MyE28.com DEV

austin_caccavo wrote:I think you mixed up your positive and negative camber definitions sir

Oops. Yes, I did. I previously had too way too much negative camber.

Now it's close to tits. I'm going to have Byron put it on his alignment machine and tweak it as needed asap, but for now the camber looks almost at 0; maybe a tad positive. The toe looks right to the eye, but I didn't do any serious measuring with a string or laser or anything. I want a LITTLE negative camber.

Here's a detail shot of the dogbone bolt and my mod:



I had CJ to help me today (man I'm going to miss him when he goes back to college in few weeks; he's so damn useful!), and putting things back together/adjusting the toe/camber was far easier with another set of hands.

Interesting that the rear looks noticeably higher with the IE adjustable subframe mod. I wish I would have measured the ride height before doing this. I suppose that the more positive camber angle makes it look taller because the tire isn't as tucked?









I went out for a rompus shake down drive this afternoon. I am pleased to report:

- The new, taller, throw out bearing is the bees-knees. It is so nice not having to slam the clutch pedal all the way to the floor to engage the clutch!
- The new Autosolutions shifter is FANTASTIC. This is what I imagined the UUC shift kit would feel like (and how I remembered it feeling on my E34 M-Sport). No more play in the Z axis and the knob sits where it's supposed to be. It's also shorter (even though I had the UUC adjusted as short as it could get).
- No odd noises from the drive-train. After the drive I re-checked all bolts and everything was snug.
- I love driving this car. I missed it for the past 3 weeks! Maytag's a fantastic car to drive, but this car is shit-eating-grin fun.

I decided to verify that my dream for modifying the IE exhaust would work. I pulled the rear section apart and did some measuring. This pic shows my plan. I'll cut 8cm off the pipes that come from the resonator and fabricate an extension bracket for the rear hanger. Based on my scoping-out today i'll be able to easily get the top of the tips about 5mm below the cutout in the rear valance. The tips will stick out slightly too far, but the point where they taper into the pipes will no longer be visible. If I can find someone with a really good saw, I may cut the tips a little shorter too.



The only potential issue I see with this is the pipe that goes into the muffler will only be about 1.5" from the back of the diff. I choose 8cm because any more than that and it would be what looked uncomfortably close to me. I'm concerned about excess heat on the diff. Should I be?

Stock, you should have 2° of negative camber and about 2mm of toe-in in the rear. Your rear-end alignment needs to be fixed, ASAP. That's why it looks dumb.

wkohler wrote:Stock, you should have 2° of negative camber and about 2mm of toe-in in the rear. Your rear-end alignment needs to be fixed, ASAP. That's why it looks dumb.

Yeah it definitely has way too much positive camber in the back hahaha! It would ride nicer and look much better if you took care of that. Any performance alignment shop should be able to take care of that.

wkohler wrote:Stock, you should have 2° of negative camber and about 2mm of toe-in in the rear. Your rear-end alignment needs to be fixed, ASAP. That's why it looks dumb.

I know this, which is why I said above that I'm taking it in.

I guess your definition of tits is way off from mine. I'm sure it will feel like a totally different car after the alignment.

wkohler wrote:I guess your definition of tits is way off from mine. I'm sure it will feel like a totally different car after the alignment.

I see your point. I meant zero degrees camber, not aligned correctly. I admit I actually didn't know it was supposed to be two degrees, but I did know there was supposed to be a small amount.

Another quiet day at work wasted!

Not much more to say other than wow, your attention to detail is great, but the best part is how thoroughly you document everything and present it.

Looks good Charlie! With 0 degrees camber in the back it will be tricky when you step on it in corners!

Was reading about your tuning issues with the WAR chip on your motor build topic.

Sounds like you have spent a fair bit of coin trying to get it sorted with dyno time and tuners, with questionable results.

