Newera's Other Weapon, the.......................

[Rob W]

A fantastic example you have there Miguel

This would be one for my dream garage too!

Just love the dog leg box


Rob

[Darbo]

the only m3 i really like
the prodrive rallycars were awsum

YouTube - PATRICK SNIJERS BMW M3 1988

[Miguel - Newera]

Darbo, I must confess that video's my most watched on Youtube

Recently I came across a very old article with an interview with the then boss of Prodrive - on the stoty of how they persuaded BMW to go rallying in the M3 and the major hurdles that faced them. Made way better reading than anything I've seen in a magazine lately... I can dig it up and post it here if people are interested, I guess...

The E30 M3's got a mass of history behind it - I've a thick book with the main history in racing from beginning to end and a couple of people I've met along the way who have helped me with this car have either built their cars to seriously major mouth watering spec, or have been lucky enough to buy ex DTM race cars that were driven by legends like Ravaglia. One of them has enough experience with tuning these he designed and specified custom forged slipper pistons (Minimal skirt length) of Group A spec which JE then made to special order within a few weeks. He charged nothing for this service - the level of help & knowledge that can be tapped into from the E30 M3 community's quite something. As most cars are similar when tuned - technical problems can quickly be identified from symptoms - so challenges are fun and never a major headache...and problems can be avoided from sharing of experiences. There's a wealth of information available either online (s14power.com) or from it's knowledgeable owners and moderators. Waiting for parts can be a pain for a specialist car like this and BMW's stopping making parts to support it, but that's another problem
They're achieving collector status now - and there are few really good ones left. As BNR32's were also very successful touring car racers in their own territory - this is something to bear in mind for you owners out there. Look after your GT-R's and they'll look after you later, I reckon - can already start seeing prices for pukka ones holding and beginning to rise

The way these sound with a DTM Carbon airbox and pukka tuning, etc. is unique and it's what tipped me over the edge. Mine should hopefully be making similar power to what the early DTM cars made. It even sounds much the same - though there's no way I'll even go serious track daying with it.

The most preparation I've made for strength is to weld strenghtening into the front cross member, re-inforce mounts for the rear (Now much thicker than std) ARB (Front's also uprated with uprated drop links too), and I'll be fitting uprated top mounts to the rear as well for strength along with springs, camber adjusters, etc. But as it isn't caged, seam welded, etc. it's not set up for really hard track use. I'm not planning to fit coilovers to it, nor ever use very sticky rubber.

I've kept a restraining leash around my neck on this one. It'll be a road car with comfortable ride and decent manners.. (The handling's lovely - it's a well balanced car indeed) and will be used as my general (if not sensible) transport together with the bike. Silver's a great colour to hide general dirt and with no bonnet vents, carbon etc. it can live outside night and day - ready to jump into any time and go.

DCD will be along shortly...

And I have Gez to thank here for his incestant nudging and pushing to tune this car.... Thanks buddy, you were right as usual!

[furrywoolyhatuk]

There seems to be a resurgance in the old classics, theres something raw and unspoilt (before all the emmision regulations, laws, legislations etc) about the school cars.

The BMW is a lovely example and im not jelous that you get to drive it on some of the best roads!

[initial-d]

Can you relink the pics?

[Miguel - Newera]

As it wasn't me who put the pics up, I can't mate - but I've got a few pics I took a few weeks back, which I'll post up in a minute...

Big thanks to Robbie J who kindly sent me an old IBM thinkpad laptop, with serial port - to use for mapping!
It’s small, serial port worked first time and the battery lasts a long time too.

The car’s running great on the replacement upgraded closed loop ECU and last night for the first time I went out and mapped it using this new unit.
With target air fuel ratios set at each site on the fuel map it’s much quicker and smooth running. Mapping’s also very easy to do using displayed correction factors. Having huge fun making it go faster.... If it sounds this good on the standard exhaust I wonder how it'll sound on the new one I've left at TPS

Looks like Shaken will be done next week then along with the new "Fuji 3" plate that we successfully reserved. Got a load more bits to go on, so once it's finished we'll get some more pics up. Maybe proper ones from DCD. Option magazine are also bugging me to finish so they can shoot some more, hehehe.

[Miguel - Newera]

Found out recently (from C3 BMW) the car's come with some very sought after black type main headlights (& cross hair high beams : D), apparently the germans will pay 400 Euros for each of these - used!... And I thought there was something wrong with them and was looking to buy new ones, lol..



Been trying to buy some nice ones that have been going through auctions here in Japan recently, but can't - prices are really strengthening for the goods examples now in Europe, USA and in Japan it seems..

[kismetcapitan]

I remember how fun it was driving a stock E30 M3. Call me sacrilegious, but if I had an '88 M3 (over 5,000 made) - I'd drop in a complete S15 SR20DET with 6-speed transmission, and build the engine to around 400~450bhp. And speaking of the original M-cars, now that E24 M6s are outrageously priced, if I wanted to sate my high school dream of an M6 - I'd find an old L6 (for that killer interior with every inch covered in leather) and then do the obvious - drop an RB26 in there The M6 is a fat old GT car...but strangely enough, it weighs the same and has a nearly identical wheelbase to the R32...

back to E30 M3s, there's ONE in Seoul. I parked next to it once in my Skyline, and it was then that I realized that the GT-R is not a svelte sports car as its reputation might imply - but it's a huge fat whale of a car. They say the R35 can defy physics...shit, they've been doing that since the R32!!!

