1985 325e White M3 Rep

[AWDBOB]

Hang in there, theres always the mixed bag of 'things I want to do' and the 'things I have to do and wasnt expecting to do' when you buy a car essentially sight unseen... in the end you know it will be worth it, especially when AWDBOB is going to help get you sorted.

Earlier you asked about the pricing of the shop, normally I would say that feels high to me but if they were stacked with old BMWs in front I would be ok with it... if they had a bunch of F & G series cars and no E... well, I would look elsewhere. You mentioned Condor, I would ask him who he would suggest to help with the A/C installation. Its like you said, sourcing the pieces will be fairly straightforward but the actual OEM-functions will require someone who knows 80s BMWs.

I got a random call from a Miami number and it was Otto. Apparently he met OG R3Ver Gary Ruffin, who lives in his neck of the woods, and he gave him my number. Tiz a small world indeed

[OttoB]

Yikes but not surprising since it's a euro car. Honestly, at this point, it would be worth it to source parts from a donor car. That way, you get everything you need including the little things that are easily missed. One of my M3's was a track car and had everything gutted except for the dash itself. I swapped the HVAC and central locking system over from a donor 325i.

On the sage, sound and sensible advice from Bobbie - I went ahead and pulled the trigger today already on getting a new e30 Complete Conversion Kit from A/C Solutions [Vintage Air] minus the auxiliary fan or condenser. Better to get 'new' stuff than remove parts off an abandoned car from 40 years ago where it boils down luck sometimes, ya know? The labor involved to get this a/c installed is not cheap, so can you imagine getting a kit off a parts car for it to then foreseeably go bad in a matter of weeks or months?!?! Heck naw!

https://www.acsolutions.co/products/a-c-solutions-bmw-e30-conversion-kit?variant=45471178391792

I am getting from Bobbie additional parts to complete the a/c system as well as a round of goodies I found last night off his eBay store now that are 'connected.'

[OttoB]

I was thinking the 84 318 ebay ad would be a worthy purchase since it will all be matched already

Man I sure wish... is that the consensus with everybody? No doubt my car came with only basic, bare bones... So, does the US Spec 1984 318i that is offering the locking system a green light for same onto mine then? I showed the listing to the mechanic yesterday, he winced at it, and said ".. it could work."

What was the manufacturing date on which e30's all then came standard with central locking? If that is after 1985, it sounds like problem (for locks) solved for now and I get them?

[2mAn]

Most of the early 318s were 'poverty spec' as we like to call it which means no central locking. My own 84 318 did not have it

[OttoB]

Geez... lots of moving parts all happening at once!

1) I heard back from the eBay seller offering the complete lock set with the link here - and he informed that it came out of a US Spec 1984 318i:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125990792047

This is a major problem for me as I cannot really drive the car all that much, since it is the kind of car that would attract unwanted attention by a bored, young(er) or old(er) car thief - if the car cannot simply be locked ever... Argh!!!

If this set is good, I just want to pull the trigger and get it installed asap. But, I am under the impression this is still not a 100% given that the 1984 set off the 318 would be a straight swap for mine?





2) I now went to the eBay Germany website since they obviously have Euro spec cars and found only a single vendor with 2 sets:

a) https://www.ebay.com/itm/286688361152 for $343.00 without including shipping or tariffs or whatever else to be tacked on, or labor to install; and


b) https://www.ebay.com/itm/286681137922 for the princely sum of $459.00.

BAT Shipping is supposedly handling this 'claim' but my problem remains the time it is unnecessarily taking vs. simply having gotten a car like any other, drive it/lock it, etc.


Got it registered yesterday and then went to a shop run by a European specialist who has done a lot of work over the years on e30's. Is $180 hourly rate high/low/or about right? He does a lot of race car setup and logistics as well.

Turns out that upon opening the hood, he discovered that this car never came with a/c! So, that is a big problem for me as I cannot drive cars without them, period. I had 'turned' the a/c on and blew warm air, so I thought it was a matter of needing r134 or something. But, turns out there is no condenser, compressor, evaporator, fans, brackets, wiring, switches, blower housing, etc.

So now - this is a project car. There is a difference between filling it up with freon/r134 and - not wanting to drive the car in SoFla heat because there is no a/c at all on it nor will there be for months.




3) This mechanic essentially told me that:

a) the entire dash has to come out which I knew would be inevitable as I want to replace it. There is an enormous crack in the dash that I have not managed taking a picture of (yet - barely touched the car as of last week) that I cannot stomach, aside from a chunk of it missing off the lower driver side corner.

b) so one thing is to replace the dash, but another is to replace the 325i binnacle cluster/gauges the car has - with lights all over the place and non-functioning gas gauge (could be fuel sender) or temperature gauge, and thus - requires that this be re-wired. I sourced a restored Euro 325e binnacle cluster off eBay from Canada and will post pics at some point for it and a few other things that have accumulated here at my office as of late!

c) in replacing the dash for a nice/new one, in replacing the cluster/binnacle with a refurbished one, we also need to install the replacement ignition lock column too!

d) in replacing the dash, the binnacle, the ignition column - we also have to see how to adapt to the wiring loom adding a/c to a car that never came with one.


