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Happy new year Ben, and congratulations to you both on the arrival of Loxley. As always, enjoyed catching up on this thread - you have a nice writing style and it makes for an entertaining read. And yes, I read all of the recent updates, even the longer bits  Looking forward to seeing the E30 upside down and what state the underside's in! Steve |
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maf260
Part of things
Posts: 533
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Where did you get your trolley jack from please? Looks just like what I'm looking for. |
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Congratulations to you both on Loxley. My experience is parenthood gets easier after the first 18 months... Anyway, really like the sound of your ideas for the BMW - keeping its character whilst adding a bit of purpose. In terms of wheels, , how about something along the lines of these Ronals (same as on your skateboard!)? They'd give a bit more size though are sort of related to the originals and you'd keep some sidewall - kinda OEM+/group N which works with the chrome and 'goofy' bumpers?  ...and non-centre-lock versions here  |
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thomfr
Part of things
Trying to assemble the Duett again..
Posts: 694
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These Ronal wheels are called Ronal “Turbo” and came with and without the Turbo script in big capitals. They are so 80 Touring car racing (BMW, Alfa, Rover and Volvo used these beside the classic BBS honeycomb). Thom
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73' Alfa Giulia Super
64' Volvo Duett
65' Volvo Duett
67' Volvo Amazon 123GT
09' Ford Focus 1.8
20' VW ID4
71' Benelli Motorella
65' Cyrus Speciaal
The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys
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Ian
Part of things
Posts: 977
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Its been a great read, thank you for your effort in posting!
Love an E30 as well so that made it more fun.
I have a BMW iX3 on the way as well, ordered mine in October, but through company car scheme so not chasing and have no idea when it will turn up. I've gone for a grey M sport, just not a fan of the wheels, but the company car tax makes it a no brainer for me!
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Jan 10, 2022 10:32:19 GMT
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Wow Ben! Great job! Is the 325e engine not the secret holy grail for E30 6 cylinder tuning? As far as I know all the E30 drifters are looking for those. Love to read about your road trip (did something like that in Australia in 2006 and in California in 2008. No decent digital camera then so not many pictures..). Enjoy your son and remember baby's are a women's thing after the first 8 months kids are also becoming fun for men (interaction starts). At least that was my experience (and that of some friends). Thom I need to take a look more into the 325e engine then and have a word with some of the guys across the pond to see what they are saying about them. From what i've read so far is that everyone swaps the head and pistons on them, over in America they use the 325i head. Yeah he doesn't really do much but sleep all day and scream all night. At least when he sleeps all day i can sneak out to the garage for a few hours at the weekend. Happy new year Ben, and congratulations to you both on the arrival of Loxley. As always, enjoyed catching up on this thread - you have a nice writing style and it makes for an entertaining read. And yes, I read all of the recent updates, even the longer bits  Looking forward to seeing the E30 upside down and what state the underside's in! Steve Thank you, i really appreciate the comment. I have been under the car and tbh the underside is in fantastic condition and every nut/bolt came off with ease. so nice working on a rust free car!! The reason for me getting under there and re doing it is so that we can keep it that way and hopefully it lives another 35 years. Although it probably wont be allowed on the road then. Where did you get your trolley jack from please? Looks just like what I'm looking for. messaged you. Congratulations to you both on Loxley. My experience is parenthood gets easier after the first 18 months... Anyway, really like the sound of your ideas for the BMW - keeping its character whilst adding a bit of purpose. In terms of wheels, , how about something along the lines of these Ronals (same as on your skateboard!)? They'd give a bit more size though are sort of related to the originals and you'd keep some sidewall - kinda OEM+/group N which works with the chrome and 'goofy' bumpers? These Ronal wheels are called Ronal “Turbo” and came with and without the Turbo script in big capitals. They are so 80 Touring car racing (BMW, Alfa, Rover and Volvo used these beside the classic BBS honeycomb). Thom I do really like them Ronal's and i have looked into a couple sets of them. What is even more annoying is few years back i had a set in my possession before i owned the e30. I used to have quite a nice wheel collection but i literally sold almost everything car related to fund the big trip. I usually manage to get my hands on things randomly so i am just going to wait and see what falls into my lap when the time/money allows it. Its been a great read, thank you for your effort in posting! Love an E30 as well so that made it more fun. I have a BMW iX3 on the way as well, ordered mine in October, but through company car scheme so not chasing and have no idea when it will turn up. I've gone for a grey M sport, just not a fan of the wheels, but the company car tax makes it a no brainer for me! I am really looking forward to the x3i when it eventually comes. We went for black on black. I am kind of getting mine as a company car, we have a scheme through work where we can order a car and pay for it pre-tax and out of my "car allowance" so it isn't quite a company car for tax purposes but also kind of is, and if i leave the company i keep the car. Although, my wife is going to have this as the family car and i will keep driving the e46, i do around 100 miles a day and drive on and off building sites so the car will only get trashed and also it will cost me a lot of money regarding the mileage cap. |
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Ian
Part of things
Posts: 977
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Jan 10, 2022 13:38:07 GMT
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The grey is really dark, and I didn't want another black car or white, have had a few of those.
