89 rust free project

[amcp]

Making good on a promise I'm creating my build thread. If it sucks, blame 2mAn
Back in late 2018 I threw a WTB post looking for a rust free coupe. Color didn't matter as long as it was a clean shell. Simon mentioned he knew of a clean rust free project car. So after a bit o back and forth and dealing with shipping we made a deal.

Leaving the lovely California weather. Its probably never seen snow.....



WELCOME TO MISSOURI!


Notice the drivers window? Yeah that plastic bag torn mid transit and snow ended up in the driver floorboard. Soaked the carpet! Oh well. It gave me an excuse to give the chassis a once over.

I'm not one for detailing my builds. But in this thread I'll give you a run down of my experiences with this fine specimen and some of the others I've had.

[2mAn]

This thread sucks ... do you have a truck or something cool like that?

[cheffy30]

your pictures are broken. send a few of your girlfriend too! sent from hell using Tapatalk

[amcp]

Everyone's a comedian.
Seriously? Pics work just fine on my end from my phone and pc.

[amcp]

Lemme provide a bit of background. I've been into e30s for a long time. It all started when I stumbled upon Randy Sparre's e30. That was the kick that got me interested. Here's some of the previous rides I had.....and probably should have kept.

1st: 91 Slicktop 318is. Minus a bit of damage to the core support it was a solid car. The M42 ended up jumping the timing chain and trashed the motor. Sent to the yards but really should have kept this one.


2nd: 90 325i Nice car with a little rust in the jack area and clearcoat failure. Not sure why I sold this one. I think it was to get my M3. The motor blew shortly after it was sold. Sorry Justin! It ran great during my care.


Car that replaced it:
E36 M3/4/5


3rd: 91 325i. I searched locally for a clean rust free car. I put some feelers our and a local BMW friend spotted this. Picked it up at a buy here pay here car lot. It was an auto that I had swapped with e30rookie. Nice car, had a little rust around the rear passengers subframe mount. Could have fixed it but I went too far and gutted it into a track rat then sold. DUMBASSsssssss


4rd: 91 318i sedan. Found a local rust free car originally from New Mexico. Needed some TLC and I wasn't much into sedans but it was something to mess with. It was supposed to get a M52 but I never felt the whole 4 door thing. Ended up robbing it for parts and trashing it.


5th: 89 325is. Again locally. I knew it was rusty and wasn't the car for me but it kept me occupied. Made a half assed attempt at fixing but didn't have the skills. Sold to e30rookie who did some really nice work to it.


And we're all caught up.
89 325i. Simon's car. Auto, TMU, needed some TLC but a rust free car. A clean palate I can work with.


So now you have a background, you're probably thinking WTF. Right? All that for an automatic Bronzit? Yeah me too.

[AWDBOB]

Is the new coupe a Euro car? Looks clean, excited to see what you do with it!

[amcp]

I don't think so. Looks like someone got bored and installed the side markers. They did a good job though. The euro trim I threw on.
The build is already complete. I'll chronicle that this weekend while its still freezing outside.

[amcp]

Over the summer I had a chance to do a DE at Barber. So I signed up as an instructor and took the car for a good shake down. Current setup is Koni SA, HR Race springs with all urethane suspension bushings and a set of fixed camber plates. Had a ton of fun but the m20 was never gonna stay in that car for long.



When I got back home I began the process of swapping in a S52 I picked up from a local BMW shop. So out with the M20:


BYE FELICIA!



And boom goes the dynamite:


Clearance with AKG 24v swap mounts and 944 booster and M50 manifold. Sh3rpak!ng

[Sh3rpak!ng]

I'll be damned. Thanks for the photo! Love the project

[2mAn]

More pics!!

[amcp]

Just an update. There was a BMW event at HPT in Kansas over the wknd. Got a chance to use the scales there. I was kinda surprised at the cars weight. 89 with an S52 and g260, full interior/oem panels and glass and a full tank of gas, 2485.
Weight loss plan was:
all sound deadening removed from interior
firewall insulation gone
all ac parts gone
all stereo gone
2 fixed back seats
trunk is bare empty except for 11 lb battery
track wheels
cruise control gone

Pretty happy with the turn out. Maybe some schrick cams and a 3.64 diff might be in order......

[2mAn]

Wow, thats lighter than I expected to see. Should see something in the 2300s when the diet is done

[amcp]

AND coming home I backed up that weight by stopping by a weigh station in a gas station. It read 2450 soooo close enough to account for less gas.
I'd love a CF hood but havent heard of one with dry CF and near OEM fitment.

[amcp]

Hit up the PCA event in Mid Ohio this month. Signed up for the 3 day event and only got 1 full day of track time because of all the moisture/rain. Car performed well and got a best time of 1:49.9. I was curious how the oem calipers/rotors hold up with PFC08s at all 4 with some ducting up front. Hit the front with some temperature paint and found out the peak temps were around 1450 F. That's crazy cause MidOhio isnt a huge braking track. Also I ended up swapping in a 3.64 Torsen in the rear. Huge difference and totally worth it. There were a couple moments that I could tell I was either too early on the brakes and faded them a bit or too late and ran wide. All in all it was a good time and I know I'll be back.

With this thought of better brakes on my mind for safetys sake I pulled the trigger on the Sparco FF1 shoes in 15x8. I dont want larger wheels on the car for weight and looks perceptive. These keep the 4 lug and have plenty of room for the Massive 300x32 race kit.





I have 5 TRM 15x8 with caps and 225/45/15 RS4s for sale if anyones interested.

[2mAn]

Im digging the wheels. Definitely a nice functional set. Is that hood wrapped for some reason or did it get primered? I dont recall any serious damage on the car and the paint was good as I remember it