My Own E30 Build Thread? Weird.

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

Okay so im not really sure where im going to go with my car. Its not the greatest out there, yet its not a piece. What sucks is that my family has given me a rational fear of spending too much money, so that leads to another problem: i want to have a super clean car. Whatever.

My car is a 1988 327i. Its got the SETA block with an 885 head all buttoned up well inside a clean body with little rust. The car was actually repainted before i bought it, and it shines a very nice Delphin shine. Its missing some things here and there but other than that its pretty nice for my first car.

I was up on jackstands this particular day because i was planning on replacing my driveshaft (bad u joints) never got around to it though





That day i had all my interior out because i had to do my heater core. (it sucked) i still have a lot of stuff i need to do, but i have some more photos of the car with some of my e30 friends.




Here is der e30 parked next to my fathers Accord (yes, honda) in the garage one night.


i also have a bunch of extra parts that need to be put on, plus parts that i have put on since i got it.

Ill make a list of things im going to do/might do/already have done...

Stuff to Do
>Wheels/Tires - DONE
>Condor Bushings
>Suspension- RICELANDS
>Radio - DONE
>Blower motor
>Passenger window motor/regulator
>Tachometer - ?????????
>Non-Broken seats - Need Drivers Seat
>Rear spoiler
>Front air dam/front lip - DONE
>Side Trim - DONE
>e36 or Z3 rack
>Turbo
>3.25 LSD
>Plastic bumpers
>m50 swap
>134a A/C

Like i said i really have no clue what im going to be doing with this car at this point, after all it is my daily driver so if its something bit it has to be done over a weekend or on break.

Id also like to give a special thanks to all of my really good friends in RVA who have helped me with everything in my car. Alot of their cars are above but heres some extras.


Also a throwback to the car that i was given by my parents, huge thanks to them for letting me sell it in order to buy my e30.


I hope this thread turns out good in the end.

[BMWManiac]

Highly recommend you pull the cluster and send it to bavarian restoration....one of the best and favorite decisions for my build

[PimpinWalrus]

neat

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

Highly recommend you pull the cluster and send it to bavarian restoration....one of the best and favorite decisions for my build

I saw their stuff a while back and i really do like their work, my cluster is working for the most part i just need the correct coding plug to work with the ECU. I should be getting it from my friend in a bit along with some other bits and pieces..

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

So i was leaving school the other day and this happened....



Yes, that is my drive shaft, and yes it is twisted up like a pretzel. Turns out if you have bad U-joints and the thing isnt balanced correctly it twists up after a few weeks of moderate driving..... and a couple burnouts..
Its really a good thing i had another one literally in my trunk though, its too bad but i think my 2.93 LSD is locked with some stripped gears. Should have checked the fluid in that when i bought it but i guess its too late now..



Im going out to work on her today, hopefully ill be able to get it done before it gets too cold out here.

[Chinampa]

clean buildddddd

[cdl723]

Dank...

[Overlord475]

Did you get the drive shaft replaced and the dif sorted?

[RoyalW/BlauCheese]

How is the 2.93 lsd with the 327i? Are the gears too long for you?

[lukeADE335i]

I run a 3.25 LSD behind my M30, and it is about as long as I'd go for a fun daily drive. I used to run a 3.73, but picked up the LSD for a price I couldn't refuse.

A 3.73 would be ideal for a high r3ving 327i

Nice car OP.... damn - that drive shaft is a mess!

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

Did you get the drive shaft replaced and the dif sorted?

I got the differential sorted out, dropped in a 4.10, i just purchased a driveshaft off a r3v member and it should be here in a week or so. Been trying to find parts and stuff for this and its coming back soon! Your car is actually a very big inspiration for me its cool seeing you on my thread! :D

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

How is the 2.93 lsd with the 327i? Are the gears too long for you?

The 2.93 was great to be honest, turns out it was an open diff though. I like having the long gears but i feel like ill like the 4.10 to be honest. I never had a tach with that diff so i could never say what rpm i was at but it was but it was pretty fun.

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

I run a 3.25 LSD behind my M30, and it is about as long as I'd go for a fun daily drive. I used to run a 3.73, but picked up the LSD for a price I couldn't refuse.

A 3.73 would be ideal for a high r3ving 327i

Nice car OP.... damn - that drive shaft is a mess!

Thanks! yeah it really is a mess but while ive been putting the diff and driveshaft back together ive been doing some small things for the car, i finally got the right coding plug to make my tachometer work (hopefully), i finally got the clips to put my side trim on, and i got a nice set of wheels with donk tires that are going to be replaced soon. :nice:

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

ALOT of stuff has happened since my last post.... will update later tonight with what pictures i have.

[MMIACSURVIVOR]

Well i feel like i only update this thread when something on the E30 breaks or craps out.... ive gotta get out of this habit.

Well since my last update i received a used drive-shaft with new U-joints and all, installed a 4.10 LSD with condor diff studs (for all the ease of installation), 12 new axle shaft bolts, another new csb, and it drove like a dream.

Along with the parts needed to make my car derivable i have added a few other awesome things. I had pictures of all the new stuff but when visiting my sister at college my LG G4 bricked itself and i lost 100% of everything google couldn't save to the cloud. So here is what i have at the moment.









My car now sits disgustingly low on shitlands, some 15x8 +25 offset ESR "weaves", and Dunlop DZ102 205/50/15 tires.

Sorry purists.

My plan with the suspension is to eventually upgrade the shocks to Koni adjustable, and the springs to H&R race and just keep the adjusters, but for the time being they actually perform pretty well for what they are worth.

I redid the entire front end of the car, new metal bumper all polished up and slapped on, repainted all the trip with trim paint, added a lip that i ripped off a Volvo at pops, and my friend gave me his BMW CCA badge because it fits ever so perfectly. I plan on doing the same trim re-painting and everything on the rear end as well, but high school is a real motivation killer. :letitout:

I hit the 88,000 mile mark as well in my time away, had a picture, lost it, cried a little. Installed a head unit my friend gave me, now i wish i had bass. Took off the catback, now my neighbors, mother, and ears want to kill me, but outside the car it sounds damn sexy. Added some stickers... gained like 30+ hp.... nbd

Next up on my list of to-do's is exhaust for sure. The drone from not having a muffler is honestly killing me, and my cat smacks the ground and the bottom of the car sometimes and im sure its not a good thing. My buddy has been offering me a MAF and War chip setup for a really good price and ill be purchasing those over the next few weeks. Also have been tossing around m50 ideas for a while, mostly for the reliability.

Oh and my fuel pump died while i was at food lion buying a gallon of lemonade. Thanks AAA.

One of my childhood friends is drawing my car as his art final project and its turning out amazing. This was his progress as of 2 weeks ago, and since then hes finished the wheels and some of the background.


Besides working on my car, school, and work ive been up to some other things. The black vert in the pictures above belongs to my buddy Nico, its originally a 318i but the engine lost oil pressure and threw a bearing, so we m20 swapped it over the winter, added a full custom exhaust, repainted his bottle caps and now it looks pretty mint. Super fun having a vert around in the spring.
Also my other friend bought a SUPER mint 2002. I only have a picture of the interior, but the exterior is a perfect shade of a clayish color, and its 100% rust free.


FINALLY its the end of my senior year in high school. I have no plans for college yet and plan on taking a year away from school just to work and earn some money. Once i turn 18 ill get a job at some dealership and after making some real dough ill turbo the 2.7 ;D More updates are guaranteed.

Until then have a cute little burnout..
https://youtu.be/n2InFyPdVaI