Finally back into an e30: ‘88 Alpine on Blue 325ic cruiser build

[Mastrcruse]

Seems like lots of things have changed! I am awaiting the arrival of my “new” e30 and I’ve been out of the e30 scene for 10-15 years. I’ve been researching and it seems like LOTS has changed. Most vendors seemed to have changed or gone under. Back in the day everyone wanted Mtech 1 and 2 but recently I was told to keep the diving board bumpers cause they “are original and different”. Saw others suggesting against motor swaps and keeping the fine M20 under the hood. H&R springs were the go to and you either dumped it with Race springs or daily drove with sports....and now I’m seeing air suspensions and people sticking with the 4x100 wheels.

When I was in last it was - Short shift kit from a Z3 or other BMW that received a shorter throw shifter, Mtech exterior, Mtech steering wheels, BBS wheels (if you had money) or Kopis (if you didn’t want to spend $3K on wheels), H&R springs, Bilstein shocks, and smiley’s. S50s, 5 lug swaps, and convertible hard tops made you the coolest

So before I get the car (being transported), bring me up to speed. Who are the go to vendors? Is it about originality and classic design? As I research I see there being an interesting split of mindsets - if your car has nice paint and interior then keep it original, if not, do motor swaps, cage it, and make it a drifter/racer.

Thanks and glad to be back! I’ll post a thread of the new car when it arrives.

The new car is an ‘88 alpine on blue convertible 5-speed with 108k miles. I’ve mainly only had red e30’s so I’m having a hard time visualizing colors but thinking white, blue, and brushed (don’t think I can do the storm trooper look with the blue interior). Has all the major maintenance stuff done to it. Deciding the direction of the build so I’ll drive it for a while before changing anything. No longer a broke ass college student, I can build the car from mild to wild but want it to be comfortable to drive to work a few times a week but be unique. So many things to figure out!

[dmanb2b]

As I research I see there being an interesting split of mindsets - if your car has nice paint and interior then keep it original, if not, do motor swaps, cage it, and make it a drifter/racer.

^^^^this

[Reichart12]

The style is all about what you want. The things you listed that made people "the coolest" are still sought after but I would say those parts are harder to find and more expensive thus prohibitive to some. Staying original is for low mileage survivor cars, although 108k miles is relatively low, I would still say modify it to your heart's desire. That's not a time capsule. For the engine, a m50 isn't as drastic as an upgrade over a m20 as I'm sure it was 10-15 years ago. So many different swaps have been documented so you're not limited there. And final thing from me, my go to vendor is Blunttech. All the parts, good prices, and extremely easy to work with.

Post some pics!!!

[IRON-E]

Remember the old wise words *less is more* you definitely seem mature enough, I say stay OE+. Oh and vendors are Gutenparts.com, Blunttech.com and FCPeuro in that order.

[rturbo 930]

Saw others suggesting against motor swaps and keeping the fine M20 under the hood. H&R springs were the go to and you either dumped it with Race springs or daily drove with sports....and now I’m seeing air suspensions and people sticking with the 4x100 wheels.

When I was in last it was - Short shift kit from a Z3 or other BMW that received a shorter throw shifter, Mtech exterior, Mtech steering wheels, BBS wheels (if you had money) or Kopis (if you didn’t want to spend $3K on wheels), H&R springs, Bilstein shocks, and smiley’s. S50s, 5 lug swaps, and convertible hard tops made you the coolest

Is it about originality and classic design? As I research I see there being an interesting split of mindsets - if your car has nice paint and interior then keep it original, if not, do motor swaps, cage it, and make it a drifter/racer.

1) Keeping the M20 is definitely increasing in popularity, especially as ability to extract power out of them is improved. I'd say H&Rs and Bilsteins or Konis are still the way to go, I'm sure some people are doing air ride, but it's hardly common, or, IMO, more desirable than a good set of springs and shocks. I'd say your list of the go-to mods from when you were last here still largely hold true, minus the Mtech exterior maybe. M/S5x swaps seem to be decreasing in popularity, with S52 swaps being the only one out of the four still worth doing. E36 five lug swaps look kinda goofy, I don't notice many people doing them.

