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My 1988 325 track build

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    My 1988 325 track build

    I bought this car on 07.27.09 and have been working on it ever since. Things started out a bit slowly, and I have made a few mis-steps along the way. I will try to make this as good of a summary as possible to this point, and will move forward from there.

    For the first couple of weeks, I owned the car but it remained at the shop where I bought it due to some needed repairs, and due to the fact that driving it to my house posed several problems (crappy flatspotted and dryrotted tires, busted CSB, among others).

    Day 1 pics:









    The purpose will be to play with as a project or track car (primarily autoX and HPDE) and to drive every now and then on the weekends. My wife may take it to work to cut miles on her Pilot.

    Car has 160K on the clock and is a 5MT. It looks like a 20 year-old car, and has sat for a few months. According to realoem, the car has an LSD diff. However, according to a VIN check, open diff. After getting under the car a few days after buying it, I determined that it was a 2.93LSD (more on that later).




    Positives:
    • Good price, and a parts car is available. (The seller has a quasi-BMW junkyard.)
    • Underside is in really good shape, from a rust perspective. Nothing but very minor surface rust and a bad spot in the battery box.
    • Interior is in pretty good shape. Driver's seat has some bolster wear. Exterior trim is all black-out.
    • Pioneer CD player (who really cares? But it works...)
    • Engine sounds GREAT.
    • Transmission shifts well.
    • Seller threw in some other small stuff (E36 window switches, misc small interior trim parts, etc.)
    • It has a nearly-complete tool kit, and I can grab other parts out of the yard to make it complete trunk tool kit.
    • Sunroof (manual crank!!!) seems to work properly. I actually wish that it had manual windows, too. (See below.)
    • Car has Hella ellipsoids, though one high-beam has a crack.


    The bad:
    • Exterior has some small rust bubbles but nothing that cannot be fixed easily.
    • Needed new CSB.
    • Also needs the usual parts/service/maintenance for a car that sat: plugs, rubber suspension bits, brakes (most likely), etc.
    • Paint and interior need some elbow grease, for sure.
    • Passenger window is not working, but the driver's side is.
    • 2 tires were completely flat.
    Along with the purchase price, I made a deal with the seller to help me do the CSB install for a reasonable price, since he has a lift and tools to make it happen, plus he has done the install in an E36 many times. In the end, I bought a new-sed DS on eBay and had the spare DS on-hand the day of the install, but my original DS was in good shape. I replaced the CSB and guibo and re-installed the original DS. This was a very easy process. The only bad thing was that Pelican did not send me "everything" related to dropping the exhaust, but no real harm done. (I had told them I needed every bolt and gasket in the complete system, and they left out 2 gaskets. Not horrible.)

    As of my initial purchase, my main goals were related to safety and reliability stuff- brakes (pads, rotors, sensors, flush), hoses, timing belt, maybe front struts (the rears are fine). The plan at the time was to go ahead and lower it (though as of that time, I had no ideal what that entailed on an E30), and probably replace some rubber parts while I am at it.

    The first order of business was brakes, belts, and hoses. I really needed some wheels and/or tires, just to be able to get it home safely.

    In late August, I had a deal lined up for some weaves and street tires, and they arrived intact, though not really sporting the kind of tires I was going to want to take to the track. My first thought was to use the weaves and A/S tires for street use and to have dedicated track wheels, but I decided on a different route (more later). At the time, I could not see putting money into street tires to go on 'caps, but that might have been the easiest route.

    In my haste to get it running/driving (and in hopes of getting it driven to my house), I bought and installed the weaves, and sold my stock 'caps to a Honda guy.



    I had begun to research building a 2.7L "stroker" motor (what a mis-name that is). I prefer to call it a 327i motor...

    As of August, I really wanted to start putting that together. The goal was (and remains) to drive the car in AutoX events next year, and I initially planned to do the timing belt and other associated maintenance this winter, then to possibly do the stroker next winter, but I later decided to go ahead and do the maintenance parts on the 2.7 with an "i" head as opposed to doing everything twice.

