2014 Ford Fiesta ST - 300whp+ on E30!!!!

Met up with my buddy who has a FiST as they call it. These cars have been coined to be the 21st century E30, Integra Type R, etc...

Stock the horsepower isn't much but yikes he's putting in twice the power stock now!!!

Did a photoshoot and video...check it out!

Another toy..BMW 335i I have an addiction

As you may noticed, I like performance cars.

I picked up a AMG C32 that was supercharged but it just didn't feel right. I think it was due to a lack of style. Great sleeper though.

I can't resist when I see a decent deal so I pulled the trigger on this alpine white E90.

It's dropped on KW V3 suspension sitting on 19 inch real deal BBS LM wheels.

front hood and bumper as well as rear bumper and BMW Performance carbon fiber rear spoiler.

The thing I really did is that it's an auto but has an upgraded M3 steering wheel so the shift paddles are the correct PLUS/MINUS paddles versus the both sides up and down controls.

Check out my video

Light Sensor Visit Workshop!!!!! What is this???

As you know I just picked up a 02 AMG C32.

The previous owner pointed out a few issues for transparency. Well he couldn't lie as it pops out at "faults" and "malfunctions" right on the dash display. haha.

Anyways one of the issues was "Light Sensor Visit Workshop."  I spent a few hours on the web trying to see what others had to say. It was consistent that logically you would assume it was an actually bad sensor but comments were that an old battery couldn't hold the same voltage so the light sensor was the first device that could sense it. This is a prime example why overengineering isn't always a good thing.

I checked the age of the current battery and it was just over a year old. Voltage test from my multimeter showed 12.5 volts which is lowish. The previous owner drove the car only 6000 on average per year. It was mostly garaged and sitting at home as the weekend toy. I slapped on the charger and got it up to 12.9 volts.

It didn't fix a thing.

So last night I'm about to order a replacement sensor but saw there were a few different part numbers. I decided to look at the part that I have. Well I opened up the cover to find it was disconnected!!!

I noticed there was no slack at all so somehow the wiring got too short and popped off. I'm guessing the windshield was replaced and that happened. Anyhow I had to pull off overhead console and rear view mirror. I loosened a bracket that holds the mirror in place. Yanked the wires for more slack and voila! No more light sensor issue!!!

Here's some pics below. It was midnight so pics didn't come out too clear.

Clearly disconnected!!!!

What a mess of wires!!!!

New toy to play with...AMG C32

Today I picked up a 2002 AMG C32. I wanted a C55 because of the NA V8 but I got a good deal on the this C32 and the C55 that I saw was clean but overpriced.

For some who don't know AMG is Mercedes tuner sector. It's like the M group for Bimmers. This car has 349 horsepower to the flywheel and a 5 speed auto transmission.

Overall it's a pretty clean car and the PO (Previous Owner) took care of it well while keeping receipts. It has a few issues which I'll be blogging here or talking about on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/robdaman

Camera phone pics for now. The hood is open because I decided to charge the battery. PO only drives 6000 miles annually.

I'll be giving my opinions about handling, braking, etc compared to my other cars soon.

Beds can fit in a E30!

I went to IKEA the other day to pick up a twin mattress for one of my sons. I figured to try to see if I can get it in the trunk otherwise I would squeeze it in the cabin somehow.

Well it fit! Obviously it was rolled up but the width of the roll fit perfectly into the trunk with tons of room left.

I've owned many sedans and coupes. The only trunk I've experienced being bigger is the 96 Impala SS I owned but that was a full-size cop car.

An S2000 has a tiny trunk. Evo X was dismal in which my 135i convertible trunk was in fact bigger than that!

Overall I'm still liking this car. It's a great bang for the buck ride. I wished I got one years ago. I may have had the bug sooner and bought a E30 M3. No way I'd pay what they're going for nowadays.

Still tons of space left!!!!

