A car that brings back good memories, with boosted spirits. My '88 325is

[brett_duenas]

None standing out quite yet...

But, first and foremost, I'd prefer a wheel that is easy to clean. Although the BBS RS look is a classic, mesh wheels are too much of a PITA to maintain for the constant use that my car gets [see previous cars].

Secondly, weight is a concern of mine. "Every pound of unsprung weight savings has the effect of reducing overall vehicle weight by 20lbs"
- Enkei.com.

True, untrue???

RPF1's in 16x8 weigh around 15lbs so I'd like to stay as close to that as possible, AT LEAST below 19lbs per wheel. Cast, forged, 2 piece, 3 piece, it doesn't really matter to me too much.

And of course the wheels have to aesthetically fit the car (to my own taste). Ive looked and looked and looked at all kinds of wheels, and there are tons to choose from so it makes it difficult to commit to any one particular design or style. Time will tell.

[dpmit94]

Some food for thought when it comes to wheels.
Don't know your budget but you can never go wrong with fifteen52 Tarmacs, F40's, or my personal favorite the 348's. I'd love to pick up a set and the monoblocks aren't too bad on price.
It depends pretty heavily on the look you're going for too. If you're looking to go low and tuck, some wheels will look infinitely better than others. If you just want a clean look, not too low but enough to get rid of wheel gap, personally I think a wider wheel that sits flush with the fender looks best. I'm sitting on a set of 16x9 BBS RS reps and I love the fitment. I can attest they're a huge pain to keep the brake dust out of the crevices and such.
I'm also looking at some 3SDM's in the same size and offset and it might be time to take the plunge...


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[brett_duenas]

Waiting for tomorrow to come already.

[brett_duenas]

Welded, for only $20! Getting started tomorrow.

[brett_duenas]

All explained at the end of post #4. Did this this weekend.

[oprahhwinfreyy]

yesSSS!!! that rear end looks beautiful

[Stapes]

I like a lot the way your car is coming together. Mine has the same bumpers but I'm not a fan of them, tho I like the way they complement your car. Maybe I'll reconsider keeping them.

[brett_duenas]

yesSSS!!! that rear end looks beautiful

Thanks! In the future I'm going to put the car on a rotisserie and put some real time into it. For now, Im satisfied with how it turned out. Here's another pre-install shot: ;D

I like a lot the way your car is coming together. Mine has the same bumpers but I'm not a fan of them, tho I like the way they complement your car. Maybe I'll reconsider keeping them.

Thanks, the bumpers are kinda growing on me... who'm I kidding!? I don't like them either. I really want some euro bumpers.

[oprahhwinfreyy]

ecstuning sells a brand new reproduction set of euro bumpers as a full kit. front for like $550 and the rear is like $650 or something like that.


edit:

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E30-325is-M20_2.5L/Exterior/Body/Front_Bumper/ES1928129/

[UlrichFennec]

Woah, I wouldn't have thought of using plasti-dip as a plate filler for the rear! Kickass idea! I know what I'm doing soon! Clean build!

[brett_duenas]

Did a little work today. Painted the calipers with some 1200 degree high temp paint I had laying around the garage because I got tired of them looking so sorry, and installed euro grilles from abrahamsmotorsport.com! I also raised the car 1/4" so I can drive the local roads without worrying about oil pan demolition (I had my first sump armor scrape today). I didn't bother with the rotors, I don't know why... maybe I'll wire brush/paint them tomorrow.





Bells Two Hearted on the roof.


08-08-2015

Readjusted the rear spring height. I had the adjusters completely out before (only had the one red piece with the rubber around it), added the threaded piece and lock-nut to raise it a little bit but it ended up too high. So I did this. It looks a lot better, damn near perfect.

Before:


After:


How she sits now:


08-15-2015
My car started running hot on the way home from work on Friday. I took some newspaper to the fan and it was easily stopped so at first I was thinking the fan clutch was bad, I then swapped the K5 relay into the K6 slot thinking maybe the relay wasn't giving it juice; that didn't fix it. I jumped the thermo switch high/low sides, and found one of my problems. When I jumped the wires it sounded like the fan kicked on but the clutch never engaged (I could still stop the blades with a newspaper). So I ordered a thermo switch and clutch. Worst part was paying for overnight shipping on this, damn daily driver.

[brett_duenas]

The e30 car has officially retired from daily driving duties, picked up an '05 Trailblazer to replace her and keep her from suffering through winters in Michigan. Now I can truly have a "build." But first, I want to put $$$ towards building a pole barn in my backyard as a dedicated workshop. I want to be able to do everything to this car by myself (construction/fabrication/paint). Ive got high hopes for my future show-and-go car but I also want a great place to work on it. I have plenty of inspiration and motivation from the builds I've been seeing recently and those that are still posted from the past. As I stated in the OP, "nothing special" but this time it's just a man and his future hot-rod.

By the way, (I know it's years old) but is anyone familiar with the 12-gauge garage? inspirational!

Anyways, here's the new DD:

[brett_duenas]

I mean, I tried to keep it OEM+....