1985 325e White M3 Rep

[OttoB]

This next set of pics show the headlights being swapped out after the grill being removed. I had no idea that installing the headlight wipers would be so involved!!! And, couldn't have come at a more opportune occasion since all had to come out already anyway. In essence, Cristian started with a battery-powered drill to place 2 holes in each headlight chrome ring. Only 2 are needed for each wiper as they are not more than 4-5 inches in length. So, no reason to create more work by drilling out a 3rd hole for an unnecessary 3rd pin which would only 'hang there' as it would never serve any use or purpose. After the battery drill wasn't doing a convincing job to create a hole for the first pin, a plug-in drill with more bite was used but it was all futile, folks. Noah actually had a drill press the size of a college dorm fridge - and, that finally did the trick in piercing the metal chrome trim but, only after each puncture hole had been tapped back to 'square' with a rubber mallet, as the metal drilled out protruded too much to allow each pin to be screwed in. Again - not the most complicated thing in the world - but, definitely time consuming! Of course, this car having been 'built up' then there were also some additional wiring liberties that had to be taken care of in order to have everything look and work as expected (minus the headlight wipers).

[OttoB]

I had posted before on this thread about having been reading a magazine when I saw an advertisement showing a yellow DTM e36 on white center locks and red safety pins sticking out... For me, a light bulb lit up in my head as a way to accessorize the wheels on this car vs. simply placing a decal over the center caps. Whereas this car is not a DTM car per se (not changing mirrors, adding a cage, etc.), the wheels do resemble period/era DTM racers somewhat. So, having been at Harbor Freight a couple of days earlier looking for a compact scissor jack for the 914 - I stumbled upon the drill bits needed to open up the plastic center caps and got an 8 piece/size set for $12 bucks!

This is what they looked liked before, and then having taken off the center portion where a test run was done. In all sincerity, I really, really like the look of the wheels without the center cap as it gave off the appearance of a genuine center lock, so that made my decision easier to take off as much of the center cap black plastic off as possible. The safety pins are ridiculously strong and were not very flexible what-so-ever. I think it came down to pure dumb luck having ordered these as the circumference was damn perfect for them to be squeezed into the modified cap, once we drilled holes on either side of the caps for the pins to go through. I am super, super ecstatic and happy about how the wheels came out!!! Wasn't too sure but, you won't know until and unless you try and for anyone outside of seeing this thread, you'd have a hard time knowing these wheels were not the genuine center locks (or that the car isn't a genuine one either)!!!





There was a bit of sanding the inner edges off each cap, but whereas it was not straightforward since no one has ever done this before on these wheels - then, the result was very satisfying indeed :) This other pic shows that the previous antenna - who had always had the mast missing even from 2022 when this car was listed on Cars & Bids, had been secured via double sided tape. It was removed, the area properly cleaned up, and we siliconed the new, replacement one which is purely for aesthetic purposes, but I no longer have to drive a car with a missing dang antenna!

[OttoB]

I am on the left, Cristian in the middle, and my buddy Noah whose house/really unbelievably well-appointed garage was used throughout the day - he's owned 8 e30's including a couple of M3's and confided in me after us going for a spin on the rep, that this 2.7 eta's engine has been worked up because it is not 120hp and scoots rather nicely. Maybe it was flattery, maybe blowing smoke up my tail - but, I have always commented on how much pep this car has and how well it drives, so... off to work we go!

Second pic is of the car without the Ronals and before we began to get change things up, a little anyway... First up, raise the Evo II rear lip spoiler as I prefer it sticking out more than how it was previously. Simple enough! Next up, the fully completed tool kit and the Little CNC Shop's marvelous license plate bracket finally installed!