So, I have my hands more full than I know what to do with... everything will get done, everything will get sorted, one thing at a time - but, I now do not anticipate being able to 'enjoy' the car for at least 3+ months and another $5K between parts and labor for a/c.


I am not committed to this mechanic yet, as much as having gotten high praise from another forum member. The best thing of this mechanic is that he is located 6 mins from my office and maybe 10 from my house! However, he warned me he is not wanting to take on a project and, I would essentially have to show/prove to him that I have all the parts needed to undertake the a/c install and door lock replacement.

The seller from eBay Germany offering the 2 sets (Google translate at play - surprised they were not listed on eBay UK, I actually literally go to eBay directly on different countries for stuff every now and then) just responded. The locks come from a 1986 model that did have central locking! So, there's that then...

[OttoB]

Hang in there, theres always the mixed bag of 'things I want to do' and the 'things I have to do and wasnt expecting to do' when you buy a car essentially sight unseen... in the end you know it will be worth it, especially when AWDBOB is going to help get you sorted.

Earlier you asked about the pricing of the shop, normally I would say that feels high to me but if they were stacked with old BMWs in front I would be ok with it... if they had a bunch of F & G series cars and no E... well, I would look elsewhere. You mentioned Condor, I would ask him who he would suggest to help with the A/C installation. It’s like you said, sourcing the pieces will be fairly straightforward but the actual OEM-functions will require someone who knows 80s BMWs.

I did ask Condor… their response? Redline Bimmer Performance not far off where Condor is at. I like those guys but - BUT - I have between just 2 invoices for my e28 and e31 from about 10 years ago, more than $30,000.00 they charged me (back when I was younger and flush - neither nor now)! And of course, there were more than 2 invoices from them during the years I owned those cars (had an office close to them then, which I commuted a hour daily each way).

Can Redline do it? Yes - would I be careless enough to have them go at it for this car? Wouldn’t be my first few choices but may end up there after all if the local guy can’t incorporate wiring of a new a/c system into the existing wiring for mine. Not everyone knows these cars in/out.

[OttoB]

Photo Dump # 1 of Items Purchased (limited to 5 pics per post):

1) even when the car was offered for sale in Car & Bids back in 2022, this car has had its roof antenna missing - so I immediately had sourced one from ECS Tuning:






2) On Black Friday, I called up Turner Motorsports and took advantage of the $40.00 off their Conforti chip - which thankfully for me after I received it - was able to verify that my ECU ending in 027 makes it compatible. I am honestly very, very pleased in how responsive and good this car drives. Plenty of pep and the exhaust note makes you think you are going faster than you are! I do not anticipate spending a lot of money to ever do an engine swap - that money is being swallowed entirely by the a/c install/new dash. I also went ahead and got a K&N since I do that on all my cars. This picture also includes a 3D printed rear ashtray delete panel I got off eBay since I prefer it over a closed 'lid'. And, some Bosch wipers I got from Uro Tuning as well which, I stumbled upon the moment I realized I really wanted an Evo II front lower lip they were offering for sale. Apparently, Uro Tuning offered the EVO II lower lip splitter for sale (I snagged the very last one ever) which is actually instead made by Condor Racing in Ft. Lauderdale. I have to go physically to pick it up but the images of my e30 from Cars & Bids had a lower lip splitter already installed but the seller swears he doesn't know anything about it... Most of these lower lips are offered from overseas although we all must pay extra for stuff brought in from yonder. It was very sensibly priced, which is why I bought it - I expect it to get beat up and comes in aluminum finish. I may just buy a faux carbon fiber wrap and do that so I can always add more film if/when it gets gnarly looking!





3) during the BAT auction when the world's shortest driving video was uploaded for this car, it showed several lights being lit up on the binnacle/cluster - with some gauges not working to boot! On the couple of times I have driven the car, it is annoyingly distracting to see so many lights flashing non-stop and I just want peace of mind. One of the BAT commenters pointed out that the binnacle/cluster actually instead belonged to a 325i (or maybe it was during the Cars & Bids auction?). So, I found the only Euro e30 325e cluster available and was listed as having been fully refurbished and polished via eBay Canada. I am really looking forward to driving this car without a never-ending Christmas tree light show! I am very pleased how excellent it looks :)








4) one fog light below was sourced off eBay Germany and the other one from the UK. Naturally they are mismatching so, I have gone ahead and ordered a new replacement Hella lens so the car's face can look 'normal' with both foglights appearing similar - which they clearly do not here. If someone wants the 2nd of these 2, once the install has been done, I will happily sell it. That second one came with incomplete brackets, so I had to get a set of 3D printed ones on the cheap.







