IronJoe's back in an e30... 1989 M3!

[IronJoe]

Concurrently with the engine bay refresh I had to address a few mechanical issues. First was suspension. I had previously upgraded to H&R Race springs which I do like for a street E30, however once I added the drop hats the ride became unbearable and it still wasn't low enough.

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I bit the bullet and bought Ground Control's complete drop-in E30 M3 coilover kit. I had gone back and forth between GC and KW's offering but in the end it was the feedback from KW owners and their frustration with ride height that won me over on the GC kit.

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When I bought the car I knew the front brakes were on their last legs so this gave me the opportunity to do them as well. I went with OE replacements as this is a street car and I happen to think the factory E30 M3 brakes are pretty good for the weight and power of the car.

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The GC kit was simple to install. The most annoying part was pulling and replacing the hubs. I ended up cleaning and repacking the front wheel bearings for peace of mind, as they came out in a mess of ball bearings.

Here's the kit installed and dialed in just where I like it. Low enough to bring to a show, but high enough that I don't have to take it easy around corners and it doesn't scrape.
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With the front end apart I took the opportunity to install one of my bucket list parts, a front splitter. I opted for an aftermarket one-piece gloss carbon fiber splitter vs the factory Evo 3 piece, mainly because I didn't like how low the stock stuff hangs down. After seeing them installed and "lived in" on a few cars I knew it wouldn't last long on mine.

Mocked up with 2x4s:
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And installed. I used the factory holes for the Evo 2 chin spoiler so I didn't have to drill any holes in the bumper/chin spoiler.

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Also concurrently, I drained the coolant to replace a leaky hose and released the upper oil pan. The factory cork gasket is notorious for leaking so I used Toyota FIPG (Form In Place Gasket) and it sealed it perfectly, no leaks. While in there I checked the rod bearings for peace of mind and the looked great.

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I also removed the dying AC compressor. I kept all the AC related parts in case I decide to refit it one day but for now it isn't a priority.

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Forgot to add this in the last post, here's the engine bay before and after:

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One last important cosmetic change: Swapped the smoked turn signals for OEM.
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[OSAH racing]

Beautiful

[82eye]

love the orange. you make all the work i do on my car look like garbage in comparison lol

[IronJoe]

Beautiful

Thank you!

love the orange. you make all the work i do on my car look like garbage in comparison lol

Appreciate it, in fairness I started with a really clean example here so I basically just got to do the fun stuff. The car came with a ton of receipts for work done and it already runs and drives great so I kind of cheated this time (I usually buy basket-cases!)

[e30m3s54turbo]

Your m3 looks awesome in Hannah read. I remember I test drove a 88 Hanna red in 1989. Back then I didn’t like the color. After time the color grew on me.
I was in the same situation between KW and GC. I spoke to Vac Motorsport about the suspension coil overs. He recommended for a street car more than track. He recommended GC. I also know KW has poor communication to the customer.
With GC was great communication on phone calls and emails.
I noticed on your GC struts are the reinforced.

[ZEKTI]

Love the M1 tribute styling. Wheels really complete the vision.