Alpine e30 progress/build thread
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Took off work yesterday and used my morning to dig into the E30 a bit:
^ Here are some close-ups of the majority of the damage. I didn't have a big enough torx bit to get the bumper off so I can't get a good look at the frame rail yet but it looks straight with only a bit of deformation at the very end. I got the fender/bumper/hood off and was able to bend the valence away from the wheel far enough to allow it to turn freely. I also pulled out the fan shroud and was able to bend the AC condenser and radiator back into 'place' so that I could safely run the engine. I drove it around the block and the engine runs great, suspension is straight and it stops straight as well, so that is a good sign.
The ABS pump looks like it took a decent hit, so I may delete the ABS, although I am not sure about that one yet.
\On an interesting note, I found the main lense from my ellipsoid headlight, its bigger than I expected.
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Picked up this from andyhundley last weekend:
I'm going to use the body panels/trim pieces to repair my 318is, and then over time replace those panels and build this into something cool down the road.
I also got the bumper off to get a good look at the structure underneath.
Here is a top down view and a comparison to the undamaged side:
I also managed to get a mint OEM euro rear plate filler for a good price on r3v!
I'm hopefully going to be able to pick up the pace soon
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I wish I was making progress, but I haven't. I'm looking for a good body shop to replace the core support and pull the rest of the structure straight so all the panels line up properly. If anyone knows of a reputable shop that does quality work around Milwaukee that would take on this job please let me know!
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Got the car running again this morning, had to jump it and it was tough to start (the old gas probably didn't help) but once it warmed up it ran great. I was prepping it to drive over to the concours/umanksy body shop for an estimate, looks like I'll be able to do it in the next week or two. Drove it around the block a few times and it got me excited/motivated about getting it back on the road again!
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Moved into a new garage over the weekend! My old one was barely big enough for my car and I couldn't even put my toolbox in there. I finally found and signed a nice 2.5 car garage and moved the car there on Sunday. All I have to do now is organize all my parts and get the electricity hooked up and I'll be ready to dig into this thing. Also, I sold the '92 vert on Saturday night so I have one less thing in the way of me working on this.
Hasn't seen the light of day in a while...
Tons of space and outlets everywhere! Can't wait to finally have the space to really do what I want with this thing and fix it myself. My goal is to have the car back on the road by the E30 picnic next summer.
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The local active E30 population seems to be thinning out a bit compared to 4-5 years ago. I look forward to having another e30 back on the road. Will a particular power-adder be involved in this winters work?
Me too! I really miss driving mine. The M3 is quick and fun but it's not the same. Right now, the plans are to repair the sheet metal and rebuild the suspension/drivetrain front and rear. The main goal is just to have a solid running and driving car with straight body work by the picnic. I want to get it back to a straight/functional E30 and get it into a few auto-crosses, etc. in the start of the season. Following that though, the plan is to get it running on megasquirt in N/A form, and then start pursuing the particular power-adder you speak of.
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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?
Dan
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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
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^What do you have planned?
I did mine removable and used a new OEM because the old one was rusty. -
^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.
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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.
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