New to me E30 M3

[MR 325]

Congrats on getting it back on the road!

This car has a 3.46 diff, right? You should swap to a 3.25!

I like the classic car plate!

[CreamBeam]

it is mind blowing how someone could beat an e30 m3 so bad like the PO did, you really saved it though.

i cant wait to see it down the road, should be even better. :up:

[spyderbret]

YEA!!! She's home!!!

The car was finally finished (for now) last night and I was able to take her home. We did have one little hiccup though. I stopped to fill it up with gas a couple blocks from the shop and when it got to the top gas came pouring out from somewhere! Turns out there was no gasket on the in tank fuel pump! I don't know how Ara drove this car around before!!!

Anyway, here is a recap of what was done at the shop:

Straighten frame
Change all fluids
Rear end dropped and new bushings installed
Front end dropped and new bushings installed
New transmission bushings installed
Installed camber/toe adjustment kit on rear end
Installed new drop links on both sides
Fuel filter and fuel line
Brake fluid flush
Replaced clutch pedal box
Replaced clutch slave cylinder
Boxed in front frame both sides
New battery
Secured overflow tank in engine bay
Wired radiator fan correctly
Reinstalled side skirts correctly
Secured ECU in glovebox
Cleaned up wiring under drivers side dash
Removed busted alarm system
Added gasket to in tank fuel pump

There was more misc stuff that they did along the way but that mostly consisted of correctly securing bodywork and cleaning up some of the wiring.
I am very happy with the work the guys did. Just awesome!

Got to take it on the freeway on the way home. It is turning 4200 rpm at 80 mph so that's interesting! The car is deceptively quick! It rides very nice now, steering is good and boy is it a lot of fun! I cant wait to get to know this car better!!!

Here are some pictures of everything complete:

Front passenger side fixed and installed correctly:
(This droplink was completely missing before)





Drivers side:







New trans bushings:



A couple random pics of the front end:





I forgot to take a picture at home before I left for work but since I drove it to work here it is back on the road!!







Much time will be spent this weekend cleaning it up. That alone will make a big difference in the appearance. It's just very dirty right now. Once I am done with that I will post more pictures.

Next on the list are seats and a bolt in roll cage. Then more stuff!

Another big THANK YOU goes out to Devin and Chuck at SW Bimmers. I highly recommend them if you are in Vegas and need a good indy shop.

Thanks again for looking!!!!

[spyderbret]

No, I went with the stock 205's for now. I'm still deciding on a track/auto x tire wheel setup though....

[MR 325]

Absolutely amazing transformation so far.

The S.Drives are great for the money in my opinion. Did you go with 225/50?

[spyderbret]

Everything is finally coming back together!!! The guys are going to finish it tonight before they go home and then send it for a final alignment in the morning then it will be ready for pick up!!

Here are some updates from today:

New fuel filter:



Toe adjustment kit installed:





Rear Subframe cleaned up:



New bushings:





Rear end back together:



Installing/Installed:









Right front frame repair complete:







The drivers side frame is getting the same treatment but the battery on my cell pretty much died before I could take those pictures.

I will be sure to get some pictures of the front sub-frame at some point as well.

Thanks for looking!

[e30m3s54turbo]

It looks like it is coming along. keep up with the up dates.

[rasputin]

That's a pretty insane deal actually.

I just got an E30 M3 (237k mi.) for around $10k with a newer S14 (80k mi) but no interior, and awful paint. I think you got a pretty rad deal.

ha i think you pai for the s14 and got a m3 for free lol

[Alpina]

This is great - keep the updates coming, mang.

Agreed

[pwagon717]

Bret, great progress on the car. You are doing exactly what Ive been meaning to do for the past year but have not had the time for. I know she's in great hands. Call me up one of these days to grab a pint

But I thought you said a couple pages back that you did not the vehicle was in this condition. You lucky you had the right buyer.

[Ara]

Bret, great progress on the car. You are doing exactly what Ive been meaning to do for the past year but have not had the time for. I know she's in great hands. Call me up one of these days to grab a pint

[markseven]

This is great - keep the updates coming, mang.

[spyderbret]

More updates from today...

Rear end dropped for new bushings and toe adjustment kit:







Front end off to finish the frame reinforcements:





Almost done:





Clean Diff:





Front suspension after steam clean:









Front Suspension with new springs:





This is turning out pretty sweet. Devin and Chuck do great work. And they put up with all my hovering and picture taking! Cant thank them enough for that too!

Probably more updates tomorrow!

[Javier h]

The car was a total steal.

The oem parts alone, fenders, trunk, bumpers, factory 5 lug suspension, cluster, C-Pillar glass, and S5x engine alone are worth the asking price. If anything, fix it and transfer the parts into a clean titled E30 when funds become available depending upon how it drives etc.

Even if the engine needs overhauling, you really cant lose on this transaction. Since the S14 isnt there, you can really customize it without debating about keeping it stock etc.

Congrats man.

[2mAn]

.... at the end of the day this is one of my favorite cars ever and there are just not that many around anymore. To me it's worth the time and money to bring it back to life. I'm going to treat the car good so I have no doubt she will treat me well too!

Ara knew, Im shocked he didnt mention it to you. He told me when I spoke with him about it. I almost bought the car, but the distance from here to LV was too much to just jump in it and drive back. I wasnt worried about the damage, because it didnt sound too bad over the phone. So glad its getting proper attention. Cant wait to see this thing on the road and more importantly, on the track. congrats!

-Simon