[Austrian GTR]

Hey, congrats mate!

You finally made it

Make a vid and post it so that we can hear the sound

That's really one of the most beautiful M3's I've ever seen (and there were many of them here in Austria a few years ago)!

[nismo.gt500]

Hei miguel.
A truly stunning example you have there..
Congrats mate!

Best wishes
Torben/Denmark

[matty32]

hi , miguel, wow looking good mate

will go for a blast in that when im over ;-)

lol at the headlights!

[Sub Boy]

Originally Posted by kismetcapitan

I remember how fun it was driving a stock E30 M3. Call me sacrilegious, but if I had an '88 M3 (over 5,000 made) - I'd drop in a complete S15 SR20DET with 6-speed transmission, and build the engine to around 400~450bhp.

A little of subject, But we have a big surge he in NZ and in Aussie for Classic Rallying at the moment.
The cars and engines have to be pre 1984, and with the prices of MKII Escorts and BDA engines going through the roof, A clever bugger here in ChCh has fitted a Nissan FJ20 (Nissans 4cyl RB!!) to the escort....And he beat the BDA's with it.

Go Nissan Power!

[Miguel - Newera]

It's been a while since I last updated progress on my car. Progress has been slow, as I only put in time when I can spare it - It's still not finished (Is a car ever? but a lot's been done so far.

Brembo brakes (front) and brake ducts with proper motorsport hose and attachments to take cool air to the centre of the discs took me a good 5 hours of fiddling to get right, but the result will hopefully mean never cracking or warping the discs.





As this is a road car, suspension needs to not only be comfortable enough to accomodate my wife and baby on long trips to see the inlaws, but also not be too low to get into our steep drive, etc. Replaced the front arms, fitted Treehouse Racing bushes and stronger rear top mounts. I'd been afraid the ARB's I'd chosen would be too thick, but car rides well and has no noticable roll

I'd wanted to fit Defi gauges, as used on my other 2 cars as these have excellent accuracy and having user pre-set audiable warnings - would give me ample warning if anything ever were to go amis. The oil temp sensor is longer than most and the adaptors available for fitment to S14 motors wouldn't work. It took me some time to find a suitable sandwich plate and shorter oil filter to fit in the standard location, but resolved the problem using parts we usually supply for Japanese performance cars.
The filter has a magnetic trap and can be dismantled & cleaned - with the main benefit being that any steel particles caught can be analysed for wear.
Never have to buy an oil filter again either





I fitted a DTM style exhaust - which is too loud. Have now got some stainless steel 500mm resonators with stainless (As opposed to fibreglass) wadding, complete with custom made brackets to hold these around 3mm apart. Need to find some time next month to make use of a friend's tig welder to fit these properly. Will be nice to hear that special DTM carbon intake roar - which has been AWOL since switching from the standard exhaust.!!

The high beam headlights are misted. I did try to clean them, but too hard to reach inside with cotton buds. I tried heating up window cleaner and pouring it into one of the units but cracked it as a result - doh! - I now have acrylic lenzes plus a new pair of units (Without the cross hairs) which I'll adapt to fit my existing cross hairs inside sometime. HID has yet to go onto the main beam units.

Whilst looking at the front, some of you might like this. A spring loaded hinged mount. At slow speeds the plate's vertical:

At higher speeds... ahem, it's not:


Mapping has been fun. I've spent far too much time tweaking and adjusting target AFR's on closed loop, to see what differences are, then adjusting to make error correction the least possible before changing to open loop for best ECU response. I've found an alloy adjustable FPR for Porsche 944 which looks as if it'll fit the standard fuel rail, so I'm looking forward to fitting this then adjusting mapping again. The more I tinker, the better it gets

Not being built by me, but by Techno Pro Spirits (Who built my AE86 engine a few years back) none of the engine components were photographed before being assembled unfortunately and I hope to never see them again!
Whilst the engine was a project I preferred to just keep my head down and forget about it as much as possible whilst the car was away for over a year.

The new engine pulls very well and I'm happy with the power it's making. Roughly 280 bhp. Plenty of torque is now fully run in and pulls strongly all the way to just over 8,000 shortly before the limiter cuts in. It always puts a smile on my face and the fact I seem to play with this more often to the other toys means it's working out to be more of a usable car. It's a corker!

Had some fun yesterday with two new M3's which responded by chasing me when I passed them... Not a full out race, but I think they were surprised at how well the old car could fly. A new M3 should be quicker with 400 bhp or so - but I didn't have trouble putting space between us when they begaun to try and keep up.
It's a hoot to drive. I'll take some proper video footage sometime, but l want to finish it properly first.. There are still a few things left to do
Everybody who sees it here in Japan seems to love it....

Akasaka33 who's really into car polishing spent an afternoon with me on it. We clay bared it then polished with some light duty Pooboys compounds, finishing with a good wax and sealant - using two Portercable machines with suitable pads. Paintwork came out a treat.
Here's some pics taken recently of how she looks now.

[akasakaR33]

Miguel - perfection is in the details!

Not only did we claybar and polish - we taped off what wasn't paint, took off the spoiler, and the side markers, etc. to make sure we polished what we could! Replaced the BMW emblems with new ones, too!

Will have to do the wheels properly next time I'm around.

Silver is a tough color to polish well, so I'm really proud and happy with the result! (Q: does the paint work still feel like a baby's bottom? If not...)

[Austrian GTR]

Just awesome

Keep it up mate