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

[Mouse]

And no more cheap parts. And no more junkyard e30s.

Ahh...I miss those days.

[Kershaw]

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

And no more cheap parts. And no more junkyard e30s.

[The Dark Side of Will]

M54's sound like not difficult swaps, are no heavier than M20's and start at the power where a streetable/cruiser M20 tops out.

[CMBusch]

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

I would argue that the Volvo 240 is still number one on that front. You're right though, most old boxy cars are. Lets not forget Suzuki Samurais/Sidekicks.

Regarding the E30 community changing, I've only really been in it for a few years but this is what I've seen. As the minty ones become harder and harder to find, they will cost more and more. Most decide to keep them as time capsules to a certain extent, but mostly because the supply of clean cars is seriously starting to dwindle. The parts suppliers have gotten better (see above list) and there are a ton of aftermarket options. At the end of the day, just do what you want it. Part of what makes E30s cool is that you can do so many things to them. I wouldn't want to see this community start to resemble old Mopar enthusiasts that get hard for factory orange peeled paint and matching numbers.

[Massive Lee]

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

[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.

[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/

[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/compl...-bmw-w-plenum/

[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.

[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 :)

[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

[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]

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]

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! :)

[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.