[OttoB]

Geez... lots to share as I finally was able to enjoy a day off work on Friday with nothing else planned other than to meet up with some friends and give this car some attention. Over the years where I have transformed/modified a considerable amount of vehicles as a way to customize them (for personal use only), it seems that I can seldom leave any car alone. And, if I busted my ass to pull the trigger on getting a 'toy' then it would be no different from when as a kid, I would get these 1/24 kits by Monogram, Revell, etc. and I would change up the wheels, interior, paint, etc. I always have enjoyed doing this and my son has gotten around to same with his Hot Wheels too, which is kinda cool :) When I get any car, it is fun for me to setup some type of plan as to how I will go about changing things up - whether the car was fine as-is or not - because to be honest, I don't driving around somebody's else's ex, plain and simple. I have changed colors on cars multiple times, interiors, wheels, made serious exterior modifications, had a friend/engineer/fabricator make up stuff on a car that either was not designed for it in mind, or is better to my liking because of the mods, etc. Thinking outside the box requires imagination and perseverance, along of course with access to an individual capable enough to make it happen.

For this e30, I fell in love it with at first sight! White is my favorite color for many reasons and at the end of the day - it is a replica because I cannot justify spending the $55K-$70K for a genuine one, and then start with the modifications. At what point will I be satisfied with it? Unsure although getting the a/c, locks, gages, and stereo to work along with everything else mechanically, is a sound and sensible goal. What I knew from the get-go was that I wanted to try things out on the car which theoretically, are not always seen or appreciated. Whereas the 15inch Ronals made the car look good - there is a plethora of e30's/BMW's riding on mesh wheels (I used to own my e31 for 6.5 years on LM reps + got LM reps on another BAT purchase this year - an '86 GTV-6) - so with a modest budget for wheels in mind, opted to go into a different direction, for example. I have already ruled out doing any engine swap as this car was well built and runs amazingly well, despite not having been driven much over the years and me only ensuring it has a new battery, oil, and a full tank of fuel. If my son ever ends up with this M3, he does not need it to be a rockstar show car, or more powerful than it already is.

Below on these first set of pics, are the boxes reflecting the parts I felt we could knock out installing this past Friday consisting of clear Depo smiley headlights, chrome kidney grill, amber turn signals, headlight wipers (to change the smoked out look on the front end), center lock safety pins to modify the DTM Raderwerks center cap wheels, K&N, missing antenna, rear ashtray delete 3D printed insert, Alpine white touch up paint, tools for tool kit, license plate bracket and frame surround, Conforti chip from Turner, Hella dual air horns, and the rear headrests which need to be with the car so perhaps a mobile upholsterer can do it in site some other time!





The rear of the car is loaded up with the Ronals to meet up with my friend who bought them from me, and lending a hand on the day's soon-to-be mods.

[OttoB]

Some more parts that have arrived include the new, extra 3rd fog light which thankfully matches 1 of the other 2 I had ordered from two different countries rather nicely - so the front of the car will now look as nice as the rest of it! Also, the lighted shift knob that I have to modify into a 5spd, and some of the tools I remembered to photograph in order to complete the tool box on this nice, little e30.

[OttoB]

Because the car will not be heading to a shop until I have everything from AWDBOB as well as the forthcoming dash, then I took the opportunity to clean up the Momo Z1 wheel. I had no idea it was this filthy and may have come from a junker? All I know is that plenty of elbow grease along with dish soap got the job done and it will cure for several weeks while this coat of conditioner is absorbed!









So maybe not bad enough for many/most of enthusiasts… but I figure if the labor is the priciest aspect of replacing a dash - which I already have to get mine removed already in order to install the a/c - then why not replace it all together with a nice one that will hopefully last for a long time and look good!?! These are pics of the worst part of mine and why I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a refurbished one that won’t arrive for another month (plus a decal set to make the eventual finished product look like it should where decals are already missing in levers, buttons, etc.).

[OttoB]

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

When I clicked on the link that was provided to get the license plate mounting bracket, it sent me directly to the website and me being unsure which one to get (I have found myself rushing almost too much, too often these days), the drop down menu offered a BMW i8 so I selected that one. Chris - the owner of Little CNC Shop - has been very cool and supportive in the returning the first/incorrect one, in exchange for the proper one which is on its way. But, not before I sent him back pictures of the length between the bolts off my car with a pic in order to ensure a proper fit! I highly recommend Little CNC Shop and will do business with them again!


On another note, the A/C Solutions kit has arrived, consisting of the various items below and a very heavy compressor!







