Alpine e30 progress/build thread

[straight6pwr]

ooo nice you found a garage!  looks like a good one, too. can't wait to see updates. are you considering a removal core support with the rebuild?

[m42b32]

straight6pwr said:

are you considering a removal core support with the rebuild?

Yup! It would make working on the car much easier down the road that's for sure. I've got an idea on how I want to go about it, and since I have to cut the old one out it's the perfect opportunity to give it a go

[GunMetalGrey]

^What do you have planned?
I did mine removable and used a new OEM because the old one was rusty.

[m42b32]

GunMetalGrey said:

^What do you have planned?
I did mine removable and used a new OEM because the old one was rusty. 

I bought the core support from CMart's 318iC that he parted out a while back. He basically chopped off the whole front end in front of the strut towers so I have the core support, frame rail extensions, and all the little brackets and things that got damaged on my car. Its completely rust free which is nice too. If it turns out I can't use it for whatever reason, I will be buying the new OEM piece.

I was planning on welding in some heavier gauge sheet/plate at the four connection points with captive nuts on the body side since I don't want to use aluminum rivnuts in this application. I'm going to modify the ends of the core support so that the fenders can stay in place when it is removed. I don't know much else as far as details yet though, I'll need to tear into it further. The goal is to have it be as strong as the original welded in part but minimize the number of things that need to be removed to get it out.

[GunMetalGrey]

That was my biggest oversight, not being able to pull the core support out without fender removal. I may just trim those ends off and call it a day.

Sounds like you have it figured out for the most part! I welded angle steel onto the connection points of the core support to where I wanted it to attach, and added plates with nuts to the backside.

It's quite simple, but committing to the final position of it is hard lol.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

[Earl]

Can't wait to see some progress on this=) Still have the Weds for it?

[m42b32]

I still have them! Haven't touched them in like a year though so they're still like 1/3 done... 

I have a full E30 M3 5-lug swap that I am planning to polish up and install so I won't be using those on this car anymore. I recently picked up a pretty awesome set of 5x120 wheels that I am going to use, but I have to get two of the barrels straightened first as they have very slight bends.

[Earl]

So the Weds may be for sale? =P

[m42b32]

Earl said:

So the Weds may be for sale? =P

Nope! I am hoping to do something fun down the road with the 4-door roller I have and would like to put them on that. Don't worry they aren't going anywhere! The only way I'd sell them is if someone on here really wanted them and could put them to good use before I got the chance.

[straight6pwr]

pictures of said weds?

[m42b32]

straight6pwr said:

pictures of said weds?

This is a pic from like page 2 on my thread (15x6.5 et38 Weds Bavaria), they are disassembled now and I have started sanding the lips and stripping the centers but they are still very much a work in progress... The plan is to polish the lips and paint the faces silver with a black lug area like early Alpinas.

[Bassboy3313]

If I could run those with reverse mounted faces for a serious negative offset to fill my group 2 flares I would grab them.

[straight6pwr]

those are pretty awesome

[Earl]

Yeah they're one of my favorite classic wheels=) 

[m42b32]

So something awesome happened over the last day or two. I came across my dream set of wheels for the car (and they're 5-lug!) for a great price and they were local! I couldn't be more excited:

They are 5x120 Weds Bavaria's in a staggered 16x7 et11 and 16x8 et25 in immaculate original condition. There isn't a single mark on them and the lips just need a light polish to be perfect again. I picked them up from the original owner who bought them back in the 80's for his 1982 633csi (That he still has, and its in equally perfect condition). That's not even the end of it though, I even got the original Weds lug nuts and wheel locks as well as a bunch of catalogs from the time when he was shopping for the wheels!

There are two TireRack catalogs, a Weds catalog (the one that sold him on the Weds), the Weds fitment guide with all the part numbers and stuff, and an 80's BBS catalog with all the things BBS sold at the time! I was so excited about this all day I got absolutely nothing done at work, this is like the best thing ever.

[wasnt m3]

Phenomenal score, congratulations!

[straight6pwr]

oooo pretty.

i don't know whats more awesome, the new wheels, or the strange 80s women in her nighties sitting on a box.

[Earl]

Yes, yes, and yes=)

[m42b32]

straight6pwr said:

i don't know whats more awesome, the new wheels, or the strange 80s women in her nighties sitting on a box.

It's definitely a toss-up. The inside of the catalog has a number of similar photos, I'll have to scan it in and post it up somewhere, it's pretty funny

[Jdesign]

That's an Epic find!!! Congrats dude. I love finding stuff like that.