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Welding is done on the subframe, attached reinforcement plates on the sway bar mounts, motor mounts, and control arm mounts, which are the known weak points on the front suspension of these cars. Didn't find any cracking or warping, which I'm pretty happy about in a 280k mile car! Here is pictures of the plates, my welding isn't very pretty but I'm confident that I got good penetration, and they will last the test of time.

Sway bar mounts


Motor mounts


Control arm mounting points


I also just got my new steering rack in the mail. I verified that it is the fast-ratio Z3 rack, but unfortunately it needs new tie rods. Not very expensive, happily. Got those ordered, as well as new brake rotors all around, new calipers up front, new front sway bar brackets, and sway bar linkages. Tire rack also had Hawk HPS brake pads on sale for about 25% off so I picked up some of those for all four corners. I was really excited because I was thinking I finally had all the parts I need (minus wheels and tires) to get the entire suspension done, and then, in the middle of researching tie rods, I stumbled upon some rather disappointing information: My front spindles from the '95 M3 aren't going to work. I knew that the five lug swaps were prone to caster problems, as well as wheel location problems in the wheel well. I also knew that using control arms from a '96-'99 M3 would correct some of the caster and positioning problems. What I didn't find anywhere is that there is a substantial difference in geometry in the SPINDLES as well, between '95 and '96-'99 M3s. So at some point soon I am going to have to source another set of spindles, which means I will have ended up using absolutely no parts from the original M3 front end I bought. Gonna try and recoup some costs on that.

I'm tempted to use the spindles I have just to get the car on the ground, so I can start on the rear. The spindles are not very hard to replace on these cars, and it will let me continue to make progress. I just won't be able to drive the car, since the alignment will be all jacked up. I may have a local connection for some new spindles, but I'm not sure yet.

The agenda for today is lots of tasks around the house. But if I get some time in the garage, I'm going to try to tackle the rust on the frame, at least to see what the damage is like.

More to come, hopefully soon.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Some problems solved, some more uncovered. I coated the welded subframe with POR-15, and aside from the dirt and brush bristles that got stuck in it, I'm happy with how it turned out. Unfortunately, it looks like the subframe warped during welding. It's not a ton, but enough that the dowels no longer quite line up with the holes in the chassis of the car. I think I can force it into shape, but it is going to take some persuasion.

Worked yesterday and today on mounting up the new steering rack, and ran into a couple more problems. The first being that the mounting holes were just a little off from the rack, I think because of the warping when I was welding. This problem was solved with a hammer. The second problem was caused by me not doing enough research: the mounts on the Z3 steering rack are about 14mm shorter than the E30 rack, so there is a 14mm gap above the rack. In this picture the E30 rack is still in the subframe, but the Z3 rack is next to it, and you can sort of see the difference in size of the mounts.



There are companies that make spacer kits to fix this, and to shorten the steering shaft, which is another thing I found out I need to do. So I could spend $20-25 dollars and wait a couple weeks, or I could just turn some spacers on the lathe at work on Monday. I'll need to pick up some grade 8 hardware as well, but should only be a couple dollars.

Also installed the new tie rods to the Z3 rack, and mocked it up with the subframe:



The final autocross of the year is September 23rd, and I would really like to drive this car at that event. At this rate I'm not sure it is going to happen, since I have some other trips planned this year, but I'm going to do my best.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Did the subframe move while welding or did the frame sag sitting unsupported? I doubt you will ever know if it will make a bit of difference.

I am guessing it was during welding, since it is pretty rigid, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, after some persuasion from some ratchet straps, and carefully tightening bolts side to side, the subframe is back in. I haven't taken any pictures yet though.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

If you had to force it back in, chances are your front wheel alignment is never going to be within spec!

We'll find out. It wasn't massively far off, the dowels were just like 1/32" off of lining up. Once it is back together and on the alignment rack, I'll know. I think it will be fine though. The subframe isn't that big all told.

