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

[Panici]

Hell yeah man! So stoked for you.

Another big milestone. Looks so close, I bet you can't wait to have it all together haha

I am very excited!
Trying not to make a to-do list yet as it may be demotivating at this point.

I am going to break it up into two parts. First will be getting the car to a minimal "road legal" state and roughing in a tune for the new injectors & low boost.
As soon as they can take it, I'll drop it at the bodyshop to have the paint cut & buffed to remove the clearcoat runs. Going to see if they will also apply PPF to the front end and sides (below the door moldings).

While the car is at the shop I will refinish the 2.79 LSD with the full POR15 treatment as I did previously for my 3.73 LSD.

Part two will be the final assembly.
Will modify the chassis-mount shifter and DSSR to get the level position & throw perfect after I have driven the car a bit.
Then all the bumper surrounds, trim, rear valance, badges, etc goes on.
Will also swap to the quarter hood to show off the engine bay!

Interesting decision of where to put the oil return.

Common spot for the E36 24v guys.
I would like to eventually get a custom oil pan for more ground clearance and oil capacity. I'll likely have a turbo drain bung added to the pan at that time.

[Panici]

Another busy weekend of E30 wrenching! Point form this time for readability.

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• Notched the valve cover slightly for clearance with the 034Motorsport injector adapters.
• Cut the spare plug off the injector wiring rail, since it no longer hides under the fuel rail beauty cover. Plugged the hole the same way as I did with the original O2 sensor harnesses.
• Massaged the downpipe to create clearance for the battery tray.
• Wrapped the downpipe with DEI Titanium Exhaust Heat Wrap.
• Welded up the exhaust (which I'm dubbing version 1) and added an O2 sensor bung. My first time welding SS using stainless steel wire. Didn't have any scrap to practice on. It's not pretty but it's structurally sound.
• Plumbed up the wastegates. Used a 45degree fitting on the turbo to get the vac line at a nice angle.
• Changed the AN fittings on the fuel rail. Reduced the number of fittings and got the fuel lines closer to the intake manifold. Hopefully the oil filter housing should clear now. Also should be able to fit a hose on the valve cover breather.
• Bled the brakes.
• Bled the clutch. Ended up pulling out the slave and "bench bleeding" it to get all the air out.
• Installed the colourmatched blower motor cover with zinc coated hardware. Also added a new OEM seal to the back of the cover.
• Cannibalized my old E30 driveshaft (on which I blew up a u-joint) for it's center support bearing. Added this to the E36 328i driveshaft after struggling for a while and then finally cutting the E36 CSB off. New Giubo installed.
• Installed the driveshaft. Tested all transmission gears for engagement.
• Installed the radiator, first bleed of the coolant system.
• Idled the car up to operating temp while massaging the fuel table and IAC for the bigger injectors.
• Spliced on an E36 reverse light pigtail for the ZF320 reverse light switch.

Getting close to a test drive

[Northern]

with the downpipe wrap going over the O2 bungs, is your WBO2 going in at the bottom of the DP where the cutoff sensor is? I've been wondering since you posted the dp pic on instagram.

[Panici]

with the downpipe wrap going over the O2 bungs, is your WBO2 going in at the bottom of the DP where the cutoff sensor is? I've been wondering since you posted the dp pic on instagram.

You got it. I added a bung downstream on the 2nd section of exhaust after the downpipe. The cutoff sensor was just acting as a heatsink during welding.

Ideally I'd like to have the location half way between the wrapped bungs and the one I added, but it's a tight spot under the battery tray and would make removing the downpipe a pain.


Technically having it that far from the turbo exit may delay readings when there isn't a lot of exhaust flow. Going to see if I can get away with it, as I didn't want the wideband front-and-center right over my battery tray. Hopefully the exhaust wrap will help to keep the exhaust gasses hot and velocity up.

When tuning you can estimate the delay if needed by adding a "wall of fuel" to a column of cells and timing how long it takes from hitting that wall until the wideband reads rich. Obviously this delay will depend on how fast the engine is spinning.

I'm upgrading from the Innovate LC-2 wideband (which I put into my miata) and have a 14point7 Spartan 3 wideband w/LSU ADV sensor ready to go in the E30. It is quite fast, so this will knock some of the cumulative delay out of the system.

[Northern]

Determining the lambda offset should be as easy as sharply stabbing the loud pedal to hit TPS enrichment and looking for the spike between AFR and Load at various RPM, shouldn't really need to mess with columns, but that would make it dead easy.
I'm sort of making it work with the stock ECU with calculated fields in MegalogviewerHD but it's fairly jank since I don't take RPM into the equation and I guess exhaust velocity isn't 100% RPM dependent.

I like the idea of keeping it out of the engine bay though. Mine is easy to access but looks gross and it might be part of why I'm killing LSU4.2s so often. I really want to transition to one of the Spartan setups as well, even if it's a 4.9. It'll pay for itself within a year lol.

