IAA gamble

[Al_g]

I rolled the dice on a non running/driving e30 at IAA. The hood was listed as stuck so I thought maybe the hood release was broke and it just needed a jump. In my defense I buy wrecks and that is often the case.

Upon arrival the hood release was indeed broke so I was hopeful. I used the grille backup release and voila. There was a missing cylinder head. After further inspection the rear diff and complete exhaust is missing. The cylinder walls are a bit rusty but I don’t see any damage. Luckily it’s a manual car and pretty much rust free.

The initial plan was to do a complete paint job and turbo it this winter. Obviously plans changed and I’m trying to find the most cost effective solution to get this thing going. Finding a reasonable priced parts/parts car in northern Vermont is near impossible.

My question for you guys is, would it be a bad idea to just put a used head on this given the unknowns? Or should I just look for a complete running engine?

[AWDBOB]

I did an engine for a guy a few years ago that did almost that exact thing (engine sat with head off, light corrosion on bores, he put a head on it). He wasted a ton of time trying to get the car running with subpar compression, and in the end, had me swap a new shortblock in.

But, it's impossible to say for sure what to do without pics of the rusty bores, and of your GF.

[Al_g]

[2mAn]

I did an engine for a guy a few years ago that did almost that exact thing (engine sat with head off, light corrosion on bores, he put a head on it). He wasted a ton of time trying to get the car running with subpar compression, and in the end, had me swap a new shortblock in.

But, it's impossible to say for sure what to do without pics of the rusty bores, and of your GF.

QFT

The success of this job really depends on the hotness of your GF.

If she falls in the 8-10 range in the hotness scale then you might be in trouble.

Let us help you. Post pics of your GF

[2mAn]

Ok, before we scare new blood away from our forum it looks like someone robbed the 87-IS of its 885 head and 3.73 to probably spruce up an eta. Can’t blame them for it, but you got yourself a decent looking car. I’d swap in a good used long block, and find a diff with a ratio that’s better suited to your turbo plans, like a 3.25 or maybe. 2.93 depending on how wild the plan is. Then while the car is driving you can build the block you took out.

Welcome to r3v where we love E30s and your GF

[ForcedFirebird]

It's junk. You should ship it to 33069 for proper care ;)

[jbontke]

I like this place.

[2mAn]

Al_g Did we lose you?

[Al_g]

Al_g Did we lose you?

Negative, well sort of…

[2mAn]

Negative, well sort of…

Well, hang in there. You got a good start, if you’re not in a rush what you’re looking for can pop up.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2470262-188mm-ring-and-pinion-sale!!-3-73-4-10

Not the turbo ratios you’d want, but....

[decay]

since you're missing a diff, i can't recommend the torsen unit out of a Z3 strongly enough. avallable in a few ratios, but all of those were paired with a 1:1 5th ZF transmission in manual cars so they're mostly turbo-friendly. (i did manage to hunt down a 4.10 torsen when building a high-strung ITB'd M42 car, but i had to find a junkyard auto Z3 to source.)

ratios here: http://www.unofficialbmw.com/phpBB/v...ic.php?t=32354 but doublecheck with the seller as to what you're buying by asking for a picture of the ratio tag. if you aren't already familiar with this site, start your parts search here http://car-part.com/

best solution for a street car. race car, maybe not, but that's because they become open if your spring rates are stiff enough to lift the inside rear wheel off the ground.

my current project came with one out of the box (it's a z3 2.5i manual) but when i swapped one into that 318i and drove it home from my buddy's shop where he let me work on my car for cheap, it started raining and of course i had to discover how well it actually worked waiting at a freeway onramp. i clutch-dropped it to make it to 80mph los angeles freeway speeds and i could feel it hunting back and forth for traction, wiggling the rear end a little like miley cyrus twerking, but it stayed straight and put the power down even in the wet.

gear oil is 75W90. redline's my favorite but pick your poison. change that right away and then beat on it like it owes you money because there are no clutch packs to wear out.

welcome to the party.