    As for the bumpers swap, I planned to pull the stock DBs and at least shoot them in black to get rid of the chrome look. While I'd like to go plastic, I think that matching them to the rest of the trim will be better than nothing. In the end, i think I will run stock DBs with a nice coat of black paint...or maybe white. Who knows?

    At the end of August, I also ordered all of the "stuff" needed to get the exhaust back together, and ordered new front and rear brake pads (Mintex Reds), wear sensors, and rotor retaining bolts. I had not yet selected rotors.
    Patrick Henry

    1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880



    #2
    09.18.09:

    FINALLY got the car to my house. I had it towed, because I was too lazy to re-install the exhaust in the lot at the shop and I could not work out a time with the shop owner to use the lift. I finally paid the guy $50 to drive it 20 miles and drop it off at the house. (Best $50 I spent on the car, by the way!) I should have done that a MONTH ago!

    I also have a ton of parts and maintenance bits to install. I got brake pads (still need rotors), spark plugs, oil/filter, new battery (old one was toast after sitting), and a stock is spoiler (black). I also grabbed a 3-spoke leather stock wheel from a 535i. It needed a new turn signal cancel ring, but I picked that up for cheap.

    I need to clean the whole car- badly!

    Pics, after a quick rinse and wipe-down:









    Once the car got to the house, I swapped the battery for a new one (old one was still under warranty, but was pro-rated). I got the warranty into my name and paid to upgrade to a new battery. Unfortunately, there was a brief issue with a parasitic drain on the new battery. After about a week of fighting it, I determined that it was the power antenna motor that was the source of the drain. Disconnected it…problem solved!

    I began more research into my 327i build. Being that this is a SuperEta, it was a different ball of wax. Long story short, I determined the following was all that I would need for my upgrade:
    • 325i 173 (or 380) ECU
    • 325i inner valve springs
    • 325i cam
    • 325i intake manifold
    • 325i throttle body
    • 325i throttle position switch
    • 325i intake bellows
    • 325i air flow meter
    • 325i 3.0 fuel pressure regulator
    • 325i vacuum line from brake booster, to bellows, and to throttle body side
    09.27.09:

    Took her for a drive today in my neighborhood. I re-installed the midsection of the exhaust (took no time with a helper to align the front) and drove it in my neighborhood. This was the first time that I had actually driven it anywhere other the lot where I bought the car.

    First driving impressions were good. Throttle response was pretty good and the idle smoothed out after I had driven it for a few minutes. The gauge cluster had no movement on the tach on the first startup, but after driving, it sprang to life. Weird. Not a big deal, since I am swapping in a gauge cluster from a 325i, but odd nonetheless.


    09.29.09:

    Already needing a timing belt, I decided that since the car won't be on the street or track until spring, I decided that might as well build this right. I have located an "i" donor car and am getting everything that I can from it to do a budget “stroker” build using the S-eta bottom end and pistons and the complete head, TB, IM, 173, cluster, alternator, radiator, etc. from the donor car. I also found a few other nice random parts on the donor (sail panel tweeters, vert FSB). I am basically taking everything forward and on top of the head. I bought some parts that I have no intention of using, and am selling them off to fund the other parts that I need to buy.

    10.02.09:

    Sourced the majority of my top end rebuild parts today at the junk yard. I grabbed everything from the head on up and forward:

    325i 153 DME/ECU
    325i head, including:
    325i inner valve springs
    325i cam
    325i intake manifold
    325i throttle body
    325i throttle position switch (should be in there somewhere)
    325i intake bellows
    325i air flow meter
    325i 3.0 fuel pressure regulator (Should be in there somewhere)
    325i vacuum line from brake booster, to bellows, and to throttle body
    325i Gauge Cluster
    325i Alternator
    325i radiator
    325i airbox

    A lot of other random stuff- hoses, lines, what looks like a full motronic 1.1/1.3 harness, coolant tank, plug wire set...

