Just another e30 resto and eventual 5.0 swap.

[Shock(/\)ave]

Some thoughts for you on what to tackle next:

I'm sure you've thought of this, but you need excellent ventilation and / or a proper respirator when working in that interior or you could get very sick from breathing in mould spores.

Pull out that carpet and get a look at the floor to determine the extent of the rust it has.

As I said in another thread about a similar project, as rain water has been freely pouring onto and around the dash, the dash and everything behind it needs to come out, and the entire wiring harness either replaced with a known good one or carefully gone through to check for problems created by moisture. I'd also give all of the ducting a very thorough cleaning so you don't end up sick from the mould spores which have likely infested them. A hydrogen peroxide soak will kill just about anything harmful in your ducts.

Check your fuel hoses and fuel rail for damage to avoid an engine fire when you start the car.

Pull every fuse from your fuse box, check their condition, and plug them back in to avoid electrical gremlins from that area. Check your engine ground as well.

Don't try to start that motor without changing the oil. You should also check the air filter, as rodents love to make nests in air boxes. With fresh oil in the motor, pull the fuse for the fuel pump and crank the engine over to build up oil pressure before you actually attempt to start it. Replace the fuse and start the car.

Here's hoping that helps get you started! :)

[Shock(/\)ave]

Okay so I have been looking for e30s for the past 3-4 years and everytime I seem to have found the perfect one, something always happens in my life where I either cant afford it, don't have enough time for the car, nowhere to put it, etc.. I've had to miss out on 4 different e30s and when I finally found this one, it was almost destiny that it would fall into my lap at the perfect moment in time.

It's a great feeling when things just work out after looking for something for so long. :)

SO! I went to look at this car in the dark the night after I messaged the guy from craigslist, the car looked decent enough and the price point was perfect so I knew I had to have it. Come to find out, its a one owner car, and has just been sitting for the past 10 years only because the guy was tired of replacing driver side windows for whatever reason. The owner and his buddy that was selling the car for him were both very great guys and fellow bmw enthusiasts as well so it had to be fate for me to have this car.

Never buy a car at night if you can help it unless it's REALLY cheap. ;)

It has to be said that any proper enthusiast would most certainly have not left their car outside, especially missing a window and for a decade, without at least making an attempt to keep it covered somehow.

I was assured that the car just needs fresh fluids, gas and a battery of course since she'd been sitting for the past 10 years with no love.

Any car that's been sitting in a field for a decade with the cabin open to the elements is going to need a LOT more work then that... but I'm happy to be proven wrong. ;)

I finally got the car I have always wanted and now its time to make somethings happen

Awesome, and congratulations. :D Once you have the car, you can start working at it as time and money allow until you get it where you want it. I bought my E30 as a long term project 6 years ago, and haven't even been able to start working on it until this year.

Wow. I now know three things about you: you're an optimist, you're on a budget, and you either have tungsten balls or incredible talent.

I just read that you were waiting for 3 years to find the perfect e30 and you got this!?

I honestly thought the same thing. This was a car in our local junkyard that got crushed by a fallen tree branch and had been infested with rodents:





The interior in it smelled bad when you stood outside the car with the doors closed and no breeze, but it looks more manageable than yours. The body on it actually looks better than yours, too, but it was much worse than it looks and was full of terminal structural rust in the floors. Definitely could have been saved and restored had it not been parked under a tree, but it's crushed now.

Yeah thanks man! I try to get "decent project cars" so I can do majority of the work myself so I can learn. However due to time and deadlines I'll be getting my motor built by a friend and possibly installed by him as well depending on the situation.

I'm really looking forward to seeing this car turned around, especially if you're working on a tight deadline. You're a madman to tackle this car with the clock ticking. ;D

[eastcoastcory]

What's wrong with the motor?


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The 5.0 is just getting a refresh and he's talking me into a couple upgrades since I'd like to achieve around 300whp. I just don't have the time or the environment to do it myself. Damn apartment complexes already bust my balls about having 3 cars. [emoji849]


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[MrBurgundy]

Yeah thanks man! I try to get "decent project cars" so I can do majority of the work myself so I can learn. However due to time and deadlines I'll be getting my motor built by a friend and possibly installed by him as well depending on the situation.


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What's wrong with the motor?


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[eastcoastcory]

I see, great way to learn!

Anyways, good luck with the plans and welcome to r3v!


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Yeah thanks man! I try to get "decent project cars" so I can do majority of the work myself so I can learn. However due to time and deadlines I'll be getting my motor built by a friend and possibly installed by him as well depending on the situation.


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[MrBurgundy]

What's the point of being a dick?


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I can't tell if that was a good pun or you're being serious.


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[MrBurgundy]

Just another e30 resto and eventual 5.0 swap.

I see, great way to learn!

Anyways, good luck with the plans and welcome to r3v!


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[eastcoastcory]

We're still waiting for GF pics, dude.

Edit, I just read that you were waiting for 3 years to find the perfect e30 and you got this!?

POR QUE BROO?

Eh I mean. By perfect I meant by the price and the chassis condition. I wasn't gonna pay $2-3k to mess up a perfectly good e30 by throwing a 5.0 in it. In the long run I'm gonna end up spending that money anyways but at least it'll be a learning experience for me and I'll be able to say I built this thing from the ground up. This car really was a diamond in the rough. The pictures make it a 1000% worse than it actually is condition wise plus I do paint and body anyways so I'm not even worried about that department. I understand where you're coming from tho lol.


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[Reyhan335]

We're still waiting for GF pics, dude.

Edit, I just read that you were waiting for 3 years to find the perfect e30 and you got this!?

POR QUE BROO?

What's the point of being a dick?


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[iitsMikE30]

yeah, man. I didn't make the rules here, you'll be a forever noob if you don't

lol

[eastcoastcory]

Yeah, man. I didn't make the rules here, you'll be a forever noob if you don't

Aha. You're right. Pics coming soon.


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[MrBurgundy]

Yeah, man. I didn't make the rules here, you'll be a forever noob if you don't

[eastcoastcory]

We're still waiting for GF pics, dude.

Lmao my girlfriend?


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[MrBurgundy]

We're still waiting for GF pics, dude.

Edit, I just read that you were waiting for 3 years to find the perfect e30 and you got this!?

POR QUE BROO?

[eastcoastcory]

Update from yesterday..

So I went to replace the fuel filter today only to realize that all the clamps were rusted to hell and I'd have to cut or grind them off. Also wasn't planning on replacing the fuel pressure regulator but it's right there and I already had to cut the lines so might as well I guess. That's pretty much when I stopped for the day because I have to order the fpr online.

Here's some pictures for you non reading people. :)




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