Did you test drive one, I was surprised by it to be honest. They drive really nicely and looks like a normal car not electric. I did however specify a tow bar, never know when that might come in handy!
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The grey is really dark, and I didn't want another black car or white, have had a few of those. Did you test drive one, I was surprised by it to be honest. They drive really nicely and looks like a normal car not electric. I did however specify a tow bar, never know when that might come in handy! To be honest i never test drove it we just ordered it online so hopefully i like it! i cant imagine not liking it to be honest, its a new car so it cant be that bad... |
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Managed to find a small amount of time in the garage this weekend just gone. It was mainly spent organising parts and working out the next step. I still need to make up the front bracket to mount the car to the roll over jig and we are good to go. However, i think i am going to take the doors off and see what else i can remove from the car to make it lighter as i am a bit sketched out putting the car on the roll over jig. I was sorting out what needs to be de-greased / sandblasted before i paint them.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr Obviously got the subframes too and some other bits but they are on the floor. also, i thought i would give this stuff a go, has anyone used it before? thinking of using this instead of powdercoat as i am struggling to find a decent powdercoater around me that i trust or have seen decent work from.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr Also hung up some flags after i had a tidy up.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr And some pictures that i bought when i was in Texas, forgot i had them so put them in frames and trying to figure out where to put them.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr |
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Mar 12, 2022 16:22:38 GMT
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Alright, so where was we then. I got a few hours in the garage today. First things first i had to get 4 new tyres for the daily driver and filled it up with diesel. After being extremely sore after that i decided lets get some stuff done to the e30! And i got something done that i have been extremely scared of doing for quite a while but it needed to be done to get the progression moving forward. First things first, tidy up the work bench as it was quite a mess in there  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr clean garage done, now time to make a mess. Got the old girl into position before we really flipped her life upside down  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr And i was only meant to blow the bloody doors off. (or something along those lines)  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr I knew there was a reason i put this terrible fake grass down outside the front of the house. Ignore the snowman, Christmas is only 9 months away. And then it was time to get really sketchy.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr And some rather brown pants later we are up and supported under its own weight.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr and gave it a little twisty twist  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr This is actually terrifying.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr But i am so glad it is done and keeping everything crossed that it does not collapse!!  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr Daily driver on the right after hurting my bank this morning. I started having a little clean up on the e30 just testing some stuff out and poking around. i unfortunately found 2 areas of rust but in the grand scheme of things it could have been worse. Bottom of the battery tray in the boot  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr And the drivers side footwell  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr And a collection of items that i am using to clean bits up etc etc  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr the rust areas will be getting cut out and new welded back in Hopefully we can start making some progress on this car now!! As always, your opinions and comments are always welcome below. |
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Last Edit: Mar 12, 2022 16:26:55 GMT by benwalsh91
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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Mar 12, 2022 19:01:29 GMT
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1986 BMW E30 refreshed to original spec
1973 BMW E12 520 converting to Motorsport 530
1982 XJS V12 converting to 5 speed manual
Many landscaping projects overriding above!
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum!
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Marc
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,037
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Mar 13, 2022 17:49:25 GMT
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What an absolutely brilliant thread! I've enjoyed following this so much over the last year or whatever. The adventures in the US, the photos and everything were just brilliant. Now, the rebuild of the e30 is on and I'm so looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Your writing style is so engaging and genuine, you get a real sense of your personality.
I love the relationship with this old car and what it's come to mean for you. Wish you all the very best with the build and with the family too.
Awesome stuff all round.
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What an absolutely brilliant thread! I've enjoyed following this so much over the last year or whatever. The adventures in the US, the photos and everything were just brilliant. Now, the rebuild of the e30 is on and I'm so looking forward to seeing what happens next. Your writing style is so engaging and genuine, you get a real sense of your personality. I love the relationship with this old car and what it's come to mean for you. Wish you all the very best with the build and with the family too. Awesome stuff all round. Thank you. Comments like this really mean so much. I am really looking forward to the next adventure with the car on getting it back into a rolling shell and then slowly putting it back together. Want to do a few UK road trips in this thing and also i want to do a Euro trip in it too. so plenty of adventures to go!! Hopefully i can do the restoration justice, its a massive learning curve but nothing like jumping into the deep end. |
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Ian
Part of things
Posts: 977
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Mar 15, 2022 13:43:23 GMT
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Some great work going on, I WILL do something with my E36 this summer, maybe putting it back in the garage!
