Attn r3v members, I had a bad streak of 3 members passing up COTM after saying yes. I know it is a few days past, but it was worth it! I give you my great friend's minty swapped 2 door. I have had a lot of dealings with Nick in the past and he is nothing but the best dude to hang out with. Talked to him about a feature while attending Gfest '13 together. Here it is after a quick shoot today and my editing the raws for him. Enjoy
~Background~
My e30 journey started in 2001 when I turned 16 and purchased a Schwarz 1990 325is with 104k miles. The first few saw no major changes to the car other than a set of Alpina Kopis and an H&R cupkit.
In 2003 the car was nearly totaled when an old lady ran a red light and hit my front end. 5000 dollars in repairs later the car was back on the road, still not sure why insurance didn’t total it but I am glad they did not.
In 2006 I switched from the cupkit to ground control coilovers and koni shocks along with the Ireland Engineering big sway bar kit. I was very happy with the new setup but grew tired of the replica Alpinas. I picked up a set of 3pc staggered 17" Artec MI wheels from a member on VWvortex. They were on the car up until I traded them with Brandon (F34R) for his BBS RS 137s last year.
2007 saw the e30 hit 165000 miles. Shortly thereafter I blew the head gasket and warped the cylinder head a bit. I had all intentions of fixing the m20 and turboing it but decided to do the 24v swap instead. I picked up an m52 out of a 98 528 along with all of the obd1 conversion items and everything else for the swap. At this point I was garaging my car at my parent’s house which was 2 hours away from where I lived. I did not come home very often and sadly my car sat in the garage with no engine for at least a year before I finally completed the m52 swap.
Moving onto 2009 I am ready to fire up the m52 for the first time. I fill up the coolant and do a quick walk around the car and notice something dripping out of the headers. I found coolant running out due to the fact that the cylinder head was cracked. So much for that clean 74k motor that a member on here sold me.
I took the opportunity to buy an s52 cylinder head and cams to replace the cracked head. I purchased it from a Bimmerforums member who decided it would be a great idea to ship a complete cylinder head in a thin cardboard box with no padding. I received the cylinder head with valves sticking out of the box it was shipped in. So, after replacing valves and making sure the head was not bent or damaged I finally got the e30 on the road again!
In 2013 I got a full Schwarz respray done on the car along with the addition of Brandon’s BBS RS’s. As she sits now Cecilia has 186,000 miles and my swap is running perfectly. I have now owned her for 12 years and put 82,000 miles on her. I have no plans to ever sell her and hope one day that my kids can appreciate her as much as I do.
Mod List
~Drivetrain~
-98 m52 converted to obd1 with s52 cams
-3.5” 540 MAF with Bimmerworld silicone intake boot and AFE cone filter
-Supersprint replica headers with Magnaflow high flow cat and 2.5inch piping to Vibrant muffler
-Spal Pusher fan and AC delete
-Power steering delete
-Stewart Racing high performance water pump
-The Racers Market custom chip
-JB Racing 8.5lb flywheel and Clutchmasters stage one clutch
-Z4 3.0 short shifter
-320i brake booster and e34 m5 master cylinder
-Stock getrag 260 trans with 3.73lsd
~Suspension~
-Ground Control coilovers with 450/650 spring rates
-Shortened Koni front struts with shortened strut housings courtesy of F34R and top adjustable rear koni sports
-Ireland Engineering 25mm front sway bar with no rear sway bar
-Condor offset control arm bushings
-Powerflex high durometer subframe, trailing arm, and differential bushings
-Stainless steel brake lines
-Sparco front stress bar
-Ground Control touring camber plates
~Exterior~
-Fresh Schwarz respray
-OEM IS sideskirts
-Euro trim
-Hella smoked smilies with ddm 5000k hids
-Hella French fogs
-MHW smoked turn signals
-DIY tinted taillights
-DIY shadowline trim
-Reiger infinity front spoiler with custom splitter
-16x8.5/16x8 BBS RS 137s powdercoated by Dave and built by Brandon with Adaptec adapters
-205/45/16 Bf Goodrich G force sport tires
-rolled and lightly flared fenders
~Interior~
-Dyed black carpet and rear deck
-Full Houndstooth black sport interior( I have the other seat it’s just not in the car currently)
-330 zhp shift knob and e36 leather ebrake lever with crappy purchased on R3V shift boot and ebrake
boot
-Jaywood voltmeter
-JVC arsenal head unit with Infinity 6 channel amp and Infinity Kappa components
-12 inch Infinity Kappa subwoofer with GAS e30 deck lid ported sub box and amp panel
Some shots I took of his car @Gfest '13
The man himself lowering the car after MANY convincing words from myself haha. NJ roads suck
Glad you rolled her down :)
~Background~
My e30 journey started in 2001 when I turned 16 and purchased a Schwarz 1990 325is with 104k miles. The first few saw no major changes to the car other than a set of Alpina Kopis and an H&R cupkit.
