Lachs Silver 1988 325 Sedan

[2mAn]

What a transformation! I love it!!

Im aiming for the 5-speed swap before I get nuts with the cosmetic stuff, but damn yours looks so good it makes me question if thats the right approach

[TFJR]

August Update

I wanted to update everyone with the progress I've made this past month on my salmon saloon.

• Installed a new throttle position sensor. This helped a little bit with some of the cold start/low idle issues I'm having upon start up. The car feels really hesitant low in the power band for the first minute or so of driving. It fully clears up after that. Going to try out new coolant temp sensors to see if that will help out. Is there a cold start injector on SETA cars?
  
• Purchased everything needed for the "i" cylinder head "stroker" conversion minus the 885 cylinder head. I am leaning towards getting a Bimmerheads cylinder head with their 274 cams, 19 lbs. injectors and a supporting SSSquid chip for the 173 DME. Not pictured is the fuel rail, injectors & throttle body
  
  
  
  
• Going to have my Intake Manifold painted satin black & polish the roundel and lines out. I'll do the Valve Cover Gasket to match
  
  
• Sending off this "i" gauge cluster I picked up to Bavarian Restoration for the full refurb treatment. Also having brushed aluminum gauge rings installed, red needles and the odometer set.
  
  
• Purchased a new stereo off of Crutchfield for the car. Having this installed professionally tomorrow! Excited as the head unit has Siri, Pandora & Spotify integration. Washington State is now completely hands free. Good tunes and the ability to make calls will be a welcome upgrade for the car.
  
  
• Got a new windshield installed (not pictured). Never use MS Glass in Seattle. Horrible experience. They butchered and knackered up the new URO seal I ordered through Blunttech. Guy was horrible to deal with, didn't want to install my new seal and threw me a ton of shade for it. Worst experience with the car so far!
  

[TFJR]

Cute kid! You should have your cluster redone with a US spec for practical reasons and keep the original on a shelf for the "purists"

Good call! I got an "i" gauge cluster to use for when I swap in an i cylinder head & supporting mods. I'll have that one rebuilt by Bavarian Restoration with red needles and brushed aluminum gauge rings. I'll hold onto the SETA cluster though in case I ever do sell it down the road!

What a transformation, Toby!! Awesome read too, btw!

Brad, I can't thank you enough for all of your help with the car. You're a good friend! I need to get up there soon to enjoy your new M's.

[spiDmang]

What a transformation, Toby!! Awesome read too, btw!

[Das Delfin]

Cute kid! You should have your cluster redone with a US spec for practical reasons and keep the original on a shelf for the "purists"

[TFJR]

I finally got around to taking some real photos of the car! Yesterday I spent some time with my Griots Garage 6" Random Orbital. I did a wash, clay & one step sealant on the car. On the hood, I used my BOSS correcting cream followed up with their Best Of Show wax. This is in the Montlake neighborhood of Seattle, WA, not far from my place.























*Getting a new windshield this week after it cracked and split in 24 hours last week!

[E30-Ellerman]

Excellent work on the car!!

That being said, I don't know if it's a positive or a minus that you've taken an e30 out of my local city, either way I'm happy you're bringing it back to life! Good luck with it and hope all goes well!

[TFJR]

She's Back!

The summer is ticking away quickly & I'm happy to report my E30 is back on the road and running amazing!

Some quick impressions:

• The Z3 rack is amazing, it is so fast and so direct. The downside is there is zero deadzone on the highway, and if you're not use to it, it can feel a little high strung
• The Ansa OE exhaust replacement is so quiet! Maybe too quiet
• The automatic is soul-sucking
• The Bilstein HD/H&R OE Sport combo has proven to be perfect for Seattle roads with the upgraded FLCAB.
• Overall, very happy to be behind the wheel of a nicely running & driving E30 once again in my life!

Other updates:

• Got the front & rear plastic bumpers installed with new euro trim
• iS front lip is now mounted
• Plastic front bumper mounted & turn signals properly wired up!
• Got an OE Sunshade
• Attained iS side skirts & a new (used) trunk that will be painted along with the side mirrors

[jeffnhiscars]

Diff seals and O rings are easy and cheap so worth doing when the pumpkin is already on the bench. Dont forget the Blue Loctite when attaching the half shafts to the axle flange. They have a way of wiggling loose at the worst possible moment (AMHIK).

[TFJR]

woo! lachssilber sedan twins! I'm writing up my build thread right now

I was checking out your thread yesterday, nice ride!

