And So it FInally Begins

[SwiftE30]

So my build has actually begun. After spending a ton of time on the suspension, steering, and brakes, I've made it to the pulling of the engine. So far i have done:

Lemforder Control Arms
Lemforder Tie Rods,
M3 offset CAB's
Suspension Technique Sway Bar FRont and Rear
Reinforcement Brackets Front and Rear
Brembo Slotted Rotors
Ceramic Race Pads
Stainless Steal Break LinesH&R Sport Cup Suspension kit

1989 325i BMW E30 Convertible

My Plans: S52 OBD1 engine swap with ZF transmission.
M50 Intake Manifold Conversion
Turbo.... Undecide. Possibly gt35r, t3/to4e 57 trim stage 3, holder hx35
Good&Tight Exhaust Manifold w/Downpipe
TRM Chip tune.

Here's the pics

I spend the majority of today getting the engine ready to be pulled. Just have to disconnect the driveshaft and a few other hoses and i'll be good to go. Im very excited for tomorrow.







Interior Needs a lot of work, but thats a ways down the road


Bought a 97 M3 with a wrecked front end. Engine has 100K on it. It was owned by a BMW dealership owner. Has all the maintenance records since the car was first bought. Its been sitting like this for a few months. I cant wait to pull the engine and start parting the body out to make a little extra cash for new parts!






Starting the Process. Dad bought the car Brand new back in 89. Its been garaged since 2006.






This is where i had to stop. I got hungry, and got dinner with the fam, then it got late. Can't wait till tomorrow!

[CabrioPunk]

Nice to see a vert with that very cup kit i was reading up on. Nice drop. Looks awful with all that tire. How much did you pay for the kit?

[SwiftE30]

Yeah those wheel look terrible right now. Im not planning on buying a set of wheels till the very end though. I payed around 700 for the whole kit. Easy install and rides really nice. I still need to add a few things to the suspension setup thats going to make it better but thats for later.

[SwiftE30]

Heres a little update: Got her pulled. Had a friend come over and help me. Engine way was really dirty. Cleaned her all up and shes ready for the s52.





It got a little difficult here. Had to keep taking stuff off to clear the front of the car.



And she's finally out.





pretty clean for how old she was.


except the transmission



dirty engine bay





Clean Engine Bay Ready for the S52





I need to do something about the battery tray.

[Lawson509]

Looks awesome. I will definitely have follow up on your swap. Good luck

[SwiftE30]

Thanks! The S52 is getting pulled later this week. I still need to buy the e21 trans mounts and a new oil pan gasket. Then its on to the turbo build parts

[Lawson509]

Wow you really are going all out. Skipping the normal swap and going straight to the turbo swap. What turbo headers are you planning on using?

[e30rapidic]

awesome!! I love red e30 cabrios! Any exterior mods coming?

[SwiftE30]

Wow you really are going all out. Skipping the normal swap and going straight to the turbo swap. What turbo headers are you planning on using?

Yeah my brother has a 97 M3 with a vortec V2 supercharger on it and it just isnt enough for me. I want to be able to have more power and more control over the engine with the fuel management and tuning. As fot the turbo headers im gonna be going with the Good&Tight manifold with the added downpipe. Hopefully rinning a Garret GT40 turbo. Not sure on that yet.

awesome!! I love red e30 cabrios! Any exterior mods coming?

Thanks man! Me too! THis was the car i grew up idolizing as a kid and now i've got the chance to make her a beautiful power house. As for exterior mods, im still in the planning stages on what im going to do. Pretty sure im going with the M-Tech II front end and rear, but not sure what ill be doing with the side skirts. The car will for sure be getting a completely new amazing paintjob at the end. Excited!!

[samiam3356]

Doesn't this belong in the project forum? Just sayin..

Nice ride btw and looking forward to the #'s you put down.

[SwiftE30]

Yeah my bad. I'll switch it over when I get home. Can't do it on an iPhone. Thanks for the interest. I'm excited to finish her and put her on the track!

[ZM Blue Devil]

very cool project, but did I get it right?

s52, turbo and track?

[SwiftE30]

Yeah goin s52 with a turbo. Don't know how much track time she'll get but I'm really lookin forward to takin her out on nice sunny days for a nice hard ride.

[nando]

MS3 or bust ;)

[SwiftE30]

MS3 for sure. I haven't really researched the megasquirt options and components you can run though. Any setups you would recommend? I want to be comfortably running anywhere from 8-12 psi. And I will be going with an MLS headgasket with ARP studs FYI.