Well I'm on vacation.
It's gray.
I'm bored.
Might as well start a build thread.
Date Purchased:
Last November, 08
She's a:
1989 325is
Motor and Trans were replaced - TMU
Originally a Cali car.
PO kept great records for the past 8 years he owned it (besides the motor/trans
). He dumped about $16k into it over that time period and kept it in great condition.
Current Mods at Purchase:
Dinan Chip
Scorpion Cat-Back
Bilstein HD's (Pretty sure. Black Bilsteins = HD I believe.)
BMP shock tower brace
DDM HID's
Day 1
The Winter Months:
The first things to get upgraded would be the suspension and wheels - so I started hoarding parts.
I made the decision to go with a custom Ground Control + G60 shock setup (e30's in the rear) that a friend had run before. From what I could see, the stock GC setup wasn't going to go low enough for my desires.
The Hoard:
Ground Control Coilover Kit - 375/425 for spring rates.
(The rates were great for winter driving, but after coiling them down another couple inches for the summer, they're just too soft for my liking. Stiffer rates are in the cards.)
Bilstein Sport Shocks - G60 in front, e30 in rear
HD Control Arms with ball joints
M3 offset CAB's
JT rear tower reinforcement plates
New tie rods and sway links
RaceSkids Skid Plate (A++)
Schmidt Modern Line Monoblock's - 16x9 et15
Sumitomo HTR 215/40/16 - (Onlinetires.com $53/tire!)
ECS/H&R Spacers - 10.5mm front, 20mm rear
Joe (Dr.Stangelove) and I went up to Ben Thongsai's shop and got him to weld on my perches and had him weld on some M3 sway bar end link tabs as well.
I also had 1.5" chopped off the bottom of the tubes, then rewelded into place.
(In retrospect, you should chop the 1.5" off the top then weld the threaded section back on. I ended up having angle issues and had to make a template to get them back to spec.)
Quick paint for now:
The G60 shocks are 6mm thinner in diameter, so to make up the difference I used some friction tape I found at Home Depot. They fit like a glove and it's a non adhesive tape, so no residue on the casings.
Since the G60 shock shafts are thicker (30mm) and need an O-ringed gland nut, I needed to order new gland nuts from Bilstein.
THATS NOT THE RIGHT PART NUMBER, so don't order it.
I'll post up more suspension pictures and the correct gland nut part number when I get back home from vacation.
Just a teaser shot for now. This was right after we rolled the fenders and got the wheels on.
Car has since been washed.
Rear has since come down an inch or so.
Centercaps have been 'installed.'
Say hi to Joe and Mike.
It's gray.
I'm bored.
Might as well start a build thread.
Date Purchased:
Last November, 08
She's a:
1989 325is
Motor and Trans were replaced - TMU
Originally a Cali car.
PO kept great records for the past 8 years he owned it (besides the motor/trans
). He dumped about $16k into it over that time period and kept it in great condition.Current Mods at Purchase:
Dinan Chip
Scorpion Cat-Back
Bilstein HD's (Pretty sure. Black Bilsteins = HD I believe.)
BMP shock tower brace
DDM HID's
Day 1
The Winter Months:
The first things to get upgraded would be the suspension and wheels - so I started hoarding parts.
I made the decision to go with a custom Ground Control + G60 shock setup (e30's in the rear) that a friend had run before. From what I could see, the stock GC setup wasn't going to go low enough for my desires.
The Hoard:
Ground Control Coilover Kit - 375/425 for spring rates.
(The rates were great for winter driving, but after coiling them down another couple inches for the summer, they're just too soft for my liking. Stiffer rates are in the cards.)
Bilstein Sport Shocks - G60 in front, e30 in rear
HD Control Arms with ball joints
M3 offset CAB's
JT rear tower reinforcement plates
New tie rods and sway links
RaceSkids Skid Plate (A++)
Schmidt Modern Line Monoblock's - 16x9 et15
Sumitomo HTR 215/40/16 - (Onlinetires.com $53/tire!)
ECS/H&R Spacers - 10.5mm front, 20mm rear
Joe (Dr.Stangelove) and I went up to Ben Thongsai's shop and got him to weld on my perches and had him weld on some M3 sway bar end link tabs as well.
I also had 1.5" chopped off the bottom of the tubes, then rewelded into place.
(In retrospect, you should chop the 1.5" off the top then weld the threaded section back on. I ended up having angle issues and had to make a template to get them back to spec.)
Quick paint for now:
The G60 shocks are 6mm thinner in diameter, so to make up the difference I used some friction tape I found at Home Depot. They fit like a glove and it's a non adhesive tape, so no residue on the casings.
Since the G60 shock shafts are thicker (30mm) and need an O-ringed gland nut, I needed to order new gland nuts from Bilstein.
THATS NOT THE RIGHT PART NUMBER, so don't order it.
I'll post up more suspension pictures and the correct gland nut part number when I get back home from vacation.
Just a teaser shot for now. This was right after we rolled the fenders and got the wheels on.
Car has since been washed.
Rear has since come down an inch or so.
Centercaps have been 'installed.'
Say hi to Joe and Mike.
MOAR PICTARZ NOW!
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