October 2010 Update

We plan to put this motor into this shell...

The car is now at A&P Services and work on the engine transplant has started. Out with the 140bhp BMW M42 engine and in with the Nissan SR20DET motor. This engine conversion is quite common in Australia and should double the car's power output. Notice the rear arches are now M3 Evo items.Here is the old BMW motor/box. The Nissan 200SX donor car is in the background.

Photos of project - July 2010

Rear arches cut off and inner arches tubbed and welded to the outer arch - now we're ready to bound the fibreglass M3 style rear arches over the top. There will be lots of room for some very wide rear wheels.

Seat rails welded into the floor ready to accept the seat mounts - after I've painted them.

Electronic ignition cut out device - thanks Wyn!

Two gallon fuel tank - which will probably give the car a tank range of about ten miles!

Restarting the project...

Since my daughter was born 4 months ago, very little has gone on in the garage and the E30 hasn't progressed at all. All I've really done is buy more parts ready to fit when I've got a little more time. Over the past few months, I've bought...

• 2 gallon alloy fuel tank
• Electronic ignition cut out device
• A set of 17X7 alloy wheels (that I don't like on the car and will go back on eBay)
• A tuned Nissan SR20DET 2 litre turbo charged engine and gearbox (as fitted to the 200SX/Nissan Sunny GTiR) for transplant into my E30 shell
• Intercooler/ECU/loom to match the above
• Complete set of 4mm Polycarbonate windows from Plastics for Performance

As I type this, the car is at http://www.oldskwlfords.com having the rear arches cut off and tubbed and rails welded into the floor to accept the racing bucket seat mounts. The car is due back from there at the beginning of July and will then be ready for the fitting of the new M3 style rear arches, external respray in BMW Alpine White and polycarbonate window fitting. Pictures to follow soon...

March 2010 - Engine plan hatched

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42079&highlight=sr20det

Project comes to temporary halt!

No tools or long nights in the garage for a little while... project E30 on hold. Can you guess why?

February 17th Update - New rear arches.

I've decided to cut off the rear wings I had made and fitted to the car. I'm going to fit these E30 M3 fibreglass replica wings in their place. There's something not quite right about the car's stance with the current flared rear wings - hopefully this will improve the look.

February 2010 - additional pictures

Sorry about the quality of the pictures. They were taken very late after I'd finished putting the new rear suspension on.

I'm beginning to have second thoughts about the look of the arches - especially the rear ones. I was hoping that when the car was lowered (as it is now), they would look better. Something isn't quite right about them. I'm seriously contemplating cutting them off and fitting fibreglass M3 replica ones instead.

This picture shows how the wiring has been tidied behind a stainless cowling I made. It now sits where the glovebox would be and hides loads of messy relays and wiring. An Escort Mk1 centre console has also been dummy fitted. I read in some car magazine that the Escort item fitted the E30 perfectly, and they do! The console will house light and electrical cut out switches, etc.

I have a matching pair of these side mounting Cobra bucket seats (thanks Santa). The driver's one is dummy fitted in this photo. I need to weld some mounting bars across the floor before it can go in for real. I need help here because:

a) I don't own a welder

b) Even if I did, I have no idea how to weld



330mm OMP steering wheel - again dummy fitted. I'm waiting for Screwfix direct to deliver the m5X20 bolts that were missing from the wheel/boss kit I bought. And yes, the horn button in on a squiff! :)

The clocks are the ones I salvaged from the car's original road dash. They plug straight into the existing loom. Now, I need to figure out how to mount them properly.