Panici's '87 325is E30 - Boosted In Bronze

[Panici]

Broken Driveshaft & Garage Photos
August 2018


I developed a wobble on one of my 14" basketweave's tires (belt starting to separate).
As a stopgap, I swapped in my 15" iX 'weaves (with winter tires) on the rear axle.
Unfortunately these snows were quite sticky in the heat, and I snapped my rear u-joint instead of breaking the tires free as planned!

I managed to find one relatively local, and after a "quick" drive to Penetanguishene (~6 hour round trip) I had a replacement.


Happy to have the E30 repaired, I pulled the toys out of the garage to clean up, and took some group photos!

[Panici]

That motor will need a LOT of love, but if the plan is to turbocharge it, you can kill two birds with one stone as you tear it apart

Absolutely, and that's the plan! :)

[2mAn]

That motor will need a LOT of love, but if the plan is to turbocharge it, you can kill two birds with one stone as you tear it apart

[Panici]

M52B28 Continued.
August 2018 & November 2018


Way back on Page 1 of this build thread, I pulled this M52B28 out of an E39.
I've now moved this engine twice between houses!

Unfortunately it sat outside under a tarp for the better part of a year. Before I stored the motor, I neglected to put the bolts back into the intake manifold, and some water sat on top of the valves.

This year I bought both an E34 M50 oil pan setup, and E36 motor mount arms.


The plan is still to convert the engine to standalone management (MS3X is the leading candidate) and turbocharge. Unfortunately life, time, and money continue to delay the dream!

[Panici]

Tedfest 2018
August 2018


Entered my E30 into its first car show! I found out about the event the night before, and registered minutes before the deadline.

Tedfest is an all-BMW car show, with a focus on vintage rides.
They welcome cars in all states, which is lucky as my E30 still needs quite a bit of visual restoration!

I have never seen so many E30s in one place before, and I had a good time checking out everyone's hard work.

[Panici]

My E30's First Camping Trip
August 2018


Shortly after replacing my broken rocker arm, I left with my fiancée and parents (on her side) for a camping trip to Arrowhead Provincial Park.

We packed the trunk full, and embarked on the longest distance I've driven the E30. As always I enjoyed the driving experience, and even found a few winding roads in proximity to the campground.

The only unfortunate part of the trip was the return journey. It was 34c (93f) plus humidex on the highway where we were stuck idling in traffic (in direct sun) for an extended time period. This was a challenge to bear without an AC system, and we took frequent stops to rest and hydrate.
It was however an excellent test of the mechanical fan delete, and the SPAL electric fan performed flawlessly.

[Panici]

Rocker Arm Replacement
August 2018


I broke a rocker arm in June.
Frankly i'm surprised it didn't happen sooner, as I over-revved the motor quite badly at the track on October 12th, 2016 (See post 172). From the video, it looks like the motor briefly saw ~8000rpm.

I sat on the problem for a month, before finally deciding it was worth the effort to replace the rocker arm. (My alternative was to expedite my M52b28 swap.)

I was able to replace the rocker arm without removing the head, and the car is again running strong.
I'm glad I decided to spend the time replacing the rocker arm, as I greatly enjoyed the car for the rest of the season (details to come)!

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[Panici]

AGM Battery & Mechanical Fan Delete
June 2018


Now that I have added electrical load with my SPAL fan and HIDs, I thought it prudent to address my aging electrical system.

I installed a Motormaster Eliminator Ultra Sealed AGM battery and a new Bosch voltage regulator. These items together returned my system voltage to the normal range under load.

Now that the car is effectively cooled by the SPAL fan, I removed the mechanical fan & shroud. These weighed in at 4.4lbs.

[TheWipprSnappr]

Nice work!

[Panici]

Custom Exhaust Repack
June 15th, 2018


Unhappy with the quiet state of my ANSA Sport cat back exhaust system, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I wanted something a little throatier, without sacrificing highway driveability.

As a test, I cut open the muffler, removed half the packing, tack welded the old metal in place, and gorilla taped the seams.

After driving around for a while, I was mostly happy with the sound but wanted to remove a little rasp/drone.
I added some additional packing (from the other side), and fully welded up the muffler (using sheet metal from my old 325e parts car roof no less!)


I'm pleased with the final sound, and it was free!

https://youtu.be/0CcR1svfldg

[zwill23]

That looks fantastic! Turning into quite the cockpit :)

[Panici]

Glovebox Hidden/Stealth Radio


I had previously (quickly) installed a headless radio setup, complete with terrible wiring job. I then jammed the components behind the dash. This left me with only a power switch and 3.5mm input beside my single VDO gauge.

I've since decided the audio quality of this setup is good enough until the car is "finished" and I install an audiophile worthy stereo, so I wanted to make the whole thing a little prettier.


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I was getting kind of tired looking at my cracked and taped together radio panel (complete with VDO gauge constantly falling out). I relocated my audio system to the glovebox and rewired everything properly this time (Would have looked nicer if I used 20ga wiring instead of the 16ga I had on hand).
Unfortunately I used my VDO oil pressure sender in my jeep a few years back, so I need to purchase a new one for the E30 to make the gauge functional.

While I was in there, I also ran all the wiring for my VDO oil temperature gauge. I seem to have misplaced my ashtray delete panel, so I didn't actually get to installing that gauge.
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Youtube video of the system in action:
BMW E30 Hidden (Stealth) Radio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyxYN4VdFCM

[Panici]

Bump to next page

[Panici]

Bump to next page (too many photos on this page).

[Panici]

Minor Front End Cosmetics

While I had the front end half apart for the SPAL fan install, I tidied up a few other items.

• Removed AC dryer & engine bay lines (-3.6lbs)
• Added (previously painted) headlight trim rings
• Replaced front bumper with a newer one (no cracking or paint peeling)
• Made a 2nd attempt at a front license plate delete.

I haven't yet decided if I like the headlights with or without the trim rings. You be the judge.