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A more traditional e30 build

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    A more traditional e30 build

    Well I think the word 'build' is used a little too loosely on the forums- Id consider this more of an assembly. :D



    Its a 90 325is that Ive been driving/modding for the last two years. And I felt it was finally time to take it off the road, and do something cool with it.

    It started when my neighbor came by telling me he was moving to key west, was leaving his dakar 80k mile 97 m3 behind, and how good it'd look in my driveway. I knew the car, what a basket case it was. I watched him rebiuild the car right in his driveway- he replaced everything. After some haggleing, I bought it. Drove it around a week, and poked around it a bit. It had been hit pretty hard front and rear- then repaired.. Frame rails were twisted, rear subframe was bent, cracks in the rear strut towers. All I needed was an excuse.... And after a few months of selling the parts off locally (yo you still got those seats for sale nightmare) it was time to pass it on.



    I made sure I kept this around though.



    Driving the car, it seemed like a freak.. Definitly faster than the modded s52 M coupe Ive driven recently.

    So now with the extra car out of the way I could take the e30 off the road. Pulled the m20 and sold it locally, and started cleaning up the years of grime.



    First day got it stripped down.



    Took it outside, pressure cleaned it. removed basically everything- sound deadening, ABS, AC, etc etc.. Then started shaving/filling the bay.



    Alot of sanding, and couple coats of primer. Then ready for finish. Used PPG BMW 218, with the HVLP.



    Last edited by Jonny Cash; 11-11-2011, 10:21 PM.
    -Jay

    2014 NASA FL se30 champ #81
    2001 se46 3 year plan in progress



    #2
    then what?????
    1989 US E30 Cammed S52
    Under Construction: 1983 Euro E28 Cammed LQ9/LS3 Heads/Jakeb E28 LSx Kit

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      #3
      I had some downtime that week while I waited for my engine parts. So while the gun was wet I painted the skirts, front valence/lip, rear valence, and rear spoiler. I was very reluctant to do this because I know how hard white is to match, especially 20+ year old paint.. But I did it anyway.



      And my fears came true.. Totally different shades.. Seemed like the original paint was warmer, and the new stuff has a grey-ish tint. Still havent taken into sunlight yet. But moving on..

      I picked up a 70k mile 3.23 LSD, and an Mcoupe diff cover. And the M3 came with a NEW close ratio Z3 rack which sweetened the deal a bit.



      Installed the rack, and stuck all of the suspension back in with brand new hardware.






      And thats where Im at now. Next week Ill be doing some maintenence on the motor, assembling the e34 stuff etc.
      -Jay

      2014 NASA FL se30 champ #81
      2001 se46 3 year plan in progress


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        #4
        Looking great, the bay looks so nice after the smooth and repaint


        Bahama Beige E23 Project
        Bluebird Bus Conversion
        New Oregon Trail

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          #5
          Looking good. Z3 rack is the way to go.

          Comment


            #6
            Awesome man, looking forward to watching this

            Comment


              #7
              Great build so far!! Inspirationa!
              Originally posted by LJ851
              kingston is the play by play announcer for this thread.
              ‘Tis by the grace of God that my cars run!

              Originally posted by unloadedak
              #teamross
              Siobhan's Build Thread - UPDATED!

              Comment


                #8
                Great stuff here, can't wait for some more updates. 8)

                Ohioriders.com
                OhioBimmers.com

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                  #9
                  looks awesome! cant wait to see the end result
                  Originally Posted by slammin.e28guy
                  Girls can be "friends"?

                  I always thought they were just like my car. I get one I like and hold onto it for a while. Starts breaking and shit....flip it.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Cool build. What do you have for suspension?

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                      #11
                      e30 m3 everything- trailing arms, struts, hubs, swaybars, brakes, endlinks. With IE stg3 springs, and Koni short bodies.
                      Im in the process of sending my Koni's out for testing. And I still havent decided if I want to cut the strut housings to install adjusters yet..

                      Ill be doing hpde with NASA with the car to start out, still keeping it a street driven car. Im not sure yet how the weight of the new motor will affect everything- which is why I stripped as much as i could out of the bay. So chances are Ill need the adjustability, and just cut them.
                      -Jay

                      2014 NASA FL se30 champ #81
                      2001 se46 3 year plan in progress


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                        #12
                        Glad you decided to do a build thread, sweet project :D

                        Originally posted by ACHTUNG View Post
                        then what?????
                        He's documenting it as it happens...
                        john@m20guru.com
                        Links:
                        Transaction feedback: Here, here and here. Thanks :D

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                          #13
                          very nice build, looking forward to progress
                          1989 Bronzit 325ia- Sold
                          1986 Diamondschwarz Grey Market 325i Sport Mtech 1- Parted out
                          1988 Delphin 327i- Sold
                          1995 Cosmos M3- Current

                          Comment


                            #14
                            He's documenting it as it happens...
                            And it has to be running, ready to go for Homestead early January. You should also get your ass in gear and come race with us. :)

                            My parts came in today, so next thing is motor assembly. Ive been thinking about ordering a crank scraper. Any racers out there have any feedback, or suggestions for the e34 pan?
                            -Jay

                            2014 NASA FL se30 champ #81
                            2001 se46 3 year plan in progress


                            Comment


                              #15
                              Suck it up and just get the Teflon scraper, we will help you put it in and trim it.

                              Spec racer's comments on the scraper...

                              Chuck Taylor, racer and owner of Factory 3 Performance writes:

                              This is what I know about crank scrapers:

                              Don't install an oil pressure gauge if you aren't planning to also install a crank scraper.



                              The factory oil pressure warning light is set to come on at around 7-8psi. Your warning light probably never illuminates while driving.

                              Once I installed an oil pressure gauge, I found that in the fast left hand corners (like T3 at Roebling) the car was dropping from 50PSI to around 16. Not good. Especially at 5000+ RPM. Even running a quart over full didn't help. Talk about too much information!

                              We installed one of the crank scrapers over the winter, and now the car holds full pressure everywhere on track.
                              john@m20guru.com
                              Links:
                              Transaction feedback: Here, here and here. Thanks :D

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