10/88 "330is" - life long project of misery

[e30austin]

I remember some of the 'groundbreaking' work from here back in the day. Had trouble with heatsoak effecting the starter electrics on my M30 / auto to manual swap because of following a 'guide' to bypassing the starter cutout from the auto. Turned out you just needed to run a single wire from the steering column to the starter once I decided to study the wiring diagrams properly and decipher how the starter wiring for a manual e30 actually worked. Fun times :D

I had to do a similar repair on my wiring loom in the front of my car after not clipping it back in properly, and it shaking loose after a while. I also nearly lost my licence twice after doing my swap too. After a few years I'm finally back to 3 demerits on my license (mostly from daily driving the 320d!)

Loved reading back over the iterations of your car - makes me nostalgic for some of the parts I've thrown out over the years that are now unobtanium (but were abundant at the time)!

tried replying to this the other night, but the forum kept crashing and since we no longer have the multiple post quote option...it didn't happen :/

very cool that you still have yours, after quite some time! there are a lot of parts, that i either gave/threw away, and i mildly regret it now. of course, how could we have ever known how the world was going to go...

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one interesting update - finally cooked off what was left of the 16s the other night, and while i await tires to arrive, i installed some Kosei K1 wheels with useable tires. first time i've ever ran 15s on this car, i'm sad to say, but i honestly don't know if i want to go back........with rubbish Portland roads, the large sidewall eats up all the imperfections, and provides some nice isolation between my harsh suspension and the road.

[lukeADE335i]

I'm back to running 14s on my car after running the 16s for a long time because I bent one of my Alpina reps hitting a big pothole. I thought I'd immediately get the 16s repaired, but I've quite enjoyed the 14s for the better ride & sleeper aspect - maybe 15s are the best compromise.

[e30austin]

i think i'm going to sell this, after all these years. if someone wants a turn key daily driver, let me know.

[MasukBMW]

Thats interesting. Whats the current state of the car? You mentioned re-shelling with the black coupe, is the body starting to go?

[DEV0 E30]

That was a wild ride to read through for I think my first time.

While you've probably made up your mind, think on your decision a bit more.

I know emotional attachment is a silly thing, but what a journey this car has already had.

[QuiqueUy]

This was a great read , sept 2011 def is quite the vibe of an e30 . Love that look so much !

hope you don't sell it and give her the body it deservers

[Tibboy12]

Damm.. That e30 has been through it. Wish I had a ton of extra cash laying around, I need a new daily driver.... I'm working on doing an 885 head swap on my Eta here for the picnic! See you around

[e30austin]

well, i came to my senses and decided to keep it. i'm glad i did; it was a pretty shitty few months, but that's over now. ended up not getting the other shell; there were some title issues that i didn't feel like dealing with, especially since the mechanic's lien laws have changed heavily in Oregon now, it just didn't make sense.

installed the cardinal red interior in my M3 (finally), so the confetti seats went back in this. installed a set of 15" e30m3 wheels, reinstalled my black e30m3 back seat, e30m3 shift knob+boot combo, and finally took out the houndstooth door panels in favor of a plain black set. repaired both front interior door handles (that have both been broken since i bought it, LOL) while i was there, too. changed the oil, on Tuesday, and realized i've only driven it less than 2000 miles since September, 2021. :/

next on the list, is to re-do every single fuel hose, AGAIN. in case this hasn't been made clear enough, do not use the CRP fuel hose, under any circumstances. it becomes very dry rotted and cracks within short amounts of time. even on my e28m5, where i only used ethanol free fuel, it made no difference. so, from here on out, OE BMW fuel hose for me, only. very annoying, but necessary.

closed my shop a few months back, so have just been doing stuff at home, whenever i have interest and/or time(very seldom). other than that, i've just been driving it here and there.

[DEV0 E30]

well, i came to my senses and decided to keep it. i'm glad i did;

so have just been doing stuff at home, whenever i have interest and/or time(very seldom). other than that, i've just been driving it here and there.

Glad you kept it!

And even if progress is slow, as we all know, life happens, it's good to be able to come back to it as you have time and use it as an escape from other things.

[2mAn]

Glad you kept it!

[MrBurgundy]

Whats the tire size on those Koseis?

Been thinking about going down to 15" too.

[AWDBOB]

next on the list, is to re-do every single fuel hose, AGAIN. in case this hasn't been made clear enough, do not use the CRP fuel hose, under any circumstances. it becomes very dry rotted and cracks within short amounts of time. even on my e28m5, where i only used ethanol free fuel, it made no difference. so, from here on out, OE BMW fuel hose for me, only. very annoying, but necessary.

Stoked you kept this thing!! The CRP stuff is so bad, I can't believe places still sell it. Glad you're getting everything sorted man.

Whats the tire size on those Koseis?

Been thinking about going down to 15" too.

I just bought tires for my 15" Koseis. Priority Tire has a great deal on 205/55r15 Hankook Ventus Prime2's at the moment. I used discount code LEGITPT723 and got 5% off over the "member" discount.

Was like $86/tire after tax&shipping.

[MrBurgundy]

I just bought tires for my 15" Koseis. Priority Tire has a great deal on 205/55r15 Hankook Ventus Prime2's at the moment. I used discount code LEGITPT723 and got 5% off over the "member" discount.

Was like $86/tire after tax&shipping.

That's not a bad deal...

Man, tire options are looking slim for that size today.. At least on tirerack.

[e30austin]

Stoked you kept this thing!! The CRP stuff is so bad, I can't believe places still sell it. Glad you're getting everything sorted man.

thanks, brother. it's been fun beating on it again. trying to make it a point to drive everything i own, at least once every 10 days. not good for stuff to just sit around!

[e30austin]

Whats the tire size on those Koseis?

Been thinking about going down to 15" too.

225/50/15, they're an 8" wheel. fills the wheel well out nicely, i think. not a ton of affordable tires in that size, though. the Toyo R1R is probably the best bang for the buck.