I have some more updates to share on the car. I am going to see for the first time in eight weeks on Saturday. Here is what I can remember off the top of my head:

• Purchased a non-M Z3 Steering Rack (2.7 turns LTL)
• Garagistic E30 to E36 Steering Rack Kit + misc. parts from Blunttech
• New front hood roundel
• Nice Mtech 1 385mm Steering Wheel
• S3.73 Rear Limited Slip Differential
• iS Front Lip
• iS Rear Spoiler
• Brake system bled with ATE 200 Amber
• Stainless steel front brake lines
• IACV thoroughly cleaned & checked for vacuum leaks
• Misc. new fuel lines to replace ones that were cracked
• AT transmission fluid flushed
• New Oil Pan Gasket

The front bumper, iS front lip & rear spoiler are off getting painted right now. I'm so tempted to buy iS side skirts, have the mirrors painted and have the rear valence painted all lachs but I'm already way over budget.
I'll share a big update post weekend with driving impressions and hi-res pics.

[wworm]

woo! lachssilber sedan twins! I'm writing up my build thread right now

[TFJR]

Update

Hey Everyone,

I should be picking the car back up in Portland, OR next weekend. My longtime friend & mechanic has really done an incredible amount of work on the car for me. I'd have love to have been more hands on in addressing some of the needed maintenance myself - however a lack of a garage, tools and a tight timeline prompted me to bring the car to him. We've been friends for 10 years and is about the only person I'll let touch any of my cars!

Parts

• 385mm Mtech 1 Steering Wheel
• OEM Euro Grills
• OEM iS Front Lip
• OEM iS Rear Spoiler
• S3.73 Rear Limited Slip Differential

Maintenance

• Timing Belt
• Tensioners
• Accessory Belts
• Water Pump
• Thermostat & housing
• Valve cover gaskets + valve adjustment
• Complete tune up
• Stainless steel brake lines
• Brake system flushed, ATE 200 amber fluid
• Coolant system flushed & filled with OE BMW Coolant
• Still chasing down an erratic idle on cold starts. I think he is going to take it to his shop and perform a smoke test to see if there are any vacuum leaks
• Needs a new oil pan gasket that he'll install before I pick up the car
• He's done tons of odds and ends - replaced all four seat belts, installed the euro plate filler, rear plastic bumper, ALL the suspension work - It will be a totally different car.

- Any opinions on engine oil for a stock supereta with 155k miles? I bought Mobil 1 15w-50 full synthetic for it. That's also what I use to put in my '88 325iS.

- Anyone ever ran a 3.73LSD on a supereta automatic? Curious about highway RPM's and overall comfort day to day.

I'm really excited to get the car back, install the plastic front bumper, iS lip, rear spoiler & Mtech wheel. Later this fall I'll have the cluster sent off to Bavarian Restoration. I'll snap some better photos at that time - I know these have mostly been low-res cell phone junk so far.

[TFJR]

First off, just wanted to say I am really annoyed with Photobucket! I migrated everything over from the second post over to Imgur. No way am I willing to pay $400 a year to have my images hosted over at Photobucket.

Nice find!!

Pretty epic that you went to another country for an E30, based off an ad that only has 2 pictures!

I'm slightly crazy. Thanks for the kind words!

Hell ya, man! That interior is tits!!

Thanks broham! I appreciate all of your help so far with the project :)

Nice. The only other one in this color I have ever seen was a rental I had in the early '90s in Romania. I totaled it :(

Let's hope I don't "R3V" this one! I feel that fabric in general is uncommon in the US, let alone heated fabric seats. I dig the seats. Of course I'd love to source some matching front sport seats in time.

Glad the bumper went to a good home, Toby.

Cheers, thanks for all of your help with the project so far, Austin.

I LOVE a good transformation thread!

Lots more to come! I'm just getting started :)

Great price and I like that color good potential here. Glad to see you are brining it back to life. I highly recommend Bavarian Restoration. I had my cluster completely rebuilt by them. I think i would keep the cluster in km's! Let the car stick to its Canadian origins.

Thanks! I'm excited to send off the cluster to Bavarian Restoration. Their work looks top notch. I'm also leaning towards leaving the KM cluster in there.

[Matt341]

Great price and I like that color good potential here. Glad to see you are brining it back to life. I highly recommend Bavarian Restoration. I had my cluster completely rebuilt by them. I think i would keep the cluster in km's! Let the car stick to its Canadian origins.

[mike.bmw]

I LOVE a good transformation thread!