My electrical life

$1300 insurance on each vehicle is not something I can afford

At the end of the month, I will decide which one stays.

Well, let me make the decision: the iX stays, no matter how much you like the S-10! (and if you don't listen to me, I'll come and pick up the iX and drive it to Belgium myself!)

Ok, took your warning and will drive the iX for a few days. It fired right up and boy have I missed that purrrr B)

First thing I did was take it for a drive around the block to get the juices flowing...almost put myself through the windshield; damn brakes are so powerful compared to the S-10

Anyway, the one thing I now realize; especially after climbing into the S-10 after 30+ years of automatics; is that I am totally comfortable with a stick. In fact, I think I enjoy the stick better than the auto.

Now that my driving instincts have been revived; it's likely both the S-10 and the iX will have to move on...too bad BMW doesn't make a 5 speed pickup

Aw crap, somebody send him a sawzall with a bimetal blade already!!!! Let the IX become a pickup.



alan

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Archeo-peteriX
$1300 insurance on each vehicle is not something I can afford

At the end of the month, I will decide which one stays.

Sorry Peter, I should have thought my post out better. Even if the 30 has to go we'll still have you, right?

Rick

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
...too bad BMW doesn't make a 5 speed pickup

Not made by BMW (and a dutch site, but who cares when there are pictures)
M5 ute

Some [url=http://www.ccbmwuruguay.com/ foro/viewtopic.php?id=1363]modded BMW's[/url]


There's a lot to google, who knows you fall in love with one...

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
...too bad BMW doesn't make a 5 speed pickup

Not made by BMW (and a dutch site, but who cares when there are pictures)
M5 ute

Some modded BMW's


There's a lot to google, who knows you fall in love with one...

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rkj

Quote
Archeo-peteriX
$1300 insurance on each vehicle is not something I can afford

At the end of the month, I will decide which one stays.

Sorry Peter, I should have thought my post out better. Even if the 30 has to go we'll still have you, right?

Rick

No problem and it will take a lot more than a car to get rid of me here
You guys are like family and we have lots of common interests besides the E30

This is one of my favourites...
[i30.photobucket.com]
[i30.photobucket.com]
[i30.photobucket.com]

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Archeo-peteriX
This is one of my favourites...
[i30.photobucket.com]
[i30.photobucket.com]
[i30.photobucket.com]

Hey, That's just what I need for the dirt bike and all my chores

I wonder how much work it would be to swap an M20B25 with manual tranny into the S-10?
This would be a lot easier and cheaper than making a pickup out of a perfectly good E30 body.

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Archeo-peteriX
I wonder how much work it would be to swap an M20B25 with manual tranny into the S-10?
This would be a lot easier and cheaper than making a pickup out of a perfectly good E30 body.

Yup, that's the way I'd go, our sixes are a bit on the long side though. The S10 is a V6 or a four banger?

Then we would want a decent rear and more suspension, heavens, there would be no end to it Peter, may a ranchero 30 would be easier can't be that much work!

I'm already finding there is and has been more modding done to these little trucks than a BMW enthusiast would ever dream of

The S-10 has a 2.2l 4 banger. It's rated at 118hp with 132lb/f of torque. I'm finding that there is a lot more of that 118hp usable than the 168hp we have in the M20. I suspect this is the same for the Eta 2.7 engine.

Finding technical data on these engines is proving a little difficult. 99% of the stuff out there is for the hot rodders who want add on power. It's all the same crap; chips, decals, oil additives, cone filters, etc. with all the same claims of gargantuan improvements

Simply put, there's no substitution for cubic inches.



alan

We here know that but the rest of the world is still looking for a free lunch

I'm more than happy with the output of the Chevy 4 banger; I just want to learn as much about it and it's engine management system as I have learned about the M20 and Motronic. Understanding how it works and what is needed to make it function as designed is all I want to do...making a pickup truck perform like an F1 race car has no interest to me

This thread is exactly why I've missed this forum. I'm now remembering Peter and that he had a red IX and was one of the more knowledgeable around here. And you can't sell it. It's just that simple. S-10? Well, I don't need to explain that, but your IX? You just can't. I regret every day selling my last 325is and the "new" owner probably wouldn't sell it back to me for twice the price I sold it to him.

Something else I have to say that I really like is that it seems the "regulars" are not into modifying the heck out of the cars or doing S50 motor swaps or the like. It is more that everyone just wants to keep a nice car running the way it was originally intended to.

I also didn't know that half you guys rode? I actually got out of cars (the E30) to focus just on riding for a few years (benefit of living in CA)...

Anyway, since I'm babbling as usual, the reason I love this thread is that I've learned a bunch just from reading it. I don't have any intelligent input, but am glad at all the little tidbits that I'm picking up. I'm scared I'll have to use them in the next year, as this will be my first E30 that is not regularly garaged (of course the better half and the pig get the garage), and now being in Germany, I have to deal with real winters.

Sorry, carry on...

Quote
longtallsally
This thread is exactly why I've missed this forum. I'm now remembering Peter and that he had a red IX and was one of the more knowledgeable around here. And you can't sell it. It's just that simple. S-10? Well, I don't need to explain that, but your IX? You just can't. I regret every day selling my last 325is and the "new" owner probably wouldn't sell it back to me for twice the price I sold it to him.

Something else I have to say that I really like is that it seems the "regulars" are not into modifying the heck out of the cars or doing S50 motor swaps or the like. It is more that everyone just wants to keep a nice car running the way it was originally intended to.

I also didn't know that half you guys rode? I actually got out of cars (the E30) to focus just on riding for a few years (benefit of living in CA)...

Anyway, since I'm babbling as usual, the reason I love this thread is that I've learned a bunch just from reading it. I don't have any intelligent input, but am glad at all the little tidbits that I'm picking up. I'm scared I'll have to use them in the next year, as this will be my first E30 that is not regularly garaged (of course the better half and the pig get the garage), and now being in Germany, I have to deal with real winters.

Sorry, carry on...

Babbling is perfectly acceptable here

When you run into those problems, we'll be here to try and help you through them

I've already had to deal with black wire disease in the headlights. If you saw the "conversion" to US elipsoids that was done, you would all cringe. I ended up having to trace back to about a foot from the fuse block to get clean wire to splice in to get a headlight working.

When I did the rear fog light, that was a real exercise in frustration as well seeing as I made about every rookie mistake that could have been made and still am not sure why my original plan didn't work.

Anyway once I get the interior stuff sorted out to my liking, I'll be moving to the bay. I've not really done anything other than change the oil in the thing since I got it- motor wise- and will be getting deep into it to familiarize myself with the complex little M42. Sometimes I miss the simplicity- and power- of the M20, but am excited to get the 4 banger into perfect running order.

This reminds me of something for the OP; that silly alarm. I am a HUGE proponent of NEVER putting an aftermarket alarm on a vehicle. They invariably screw up the electrics on cars and seem to do so twice as bad on German cars. I'd think finishing tearing all that crap out would be the first order of business just to bring the car to parity.

Thankfully, the only electrical screw ups I've had to sort are to fix the headlight wiring (done when I put the smileys in) and resolve the stereo install rat's nest when I put in a new head unit.

So Rick, any updates?

alan