[Panici]

I like the idea of keeping it out of the engine bay though. Mine is easy to access but looks gross and it might be part of why I'm killing LSU4.2s so often. I really want to transition to one of the Spartan setups as well, even if it's a 4.9. It'll pay for itself within a year lol.

Yeah keeping the sensor cooler will definitely increase it's longevity.
It will also help to delay after engine startup to warm up the sensor. I set up a separate ECU output to trigger the wideband power 30 seconds after startup, to help prevent thermal shock.

I delay the wideband startup in my miata as well, but with a manual toggle switch. Not quite as elegant


I must be doing something right, because that sensor and controller is going on three years and still fine.

[moatilliatta]

Didn’t want to notch the battery tray for the downpipe?

Keeping the sensor at-least 1/2 or higher in the exhaust will help keep condensation off and expand longevity too.

[Northern]

Yeah I think my biggest issue is mostly that my LC-1 powers on with IGN.
Last year for the brief amount I drove the car, I went straight from OFF to START and it seemed to survive. The year before, I would wait a few seconds on ACC/RUN to let the fuel pump prime and it didn't like that.
I bought a cheap programmable 12V timer, but I haven't wired it in yet. It's on the list...

[Panici]

Didn’t want to notch the battery tray for the downpipe?

Keeping the sensor at-least 1/2 or higher in the exhaust will help keep condensation off and expand longevity too.

Want to keep the body stock wherever possible. Who knows what engine setup I'll have in here 20 years down the road.
Yep I always mount the sensors as close to vertical as possible.

Yeah I think my biggest issue is mostly that my LC-1 powers on with IGN.

That's how I had the LC-2 wired in the E30 originally. Often I'd key on to download to the ECU and the sensor would get to full temperature before I started the car. Seems to have survived the abuse though, and I have been daily driving the miata with it during the summer.

[Panici]

One more weekend of E30 wrenching. Point form again.

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• Wrapped the 2nd exhaust section where it is very close to the floor.
• Wrapped the 3rd exhaust section where it passes under the gas tank (I don't have the heatshield anymore). Hit the back of the muffler with black header paint.
• Installed a two-foot section of tubing as an exhaust tip. Will shorten this after rear valance is installed.
• Made a 1/4" spacer for the trans mount.
• Installed the 14point7 Spartan 3 wideband with LSU ADV sensor. Ran the sensor harness through the shift boot.
• Made some wastegate dump pipes. They are satisfyingly parallel and equal length. Going to run the screamer pipes until I made exhaust version 2 with recirculating gates.

• Found my fuel pressure would not increase over ~20psi regardless of what I did with the E36 3/2 valve FPR.
• Installed an Aeromotive compact FPR (13136) with Aeromotive fuel pressure gauge (15633).
• Still didn't have fuel pressure, found the in-tank pump hose was loose/disconnected. Used a piece of Gates hose for now, would like to get a submersible-rated line in the future.
• Set the new FPR for 50psi. Will be removing one of the fuel pressure gauges now that I know the system is working properly.

• Installed the removable core support.
• Installed a Colourmatched CATUNED Billet Rad Mount (Thanks Delta Park Auto for throwing this one in!)
• Installed the SPAL pusher fan.
• Test fit the massive front mount intercooler, made some mounting brackets.

Test fit the cold-side pipes, immediately decided I didn't like the tarnished aluminum. Wrapped with DEI Reflect-A-Gold. Not sold on the look, I think it draws your eye too much. Will leave them for now, may end up taking the gold off and painting them black.

I also started trimming out the front valance for the intercooler. Went as far as I was comfortable, didn't want to get into any areas that will be visible when the front end is together.
I still need at least another 1/2" to get the fenders to line up properly. Will take another look with fresh eyes.

If I can find a thinner SPAL pusher fan that may help, as right now the back of the intercooler is touching the fan motor.


Only bit of bad news, I gave the car it's first paint scratch when carrying the valance to-and-fro. Caught the mirror with the edge and scratched right through the paint. Wish I had a bigger workspace. The car will be going back to the bodyshop to get the clear runs cut out; They can touch the mirror up at the same time.
























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[Panici]

First Drive Since 2020!

• Shot black rubberized undercoat in the front wheel wells as recommended by the bodyshop. Prevents stones from chipping the fresh paint in the engine bay from the backside.
• Installed thinner SPAL pusher fan (30100401). It's 11mm thinner in exchange for 300cfm less airflow.
• Installed the front end sheetmetal. Fitment isn't 100% as the intercooler is still in the way of everything, but it does work and this isn't a show car!
• Trimmed both the headlight brackets and the highbeam housings themselves for intercooler clearance. Had to get creative with a custom mounting point on the driver's side, as I had to cut that side more aggressively for clearance.
• Installed the front grilles (unmodified!)
• Installed TIAL Q BOV.
• Drained the old gas and changed the fuel filter.
• Added a small "breather" filter on the end of the ICV hose just for the test drive. Need to make provisions to plumb this into the charge pipe.

