1JZ E30 Vert Build Thread with Pastry filled wheels

[m42b32]

All this talk about everything getting stuck and breaking makes me reallllllly not looking forward to dropping my rear subframe....

[Earl]

I put a 5 foot two by four in between the body and subframe. I then proceeded to go side to side and work it down by jumping on it=)

[KaiserRolls]

What happened to said diff?

[ClassE]

I pulled on mine.... And it came out. Literally required almost no effort to break free once everything was unbolted.

Good luck - get it loose!!!

[DrLeadFoot]

Mine snapped off the top of the aluminum bushing and left it in the car. Had to drill and hammer it out.

[Jdesign]

Well I got it out. Used a 3 foot rod and a 5/8ths lag bolt. I had to bend the rod to get it in there, but after a few quick smacks, the casting snapped right where I drilled the holes. 
 

And after I got it out, I still had the other half of the casting stuck in the car. So I just repeated the process. Thread in lag bolt, insert rod from the top, HAMMER TIME.

Out it came.

[Jdesign]

The electric impact I use is so helpful. The torque of the electric motor really helped drive that lag bolt into the aluminum. 

Next I just need to toss all the hardware in the tumbler, replace all the bushings, and clean everything up and paint it! :sigh:

old diff is for sale BTW.. http://www.wibimmers.com/board/index.php?/topic/3579-e30-373-open-differential-for-sale/

here you can see how dried out the swing arm bushings are

This sucks too, the axle boots are cracked and about to tear from just looking at them. Anyone have suggestions on new axles? (Brand, where to buy, HP amount etc?) I figure I will need better ones once I swap the car anyways.

[jc43089]

Just replace the boots and repack the cv joints with grease. There is no need to replace the whole thing.

Sent from my potato phone

[Jdesign]

jc43089 said:

Just replace the boots and repack the cv joints with grease. There is no need to replace the whole thing. Sent from my potato phone

I might go that route for now to save some cash. I wont be seeing big HP numbers till next year anyways. I have seen a few guys that run stock M coupe Axles and they are pushing 600+.

[Jdesign]

So I have been trying to find a complete set of boots for these axles and I can only find the inners.

This is what I was looking at:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/231058828736?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I know the Meyle ones are nice, but I cant find the other ends. Anyone have any pointers?

On a side note, I took my buddies drift car to work the other day and it developed a slight vibration. upon return to my shop, I found the culprit.......

Also, 18's on an E30?   :PUKE:

[ClassE]

Depending on offsets and tire size, 18's in back almost look "presentable"... Everytime someone posts pics of 18's on E30's tho, it's always the rear..... Because 18's in front looks like utter and complete rubbish.

[Jdesign]

ClassE said:

Depending on offsets and tire size, 18's in back almost look "presentable"... Everytime someone posts pics of 18's on E30's tho, it's always the rear..... Because 18's in front looks like utter and complete rubbish.

Double stagger might be possible, but why.

[jc43089]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BB13&mospid=47326&btnr=33_0470&hg=33&fg=25

Item 5 is the inner, 6 is the outer.  Pelican has a full kit with all 4 boots, the bolts, grease etc for $115.50

[Jdesign]

jc43089 said:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BB13&mospid=47326&btnr=33_0470&hg=33&fg=25

Item 5 is the inner, 6 is the outer.  Pelican has a full kit with all 4 boots, the bolts, grease etc for $115.50

Awesome!!! thank you so much. Placing my order today!

[Jdesign]

So it been awhile since I updated, So here are some pics of my latest struggles and successes with my E30 . It seemed like the more I started to take things apart, the more I found things that needed to be fixed. Typical money pit as expected.

So I can start here, I removed the old subframe bushings with a two jaw press. It was a little annoying but it worked pretty good.

Once that was done, I got out the wire wheel and sandpaper, and took the pleasure of grinding and sanding all that nasty ruberized coating off of the subframe to prep it for paint. I had a good friend of mine machine some camber plates(which look amazing) and I planned on welding those on. But due to the deadline of Sowo closing in, I decided that they will have to wait until I get back to be installed.  

This is what the kit basically looks like.

So skipping that, which im not to thrilled about, I Painted my Subframe. Needless to say I am stoked how it turned out. Its a shame I will need to grind it down again to weld on the camber plates.

Here's a close up. I used this metallic spray after a nice coat of black, and it really gave it some POP!

Also prior to tackling my rear subframe, I installed new wheel bearings up front, only to realize that my balljoints were starting to get really weak. So I took everything apart, cleaned and painted everything. I  ordered new control arms, sway bar endlinks, and sway bar bushings for the front end.

[Earl]

Coming together awesome=)

[Jdesign]

After sorting out what needed to be ordered for the front end, I crawled under the car to take a closer look at my drive shaft. I had a slight vibration at higher speeds and I think I found the culprit. Transmission mounts were garbage. I jacked the motor up and the mounts were completely in half. It made me think back to the year prior, when I replaced my motor mounts that were the exact same way, yet I never checked the trans mounts.  Meaning for who knows how long, I was just driving around with my motor resting on top of the mount locations. Pretty neat. LOL

(P.S. Dont mind the nastiness. The leak has since been fixed and I haven't take the time to rack the car and Pressure wash the underside)

Needless to say I think I found everything that I needed to replace suspension wise. So I got out my check book and ordered the following:

X_Axle boot kit

X_Rear trailing/control arm bushings

X_drive shaft flex disc

X_drive shaft mount bearing

X_rear axlenut locking plates x2

X_Sway bar endlinks front and rear

X_Lemforder Control arms and ball joints

X_Front control arm bushings 

X_Stainless braided brake lines

X_rear Wheel bearings

X_countless misc hardware

X_and the Obvious Trans mounts

But then I didnt stop there. I also had a lead on the first step to the new motor swap I am going to pursue next winter...

[Jdesign]

The majority of the new parts came. I clear coated all the metal pieces to prevent rust and oxidation

and painted the control arms to match the subframe. 

I also made a stop out to a friends shop to lend him a hand on an E92 he was welding a cage in.

Needless to say he was making great progress before I even go there and it fit in the car flawlessly.

There was also another BMW nearby...

I will be pressing the rear hubs out tonight and painting the swing arms as well. I will take more pics as I move along. I want to drive this thing again!!! Urggghh

[YoungCR]

Pretty sure that's the ESS supercharged M3 I got to drive at Concours. Can't be too many around right?

Paint looks great!

[DrLeadFoot]

Great work!

More pics of the tools and how you pull the bearings please!