The horror...

[ldsbeaker]

I know that my guibo has been on the way out for quite a while, but I finally got it out yesterday. wowza.
Let me start by telling you that it wasn't as easy as it was supposed to be. There's a "cup" that surrounds the guibo on some E30s that prevents you from getting around the backside to loosen the other nuts/bolts. Sucks. I couldn't loosen the nut on the driveshaft so that I could compress it, so I decided to pull the diff.
It was a great time to upgrade from my pegleg 2.93 to a 3.25 LSD. Maybe I'll get brisker acceleration?
Anyways, spent the afternoon under the car, and here are the results:

Here is the playground. Still haven't gotten the driveshaft apart. I'll have to get the vise into action... Man, those top four bolts on the diff are so awkward! I busted my thumb a good one when I missed the wrench with THOR, and got my thumb.

... and here's the guibo. Notice that the threads on the one bolt are kinda shiny, like they've been wearing on something? Yeah. Oh, and check out those nuts! Nuts! All six of them were like that! Luckily I was still able to get a box end around all of them.

So hopefully I'll finish either tonight or tomorrow so that I can try to shred another one at MIR! Yeah!

Much thanks to Craftsman, THOR, PB Blaster, and my wife, who is becoming a motor head whether she likes it or not.

[Bob]

Whats the hurry, I think that guibo had another 10/20 miles left in it! LOL, Bob

[mcoupemindy]

Looks barely used ... you should sell it on eBay.

[///MARINE]

The fact that you drove the E30 for (what seems like) a few extra years after you realized that the guibo was going out, is a testament to the fact that BMWs were built like tanks in the 80s! Anything built in the modern era of bean counter acquired parts would have left you in the Blue Ridge Mountains! Viva la E30!

[ldsbeaker]

Looks barely used ... you should sell it on eBay.

No way. This one's going on the wall next to my dyno sheet. All 114 RWHP were crankin' on this guibo...

[MPWR]

Wow, you can see through it!

I'd say you got your money's worth out of that one.

[ldsbeaker]

Wow, you can see through it!

I'd say you got your money's worth out of that one.

I can see through the new one, too?

[ldsbeaker]

Well, after thinking about it all day, I finally found a way to get the driveshaft apart. I thought it might work, and it did!
Then I had to get the CSB off. You know how there's a metal circle around the bearing and the rubber piece? That was all deformed and egg shaped. Not to mention that gravity had taken it's toll on the rubber. Yuck.
I ended up dremeling it off, one layer at a time. I was extremely careful to not mar the bearing mating surface. After I cracked the last race off, I cleaned the mating surface with some 600 grit sandpaper, and then drifted the new one on! Fit like a glove! Then dust cover, and circlip!
Yes! The hardest part is finished!
Tomorrow I'll mate the driveshaft back up again. (You know, every driveshaft that I've removed or replaced has had markings to match up so that you have a balanced driveshaft... Am I just that lucky, or are there really marks from the factory?)
Then I can mount up the 3.25 LSD, new guibo, preload the CSB, and off I go! I can't wait!
Oh, p.s. I got the cup off the car. The harmonic balancer/vibration damper that hangs out around the guibo on some cursed cars. It weighs almost 2 lbs, I think! What is that, like 1/2 hp?

[ldsbeaker]

Okay, so I just finished with my test drive.
I finished putting it back together at about 0230, then I pulled the battery out of the 5er that I tried to start the other day, battery was dead. Put it on the buzzbox for an hour or so, and away I went!
I'm not bossing it around too much yet. I'll probably tool around for a couple days, then check all my bolts, make sure everything's staying tight. Then the gloves are off!
... all of this on a work night?

Later on today, I'll call BMW and see how much it would have costed for them to do it. (my little way of justifying the garage full of tools...)

[///MARINE]