or so later I decided to weld a diff up, stick it in the car and replace the broken driveshaft so I could drive it around the farm... I might as well have it mobile! Then I decided to put it back onto the road for the Retro Rides Gathering at Prescott and the NASC Nationals in Ipswich, both at the end of August.

But before that I had to do a few jobs, the biggest being changing the rack bushes since the originals had got so slack that the rack was moving side to side before actually turning the wheels . I toyed with solid mounting the rack somehow, but Murran offered to knock me up some cheap polybush replacements. Credit to Murran, the bushes turned out great and I got them fitted with my quick rack that I got off Jason about 3 years ago. Advice when replacing rack bushes, get the whole rack off the car first, do it on the bench and save yourself some pain! I won't lie, it was a hell of a job to get rack back into the subframe mounts. I clamped the 17mm and 13mm bolts down on the rack casing to compress the bushes off the car, the problem is you have to remove the 17mm bolts again to get the rack into the subframe. Whilst the rack was compressed with the bolts I used a hose clamp on the forward facing tabs of the rack casing next to the 17mm bolts, and then removed the 17mm bolts. I still had to splay the mounting points to get the rack in, but the hose clamp made it much easier. Murran's bushes are doing great and the quick rack is awesome. I fitted some new track rod ends to the quick rack and did the tracking by eye... Somehow it steers straight!

Due to unforseen consequences the E21 missed the Retro Rides Gathering, so I took the E30 touring instead. I bumped into Mark and his ever evolving 323i!

The next weekend I took the E21 to the NASC Nationals and had a great time, this was the first time I had used the car on the road since the fateful PPC shoot. I entered the burnout competition, riled the crowd up by telling them I was too cool for hot rods (it was a hot rod show...) and then burned my clutch out! EPIC FAIL. I was rocking steelies since I thought I was going to trash my tyres... See the vid...


Proof I did get some tyre smoke...


Since then my E30 touring overheated it's M20 2.5, so that's currently getting an M30 3.5. So I've been using the E21 as a daily which has been great fun! I do keep scuffing the incredibly low sump since I haven't had it modified yet. However, a few days ago I'm pretty sure I cracked the inlet manifold. When I was starting the engine up I heard a BANG and then a Wtssshhh sound, now it's misfiring and popping all over the place. It won't idle and the engine will cut out if you try and idle it. However with full throttle it runs fine. This all points a massive air leak, but the normal candidates are fine (servo pipes, ICV etc), as far as I can tell the air leak sounds like it's around the inlet tracts of cylinders 5 and 6. The car is drivable but I'm heel-toeing up to every junction! The E30 is still about a week away from completion and with the E21 broken again, so I'm currently carless

[rob0r]

As for the future, I'm not so sure. I've contemplated selling it or keeping it and sticking on an E28 rear axle!

[e21-Mark]

It'll be a shame if it has to go Rob. Ultimate failure though!

[Jason_323i]

If it helps I have a m50 2.0 manifold you can have for free

Jason

[pistonheader]

sorry to hear this rob. my how time flies, it's been over 18 months since i got those E30 seats fitted and had my water pump failure!! other than all of this stuff hope all is well your end mate

[murran]

just watched the vid.... hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...... breath....... hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

everyone there next to the fences were there to watch you do a burn out??
bloody hell. if i do a burnout at the shop i get frowned at and risk being reported to the bacon folks.

[nas80]

its the banana shape pipe for the icv where it goes into the inlet end. its popped out. mine did that too once.

[nige21]

Firstly you have the worst luck Rob!! Dont sell, stick an e28 rear end in it!

How do you find the quick rack? Is there steering much heavier? What was the ratio?
Jas do you still have any of these, or know who else makes one??