"Lizzy" My Grey 325e

[deutschman]

Hey guys and girls. This will be the story of my 1984 325e, which I got for free from a friend I was working for about a year ago. Just a general assembly thread so I can keep track of what I am doing, and get helpful ideas and criticism. If I ever sell the car it will also help buyers see what has been done to the car.

The car was one of my moms clients cars. It was passed on to him by his mother after she died, and he was VERY attached to the car. I almost bought the car years ago after my car was totaled, but he could not let it go. A few years later, while I was working on his house, he offered the car to me as a gift. They were moving down to LA and his wife did not want him bringing the car.

Sins then I have done a lot of general maintenance to get the car running correctly after sitting in a drive way rotting under the sun for years. New belts, water pump, hoses, filters, brake maintenance and all kinds of small stuff. I also threw on some Eibach springs and Bilstein HD struts all around, as well as some e90 drop hats.
The car took me up to WA for a year for school and saw some snow spinning, and other dirty conditions. It was a real trooper, and got me out of some pinches very nicely. Now its time to give back to the car.

On the way down from WA the fan ate its way through the water pump-thermostat hose. It was messy but I fix it with some electrical tape and a piece of rubber from a tire I found on the side of the road. My Macgyver got us 100+ miles back home to CA.



I figure the engine mounts are shot so the fan contacted the hose while the engine was moving around. The car was also loaded up HEAVY!

Now that the car is back in CA it wont see long distance driving or adverse weather conditions. I want to use it as a fun car, and do some weekend driving and casual autox and track days.

This is her as she sits as of 09/25/13. She is not nice to look at, but she runs great. I had to calk up the windows in WA because she was leaking badly and I did not have the money to do things correctly. I will remedy that soon. Thats also why the back seats and carpet are missing. They got moldy and stank! I don't think I will replace those.

I did a few small things to her.
Z3 antenna
e21 seats (need rebuild)
Newer dash from Quadrajet
NRG wheel (dont like it much)
Boots from Cletonius
More "up to date" head unit and speakers
Euro grills and US ellipsoids from CAtuned
HID lighting (plain white)
Hella 500 fogs for WA weather
"es" front end
3.73 LSD from CAtuned
Dlerin knob from robsgotit
Working gauge cluster from Quadrajet
e36 switches
e36 ebrake handle

Excuse all the dirt. I dont want to clean the car until after I am done working on it.

[deutschman]

I love this car right now. I dont plan on doing much more cosmetically. I feel like a understated yet clean car with working lights and no large "tuner" decals gets a lot less attention from the 5-0 here in CA, then a souped up shiny car with new paint and a "performance look." I might paint the "es" air dam, and I will defiantly replace all the window gaskets and get a new kidney grill at some point. Maybe some bumper molding, because mine is all wavy. I want to keep the car looking chill and a bit ratty.

Right now I am working on a performance oriented suspension rebuild. Lots of parts on order, some of which are already here.
I am working with Ireland Engineering, CAtuned, Guten Parts, and Condor Speed Shop for all these parts. I like spending my money with smaller shops that support e30s and other BMWs, and I like to spread my business around with a few shops. All of these shops sell great parts, and are staffed by incredibly helpful and friendly people. Later on down the road Blunttech will get involved as well.

Factory reconditioned CV axles
Control arms
Reconditioned Z3 rack
e30tech e36 steering swap rack hardware kit
Tie rods
Condor bushings for suspension and drive train
IE 25mm sway bar kit, urethane steering coupler, billet/urethane rear strut mounts, and weld on camber/toe kit




I am also replacing the drive shaft coupler and center bearing.
I got this new tool I cant wait to use on the ball joints. I have done ball joints a few times, and have always had to smack them with something. I hated that.


In the future (after xmas) I plan on upgrading the springs and struts with some GC coil overs, and getting some better wheels and rubber. I also want to rebuild the brake calipers with brass hardware from Bavarian Autosport, get some slotted rotors, braided lines, and some decent pads.

I am going to wait on adding power till I move back to WA as the smog laws up there are ether non existent or very minimal depending on what county you live in. I would like to build an m20 turbo engine.

Anyways thats about it. I will update with pictures and so forth in a week or so when I have all the parts and time to put everything together.

Thanks for reading

[catuned]

Great to see this coming together Jeremy! Your parts left today!

[deutschman]

Thanks

[Larzzz]

Very cool start. Let me get those hellas!!

[mr2peak]

Nice man definitely coming together!

[2mAn]

you wont have any issues with smog in WA because the car is over 25 years old. build up the suspension, save your money and when you get there swap in whatever your heart desires

[deutschman]

Very cool start. Let me get those hellas!!

MINE! :tsk: lol
My first set got kicked off my car by some drunk kids. I was sooooooooooo pissed off!

Nice man definitely coming together!

