M3M3

Massive update Pete!!!  👍👍👍👍

Having been over to see progress on this car a bunch, Pete is doing some cool fabrication work.  It is great to see all the systems starting to come together on the car!

something like this.  i have a much cheaper one that came with a shifter kit i got a long time ago.

https://www.baumtools.com/shop/bmw-tools/bmw-gear-shift-tools/251100-shift-lever-pin-wrench/

that bushing cup looks like standard issue for most all bmw's.  there is a tool you use to insert it.  push up, twist 1/4 turn until you hear the click of the tabs going in the slots.  done. ez.  tool also allows you to remove it easily.

yes, it can be done with screwdrivers, but they are really the wrong tool.

Got a chuckle seeing you had posted on that thread I referenced....🙂👍

https://www.bmw2002faq.com/forums/topic/238532-front-sway-bar-orientation/

looks like it is mounted on the drivers side?  that is the air intake side.  you have effectively blocked a cool air path to the intake.  it is also not really in direct airflow so is a pretty ineffective location for an oil cooler.  needs to be OUTSIDE the engine compt.

two better locations.

1/ passenger side behind the headlights.  a car i bought had one mounted there.

2/ best location...suspended from rad support in front of the radiator.  this is where i put mine in my S14 conversion.  details in my M2 madness build thread.

" to fix that when I'm ready to torque the trailing arms with weight in the trunk."

just use jack/mc lift to raise the back wheel to where it would be when car is on the ground.  TQ TA bolts.  repeat for other side.  no need to to the put the car on ground with weight in the car thing.

nice!  there is no substitute for a two post lift.  game changer for working on cars.

had my (original owner) 97 M3 out on track this past weekend.  best car i have ever owned, by far, and the last one i would ever part with.  i get smoked by the newer bmw's and camaro's in the the instructor group, but can't wipe the big stupid grin off my face driving it.

warning though...i got hit by the defective bmw power steering system flaw going into turn one at a significant rate.  the low pressure hose connection to the "trombone" fluid cooler is a well known failure point that yields spectacular results as the ATF hits the LF tire and the exhaust system.  i had preventatively replaced mine 20k miles ago.  it blew out anyway.  huge mess and thankfully none of the cars behind me collected me as i sat backward in the middle of the turn smoking.  anyone with an e36 must change that line, reinforce the connection or replace whole system with aftermarket kit that uses braided hose and AN fitings.

56 minutes ago, jgerock said:

Wonder what your impression would be if you DIDN’T have an M2.  

Having owned a bunch of 325is's also, probably the same.   The m3 gets a ton of hype so the expectations when you drive them are high.... But if you just drive it on the street.... Disappointment.  Definitely a nice car, but not "OMG!".

Funny.  My driving impression of the stock E30 M3 on the street is that it is a completely unimpressive slug.  Heavy car with slow steering and a no torque engine.  325is is SOOO much better to drive on the street.  More power where you can use it, exactly the same interior, great brakes and the same suspension.  However, put the m3 on a track where you can use the power band above 5k rpm with the better stock brakes and a big stupid grin appears on your face.... The M3 has an impressive racing history and the cache that goes with it, but as a street car, meh.

wow...you brought a car to VSR to have floormats installed?  ?

welcome to the club....

since you asked me when i got my e30.....so what will this replace in your garage?  ?

same way you post anywhere else on the site.  hit reply in the article and paste your info in.

add this to the article on rear seat delete carpeting that already exists....

time to go for a track day...

looks more like a creamsickle color than verona in that light!  :-)

and I am digging those flexible 360 deg ground effects skirts on the bottom of the car..it is going to be FAST!!!!

looking forward to seeing it done....estimated date?

Did the cat come with?

Btw -  "beemers" are BMW motorcycles.  "Bimmers" are BMW cars.

way cool work Pete!  may have to stop by and check out in person!

we are trying to figure out the optimal combination of cars, bikes and trailers to take to vintage!

looks like fun!

E30's use the same rear suspension design as a 2002. identical.   i have seen a picture of that bracing on an e30 m3, but of all racing and plain track car e30 m3's i have seen over the years, a total of none of them added that bracing.

it certainly doesn't hurt anything though!  (unless it was done off a jig and the weld heat altered the arm geometry)

not sure the cross brace at the A arm does anything.  when the arm is attached to the subframe, the subframe acts as reinforcement in the same axis.  cross brace seems like extra unsprung weight.

your install is whacked because the sport muffler is designed for roundies.  the muffler mounts on the square tails are offset in the opposite direction than the roundies.  you have to make different mounts for the ansa sport on a squaretail.  this has been documented numerous times on this site.  when properly installed, the ansa pipe ends up centered under the stock valence indent.

Nice, but you should have cut the body panels for the flares before you painted it.