Battery dead in 4 days in my E30

So the E30 has a 2 year old Kirkland battery. I had to fly out a week ago and thought to take my car and let it sit. Well fortunately I hadn't driven my car for a few days and decided to check the battery. Well it was dead. So dead I couldn't even get dash lights.

I ran a 6 amp charger on it and I was able to start but it was dead the next morning. I had to take that flight so when I returned I saw that the battery only measured 5volts. Charged it again and went to Oreilly's to get it checked out. Starter and alternator tested good. Battery tested "marginally good" so i'm sure there's a weak cell. I guess it's time for a new one. I'm going to see if Costco will return what I have even though I'm not the original owner.

Quick photoshoot of the OG E30

After washing up the hooptie, I finished up polishing the roof to match the rest of the work I did last few weeks. Car really pops right now for an old worn paint!

It's not visible in the pics but the windows have some really  difficult to remove hard water stains. That's my next goal to fix.

If you've seen my past work I have a favorite spot for shooting my car at night. It's rare someone is there and it's not far away for me. Best combo!

Front end makeover on the E30. Made the box sexy

I had a good friend repaint the flaking rear spoiler and the chipped up valance. The valance was worn out over the years and also ghetto sprayed painted. I couldn't have that.

Red isn't a forgiving color over the years but I cleaned it up best I could. I'll call the worn areas "patina". lol.

I made my own DIY splitter while at it since I had some material left. I think it came out nice.

I'll have some of my pro shots soon at my favorite spot.

used valance as my template to cut the lip

friend dropped it off after repaint. so nice!

not bad after so many years

Gassy E30 stank! No its not me!

So I picked up this E30 recently. I noticed some strong fuel smell coming from the rear area and sometimes inside the cabin too.

After looking around and pulling the cover from under the rear seat I discovered the issue. The in tank fuel pump that is sealed by small rubber gasket is leaking. It's probably due to being a good 30 years old.

So I bought a new gasket for under $3 and it seems good to go.

I'm glad that there are so many nice resources on the internet. Back in the day those Chilton guides really suck badly.

You can see how wet it looks from the gas. The years of dirt on the right proves that it's been leaking for a good while.

The new gasket is on the right. You'll notice how thick that gasket is vs the old. It's due from constant pressure.

When you're in too much of a hurry and you make things worse! Arghhh!!!

So today I decided to work on my suspension for my E30 project. Well things started off ok but ended badly.  I tried to remove the tie rod link ball joint and the from the lower control arm. The BFH didn't work so I went to Harbor Freight and found a good tool. Worked great like you see in the video below.

Now I got too cocky and tried to rush things...worse thing to do. Oh the horror!!! I hope I can file it down and get it threaded. 

Fixed it!!!

I found out there's a thread file. Autozone actually rents these tools so after using that I got it working. Car is put back together and feeling good!

Golf R , S2000 supercharged and E30 with S52 swap comparison

Some of you may have figured out... I'm a car guy. I just love cars. I work on them and fix them up to my tastes.

This blog has been dedicated to my Golf R but I also have a 2003 S2000 with a Comptech supercharger and just picked up a 1987 E30 with a S52 swap which is the same powerplant as a E36 M3.

My buddy stopped by and wanted a ride so it become a demo test drive of all the cars and myself explaining to him what I like and dislike about each one.

Each of these cars are beasts in their own rights and each generation are considered one of the top cars of the times. Bimmers always been self labeled as The Ultimate Driving Machine for a reason. The S2000 had the highest horsepower liter car for many years and not many this date had a 9000 RPM redline!!!  Can you say VVVTTTAAAAAAC???!!!!!! The MK7 Golf R is the fastest Vdub ever produced from the factory until the next Golf R400 comes but that's a different story.

