***Editors Note: First off, sorry for the delay. It wasn't an April Fools joke, though that would've been good, right?? Anyways, I've watched this build since it went from M42 turbo to the M20 turbo jump and its been lovely every step along the way. This is definitely a function > form car and the owner has built a car that is basically everything he wants, within his own budget. He built it for himself, but I still wanted the rest of us to have a closer look at it, so congrats to varg, our April 2018 Car of the Month***
Factory options:
S242 Steering wheel airbag
S281 BMW LA wheel, chr.-plated/roundspokes
S300 Central locking with anti-theft system
S400 Slide/tilt sunroof, manually operated
S410 Window lifts, electric, front
S481 Sports seats
S530 Air conditioning
S556 Outdoor temperature indicator
S925 Dispatch protection pack
Color:
Diamantschwarz Metallic
Interior color:
Black seats, grey carpet
Engine modifications:
M20 swap, stock long block, ARP head studs, RSI header, T3/T4 60 trim, 48lb'hr fuel injectors
Exhaust:
3" turbo back, two mufflers
Transmission:
G260
Differential:
3.25 LSD
Suspension:
Homebrew coilovers, 450lb/in front springs and 650lb/in rear
Koni single adjustable shocks
Stock swaybars
Rear shock mounts
Wheels:
XXR 530, 16x8 ET20
Exterior modifications:
Z3 antenna
Notched bumper and cut valance for intercooler airflow
Interior modifications:
A-pillar gauge pod
10" subwoofer in the ski pass
Head unit
Story behind the car:
I purchased this car in June of 2014 and according to autocheck I'm the 4th owner. It has no interesting provenance that I know of aside from going from Illinois to Washington to Florida over its lifetime. The car was a little rough, and still is, it had white bottlecaps and was way too slow, so since I got an E30 with the intent of making it a sleeper then using it as a DD, I set to work.
I refreshed the suspension and had the head rebuilt in preparation for turbocharging. I hacked up a Turbo M50 header, welded it up to fit a turbo I had laying around, and built a megasquirt system for the M42. I had the turbo M42 for a couple of years, eventually running 18psi of boost before it started to give me trouble, and I had never really liked the engine that much, so instead of fixing it I sourced a cheap M20 and drivetrain and swapped the engines at a family friend's shop. I modified my existing megasquirt for M20 use and built a harness adapter from a kit, and I modified my turbo M42 downpipe to fit. The swap took about a week of working when I could and after another week or so in which I modified the exhaust and megasquirt I was in business. I was immediately thrilled with the extra torque and silky smooth revving of the M20, but it was useless in first and second gear with the 4.10 LSD I had put in during the M42 days so I swapped in a 3.25 LSD. It has been over a year since I did the turbo M20 swap and I'm running 15psi of boost and having lots of fun.
Over the years I've done many mods other than the engine swap to suit my desire for a light, fast but practical car with great handling. Coilovers, bigger wheels with sticky tires, a Z3 steering rack... But I've left the exterior and interior pretty much as is because I like the weathered look of the car. I have a function over form philosophy with all of my vehicles, that's reflected in things like my insistence on having air conditioning even though it's easier not to with a turbo E30 and my preference for a reasonable ride height. I also enjoy the 'survivor' look of unrestored classics, there's a beauty to certain patterns of wear. Chasing a flawless exterior and dumping tons of money on a restoration would lessen my enjoyment of the car, I'd be paranoid about the scratches, chips and door dings that are bound to happen to a daily driver.
I'm pretty happy with where the car is now, but the project is by no means done, and I don't know when it will be. I have plenty of plans for it in the future. [/b]
varg11 by 2mAn
varg12 by 2mAn
varg02 by 2mAn
varg03 by 2mAn
its a sleeper!... no clues about whats inside other than these ;)
varg14 by 2mAn
varg04 by 2mAn
Factory options:
S242 Steering wheel airbag
S281 BMW LA wheel, chr.-plated/roundspokes
S300 Central locking with anti-theft system
S400 Slide/tilt sunroof, manually operated
S410 Window lifts, electric, front
S481 Sports seats
S530 Air conditioning
S556 Outdoor temperature indicator
S925 Dispatch protection pack
Color:
Diamantschwarz Metallic
Interior color:
Black seats, grey carpet
Engine modifications:
M20 swap, stock long block, ARP head studs, RSI header, T3/T4 60 trim, 48lb'hr fuel injectors
Exhaust:
3" turbo back, two mufflers
Transmission:
G260
Differential:
3.25 LSD
Suspension:
Homebrew coilovers, 450lb/in front springs and 650lb/in rear
Koni single adjustable shocks
Stock swaybars
Rear shock mounts
Wheels:
XXR 530, 16x8 ET20
Exterior modifications:
Z3 antenna
Notched bumper and cut valance for intercooler airflow
Interior modifications:
A-pillar gauge pod
10" subwoofer in the ski pass
Head unit
Story behind the car:
I purchased this car in June of 2014 and according to autocheck I'm the 4th owner. It has no interesting provenance that I know of aside from going from Illinois to Washington to Florida over its lifetime. The car was a little rough, and still is, it had white bottlecaps and was way too slow, so since I got an E30 with the intent of making it a sleeper then using it as a DD, I set to work.
I refreshed the suspension and had the head rebuilt in preparation for turbocharging. I hacked up a Turbo M50 header, welded it up to fit a turbo I had laying around, and built a megasquirt system for the M42. I had the turbo M42 for a couple of years, eventually running 18psi of boost before it started to give me trouble, and I had never really liked the engine that much, so instead of fixing it I sourced a cheap M20 and drivetrain and swapped the engines at a family friend's shop. I modified my existing megasquirt for M20 use and built a harness adapter from a kit, and I modified my turbo M42 downpipe to fit. The swap took about a week of working when I could and after another week or so in which I modified the exhaust and megasquirt I was in business. I was immediately thrilled with the extra torque and silky smooth revving of the M20, but it was useless in first and second gear with the 4.10 LSD I had put in during the M42 days so I swapped in a 3.25 LSD. It has been over a year since I did the turbo M20 swap and I'm running 15psi of boost and having lots of fun.
Over the years I've done many mods other than the engine swap to suit my desire for a light, fast but practical car with great handling. Coilovers, bigger wheels with sticky tires, a Z3 steering rack... But I've left the exterior and interior pretty much as is because I like the weathered look of the car. I have a function over form philosophy with all of my vehicles, that's reflected in things like my insistence on having air conditioning even though it's easier not to with a turbo E30 and my preference for a reasonable ride height. I also enjoy the 'survivor' look of unrestored classics, there's a beauty to certain patterns of wear. Chasing a flawless exterior and dumping tons of money on a restoration would lessen my enjoyment of the car, I'd be paranoid about the scratches, chips and door dings that are bound to happen to a daily driver.
I'm pretty happy with where the car is now, but the project is by no means done, and I don't know when it will be. I have plenty of plans for it in the future. [/b]
varg11 by 2mAnvarg12 by 2mAnvarg02 by 2mAnvarg03 by 2mAnits a sleeper!... no clues about whats inside other than these ;)
varg14 by 2mAnvarg04 by 2mAn
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