Thanks.

you wont have any issues with smog in WA because the car is over 25 years old. build up the suspension, save your money and when you get there swap in whatever your heart desires

Exactly!
Mmmmmmmmmm... M20 turbo... ;D

[deutschman]

Ok guys grab a beer. My first update has come sooner then I thought. I didn't have work today because my boss has been up very late three nights in a row finishing a special interior piece for a restaurant and wanted to sleep today. Thats cool with me, I have worked six days in a row as well.

Its about that time of day and I have already started so you guys need to ketch up :drink:


I popped in my Condor motor and trans mounts today and I have some thoughts on them.
First off they were easier to install then OE or poly bushings because the bolts slide through them, instead of beings cast into the bushings. This means you don't have to have the engine or trans lifted as high to slide them in, because you can slide the bushing into place and then slide the bolt through afterwords.
I know, I know. The letters on the engine mount are upside down, but I was to lazy to take it out and bolt it back in again.
Also I know there is oil EVERYWHERE but I dont feel like chasing down small leeks sins this engine will be out in a year or so.



Ok here is what I have to say about the Condor UHMW mounts. They are super solid and I love them. That said, they ARE NOT for everyone! If you want a quiet car do not buy these! If you want a noisy corner munching beast of a car PLEAE PLEASE buy these.

Vibration at idle is not bad but higher then it would be with poly bushings, and much higher then it would be with OE rubber bushings. At cruising speed its not bad ether but also higher then it would be with poly bushings. At acceleration it is mush higher and if you have any loos bolts or washers you will know it quick like. But its not bad enough to be uncomfortable.

The noise at idle is also higher then it would be with poly or OE bushings. At cruising speed it is a bit high and kind of makes my car sound like a Subaru with an aftermarket exhaust. At acceleration its quite a bit higher and sounds like a race car. Its not a bad sound, but would suck in a DD car or any car you wanted to listen to music in or relax in.

They feel great. My shifter does not torque from side to side when I hit the gas anymore, and shifts feel a bit firmer now. I think ones I have all the suspension bushings in everything will feel very solid and crisp which is what I am looking for.

Again if you want a comfortable DD car don't buy these. If you want a DD car thats fun on weekends, buy urethane bushings and lube the shit out of them so they don't squeak. The Condor bushings are incredible thus far but they are loud and vibrate quite a bit.

Here is a short video of the RPM gauge and hopefully you can here the noise at different RPMs. There is no real way to show you guys the vibration at different RPMs.
This is my iPhone. I have a GoPro but its filled with pictures and video from my trip down 101 and I am to lazy to up load all my footage to my computer and all that. Ones I have the entire suspension built I will shoot some stuff with my GoPro so others can get a feel for what it is like.

[deutschman]

Parts are starting to pile up, and next week should be slow for work. Hopefully I can get the suspension and drive train parts in.
Got my parts from CAtuned today, and picked some re-manufactured CV axles up.

[deutschman]

My Ireland parts showed up late today as well. I am very impressed by the updated hardware for the sway bars. Andrew asked me to take a lot of pictures of the install and help with some assembly tips/instructions. Hopefully I can help.

[deutschman]

Installation begins today. I have to drag my welder and small air compressor from my storage shed in SF over to the North Bay and then get cracking. Only part I am still waiting on is the steering rack which should show up today or tomorrow. I cant wait till I get all this stuff done.

[deutschman]

Well I finely got everything wrapped up, and got my alignment done today. I need some camber plates up front to get a perfect alignment, but that will have to wait till I get coil overs. If you live in the North Bay (Bay Area) I highly recommend Diamond Tire Center. They have experience with BMWs and doing custom alignment specs. Say JP from A1 Auto sent you, or show them a AAA card and get a nice discount.
I am really happy with the way everything turned out. I LOVE MY Z3 RACK!!! That thing is so much fun and I do not understand why some people dont like it. Its not scary or twitchy or anything, but it is fast.
I am also very happy with all my Condor mounts.
All the Ireland parts went in with out any problems and all fit and work well.
I cant wait till I can afford to spend some money on tires/wheels and some coil overs. I think those two projects will be next. Then some better rotors, pads, and stainless braided brake lines. Eventual a bolt in cage of some kind.
I have some small projects planned I can do on weekends that will not cost much and will improve the look of the car a bit, as well as some e30 parts RD ideas I want to invest some time in.
Z3 rack with my Condor power steering delete. Love this thing.






Four tools EVERYONE should have if they even want to think about doing front control arms. Ball joint tool, pickle fork, large hammer, and a retching 19mm wrench. Made life so easy.

[deutschman]

I think the next step for this car will be re-installing some sound/heat insulation. I just made the drive down to the SoCal BMW Vintage Show with the guys from Catuned, and man was it LOUD! My GF kept telling me her feet were getting hot on the passengers side as well.
I just got some insulation in the mail yesterday, but have to wait till Friday for some spray on truck bed liner, which I think will help with the noise and also just make the paint on the floor a bit tougher. I dont plan on putting carpet back in. Maybe some aluminum foot rests.

[CubbyChowder]

Nice man! Glad to see you're working on an old BMW again. I bet it feels way better with all those new goodies installed. Look forward to seeing more of this!