Well, 2 years ago I picked up a little e30, a 1987 325e to be exact. Lachssibler on blue, 5 speed, 2 door. It was in pretty rough shape cosmetically, but ran great. It had the normal pre 89 body parts; High ride height, bottle cap wheels, and HUGE aluminum bumpers with fogs screwed to the bumper itself. When I first got it.
One of the first things I did was swap out the old lady comfort seats, and put in some sport seats. The blacked out kidneys came next. I got sick of the large bumpers, so did a "bumper tuck" by compressing the bumper shocks to be smaller in length. It worked, but I was still sick of the aluminum look. I did some searching, and found that bumpers and lower valance
from a 89+ e30 can be fitted to mine, but with alot of modification in the rear. Then I found some prices and was shocked. There was no way a kid in high school who didnt have a job at the time could get everything
needed for the swap, and have it painted. So, my solution was to find something else. I did some ebaying and found a torn up e30 M3 front bumper
cover for $30. We fitted that on, and for a really long time didnt mind it, but still wanted to do the other swap. I left the rear bumper in its diving board state.
[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a390/mooseoftoose/DCP_1763.jpg
[/IMG]My brother bought a VW GTI that came stock
with BBS RM 2 piece wheels, which I bought from him and slapped on the e30. Soon after I picked up a Bavauto chip.
Sometime after this I got sick of the aluminum all together, and painted all trim on the car black, then rattle-canned the rear bumper, which didnt
look as bad as I thought it would, but still was a pretty dumb idea. I was all happy for a while, then a few months ago I realized I HAD TO get rid of the massive wheel gap. I got some KYB shocks and struts, and H&R DTM race springs from an e30 M3. It made a really big difference in the hieght and handling.
Comparison
All was still in the night, when a freind said he found an e30 sitting in the woods, WITH THE BUMPERS I NEEDED!
I bought the car, which was a total dump, and fixed most of the little dents and dings, then tore it all apart.
The eta was then ripped apart.
We fitted the front valance, front and rear bumpers, and IS spoiler on the trunk. For those not familiar with this swap, the rear bumper from an 89+ e30 is too long, meaning it sticks about .5 inches into the wheel well. I had to cu off the right amount at the ends, then fabricate new end caps. Shortening the bumper meant the trim wont fit either, so I had to cut that all up too. I also got an OEM IS front lip spoiler new. 2 days ago I started sanding the front end (Fenders forward) and my brother who has more experience painting than I do painted it factory Lachssilber. I would have liked to paint the whole car, but didnt have the time to get it ready for the Bavauto show, the next day!
Old paint on hood
New front end after primer. You can see how the slots in the bottem are bent alittle, but I just wanted it to be painted for the show, plus Im missing the little plastic grill that goes over the bent part, so once I get it i will hide most of the bends. Lastly I fitted euro mouldings, which dont house the side blinker, and looks much cleaner.
FINALLY, everything got painted and is looking pretty good!
And presenting........The all new e30 after severe plastic surgery!
Big thanks goes out to my brother and my dad who helped out alot with everything, but mainly the bumper swap.
Fairly soon we will be respraying the rest of the car, since it is not looking so good.
Some time in the far, distant future I may swap a 325i head and top end to get some power (which is seriously needed). This swap has yielded great results for other, and I have almost everything from the 325i parts car.
One of the first things I did was swap out the old lady comfort seats, and put in some sport seats. The blacked out kidneys came next. I got sick of the large bumpers, so did a "bumper tuck" by compressing the bumper shocks to be smaller in length. It worked, but I was still sick of the aluminum look. I did some searching, and found that bumpers and lower valance
from a 89+ e30 can be fitted to mine, but with alot of modification in the rear. Then I found some prices and was shocked. There was no way a kid in high school who didnt have a job at the time could get everything
needed for the swap, and have it painted. So, my solution was to find something else. I did some ebaying and found a torn up e30 M3 front bumper
cover for $30. We fitted that on, and for a really long time didnt mind it, but still wanted to do the other swap. I left the rear bumper in its diving board state.
[IMG]http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a390/mooseoftoose/DCP_1763.jpg
[/IMG]My brother bought a VW GTI that came stock
with BBS RM 2 piece wheels, which I bought from him and slapped on the e30. Soon after I picked up a Bavauto chip.
Sometime after this I got sick of the aluminum all together, and painted all trim on the car black, then rattle-canned the rear bumper, which didnt
look as bad as I thought it would, but still was a pretty dumb idea. I was all happy for a while, then a few months ago I realized I HAD TO get rid of the massive wheel gap. I got some KYB shocks and struts, and H&R DTM race springs from an e30 M3. It made a really big difference in the hieght and handling.
Comparison
All was still in the night, when a freind said he found an e30 sitting in the woods, WITH THE BUMPERS I NEEDED!
I bought the car, which was a total dump, and fixed most of the little dents and dings, then tore it all apart.
The eta was then ripped apart.
We fitted the front valance, front and rear bumpers, and IS spoiler on the trunk. For those not familiar with this swap, the rear bumper from an 89+ e30 is too long, meaning it sticks about .5 inches into the wheel well. I had to cu off the right amount at the ends, then fabricate new end caps. Shortening the bumper meant the trim wont fit either, so I had to cut that all up too. I also got an OEM IS front lip spoiler new. 2 days ago I started sanding the front end (Fenders forward) and my brother who has more experience painting than I do painted it factory Lachssilber. I would have liked to paint the whole car, but didnt have the time to get it ready for the Bavauto show, the next day!
Old paint on hood
New front end after primer. You can see how the slots in the bottem are bent alittle, but I just wanted it to be painted for the show, plus Im missing the little plastic grill that goes over the bent part, so once I get it i will hide most of the bends. Lastly I fitted euro mouldings, which dont house the side blinker, and looks much cleaner.
FINALLY, everything got painted and is looking pretty good!
And presenting........The all new e30 after severe plastic surgery!
Big thanks goes out to my brother and my dad who helped out alot with everything, but mainly the bumper swap.
Fairly soon we will be respraying the rest of the car, since it is not looking so good.
Some time in the far, distant future I may swap a 325i head and top end to get some power (which is seriously needed). This swap has yielded great results for other, and I have almost everything from the 325i parts car.
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