AWD E36 BMW

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

This is such a cool and interesting build IJ, loving it!!

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Glad you’re enjoying it Gary, while it may not be “The” way to do things it’s how I do it and it’s enough to get the job done, I’m sure there’s plenty of Fabricators/Engineers shaking their head heads and while it may not be “Automotive Jewelry ” it all gets done in a minimum amount of time and as shown with the Lexcen it’s durable.. 

I don’t have a huge budget or a team of Engineers or helpers it’s one old guy in his shed having a crack..

I’m happy to share my process and it gives me time to think and plan, as always any and all input/suggestions are more than welcome, I’m old I miss things so it’s good to have many eyes on the project!

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Wasn’t going to work on the car today but I did want to go down and ponder the LCA brackets, something didn’t look quite right so I did a bunch of measurements and yes the front mounts were 5mm to one side… DOH.

OCD kicked in and out came the big demolition saw, so it’s one step forward one back one to the right and one forward again..

Of course as I’d built the bracket jig off the front mounts it needed reworking as well, I know what happened, the legs moved when I welded them and I’d marked the top beam centreline then measured out to half of the lower beam marked it and that’s where the leg ended up…. 5mm off centre..

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Your aren’t the first, and won’t be the last to make an error like that.  Shit happens, at least you caught it early.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Seeing as I’m making the control arms I could easily have allowed for the 5mm and it would have been ok but I’d know so for peace of mind I did the rework…

Yeah happy I caught it before I’d made the rest of the parts, been dragging my feet here and pretty sure this was in the back of my mind, can proceed now.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

“dragging your feet”. Mate, seriously I think I speak for a few of us here. That is something no one could accuse you of!!

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Should really have had the Front end nailed within a week Gary…

Pretty sure I’m good to go now though.

Designing and building takes time then chuck in a few mid build changes in direction it’s dragging on a bit.

[cava454Moderator 93 VR BT1 View build HERE Member since: February 20, 2015 Posts: 2 390]

Dragging on. LOL.

[RennoParticipant Adelaide, SAVN SS | VX SS View build HERE Member since: March 11, 2016 Posts: 119]

Dragging on? For a second I thought we were in my build thread 

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

LOL 

Done for the day,

It’s NOT falling out, BMW were kind enough to put 16mm dowel pegs in to locate the stock mounts, great idea, I counter bored my plates and they locate perfectly!

It’s probably a bit overbuilt still but there’s nothing surer I will hit something so I’m happy to carry some extra weight if it means I’m not aligning it every event.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Neat as .Nice work.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Thanks, it was nice of BMW to put the holes in the right place, I was always going to refit the crossbar, it was the two bottom bolts so it was doing much, this killed two birds with one stone..

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Had to go to town today to grab another bottle of gas for the Mig, came back and mocked up the front end, before I go any further I wanted to see if there were going to be any issues..

Luckily for me it’s really easy to edit the CAD suite (Cranium Aided Design) and I headed off what would have been a show stopper if I’d gone ahead with what I’d planned.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Do tell…..

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

I need to drop the Diff crossmember down so the front axles have room to travel, I was going to do this by extending the mounts down and using some 50×50 box then build from there across.

Problem is with the Rack mounted at its highest location as soon as you turn the steering arm was going to run into the mounts, it would  even be an issue with the stock crossmember..

New plan is to use some of the 8mm plate and half length mounts to clear the steering then drop the 8mm down under where the axles will run and build across with the 50×50, shouldn’t be a problem as it’s now only a Diff and Rack mount with no suspension loads..

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Next issue, how to locate the front hubs X Y and Z, Z is easy the struts handle that X and Y are a touch more difficult, in the past I’ve just measured to a known point and tacked the arms up…
This works okish, but inevitably they do move and a tiny amount here can have a big effect, this time I Nutserted a bunch of the factory holes them made some 25x3mm straps to hold it all in place, worked brilliantly!

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Figured I’d cross post this here as it may help someone..

The Tonner has been a bit doughy at light throttle for awhile now, I’d been putting it down to it’s due for a service, a few months back the locking fuel cap broke so I threw an old standard one I had here on, last time I fueled up I could smell fuel when I got home, checked the cap and the seal had perished so I ordered a new locking cap..

Just went and collected it from the post office and the doughy throttle is gone, who would have thought it’d make a noticeable difference, I know pressurizing the tank is part of your base fuel pressure but I’d have thought Closed loop would cover it up.. learning all the time.

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

Coming along really nicely mate.

[Anonymous View build HERE Member since: January 1, 1970 Posts: 0]

Thanks, seems to be the older I get the better my shit comes out 

[VRSenator065Participant Adelaide SAVR Senator LSx454 1960 Kombi (project) 1921 Nash Hot Rod (future project) View build HERE Member since: February 17, 2015 Posts: 5 777]

More experience to draw off mate!

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