The time has come to sell my baby. A lot of time and money was spent on this car to make it what it is today, but purchasing a house takes precedence and selling the bmw will help finance it. Things change, and family becomes a factor. Anyways, about the car. It started its life in 1989 as a 325i, with the 2.5 inline six mated to an automatic transmission. Exterior color was zinno, with black comfort interior. I purchased it in 2008 from a nice lady completely stock with about 150,000 miles on it. She had taken really good care of it and had a large stack of receipts of work performed on the car.
Now to the fun part. I’ve worked on/changed/rebuilt/replaced almost every part on this car to make it more reliable, fast, or visually appealing.
Engine:
· Rebuilt 2.5 block stock compression. Replaced rings, all bearings, honed block, replaced all seals/gaskets, w-pump, t-belt etc
· Copper o-ringed block with OEM headgasket
· ARP headstuds
· VAC motorsports turbo camshaft
· New valve springs and rockers with VAC cam
· Head checked and decked, replaced valve guides and multi angle valve job
· Mishimoto aluminum E36 radiator with new hoses
· Spal electric 16” fan, wired to run automatically or manually with bypass switch
· E36 cooler radiator fan switch
· Mishimoto catch can routed to exhaust
· Ireland engineering rubber heavy duty engine mounts
· 3” exhaust with flowmaster resonator and dynomax muffler (deep stock sound, very quiet)
· Intake manifold, valve cover, intercooler pipes and turbo inlet all painted to match
Turbo setup/engine management:
· Garrett 60-1 turbo, with black blanket and wrapped 3 inch downpipe
· 3.5’’ thick intercooler, 2.5’’ pipes
· HKS SSQV bov, Tial 38mm wastegate with 11psi spring
· Hallman Manual boost controller
· Megasquirt 1 extra with all new custom engine harness, usb cable for logging to laptop
· DIS/Wasted spark running gm coilpack and moroso wires, custom distributor cover
· Walbro 255lph fuel pump, Precision 42lb injectors
· Innovate lc1 wideband
· Gm CTS, Gm IAT, Ford TPS
· Optima red battery
Trans/drivetrain:
· UUC/TCD stage 2 clutch (drives almost like stock, very smooth no chatter)
· Getrag 260 with 80k miles
· Z3 short shifter with delrin bushings
· New oem master/slave cylinders and lines
· ATE super blue fluid for clutch, lucas mtf for trans
· New driveshaft with bearing and guibo
· 3.25 limited slip differential from a bmw 535
Brakes:
· Big brake kit for the front using corrado rotors and rx7tt calipers with hawk street pads
· 2002Maniac caliper brackets and line adapters
· Brembo blanks for the rear with hawk street pads
· Turner motorsports steel brake lines (all 6)
· ATE super blue brake fluid
· Rebuilt rear calipers painted red
Suspension/wheels/steering:
· Ie3 race springs with bilstein sport shocks
· BMW oem E90 upper hats on the front to lower additional ~15mm
· Bimmerworld rear pads to raise rear 15mm
· E30 m3 front control arms (offset bushings)
· Front 21mm swaybar, rear 14.5mm with new bushings/links (from verts and ix’s)
· Oem subframe, trailing arm bushings
· Front and rear upper strut bars
· All new power steering hoses
· BBS RC323 17” with Dunlop direzza tires (square set) BMW valve caps
· Turner motorsports 15mm wheels spacers with longer bolts
Interior:
· E30 M3 black leather sport seats (no cracks tears etc)
· Mtech 2 steering wheel
· Bmw motorsports weighted shift knob, with motorsports shift boot
· Innovate motorsports AF gauge
· Sunpro boost gauge
· Crack-free dash!
