noe30's 89 325i build

[noE30]

This will be a build up thread showing my progress with the car.
It will be pretty slow progress considering I'm broke but I just wanted to be able to document it.
First I'll give you a little background on the car.
I bought this car in July 09 from a fellow in Denver, Co. I found the car on craigslist for $5500, I got him down to $4k and drove to Denver to pick it up.

Here are the pics from the listing.
I still regret not buying the AC schnitzer wheels.



After the 800 mile trip back to Iowa, the e30 was finally home!
First thing I did was give it a good wash so I could get a good look at it.

[Jean]

Not bad! Miles/ records?

"I still regret not buying the AC schnitzer wheels." +1

[noE30]

Thanks! When I bought the car it had 215k on it. I don't have much for records on it but the car was originally in California. Which is part of the reason it doesn't have any rust. Also the car used to be an auto and the po swapped it to 5spd, the car is also lowered on H&R Sports and Bilstien shocks, and a 4.10 lsd. Other than that it is completely stock.

[noE30]

The interior was a mess. The PO had all kinds of wires running right through the interior. And there were stains in the carpet all over. So I pulled out the seats and gave it a good cleaning. I also pulled out all the speaker wire.
Before





After
(still needed some work but much better than before)


another shot for good measure

[noE30]

After that I took the car to my fathers shop to put it on the lift to take a good look at an oil leak and the underbody.
The underbody looks to be in pretty good if you ignore all the oil and the undercoating that has deteriorated. Next spring/ summer I plan to get all new undercoating sprayed on, rust in the midwest is a killer and I plan to keep this e30 a clean rust free e30 haha.

[noE30]

For the next few months I just drove the car and enjoyed it. I didn't have any money to really get anything done hence the empty pocket build haha.
One day while in advanced auto parts I noticed a detailing product called The Black Box. It is a kit that has wax specifically for black cars, I figured I would try it out. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with a black car, I've waxed my car with normal wax before and it never looked as good as it did with this stuff.

Here you can see some of the oxidation that it removed, the passenger side had been waxed in this photo driver side had not.

And after

[red325]

clean ass paint

look into meg's for wax though, they have some amazing stuff for black paint

[noE30]

clean ass paint

look into meg's for wax though, they have some amazing stuff for black paint

Thanks, It really does need a paint job though. I've got oxidation on the roof, peeling clear coat, tons of chips and scratches, and the trunk has a shity repaint on it you can see where they tried to blend the paint. Hopefully I can get a paint job next year.

[noE30]

I noticed that I was getting water in my trunk some how, it wasn't really puddles of water more like condensation. I believe that its the trunk seal/ tail light seals. Those are at the top of the list for parts to buy. Could it be caused by the sunroof drains?
Also the trunk mat was in the trunk and as you can see there was still condensation underneath it.


The rust you see in this picture is from the oem jack sitting in water.

[red325]

Thanks, It really does need a paint job though. I've got oxidation on the roof, peeling clear coat, tons of chips and scratches, and the trunk has a shity repaint on it you can see where they tried to blend the paint. Hopefully I can get a paint job next year.

Same here. I got some orange peel going on and chips as well as a few significant scratches. It's also incredibly swirled. The woman who had it before me obviously didn't have the slightest clue about how to take care paint.

I'm hoping to learn the trade of polishing this spring and bring it back to life some....A legit paint job is way too costly

[freeski27]

unless you spray it your self :D! (...then again, way too time consuming, it will take over your lifee...)

btw- Sweet thread dude! are you going to use POV-15 on the underbody?

[noE30]

btw- Sweet thread dude! are you going to use POV-15 on the underbody?

Thanks, I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet although I heard Por-15 is good stuff (I'm assuming that's what you meant), I might just go talk to the local body shops and see what they recommend.

[noE30]

Now that I've got the thread caught up, its time for me to get some real work done.
I have finally been getting some work so that means I've got some money for car parts. But sadly the car will be going into storage soon as winter is steadily approaching. Since the car will be in storage, it will be a perfect time to get a bunch of much needed work done. I've got a oil leak that I need to take care of so that's going to be done soon. I just purchased a bentley manual the other day so that should help out a ton.

Here's the to do list:
Order gasket sets and replace gaskets/seals
New oil/filter
New coolant and coolant temp sensor
New thermostat (PO gave me one)
Install new oil cooler and lines, I purchased one from Schneller 3er (great seller)
Do a valve adjustment, I really need one.
New timing belt/water pump and tensioner

After that I will probably do some preventative maintenance like spark plugs, wires, dist. cap, brakes etc. I also have an exhaust leak and need new hangers, so I think I might just get a complete exhaust. I read that the s.s. headers on ebay are decent for the price and so is the I.E. Cat Back. Anyone have any recommendations for parts please fell free to let me know. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[freeski27]

Thanks, I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet although I heard Por-15 is good stuff (I'm assuming that's what you meant), I might just go talk to the local body shops and see what they recommend.

Indeed... sorry, its a little late over here in EST ;)

[noE30]

Ordered a bunch of parts today, I should be able to start on the project as soon as I put the car away for the winter. I must be going crazy because I'm so anxious to get this done that I almost want it to snow just so I have an excuse to get started.
Parts Ordered:
OEM Air Filter (Mine needs to be replaced)
OEM Oil Filter
New Trunk Seal
Head Gasket Set
Head Bolt Set
Timing Belt and Tensioner Pulley
Water Pump and Gasket
and Oil Pan Gasket

Now I just need to pick up some oil and some coolant. Are there any other parts I should order for this? I will be fixing an oil leak, replacing the oil cooler, and doing a valve adjustment.
Also I don't have a dealer near me so I would need stuff that could be picked up at an auto parts store.