1985 325e White M3 Rep

[OttoB]

I will give it away for free as long as someone pays for shipping. Let me reach out to the shop so they can keep the box from the replacement one and place the existing one there! These are pics of the dash if anyone wants it - PM me. It has some damage on the lower driver side corner... maybe the BAT listing has better pics.

[OttoB]

So... the latest. The dashboard has been picked up by a fellow, local board member and long time enthusiast, so it will live on for many more years on his car! The factory trained tech has had the car now for a couple of weeks happens to be a reserved, quiet individual and therefore, progress updates as well as photographs barely have trickled in. However, I will be able to share some progress within the next couple of posts below. And, there really is no pressure for the car to be completed by a certain timeframe, so I prefer leaving things as they are so as to not be a nuisance, ya know?

First up was to do a comprehensive mockup of the entirely new a/c system going into the car. We will call the tech "John" - as, I have not gotten his permission to share his info out on the interweb. John does not do any advertising nor do I believe his shop has an actual name. But - he knows his stuff, that is 1,000% certain! Anyhow, within the stashes of boxes, he realized that we were missing the compressor and some brackets - where, I was certain same had been transported to the shop since: a) I had a picture of the condenser at my office and b), could not imagine there being a box left behind for this particular car at my office. After a nervous evening, I found the dang box hidden below a desk drawer and ended up having to courier it over to Bob. Here is the compressor now installed where it's meant to be:









All of these cars, regardless of how well kept and maintained they are - still go back some 40+ years. And, things wear out over time, so John ordered new foam gaskets for the a/c box along with some grommets and rubber radiator mounts right away from ECS Tuning.








When John opened up the many boxes of goodies I had purchased (I had not bothered because I would not have been able to do anything with them anyhow), he grabbed the heater box and saw that it was gutted in that no blower motor or heater core were in it, so that instead - we would use the ones in my car's heater box... But, the ones on the 325e are different from the replacement heater box, which meant we had to go to ECS again and order one of each:





We were missing a pulley for the engine to drive the compressor, but John "knows people" and was able to source one immediately and spruce it up to end up looking fresh on my car. Along the new blower motor and HVAC heater core ($170 combined), the second order to ECS also included a couple of exhaust hangers, condensation water outlet hoses, and more grommets. Everything arrived yesterday, despite having been ordered 2 weeks ago as one of the items was on back order.

These next couple of pictures show the original dash having been removed and placed alongside the beautiful new one, which was worth the months' long hassle through no fault of the seller!!!






And, just like in TV shows where the plate being cooked is done in 10 seconds, or - a car show where weeks of work is miraculously done overnight - this is now the new dash where all of the original one's parts/accessories had been transferred over.




No attention to detail ( I think or hope anyway) has been missed, including me having sourced an interior decal sheet for the wiper, turn signal, a/c, interior dash buttons and switches - out of eBay - which I hope revives the appearance of mine since most of the decals are either missing, or very faded! I hope it all comes together nicely as sh*t's not been easy to get piece together everything, ya know?

[OttoB]

The foam gaskets for the a/c box arrived and were promptly installed yesterday:








The rubber radiator mounts also were installed, which allowed for the condenser fan to go in:









Next up is a picture showing the dashboard having been removed, as there is a whole bunch of wiring that needs to take place, aside from reinstalling the HVAC box back in:





John installed the Turner Conforti chip and, confessed having done a previous install on a personal 318i of his many years ago, where he was very satisfied with the outcome. No pics of that, or the installation of the 5 1/4 speakers going into the front lower kick panels along with the other pair in the rear deck to replace (presumably) the ones the car had... The amp is 4 channel and will also be tucked in behind the dash, with the compact 8inch Kicker sub going somewhere in the trunk.

No pictures of the entire locking 'system' being installed either - from the ignition barrel, to the trunk as well as both doors but, glad what I sourced ended up being plug + play... I got 2 new key blanks from eBay in Asia for very little, so those will be cut once I get the car back. However, this is a huge relief as not being ever able to truly lock a car is no bueno, and it has finally been done on this one (1 key for everything too)!!!

