In the meantime

While all the subframe/firewall madness was going on, we managed to get some other odds and ends finished. First was to complete the diff mount, get everything bolted up ready to go. Heres John putting on the finishing touches.

Stuck on a solid bushing on our 3.73

Then we sorted out the front struts. Hybrids using e30 housings with 2002 strut tops, and an ebay coilover kit. Finished product.

Also starting on the windows. Belinas dad scrounged some scrap lexan from work. Made templates and cut to fit, riveted on.

Next was fitting the booster and master cylinder. Wasnt even close to fitting, and even with a smaller 944, or 2002 booster, it wasnt going without modification.

from the wheel-well

Now pedals are mounted, and the steering column is mounted using the e30 mount. Bolted right in.

Home stretch!

One step foward, two steps back

Sorry for the delay on the update. We ran into a little issue that set us back a few days.

Now the whole plan for the subframe was to keep the original e30 suspension geometry without re-locating the strut towers- and we accomplished that, but as a result it pushed the motor way foward. Something thats easy to overlook when its just a subframe sitting there. Once we test fit an old block in there, we had to seriously re-consider things. By pushing the entire frame back, we're playing with the caster and I was a little worried about that..
This is where the pictures slowed down, at this point we didnt even know if we could make it in time knowing the artwork you see above had to be cut out, and re-done..
So the next work day we went back at it and came up with this:

Added some material further back, and drilled a hole through without cutting out all of johns nice welding. Saved us alot of time, and pushed the entire motor back over 3 inches.
Now with the motor way back into the firewall now, there was no way we could save Any of it. To us a fair trade. I didnt want the car to be too nose heavy. Now the m20 sits even further back than it does bolted to a 2002 subframe.
So once we test fit the motor again, we start to check for clearences.. It all pretty much had to come out.
But we were prepared for this, we had cut the entire trans tunnel/firewall section out of the e30, so we thought it would be easy..

But the problem with the dropping it in was the height of the entire drivetrain. Now that everything sits lower, the factory e30 trans brace notches wont reach. So unfortunatley we have to do it in sections.

Alot of work went int this. Thanks to Jason, Roy, Brian, and Christie for your help with all of this.

Finished product.