Potential Project Ideas Options

[senick]

I recently bought an e46 328i, which is now my daily, and decided to store my 95 ST. I did maintenance and suspension work to the 328, and was struck by how much more expensive (needlessly I believe) BMW parts are than Toyota. And I have to say, for as much love as the e46 chassis gets, I honestly feel like the AT200 is the better car to drive.

Anyway, since storing the Celi, I've been constantly thinking about a project for it (and missing its excellent fuel economy), and I was looking for some input. I should say, though, that I wouldn't likely get started on any such project for at least a year from now, likely longer.

So the philosophy of the build would be to maintain the reliability and fuel economy of the 7a, while increasing long distance driving comfort and maximizing engine power delivery through driveline and suspension improvements. Basically, in the same vein that the BRZ/FRS was designed to make the most out of a relatively low powered engine through intelligent overall car design. The emphasis is on a comfortable, fuel efficient and reliable car for driving long distances, while always having the potential to be a 'driver's' car.

I have a few ideas currently, such as:

-Lightweight driveline components, wherever possible. Are these available for the 7a? I see flywheels for the GT, but so far nothing for ST.
-Underdrive pulleys
-Lightweight wheels/ sticky tires.
-Weight reduction where possible, but not in compromising comfort or increasing road noise. Feasible?
-Lightweight exhaust
-4 wheel disc brake conversion
-Suspension upgrades. Would certainly welcome suggestions on this.
-Cooling system upgrades (better efficiency)

And more, but I'll leave it at that for now. Other than additional comments, I'd also like to know if anyone has suggestions on where to look for parts? I've done a fair bit of searching and referenced a few sticky's, but it's still hard to find parts for an ST. For 7a specific parts, I suppose I can look at Corolla sources, but for suspension and other parts I'm at a loss.

Finally, I've been wondering if it would be possible to swap a 7a into a GT body? I assume yes. I feel like the GT is more amenable to performance suspension and braking mods.

Any input is very welcome, thank you for reading!

This post has been edited by senick: Feb 23, 2017 - 9:25 AM

[senick]

The 20V you do have to rev out to get going from what I've read, but you have to do that to some extent with the 7A anyway.

Very true, but there is a difference:
4A (Black top): 165 PS (121 kW) at 7,800 rpm with 16.5 kg·m (162 N·m) of torque at 5,600 rpm
7A (1995) : 110 hp (82 kW) at 5600 rpm and 115 lb·ft (156 N·m) at 2800 rpm

At least with the 7A torque peaks at a reasonable RPM, and really isn't that much less than the black top (assuming I could even find one). At this point I think it's more or less subjective. Both engines are reliable and efficient, but how one defines 'fun' or 'engaging' is just preference on where the torque comes in. Hitting 'power' (such as it is in the 7a) midway through the rev range to me is much more engaging than dragging it out to redline and constantly trying to keep it there.

Also, thank you for the gearing breakdown, that's very helpful to see it displayed in a comparative way like that. If a 6 speed wouldn't get any better MPG then, may not be worth the trouble.

This post has been edited by senick: Feb 26, 2017 - 10:26 PM