Up next, aside from the continued a/c work is the wiring of the new, correct Euro 325e gage cluster, which will be adorned with a set of chrome rings around the dials. This too will be a relief since it is unnerving to drive a car with non-stop, flashing lights on the dash with no working speedo, odo, or gages... I sourced yesterday a new shift boot and ebrake cover since the existing shifter will be replaced with a lighted one, which I do prefer instead.

The front spoiler is indeed a replica, so John also has to build a structure within it in which to mount the new foglights along with the sourced switch for same. The Euro side marker lights will also be installed soon.

Overall, I am incredibly happy and enthusiastic about the car - especially having watched a whole bunch of M3's racing in Spa via YouTube today! Will share progress when same is available and hope this finds everyone doing good on this long holiday weekend :)

[g.ruff561]

GM Otto, I saw your car this week. It is very nice. Your car looks better than some original E30 M3. Keep up the good work.

[AWDBOB]

Killer progress! I mentioned needing a new blower motor/heater core on the phone as they become "consumables" when you're in that deep (originals in that box were tossed), but I don't think it ever made it to text. Glad you got it sorted, and very glad you found the right guy to tackle this! E30 heater boxes are like clusters- it takes 4 to make one good one.

[OttoB]

Very well... let me see if I can accurately share the most recent developments on what is a very tedious undertaking to install a complete a/c system on this car which did not originally come with from the factory... This first pic shows that holes were drilled in order to install the drains for the system and allow the condensation to drip onto the outside of the car.









The blower motor was installed back onto the heater box and, the heater box went back onto the car:









Next up, the firewall grommets were cut and installed followed by the completion of all a/c lines. The system was put under a vacuum to check for leaks and there were none! So, it was charged up with refrigerant and everything is good, thank God! The blower motor resistor for the other speeds was missing, so it was promptly sourced and installed, so the dash went back in and believe this huge step in the right direction has been accomplished!

[OttoB]

On the cosmetic front, being that the interior is all black and, the lighted shift knob did not come a boot, then I wanted to look for something that brought some color, but understated? There are so many options out there, in part because people have been modifying these cars for over 40 years!!! The ebrake cover was standard, so I decided to look for a pair of covers and found these simple ones, that have the M color stitching - so, on they will go!









Next up... is coming to the realization that M3's came with a premium sound system and speakers... Although I sourced what I think is a decent stereo system from Crutchfield described previously in this thread (and pics), I found it important to keep this car appearing as much as possible as a real M3 (within reason) , so that getting premium speaker covers installed in the rear deck would be cool. Someone on eBay really, really wanted to unload these as I got an offer too good to pass up and - we know have to cut up the rear deck to make them work with the 5 1/4 speakers already previously installed.







Next up is a picture of the new gage cluster I sourced a while ago specifically for a Euro spec 325e, but now adorning chrome rings and a small M badge that I got from Sierra Madre that normally go on wheels. Saw a pic off FB from a genuine M3 cluster recently and had not realized they had a small M badge. Without necessarily knowing the dimensions for this small M badge on e30 M clusters, I took a gamble one meant for wheels would fit inside my new cluster and look proper. And, to me at least - job done!






Obviously looking good is half the part, but for the gages to work and all the wiring/lights within the cluster to be fully functional - is even more important! I have all the faith in the world on the gent who has been laboring on the car and look forward to more progress... Exterior wise, we have to install the fog lights to replace the air ducts, install the Euro turn signals, as well as the lower Evo front lip spoiler and rear mini Cecotto wing. All good and believe the car will be complete within the month, so that I can start racking up miles and enjoying it!

[OttoB]

Next up is a picture now showing both premium speakers installed on the rear deck.










This is now the new rearview mirror sporting map lights, as I park in a dark garage at night and, same at work during the day so with this all black interior, lighting is something us old folks appreciate!










Next up is a picture showing a pair of dual Hella air horns that I tend to have on all of my cars as the sound is so cool and distinctive... you gotta hear it sometime and why I buy these all the time:







These next couple of pics show the lower Evo lip mocked in place. Because the fiberglass front bumper already is an Evo "type", then the lip itself does not show much size-wise... but, its been boughten, so it's goin'!!!





The lower lip will be rattle-canned black, as well as a beat up spare 14inch bottle cap we managed to scrounge somewhere to serve as the spare wheel, and some paint is also going to find itself between the tail light area where the license plate goes, as that area on the car does look a bit tired.

