E30Rossi's Full Build - Overhaul - 5 Lug - Bay Shave - M54 Swap (Pic Heavy)

[It's Soda Not Pop]

Looking good my man. Something about refreshing everything makes you feel good. It's like a weight being lifted off of you. Very solid.

[E30Rossi]

Next mod is not usual a popular one, but in my personal opinion it completed the look for me , 20% window tint all around









Car didn't change anymore for 2020, just enjoyed it as much as I could after all the time, money and effort poured into it!

[E30Rossi]

First photoshoot of my build once it was done! IG: photography_sr



After this, raised the car 3/4" all around as it was rubbing on the top of the tire at the pinch weld, never rubbed ever again after!





Added some BMW Motorsport floor mats to finish the interior along with a new shift knob and boot

[E30Rossi]

Painted trunk carpet back in


She's FINALLY on the ground! Best feeling everrrrr



Way overdue for a car wash after a year and a half



LOVE the final look!


And she's back home after her first drive post-alignment!

At this point I was the happiest person in the world!! What an accomplishment for a first time!

[E30Rossi]

In love!! 6 months of work staring to show progress of what I envisioned





Test Tires mounted and ready to go!


We made some custom mounts for the seats since the way I previously installed them was veryyy sketchy


Much Cleaner interior now!!

[E30Rossi]

Picked up some Studs and lug nuts from Motorsport Hardware
I hate wheels falling on me when I remove lug bolts


Started front end assembly, looking good as new! This is where I got super excited for the end!




Brakes installed



First proper test fit of the wheels



Fitment looks like it will be perfect!

[E30Rossi]

First test fit with the wheel to get an idea of the look, LOVE IT


My favourite build photo to this date
I spent hours researching part numbers, learning every single component
and getting ready for this moment
I wanted every nut bolt and bracket to be powdercoated, painted or replaced
Organization makes things soooo much easier
When I dismantled the car, I put every bolt in seperate ziplocks based on what they came from
This made refreshing each section that much easier because I knew where everything was




Everything ready to go back together!!



Fully assembled rear end! 1000x better looking and performing than when I took it out
This made the past year worth all the struggles and patience

[E30Rossi]

Let's get started on refinishing these wheels!
Sanded down all the curb rash by hand
Learnt how to sandblast and powdercoat wheels on my own
Messed up the first one and started over but the 12 hours of work to finish the set was beyond worth it
My favourite part of this build


Sandblasting


Ready for powdercoat


Colour tease


Looks AMAZING


More than happy with this result! Got some cheap used tires for test fitting purposes

[E30Rossi]

Door and trunk trims get a coat of SEM Trim Black to complete the refresh


Factory fresh finish


New speakers to replace the OEM 30 year old speakers




Trunk gets sound deadening too because why not :P At this point I was just addicted

[E30Rossi]

Worth the effort !



Brand new OEM Pedal rubbers - again it's all in the details


Powdercoated seatbelt rails back in


Speaker deck looking brand new

[E30Rossi]

Next on my list, do something with this disgusting carpet



Testing upholstery paint on the rear speaker deck, if you brush it after painting, comes out real nice!


Much much better, have to do trunk carpet too!


Looks so much better painted black



Carpet back in the car, what a difference!!!

[E30Rossi]

Let's get back to the interior for now!
Decided I wanted a car that I could talk in on long rides, after getting rid of all the oem sound deadening, wanted something that would not add much weight but still do the job
I ended up ordering Kilmat on amazon, and I was blown away with the quality of this! Do not regret adding this extra step!


Started installing the Kilmat and resinstalling interior components


Rolls on super easy and very thin to easy to cut out studs and holes!


Might've gone a little crazy since they recommend 60% coverage but I couldn't help myself!




I later covered the inside of the doors, inside of rear quarters, speaker deck and entire trunk as well

[E30Rossi]

Subframe sandblasted, Didn't fit in our powdercoat oven so had to send this one out!



Back from powdercoat! Only part outsourced






New Battery installed with marine style strap hold down


Z4 Rear hubs for 5 lug swap, with new wheel bearing and hardware

[E30Rossi]

Diff mounting point reinforced




Camber / toe adjustments welded on as well to fix the camber once car is lowered


Fully reinforced rear subframe


Coat of satin black powdercoat on trailing arms



So blessed to have access to all this equipment, this build will last a long time!

[E30Rossi]

Visited Garagistic during a layover in Cali, picked up all the subframe reinforcements, bushings, brake lines, and anything else I thought I would need!


Acquired the wheels I will be running with my 5 lug swap!
BMW Style 32 in 17x8 +20 and 17x9 +26 from E39
Tires had to go since they were way too big
Wheels had curb rash, which I took care of because these were heading to powercoat!


Didn't yet know how much these would change the look of this car!



Back to the suspension components ! I wanted to do everything right the first time on this car, so I decided to weld on every reinforcement sold for rear of the car

Diff Mounting, Trailing arm, Trailing arm mounting, Swaybar mount, rear shock mount

Trailing arm getting gusset welded to reinforce!


Swaybar mount welded on as well