Pelican Parts Forums - Long Overdue, Evil e30 update!!!

Swamped with work has made it impossible to put time into the car until now. My main goal has been to get the m30 motor running with the megasquirt before I turbo it. So heres my progress:

I installed a M5 pressure plate with a clutchnet.com 6 spuck sprung clutch. Finally got the trans mounted to the motor and in it final resting place. The only problem is that neither the 5 series or the 3 series trans mount cross member would work. So I fabed one up:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161466368.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161466469.jpg

I ended up guseting the mounting point and boxing the ends in or strength.

2nd issue was with the more reward mounting of the tranny I had to shorten the shifter position.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161466685.jpg

Also with the tranny position I had to shorten the shifter linkage. So I figured I'd make it adjustable while I was at it:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161466829.jpg

So the tranny is in there. All I need to do now is have the drive shaft shortened about 2 inches.

My seconded major hurdle was an issue in which the crank pulley & the thermostat housing where touch the radiator. I knew that the first time I slammed on the brakes that would be all she wrote. So I searched for a radiator that would fit in the frame rails, 15H x 21W. No such luck. I would have to get a custom one built...NAAAH.

So I decided to remount the radiator on the front of the frame.I had to cut the top and bottom frame areas out for access.Then I built a frame out of 1"x1" steel and welded them to the body.:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161467224.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161467317.jpg

The I weld some nuts to use as a mount for the radiator:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161467500.jpg

For looks and to be able to mount the front grill without more fab work, I decided to weld the top piece of the old frame back to the body. A 3" hole was drilled into the piece so the radiator cap could still be accessed.:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1161467679.jpg

I gained 5 inches of clearence which will allow me to install a electric fan in the engine bay and a large intercooler infront of the radiator. Yepppeee.

Thats all for now. Next time I should have the MS-II mother board and all the sensor installed on the motor.