[OttoB]

The humble, hard working and ever so talented gent doing this work is not a magician; understandably, he does not do bodywork. Once the front bumper/spoiler was removed, he noticed that the brake ducts seemed glued in place with what may have been windshield glue. Unfortunately, there is nothing he can do to mount the factory fog lights as they require some type of fabrication to mount them, which is beyond the abilities of my guy. As such, when I get the car back from him soon, no fog lights or the small Cecotto mini rear spoiler will be on the car and, afraid it might not happen at all or, will be a long challenge as most shops do not like taking small, quick jobs vs. juicy insurance wreck repairs. I am not complaining, as much as know I will be happier once these 2 items get eventually onto the car, especially considering how much trouble and expense I went through to source the fog lights (3 separate orders from 3 different countries)...

[2mAn]

Might as well make the brake ducts fully functional!

https://www.condorspeedshop.com/collections/e30-parts/products/e30-stainless-steel-brake-backing-plates

[OttoB]

Picked up the car Tuesday night of last week, and went on vacation with my wife the following morning. Today, I drove the car for the 2nd time and wow - such a friggin' GREAT car!!! The new steering wheel just feels great (previous one was always dangerously loose); the a/c burns my knuckles while holding the steering wheel becauseit blows so ridiculously cold; the stereo rocks!; no more Christmas tree light show on the dash; the new shifter somehow has improved the shifting "feel"? for the better; have 1 key for ignition/doors/trunk; and since having bought the car in October- now have a real car that is punchy, tight, responsive, and gorgeous!!!

These pics show when I picked it up at the shop now sporting the Evo lower lip spoiler; the ghosted new BMW Motorsports banner in the rear wing now in black (car had one in white back in 2021 when on Cars & Bids, but no longer in 2025 BAT auction); the exhaust having been seriously tucked back into the body by a good 3-4 inches and now 'normal'; as well as the rad Z1 steering wheel with the new cluster and lighted shifter!

[OttoB]

These are pics when I got back home to WPB after I immediately installed the new floor mats - but, the car hasn't been cleaned, cleaned after spending 1.5 months at this shop...

[OttoB]

These are from today, running errands but made time for a quick set of pics to change up from the cloudy ones the previous week!

















This week, I am getting an estimate from a paint shop for them to fabricate supports for the front foglights to be installed; the side marker lights at the front quarter panel; the Cecotto rear mini wing; fix the badly scratched up fiberglass at the driver's front spoiler corner; and a couple of other 'while you're in there' touch ups that will make the car look as good as it can/will ever look! I bought all these parts, so might as well get them on the carrr!

[OttoB]

But... the car has to go back to the mechanic as well also! He tried a used fuel sending unit he had lying around as only before I went to pick the car up, did he realize the one on the car was faulty (and the fuel light coming on/off). The one he installed went bad so I had to order a new one from ECS. I also had to buy a replacement analog clock from eBay overseas as mine does not keep accurate time; ordered a wireless antenna as the antenna on the car is cosmetic and I listen to terrestrial radio every day; I want my guy to have another crack at installing the matching leather (to the shifter) ebrake boot; lower the suspension to give the car a more aggressive stance with its coilovers; and I still need to pick up the spare wheel which was not ready when I got the car last week.

So - upon coming back from vacation a few days ago, I go to turn the car on that morning with the intentions of getting the paint work quote. But, a/c and radio came on - not the car! A call to the mechanic later that day upon me filming the situation and sending him the video, led him to tell me he had suspicions that the ignition switch had seen better years but had been working with him. So on the very first time I go use the car after it had been at the shop - no dice. But, a pair of needle nose pliers onto the car's OBD at Pin 11 to 13 makes it start as long as the car is in neutral! It works for now until the ignition switch from overseas arrives in 2-3 weeks. It was either used ones or, a new one from Chyna, so Chyna it is - the seller had 100% feedback with over 200 previous transactions, so just have to roll with the punches.

More pics from today, as it was beautiful out (but hot) and the car was just a joy to drive - it behaves like a new car!!! However, I still have to take care of these cosmetic and mechanical issues, so no full detail wash for however long it takes to address everything.