5) I like good tunes like most people, but I do not need to be at some audio/stereo competition anytime soon. The exhaust on this car is plenty loud and staying - so, I found these OEM used tweeters and appear decent, so they'll be going into the car soon since I want to be able to enjoy listening to music even if the high exhaust pitch is full-on:

[OttoB]

Photo Dump # 2 of Items Purchased (limited to 5 pics per post):



6) this car in person, is actually as nice as it appears on the pics off the BAT listing. Cosmetically with I don't even know where to point out for shortcomings (other than the driver's side lower dash, and lower kick panel - and then a big ol' crack atop the dash on the passenger side), so it is my job to keep the car looking super nice, as it will always be a downhill slope going forward as this car gets used and enjoyed! So, I found this rubber jack pad that I will keep in the trunk in case there is some pitstop somewhere and that can save the bottom sheetmetal from being bent beyond reason!





7) as mentioned earlier this week, I sourced these rear headrests off Bobbie via eBay prior to knowing he was the one, the only AWDBOB! Given that there have been 1,000's upon 1,000's e30's modified over the years... I have looked at many 100's of pics of 'em these past several weeks to get ideas on what I would like on mine and, what is not commonly seen, just so that this e30 may stick out just a bit more! I have rear headrests that came standard on a few of my cars, and I had them installed on my e28 too many years ago. So, I will have these set up and luckily, Bobbie sold them with everything needed to install them once they've been reupholstered.






8) going "... back to the well" as me having done this also on my e28, I went ahead and bought a set of headlight wipers for the car, even if they never work (as it requires a LOT of parts, skills, and labor to get them to function properly). But, it will make this car stick out maybe just a little :)





9) I have spent way more time (that I don't have) than I imagined in trying to source a friggin' dash as mine is bad in my eyes, considering how good of cosmetic shape the rest of the car is. Bobbie had a beautiful one for sale, but turns out it was sold last month but the eBay ad had remained. 2 days ago, I found a seller on eBay asking $1,650 (plus $200 for shipping) for one, and $1,450? for another one... interestingly, he still had the jar of vaseline he'd lathered both up on the pictures of the dash themselves. They sure look shiny, but the seller did not bother cleaning the insides of the vents or the inside part of the dash, so you can tell they came of beat up parts cars... which is fine, as long as they look okay, ya know? I offered him $1,175 and less than 40 seconds later, he declined it and not even offered a counter (to the $1,650 one). I also found some perfect ones from My Classic Parts but at $1,500.00 AND, they are in Dubai, so tariffs will push them towards $2K?

Yesterday, I called Rennie at Redline - as I have always gotten along with him/them, except that they have charged me in the past an arm, leg, and kidney. However, they are the kind of shop where they can take care of mechanics, electrics, cosmetics, paint, interior, alignment, etc. so they are truly the one-stop-shop in SoFla. And, their hourly rate is $179 - in line with the local gent who I showed my car to. I am not committed to either shop as neither has availability for another month but, he did mention that there's a seller on FB that starts with M or something, who is legit and sells redone dashboards. Last night - found the guy - Milan Milich of out Moscow who sells reconditioned BMW dashes across the board, and for $900 plus shipping, which was less than what I would have had to pay to that eBay vaseline lover seller! I bought one this morning and Milan will be shipping all of them on 12/25/25 - so, it will arrive 3 weeks later or so. But, this is a big ticket item and important to any car, as individuals can see it from the outside of the car, let alone once you're inside. Very happy and relieved to know I got one of these from him!






10) found this lower dash panel in decent shape, needing some cleaning up and maybe a new coat of rattle can spray paint. Mine is all kinds of jacked up, since they are very brittle and very lucky this one is completely intact!

[OttoB]

Photo Dump # 3 of Items Purchased:


11) my childhood hero back in the Dominican Republic which is where I was born and raised, was Luis Mendez no. 68 who drove an old Porsche race car. Later in life, did I come to learn he was the IMSA 1980 GTO Champion and driving Al Holbert's RSR 3.0L race car, Chassis no. 005 0009. My dad had helped organize motorsports since inception, upon coming back to the DR from Texas A&M. So, my brother and I went to all car/motorsport events since we could walk and explains why to this day - it is my biggest passion/hobby! Anyhow, Luis drove for the street a white 911 Turbo (we are talking about the early 1980's) and he was the country's only authorized dealer for both Alpine stereos and the MOMO brand, who naturally were sponsors on his race car. So for me, I always try to install either an Alpine head unit and/or a Momo steering wheel. When I researched what Momo steering wheel that was more or less period correct, would look good on my e30 - I found this one, the F35 a/k/a the Z1 Momo. It apparently had been listed on eBay for a very long time, for a very high price which is exactly what I needed in order to get the seller super, super motivated to dump it for a fraction of his asking price. It has seen better years, but I will get around to cleaning it and then applying leather conditioner before it is the last modification to be installed on the car.









