We're starting an E30 from scratch... what do you recommend?

[KevRC4130]

Hey everyone,
Another r3v member and I are hoping to restore an E30 that needs some loving this summer. The car is a 1990 325i four-door automatic, without the engine. Ideally, we will redo all of this baby's guts: engine, transmission, suspension, brakes (?), etc. The interior/exterior are fine for the most part.

Obviously, the car is going to need an engine. I was planning on just using a low milage and/or rebuilt M20 for cost effectiveness and ease of installation/maintanance. Would an M50 be worth it instead?

Also, the transmission is going to be swapped from an automatic to a 5-speed.


Suspensionwise, I am somewhat sure I want something with adjustable ride height. I plan to go "euro" with this car (16x9's, slammed, etc), however, I would love to have the luxury of easily putting it into "winter mode" by raising the suspension and throwing on some snow tires. Obviously, performance is also a priority, but I do not want to be spending more than I need to. I would love KW Coilovers, but is there anything a little more affordable/accessible?

I am trying to do this as inexpensively as possible, but at the same time, I am somebody who likes to do things right the first time, so if there is something that costs a bit more but is substancially better, then I'm all ears.

For the whole project, I am looking for the ideal blend of cost effectiveness/performance/reliability. This thing has to be a reliable day-to-day car, as I plan to use it as a DD.

As far as cosmetics, I already have a pretty clear vision of what I want to do. I'm always open to suggestions, but this is mostly concerning the mechicals of the car. Please no flaming for planning to go Euro! :)

Basically, I'd love to make a list of recommended parts to completely redo the mechanicals of this car with help from fellow r3v'ers. I know many of you guys love your cars, but have some things that they wish they did differently. I'm trying to learn from your mistakes and make this car the best it can be. Please don't be afraid to give your .02! :)

Thanks!

[RobertK]

Sounds like how I started out about this time last year.

I think the biggest question is what does your budget look like?

For a good economical rebuild of a DD I would stick to the M20 with a Getrag 260 5 speed swap. In the process I would replace water pump, timing belt, all the gaskets, hoses, seals, mounts, o-rings, belts, and flush all the fluids using good synthetics. Also be sure to test all your engine sensors and whatnot.

If you have a $4000-$5000 budget I would go M50 or possibly S50/52 depending on how good of a deal you can find on the parts. I find that if I take my time finding parts and waiting to find deals I can generally get things done a lot cheaper than most people. Patience pays off when shopping for BMW parts.

Before dropping any engine in check all you front suspension & steering parts and if they need replacement do it BEFORE dropping it in. This will make the process 100 times quicker and easier.

[KevRC4130]

The budget is probably roughly the cost of the car + $3000, maybe a bit more. Obviously, I would like to spend the least amount possible, but at the same time, I want to do it right the first time. To a certain extent, I will spend what it costs, but within reason. We have some hookups though, so parts will be a bit less than normal, and the labor will be done by us. Also, I believe we have an ebay.de hookup.

[Bimmerfanatik]

Kevin and I are going to build one heck of a car - as soon as I get mine running again :)

The car is a real clean 4 door i - it had 119k on it and was an automatic, the interior is close to mint, and the body is in good shape.

What we're really focused on is reliability - we've got to get it all done the first time around so he can get in and drive and not worry about failing parts. Once that's taken care of, we can upgrade as he drives.

[RobertK]

For $3000 I would stick to building a super reliable M20

[HST]

Yup go with an M20! Replace every seal / everything rubber, that you can before you put it in the car. Replace every trans seal you can as well. Get a short throw shifter. Get a chip for some extra fun. Blow the rest of your money on suspension.

[AdironRider]

Id try and save an extra thousand or so to refresh that suspension as well. Ground Controls will be more if you really want adjustability. Frankly, seeing as this is going to be mainly a daily, Id just rock a set of H&R sports combo'd with the Bilstein sports. Not slammed, but the stance is real nice and in combo with some sways and m3 cabs your looking at right around a grand. If you want ground controls your looking at substantially more, but Ive heard great things. I dont know where you live in MA but the roads around the North Shore and Southern NH suck balls. So much so that I swapped suspensions from the slammed cup kit to H&R OE sports (even higher than H&R sports but with the same spring rates). Something to think about again because the car is going to be a daily.

[KevRC4130]

The roads around here are overall pretty good, but that is indeed another one of the reasons to get an adjustable suspension. I don't know, I just really like the idea of being able to adjust it once I really see just how low I can go, and the winter conversion is a huge plus for me since it will also be my daily year round.

Does anybody have any other suggestions?

Thanks

[chuckybob]

m10 reliability ftw.