No longer the daily: '87 zinno 325is

[quikveedb2]

hi all! i've been around for a little while now, ever since i picked up my most recent project, a 3/87 built 325is back in august of last year. i figured that since modding season is upon us i'd do a formal introduction. my current daily is a 01.5 S4 that has seen a few mild mods, but i am planning to restore the e30 to my standards for daily duty so the S4 can come off the road for some bigger and better upgrades.

the e30 has seen better days, the P.O.(s?) did little to maintain the car as far as i can see. the odometer stopped around 125k so mileage is a big ???, the interior is shot, the paint was beat prior to some wash & wax love, the passenger side window motor is broken as are the power mirror motors. damn near every part of the interior needs to be replaced: console, dash, carpet, seats, headliner, you name it. the front valence is misaligned (see pics), one fog is missing, as is 1 underbody panel on the same side, i suspect and incident involving a snowbank based on my location. the exaust had rusted to the point that i just removed it with plans of replacing with an OE part in the near future. 4 of the five weaves that came with the car are bent/rashed.

whew, basically, the car is a basket case cosmetically, but is mechanically sound. she runs & drives like a champ, no leaks to speak of, and is a manual so thats enough motivation for me to restore rather than parting it out. timing belt is on the agenda for this month, as is a new cat-back and until those 2 are done the car is sitting peacefully on a trickle charger to fend off the cold nights. there is more, as far as fixes i've done in my spare time over the winter that apply to the above issues, but thats enough typing for one post, so without further delay, pics as she sat last summer:

[e30s52]

lower it. o and nice s4 on the side

[quikveedb2]

lower it.

haha, saw that coming. yeah, some suspension mods will come eventually, all the cosmetic/electrical stuff is first priority. iirc, i read this somewhere on here; i have a lifestyle to live, and i don't think i can do it in this car (at least as it stands right now.)

[Mako18]

I think I have that tail, PM me if you want it & I will look for it. CHEAP!!!!

[quikveedb2]

I think I have that tail, PM me if you want it & I will look for it. CHEAP!!!!

if you have the d/s tail i might be interested, i've already replace them both but my replacement on the d/s has a crack, and i want a crack free one before i do the all red proceedure to those guys.

on that note, things i've done since recieveing the car: valve adjustment, cleaned icv & fixed lopey idle, new plugs (runs may better than with the stupid platinums that were in there), steam cleaned carpet, rewired stereo (whoever installed the stupid alpine unit did a wicked hack job and only connected about 3 of the 8 speakers in the car, wtf?!?), cleaned the 10-year-old soda off the center console, replaced the missing glovebox (looking for keyless latch), timing belt kit in the mail, cat back in the mail, ruined fingernails removing cheesy pinstipe (what a difference, really cleans up the side view of the car), debadged, replaced missing battery cover, put girlfriend on "sew a new shift knob boot" duty, and front & rear bumper tuck for shits & giggles.

priorities are: oil change, fluid flushes as needed, timing belt, t-stat, water pump, new roundels, and OE cat back, and i want to finish getting the front valence aligned and mounted properly. then i'll finally feel comfortable driving the damn thing or a while.

i'm on the hunt for a sport interior in either the original tan (i know there is more than 1, i'm not sure what i have, pearl beige maybe??) or black, and i'm on the fence as to material. pm if you have something i might want, cheers.

[norwood e30]

I have the tail lights as well i dont need them anymore have a 89 325is throw me a fair price and there yours. pm soon nice ride

[quikveedb2]

since my last update in the spring i've done my timing belt and tensioner, pin & spring, new oe timing belt sticker (silly, but whatever), obligatory block & radiator flush, all belts, a new alternator bracket because the old one was bent, fog light lense, and the blower motor & resistor. thanks to all those that have sold me parts or offerd knowledge and helped move this project forward.

the car still needs an oil change and some better rear tires before winter, but it is doing a great job of getting me to and from work on the daily. the interior is rough as crap, but that'll have to wait. heated seats would be ideal for where i'm at...

i have some really random stalling problems i'm trying to diagnose, but the car is a tons of fun nonetheless. my buddy has a 2002 and has been my helper and has a nice garage to work in, thought i bring my own tools;). the car needs a nice detail to bring it to life so hopefully that'll be soon with some new pics.