· Pioneer radio (mp3, aux, sat etc), kicker speakers
Exterior:
· Repainted Bmw hellrot red, after fixing all dents and imperfections
· Undercoated fenderwells and most of the undercarriage
· Smoked smiley projector headlights with amber city light and 5000k hids
· New fog lights with 5000k hids
· Smoked amber front turn signal covers
· Abrahammotorsports black kidney and side grills (no worry of rock chips)
· OEM euro side trim (sidemarker delete)
· Shadowlined window trim
· Antenna hole welded shut, under dash antenna installed
· BMW Motorsports door handles
· RyanGMW front splitter on OEM is lip
· OEM rear U.S. license plate filler
· Taillights have painted/cleared red corners
· Rolled rear quarters
· New emblems
Nature of the beast:
· Car does not have an idle control valve. I have found it to be unreliable/leaky with higher boost levels on this car. It is still wired for one, but no valve. It has been like this for over 3 years, no problems. The car idles at a steady 900 rpms when warm. The only time you notice it doesn’t have an iac is when it is very cold/freezing outside and the car hasn’t been started in a while. In those instances, you need to hold the accelerator pedal slightly down for 10-20 seconds after starting.
· No a/c. Heat works perfect, but the a/c compressor and condenser where removed to make room for the turbo components. All the interior a/c components are still in the car as well as the hoses. If you really want a/c, you would need to put the parts back on and get a thinner intercooler.
· The car is setup to evacuate the excess crankcase pressure into the exhaust. This is an optimum setup for power as it provides a slight vacuum in the engine block to help the piston rings seal, and the oil vapors get burned in the exhaust. The downside is, every once in a while at idle, you may notice an oil smell or some smoke coming from the tailpipe.
· You have to run 93 octane gas. It’s a no brainer but wanted to put it in writing. The cars ignition system/advance was tuned for maximum power and the only way to safely stay there is to keep running 93 to avoid pinging/detonation etc. If you want to use 91 octane due to availability, you would have to change the timing a little.
· In the check panel in the headliner, the light stays on for oil level. When I installed the megasquirt and new harness, there was no provision for the stock oil level sensor, so I left it unplugged. Does not affect the car in any way, and the bulb can be removed if you so wanted. A electrical savvy person can figure out how to wire it in, the sensor is still in the oil pan and the bodyside harness is still in the car.
Defects:
· Temperature gauge in the instrument cluster flickers intermittently. Say the needle is ¼ of the way up. It might flicker to cold than back to ¼ right away. I have done all the usual fixes to this common problem, and it seems like replacing the cluster would be the next step. It is a very minor issue and never bothered me because the gauge reads accurate and the car runs at a perfect temp and has never gone past halfway even in the dead of summer in traffic.
· Small stick fell off a tree couple storms ago and hit the roof. It left a small ding behind the sunroof. No paint damage and not really noticeable unless pointed out. A paintless dent remover guy can remove it no problem for very cheap, just haven’t had a chance to do it.
The car made 440 whp and 415 wtq at 18 psi the last time I went to dyno it. This is with a slight misfire in the upper rpms because the car needed cooler spark plugs. I have since installed colder plugs and have had the car at 22psi on the street (estimated 500whp). **Disclaimer: The car is very fast and potentially dangerous, and on the current tires it will spin through the first three gears no problem. The car will be sold with the boost controller off and running off the wastegate spring (11-12 psi). You can turn it up as much as you want at your own discretion with the turn of a knob once you are comfortable with controlling the car. Running off the wastegate is still fast (~300whp), but it is very drivable.
That’s about it. Sorry for the lengthy ad, but I wanted everything to be put on the table the good and bad. I probably missed a couple points because I wrote this based off memory, so I will update as I remember things. The car has been very reliable for me and never left me stranded on the road. I have driven it roundtrip to car meets and shows all over the east coast. I have driven it 7-800 miles in a single day with no hiccups and still got 25+mpgs! Most parts where purchased brand new, no cheap/fake/replica/ebay junk. Most of the turbo items (turbo, cam, clutch, engine parts, exhaust) have less than 10,000 miles. Tires have about 2000 miles on them, and the wheels are clean. Iam asking __11.5k__ for the car. I think this is a very fair price after researching what other stock and modded e30’s go for. Iam more than willing to work out a deal with you, and would be willing to do a partial trade for a stockish e30 or similar car plus cash. Make me an offer, the worst I can say is a polite no. I have a lot of time and money in this car, and by no means do I have to or am forced to sell it, so please be reasonable. Any questions, clarifications or picture requests can be emailed to me e30psi@aol.com. Iam located in Northern Virginia, and willing to work with the buyer to ship the car. Viewing/test-drives can be scheduled any day of the week for serious buyers with a cash offer in hand. Thanks!
dyno run video:
highway pull. this is my old turbo setup (smaller turbo, less boost, stock engine internals) car had about 300 wheel:
pictures from last week:
Now to the fun part. I’ve worked on/changed/rebuilt/replaced almost every part on this car to make it more reliable, fast, or visually appealing.