Took the car for it's first official test drive. I threw a rough tune together for the new injectors.
Didn’t go over 65% throttle but still hit 3.6psi.
My ballpark was decent, as when rolling on the throttle from 3000rpm, it didn’t go leaner then my AFR targets.

However when I got on it at a lower RPM it immediately hit my (very conservative) AFR protect spark cut. Sounded like it shot a fireball when the ignition turned back on! Still LOTS of tuning work to be done.

New SPEC Stage 3+ clutch is VERY touchy when combined with the 7.5lb flywheel. Should get better as it breaks in though. Next time I'll wear my driving shoes instead of flip-flops.


Feels amazing to drive the car again after so long.

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Other notes from the test drive:

Sunroof doesn't work, just makes a ratcheting sound in either direction. Bodyshop had it apart when they painted & replaced the headliner, so I will ask them to look at it.

BOV stays open at idle and cruise. Have since ordered the stiffest spring (Tial brown) which should be appropriate for the high vacuum levels I'm seeing at idle. (Although the car is idling high at around 1000rpm right now so this spring may end up being too stiff.) Better to keep the BOV closed and surge the turbo a little at low boost then suck unfiltered air into the intake. Can always change springs again if needed.

Air filter appears to be a "BMS Silicone Single Turbo Filter". It looks like the previous owner did not oil the filter as it should be. Going to dig through my old parts box to see if I have part of a K&N cleaning and recharging kit.

Going to re-torque the ARP Head Studs before I drive the car again, now that it has seen two heat cycles.






























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There is still plenty to do on the E30, and i'm not stopping until it's back together.
But maybe this is the right time to introduce the next project car? Meet my 1986 E28 535i

[CubbyChowder]

Congrats on the successful first drive! I love the color, looks so good in the sun! Bay is looking prime too

[Panici]

Congrats on the successful first drive! I love the color, looks so good in the sun! Bay is looking prime too

Thank you! It was a big step. I forgot what a nice place to be the interior is.
(Better then ever now that it has Hushmat sound deadening and a full interior carpet for the first time since 2014.) I should get some floormats for it.

Would you believe that most of the car is still covered in 9 months of shop dust, and the clear coat hasn't been cut/buffed yet? It is going to look epic once it comes back from a little bodyshop TLC.


Engine bay is coming along.
Chassis wiring harness that I thinned out tucked nicely under that fender lip once I put some silicone caps on the fender mounting screws.
Still need to hook up the headlights, horn, marker lights (when DB trim is installed), and install the washer fluid res.

That reminds me, I have a Morimoto HID kit ready to replace the eBay special in my low beam projectors.

Also need a new throttle cable. The one currently in there was bodged together when I first did the motor swap, and I had to take it apart recently as it is fraying internally. It's running in front of the brake booster now and I'll be routing it hidden underneath once it is replaced. I hear an E36 throttle cable is a good fit.

[DEV0 E30]

Going to echo on what has been said. Congrats and it truly is one of my fav colors of all time. I think it works very well on E30s, love how your car is coming along.

Fresh and clean engine bays make me happy.

That reminds me, I have a Morimoto HID kit ready to replace the eBay special in my low beam projectors.

You get the same kit I have? ESG Prints? I need to get my lights in too. Looking forward to being able to see at night.

Dig the E28, for so long they were underappreciated. The whole "wish I had a warehouse and kept all those cheap cars I could have grabbed long ago" vibes are present.

[Panici]

Going to echo on what has been said. Congrats and it truly is one of my fav colors of all time. I think it works very well on E30s, love how your car is coming along.

Fresh and clean engine bays make me happy.

You get the same kit I have? ESG Prints? I need to get my lights in too. Looking forward to being able to see at night.

Dig the E28, for so long they were underappreciated. The whole "wish I had a warehouse and kept all those cheap cars I could have grabbed long ago" vibes are present.

Thank you! So glad I went with Ipanema brown instead of Marakesh brown, which IMO doesn't pop in person. All the Marakesh pictures online seem to be edited or have "filters".
This colour is very dynamic, it looks like a plain dark brown in the shade, and then pops to a gold in the sun. Can't wait to take some SLR photos when it's all cleaned up.

I have the 9006 Morimoto setup for the US Ellipsoid halogen projectors. 50w AMP XB Ballast and XB 5000k bulbs. I don't drive the car enough at night to justify a full retrofit.

Glad I grabbed the E28 while I could. I watch the local classic BMW listings and hadn't seen one pop up for years. It was expensive for the condition, but the markets are crazy now and the values are only going up. I've barely poked at it, but I don't think it will take much to make it a driver.

I've had it since mid-April, and it's very strange for me not to just jump in on a new project. But the E30 takes priority.
I did clean the interior and fill some holes with a radio delete panel + window switch from my E30 parts stash.