1991 325i The OEM+ build begins

[caelanng]

Hey guys!

I just picked up this 1 owned 160k mile E30 325i 5 speed manual (of course)

Plans for the summer:

Recaros
Euroweaves
Suspension
Various bits and bobs

[bobo]

Car looks clean! Good luck on the build!

[D3R3K]

Looks nice! Maybe consider getting a mtech steering wheel!

[ZeKahr]

I swear… it’s always Alpine White E30s that end up being the most pristine examples of the car. The two nicest ones I’ve seen on BAT were both Alpine White. Given an example this nice with a mint original exterior and interior, even at such high mileage, I’d advise OP not to stylistically molest it with mismatched seats (that look nothing like what came out of the factory) and “various bits and bobs” (I see this as code for more “car scene” mods). But at the end of the day it’s OP’s car and he’s free to do as he pleases…

[caelanng]

Looks nice! Maybe consider getting a mtech steering wheel!

Yep! On the lookout for a m tech 2 370mm right now

[caelanng]

I swear… it’s always Alpine White E30s that end up being the most pristine examples of the car. The two nicest ones I’ve seen on BAT were both Alpine White. Given an example this nice with a mint original exterior and interior, even at such high mileage, I’d advise OP not to stylistically molest it with mismatched seats (that look nothing like what came out of the factory) and “various bits and bobs” (I see this as code for more “car scene” mods). But at the end of the day it’s OP’s car and he’s free to do as he pleases…

I was going to go look at a MK2 GTI and the guy told me "I've got something in the back you may like" and the price was too good to say no. For the seats I'm planning to get some tan Recaros LSBs, seen some good ones on eBay and the tan leather matches perfectly with the current seats. And for "various bits and bobs" I just mean small thinks like a radio, the small computer screen, and other things that are currently broken . Not going to SLAM it, just going to go for OE sport springs and probs konis.

[ZeKahr]

I was going to go look at a MK2 GTI and the guy told me "I've got something in the back you may like" and the price was too good to say no. For the seats I'm planning to get some tan Recaros LSBs, seen some good ones on eBay and the tan leather matches perfectly with the current seats. And for "various bits and bobs" I just mean small thinks like a radio, the small computer screen, and other things that are currently broken . Not going to SLAM it, just going to go for OE sport springs and probs konis.

Ok fair enough :) Just keep the stock seats and suspension bits in a safe place for when you end up selling the car (do not give me the “I never plan to sell it” talk, I’ve heard that enough from E30 people who ended up selling)

[caelanng]

Ok fair enough :) Just keep the stock seats and suspension bits in a safe place for when you end up selling the car (do not give me the “I never plan to sell it” talk, I’ve heard that enough from E30 people who ended up selling)

Will do of course haha, don't plan on selling it but it's always a good idea to keep the stock bits and sell the rest separate :D

[caelanng]

Hey... it's been a little bit, 2 summers in fact. Anyways here's a collection of stuff I've done over the past year and a bit



Got some Euroweaves 15x7 ET24 with Advan Fleva V701s


Got some Recaro LS series in some custom upholstery



Added a Garagistic Supreme Short Shifter, a new shifter cup, and a new boot, hoping to do all the bushings soon from Garagistic as well



New wheels fitted, but monster truckin a lil, so gotta lower it for sure.

[caelanng]

Lowered with Koni Sport yellows and OE Sport springs, I have spring pads in the rear and drop hats in the front because rake FTW and added a 22mm Ireland Engineering rear sway bar, but didn't reinforce the sway bar tabs, that won't bite me in the ass right?



Seats and continental radio installed!

[caelanng]

Drove from the bay down to UC Irvine, uneventful drive just the boring part of I5



Drove at every road I could find down in Socal, here's me at Glendora Mountain Road


Driving back up to the bay and ran into a slight issue... full blowout . Also found out I was missing the small bolt to hold my rotor in place so it was hard to get the wheels on . Also my full sized spare was from 2006, but was able to drive 30 miles and got a cheap new 205/55R15

[caelanng]

Got back to the bay and instantly bored so I took the Diff out, found a 3.73 LSD and decided it would be a good idea to rebuild and install (it wasn't )


Took the entire rear end out, also found out my rear sway bar mount snapped I should have listened to the forums...

[caelanng]

Rewelded a new sway bar tab and also added some Garagistic reinforcement plates! Should be good to go now


Everything back in and a new battery just to find out the previous owner didn't know red was positive and black is ground but that's fine... she runs well, but I didn't put the exhaust back on properly so it's stupid loud... have to fix that now. Also got a 370mm Momo Prototipo which I'm going to install soon!



Back on the road and all I can say is that the LSD was well worth it. Absolute night and day difference, has been a while since I've driven the car (a month or so), but I'm definitely quicker up the Santa Cruz Mountains now . Rotates much better too. Hopefully I'll be better at updating stuff on this car. I want to do an engine swap (most likely an M30), but that's a lot of work and I honestly enjoy driving it more than working on it. Plus now I've got a Scirocco and MK2 GTI 16v I can wrench on those

[E30Kills]

Looking good, love those Recaros. You run in to many other E30s in Santa Cruz? I see less and less in Monterey every year…

[88Sedan]

I'm in the SC mountains too. My car isn't together atm but when it is we should cruise sometime. Your car is beautiful.