    Like I said, I bought some parts that I have no intention of using, and am selling them off to fund the other parts that I need to buy and to offset previous costs.

    Main parts:





    10.10.09:

    Purchased a new shifter assembly on eBay. This came from a Z3 M (don’t know which sub-model). Cheaper than just the shifter from a regular vendor, and all of the bushings are tight tight tight.



    Look how dirty the interior was as I started disassembly:



    That Great Neck 24V impact wrench is a great deal at Pep Boys, if you get it on sale for $59 like I did.

    Swapped in a passenger sport seat to the driver's side, just for now. I also have the driver's side frame and will work on swapping the controls to the proper side, but I don't need much in the way of adjustments. I have it where I want it, which is good enough for now. I bought both sides for dirt cheap and parted out the driver’s side (due to the cracked frame) and was left with a decent seat (the ‘vert passenger Sport seat) on the driver’s side, and a profit, to boot.





    Patrick Henry

    1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


    Comment


      #3
      10.12.09:

      Another successful JY run:







      Eclipse 5.25s sourced from a clunkered Jeep Cherokee, E34 leather e-brake handle and boot, and a 380 DME ( since my "build package" did not come with a 173, like I had hoped) for my build. They let me keep the 153 as a spare, but I sold it.

      11.13.09:

      Now, the real fun begins…

      Bought some lightly used 50406 H&R Sport springs to get started on the suspension rebuild.

      Bought some Brembo and PBR rotors (from brakeswap.com - GREAT vendor!) and have the Mintex Red pads for the street.

      I also found some light 15s for track wheels, and awaiting paypal payment info to pay for them. Probably going with Falken Azenis RT-615s in 205/50/15 for tires.

      11.16.09:

      Score...H&Rs arrived. Used, but look to be in like-new condition.

      Found a Euro 320i in my local JY. Let the EDM 'leet-ness commence! In addition to pulling some parts for myself, I am pulling the euro parts from the 320i and will be selling them at a small profit to fund other parts that I need. Also, but purchasing parts in bulk at my junk yard, I get a better price for the parts that I need (volume/cash discount), AND I help out other owners. Win/Win.

      I was approached about swapping my 2.93 LSD for a 3.73 LSD. After negotiating via email for a couple of days, we struck a deal where I pay shipping both ways and the guy with the 3.73 sends me his LSD (with new seals and a fresh coat of POR-15 paint) and I send him my 2.93. Since my car is not operable, I was able to pull mine first and send it to him, and he will swap his out and ship it back to me with a prepaid FedEx label.

      On the 16th, I finally pulled my 2.93LSD and shipped it off in phase 1 of a swap for a 3.73LSD. I built a pimp wooden box, overlaid it with cardboard, and off it went.

      As for wheel progress, I had debated getting good tires for my weaves, but I was able to sell them for a really good price (what I paid for them, including shipping), so I sold them and sent payment for the 15” wheels mentioned above. They are basically Hartage reps...15 x 6.5.

      To have rollers between now and when I get tires (still looking at the RT-615s and possibly Star Specs), I grabbed a set of 14 x 5.5" BMW steelies off of the 320 to use as rollers. Tires will come closer to the spring. No need to order them now just to have them sit in cold weather all winter.

      Also, ordered some used 19# injectors. The ones that I got with my swap package had 2 busted tips, so I needed new ones, and I decided to upgrade now.

      The nice thing about how I managed to get things arranged in my garage/driveway is that I can actually push the E30 in and out of the garage to work on it in bad weather while still keeping my daily driver in the garage for my pre-dawn commute.

      11.21.09:

      15" Hartage reps arrived. They looked better in pics, but the seller did not mislead me or anything. Pics:





      11.22.09:

      Ordered a set of Bilstein Sport struts and E46 M3 Cabrio rear upper strut mounts from bimmerparts.com. Great prices on them, and they should pair up perfectly with the H&R Sports.

