E30 Euro Frankenstein Semaj4712 Progress Thread

[bmw325csi]

Not sure if its relevant but check out Jandersons thread, he installed the rear seats.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...+seats&page=17

[semaj4712]

Thought i would give you an update with the current pictures of my interior so you can see where I am starting at...





Yes i am getting tid of that hidious battery test gauge, what an ugly pos...and that shift knob which was prolly bought at autozone will go also...just ordered my akg stage II quickshifter

[semaj4712]

Those brakets are for the front seats which I cannot use as my base is different...the base on the recaros is different based on whether you have manual height adjusting seats or electronic...those are designed for the electronic and are easiest because the base just un bolts and then you bolt those on...mine the base does not come off...that is until I grind off the parts I dont need then make my own bracket...

In terms of the rear seats make sure you get Jetta rear seats...mine are from a GTI and are slightly different in size, but would probably still work...I have not played too much with mounting them but if you hang around I will surely get to that

[YosemiteSam]

Do you have any ideas on how to mount those rear seats? I have the same front seats and I have always wondered if the matching rear seats would fit. As for brackets for the front seats, I got mine from Janderson on here, he makes them and sells them. Here's the thread about it: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...ghlight=recaro

[semaj4712]

Mint Dash, no cracks or blemishes anywhere

So apparently after much reading I bought the Recaro Trophies that are the only ones that you "cant" make fit into the E30 with adapters because of the current setup on the seat or something...bull, nothing a grinder cant take car of, then bolt it to the adapters

[peasouped]

is that a new dash or a dash cover? looks mint

[semaj4712]

Picked these up yesterday, now I am trying to figure out how to make a bracket for them. They are in great condition and cant wait to sit in them, I also bought matching rear seats to maybe try and cover the stock seats with?? We Will see

[325ix]

The plate is designed for the m20, and the oil pan is basically on it, so yea it's pretty useless, cuz if you hit the plate hard enough instead of it flexing and blocking the oil pan, it flexes right into the oil pan

That would explain quite a bit.

[semaj4712]

No worries, no the car is still in good hands, truthfully better hands, I don't like myself with nice things, you can see what happens

[robrez]

Yes it is Byron's, and he did all the of the work, pardon me if that came across wrong, the build was all his, Goldman tapatalk and the ipads autocorrect had me mis type that, and it was the other way around, and I..thanks for the post as I never could find his build thread,

Thanks for the clarification. I know Byron from the M/Z3 coupe forums, and I've followed his builds, so I was a little taken back when I saw your unedited post.

I bought it back after the accident and sold it to a good friend, no no Byron is not my uncle, although I wish I had an uncle with that much knowledge in cars

Cool, good to know the 318is (and all those dope parts) didn't end up at the junker.

Good luck with the new build. Sorry for the off-topic.

[semaj4712]

I bought it back after the accident and sold it to a good friend, no no Byron is not my uncle, although I wish I had an uncle with that much knowledge in cars

[semaj4712]

Yes it is Byron's, and he did all the of the work, pardon me if that came across wrong, the build was all his, Goldman tapatalk and the ipads autocorrect had me mis type that, and it was the other way around, and I..thanks for the post as I never could find his build thread,

[robrez]

Anyways this brings me to the start of my BMW and E30 story, last year I got a big tax return and decided instead of paying bills and being responsible, Id buy a euro, I missed my VWs and wanted something to throw money into, while looking for a MK1 TDI Caddy I found a few E30s that were really catching my eye. I had never considered buying a BMW but my uncle had an E30 for years and I had helped him form time to time when he built it, and I decided to hit him up and find more out on the car, and to my dismay he had sold the car but knew the buyer, and the buyer, to my excitement, was willing to sell the car. My uncle rebuilt the engine, trans, suspension, and then the PO had basically done a few added things and brought it where it was when i bought it, mainly cosmetically but a few things like gauges and the LSD etc. But anyways so I bought it, I was the proud owner of a 91 318is

Whoa, is this the 318iS that got totaled? Did you buy it back after your insurance totaled it? Is Nivola your uncle? Holy shit, that car had a lot of nice parts. I drooled over it many times.

Well, a lot of time, research, elbow grease, shop-time, (and of course $ -- complete rebuild of timing gear, etc.), here's what happens after 5 :D months of ownership...

