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xphiledan's 1989 325i Cirrus Blau 4 Door Q-Ship Project

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    xphiledan's 1989 325i Cirrus Blau 4 Door Q-Ship Project

    It all started last year with a craigslist posting titled "1989 BMW 325i 5 Speed E30 great looking and running car." I've been searching for an E30 for a year at that point, and I hadn't come across a 5-speed 4-door LSD equipped car before. The moment I saw the car, I knew I had to have it. The Cirrus Blau color is awesome, and from the 231K miles/1 owner/matching VINs, you could tell that it was very well taken care of. (Technically, I bought it from the second owner, but he only had it for a few months, so he doesn't really count.) I am still trying to track down the original owner, and from the carfax report, the only thing I know is that he/she is from NJ and traded it into the dealer.

    Anyway, the seller was really cool, showed me the car and told me the only problem was that fuel leaks when the tank was full. He believed it was a minor fix, and after I bought the car we both found out that the tank needed replacing. Of course, since you need to pull stuff out to get to the tank, why not start replacing things while I'm at it. and then I discovered the phrase Project Creep.

    The goal was to create an awesome handlin', daily drivin', HPDE car. So one thing led to another, and then another, and I crazily decided to replace everything mechanical but the engine and transmission. The other objective was for me to get in touch with my inner mechanic, and learn some valuable skills with wrenching on the car. But I quickly realized I was in way over my head so I employed the services of Chris from e30tech who did a great job in overhauling the car.


    #2
    This is the list of things he did:

    Engine
    timing belt, tensioner, water pump
    front camshaft seal, thermostat, bleeder screw, oem coolant flush
    air conditioning & alternator belt
    distributor cap, rotor, coil, spark plugs, ignition wires, ignition coil
    painted valve cover
    valve adjustment & valve gasket
    new valve cover breather hose
    AFE Pro Dry S air filter
    oem engine mounts
    oil pan gasket
    Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-40

    Exhaust
    Ireland Engineering catback exhaust & mount kit
    new gaskets

    Fuel
    replace fuel tank
    fuel filter, fuel pump, fuel hose

    Suspension
    Bilstein Sport/H&R Sport
    Suspension Techniques 22/19 sway bars
    Z3 steering rack
    new tie rods
    power steering fluid flush
    power steering belt
    Replace Control Arms & Control Arm Bushings
    Sway Bar Bushings
    Upper Strut Mounts
    Subframe Bushings
    Trailing Arm Bushings
    Sway Bar Bushings
    Rear Shock Mounts
    Upper Strut Bearings
    AKG Motorworks rear subframe and differential mount bushing set ( Polyurethane 75D)
    wheel bearings
    Welding & Notching Rear Camber & Toe Kits
    Welding & Drilling Swaybar reinforcement Tabs and Mounting Hardware
    Replace Rear Subframe Bushings & Trailing Arm Bushings
    Painted Rear Subframe rustoleum
    Ireland Engineering Rear Subframe Camber & Toe Kits
    front strut tower brace
    BBS RZ 15x7 et24
    Dunlop Direzza Z1 Star Spec 205/50/15

    Transmission
    4.10 LSD
    Transmission Mounts
    Guibo & Center Support Bearing Replacement
    Transmission & Differential Fluid
    Differential Bushing
    Replace Shifter Linkage, shift rod coupler, UUC Evo3 & DSSR
    New Clutch Fan
    Clutch Master & Slave Cylinder
    Replace Transmission & Differential Fluid, transmission seals & plugs
    CV Boots
    Remove & Replace output shaft seal and the selector rod seal

    Brakes
    Rebuild Calipers
    Brake Rotors / Pads
    Coated Stainless Steel Brake Lines
    Flush Brake Fluid



    Last edited by xphiledan; 06-14-2010, 12:35 AM.

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      #3
      10 months and an empty bank account later, the car was completed after a few delays & setbacks





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        #4
        Then I took it over to Guten Parts, and Levent worked his magic:

        aluminum cluster rings & painted needles
        powdercoated shadowline trim
        houndstooth sport interior
        redyed rear shelf
        black valve cover
        kenwood KDC-X994 & premium speakers
        trunk seal gasket
        13 button OBC install
        maplight mirror install
        is front lip
        euro plate filler
        all red tails
        etc...









        Last edited by xphiledan; 06-14-2010, 04:59 AM.

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          #5
          stay tuned for updates, an official photo shoot after a proper detail & much needed body work!

          Comment


            #6
            This is a nice sedan :D

            Did the situation with the exhaust get resolved?
            cars beep boop

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              #7
              thanks kronus! levent & jeff torqued the %!@#$ out of it and were able to straighten it out. still a great mystery as to what had happened.

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                #8
                nice work


                -
                Project
                Parts for Sale
                Feedback
                YouTube Channel

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                  #9
                  Looking good! I want your wheels, plate filler, red tails,...etc. haha
                  sigpic

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                    #10
                    Daniel - Your car is looking great! Beautiful.

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                      #11
                      The rate of Cirrus-Blau owners within the tri-state area is increasing rapidly, an epidemic I tell you, and epidemic!!! Great looking car. Thanks for settling me on whether to do red tails or not, they look great on Cirrus.

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                        #12
                        This thing looks awesome


                        Bahama Beige E23 Project
                        Bluebird Bus Conversion
                        New Oregon Trail

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                          #13
                          Excellent project. Love the way things have come together.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            looking nice :D what breed is your dog? looks exactly like mine
                            Tim.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              thanks for the positive responses! it's still a work in progress. trying to save up for a respray. the car will be at gutenfest on 7/25 if anyone wants to check it out. my dog is a puggle (pug/beagle mix).

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