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Meet Helga: 1987 BMW 325i

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    #16
    awesome


    1989 325is l 1984 euro 320i l 1970 2002 Racecar
    1991 318i 4dr slick top


    Euro spec 320i/Alpina B6 3.5 project(the never ending saga)
    Vintage race car revival (2002 content)
    Mtech 2 turbo restoration
    Brilliantrot slick top "build"

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      #17
      Beautiful cars !!
      FEEDBACK:
      http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316212

      BMWCCA #398608
      IG @yagayo38

      "The Best E30's were built with two camshafts four cylinders and sixteen valves!".

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        #18
        Welcome to the e30/z3coupe club. Nice example! Engine pic please.
        sigpic
        January 2012 COTM

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          #19
          Nice!

          form.follows.function IG @mplfoster

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            #20
            Wouldn't change a thing on this car! Getting harder and harder to find clean examples.
            Continuous For Sale Thread
            323i s50

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              #21
              Originally posted by robrez View Post
              Welcome to the e30/z3coupe club. Nice example! Engine pic please.
              Thanks! I will post photos of the engine once it has been detailed. Pretty filthy right now, but I have every intention on making it as clean as the bay on my M coupe :)
              1987 Delphin/Black BMW 325i & 2016 Mineral Grey/Terra BMW M235i
              BMW CCA #485408

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                #22
                had a chance to get both out at once for a couple photos..

                Helga & nannercoupe by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                Helga & nannercoupe by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                Helga & nannercoupe by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                Helga & nannercoupe by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr
                1987 Delphin/Black BMW 325i & 2016 Mineral Grey/Terra BMW M235i
                BMW CCA #485408

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                  #23
                  what is your front valance called?

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                    #24
                    it's a racing dynamics valence, NLA
                    1987 Delphin/Black BMW 325i & 2016 Mineral Grey/Terra BMW M235i
                    BMW CCA #485408

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                      #25
                      It's time for a little update on Helga's progress! I've had a couple months to get acquainted with her and begin my list of to-dos, must haves and future maintenance items. One of the greatest things that came with my car was an accordion folder FILLED with service records. I took the opportunity to take just about all of them since the late nineties and early 2000s and begin to populate a spreadsheet that aids my ability to forecast old school maintenance items.

                      Obsessive, Compulsive & Totally Awesome! by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      The first thing that bothered me about the car was the headlights. The PO had installed a set of HIDs in an H4 conversion and it left a lot to be desired. The light pattern was all but non-existent and the bulbs took forever to warm up. I also didn't like the whole concept of HIDs on a 27 year old car as well. IMO, an old car should have old (but effective) headlights. A modification was in order! I took the opportunity to pick up a set of euro smileys from sskoda over in the UK. His pricing was fair and the parts came with a non-cracked set of euro grilles (but dirty and due for repaint, no worries!). The lights themselves had some wear on the rings, the grilles needed repaint so I took my time installing them. I pulled the windshield cowl grilles off at the same time and did everything (headlight rings, euro grilles and cowl trim) in SEM trim black. WOW, that stuff is amazing! Here's a rather poor shot of the finished product, but you get the idea :). Oh, and I also installed smoked lenses everywhere (side markers and turn signals).

                      New lights and grilles! by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      Up next was the steering wheel. I have nothing but respect for the previous owner in the steering wheel department, but the wheel itself wasn't to my taste. It was a 4 spoke Schnitzer wheel (same wheel as Alpina, Hartge and a few others, it's really a rebadged MOMO) but it was time for something a little more special... I decided to go with a rewrapped 370mm M tech II steering wheel from "Tainik" on ebay. While the wheel took about a month to arrive, I can say with certainty that he's one of the best sellers I've dealt with on ebay and his product is more like a work of art than a steering wheel!

                      M Technic II | 370MM by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      Another angle of the new steering wheel by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      M Tech II Steering Wheel by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      Besides a few odds and ends, this is all I've done to the car so far. I've spent a lot of time trying to choose a direction, and I think I want to make the car really nice, but still retain some of the originality. With the exception of one panel and the RD valance, every body panel retains original paint. I'd like to see which door dings can be removed with PDR and see how far my Rupes LHR15ES can get me with polishing. So far, I'm really enjoying the condition of the car but I long to make it better. Here are some of the things I'd like to remedy in the coming year.