(For reference, here's the original post.)

And yes, for the money, I could have done an S50 swap, but I already have an S52 M coupe, which is why I sought out a 318is with its engine's character and the car's nimble abilities. I like the contrast between the two.

Accessories (OEM):
◦ 318is lip spoiler
◦ Euro grille
◦ Evo/DTM type hood and deck lid seals
◦ First Aid kit
◦ Oil-bag
◦ Rear head-rest kit


Aftermarket Accessories:
◦ Center console gauge pod
◦ Fire extinguisher
◦ Front splitter

Brakes:
◦ ATE SuperBlue
◦ Ferodo DS 2500 brake pads
◦ UUC slotted front and rear rotors (OEM size)
◦ UUC stainless steel brake lines

Drivetrain:
◦ 4.27 LSD
◦ AKG Motorsport DTM quick shifter
◦ RedLine MT90 in differential & MTL in transmission
◦ Rogue Engineering Transmission Mounts

Electrical:
◦ AKG Motorsport DTM mono-wiper
◦ Custom painted windshield washer reservoir
◦ Euro ellipsoid projector headlights w/ smoked urethane shields (and shields for fog lights)
◦ Hella H1 55W low-beam and H1 130W high-beam bulbs
◦ Smoked side-markers, turn-signals and taillights
◦ Stebel Nautilus full-size Italian air-horns

Engine:
◦ Alpina527 custom TB: 3mm larger main butterfly & rest of bore larger, w/gas flowed shape
◦ Bosch 0280155700-FVE Design III 19# injectors
◦ Clutch fan delete, replaced w/ OEM E36 318ti electric fan
◦ Coil-Over-Plug (COP) conversion w/ high-capacity plasma coils
◦ Custom cat-back exhaust
◦ Custom painted cam-cover, intake & throttle-body
◦ E.A.T. Ultrachip, 91 octane, 7100rpm limiter
◦ Elf Excellium 10W50
◦ K&N filter
◦ NGK BKR6EIX Iridium spark plugs
◦ OEM E24 engine mounts
◦ Redline Water Wetter
◦ OEM TB heater removal, hose bypass & OEM "tropic bolts" for intake manifold
◦ VDO gauges: oil-pressure, oil temp (with LeatherZ sender block) & voltmeter

Frame:
◦ Eric Jason design front steel skid / oil-sump protector plate
◦ Mason Engineering 1-piece TIG welded tubular steel strut brace

Steering:
◦ Momo Monte Carlo 350mm steering wheel w/correct hub and BMW horn button
◦ RedLine Power Steering Fluid
◦ ZF 2.7:1 short-ratio steering rack (OEM, for 1.9L Z3)

Suspension – Front:
◦ Bilstein Touring Struts
◦ Off-set lower-control arm bushings (OEM, E36 M3)
◦ Urethane sway-bar bushings

Suspension – Rear:
◦ AKG 70A urethane subframe bushings
◦ AKG adjustable camber/toe urethane trailing arm bushings
◦ Bilstein Touring Shocks
◦ Urethane sway-bar bushings

Tires & Wheel Accessories:
◦ Sumitomo 195/65HR-14 HTR H4s

Track Gear:
◦ Aluminum tow hook (front)
◦ CG-Lock
◦ D-Force 15” x 7” rims (STILL ON ORDER SINCE FEBRUARY! :mad )
◦ Falken Azenis RT-615s: 205/50ZR15(F&R)

So, with all that, she handles great (firm, yet compliant for a DD) and the motor just hums and pulls hard from 3500-7100.

And the gratuitous pictures:

Old timing gear--


New parts--


The Alpina527 BBTB--


UUC Brakes & Ferodo 2500DS pads--


Oilpan skid-plate--


The office--


Finished engine bay, intake side--


Finished engine bay, cam side--


Exterior shots--






You can get more specifics on the upgrades/timeline/blog via my website:

Nivola 368s #92

[semaj4712]

The plate is designed for the m20, and the oil pan is basically on it, so yea it's pretty useless, cuz if you hit the plate hard enough instead of it flexing and blocking the oil pan, it flexes right into the oil pan

[325ix]

Did you crack the pan with the plate? You must have really hit something!