My 325es Project

[CW325]

so instead of doing a reseal i just put the m20 back together. at this point its not worth the extra work and if its not broken, why fix it?. i had some trouble starting it up at first but finally got it running nice . after it ran for a few minutes i heard a noise coming from the rear of the engine, found out its most likely the throwout bearing since when i press the clutch it goes away. not sure how important it is now but eventually ill have to fix that up. heres some pics:

heres the intake right after paint:


new thermostat and housing:


intake manifold in:


also got my new taillight seals, hopefully it will help stop all the water from getting in the trunk

new vs. old:

[custom e30]

i think ur doing a bad ass project, wish i was seeing it on a 2.5 though, do u plan on doing the 2.5 head or turbocharging ur 2.7???

[CW325]

i think ur doing a bad ass project, wish i was seeing it on a 2.5 though, do u plan on doing the 2.5 head or turbocharging ur 2.7???

thanks for the comment! hopefully in the future ill be able to turbocharge it depending how reliable this motor turns out to be. ive been reading and found out the b25 head swap along with a turbo is an amazing setup so i hope ill be able to do both mods when i have the money

[CW325]

i recently finished reinstalling my rear bumper. the old bolts cracked through the the bumper as you can see here:


so with the bumper of it was a good time to give it a nice fresh coat of paint:


i made this crappy (but functional!) bracket out of some extra metal i had, with the bumper strip one you cant even tell its there! ;)

[squidmaster]

looks great! I'll subscribe!

Wish I had a garage to work in...

[thowes24]

Looks good! btw, what all was involved in changing the thermostat? What belts, if any, did you remove?

[ttrousdell]

^3 10mm bolts to remove thermostat. its a real easy job
Engine is lookin real clean Clayton. good work

[CW325]

Thanks a lot for all the complements guys! the thermostat is a super easy job, like tom said its only 3 bolts that hold the cover on and than just pull it out. heres a pic of my e30 from today, definitely one of my favorites :D

[CW325]

I finally decided it was time to tuck my ugly diving boards. Obviously the first thing i did was remove the bumper and air dam. im not sure if i should put the air dam back on or find a lip so any opinions are welcome :D


bumper shocks came out really easy, they are only held on by 2 bolts that thankfully weren't rusted on


each shock was than drilled, i put a piece of cardboard on top of them when i drilled them to prevent the nasty oil from spraying on me



they were than easily compressed by pushing them against the ground (no need to drive into a wall!)

ill update once i get the bumper back on.

[southgabimmer]

nice. u airsoft much?

[CW325]

nice. u airsoft much?

i used to but i havent in a few years, just shows how long those bb's last!

[ttrousdell]

Looks good. I'm a fan of the tucked metal bumpers. Hurry up and get that learner permit so you can drive it. I didn't realize there are airsoft bbs in every pic. Used to play back in high school by the wantagh parkway. Would always have to run from the state troopers.

[MattAvino]

on my 87 325is, it clunks/rattles when the clutch is out, but im not sure its the throwout bearing. I also need new taillight seals, i found my trunk full of water.

[timofeylbelarus]

my trunck had water in it because there was a small hole where the trunk lid brackets are welded to the body maybe you should check that

[CW325]

finished up my bumper tuck after the rain today, let me know what you think :up:




ill be starting the rear tomorrow