[T3rd Ferguson]

If you still need tail lights i have a mint set for cheap.

[quikveedb2]

thanks, but actually i'm only looking for 1, drivers side iirc, as mine is cracked and i want a nice one to use for some all-red action.

[quikveedb2]

Well i haven't touched this thread in quite a long time, but the car has been making slow but steady progress. I figure rather than starting another thread I'll just get this one back on track & hopefully be a bit more regular with my updates since car season is here again, so here goes;

Sadly I've had to focus mostly on reliability & drive-ability (boring but necessary), but the car is now officially my DD & 1-and-only vehicle, for the moment.

Since my last update I've installed a new coolant temp sensor, main relay, fuel pump relay, air filter, coil, distributor, rotor, completed the oil change with 20w-50 & a new filter, replaced the random fog I got off a 5-er in the junkyard with an OE 'is Hella lens I picked up along with some replacement 'is valence mounting hardware (yes, NLA, but i found some) that has squared up the front end nicely, the valence no longer sags!

I sourced & mocked up mounting for a 535is lip spoiler i scooped for $70, which I need to do just a bit of Bondo work to & prime for paint, and put some holes on the inside of the trunk lid to get it to sit just right. I also picked up a set of Yakima towers & cross bars for $40, which have been mounted along with my old Yakima Bike trays from the S4. I'll work on getting some updated pics up; it's still just a bone stock '87 325is, but it's looking better, and running strong, which means it's almost time for the fun stuff! Interior, suspension, and tint are on the to-do list next. the car was struck when parked a while ago yielding a nice dent in the passenger side front quarter, so I'm in the market for a replacement one in 'zinno if anyone wants to hook a brother up.

[quikveedb2]

i sourced some euro grills & us ellipsoids. the grills are in, i love the subtle but more aggressive styling, just the kind of thing only an enthusiast would notice. OEM+ is where it's at, imho. i'm looking for pigtails for the ellips so i can get 'em wired up, i can't wait to be able to see at night again, i've been missing the HID's on my old B5 ever since i sold it.

i finally got my own laptop again after my last one got stolen from work, so updated pics are coming soon!

[Julien]

cool

[Tbolt]

dude ill buy that for 1k

[quikveedb2]

dude ill buy that for 1k

thanks, but no thanks. i have a decent amount of money to spend before i even reach a break even point in terms of pricing for a well equipt e30, plus i want to build this one to my liking, unless i come across i project i like better. so on that note, a few quick pics of recent developments:

front end, look at the before, and you will see it's much better now:



door panel with black map pockets & pulls:



535is trunk spoiler mounting mock up, it's coming back off to bondo a chip in the leading edge & paint it. all black, or red insert, i haven't decided yet. opinions welcome!



and my i-got-bored-&-my-roundels-are-haggard rat rod touch. hate on, purists. it's temporary but i kinda like it.



weak sauce teaser pic, these are waiting on m3 cab's, rsm's, MAYBE drop hats, and some other suspension miscellanea



and my current workspace is a bit cramped...



thats all for now!

[quikveedb2]

i spent fathers day down in w-s with the 'rents and in my free time this happened:

before






during



at this point i was about to beat myself in the head with that wrench. i hate spring compressors...



gunther keeping an eye on things



the evening's refreshments



vogtland & stock front comparison



rear vogtland vs stock. pay no attention to the mexican in the background.



front after



rear after



front 3/4 before it settled



front



rear



at first gunther was like:



but then he was like:



and back at home, mostly settled



the ride quality is perfect for a dd, i pretty much forgot that i had done the springs on the way home except for on 1 section of really torn up road. dive, body roll, & squat are MUCH better. stance is almost where i want it. i'm thinking with drop hats it might be too low for a dd, but i'm not known for my common sense. brakes, wheels, and a ton of other stuff is in the works.