phenryiv1's 1989 325iC Project - SETA 2.7i Swap Complete and Running!

[exhaust]

It was really nice yesterday, good day to get the convertible out.

I see you've got a quick lift, how do you like it? I've been eyeing those up for a little while.

[phenryiv1]

Top down in February...I'll take it!

[phenryiv1]

So the e30 has sat for much of the winter while I drive my WRX daily. This weekend the weather was nice so I charged the battery and took the 325 for a drive to dinner. While the battery was on the charger I cleaned the battery tray and took the time to POR-15 the battery tray as a preventative measure:

[phenryiv1]

I assume that's a Coverlay dash cap? I'm curious to see what your take is on it after install.

Not sure on the brand. I'll check it for markings during install.

[JWHIII]

I assume that's a Coverlay dash cap? I'm curious to see what your take is on it after install.

[phenryiv1]

So the donor driveline arrived! I need to swap diff output flanges to attach my e30 halfshafts, swap on one of my spare M20 e30 oil pans, and swap on e30 motor mount arms. Otherwise I am pretty much ready to pull and go.



Unfortunately there is an e28 attached to it but I can deal with that.









I also snagged a dash cap to cover my cracked dash. Fit is supposedly good- I'll find out for myself fairly soon, I hope.

[phenryiv1]

[phenryiv1]

Finally did something on the e30. Since getting the e36 and since I am awaiting the arrival of the replacement drivetrain for the e30 I have not really done much. I did steal the antenna from the 36 to see if it improved the FM radio reception and it did. While that tiny Z3 antenna mast looks nice and short I think I'll take function over form and get a taller antenna.

[phenryiv1]

So I drove the e30 to work today (first time since Wednesday of last week) and the idle was doing a little "searching" when I first started it up. 10 minutes into the drive the CEL comes on. I had no idea that the e30 even HAD a CEL. Lesson learned there.

Last Wednesday I had an incident (lasting about 10 seconds) where the throttle seemed to be out of synch with intake or spark and the car stumbled for a few seconds but it "caught" and then was fine for the rest of the day. Today the idle is a bit off and the CEL is on intermittently.

After a little searching it seems that I may need to check my intake boot, bypass hose, TPS, and the intake gasket. We'll see how that turns out.

Next up is a totally random issue with the stereo. Out of the blue I am getting alternator noise. Everything was good and now the noise is present when the amp powers up. Nothing has moved but the noise is clearly there. Looks like I'll have to investigate that as well.

[rcsoundn1]

If you aver see a real clean T for cheap LMK. Seems most are 318s.

[phenryiv1]

Also, I did get rid of this:



My neighbors (and my wife) approve of the exodus.

[phenryiv1]

I am looking at the same cars as a daily as well. I would love a TI but they are 2 in my are and 1 is a rat and the other has an asking price 2xs its value at a dump of a used car dealer. When i questiond his price, he said F-off in not so many words. Im in for more details about this car and how easy/hard it is to work on

Having had 2 e36s in the past they are not as simple as the e30, and the top mechanism is a PITA due to the electronics and microswitches involved. HOWEVER, there is a ton of support for troubleshooting so with what all I have been through with the e30 I can't imagine that I can't figure out a well-researched system on the e36. I was really on the fence about 2 convertibles but the hard top sold me. It has working dual zone climate control, relatively low miles, and is a GA car with a service history. Much better starting point than the e30. I also like that it is bigger and safer than the e30, overall.

And that 5x120 wheel selection... :devil:

I got this car for right about the cost of a hardtop for an e30 convertible.

[rcsoundn1]

I am looking at the same cars as a daily as well. I would love a TI but they are 2 in my are and 1 is a rat and the other has an asking price 2xs its value at a dump of a used car dealer. When i questiond his price, he said F-off in not so many words. Im in for more details about this car and how easy/hard it is to work on

[phenryiv1]

So this happened...

I was looking for a 328i sedan and stumbled on this in the local CL.











5MT, 167,xxx miles. Car needs some minor maintenance but overall good condition. Southern car, no rust (HUGE bonus for someone in the mid-Atlantic). Painted hardtop (another nice bonus there) but the soft top motor needs attention. Stack of service records to boot.

This will be a 4th (technically 5th, until I sell my truck) car but will be a nice addition to my fleet. I won't be doing a full-blown restoration on this one like I am doing on the e30 but I hope to make it a nice summer daily. My WRX gets terrible gas mileage and I have a 100 mile commute but I need the AWD (job requirement) so if I can save miles on it I'll be running it into the ground.

I have seen e36 fluctuate in price and finding good ones is getting harder and harder. With e30 values going up lately I wanted to snag another e36 before values rise and getting a clean and serviceable convertible with a hard top was a nice surprise. It isn't too practical with 2 kids but that is why I have my WRX (and my wife has a TL). Practicality is overrated.

[phenryiv1]

Re-installed the lower rocker trim after the shop repaired it. Good news- looks okay. Bad news- not very secure, as the repairs cracked during the install, even though I lubricated the trim and the clips before install.



Still need to do the other side.