      I also ordered a stainless steel rear strut tower brace/bar. This may or may not do much, but for the price, it looks cool and gives me a more solid upper mounting surface for the rear struts.

      I took an hour or so and sanded/wire-wheeled the spare valve cover and the “I” intake manifold from the M20B25 that I snagged at the JY. After prep, I painted them both, as well as a spare set of exhaust manifolds that I had:







      Paint looks absolutely stellar this morning. In those pics, the paint was still a bit wet. As of last night, I was thinking about topcoating the VC and IM with a semigloss or even gloss black. After looking at the flat finish 12 hours later, I love it.

      Paint is VHT 1300* exhaust paint. Their engine paint goes to 500, but I wanted to paint the exhaust manifolds, so I used the higher-temp stuff.
      Patrick Henry

      1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


      Comment


        #4
        So that brings us to right about now- today. I have a baby on the way in 3 weeks, and a 3 year-old, so time and money are short, plus that red pickup (1988 Jeep Comanche)that is in the background of some of the pics is another project of mine, though it is almost complete. It belonged to my grandfather (who bought it new in 1987), who passed away last year. I am restoring and keeping it running after some neglect.

        I have really made a lot of progress collecting parts, but not a lot of progress in actually getting them installed. I hope to get the head swap/327i build completed first, with the timing belt, accessory belts, water pump, thermostat, etc. all done at the same time. I have all of the parts, but not the time to do the work.

        The suspension and brake work should be pretty easy, as I have done all of that countless times. I am sourcing a spare set of calipers to rebuild, and a spare set of front strut housings to refinish for the Bilstein install. I pick them up this weekend.

        Like I said- I am GREAT at collecting parts...
        Patrick Henry

        1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


        Comment


          #5
          looks sweet so far man! We are doing some similar stuff. Check out my build, the link is in my sig. The only thing that caught me off gaurd was you saying that you were going to have your wife drive a track car to work! Really? Wont it be kinda... loud?

          E30 325is "Starting from Scratch" build thread

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by freeski27 View Post
            looks sweet so far man! We are doing some similar stuff. Check out my build, the link is in my sig. The only thing that caught me off gaurd was you saying that you were going to have your wife drive a track car to work! Really? Wont it be kinda... loud?
            She has a short commute, and may drive it from time to time, just for fun.

            I actually won't be doing much to the exhaust. I plan to replace the current exhaust with something that won't draw too much attention. As a matter of fact, if the exhaust was not rusted out at the muffler, I'd leave the stock IS exhaust in place.
            Patrick Henry

            1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


            Comment


              #7
              Cool beans. That M Coupe shifter assembly looks waaay too long to me, but at the least the nylon cup and shift rod should be good. You may be able to reuse the shift tower bushing too (although I'd just order a delrin set for like $20 if it's not perfect).

              Also I dig the hartge reps. What's the width and offset?

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Wh33lhop View Post
                Cool beans. That M Coupe shifter assembly looks waaay too long to me, but at the least the nylon cup and shift rod should be good. You may be able to reuse the shift tower bushing too (although I'd just order a delrin set for like $20 if it's not perfect).
                I never thought about the fact that the linkage might not be the right size...I just knew that the shifter itself was a direct-fit.

                Maybe I'll have more on my hands than I had anticipated.
                Originally posted by Wh33lhop View Post
                Also I dig the hartge reps. What's the width and offset?
                I know that the size is 15 x 6.5, but there are no good markings for the offset. Ihave suspicion that it may be 25 (I HOPE), because all 4 have 3 sets of numbers stamped on the back. One set is the size (15 x 6.5), one set is different on all 4 wheels (completely random 2-digit numbers), and the last is "25" on all 4. No "ET" designation or anything- just a "25" under the size casting.
                Patrick Henry

                1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by phenryiv1 View Post
                  I never thought about the fact that the linkage might not be the right size...I just knew that the shifter itself was a direct-fit.

