all purpose hoon-mobile

[expelled]

hey there gents (and ladies?).. this will serve as an intro as well since I never made a proper one..

My name is AJ. I live in Chicago and I drive an e90 335xi.. I've been eyeing up e30s for a long time now but I had never made the move on one. There was this AW 325is that parked along the street I drove down everyday to get to my warehouse on the west side and I always wished it would go up for sale..

well..

About a month or so ago I was driving past and was caught at the light.. I looked to my left and there she was.. with a huge smash down the driver's side.. it was a hit-and-run. I ALMOST got out to leave a note but then the light turned green and I drove home.

THEN.. I got on craigslist and THERE IT WAS.. called him immediately and went to look at it. Interior is in mint condition besides the fact that it has black sport seats on red interior.. hmm. side of the car is pretty bad.. I ended up getting it for $300 bucks mainly because it was going to snow and he needed to get it off the street.. My warehouse was a few blocks away so we just drove it there. perfect.

The good side:


The bad side:


The quarter and rocker are pretty bad.. I bought a door and a fender already. I have a body shop that is going to fix it and paint it for a real good deal (I work for NOS Energy Drink... wheel and deal!!!)..


eek...

Interior:

^
Is this cardinal or oxblood red?


Plans:
-lower it on H&R race springs, bilstein sports, e90 drop hats.
-new bushings all around
-some wild 16x8 wheels
-s52/ZF swap

I know it's nothing out of the ordinary for this site but I figured a project build couldn't hurt.
__________________

I noticed a clunk in the rear.. diagnosed the driver's side axle to be bad. while swapping that out I was spinning the passenger wheel so I could get at the bolts and I noticed the passenger side axle was also bad.. eff.. so now it has a new driver's side and no passenger (while I wait for the new one)...

started doing the CABs
put the suspension on (pics coming soon)
did general maintenance (fluids etc) so I can have some fun until the s52 goes in.

some pics:

generation gap


work


thawing out


such a simple design


wheel dollies are the best


Disclaimer: I did not intend on making a build thread so I haven't really been documenting the build.. I will take lots of pictures from here on out.

[el bimmer]

Nice, I also drive a e90 335i was also lurking around at e30s until I finally made the purchase. Have fun with the project!.

[expelled]

thanks man! keep checking back!

[OniKyan]

I would be keen to see some progress shots of the bodywork as I have some rear quarter damage in the same spot. Mine is not as bad but it still needs repair.

[JasonC]

its a 1988 so it would be cardinal red.

[expelled]

its a 1988 so it would be cardinal red.

great! thank you! I thought it was but then I kept seeing this Oxblood color pop up and it looked similar.

[Hey_You]

Mmmm, monster energy, too bad I'm hooked on Rockstar. Haha. Good luck with your swap/build, I'll watch it.

[expelled]

Small updates.. got the other axle in, installed the lug studs from Motorsports Hardware and got it to the body shop today. I'll pick up the s52 tomorrow and start working on that!



sittin' pretty at A&L waiting to get the other side fixed. Does this ride height seem right for brand new H&R race springs on billie sports?:

[cabriodster87]

looks good.

[expelled]

thanks!

picked up the new heart tonight thanks to some good friends...



more to come..

[expelled]

wow I haven't updated in awhile! sorry! Got the engine on the stand and starting taking off the OBD2 stuff and getting ready for the conversion...



Got some quick shots from the body shop.. things are coming along pretty nicely!





Now I am just ordering tons of little parts here and there for the conversion and the swap.. sad bank account!

[expelled]

long overdue update!

We did a leak-down test on the engine and some of the valve seals were bad so we sent the head off to the machine shop to get cleaned, tested and decked... installed new valve seals, did a HG job and reinstalled onto the block.. I replaced a lot of stuff on the engine and bought a few goodies like 24lb injectors, the 3.5hfm and a TRM 93 tune..

After about a month or so of messing around with the engine, here it is:


As you can see, I relocated the expansion tank and removed the washer fluid reservoir because I think it makes the engine bay look cleaner.. I still have a bunch of grinding/cutting/touching up to do in there though.

We only ran into a few issues.. Tried to use the Revshift disc but couldn't get it to work so we went with an M3 driveshaft. Also, I wasn't well-versed in the whole coolant temp sensor thing until after it was installed so I ended up just buying the custom piece from MMW and it worked great.

Now I am just working out a few kinks like the reverse lights don't work even though we have the switch all wired up under the car. I was told to look for the two wires under the shift boot and there are two there with a plug but there is nothing hooked to them and I can't find anything in there..

Also my brake light switch is stuck on so I need to get down there and work on it.

Just got my exhaust welded up a few days ago. I went with the ebay headers to a Vibrant 2-1 merge (2.5" outlet) to TWO Vibrant Ultra Quiet Resonators to a Vibrant Street Power 2.5" single in, dual out muffler.. it sounds amazing. quiet enough but then sings when opened up.. no rasp at all.

I MAY get the whole car resprayed just because I love the car but there are small imperfections everywhere.. Also, since I bought this after it was sideswiped, there were some suspension issues.. control arms were bent and the trailing arms are bent. I replaced all the front components and now I need to swap in new trailing arms..

First fill-up post-swap:


Working on a few things:


Sitting next to my e90:


You can see the muffler in this picture.. I felt as though the tips were too big but I'm starting to embrace them. the sound is too good to be true..


Also, the gas gauge on the cluster is not accurate.. ask me how I know:


Test fitting my Style 5's.. I'm only on Billie sports and H&R Race right now but I'm going to GCs this month.. if anyone wants to buy my setup, hit me up..


Power-wise, this thing is awesome.. I love just cruising in 2nd gear and stepping on it to spin the rear wheels.. Once I get the suspension all tightened up it will be more fun for sure though.

Think that's all for now.. This month I plan to do a full brake job, install the GCs (I have an extra set of strut tube assemblies I've already sectioned), swap in the new trailing arms, throw on the Style 5's, order some new headlights, install the front plate delete strip, work on the paint to see if I need a re-paint or if it can be fixed with a serious claybar session, order the firewall wiring cover thing and install..

Thanks for reading!

[CubbyChowder]

nice!

[N2MYE30]

Wow, thats a way to save a car! Most would have junked that thing.

[E30_Pare]

Went from old n busted to new hottness. Nice