This other/last pic shows a few items... a set of new keys I sourced from eBay via Thailand, I believe - but look great! Also included is a set of chrome bezel surrounds that will go in the new/refurbished gage cluster (have had similar to these installed before on my other 2 MB's and like the look), some 3D printed fog lights tabs, as well as this Evo III Front bumper, top edge gasket seal that I sourced from Bimmer World...










I had noticed an uneven gap on the front of my car where the front bumper meets 'the body' and, had been looking around for something to kinda improve the unfinished look. Low and behold, found an eBay seller with exactly what I needed, which I did not even know existed, per the link here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/184899977065

More items are headed my way and now for sure, the first shop (who is local) is out of the running to do all the work with the a/c, locks, side marker+fog lights, etc. as they told me it would be a year out, plus the car sitting outside. All good - interviewed yesterday Corsa Technik who has plenty of e30's all over their FB profile and planning on checking them out next week. The show must go on!!!

Happy Friday, everyone!

[2mAn]

LOVE how it looks with those wheels!... Going to be nice when the front end makes the change you have lined up.

Then its the little details...

[OttoB]

The entire crew at that second shop was very complimentary of how good the car looked and I was surprised how much they managed to do in 35 mins. vs. 2 hours at the dang alignment shop (who is the only game in town not being Tire Kingdom or Goodyear). I had to drop the car back off to the warehouse, removing 200lbs off consisting of the 15inch Ronals x4. Snapped these pics at the warehouse and looking forward to next week, when I know I will get some time off work AND, a friend to help install the missing antenna, swap the headlights, turn signals, K&N, Conforti chip, install the red, metal center lock safety pins once I drill holes on the center caps, and other miscellaneous but simple things.












I like how it looks - and that's all that matters - but still a long ways to go to make it just right in my eyes... One thing/one day at a time.

[OttoB]

It is a struggle for me to carry a heavy 60 hour work week, plus a household with my wife (who works a lot, but is not the Good Housekeeping type of dame), and 3-4 cars in as many shops or, need to go to one. So, once I found out this car does not have a/c nor will it have one for many months, I am not really interested in 'taking it out for a spin' as it is not enjoyable for me. Some things can and do work for some, but not on others and vice versa. I only take pleasure of driving my cars when there is nothing left to tackle or to do.

These are the replacement bolts that arrived last week along with a 'standard' bolt lent to me by the alignment shop and you can see the new ones are longer:






The wheels + tires had been mounted, balanced, and the car aligned - so all I had to do yesterday was, once going over to pick up the car - was to get the wheels/tires installed.






Because I am on my own when it comes to things I choose to do on my cars - this was a gamble and a half. There is no available identifiable information relating to this car's suspension, brakes, etc. when it was (re)-built 5 years ago. So, the wheels being 17x8.5 x 4 on Yoko Advans 235/40/17 x4 - had no idea what it would look or turn out. Especially when on another car with 225 tires, I had to go down to 205's in order to make them fit a lot better at the front (and here I am getting 235 front tires). When the car was lowered back on the new wheels, I was apprehensive whether the new bolts would be too big, whether there would be clearance issues, whether the existing 3/4 inch spacers x4 (whether the rears could remain), etc. This next picture is of how close the tire is to the front shock (and I should have gone to a 215 tire), although I am not going to worry about it for now.









The moment I drove the car away within 30-50 feet, I could hear a noise from the car and, another 45 mins. of waiting for one of the techs to say - "you're on your own - we don't have experience on modified cars" then I simply went across town to a place that all they sell is custom wheels/accessories (seemingly to the 4x4 crowd). But, those guys were very experienced, knowledgeable and cool! Placed the car on the rack, lifted the middle portion of the rear, and discovered the noise came from the new bolts touching something. The 3/4 spacers were too aggressive but, they had some lying around (no clue how thick) that we installed:

[2mAn]

No update?
Looking at the door keys, Im pretty sure those are shockingly easy to install. Been years since I've had to mess with it. Even the trunk is relatively easy. Knocking those out will allow you to lock the car, then the shop can deal with the steering column.

Im trying to recall if this has power steering and whether you want to add it? If you are wanting to add it (and have a shop do the work) you might want to also consider upgrading the steering rack to one of the modern options

..still waiting to see it with the wheels!

[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)!

[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]

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!

[2mAn]

Cant wait to see it with the wheels on!