Lachs Silver 1988 325 Sedan

[TFJR]

Great Build thread! Have you had a chance to swap over the 885 head?

I have a SETA as well and also just picked up a M20 out of a 89is and i'm debating between doing a full swap or just refreshing the head and throwing that on the SETA block.

I would remove the head and get it sorted instead of doing a straight swap. You will replace (or upgrade) head internals and get more useable tq w/ a “2.7i”

Just make sure you have all of the other accompanying parts ie: AFM, FPR, intake manifold , etc.

The cylinder head goes on next week with updates to closely follow. I received my Gates Racing t-belt & ARP head studs + bolts over the weekend which were the last pieces I needed to get this going.

As AC_Schnitzel referenced, you'd get more usable torque utilizing the SETA bottom end & refreshing the i head from the '89iS. What I think you should keep in mind is your budget. I am well over budget now and the head isn't even installed in the car yet.

Things have added up quickly:

• 885 i Cylinder Head: $175
• Cylinder head restoration with new cam: $940
• Gates Racing Timing Belt: $67
• ARP Head studs & bolts: $160 (used)
• Bimmerheads Ultimate gasket set: $130
• Bosch 19 lbs Injectors: $60
• MotoMeter 7k RPM Gauge Cluster: $100
• MISC M20 i Parts (Intake manifold, AFM, ICV, etc.) $150
• Powdercoating service for Intake Manifold & Valve Cover: $120
• SSSQuid Tuning 2.7i Chip 173 DME: $255

That's over $2,100 and I'm sure I'm forgetting some little costs.

In any event let me know if I can be a reference or help to you at all!

[AC_Schnitzel]

Great Build thread! Have you had a chance to swap over the 885 head?

I have a SETA as well and also just picked up a M20 out of a 89is and i'm debating between doing a full swap or just refreshing the head and throwing that on the SETA block.

I would remove the head and get it sorted instead of doing a straight swap. You will replace (or upgrade) head internals and get more useable tq w/ a “2.7i”

Just make sure you have all of the other accompanying parts ie: AFM, FPR, intake manifold , etc.

[ATL_E30]

Great Build thread! Have you had a chance to swap over the 885 head?

I have a SETA as well and also just picked up a M20 out of a 89is and i'm debating between doing a full swap or just refreshing the head and throwing that on the SETA block.

[TFJR]

i'll never tire of seeing suspension rebuild photo logs

Thanks for the kind words! It has really transformed the car. Although with the current tires it still likes to have some fun

Beautiful car man ! Love the color combo! Great work! One thing please for the love of god align your hood it’s the only thing wrong with the car hahaha

Thank you! The hood alignment absolutely crushes me. The car was in an accident at some point, and this hood was "fixed" very poorly at some point in it's life. The hood is actually bent and torqued slightly, making a perfect fit impossible. My eyes are always open for a spare, good paint lachs hood.

Great build thread. I read every single page! I remember walking past your car at the E30 picnic. Hope to see it around more.

Cheers - likewise! I need to get the car out more. I am overdue for a Tuesday Dick's Burger meetup.

[hotbascosauce]

Great build thread. I read every single page! I remember walking past your car at the E30 picnic. Hope to see it around more.

[hendrixvodu]

Beautiful car man ! Love the color combo! Great work! One thing please for the love of god align your hood it’s the only thing wrong with the car hahaha

[wworm]

i'll never tire of seeing suspension rebuild photo logs

[TFJR]

Rear Subframe Refresh

One major difference from my last E30 (2-owner 325iS) and this current one was the incredibly sloppy rear end. Seriously, I feel like this E30 has been trying to kill me on my commute into work when it is raining. The back end would become unsettled and step out all of the time when wet, even unprovoked. It was scary sloppy!
I've been wanting to address this ever since I bought the car. Without tools, time or a garage, I had my friend Roman refresh the rear end while on an extended business trip. He discovered one of the subframe bolts to be completely stripped, adding to the already horrible sloppiness! Roman did a fantastic job refreshing, installing and bolting everything back together.
The car drives completely differently now - night & day change. It tracks more straight and true than any car I've ever driven from the 80's. I feel way more confident in corners and in the wet.