Engine:
· Rebuilt 2.5 block stock compression. Replaced rings, all bearings, honed block, replaced all seals/gaskets, w-pump, t-belt etc
· Copper o-ringed block with OEM headgasket
· ARP headstuds
· VAC motorsports turbo camshaft
· New valve springs and rockers with VAC cam
· Head checked and decked, replaced valve guides and multi angle valve job
· Mishimoto aluminum E36 radiator with new hoses
· Spal electric 16” fan, wired to run automatically or manually with bypass switch
· E36 cooler radiator fan switch
· Mishimoto catch can routed to exhaust
· Ireland engineering rubber heavy duty engine mounts
· 3” exhaust with flowmaster resonator and dynomax muffler (deep stock sound, very quiet)
· Intake manifold, valve cover, intercooler pipes and turbo inlet all painted to match
Turbo setup/engine management:
· Garrett 60-1 turbo, with black blanket and wrapped 3 inch downpipe
· 3.5’’ thick intercooler, 2.5’’ pipes
· HKS SSQV bov, Tial 38mm wastegate with 11psi spring
· Hallman Manual boost controller
· Megasquirt 1 extra with all new custom engine harness, usb cable for logging to laptop
· DIS/Wasted spark running gm coilpack and moroso wires, custom distributor cover
· Walbro 255lph fuel pump, Precision 42lb injectors
· Innovate lc1 wideband
· Gm CTS, Gm IAT, Ford TPS
· Optima red battery
Trans/drivetrain:
· UUC/TCD stage 2 clutch (drives almost like stock, very smooth no chatter)
· Getrag 260 with 80k miles
· Z3 short shifter with delrin bushings
· New oem master/slave cylinders and lines
· ATE super blue fluid for clutch, lucas mtf for trans
· New driveshaft with bearing and guibo
· 3.25 limited slip differential from a bmw 535
Brakes:
· Big brake kit for the front using corrado rotors and rx7tt calipers with hawk street pads
· 2002Maniac caliper brackets and line adapters
· Brembo blanks for the rear with hawk street pads
· Turner motorsports steel brake lines (all 6)
· ATE super blue brake fluid
· Rebuilt rear calipers painted red
Suspension/wheels/steering:
· Ie3 race springs with bilstein sport shocks
· BMW oem E90 upper hats on the front to lower additional ~15mm
· Bimmerworld rear pads to raise rear 15mm
· E30 m3 front control arms (offset bushings)
· Front 21mm swaybar, rear 14.5mm with new bushings/links (from verts and ix’s)
· Oem subframe, trailing arm bushings
· Front and rear upper strut bars
· All new power steering hoses
· BBS RC323 17” with Dunlop direzza tires (square set) BMW valve caps
· Turner motorsports 15mm wheels spacers with longer bolts
Interior:
· E30 M3 black leather sport seats (no cracks tears etc)
· Mtech 2 steering wheel
· Bmw motorsports weighted shift knob, with motorsports shift boot
· Innovate motorsports AF gauge
· Sunpro boost gauge
· Crack-free dash!
· Pioneer radio (mp3, aux, sat etc), kicker speakers
Exterior:
· Repainted Bmw hellrot red, after fixing all dents and imperfections
· Undercoated fenderwells and most of the undercarriage
· Smoked smiley projector headlights with amber city light and 5000k hids
· New fog lights with 5000k hids
· Smoked amber front turn signal covers
· Abrahammotorsports black kidney and side grills (no worry of rock chips)
· OEM euro side trim (sidemarker delete)
· Shadowlined window trim
· Antenna hole welded shut, under dash antenna installed
· BMW Motorsports door handles
· RyanGMW front splitter on OEM is lip
· OEM rear U.S. license plate filler
· Taillights have painted/cleared red corners
· Rolled rear quarters
· New emblems
Nature of the beast:
· Car does not have an idle control valve. I have found it to be unreliable/leaky with higher boost levels on this car. It is still wired for one, but no valve. It has been like this for over 3 years, no problems. The car idles at a steady 900 rpms when warm. The only time you notice it doesn’t have an iac is when it is very cold/freezing outside and the car hasn’t been started in a while. In those instances, you need to hold the accelerator pedal slightly down for 10-20 seconds after starting.
