new guy to e30's. Help/advice/insight 325es 6/1/13

[canakami]

Looked through the yard yet? I'm sure there's a couple out there.

[PaulO]

Been meaning to, but I've just been very busy as of lately.

[makeshift]

Nice stance, and respectable build. What kind of springs are you running on the billy's?

+1 for the metal bumpers, they're better than plastic IMO.

And you really scored on that airdam, but don't worry about the fogs.. I think bimmerworld sells brake duct kits that would be cooler than fog lights!

edit: more pics when you get a chance!

[PaulO]

Thanks man! Means a lot.

Here's How I got the car




Interior wise...disgusting. Just caked in dirt.





Enough, here is how it sits today :)















as you can see, I'm using a non "S" rear and front drivers seat. My rear was terrible and i got all 3 front driver passenger and rear non "S" seats for 40 in pretty good shape. Eventually i plan on getting the front sport seat for the driver though :)
But for now this will do.

As for springs, I'm on Jom coilover sleeves. I am considering doing the strut house shortening and using iX shocks since my fronts like to.bottom out every so often at this height. My rear sits just a tad lower and i would like my front and rear to be even. Plus i want to run a 45 sidewall instead of a 50 next time.


Btw. For anyone wondering how i ran Joms on Billy's. Easy.
I went ahead and bought generic cheapo sleeves. I'm a PT Warehouse manager for Merrill Performance so I got them for next to nothing, had them cut to the same size as Joms collars, and i ended up selling the rest of the collar sleeves/spring kit on a local fb page. So i practically got the sleeves for free. The thing that holds the shock in works just fine and holds this down as well :)

[PaulO]

Woah. Sorry for those crazy sizes on pics o.O

[Slicktop_serg]

Looks so good.

[PaulO]

Thanks, Slick.

You guys happen to know any reason why my check engine lights don't come on. Whole left side of the bottom panel stays black.
I'm assuming the cluster is, just no good anymore. It has read 287,xxx since i got it and the only records i have of it when it was sold almost a year ago read the same.
Was looking up other ones, can someone confirm that a Is cluster will work?
I've read that they're interchangeable, just want to be sure.

Random note, posted this to the "post your car where it sits" or something thread.
Figure I'll post it here also

You can see that i need a bit moar lows.

[al3xbmw]

What size wheels did you go with

[PaulO]

They're 16s but the sidewall is 50.
Next set of tires I'm going to go 205/45/16
Wools consider 215 on the rear. But I'm a huge fan of how I'm not stretched nearly enough to show lips or rash the lips. But when you look at it straight forward the wheels have this polished ring on the whole inside of the tire. I think it's neat. You can see what i mean in the above pic.

[PaulO]

Hey guys. So i noticed that on start up my car lets out white smoke.
Once it reaches normal temps, it goes away or is hardly noticeable. I go through a small amount of coolant every week or so.
Question is, I'm sure it's a bad HG. but how long can i drive the car like this?
Should i do a hg replacement and head work. Or should I go ahead and just overhaul the engine?
What are the cost included. Etc. just need some insight. Thanks.

If anyone is wondering, i bought the car for 375 dollars running. Drive it free the least 6 months.
Just wondering if it's worth fixing. I've put maybe around 1500 into it already. Is it worth fixing

That sum involves exterior/interior and engine

[PaulO]

Hey guys, thanks for the info :p
Well. Got home today. Turned on the car, checked my fliuds before hand. Coolant was normal, i know i burn some oil.
Started, again. Small amount of smoke, after reaching normal operating temps and taking it around the block. I check. No more smoke :l
Atleast i couldn't see any. I'm confused. Coolant levels still looked the same. Although i did here a popping noise coming from my cat?

Also per the advice of a lot of other threads. I looked into finding another m20 with lower Mileage. Much cheaper than rebuilding this tired engine. Depending how the car keeps up, ill either be swapping in another m20 in a few weeks or months.

[nickflic3]

That's how my 325e head gasket blew lol except it was mixing fluids before it showed white smoke occasionally. Did you check the oil dip stick? My car made it a few weeks driving normally but needing coolant before it finally let go completely. Depending on mileage I would start sourcing parts for an i head swap or an i motor in it's entirety.

Best of luck!