Parts
Garagistic 80a rear subframe, differential and trailing arm bushings. New trailing arm bolts & hardware


OE Sway bar bushings & mounting brackets. Lemforder rear endlinks. New rear spring pads... I hate these H&R OE Sport Springs. Terrible ass sag. Just bought OE E30 M3 rear springs




Garagistic rear stainless steel brake lines


Restoration
Rear suspension dropped - looking quite weathered


Stripped


Painted






Sway bar stripped, prepped, painted, new bushings & endlinks


Installation






Scorpion catback exhaust installed. Sounds really nice on this car




Hope you guys are enjoying these updates! Post cylinder head install I'll be installing a set of Dunlop Direzza DZ102 205/55/15 on the OZ Hartges.

[TFJR]

should be quite the bump in power, though I think you're going to wish that you had bought at least a 272 cam or something, but that can always be upgraded down the road

It's always nice to have more power, but the truth is for what I use the car for, I think the SETA bottom end, refreshed i top end, 91 octane SSSquid chip, 19lbs injectors should be plenty for the occasional on-ramp rip in Seattle. I'm using the money I didn't spend on a performance cam to do the APR Plus program on the daily driver VW Alltrack I purchased earlier this summer. That thing desperately needs more power!

[2mAn]

should be quite the bump in power, though I think you're going to wish that you had bought at least a 272 cam or something, but that can always be upgraded down the road

[TFJR]

885 M20 Cylinder Head Machine Work

Earlier this year, I purchased an 885 "i" complete spare cylinder head in Portland, OR. After discovering my head gasket now has an external leak on my current M20 SETA motor, it was time to get this one refreshed! I did a bit of research on a machine shop and many peers had great things to say about Autosport Seattle. The team there was fantastic to work with & I'm very glad I took it to them. They put in a new camshaft as the factory one was worn. I did not want a regrind and couldn't really justify purchasing a performance cam.

Before


After










Parts & Accessories
Powder coated valve cover + intake manifold






Bosch 19# yellow top injectors


Bimmerheads "Ultimate Headgasket Set"




Everything should get installed early next month. Not pictured is the SSSQuid chip, ARP head bolt set, and "i" 7k rpm gauge cluster.

[TFJR]

You totally missed your chance on this one... even though Im going to get a Cayman, I was sooooooooo tempted to bid on this one

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/19...11-carrera-33/

The grey interior killed that one for me. I really don't like 90's grey interiors lol. I don't think they've aged well. I look at Rennlist daily as well. So what is so dissapointing about the 996 to you?

[2mAn]

I've been wanting to buy one for the past half decade. I feel like I should pull the trigger on one sooner than later before the prices inevitably go up and that I kick myself for waiting so long. It'd ideally be optioned with the M030 sports suspension, (220) LSD, and sport seats. Oh, and in arena red too.

You totally missed your chance on this one... even though Im going to get a Cayman, I was sooooooooo tempted to bid on this one

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-porsche-911-carrera-33/

[TFJR]

Have you driven one yet? I think you will be disappointed, especially once the cylinder head is done. Im a big P-Car guy and will own a Cayman at a certain point, but I dont pretend it will be a replacement for an E30. I routinely spend hours on rennlist looking at the cars, pricing out the mods, etc and then its all forgotten when I drive my E30 home. Mine isnt even special... The few mods for a 996 to make it more enjoyable will cost a significant more than the E30. Just keep that in mind.

Grass isnt always greener

I have ridden once in a modified 996TT in speed yellow. It was insane. I have not driven a 996 of my own. I'm very surprised to hear you say the driving experience was dissapointing. What was not up to par? The M96 motor? I know the interior material quality isn't anything to write home about, but from my understanding these are suppose to be excellent drivers cars. I even subscribe to Total 911 magazine.
I've been wanting to buy one for the past half decade. I feel like I should pull the trigger on one sooner than later before the prices inevitably go up and that I kick myself for waiting so long. It'd ideally be optioned with the M030 sports suspension, (220) LSD, and sport seats. Oh, and in arena red too.

[2mAn]

I have to say I've been really looking into getting a 996.1 Carerra 2/4. As much as I love E30's, I really love Porsche and think I'd get more out of the ownership experience.

Have you driven one yet? I think you will be disappointed, especially once the cylinder head is done. Im a big P-Car guy and will own a Cayman at a certain point, but I dont pretend it will be a replacement for an E30. I routinely spend hours on rennlist looking at the cars, pricing out the mods, etc and then its all forgotten when I drive my E30 home. Mine isnt even special... The few mods for a 996 to make it more enjoyable will cost a significant more than the E30. Just keep that in mind.

Grass isnt always greener