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1987 325e, slow build for a slow car

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    1987 325e, slow build for a slow car

    Well, finally decided it was time to make an account for r3v seeing as I've been spending an unhealthy amount of time on this site as of late.

    A year or two ago we bought this 325e with intentions of building a simple drift car for my wife as she was interested in getting into the sport at that time. As is often the case, life gets in the way, and the car just sat behind the house gathering leaves, bugs, and acorns.

    The car was bought in "project car" condition: High idle, leaking injector o-rings, questionable brakes, questionable suspension, no paint, etc. We replaced the o-rings and I fixed the idle, though it still feels like it has about 50hp and doesn't really pull through the entirety of its rev range.

    On a whim I decided this afternoon to go out and have a look at the car, and was greeted by a rather damp interior and mold all over the place

    I started yanking the interior in preparation of pulling the carpet, and pulled the trunk carpet out, too. The trunk seemed to be the culprit, not sure if it leaks through the taillights, trunk seals, or something else, this is my first BMW so I'm not 100% sure what to look for. No pictures of any of this because I'm an idiot.

    I intend to continue on with this tomorrow and start checking for rust. At a first glance the car doesn't seem to have really any rust issues, but I've been looking at enough threads on this forum that make me want to look much more thoroughly throughout the car.

    Picture of how the car sits as of now:

    IMG_20151031_160425 by ben misegades, on Flickr

    Pardon the IG tilt. The orange wheels were thrown on "just cuz" a while back, they're left overs from my last Miata, and will be removed and put up for sale.

    We were told that this car has some kind of factory "sport" suspension that would have been maybe springs, swaybars, and LSD, can anyone confirm if something like that existed, and if yes, how can I check to see what we've got? I don't care if it does or doesn't, it's just a matter of curiosity.

    Tentative plans for the car are a refresh of the brakes and suspension, cleaning up the interior, motor swap with a mild build, and a cheap paint job. The wife informed me that she doesn't really care what I do to the car, but I've also been instructed that the car will be green. Or perhaps orange. Who knows :roll:
    1987 325e - not running

    #2
    Run the vin. If that valence is original it's a 325es, which did come with a LSD and maybe a sport suspension.

    1986 327i
    transaction feedback
    DIY thing
    meh

    Comment


      #3
      Good call, here's what it spit out:

      209 Limited Slip Differential (25%) Sperrdifferential 25%
      210 Anti-blockier-system ( Abs ) Anti-blockier-system ( Abs )
      286 Bmw Lm Rad/bmw Styling Bmw Lm Rad/bmw Styling
      300 Zentralverriegelung Elektrisch Zentralverriegelung Elektrisch
      325 Rear Spoiler Heckspoiler
      401 Sliding/vent Roof, Electric Schiebe-hebedach, Elektrisch
      410 Window Lifts, Electric At Front Fensterheber, Elektrisch Vorn
      481 Sport Seats F Driver/front Passenger Sportsitze Fuer Fahrer/beifahrer
      530 Air Conditioning Klimaanlage
      540 Cruise Control Geschwindigkeitsregelung
      551 On-board Computer Ii W Remote Control Bordcomputer Ii Mit Fernbedienung
      675 Bmw Sound System Bmw Sound System
      704 M Sport Suspension M Sportfahrwerk
      708 M-sport Leather Steering Wheel Ii M Sport-lederlenkrad Ii
      841 Aussensp.in Wag.fa.u.325is Sch Aussensp.in Wag.fa.u.325is Sch
      1987 325e - not running

      Comment


        #4
        That's a nice list of options!

        1986 327i
        transaction feedback
        DIY thing
        meh

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by modernist View Post
          That's a nice list of options!
          I agree, although it makes me just that much more sad that it's all the state of disrepair that it is.

          No matter, E30's are not exactly rare, no need to get sentimental about it all.

          I've been forcing myself to stay away from parts vendor websites tonight, I need to give the car a proper once-over before I start spending money.
          1987 325e - not running

          Comment


            #6
            Well, as luck would have it, it decided to rain all day, so naturally I did what any other reasonable person would do, I went to Harbor Freight and spent a bunch of money!

            At least now I have, amongst other things, a new floor jack, since I broke a part on the jack I already had. I want to get this thing up on stands so that I can get the wheels off to clean them up and sell them, and so that I can have a good look under the car. Also probably going to start pulling the suspension apart to see what I want to do about bushings and to start cleaning.
            1987 325e - not running

            Comment


              #7
              Opposite of you, i bought my 325e with 325es badges and realized, doesnt have that valance or an mtech wheel!


              Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
              1986 LTW M52 (First project 2015- )
              1998 e36 328ic/5 -
              Roundie alpina pig cheekā€™d (1969)
              1967 2002 parts car
              1994 318iS junked.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by JeLani View Post
                Opposite of you, i bought my 325e with 325es badges and realized, doesnt have that valance or an mtech wheel!


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                Bummer! I'm sure you could find those parts with relative ease if you so desired, though!

                In other news: no news. It rained all day again
                1987 325e - not running

                Comment


                  #9
                  Well, it finally stopped raining today, so I managed to pull the wheels off of the car and am putting them up for sale. That's about the only update I can make
                  1987 325e - not running

                  Comment


                    #10
                    What website did you use to run your vin and see the factory options ?
                    1990 Alpine 325is
                    1992 Schwarz 325ic (sold)

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by xF4LC0NxPUNCHx View Post
                      Bummer! I'm sure you could find those parts with relative ease if you so desired, though!
                      LOL, maybe 10-15 years ago that would have been the case.

                      Things have changed and that's not the case anymore as indicated by rising prices for the fully optioned e30's ("325is's" especially) with working options.
                      If it's got tits or tires, it's gonna cost ya!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by BECKSTER View Post
                        What website did you use to run your vin and see the factory options ?
                        I just punched "BMW vin decoder" into google and used whatever I found. This is the one that I used:

                        BMW VIN Decoder retrieves detailed information about the equipment and production details of BMW, ALPINA, MINI and Rolls Royce vehicles and BMW motorcycles. Attached are generated photos of your configuration.



                        Originally posted by Stanley Rockafella View Post
                        LOL, maybe 10-15 years ago that would have been the case.

                        Things have changed and that's not the case anymore as indicated by rising prices for the fully optioned e30's ("325is's" especially) with working options.
                        Yeah, no kidding, I've been looking at Craigslist a lot. In my mind, an E30 is still a fun, cheap car to beat around, but looking online these cars are demanding a pretty penny. Makes me feel a little better about the $1,200 we spent on ours.
                        1987 325e - not running

                        Comment

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