In 2003 the car was nearly totaled when an old lady ran a red light and hit my front end. 5000 dollars in repairs later the car was back on the road, still not sure why insurance didn’t total it but I am glad they did not.
In 2006 I switched from the cupkit to ground control coilovers and koni shocks along with the Ireland Engineering big sway bar kit. I was very happy with the new setup but grew tired of the replica Alpinas. I picked up a set of 3pc staggered 17" Artec MI wheels from a member on VWvortex. They were on the car up until I traded them with Brandon (F34R) for his BBS RS 137s last year.
2007 saw the e30 hit 165000 miles. Shortly thereafter I blew the head gasket and warped the cylinder head a bit. I had all intentions of fixing the m20 and turboing it but decided to do the 24v swap instead. I picked up an m52 out of a 98 528 along with all of the obd1 conversion items and everything else for the swap. At this point I was garaging my car at my parent’s house which was 2 hours away from where I lived. I did not come home very often and sadly my car sat in the garage with no engine for at least a year before I finally completed the m52 swap.
Moving onto 2009 I am ready to fire up the m52 for the first time. I fill up the coolant and do a quick walk around the car and notice something dripping out of the headers. I found coolant running out due to the fact that the cylinder head was cracked. So much for that clean 74k motor that a member on here sold me.
I took the opportunity to buy an s52 cylinder head and cams to replace the cracked head. I purchased it from a Bimmerforums member who decided it would be a great idea to ship a complete cylinder head in a thin cardboard box with no padding. I received the cylinder head with valves sticking out of the box it was shipped in. So, after replacing valves and making sure the head was not bent or damaged I finally got the e30 on the road again!
In 2013 I got a full Schwarz respray done on the car along with the addition of Brandon’s BBS RS’s. As she sits now Cecilia has 186,000 miles and my swap is running perfectly. I have now owned her for 12 years and put 82,000 miles on her. I have no plans to ever sell her and hope one day that my kids can appreciate her as much as I do.
Mod List
~Drivetrain~
-98 m52 converted to obd1 with s52 cams
-3.5” 540 MAF with Bimmerworld silicone intake boot and AFE cone filter
-Supersprint replica headers with Magnaflow high flow cat and 2.5inch piping to Vibrant muffler
-Spal Pusher fan and AC delete
-Power steering delete
-Stewart Racing high performance water pump
-The Racers Market custom chip
-JB Racing 8.5lb flywheel and Clutchmasters stage one clutch
-Z4 3.0 short shifter
-320i brake booster and e34 m5 master cylinder
-Stock getrag 260 trans with 3.73lsd
~Suspension~
-Ground Control coilovers with 450/650 spring rates
-Shortened Koni front struts with shortened strut housings courtesy of F34R and top adjustable rear koni sports
-Ireland Engineering 25mm front sway bar with no rear sway bar
-Condor offset control arm bushings
-Powerflex high durometer subframe, trailing arm, and differential bushings
-Stainless steel brake lines
-Sparco front stress bar
-Ground Control touring camber plates
~Exterior~
-Fresh Schwarz respray
-OEM IS sideskirts
-Euro trim
-Hella smoked smilies with ddm 5000k hids
-Hella French fogs
-MHW smoked turn signals
-DIY tinted taillights
-DIY shadowline trim
-Reiger infinity front spoiler with custom splitter
-16x8.5/16x8 BBS RS 137s powdercoated by Dave and built by Brandon with Adaptec adapters
-205/45/16 Bf Goodrich G force sport tires
-rolled and lightly flared fenders
~Interior~
-Dyed black carpet and rear deck
-Full Houndstooth black sport interior( I have the other seat it’s just not in the car currently)
-330 zhp shift knob and e36 leather ebrake lever with crappy purchased on R3V shift boot and ebrake
boot
-Jaywood voltmeter
-JVC arsenal head unit with Infinity 6 channel amp and Infinity Kappa components
-12 inch Infinity Kappa subwoofer with GAS e30 deck lid ported sub box and amp panel
Some shots I took of his car @Gfest '13
The man himself lowering the car after MANY convincing words from myself haha. NJ roads suck
Glad you rolled her down :)
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