What made you decide to stick with the primitive ECU control albeit now adjustable via the WAR chip, when for such a cheap price the Megasquirt Plug and Play option is available with a much greater aftermarket support, and much greater tuning capabilities.

Running 10.5:1 comp ratio alone would be enough motivation for me to want extra motor protection from detonation.

stoney wrote:Was reading about your tuning issues with the WAR chip on your motor build topic.

Sounds like you have spent a fair bit of coin trying to get it sorted with dyno time and tuners, with questionable results.

What made you decide to stick with the primitive ECU control albeit now adjustable via the WAR chip, when for such a cheap price the Megasquirt Plug and Play option is available with a much greater aftermarket support, and much greater tuning capabilities.

Running 10.5:1 comp ratio alone would be enough motivation for me to want extra motor protection from detonation.

The WAR chip is plenty adjustable. The time it took to get the tune right had far less to do with the capabilities of the WAR chip than it did with my own ineptitude and lack of understanding of tuning. I'm certain the additional flexibility of a Megasquirt would have made this situation even worse. Now that I've been through it, and have learned so much, I would feel comfortable going with MS. In fact, when/if, I do my turbo M20 build I plan on using MS.

looks painful.

leadphut wrote:looks painful.

What does?

cek wrote:

leadphut wrote:looks painful.

What does?

I just LOVE seeing pictures under your car, Charlie.

That is all.

leadphut wrote:

cek wrote:

leadphut wrote:looks painful.

What does?

But it IS fun... power-induced oversteer to the max, baby!

Appointment set for Thursday to have Byron at TruLine adjust the alignment correctly.

Are your fenders rolled? If not, they will be after some bumps... When I had my camber and toe set back to factory specs the wheels started to rub the fenders.

Jelmer538i wrote:Are your fenders rolled? If not, they will be after some bumps... When I had my camber and toe set back to factory specs the wheels started to rub the fenders.

Yes, by the PO. That was one of the primary things I was testing for on my shakedown drive. No rubbing was detected.

Well, you run a wheel/tire combination designed to run on the car without rolled fenders, though if your fenders hadn't been rolled, the positive camber you are running now would have caused interference most likely.

wkohler wrote:Well, you run a wheel/tire combination designed to run on the car without rolled fenders, though if your fenders hadn't been rolled, the positive camber you are running now would have caused interference most likely.

But recall my winter setup does require rolling, or at least they did on Maytag: BBS RX223 (16x8" ET15) wheels - Nokian Hakapelittas R2s in 205/55R16

I'm just saying that in this instance with the Alpinas, you are unlikely to notice any rubbing since you wouldn't with unrolled arches. You would want to test it (after your alignment) with your more borderline combinations.

wkohler wrote:I'm just saying that in this instance with the Alpinas, you are unlikely to notice any rubbing since you wouldn't with unrolled arches. You would want to test it (after your alignment) with your more borderline combinations.

Roger that.

205/55/16's required rolling? must be something with the offset. i'd swear i was running 225/50/16's on my last car. style 8 rims.

cek wrote: The WAR chip is plenty adjustable. The time it took to get the tune right had far less to do with the capabilities of the WAR chip than it did with my own ineptitude and lack of understanding of tuning. I'm certain the additional flexibility of a Megasquirt would have made this situation even worse. Now that I've been through it, and have learned so much, I would feel comfortable going with MS. In fact, when/if, I do my turbo M20 build I plan on using MS.

I guess half the issues were a failing pump or inadequate fuel supply weren't they, which caused a lot of problems.

Definitely a great learning experience and as you have said numerous times, that is what this is all about!!

I'd love to see what this motor could do with megasquirt and individual coils with an EDIS setup, stronger controlled spark and more timing. But again as you said, the M20 would benefit better from the megasquirt.

Cek: what are you using to paint your subframe parts? I tried to go through this entire thread again today, so if you posted that info already, I must have missed it.

jhh925 wrote:Cek: what are you using to paint your subframe parts? I tried to go through this entire thread again today, so if you posted that info already, I must have missed it.