Any news on your iX3, mines coming tomorrow! Only downside is no charger until the 30th March, so two weeks on trickle charge!
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LAndy
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,061
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Mar 15, 2022 16:46:36 GMT
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Love seeing the progress on this, I can reccomend the POR15 stuff, used some of it on our RV.
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Previous retros: 92 AX GTi 92 Scirocco Scala 94 80 sport 87 Golf Cab GTi Current retro: 1965 Clark Cortez YouTube Website Instagram |
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Some great work going on, I WILL do something with my E36 this summer, maybe putting it back in the garage! Any news on your iX3, mines coming tomorrow! Only downside is no charger until the 30th March, so two weeks on trickle charge! We actually cancelled it, it was through a lease deal and they ended up contacting me and said they would no insure my wife on the car as she is 28 and apparently needed to be 30. A little bit ridiculous and i didn't want to be paying for the lease deal which was meant to cover everything incl insurance and then need to pay insurance again on top of that so we will revisit it next year when she is 30. Love seeing the progress on this, I can reccomend the POR15 stuff, used some of it on our RV. Thank you, i managed to get a few minutes in the garage this weekend. |
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So on Sunday i got out of bed early and got myself outside with the aim of getting some bits done on the e30. First things first Mrs. Walsh wanted some planters for out the front of the house and wanted them painted so that was my first job of the day, i figured if i get this out the way i have the rest of the time to do some e30 bits  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr Personally, i am not really a fan of the colour, but she chose the colour. Next on the list is that i wanted to expose that rust spot on the front passenger side corner to see how bad it was.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr Shouldn't be too difficult of a patch job. But i guess we will see later on. I also found some cracking around what i believe to be where the subframe mounts? i may be wrong, i took this car apart so long ago, regardless i will need to weld this back together, maybe see if there iis reinforcement mounts for this area  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr The ARB mount was completely broken too  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr I was cleaning up the car to see how bad it was without using the wire wheel attachment to the grinder and i am happy to see how clean the underside actually is underneath all the dirt and grease.  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr  Untitled by ben walsh, on Flickr I also removed the remaining brake hardlines and fuel lines that was on the car. It has dawned on me that i may have bitten off a lot more than i can chew with this one and its stressing me out a bit, i am trying to break it down into just small bite size pieces and move forward but honestly, if there is anyone out there who is local and wouldnt mind lending a hand that would be really appreciated!!! |
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Mar 21, 2022 21:56:57 GMT
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It has dawned on me that i may have bitten off a lot more than i can chew with this one and its stressing me out a bit, i am trying to break it down into just small bite size pieces and move forward but honestly, if there is anyone out there who is local and wouldnt mind lending a hand that would be really appreciated!!! Nah mate - not at all. To continue with your chewing analogy... the only way to eat an elephant sandwich is one bite at a time. Break the project down in to smaller, and therefore more manageable tasks - you will be surprised just how well you will be able to cope.
Don't think you can weld? Give it a go, you'll surprise yourself. Bodywork beyond you? You don't know till you try. Mechanical too difficult? You'd be surprised what you can achieve when you put your mind to it. Paint? Give it a go, it's only paint. It all boils down to the fact that the car was designed and built by man (and woman) and therefore it can be repaired, rebuilt by you.
Obviously there will always be a few jobs that require specialized tools or skills that you don't have the time/money to acquire and so, you'll farm those out.
As for stress - it wouldn't be a project if it were stress free  but, the satisfaction of overcoming the difficulties and a job well done can't be overestimated.
Go for it.
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LAndy
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,061
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Mar 22, 2022 13:08:29 GMT
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It all boils down to the fact that the car was designed and built by man (and woman) and therefore it can be repaired, rebuilt by you. 100% This. When we first started working on our RV, we'd start a job I'd never done before, the wife would ask "how do you know how to do this?" and all I'd say is "It's just nuts and bolts, if you can take it apart you can more than likely put it back together" You've got this! |
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Last Edit: Mar 22, 2022 13:09:03 GMT by LAndy
Previous retros: 92 AX GTi 92 Scirocco Scala 94 80 sport 87 Golf Cab GTi Current retro: 1965 Clark Cortez YouTube Website Instagram |
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Mar 22, 2022 21:50:23 GMT
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Some people recommend working on it methodically, one area at a time. I may be giving bad advice here, but I prefer to have a few jobs on the go at once - reason being that if something hits a snag, you can switch to another job and (hopefully!) continue making progress, keeping the motivation going. And don't worry about putting off difficult jobs - it's amazing how much more motivation you have to tackle them when it's the only thing stopping you getting it on the road!
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Sometimes, others may not understand why you like a car so much. Sometimes, you may not even understand why you like a car so much. But none of that matters; all that matters is that you like the car, and having it makes you happy.
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but, the satisfaction of overcoming the difficulties and a job well done can't be overestimated.