                  Maybe I'll have more on my hands than I had anticipated.
                  Looks way longer than the G260 linkage. You could always just cut-and-weld... ;)

                  Only pics I have



                  Stock G260 selector rod (G240--318 gearbox--has longer shifter hardware IIRC)



                  You can see the shift carrier rod in this one, not very well but it gives you an idea. Both look way shorter, like 3-4".

                  I know that the size is 15 x 6.5, but there are no good markings for the offset. Ihave suspicion that it may be 25 (I HOPE), because all 4 have 3 sets of numbers stamped on the back. One set is the size (15 x 6.5), one set is different on all 4 wheels (completely random 2-digit numbers), and the last is "25" on all 4. No "ET" designation or anything- just a "25" under the size casting.
                  Bah, just put some tires on em and try em on already.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Wh33lhop View Post
                    Looks way longer than the G260 linkage. You could always just cut-and-weld... ;)
                    I think I will swap them over rather than to try cutting and welding, seeing as how I can't weld.
                    Originally posted by Wh33lhop View Post
                    Bah, just put some tires on em and try em on already.
                    For now, I plan to rock steelies until spring. I already have the wheels and don't have the money for tires. What money I do have left is a contingency fund for those things that will inevitably go wrong or be needed as I do the head swap and install suspension, brakes, etc.
                    Patrick Henry

                    1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


                    Comment


                      #11
                      Parts pics:

                      Bilstein Sports and E46 M3 Vert RSMs:



                      Rotors (Brembo F, PBR R):



                      H&R Sports:



                      E28 spoiler:

                      Last edited by phenryiv1; 04-27-2010, 11:36 AM.
                      Patrick Henry

                      1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


                      Comment


                        #12
                        Sick Build. How are you still following me? I know you were on MSV before it got shut down, and I think you were on maxima.org lol.
                        I got a fender roller now! LMK if you need me to roll your fenders or want to rent the tool from me locally.

                        Paypal: vdang5@gmail.com

                        Delta Auto Care
                        2875-C Towerview Road
                        Herndon, VA
                        703.435.1375

                        My Feedback Thread: Evil_Twin

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by evil_twin View Post
                          Sick Build. How are you still following me? I know you were on MSV before it got shut down, and I think you were on maxima.org lol.
                          I am an OG on the org. (2001 join, and am a mod there). I was on all of the SpecV sites, and sold my B15 SpecV for a Legacy about 2 years ago.

                          I snatched up the E30 as a track car.

                          Thanks for the compliment. I have an S-ton of parts, but nothing is installed, really. I need more time.

                          I am also trying to change EVERYTHING with each upgrade- all of the mounts, bushings, bearings, seals, etc.

                          Since this will be on the track, I want to do things once, but I have so many "primary" components and not all of the supporting parts to go along. For example, I have springs and struts, but I don't yet have all of the mounts. I have pads, and rotors, but no caliper rebuild kits, new lines, etc.

                          I have car ADD.
                          Patrick Henry

                          1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


                          Comment


                            #14
                            Some actual progress:

                            Installed my "i" cluster and a 3-spoke leather steering wheel:







                            Received my set of 205/50/15 Falken Azenis RT-615 tires. For $230 shipped, I could not beat them.



                            3.73 LSD arrived:



                            Nothing major, but it is SOMETHING!

                            I also ordered a caliper rebuild kit for my spare front calipers, and new front brake lines. I also ordered new ftont upper strut mounts.
                            Patrick Henry

                            1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


                            Comment


                              #15
                              Ordered a Bentley.

                              Received rear strut tower bar:





                              Local JY has an M-Tech I wheel in so-so condition that they are practically giving me. I will probably get it re-covered and see which wheel I like better.
                              Patrick Henry

                              1989 325iC build: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=316880


                              Comment

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