                      Door dings/PDR:
                      Patina by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      boot ding by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      roof ding by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      roof ding 2 by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr


                      Go hog-wild with my polisher:
                      Patina by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      Rebuild and rewrap my front seats and seat backs in fine nappa leather..
                      refreshed seats are on the short list of improvements by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      cracking leather by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      I'd like to eventually put new color matched euro bumpers on the car, along with an M Tech I kit. I already have sideskirts in my garage ready for prep and paint, but I'd like the whole kit to go on at once. I plan on keeping all of the original parts so if I decide to ever sell, I can sell it as a full MT1 car or put the diving boards back on. There are a couple other nitpicks that I'd like to work on in the coming months as well, summarized below:

                      - Rebuild driver's side door lock cylinder (functions, but sticks in the lock position)
                      - Install keyless entry system
                      - Install radio antenna cutoff switch (currently unplugged)
                      - Install new LF window regulator (spring broken at bottom, still functions)
                      - Install mud flaps (I have OE units that I don't care for, they will likely be custom fabricated and for winter use only)
                      - Install new driveshaft/CSB (mine is starting to show symptoms of a bad CSB)
                      - Rebuild shifter with UUC DSSR
                      - Install Z3 steering rack
                      - Prepare car for winter (some type of bra, maybe clear bra, mud flaps, winter tires, rubber floor mats etc)
                      - Install 15" Euroweaves on winter tires (yes, euroweaves are going to be my winter setup!)
                      - Diagnose cruise control issue (currently inop along with a speed sensor code)

                      I want to do everything all at once, but I am now planning a wedding, moving to Ohio and starting a new gig in the USAF, so I will have to limit my car expenditures every month for the foreseeable future. Thankfully I can do most of the work listed above on my own and space it out over time. Currently the car doesn't need anything, just begs to be driven more! I'm incredibly excited to make this car even more special than it already is. Every once in awhile I see a plastic bumper car come up for sale and think how green the grass is on the other side of the fence, then I remember how special my car is. Knowing the car has always been owned by a crazy BMWCCA member, having the entire history at my fingertips and truly trusting the car to perform every day is worth more to me than some sleeker bumpers and lower rear wheel arches. Helga is a special girl, I'm enamored! I'll leave you with some fun photographs from today in Fort Collins, the colors are perfect!

                      city park by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      Autu///Mn by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      smile! by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      city park by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      fall colors by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      colorful trees by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      helga's best angle by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      bathing in leaves by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr

                      bathing in leaves by colbyscottgregory, on Flickr
                      1987 Delphin/Black BMW 325i & 2016 Mineral Grey/Terra BMW M235i
                      BMW CCA #485408

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                        #26
                        beeeeeautiful !
                        Did you rake all the leaves around the car for the pic ? jk.

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                          #27
                          very nice e30! I think you've got some great plans in store for this thing to keep the original look while adding some nice modifications. Im very interested to see how it looks with OEM mudflaps, I think they would look great on this car. Also, what wheels are those? they look awesome on this car
                          1990 325iX - sterlingsilber metallic
                          1991 325i - lazurblau metallic



                          Originally posted by delamaize
                          E30 = Lego for men.

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                            #28
                            Gorgeous cars :)

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                              #29
                              Very nice! I just picked up an e30 325i 4-door yesterday. I think I'll be trying to follow your example and hope to get the car as clean as yours.

                              A gig in the USAF and moving to Ohio... does that mean Wright-Patt? I'm in Columbus, so not far.

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                                #30
                                I wouldn't feel envious of late models at all. You've got an 87' 6-cylinder car in a good color - that's arguably the most desirable E30 made. Besides, you've got the cooler tail lights.

                                You may want to consider leaving the Euro bumpers chrome if you get some. It contrasts nicely with the dark gray.
                                1991 318is Brillantrot daily driver (slow restoration)

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