E30

• S52 M3 drivetrain (240hp to flywheel)
• 2600 pounds approximately
• Rear wheel drive
• 5 speed manual transmission
• Stock suspension w 205/55/15 Dunlop summer tires
• Very peppy to pretty darn quick
• Linear powerband
• Sits high in seat and higher floor than other cars. 
• Plenty of space all around. Think a green house.
• Full of options for a 80s car but primitive to the 21st century
• Installed Z3 steering rack so very responsive, almost twitchy
• Takes turns very well but has lots of body roll
• Predictable in the turns. Easy car to drive 
• Ok brakes. I'm sure great for the time

S2000

• AP1 2.0 liter (240hp to flywheel but low boost supercharger adds 80hp)
• 2750 pounds
• Rear wheel drive
• 6 speed manual transmission
• Coilover w 255/45/17 Federal RZR summer tires
• No bottom end torque but when  in VTEC...Watch out!!!
• Supercharger works best in high RPMs as it's a linear power delivery as is stock motor
• Sits very low to floor like being part of the ground. Soft top up has huge blind spots
• Can feel claustrophobic. 2 seat roadster with literally no wiggle room. Think jet cockpit
• No options for the time besides a hardtop and accessories. No packages until the AP2 CR came
• Electric steering but very very very responsive. Did I forget to mention quick too?
• Takes turns like "being on rails"
• Can lose it in twisties due to snap oversteer. Not for a noob driver
• Great brakes for the time. Car is so light and low that big brakes for the streets aren't necessary

Golf R

• 2.0 liter turbo (290hp to flywheel but JB1 adds 45hp)
• 3340 pounds
• All Wheel Drive - Haldex meaning front wheel drive most of the time until traction loss
• 6 speed dual clutch automatic
• Stock suspension w 225/45/18 Dunlop summer tires
• Peak torque comes at 1500 rpm. Still has some turbo lag but not much.
• Pulls you in your seat but doesn't feel fast but it is fast. Think time warp
• Sits comfortably with clear visibility throughout.
• Back seats have plent of room
• Electric steering but progressive and responsive
• Takes turns well but must turn off nanny settings to a degree
• Being front wheel drive bias it understeers you more confident you won't spin out
• Awesome braking. Some feel it's too grabby but it gives high confidence on stopping power

Conclusion

The E30 is the most "raw" car of the three.  There's no push start, climate control, traction control but did have ABS for it's day. It's a box on wheels.  Handles great and has more potential to handle and go even faster. This car is a sleeper. It can get you in trouble when you want trouble. Decent daily driver and weekend warrior at this level.

The S2000 is no box but it's noisy. Adding the supercharger and the Invidia dual exhaust it makes it even more so. I can't order food at the drive thru easily without killing the motor. Rev it past 6k and it's loud but you know, it's sweet at the same time. It's salty sweet. People think you want to race but I know this car even boosted is no straight line killer. It's a track star and canyon carver. It's a car that you can get yourself killed if you're not paying attention like playing with a sharp blade. I would consider this as a part time driver not a daily unless you want to be always on high alert. I feel like I'm working out at the gym when driving this car.

The R the 21st century box on wheels. Some have joked to me it's a mini mini van. Plenty of luxury items like seat heaters and back up camera but why no memory seats? Moonroof may be a good option for some people but you won't get it in North America. It doesn't have a linear power band as the other cars but it's not that crazy high peak torque that jerks you around and beats you up like my old Evo X. I have to say this is one of the best daily drivers I've owned. Fast when you need it to be, shifts fast and you don't need to think about it unless you want to go full manual mode, and keeps my body in that Zen state (fair quiet) until I want to hit the canyons or go all out launch mode. It has a understeer bias but reducing the nanny sensors helps make it a little tossable. It's a heavy car so tossing it isn't that easy but the turbo and haldex does it thing.

These three cars are totally different animals but in the end all give you that Quagmire "giggity" feeling. Pick your poison and enjoy.

I wanted to add that my buddy felt the E30 was great for what it is and even though I took the same corner faster in the R it was so refined that the S2000 felt faster. Our senses can fool us.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to post comments questions.