Subframe was powder coated. I just used Rustoleum semi-gloss Black to touch up the rusty spots on the TA's and to cover up the welds/cut marks I made in the sub-frame.

Solid weekend of wrenching on Vlad. Our Internet was down all weekend due to lines being down nearby, so my deepest apologies for not updating this in near-real-time as expected.

Installed econometer adjuster from Seattle Circuit. See here: http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=3& ... 4#p1338404


When I installed the B35 I did a half-ass job of sealing up the wiring harness hole through the firewall. While doing the above, I noticed just how much light was coming through and decided to fix this. I have several cut up harnesses lying around (pro tip: Always have one or two old harnesses tucked away to use as a source for correct gauge/color wire and connectors!) and one had a firewall grommet still attached. I believe it was from an E23. I was able to butcher it to make it fit, and while it's not pretty, the hole is now completely and tightly sealed.


I learned a valuable lesson here: Holes in firewall, of any size have a significant impact on interior noise. The sound from a motor with headers is somewhat less pleasing due to the noise from the valvetrain; manifolds tend to mute those noises. I have been semi-consciously-aware that Vlad's interior was noisier that I wanted. After plugging this hole completely I'm BLOWN AWAY by how much quieter the interior is, and how that valvetrain noise is less like a sewing machine and more like a hiss.

Next up was a long overdue set of fixes in the center console. I hate, and I mean REALLY hate, putting it all back together. It is one of the most loathed jobs on an E28 and as a result I procrastinate and let little things pile up so I can do it less.


'New' driver's kick panel: The old one's screw holes were toast. I had to modify this one to accommodate the PO's footwell lighting system.


Added a button to disable the power antenna. I rarely listen to radio and was tired of the antenna going up and down all the time...and oh, how they wear out. My head unit has a signal wire for "Ant. Control" but it doesn't do shit. Not sure why. So I used a spare fog light switch that fits perfectly.


No pics, but I also attempted to fix a squeak I was getting from behind the instrument cluster. This morning's commute proved that I had failed, so I'll have to give that another go. It's coming from directly behind the cluster and is one of those squeaks you hear in old cars where there's metal on metal. Quite annoying. I'm hoping that just removing the cluster will be enough for me to identify and fix it.

I also installed my new outside temperature sensor. I used a rubber grommet to hold it in place on the Euro/M5 valance.

Finally, I installed a new sunroof seal.

Only a few items left on the known issues list:

- Fix the exhaust fitment.
- Install new euro headlight lenses I just got from Schmiedmann (used set I have are too pitted for this car).
- Finish installing rear headrests (parcel shelf has been modified, but brackets aren't in...need to remove amp to do it).
- Affix ECU properly (it's secure now, but jury-rigged).
- Fix dashboard squeak/creak.
- Deep clean front wheel wells.
- Connect seat heat
- Finish installing real shadowline trim bits
- Final post-paint job polish
- Fit the euro bumpers just a tad bit tighter.
- Ken wants to repaint the trunk lid due to a slight dimple. I actually think it's fine.

I really want to let some of you drive this car. I think it drives so perfectly now from the feel of the clutch, the power & sound of the motor, the preciseness of the steering & suspension, the comfort and hold of the seats, the snick-snick of the gear shift, ... that I want others to compare it to E28s they've driven. I've only really driven 4, and only two regularly.

I'll drive your car...

ldsbeaker wrote:I'll drive your car...

And by 'drive' he means flog it like the red headed stepchild that it is.

cddallara wrote:

ldsbeaker wrote:I'll drive your car...

And by 'drive' he means flog it like the red headed stepchild that it is.

Thank you, I thought that went without saying.
I'm always eager to add another modded e28 to my repertoire...
S54 e28 - check
SC S50 e28 - check
Next?

I saw you put in an auto solutions short shift kit. Did you go with the basic or the complete kit?