So it's 2010 and here I am talking to some guy who sits near me at work....talking about cars and what not and I find out he's a BMW NUT. He gets me thinking, hey, maybe I should sell my bike and pick up an e30 project car. Well, that was about a month ago, and I've since picked up a Cirrus Blue '89 325i (2dr). And the project (and obsession) has begun....
Now, I'm not the most engine-savvy individual, but my hope is to learn by trial and error. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a complete tool...I do know some basics from my DSM days. But I've been out of the E30 game for almost 9 years (totaled my '90 325i in 2002) and trying to remember the ways of the roundel.
For starters, I honestly am having trouble figuring out what to address/where to start. I bought it with the intention of making it a long-term project, but in my mind, I want it to be near finished by the summer.
Any suggestions/feedback are much appreciated, as long as they aren't written in douchebag speak. I've seen some of the negative comments people have left on others threads, and there honestly is no need for it. These threads promote open dialogue, which is great. But let's keep it friendly. We're all fans of these cars and for that, we're all in the "family". Say whatever you want, but don't be an ass about it. You may not like something, and that's fine. Everyone is entirely entitled to their own opinions.
Having said that, wish me luck as I undertake this project. My goal: create a fun car with a little go and clean show. Basically, I don't need this to be the fastest car on the road, so throwing in a turbo is out of the question (at least, for now). I'd like to get the body panels sorted out, throw on a coat of paint, drop it, stromung exhaust, a few other minor upgrades inside and out, and finish it off by throwing on some BBS replica wheels (yeah, I am one of those who hate to spend big bucks for wheels, especially when you have to drive on these shitty slabs of asphalt that Massachusetts calls roads). I spent big bucks on some Axis Widetracks for my '07 Si (daily driver), and then promptly fell asleep one late night driving home and whacked them against a high curb. So the horrible roads and the falling asleep have driven me to look for cheaper wheels. I know there are plenty of haters out there who only buy the big name stuff (e.g. BBS), that's fine. Do what you need to do. I have nothing against that...just don't hate when I throw on some cheaper replicas and dedicate the savings towards something else.
Once the car gets to this point, then I can start looking to go big. But I promised myself (and my girlfriend) that I wouldn't go overboard and that I'd take my time with this car. I'm selling my bike ('02 GSX-R 600 if anyone's interested and in the southeastern MA/RI area) and using some of that money towards my e30, which I've decided to name: Micah (for all those movie lovers....Eurotrip).
As of right now, I'm waiting on the driver-side fender to arrive, and according to FedEx, that should be today. Which is a nice surprise, as it wasn't supposed to get here until tomorrow. So for the fender (found on ebay with an asking price of $100, but with the option of a 'Best Offer', so I offered $70 and got it, with $49 shipping), a replacement hood, 'is' rear spoiler, and replacement passenger-side front fender, I spent a total of $219 (thanks again, Sam - Mossman).
I'll try and provide updates as I get to spend time on the car, but the holidays (and winter) are not too far off, so I don't see me being able to do a whole hell of a lot moving forward, at least until the weather warms up.
Working on shrinking the images a bit before I post them here, so I'll try and get those up either later this afternoon, or tomorrow.
Take it easy!
Now, I'm not the most engine-savvy individual, but my hope is to learn by trial and error. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a complete tool...I do know some basics from my DSM days. But I've been out of the E30 game for almost 9 years (totaled my '90 325i in 2002) and trying to remember the ways of the roundel.
For starters, I honestly am having trouble figuring out what to address/where to start. I bought it with the intention of making it a long-term project, but in my mind, I want it to be near finished by the summer.
Any suggestions/feedback are much appreciated, as long as they aren't written in douchebag speak. I've seen some of the negative comments people have left on others threads, and there honestly is no need for it. These threads promote open dialogue, which is great. But let's keep it friendly. We're all fans of these cars and for that, we're all in the "family". Say whatever you want, but don't be an ass about it. You may not like something, and that's fine. Everyone is entirely entitled to their own opinions.
Having said that, wish me luck as I undertake this project. My goal: create a fun car with a little go and clean show. Basically, I don't need this to be the fastest car on the road, so throwing in a turbo is out of the question (at least, for now). I'd like to get the body panels sorted out, throw on a coat of paint, drop it, stromung exhaust, a few other minor upgrades inside and out, and finish it off by throwing on some BBS replica wheels (yeah, I am one of those who hate to spend big bucks for wheels, especially when you have to drive on these shitty slabs of asphalt that Massachusetts calls roads). I spent big bucks on some Axis Widetracks for my '07 Si (daily driver), and then promptly fell asleep one late night driving home and whacked them against a high curb. So the horrible roads and the falling asleep have driven me to look for cheaper wheels. I know there are plenty of haters out there who only buy the big name stuff (e.g. BBS), that's fine. Do what you need to do. I have nothing against that...just don't hate when I throw on some cheaper replicas and dedicate the savings towards something else.
Once the car gets to this point, then I can start looking to go big. But I promised myself (and my girlfriend) that I wouldn't go overboard and that I'd take my time with this car. I'm selling my bike ('02 GSX-R 600 if anyone's interested and in the southeastern MA/RI area) and using some of that money towards my e30, which I've decided to name: Micah (for all those movie lovers....Eurotrip).
As of right now, I'm waiting on the driver-side fender to arrive, and according to FedEx, that should be today. Which is a nice surprise, as it wasn't supposed to get here until tomorrow. So for the fender (found on ebay with an asking price of $100, but with the option of a 'Best Offer', so I offered $70 and got it, with $49 shipping), a replacement hood, 'is' rear spoiler, and replacement passenger-side front fender, I spent a total of $219 (thanks again, Sam - Mossman).
I'll try and provide updates as I get to spend time on the car, but the holidays (and winter) are not too far off, so I don't see me being able to do a whole hell of a lot moving forward, at least until the weather warms up.
Working on shrinking the images a bit before I post them here, so I'll try and get those up either later this afternoon, or tomorrow.
Take it easy!
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