· No a/c. Heat works perfect, but the a/c compressor and condenser where removed to make room for the turbo components. All the interior a/c components are still in the car as well as the hoses. If you really want a/c, you would need to put the parts back on and get a thinner intercooler.
· The car is setup to evacuate the excess crankcase pressure into the exhaust. This is an optimum setup for power as it provides a slight vacuum in the engine block to help the piston rings seal, and the oil vapors get burned in the exhaust. The downside is, every once in a while at idle, you may notice an oil smell or some smoke coming from the tailpipe.
· You have to run 93 octane gas. It’s a no brainer but wanted to put it in writing. The cars ignition system/advance was tuned for maximum power and the only way to safely stay there is to keep running 93 to avoid pinging/detonation etc. If you want to use 91 octane due to availability, you would have to change the timing a little.
· In the check panel in the headliner, the light stays on for oil level. When I installed the megasquirt and new harness, there was no provision for the stock oil level sensor, so I left it unplugged. Does not affect the car in any way, and the bulb can be removed if you so wanted. A electrical savvy person can figure out how to wire it in, the sensor is still in the oil pan and the bodyside harness is still in the car.
Defects:
· Temperature gauge in the instrument cluster flickers intermittently. Say the needle is ¼ of the way up. It might flicker to cold than back to ¼ right away. I have done all the usual fixes to this common problem, and it seems like replacing the cluster would be the next step. It is a very minor issue and never bothered me because the gauge reads accurate and the car runs at a perfect temp and has never gone past halfway even in the dead of summer in traffic.
· Small stick fell off a tree couple storms ago and hit the roof. It left a small ding behind the sunroof. No paint damage and not really noticeable unless pointed out. A paintless dent remover guy can remove it no problem for very cheap, just haven’t had a chance to do it.
The car made 440 whp and 415 wtq at 18 psi the last time I went to dyno it. This is with a slight misfire in the upper rpms because the car needed cooler spark plugs. I have since installed colder plugs and have had the car at 22psi on the street (estimated 500whp). **Disclaimer: The car is very fast and potentially dangerous, and on the current tires it will spin through the first three gears no problem. The car will be sold with the boost controller off and running off the wastegate spring (11-12 psi). You can turn it up as much as you want at your own discretion with the turn of a knob once you are comfortable with controlling the car. Running off the wastegate is still fast (~300whp), but it is very drivable.
That’s about it. Sorry for the lengthy ad, but I wanted everything to be put on the table the good and bad. I probably missed a couple points because I wrote this based off memory, so I will update as I remember things. The car has been very reliable for me and never left me stranded on the road. I have driven it roundtrip to car meets and shows all over the east coast. I have driven it 7-800 miles in a single day with no hiccups and still got 25+mpgs! Most parts where purchased brand new, no cheap/fake/replica/ebay junk. Most of the turbo items (turbo, cam, clutch, engine parts, exhaust) have less than 10,000 miles. Tires have about 2000 miles on them, and the wheels are clean. Iam asking __11.5k__ for the car. I think this is a very fair price after researching what other stock and modded e30’s go for. Iam more than willing to work out a deal with you, and would be willing to do a partial trade for a stockish e30 or similar car plus cash. Make me an offer, the worst I can say is a polite no. I have a lot of time and money in this car, and by no means do I have to or am forced to sell it, so please be reasonable. Any questions, clarifications or picture requests can be emailed to me e30psi@aol.com. Iam located in Northern Virginia, and willing to work with the buyer to ship the car. Viewing/test-drives can be scheduled any day of the week for serious buyers with a cash offer in hand. Thanks!
dyno run video:
highway pull. this is my old turbo setup (smaller turbo, less boost, stock engine internals) car had about 300 wheel:
pictures from last week:
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