Got the engine mounts in tonight, and one control arm. Took a couple pictures that I will post this weekend.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Wanted to drop an update since I haven't in a while. The car is sitting on wheels again for the first time in months! The front suspension is totally assembled, minus wiring in the E36 ABS sensors. I have 245/40R17 BFG R1s under it right now, and they rub in the front just a bit at full lock. It looks like the wheel is just about .25-.5" too far forward in the wheel well, which is a problem for this suspension setup. I put it together just to see if it would work, but it looks like I will have to make some custom lower control arm bushings. Anyone have a good, affordable source for buying 95a polyurethane stock? I've found a couple places but they aren't cheap. I also ordered some steering rack stops, to slightly reduce my turning radius, which should help tire clearance.

Also got in my fender flares finally, and picked up a fiberglass duck tail spoiler off eBay for pretty cheap, that seems to have pretty good fitment!

Pictures to come soon, been a little tied up at work.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Fired it up for fun a little while ago, just to get some oil flowing through it, and to hear it again. Running like crap right now, with no MAF, and probably a bad O2 sensor, but the rumble always makes me smile a little.



Progress pics! The car is on the ground! Only the front is done, but it is on wheels again! Those are 245/40R17 BFGoodrich R1s, which are notoriously wider than the placard says. This gives me confidence that I will be able to fit 255s all around, once the flares are on.



This is a side shot of the wheel lifted up to ride height, with a jack. This shot raises some concerns for me. First off, the tire does rub on the front fender liner at full lock. Part of it is because of these wide tires. The other part, as you can see, the front wheel is a little too far forward in the wheel well, and I know I am losing a fair bit of room there. I did a little bit of research, and it looks like this is a problem with the five lug swap I'm using. With current aftermarket support, No one has totally solved the wheel location/caster problem with this setup. The problem is down to two factors. The first is caster, and the Ground Control camber plates I have will have enough adjustment to help that.
The other is the geometry of the L-shaped lower control arms. The control arm bushings are round, so you can either buy the stock bushing, which has a centered hole for the control arm, or an offset bushing, which pushes the control arm outwards, swinging the wheel forwards. The center bushing will place the wheel much too far back. I wrestled with this one for a while, until I realized I can just buy some polyurethane, and make some bushings! That, or I can modify the offset bushings I have. I don't THINK that will cause any substantial loss of integrity, to modify my current bushings, but I'm not sure.



The other part of the solution, to the tire rubbing problem, is just to install some little steering rack stops. They were cheap, from Turner Motorsports, and they just arrived. Next time the front is up I need to install those, do the bushings, wire in the E36 ABS sensors, and fix the rust spot on the frame rail, then on to the rear of the car!

Here is a bonus shot of the duck-tail spoiler that I got off eBay. It is a little rough, but I think it will clean up really nicely, and fit well. Though, I'm going to have to do something about those indents for the rivet spots, don't like the locations.



More soon, hopefully. Been adding LED lights in my garage, and I'm going to have to do something about heat if I want to get any work done this winter.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Eric,

Why don't you press in the offset bushings so that the control arm is pulled towards the center of the car, pulling the wheel back in the well?

For the indents, I bet fiberglass reinforced resin, like Bondo 272 and some sandpaper work would smooth right over them!

ESP:

I'll take pictures next time it is apart, and when I try it in different configurations, but pressing the bushings in the other way will pull the wheel almost 1.5" too far back. Even a stock centered bushing is too far back. I'm going to make some custom moderate offset bushings, once I measure what they need to be.

Any idea if I would be ok putting another hole in the poly bushings I already have? I don't think it should compromise anything structurally.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Ordered some new centered LCA bushings, and they sent me two sets! Gonna sell the extra and the old offset set, and install the new ones when I get back home from Thanksgiving.

Hey MegaSquirt people!

I want to be able to tune my engine in it's current form, to handle the cam, exhaust, and bigger injectors. But I want to have room to expand for boost, as well as true sequential injection, and coil-on-plug ignition for tuneability. From what I can tell, if I want all those features, as well as room for expansion and mods, I am basically required to run MS3X. That sound right? Also, can anyone point me towards resources for interfacing the MS unit to my wiring harness? I'd like to avoid minimal butchery to the factory harness, but I know some is probably inevitable. Is it most common to cut up the factory ECU plug and wire it into the MS, or should I make/buy a pigtail adapter? It's been hard for me to find really conclusive information.