12) the Nissens condenser recommended to me by AWDBOB from Rock Auto arrived already yesterday, and looks the part!










13) lastly as I am coming up on 5 pics, then is the license plate bracket from Little CNC Shop. Regrettably, it is woefully short and only after I tried to install it, did I realize 2 things:

a) the Euro license plates are so dang long, that it is absolutely impossible to install a US/regular license plate unless you just drill holes onto the license plate itself since the distance is way too big/long. There is no middle ground and all of us have seen a US plate installed behind a Euro license plate frame but, even this bracket cannot 'bridge the gap'; however;

b) the bracket is absolutely necessary as it will allow me to install the license plate frames I have a local graphics shop personalize for me and that I install on all my cars. Without the bracket, I would only be left with doing what the seller had done, and simply drill 2 holes on the plate and attach it directly. I will still have to do that, but will be complimented by a license plate frame and definitely worth it for me to have gotten this.

[reelizmpro]

You got the wrong plate bracket. This is the one I posted...

[2mAn]

Cant wait to see it with the wheels on!

[OttoB]

The bolts arrived this week but it’s been hairy at work (thank God)! However, the bolts do look a little longer than the standard one that the alignment shop gave me. The car is headed back to get the wheels+tires installed this upcoming Tuesday morning and - I am also very excited to see how they look! Essentially - no matter how much more sweat+blood+tears+money+time I pour into this car, it will not look much more different than when the DTM wheels are installed. Did I mention I sourced some center lock safety clips from the UK for them, which will have me drill holes on the caps and expand the center opening to have an authentic center lock appearance on this faux M3? Well - if nothing else - keeping things consistent. But, saw them on this car reading a magazine the other day and got me thinking that I’d like to have them on my whip…



For the time being, methinks I’ve got to chill on parts spending as my Amex is orange hot - but, know there’s more to come in order to make this 40+ year old, basic 325 look and drive as time, patience, and money allows. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[OttoB]

After the weekend Photo Dump:

1) the center lock safety clips / wheel cap pins from Amspeed arrived and looking simple, but also a cool way to spruce the wheels which are meant to be installed tomorrow. But, I have to somehow make time that seems to be non-existent for now (as I try to close out the year at work within the upcoming week) in modifying the existing ones to make the center hole bigger and, drill holes across from each other in order for the pins to be held in place within the center cap.







2) the Nissens evaporator recommended to me by AWDBOB from Rock Auto also has arrived:







3) I like these particular, specific dual Hella air horns on all my cars for some reason... maybe from the sound they make from way back when I was a kid watching the Countach off the Cannonball Run movie or from the 308 in Magnum PI - but, once I heard the horn off this e30, it was an easy decision to get them for it and - have bought many of these over the years.







4) these are the OEM Euro side markers going on the car behind the front wheels, on the front quarter panel (along with the Depo Euro smiley headlights and of course most of the parts being posted)... So far, the first local shop has completely ghosted me although they may simply be running very behind. Someone told me the other day that they are excellent, but... are not quick in returning cars back. I am okay with whoever has the car taking their time as I am in no hurry to either take the e30 to various shops for a handful of things or, get it back with stuff still left pending to do... If having 2 shops as options is good - then a third one makes it better! I was referred a 3rd one with a whole bunch of e30's all over their FB profile (and also recommended by Condor, but an hour away just like Redline)...




5) there are a lot of vendors who don't sell on eBay but do on Etsy and vice versa. The way I look to learn about options, extras, and simply more stuff on any one car is to see what's out there and what is being sold... Given that my car is particularly dark inside at night (and the poor lights behind the driver on the B pillar aren't much help), I am considering getting a rearview mirror with map lights with AWDBOB (wonder if they can be programmed to turn on when doors are opened?) and, saw this illuminated shifter which was too dang cool to pass up, for less than $40 (including shifter)!.

[OttoB]

After the weekend Photo Dump 2/2:


6) ordered this interior decal set as there are several missing from mine (headlights, upcoming foglight switch), etc. It will make the interior look mo' betta put together once it's all said and done.






7) below are pics off the sole available, complete lock set that I could source anywhere - which came with both doors, trunk, and ignition column off a 1984 318i and has arrived. Optimistic it will be straightforward to do when the car does go into the shop. These locks/parts need some TLC and hoping they get that during install so they can last for a long time! I don't want to have to go through this ordeal again for a very, very long time (when the parts are likely to be unobtanium)!