Introducing the newest addition to the family - Ophelia

[Sh3rpak!ng]

I think it is high time I introduce my car, and myself to r3v. I have been mostly lurking on the site since I purchased my e30, but I have been very hard at work on the car almost every week since. This is my second bmw since I bought an e36 in my senior year of high school 5 years ago - supercharged e36 convertible build

So basic stats - 1989 325i coupe. 218,000 miles on the odo. Exterior is not the best, but not really too bad either. The champagne paint hides a lot (at first I really disliked the color, but it's growing on me, especially with the direction the color scheme is going... more on that later). The interior was very bad - PO or POs smoked, driver seat ripped, carpet very dirty, just very very neglected. Surprisingly, considering the cosmetic condition, mechanically the car has been very reliable, which is why I bought it. Believe it or not, it had zero issues mechanically, besides some very excessive shifter slop. And all of the warning lights and everything else is/was working properly.

It also has a hand crank sunroof :D

Goals for the car:
- daily driver first and foremost (until I buy another car inevitably)
- clean, lightly modded, sporty look
- fun to drive and quick enough that I don't lust to drive the e36 all the time
- reliable
- full suspension overhaul
- eventual S52 swap (in progress, I have 95% of the parts)
- actually has become a mild s52 rebuild and swap
- occasional track and regular autox duty


So pictures - the night it met its new home and its close relative



And in some daylight









Lovely shot on my way to work. I was working for several months in Mojave on a project that has since completed. The view to and from work was astonishing every day.



And some of the first modifications/maintenance. Replacing the stereo and speakers - PO had an aftermarket unit in there which didn't work. The wiring was a rat's nest. I need a good stereo in the daily driver. (my work bench was still a work in progress as I still didn't have most of my tools shipped from NJ yet)





Shifter slop. Looked like someone tried to fix it by stuffing bits of paper/trash in the joint??? lol, this stuff never ceases to amaze me



That's looking better



The garbage that came out



MUCH better



Testing a mini carpet cleaner. It came out very well. It is not a steam cleaner, but when loaded with hot water and some 303 vinyl upholstery cleaner, it did a superb job. I wish I had a before photo to show the difference.





Here are some "before" pictures. I have more "after" pictures but I forget where they went. I'll post them later if I find them.















Parts getting ready to work on mechanical maintenance.



New shift boot





New ash tray



Not related to the e30, but nice anyway. SS replica euro longtube headers for the e36. Nice decoration until they get installed!



Ophelia always in her brother's shadow.... that will change!!



Gratuitous shot of the freshly detailed e36



More new parts



So pretty!



So, as I was installing speakers, I noticed a lot of "out of place" wiring under the drivers dash. If anyone could shed some like on what it is I would appreciate it.

A momentary pushbutton?



Relays? to what?



Unconnected connector??



Another??



and another???



And yet, another?!?!






Okay, here I will stop. I believe it is sufficient introduction. I have any more photos, but I am not sure this is the correct forum to start a build thread.

Please advise, should I continue the build here, or would it be better suited for the "project" subforum?

I also think I will start a separate thread elsewhere for the s52 rebuild when I start working on that in earnest. Any advice where I should post that to get the most technical attention and feedback?


Thanks! Enjoy!!

[Max399]

Hello, and welcome :)
Nice car mate :)

The pushbutton may be from some sort of alarm/keyless entry if you have one.

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Hello, and welcome :)
Nice car mate :)

The pushbutton may be from some sort of alarm/keyless entry if you have one.

There does appear to be some sort of alarm wired up, but I have no idea how to arm it or use it or if it works. I will have to check the passenger side again, I think I vaguely remember seeing a box that might have been for keyless entry... I forget now.

What would the pushbutton do?

[dishwab]

Where do you live??

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Where do you live??

Southern California. I live with relatives at the moment who have a nice place in the mountains next to Santa Monica. Consequently, there are quite a few exquisite driving roads, literally in my backyard.

Unfortunately I will move out to be on my own in a couple months. Not without garage space of course, but will be without the view :-(

[CorvallisBMW]

Those unconnected connectors seem to be on every e30, I wouldn't worry about them. As far as the relays and pushbutton, they are definitely aftermarket. Trace the wires and see if you can find where they lead.

[Old city bimmer]

Looks like the push button and all the relays are from a aftermkt alarm system. Could be remote start. You will have to trace them to were they are connected too.


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[IzzY_325is]

That is a sweet car, cleaning up well too. I love the scenery of your place too, beautiful.

[pilotskillse30]

great project, super location

[Sh3rpak!ng]

Those unconnected connectors seem to be on every e30, I wouldn't worry about them. As far as the relays and pushbutton, they are definitely aftermarket. Trace the wires and see if you can find where they lead.

That makes me feel better. Thought I was missing equipment or something. I will trace the wires when I get a chance... just not very high on the list of things to do atm.

Looks like the push button and all the relays are from a aftermkt alarm system. Could be remote start. You will have to trace them to were they are connected too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yes, the car does appear to have an alarm. I will investigate.

That is a sweet car, cleaning up well too. I love the scenery of your place too, beautiful.

Thanks! Yea it's a killer view. Car has actually come a LONG way from what is pictured here. These photos are about 6 months old!!

great project, super location

Thanks!



I think I will continue/start a new thread in the project section as this car will be constantly under construction for the next year or two I imagine. S52 build and swap coming soon! Thinking of a 6-speed after that :D