There is a sale on diyautotune kits and units until Cyber Monday, and I would like to take advantage if possible, though it is definitely not a requirement.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Hey Eric,

I'd contact diyauto and they'll be really helpful in getting you all sorted out. They may have a PnP option for your engine. I think you can run an MS2 because you've only got 6 cylinders, but I'm not certain on that. Boost will require a MAP sensor with enough range to cover the boost, but the software and computer side is easy. Matt, at diyauto, helped me out. Let me know if you'd like to get together and I can show you what I did to get my MS2 running.

Evan

Evan (esp42089) Came by with his awesome '53 Chevy, to provide some tips and tricks of using Megasquirt, and I couldn't resist snapping a picture with my cars and his:



Anyway, back to business. Per Evan's advice, as well as some research, it appears an MS2 would be adequate to run my setup, including when I add the supercharger. Plus, DIYAutoTune sells a plug-and-play ECU for my car, where I would only have to add a MAP sensor, and wire in my wideband, and it would run. But, the MS2 will not run sequential injection, which I am not sure I need. I know it doesn't really change anything at high-RPM/Open throttle conditions, which is where this car will spend much of it's time. However, in the event that I want to get the car smogged, the smoothness and tuneability might be worth it. Or am I crazy? The other thing I haven't been able to find a definitive answer on is sequential ignition. I don't know if MS2 with some sort of expansion can run sequential ignition with six cylinders, or not. That seems like a much more useful feature, as the single ignition coil isn't the most useful thing in the world. I can source a cam sensor for my car really easily, and I can find LS coils that would work. I just can't figure out if MS2 or 3 is required. Also, I don't believe there is a plug-and-play MS3 option for my car. Wiring and electrical is still something I'm not great with, but I should probably learn at some point.

Oh! And the most exciting part, the front suspension is done! Centered LCA bushings came in, and totally fixed the wheel position!



That looks much better, plus with the steering stops installed, fender flares, and possible spacers, I should have no problem fitting the big tires I want. Next step is to deep-clean the garage, finish installing the new LED lights, and then to start on the rear suspension!

More soon.

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

Happy new year!

Not much progress over the holidays, with family and friends in town, plus the weather just took a turn for the colder. Looking into some insulation for my garage, so I can keep going through winter. In the meantime, I'm trying to make a decision on an aftermarket ECU. The most straightforward choice is an MS2, as there are at least two different places I can get a Plug and Play option for my car. Disadvantage is I can't do full sequential injection, or COP ignition. If I go MS3, I have to make a wiring harness, and the price skyrockets to something like $1300, which is not fun.

Three questions:

1) I understand mechanically the differences between single coil, wasted spark, and COP ignition. I know I'm going to get rid of my distributor at some point, but how much difference will it really make to have COP over Wasted Spark? Obviously I'd like to maximize tuneability, as well as my margin of safety for protecting the engine, but is COP really that much better?

2) Similar question, I understand the difference between batch fire and sequential injection, and I understand that at the top end, in WOT conditions, there's no real difference between the two. But am I going to notice/lose out on some performance if I just use batch fire?

3) If I do end up needing COP and sequential injection, and am going to spend $1300+ on an ECU, why would I buy Megasquirt? You can get a new Haltech Elite 950 or 1000 with a wiring harness for around that price, and an AEM Infinity 506 is only a bit more. Am I mistaken in thinking the name brands would have better support?

Thanks

_________________
--Eric

"Stuckness shouldn't be avoided. It's the psychic predecessor of all real understanding." --Robert Pirsig

Grey 2019 Hyundai Veloster Turbo
Red 1989 BMW 325is

You may be able to use a factory BMW ECU with a little harness manipulation.

The 2000ish ones are flashable, and have support in some of the open source ECU tuning software now.

_________________
Walt
06 RX-8 Shinka
04 RX-8 GT
06 325xi
Some people never have anything except ideas. Go do it.
Emissions & fuel economy haven't exactly been areas of strength for past rotary power plants, but absolutely no one with a soul has ever cared.