The cleaner and more original the car, the more care should be taken to keep it that way. If your car is nice, OEM+ and reversible mods are the way to go.

[Mastrcruse]

Remember the old wise words *less is more* you definitely seem mature enough, I say stay OE+. Oh and vendors are Gutenparts.com, Blunttech.com and FCPeuro in that order.

Thanks man! Looking back at some of my old threads, I’d say I’ve matured a bit. Just starting to put the overall vision together and have learned, from the Jeep word, just build it the best up front. However, I now look back at my dreams for the last e30 convertible and my high school/college self comes back and now I can afford whatever I want to do with it...haha. Thanks for the heads up on the vendors I’ll check em’ out.

Honestly, I want AC being in Texas so, although i think swaps are awesome, I actually have always enjoyed the M20. But strokerkit, turbo are things I’ve started to research. Honestly though, I don’t need this to be “fast”...it’ll just be a cruiser They “crazy” stuff I’ve looked at are wheels and suspension. I saw someone on instagram that had e21 Alpina 4x100 15” wheels turned into 17” 3 piece wheels. I’ve always LOVED the look of the Alpina wheels so I may try to find someone that can do such a thing or find some kopis. Air ride is the other thing that may “seem” crazy but haven’t done enough research to see if its worth it.

Some ideas are this..

1) Tuck and color match bumpers, IS/ES valance, Mtech 1 rear spoiler, smilies, HR sports and Kopi’s or original Alpina wheels
2) Mtech 1, euro bumpers color matched, HR sports or Air lift performance, original Alpina wheels

Either way I’ll go with the Mtech 1 rear spoiler, love them for some reason, starters, short shifter, rear head rests.

Guess I need to figure out if I want Mtech stuff and 5 lug swap - but man have parts gotten insane in price! :)

[Mastrcruse]

1) Keeping the M20 is definitely increasing in popularity, especially as ability to extract power out of them is improved. I'd say H&Rs and Bilsteins or Konis are still the way to go, I'm sure some people are doing air ride, but it's hardly common, or, IMO, more desirable than a good set of springs and shocks. I'd say your list of the go-to mods from when you were last here still largely hold true, minus the Mtech exterior maybe. M/S5x swaps seem to be decreasing in popularity, with S52 swaps being the only one out of the four still worth doing. E36 five lug swaps look kinda goofy, I don't notice many people doing them.

The cleaner and more original the car, the more care should be taken to keep it that way. If your car is nice, OEM+ and reversible mods are the way to go.

Thanks! The exterior change in mindset is definitely interesting. I’ve never heard anyone recommend keeping diving boards! Haha. If I did a 5 lug swap, it would be to the e30 M3 which quadruples the price. I’m seeing some crazy 4x100 wheel setups so that may not even be necessary anymore for expanding wheel choices, I’ve always been a huge fan of Alpina wheels but wanted something a little larger on the convertible (17’s). This guy had 15” e21 Alpinas made into 3 piece 17’ wheels that are 8.5/9.5 staggered look. I’d love to do this but not sure who actually could do it. Also, we have the BBS’s that are available which I’m also looking at.

Here’s his wheels that I wish I could copy..cause I would. Need to find someone that is actually known for doing this though. Or maybe I’ll just try to find original alpina’s and go with them.

[Mastrcruse]

1) Keeping the M20 is definitely increasing in popularity, especially as ability to extract power out of them is improved. I'd say H&Rs and Bilsteins or Konis are still the way to go, I'm sure some people are doing air ride, but it's hardly common, or, IMO, more desirable than a good set of springs and shocks. I'd say your list of the go-to mods from when you were last here still largely hold true, minus the Mtech exterior maybe. M/S5x swaps seem to be decreasing in popularity, with S52 swaps being the only one out of the four still worth doing. E36 five lug swaps look kinda goofy, I don't notice many people doing them.

