Kevin Bacon

It's not just about power, but the way the power comes in and if you're breaking gearboxes and have dangerous torque steer, then you're using the wrong components and running too much boost! Perhaps I should have said a turbo doesn't feel like it's sapping anything low down and kicks in sooner. Yes I completely agree the Corrado handles like a 20 year old car, but better than other 20 year old cars of the time (imo). As for who would want 400hp, why would anyone want a 500hp 20 year old Nissan 200SX to drift around a track? Why does anyone want the things they want? It's no different to people taking MK5 ED30s and boosting those to 400hp. That is not a 400hp capable chassis, but people still do it. No, you came to the conclusion the rest of us did, that S/Cing a VR6 is not the way to go and a standard one is better than living with the compromises of the charger ;) M5s are nice, but steering feel you say? Hmmmm, you won't like the E39 then :D And you'll be needing to change the rod bearings ASAP if not done already, which isn't cheap. And it weighs ~1800kg and doesn't FEEL 400hp fast. I'm not saying a VRT is all things to all men, far from it, but if done properly it's a very entertaining car indeed. As for FWD and high power, that's why I currently have 4WD :D

CrazyDave's VRT still had the VR6 warble. It's only when you fit a short runner do you lose that. The Supercharger is still a large parasitic load the engine has to turn even when not making any boost.

Liking the modded fanimold. Has it been plastic welded yet? I would use 24V N80 valve, or at least a resistor to fool the ECU into thinking there's one, otherwise you won't get any long term fuel trimming.

That's why nearly all of us who started with chargers went turbo shortly after :D There really is no comparison. Turbo is night / day faster. The irony of the VF kits is everyone shunned turbos as too expensive, but it cost us all a lot more in the long run as we hated the Charger's power delivery :lol: It's why I keep on like a stuck record: Skip the charger and go straight to turbo :D

Best plugs I used were the Bosch F5DPOR, which is the OEM Audi S2 plug. Not cheap from Audi, but they last for ages. If you want something good, cheap but doesn't last as long, try the NGK R5671A-7

Not me. It amuses me when MK5 R32 owners moan about the £475 road tax. £39.50 per month. They didn't mind paying £25K for the car, or £1000 to insure it (depending on circumstances), or the low 20s mpg. People are weird.

In some instances, the insurance company will have already spoken to their approved body shop. Many of them just can't be arsed with older cars anymore as it means they actually have to use some skill, rather than simply throwing new panels on. Good luck with it. Definitely salvageable.

Use the VW stuff mate. It's not normal silicon. Quicker drying, easier to get off and more resistant to oil.

Can't believe this hasn't sold at such a low price. Even the basic 2.8 AUE 24v feels a lot punchier than a 12V. A really nice conversion without all the added complexity of R32s not liking it's ancillary systems being AWOL, which mucks up the torque curve. It's a good strong engine.

Yeah but the crank not turning by hand was a show stopper. It's child's play from here on in!

+1 £450 is a steal is a steal for that. How are you finding the Thule 591s?

Haha, sounds like a similar story to mine! Yeah you're right, the S50 is the older 3.0 E36 lump IIRC, which means the Z3M got the S52 and S54 3.2. See, your research has got off to a good start already :) I want you to buy it and tell me how good it is so I can make up my mind about them!

Phew, crisis averted!

:lol: Yep, it's true, I did own an Allegro! Mine wasn't in the same league as that beauty though :)

The tangs not being aligned correctly was my first thought. From memory, there are also 2 thrust bearings that lock into one of the main bearing caps, did these get disturbed at all?

Wow, see, it was meant to be mate......Z3M it is....and the S54 version too! Yeah S50 & 54 are both E46 engines, but the S54 is DBW and a few other tweaks. It's the engine that BMW tuned up to 350ish hp in the M3 CSL and I've seen one make 360hp with a standalone ECU. There's a Z3M buyer's guide in this month's PPC mag too. Are you sure this isn't just a case of grass being greener boredom? Other cars always seem more appealing when you get bored of your own.

And get the S54 engined one if the budget allows for it!

Get it bought then :)

Two reasons: 1) Re read your third paragraph in the OP. The Z3M fits that perfectly. It's semi practical (no back seats, but huge boot), not a balls out track car but would feel at home on one, it's in the price bracket, it's rare, it was built by enthusiasts for enthusiasts, BMW take an interest in their motorsport heritage (unlike VAG) and keep parts available for their older cars (unlike VAG), it's fast, it's reliable, it has a mod con or two and is comfortable. 2) The other cars on the list are either too mainstream and therefore nowhere near unicorn, have too much hype but won't live up to expectations, or are wallet crushers.

Of that list, only one stands out for me:-

Have you still got the original voided rear wishbone bushes? Most people upgrade to TT/R32 solid (rubber) bushes. It could be that your reduced engine movement is highlighting a weakness elsewhere.

Fair enough. I had 4 of the cheap chinese torches from Deal Xtreme. This was a few years ago and they had the Seoul P4 LED in them. They were bright for 10 minutes and then got dimmer and dimmer very quickly. They didn't have any kind of power consumption electronics, cheap lenses, cheap & inconsistent construction, rubbish batteries and rubbish chargers. The lights often flickered over bumps, went out with no warning, didn't like water or dirt and the light output / spread considering the lumen count wasn't great. You get what you pay for. If you like yours, I'm pleased for you, but I won't trust cheap lights again after being stuck in a pitch black forest with no front lighting. I haven't been "into" bikes for many years and I have no idea where 29ers came from. Those, big bottom headset bearings, hollow cranks, hollow wheels axles, 10 speed cassettes are all innovations that slipped by my radar! So when I was browsing online for a new bike, I saw this odd looking thing with cartoon wheels on it and I just had to try it :D To be honest, I believe the hype so far. I'm no hardcore downhill racer, but my friend and I are the same height, weight and fitness level and he was defnitely at a speed disadvantage! I read somewhere that a 29er has half a crank turn advantage over a 26er, which definitely showed at the weekend. Not only that, a bigger diameter wheel doesn't drop into holes quite as deeply, so it's smoother to ride and more tractive. I'm sure a pro rider on a 26er would leave me for dead, but I like it :) It does feel like riding a bus at first though!

Yes very common. The fix is to move the circlip up 2 notches on the driver's side. I asked Vince about it years ago and he thinks it's because the bulk of the fuel tank and engine block weight are all on that side of the car.

Vibratechnics mounts usually shift that bobbing around in my experience. What spec did you go for? Competition or road? In the UK we usually do competition front and road for the rear and gearbox, which works well. Might be worth double checking they're all tightly secured though. It could be suspension bushes or top mounts. Any excessive movement there can make the front end feel loose and uncontrolled. Hard acceleration and bumps are what usually reveal weak bushes.

I used to do a quick 60 - 90 burst when the lorry moves over, and then pull into the left lane, having made my point and removed him from my bumper ;) If he then wants to do 100+ to get his rocks off and grow some hairs back on his chest again, let him!