The cleaner and more original the car, the more care should be taken to keep it that way. If your car is nice, OEM+ and reversible mods are the way to go.

I think I’ve truly decided to keep the M20 but want it to be opened up a bit. Stroker and turbo seem to be the most common things to consider and would want, and spend more money, to get something that’s reliable - I don’t want to be doing continuous shit to it to keep it running correctly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with maintenance and changes but want it to be more reliable than not.

[Mastrcruse]

Also saw garagistic has some interesting things but don’t remember hearing much in the past about reinforced subframes being a huge need. Maybe something worth looking into also.


**just bought my first mod. Rear head rests. :)

Love that there is an emoji for the e30 vert

[lukeADE335i]

Thanks! The exterior change in mindset is definitely interesting. I’ve never heard anyone recommend keeping diving boards! Haha.

That's mostly due to the way genuine M-Tech 1 or 2 kit prices have skyrocketed. They've become very expensive! That said - I don't think anyone would recommend diving boards if you could source a set of Euro chrome bumpers to fit.

Interestingly - back 10 or 15 years ago building an Alpina tribute was the expensive option, but now that can be cheaper than sourcing the M-Tech bits (asides from the wheels, but you can get kopis for those). I have to admit that asides from the ride height, I've put my car back to being a stock sleeper with 14 inch wheels :)

[rturbo 930]

I think I’ve truly decided to keep the M20 but want it to be opened up a bit. Stroker and turbo seem to be the most common things to consider and would want, and spend more money, to get something that’s reliable - I don’t want to be doing continuous shit to it to keep it running correctly. Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with maintenance and changes but want it to be more reliable than not.

Not sure how much power you're looking for over stock, but check out RHD ITBs. Good for a nice bump in power with stock longblock.

[Mastrcruse]

Not sure how much power you're looking for over stock, but check out RHD ITBs. Good for a nice bump in power with stock longblock.

Something like this?

http://racehead.com.au/products-page/throttle-body-kits/bmw-m20-itb-kit-e30-cf-plenum/

http://kamotorsperformance.com/complete-bolt-on-itb-kit-for-m20-bmw-w-plenum/

[Mastrcruse]

That's mostly due to the way genuine M-Tech 1 or 2 kit prices have skyrocketed. They've become very expensive! That said - I don't think anyone would recommend diving boards if you could source a set of Euro chrome bumpers to fit.

Interestingly - back 10 or 15 years ago building an Alpina tribute was the expensive option, but now that can be cheaper than sourcing the M-Tech bits (asides from the wheels, but you can get kopis for those). I have to admit that asides from the ride height, I've put my car back to being a stock sleeper with 14 inch wheels :)

Thanks! Looks like an alright set of euro bumpers are (OEM) are $1600-1700 shipped. There seems to be non-oem bumpers that look nicer but reviews seem to make it sound like they don’t fit like OEM and there’s some additional trimming that wouldn’t be there with OEM ones.

like these...https://www.classiceuroparts.com/pro...8-320-323-325/

[SkiFree]

There's good and bad.

S52's are still neat, but M5x's have been rightly shown to be largely a waste of time. Newer swaps are being done, some are pretty cool (S54,N5x), some are not (Honda, LS, etc.). M20's are finally getting the love they deserve with proper stroker kits and ITB's now being available.

Some suppliers are still around (Bimmerworld, Ireland Engineering, etc.), but some have been victim to larger or parasitic suppliers (ECS Tuning, Garagistic, Schmeidman, etc.).

Classy parts have remained classy, and as you see now often cammand a premium. There are a lot of "instagram-famous" types who have jumped on the E30 love-wagon in the last five-eight years. However, we are beginning to see the end of E30's 15-minutes of comparative main-stream fame. I'm rather curious to see what car/genre is next up for the spotlight.

[Massive Lee]

The e30 is now a hipster icon. Who would have seen that coming 10 years ago? ;-)